Thursday, May 8, 2014

This Week In Washington, May 8, 2014

This Week In Washington

Top 5 Stories This Week


1.      The Obama administration released its National Climate Assessment, citing recent bouts of severe weather to bolster its contention that global warming is already affecting Americans.

Look ahead: Environmental experts hope to see five potential consequences of the report's release.

2.      House Speaker John Boehner tapped Rep. Trey Gowdy, to chair a select committee on Benghazi, prompting Democratic complaints that Republicans are politicizing the 2012 attack.

Look ahead: Democrats, who have criticized the formation of a committee as redundant, have not decided whether to participate in the panel's inquiry.

3.      The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that 288,000 jobs were added to nonfarm payrolls in April, and unemployment declined to 6.3%—besting economists' projections of 210,000 jobs added and an unemployment rate of 6.6%.

Look ahead: Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen sounded an upbeat tone on the strength of positive economic indicators, but conceded that the housing recovery "could prove more protracted than currently expected."

4.      North Carolina state House Speaker Thom Tillis captured more than 45% of the vote in an eight-way GOP Senate primary, in what was billed as a battle between the establishment and the tea party.

Look ahead: Voters in eight more states take their turn in May, casting ballots in a series of key primary elections that will give more defined shape to the 2014 landscape.

5.      Ukrainian separatists will proceed with a May 11 referendum on partitioning the country, despite Russian President Putin's call for a postponement. Putin, who claimed to have ordered a pullback of Russian troops from the Ukrainian border, today oversaw military exercises simulating a nuclear strike.

Look ahead: The ongoing unrest could benefit certain key players, including Russian oil-and-gas interests and the Ukrainian interim government.


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