WH on Hagel withdrawal: nope; governors descend on D.C.; and a CIA whistleblower parties on way to the clink (read-this roundup)

Former Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel remains the nominee for defense secretary. (Susan Walsh - AP) Here’s what the Loop is reading Friday:Pen pals — A group of 15 Republican senators wrote to President Obama asking him to withdraw the nomination of former Nebraska senator Chuck Hagel (R) to be secretary of defense. The White House response: Um, no thanks. Look out for the...

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Group releases list of 90 medical ‘don’ts’

Don’t use feeding tubes in patients with advanced dementia. Don’t use drugs to aggressively treat diabetes in those older than 65. Don’t automati­cally use imaging technology for minor head injuries in children and headaches in adults. And don’t give antacids to babies with reflux. Those are among the 90 medical “don’ts” on a list being released Thursday by a coalition of doctor and consumer...

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White House could name Gina McCarthy to EPA Wednesday

Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation, Gina McCarthy (Melina Mara - The Washington Post) Looks like it could be Gina McCarthy’s big day. The assistant administrator for air and radiation at the Environmental Protection Agency is the White House’s pick to head that agency — and the long-expected announcement could come as soon as Wednesday, we’re hearing.McCarthy...

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Postmaster takes case for five-day mail delivery to skeptical senators

Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe took his controversial plan for five-day mail delivery before a congressional hearing Wednesday, where he told senators that the Postal Service “needs your help.” Donahoe’s refrain was familiar. ●The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is losing $25 million a day.●Last year, the Postal Service lost $15.9 billion.●It defaulted on $11.1 billion...

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Obama urges a move away from narrow focus on politics of austerity

Just about every argument in Washington since the 2010 midterm elections, which returned control of the House to Republicans, has centered on reducing the federal deficit. On Tuesday night, President Obama leaned into his second term by declaring that a single-minded focus on deficit reduction would jeopardize the nation’s future. And he sounded an urgent call to rebuild. Reelected by...

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Obama pays tribute to Leon Panetta at the Pentagon chief’s farewell ceremony

President Obama paid tribute Friday to outgoing Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, hailing him for presiding over victories against terrorists and the expansion of opportunity in the U.S. armed forces. In a speech at Fort Myer, Va., for the “Armed Forces Farewell Tribute” to Panetta, the president called the Pentagon chief “a man who hasn’t simply lived up to the American dream but has...

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K Street alert! Bangladesh wants you

Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa (R) and his Bangladeshi counterpart Dipu Moni in Tehran in August. (Behrouz Mehri - AFP/Getty Images) How does a foreign country get trade preferences from Washington? It hires a lobbyist, of course.That’s what Bangladesh officials concluded after meeting with a congressional delegation last month.Bangladesh foreign...

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Obama to nominate CEO of outdoor gear retailer REI to become interior secretary

President Obama on Wednesday will nominate Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) chief executive Sally Jewell to head the Interior Department, according to a White House official who asked not to be identified because the public announcement has not yet been made. The choice of Jewell, who began her career as an engineer for Mobil Oil and worked as a commercial banker before heading a nearly...

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Strengthening security at the nation’s airports

Most people think of airport security as their walk through the metal detector and the eyeballing by transportation security officers (TSOs). Dan Liddell, whose job it is to protect the flying public at seven airports in central New York, instead sees 17 zones of worker responsibility and hundreds of different tasks. In pursuit of safeguarding the public, Liddell, a federal security director...

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Black delegate decides against Va. GOP map

RICHMOND — After a brief flirtation with the GOP’s surprise Virginia Senate redistricting plan, and a fierce backlash from unions, a black House Democrat has soured on supporting it. Del. Onzlee Ware announced on the House floor Friday that he has decided to vote against the new Senate map, which would create a new majority-black district in Southside but also disperse black voting power...

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Obama appointee Tony Babauta resigns from DOI

Tony Babauta submitted his letter of resignation to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. (Karen Bleier - AFP/Getty Images) A Department of Interior official whose official travel and other conduct was being investigated has resigned.Tony Babauta, the Assistant Interior Secretary for Insular Areas, is leaving the agency Feb. 1, a spokesman tells the Loop, though Babauta has been on...

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Bipartisan group of senators to unveil framework for immigration overhaul

A key group of senators from both parties will unveil on Monday the framework of a broad overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, including a pathway to citizenship for more than 11 million illegal immigrants. The detailed, four-page statement of principles will carry the signatures of four Republicans and four Democrats, a bipartisan push that would have been unimaginable just...

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Court says Obama exceeded authority in making appointments

President Obama exceeded his constitutional authority by making appointments when the Senate was on a break last year, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. The court’s broad ruling would sharply limit the power that presidents throughout history have used to make recess appointments in the face of Senate opposition and inaction. A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals...

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OPM plans to shake up charity program raise concerns about reduced donations

The Office of Personnel Management wants to shake up the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), the charitable-giving system for federal employees, but in the process the agency could risk losing donors and reducing contributions. One rule under review by the Obama administration would “eliminate the use of cash, check and money order contributions. Instead, all donations will be required to...

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Obama inauguration celebration to begin with official oath

President Obama began what will be a two-day celebration of the commencement of his second term Sunday, with a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, a visit to a historic African-American church and plans for a private swearing-in at the White House at noon. Obama’s second term begins officially Sunday, although the public ceremony and inaugural address at the Capitol...

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Earl Smith is the man behind a military patch that President Obama prizes

AUSTIN — That February morning in 2008 found Barack Obama decidedly out of sorts. He was locked in one battle with Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination that showed no signs of ending — and another with a vicious cold that felt the same way. As he rode the service elevator in the backway of a convention hotel here, the snowy-haired African American operating it turned...

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Earl Smith is the man behind a military patch that President Obama prizes

AUSTIN, Tex. — That February morning in 2008 found Barack Obama decidedly out of sorts. He was locked in one battle with Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination that showed no signs of ending — and another with a vicious cold that felt the same way. As he rode the service elevator in the backway of a convention hotel here, the snowy-haired African American operating it...

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A nomination fight at ATF; McDonough’s swearing skills; fed offices brave the snow (read this roundup)

Acting ATF Director Todd Jones is President Obama’s pick to permanently lead the agency. (Charles Dharapak - AP) Gunning for a confrontation — Seems President Obama is picking a nomination fight. ... The Senate for six years has blocked nominees to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, but Obama named a new director Wednesday in an effort to strengthen...

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White House insists Obama will push for assault weapons ban

The White House on Friday strongly denied reports that the administration is shying away from pursuing a ban on so-called assault weapons because it would be too difficult to push through Congress. A White House spokesman, Matt Lehrich, insisted that President Obama will pursue a ban on military-style assault weapons despite what is expected to be fierce opposition from the National Rifle...

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Bibles used by King, Lincoln to be part of Obama’s second inauguration

Martin Luther King Jr. carried a black leather King James Bible on his journeys as a young pastor starting out in Montgomery, Ala. He turned to this “traveling Bible” for inspiration, his family says, as he fought for freedom and equality. President Obama will put his hand over King’s well-worn Bible at his public swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 21, the holiday celebrating the...

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