This Week In Washington, Nov 26, 2015

This Week In Washington

Top 5 Stories This Week

1.      President Obama's announcement that more than 4 million undocumented immigrants will be eligible to apply for work permits and deferred deportation spurred emotional reactions on both sides of the immigration debate and laid the groundwork for battles with a Republican-led Congress.

Look ahead: In addition to alienating congressional Republicans, the president risks seeing his actions reversed by lawmakers or a successor.

2.      Bipartisan negotiations on legislation to renew and make permanent a raft of expired corporate tax breaks are faltering after President Obama threatened to veto the bill for failing to aid working families.

Look ahead: The measure could add an estimated $450 billion to the federal budget deficit.

3.      After pulling the plug on the regulation in 2011, the EPA proposed tightening the air-quality standard for ground-level ozone, or smog—a standard that's at the center of a fierce lobbying war between industry and environmentalists.

Look ahead: The revisions will lower the current standard of 75 parts per billion to between 65 and 70 ppb.

4.      Protesters clashed with law enforcement following the announcement that a St. Louis grand jury had declined to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. Officers responded with tear gas as demonstrations turned violent, businesses were looted and buildings set ablaze.

Look ahead: Attorney General Eric Holder said a federal investigation into the shooting "remains ongoing," and Wilson could still face civil-rights charges. Still, several legal experts have suggested federal charges are unlikely.

5.      The P5+1 nations and Iran failed to secure a long-term nuclear agreement by the Nov. 24 deadline, but agreed to extend talks pursuant to requests from the U.S. and other world powers.

Look ahead: As the parties remain at odds over a number of issues, the talks will last through the end of June; both sides will meet again in December and they hope to have a political agreement within four months.

This Week In Washington DC, Nov 13, 2014

This Week In Washington DC

Top 5 Stories

1.      President Obama is reportedly preparing to announce a 10-point immigration-reform plan, which would include provisions to enhance border security and could shield 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation.

Look ahead: Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, warns that executive action could derail bipartisan efforts to craft an omnibus spending bill. More than 50 House Republicans aim to incorporate language prohibiting unilateral action into legislation funding the government after Dec. 11.

2.      Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., locked in a tough runoff battle with Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy, pushed for a vote on the Keystone XL pipeline, which could come as soon as Nov. 18. The House will vote today on identical legislation sponsored by Cassidy, allowing the measure to proceed directly to the president for signature in the event of passage.

Look ahead: The measure could earn strong support from Senate Democrats, who no longer need the electoral consequences of a vote.

3.      President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced an ambitious plan that includes new U.S. emissions reduction targets through 2025 and China's first-ever agreement to curb emissions by 2030, in a move intended to encourage other nations to take similar action.

Look ahead: The announcement, which drew criticism from congressional Republicans, could signal a focus on climate in the 2016 election cycle.

4.      The lame-duck session that opened this week, set to include a raft of stalled legislation, offers lawmakers an opportunity to break the gridlock that has characterized the 113th Congress ahead of the Republican takeover in January.

Look ahead: House Republican leaders plan to stick closely to the plans laid out by outgoing Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., which include reforms to Medicare and Medicaid, repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and reduction of the highest tax rates.

5.      The Labor Department reported 214,000 jobs were added to nonfarm payrolls in October, trailing the 248,000 jobs added in September, while unemployment declined slightly to 5.8%. The figure trailed economists' projections of 230,000 to 235,000 jobs added.

Look ahead: Despite a steady decline in the overall unemployment rate, nearly 7 million Americans are classified as involuntary part-time workers, raising concerns the phenomenon may be structural rather than cyclical.

This Week In Washington DC, Nov 6, 2014

This Week In Washington

Top 5 Stories This Week

1.      Buoyed by popular frustration with President Obama and congressional Democrats, Republicans seized control of the Senate for the first time in 8 years and expanded their majority in the House, gaining validation of their vision for the nation and raising hopes of an end to congressional gridlock.

Look ahead: House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell outlined their agenda for the 114th Congress, which will include Senate consideration of House-passed jobs legislation, in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal.

2.      Despite a devastating electoral defeat for his party, President Obama plans to stay the course, and will make no significant policy concessions to congressional Republicans, even as he fights to define his legacy in the final years of his presidency.

Look ahead: The president and Republicans in Congress face similar pressure to accomplish major policy objectives over the next two years.  Prediction:  No progress the next 2 years.

3.      Obama reportedly has narrowed to his choices for Attorney General to: Loretta Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Labor Secretary Tom Perez; and Solicitor General Donald Verrilli.

Look ahead: Administration officials suggest a decision could come as early as this week; the president remains optimistic that a nominee can be confirmed during the lame-duck session.

4.      Citing the need to present a united front against ISIS, and noting the coalition's strategy is evolving, the president will seek a new Authorization for Use of Military Force in the coming weeks.

Look ahead: Iraqi forces are planning a spring offensive, which will be supported by coalition air power and advisers and is intended to shatter the group's hold on the country's north and west, and assert government control in Mosul and other major cities.

5.      Russian-backed separatists held elections—complete with "monitors" from sympathetic organizations—eliciting praise from the Kremlin and drawing sharp criticism from the European Union.

Look ahead: The election of field commander Aleksandr Zakharchenko to the top leadership post is in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic is expected to preserve the status quo in the region.