Senator Sanders

 
Our Energy Future “Long term, we must significantly increase our efforts at breaking our dependency on…fossil fuels…and move toward energy efficiency and such sustainable energies as solar and wind…” Sanders wrote in a column published by the Montpelier Bridge, The Caledonian-Record, and Newport Daily Express. LINK

 
Gas and Food Prices On the Northeast Public Radio’s Congressional Corner, Sanders talks about whether or not the high gas and food prices are due to the increased production of ethanol. AUDIO LINK

 
Gas Taxes Hillary Clinton and John McCain say drivers need a break this summer from gas taxes. Obama, aggressively pushing back, is backed by economic experts, virtually none of whom think a gas-tax holiday is a good idea. Most environmentalists are also opposed… “But Obama's going to have trouble defending his position. His opponents are painting him as unwilling to help out cash-strapped average Americans, and some…are joining calls to repeal the tax, among them Sen. Bernie Sanders -- generally among the more environmentally concerned senators…” according to Grist. LINK  

 
Tough Love “I love Bernie Sanders,” the philosopher/novelist/essayist Eric Zencey posts on Daily Kos. “Mostly Sanders' challenge-the-corporations, take-care-of-the-little-guy approach has my full backing, but he goes a little astray with his latest proposals on gas prices…”  Sanders, he concludes, “is saying some of the things that America needs to hear from its political leadership, and he's courageous for saying it…” LINK

 
Bradford Town Meeting Sen. Bernie Sanders visited Bradford as part of a recent series of town meetings and discussed the shrinking middle class, the high price of gas, the environment, nuclear energy, Senator McCain’s stance on the G.I. Bill, and the state of the overall economy, according to a front-page story in Bradford’s Journal Opinion. LINK

 
Mr. Welch In a National Journal profile of Rep. Peter Welch, the congressman talked about the Vermont delegation.  “I’m very friendly with Patrick and Bernie. We have an excellent working relationship.”  The freshman congressman “takes a more pragmatic, middle-of-the road approach” than his predecessor, the magazine asserted.  LINK

World

 
Senate Panel Moves to Shift Costs of War to Iraq With energy prices soaring and the federal deficit approaching $400 billion, senators from both parties moved yesterday to force Iraq to shoulder more financial responsibility for its reconstruction and self-defense. On a unanimous vote taken late Wednesday night and announced yesterday, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved legislation that would prohibit the Defense Department from funding any reconstruction or infrastructure program that costs more than $2 million, The Washington Post reported. LINK

United States

 
More Jobs Lost in April Employers cut another 20,000 jobs in April, the Department of Labor reported today. The reduction, while smaller than expected, marks the fourth straight month of job losses in the U.S., as many companies fight to stay in the black in a weakened economy. The unemployment rate now stands at 5 percent, down slightly from 5.1 percent last month, ABC News reported. LINK

 
Democrats Prep Relief Package Top congressional Democrats are moving to unveil as early as next week a package of measures intended to mitigate high gas prices and present a sharper contrast to President Bush in the struggle to redefine energy policy. The proposals are expected to include temporarily halting the build-up of the nation's emergency oil stockpile, giving regulators greater authority to investigate and penalize oil companies that engage in price gouging, and seeking to discourage speculative trading in oil and gas markets, possibly by raising the collateral traders must provide, The Wall Street Journal reported. LINK

 
As Gas Costs Soar, Buyers Are Flocking to Small Cars Soaring gas prices have turned the steady migration by Americans to smaller cars into a stampede. In what industry analysts are calling a first, about one in five vehicles sold in the United States was a compact or subcompact car during April, based on monthly sales data released Thursday. Almost a decade ago, when sport utility vehicles were at their peak of popularity, only one in every eight vehicles sold was a small car, according to The New York Times. LINK

 
Democrats, FDA Official at Odds Over Inspection Plan A top Food and Drug Administration official rebuffed calls by congressional Democrats to support their proposals for tougher regulations on imported drugs and new fees on drug makers, in the latest round of conflict between lawmakers and the administration over drug safety. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, backed away from comments this week in which she seemed to acknowledge that the FDA needed an additional $225 million to beef up foreign inspections, according to The Wall Street Journal. LINK

 
Fed to Pursue Aggressive Checks on Credit Cards The Federal Reserve and two other banking regulators are set to unveil today one of the most aggressive efforts in decades to crack down on the credit card industry, prohibiting practices such as arbitrarily raising interest rates on outstanding balances, The Washington Post reported. LINK

 
Rescue Plan Leads Housing Package A plan to rescue hundreds of thousands of homeowners at risk of foreclosure began moving through Congress yesterday, as lawmakers worked to shape an aggressive response to the nation's housing crisis. Democratic leaders said the rescue plan, which yesterday cleared a key House committee, will form the core of a much broader housing bill that will include an overhaul of the Federal Housing Administration, stronger regulation of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and a $7,500 tax credit for first-time homebuyers that aims to slow the fall of plunging home prices, according to The Washington Post. LINK

 
Bush Most Unpopular in Modern History A new poll suggests that George W. Bush is the most unpopular president in modern American history. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Thursday indicates that 71 percent of the American public disapprove of how Bush his handling his job as president. Bush's 28 percent approval rating remains better than the all-time lows set by Truman and Richard Nixon (22 percent and 24 percent, respectively) but they never got a disapproval rating in the 70s. Truman’s 66 percent disapproval in January 1952 was the record. LINK

 
Rep. Fossella Arrested on DWI Charge -Rep. Vito J. Fossella (R-N.Y.) was arrested early yesterday in Alexandria and charged with driving while intoxicated, court records showed.  The Washington Post said Fossella is scheduled to appear in Alexandria General District Court on May 12 for an advisement hearing, the records said. No other details of the arrest were immediately available. LINK

 
Barbara Walters Affair with U.S. Senator After three decades of keeping mum, Barbara Walters is disclosing a past affair with married U.S. Senator Edward Brooke, whom she remembers as "exciting" and "brilliant." Appearing on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" scheduled to air Tuesday, Walters shares details of her relationship with Brooke that lasted several years in the 1970s, according to a transcript of the show provided to The Associated Press. LINK

Vermont

Food Stamp Record The number of Vermonters signing up for food stamp benefits is at a 15-year high. Officials say about 56,000 people received food stamps in March, The Associated Press reported. LINK

 
Tax Holiday Okayed Democratic legislative leaders backed away from a confrontation with Gov. Jim Douglas on Thursday over his desire to hold a two-day sales tax holiday in July that will cost about $2 million in lost revenues. It was one of dozens of decisions lawmakers made as they quickened the pace of their march to adjournment. Leaders now say the gavel will fall Saturday -- unless there is an unexpected snag, according to The Burlington Free Press. LINK

 
Dubie Wants Fourth Term Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie plans to run for re-election, seeking a fourth term, he announced Thursday. Dubie, 49, a Republican who lives in Essex, said several pending projects provide incentive for him to want to return to Montpelier, including expanding telecommunications coverage in the state…What about those rumors that Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin would run for lieutenant governor? Shumlin said flat out today he's running for re-election to the Senate, The Burlington Free Press buzzed. LINK

 
Comcast Expanding Comcast is extending its telecommunications services to Tinmouth, Brownington and Lincoln, three small rural towns that will get cable for the first time. The extension is part of 220 miles of fiber-optic line extensions that Comcast will build this year that will touch 53 communities in the state – but still leave some without high-speed Internet and cable access within those towns, the Rutland Herald reported. LINK

 
Home Depot to Close in Brattleboro Hit with a slowing economy and sluggish housing market, The Home Depot announced Thursday it will close its four-year-old Brattleboro store — one of 15 stores the giant home improvement chain will close nationwide…Opened in 2004, the Brattleboro store employs 83 workers, the Rutland Herald reported. LINK

 
War Protesters Arrested at General Dynamics Ten anti-war demonstrators have been arrested after locking themselves together with chains at the General Dynamics office in Burlington. Police used bolt cutters to remove and arrest the protesters last night, AP reported. LINK

 
Vermont Presidential Scholars The U.S. Department of Education says three Vermont high school students have been named 2008 Presidential Scholars. Christopher Fitzhugh, of Peacham, Rebecca Lee, of South Burlington, and William Begley, of St. Albans, were among 139 students nationwide chosen for the honor. The students were judged on academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and community service. The scholars will be honored in Washington next month, AP reported. LINK