Senator Sanders

Senate Passes Spending Bill The Senate on Sunday approved a $446.8 billion spending package that will keep much of the federal government running. Money for the Burlington airport and $6.5 million for cleanup of Lake Champlain are included. Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders voted for the bill, The Associated Press reported. LINK

Health Care - Senate After hailing a potential breakthrough for U.S. health-care legislation, Democrats this week will learn whether the new deal passes muster with budget analysts and the senators they are courting. "Some people say we're at the two-yard line," Sen. Bernie Sanders told Bloomberg. "I don't think so. There are a lot of concerns to work out." LINK

Climate Summit Copenhagen isn't just host to the global climate summit. The Danish capital offers a way to reduce greenhouse gases: build a district heating system. Sen. Sanders suggests earmarking revenues from global warming legislation to support installation of efficient thermal systems, syndicated columnist Neal Peirce wrote in the Portland Oregonian. LINK

Obama Obama came out of the gate with a huge stimulus plan..."You have to give him credit there," Sen. Sanders told Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi. But it was Sanders, not the White House, who proposed breaking up banks deemed too big to fail, according to the article on "one of the most dramatic political about-faces in our history." LINK

Bernanke Hold Praised "Sanders is one U.S. senator who can be respected for his integrity, wisdom and courage. Recently he held up the approval of President Barack Obama's re-nomination of Ben Bernanke for chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank," H.H. Herman wrote to the Naples Daily News. LINK

International

Climate Talks U.N. climate talks were thrown into disarray Monday as developing countries blocked negotiations, demanding that rich countries raise their pledges for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, The Associated Press reported. LINK

Detained Americans to be Tried in Iran Three U.S. citizens detained in Iran and charged with espionage will stand trial, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Monday, in a case that could further strain relations between Tehran and Washington, Reuters reported. LINK

Afghanistan The Pentagon's top military officer visited Afghanistan on Monday as the first of 30,000 U.S. reinforcements prepared to deploy to the 8-year-old war. Adm. Mike Mullen arrived in the Afghan capital Kabul for a series of meetings with the government, according to The Associated Press. LINK

National

Crunch Time As Senate Democrats await new cost projections from the Congressional Budget Office on their latest effort to settle the major internal disagreements over the health care legislation, they are also positioning themselves for a lightning-quick dash to the finish, The Associated Press reported. LINK

Citigroup to Repay $20 Billion Bailout Citigroup Inc. said Monday it is repaying $20 billion in bailout money it received from the Treasury Department, in an effort to reduce government influence over the banking giant, The Associated Press reported. LINK

Obama Pushing Bankers President Barack Obama is asking bank executives to support his efforts to tighten the financial industry, while bankers are prepared to tell the president he should stop oversimplifying their concerns if he wants good-faith collaboration, AP reported. LINK

Vermont

Health Care Vermont lawmakers will begin a new year of health care reform discussions with a massive public hearing at the Statehouse on Jan. 12 as they begin new deliberations on changes to the state's health care system, including considering a single-payer option, the Vermont Press Bureau reported. LINK

UVM Stimulus University of Vermont researchers have received about $20.2 million in federal stimulus dollars to fund 54 research projects. The Burlington Free Press says the UVM College of Medicine has received $12.4 million to carry out 38 of those projects. And school officials say more money is likely. LINK