Senator Sanders

The Fed Sen. Bernie Sanders was asked on MSNBC if there is anything Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke could do to accommodate some of his criticisms "No," Sanders said. "He was part of the Bush administration...It's time for Mr. Bernanke to go." Sen. Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate banking committee, was asked if Sanders' hold would delay or derail the nomination. "I don't think so," he told Bloomberg.  VIDEO, LINK

The Chairman Sen. Sanders' hold means Bernanke would need 60 votes to overcome the block and be confirmed, The Christian Science Monitor, McClatchy, New England Cable News, Fox Business and CNBC reported. It looks like Bernanke will get the votes ...but nothing is certain these days. A year ago, very few political observers would have imagined that Rep. Ron Paul could have generated a powerful majority of support for a bill to audit the Fed policy, The Wall Street Journal and Christian Science Monitor blogged. LINK, LINK, VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO, LINK, LINK

Bernie on the Blogs Fire Dog Lake, Daily Kos, and America Blog all covered the Bernanke hold. "It's fair to say that the White House's problems have moved beyond the ‘Internet left fringe," one said. "Sanders alone can't stop the nomination...but time and the schedule are -- for the moment -- on his side," added Daily Kos. LINK, LINK, LINK

Wall Street Tax A group of congressional Democrats proposed taxing large transactions in stocks and derivatives, an idea that has received a cool reception from the Obama administration. Sen. Harkin said he will introduce the bill in the Senate next week with Sen. Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats Bloomberg reported. LINK  

Afghanistan Sen. Sanders says the situation in Afghanistan needs an international response and he's concerned that he doesn't see that effort taking place: "I don't want to see this be another Iraq where it becomes an American war," he told Vermont Public Radio. LINK

Health Care Key Democrats in the Senate, accompanied by party leadership, are bearing down on a solution to the public option problem that has dogged the caucus for months now. They're holding a constant series of meetings, bringing liberals and conservatives together. Included in the meeting, according to Talking Points Memo, are the well-known public option skeptics, and, on the other side of the party, Sens. Sherrod Brown and Sanders. "I'm doing my best to do what I can do," Sanders said. LINK  

International

Italy Offers Troops Two days after President Barack Obama asked allies to send new troops along with his plan to surge 30,000 new forces into Afghanistan, Italy pledged to send 1,000 more soldiers. "We must finish the job started with NATO," Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told The Christian Science Monitor. LINK

National

Senate Passes Women's Health Care Amendment Breaking a three-day stalemate, the Senate approved an amendment to its health care legislation that would require insurance companies to offer free mammograms and other preventive services to women. The vote was 61 to 39, with three Republicans joining 56 Democrats and the two independents in favor, The New York Times reported. LINK

Bernanke Hearing Under fire from Democrats and Republicans alike, Ben S. Bernanke defended his record Thursday as chairman of the Federal Reserve but admitted that the central bank's own lapses contributed to the financial crisis. "I did not anticipate a crisis of this magnitude," Mr. Bernanke acknowledged. He volunteered that the Fed had been "slow" in protecting consumers from high-risk mortgages and that it should have forced banks to hold more capital for all the risks they were taking on, The New York Times reported. LINK

Jobs Summit President Obama on Thursday hosted a forum with scores of business and labor leaders and economic advisers to both political parties to field "every demonstrably good idea" for creating jobs, but he cautioned that "our resources are limited." The president said he would announce some new ideas of his own next week, which are likely to include a home-retrofitting proposal, The New York Times reported. LINK

House Votes to Make Estate Tax Permanent The House approved Thursday a measure making the current estate tax rate permanent, overcoming the objections of an unusual coalition of liberal and conservative critics. The bill passed, 225 to 200, with 26 Democrats joining all Republicans present to vote no, The Washington Post reported. LINK

Vermont

Champlain Bridge Federal Highway Administration approval to demolish the deteriorated Crown Point Bridge linking New York and Vermont is expected early next week. A New York state Department of Transportation spokeswoman said the federal agency is expected to sign off on the plan by Monday, the day the project's prime contractor will be taking bids from subcontractors. A date for the demolition hasn't been set, AP reported. LINK