Lisa Mascaro

Story Archive

GOP request for reading of 767 pages stalls health debate: Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009; WASHINGTON -- Just when it seemed that Senate Democrats were on a path to pass health care reform by Christmas, one Republican senator halted the process Wednesday by demanding the full reading of a 767-page amendment.
Senators optimistic on health bill, minus public option: Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009; WASHINGTON -- In a distinctive shift from just a day ago, senators returned from a White House meeting on health care reform Tuesday upbeat that passage of the pivotal legislation was back on track after teetering on possible collapse.
Obama on health care: Harry Reid 'is going to get it done': Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009; WASHINGTON -- On the eve of today’s pivotal meeting of the Senate Democratic caucus at the White House, President Obama expressed confidence that Harry Reid would carry health care reform legislation to the finish line.
Harry Reid, Dems meet to keep health bill alive: 60 votes becomes difficult without Sen. Joseph Lieberman's support; Monday, Dec. 14, 2009; WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats huddled tonight in a quickly-called meeting and will head to the White House en masse Tuesday to salvage the health care reform bill. Chances for the legislation's passage seriously dimmed when Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said Sunday he could not support the latest proposal.
Harry Reid, GOP opponents find own set of obstacles: Monday, Dec. 14, 2009; WASHINGTON -- Greetings, Early Liners. As if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid does not have a big enough headache this morning with Sen. Joseph Lieberman potentially dooming health care reform, there's lots of punditry this weekend about the senator’s own troubled re-election in Nevada.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman's opposition could derail health bill compromise: Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009; WASHINGTON -- The delicate compromise reached in health care talks threatened to unravel Sunday when Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut suggested he could not support the latest proposal to expand Medicare eligibility for uninsured older adults.
Health reform czar recalls GOP shutting door on collaboration: Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009; The White House’s top health policy adviser, Nancy-Ann DeParle, has been walking the halls of Congress since March, meeting with lawmakers one-on-one to discuss President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy issue, health care reform. The health czar was making progress — until July.
Titus helps brainstorm ideas to employ Nevadans: Congresswoman on House task force focusing on job creation; Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009; Just days before the House voted on its sweeping health care reform legislation, Democratic Rep. Dina Titus explained why she wanted the long debate to come to a close: Southern Nevadans need work. “I’m ready to vote for it and move on to creating jobs,” Titus said in early November.
A quick vote favors Harry Reid’s cause: Senate’s compromise deal expands Medicare and eliminates public option; Friday, Dec. 11, 2009; If the Congressional Budget Office greenlights the new provisions in coming days and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has the votes in hand, expect health care legislation to be fast-tracked toward passage.
Harry Reid won't be in New Orleans for fundraiser: Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009; WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will not be hitting the Big Easy for a planned fundraiser Friday hosted by the Louisiana senator who secured a $100 million Medicaid boost for her state in the proposed Senate health reform bill.
Groups continue push for public option: Agreement believed to have a government-managed system involving private insurers; Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009; WASHINGTON -- A sign of the fragility of the broad, late-night agreement on health care reform reached among Senate negotiators could be seen in the responses unfolding today in Washington. President Barack Obama welcomed the development.
Compromise means 'more choices' for insurance: Reid hails agreement he says brings competition to the market; Senate also casts a pivotal abortion vote; Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009; As the health care debate pressed forward Tuesday in the Senate, it was hard to decide whether to keep an eye on the floor action or behind the closed doors where deals were being made down the hall.
Harry Reid: With abortion vote, health care bill 'respects life': Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009; WASHINGTON -- In an unexpected move, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this afternoon voted to table a pivotal abortion amendment that he said had no place in the health care debate.
Health care debate heats up with Harry Reid's slavery remarks: Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009; WASHINGTON — Perhaps a time-out for etiquette could be helpful in the health care debate, which opened this week with incendiary remarks and wild claims in a discussion that has already seen plenty of both.
Health care bill an anchor or a float for Democrats?: Incumbents’ reelection hopes tied to unpopular signature issue; Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009; On first take the latest polling from Nevada offered a dim outlook for Democrats’ political fortunes: They are struggling to pass health care legislation in Congress that does not appear to have robust support at home.
John Ensign working his way back, trying to put affair behind him: “Senators don’t necessarily want him taking center stage, but he shouldn’t go into hiding either.”; Monday, Dec. 7, 2009; As Republican Sen. John Ensign was exiting the Capitol on Wednesday night, a Democratic senator entering the building stopped to greet him and thank him for having helped out on an earlier issue.
The next afternoon Ensign strode toward the main doors of the Senate chamber to deliver a floor speech on health care, making his way through a gaggle of reporters who not too long ago would have bombarded the Nevadan with questions about his affair and potential ethics violations.
At Harry Reid's request, Obama pushes health bill in Capitol stop: Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009; WASHINGTON -- During a potentially pivotal visit to the Hill on Sunday on health care reform, President Obama gave a shout-out to Harry Reid, saying he has the toughest job in Washington and was doing it “very, very well."
Obama’s Afghanistan plan draws little support from Titus, Berkley: Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009; The difficulties President Barack Obama will encounter selling his Afghanistan troop surge to the nation can be found in the positions of Nevada’s House Democrats following last week’s presidential address. Democratic Rep. Dina Titus has not taken a position, and Rep. Shelley Berkley has given only conditional support.
Harry Reid, Senate begin weekend session on health care reform: Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009; WASHINGTON -- History cannot be made working bankers’ hours, suggested Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as he opened a rare weekend session of the Senate on health care reform that will continue Sunday when President Barack Obama is scheduled come to the Hill.
Banks pressured to be more helpful: Treasury to publish list of unsupportive lenders; Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009; Throughout the foreclosure crisis, lawmakers and the administration have raised concerns that lenders are not doing enough to help families keep their homes and that the federal government is limited in its ability to press them to do more.
Dina Titus: ‘Just a new level of audacity’: Just days after the Salahis crashed a state dinner, a committee in Congress conducts a hearing on the pair; Friday, Dec. 4, 2009; Las Vegas is a capital for both parties and party crashers. So when Rep. Dina Titus took her seat Thursday at the Homeland Security Committee hearing on the White House party crashers, she had a few things to say.
GOP taps Rep. Dean Heller for estate tax alternative: Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009; WASHINGTON -- Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley has been hard at work on legislation to enhance the estate tax break, but it was Nevada's Republican Rep. Dean Heller who won the prime-time spot this afternoon to offer an alternative to the Democratic bill.
Congress races to restore benefits subsidy for laid-off workers: Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009; WASHINGTON -- Buried amid the promises of new bridges, roads and recessionary aid in the Recovery Act passed this year by Congress was one tangible benefit for the unemployed: a subsidy to help pay health benefits for those who are laid off.
Report: Yucca Mountain costs double other alternatives: Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009; WASHINGTON -- A government report released today said developing Yucca Mountain would cost twice as much as other options for storing nuclear waste, but that both interim or on-site storage alternatives would face long-term costs and potential political pitfalls.
Democrats ready to push forward on health care: Lawmakers also plan to work through Christmas holiday, if necessary; Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009; WASHINGTON — The Senate is known for its sluggish pace, but even three days without a vote on the many health care amendments stacking up is too much for Democrats who emerged this afternoon from a closed door meeting.
Shelley Berkley sports fiscally conservative streak: Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009; There was a time, when Rep. Shelley Berkley faced substantial challengers threatening to brand her as a tax-and-spend Democrat, too liberal for her Southern Nevada congressional district, which in those years included much of the surrounding region.
Harry Reid on mortgages: 'Bank of America must do more': Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009; WASHINGTON -- Harry Reid pointedly criticized Bank of America today for not doing enough to help Nevada homeowners during the mortgage crisis, warning that the company must bring more resources to the state or face public scrutiny.
Health care debate off to rocky start in Senate: Monday, Nov. 30, 2009; WASHINGTON -- Well, this does not look good. The Senate opened the health care debate this afternoon with a caustic exchange that shows what a long, hard slog these next few weeks might be.
John Ensign: Resignation would hurt GOP, shift focus from ousting Harry Reid: Monday, Nov. 30, 2009; WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. John Ensign gives his first, full-length interview this morning since disclosing an affair last summer, and says he is getting Republican requests to campaign in 2010, has no plans to resign and cannot understand the health care bill.
The ball’s in Reid’s court: Passing the public option: Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009; The next hurdle is obvious: The Democratic intraparty feud over the public option — the government-run insurance plan that has tripped Democrats throughout the health care debate. As the Senate prepares to begin its debate on health care legislation this week, the battle over the public option in many ways has become a proxy war for health care reform itself.
Break provides needed respite, but Congress’ work isn’t done: Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009; Watching from afar, it is easy to scoff at congressional recesses, or “district work periods,” as they are called — times when the House and Senate are not in session so lawmakers can attend to constituent needs at home. But those watching closely notice the long nights when the lights remain on in the Capitol.
Meeting of GOP governors draws challengers, not Gibbons: Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009; WASHINGTON -- One notable absence from last week's Republican Governors' Association meeting was that of Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons.
Former Gov. List: Health care bill 'so liberal,' will cost Reid: Monday, Nov. 23, 2009; WASHINGTON -- Former Republican Gov. Robert List said today that the nearly 500,000 uninsured Nevadans do not lack health care because they can receive public hospital and emergency room treatment in the state.
Sen. John Ensign affair to resurface on 'Nightline': Monday, Nov. 23, 2009; WASHINGTON -- Greetings, Early Liners. The ongoing story of Republican Sen. John Ensign’s affair with the wife of a former top aide resurfaces anew tonight when ABC airs a new interview with the woman’s husband, Doug Hampton, on “Nightline.”
The skinny on the health care reform bills in each chamber of Congress: Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009; What started as five health care bills — three in the House, two in the Senate — are now two. Here are some highlights of the House bill, which passed on Nov. 7, and the Senate bill, which was introduced for debate Saturday. The Senate bill faces many amendments during the upcoming weeks of debate.
Harry Reid’s hopes hitched to health care reform bill: Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009; You would have thought they were rock stars, not graying politicians, the way Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his top lieutenants were welcomed at a Senate reception the day after Reid’s health care bill was introduced.
John Ensign absent from Senate floor during health care debate: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009; WASHINGTON -- As senators speak on the Senate floor today to discuss health care reform in a lively, rare Saturday session, one voice that has been absent is that of Republican Sen. John Ensign of Nevada.
Reid clears major health care hurdle, daunting weeks ahead: Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009; WASHINGTON — With tonight's Senate vote to open debate on the Democrats’ health care reform bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid cleared a hurdle in the most profound test of his leadership skills but is about to face another.
Senator to host fundraiser for Harry Reid in New Orleans: Friday, Nov. 20, 2009; WASHINGTON -- The Louisiana senator who secured a $100 million bonus in Medicaid payments for her state in the proposed Senate health care bill will host a fundraiser for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid next month in New Orleans, the Times-Picayune is reporting this morning.
10,000 Nevadans daily to get pro-Harry Reid robo-call: Friday, Nov. 20, 2009; WASHINGTON -- The progressive group that ran TV ads critical of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's leadership as it pushed him to include the public option in the health care bill now says it has the leader's back as he potentially comes under pressure to change the bill as the health debate begins in the Senate.‬‪
Senate bill would cover Medicaid expansion for all states: Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009; WASHINGTON — The increased Medicaid funding Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid initially scored for Nevada is now being proposed for all 50 states in his new health care bill. It also includes a $100 million bonus for Louisiana, whose senator is one of the Democratic holdouts on advancing the legislation.
Auditors note problems in Recovery Act jobs numbers: Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009; WASHINGTON -- Government auditors have found significant problems in reporting the number of jobs created or saved by the Recovery Act, the Obama administration’s signature effort to improve the economy, according to a report released Thursday.
Senate vote on health care bill likely to happen Saturday: Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009; WASHINGTON -- You might want to reconsider your Saturday evening plans if you, like most of the Hill right now, are glued to the health care vote in the Senate.
Long-sought, Harry Reid's goal of health care reform a step closer: Senate Majority Leader drew cheers with a tightrope act; Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009; After weeks of crafting the Senate health care bill behind closed doors, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid finally unveiled it. The bill weighed in at $849 billion over 10 years, would cover 31 million uninsured and cut the federal budget deficit by $127 billion.
2,074-page health bill includes surgery, payroll tax hike: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009; WASHINGTON -- Ready for a little light reading? The new Senate health care bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is now posted online at www.democrats.senate.gov.
Harry Reid to present $849 billion health care bill: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009; WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has convened a late-evening meeting tonight of the Democratic caucus to present to fellow senators the $849 billion health care reform bill he has been crafting behind closed doors for weeks.
Senate committee approves Obama's OSHA nominee: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009; WASHINGTON - After months of scrutiny and delay, a Senate committee today approved the Obama administration's nominee for OSHA director.
Lawmakers on standby to get health care bill: Monday, Nov. 16, 2009; WASHINGTON -- Greetings, Early Liners. As the Senate is poised to take up health care reform, it kind of feels like everyone is waiting for the party to start if only the guest of honor – in this case, the bill – would arrive.
Seeking common ground on abortion: Can Senate live with strict language in the House bill?; Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009; As the health care debate morphs momentarily into an argument over whether federal money should be used for abortion, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s every move is being watched. He is being pressed to block abortion restrictions in the House bill.
Just getting health care bill to floor will be tough for Reid: History indicates reform will be slowed by the quirks of the Senate; Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009; To understand just how difficult it is to get anything done in the Senate, a dose of history can help. Long before President Lyndon B. Johnson became champion of civil rights, he was during his early years as majority leader a key Senate architect in obstructing civil rights legislation that many of his fellow Democrats desperately wanted to pass.