Marisa’s Musings: Health Care Reform, US-Israel Relations, Return of the Tiger

The fight for – and against – health care reform intensifies on the Hill, Secretary Clinton downplays the dispute with Israel and Tiger Woods announces his return to golf.  I'm Marisa Bramwell and here's the latest from the ABC News Desk:

HEALTH CARE REFORM:  The fight over health care reform continues…both inside and outside the White House.  Today Democrats said they are considering a controversial procedure to get the bill passed.  Jonathan Karl reports: “The procedure is called ‘deeming.’  It allows members to vote on a bill while automatically ‘deeming’ another bill is also passed. In this case, the House would vote on a ‘fix it’ measure that would make changes to the Senate health care bill and then, in the process, automatically pass the Senate bill – without actually voting on it.  It’s a procedure that’s been used about 20 times over the last 30 years by both Democrats and Republicans…but never on legislation as seismic as health care reform.”  House Republicans spoke out against the Democrats’ plan at a news conference this afternoon, and unveiled an ad campaign coinciding with the Code Red movement against the health care reform bill.  Hundreds of Tea Party activists clad in red also expressed their disapproval, rallying on Capitol Hill against the bill.

MIDEAST FLAP:  Protests in East Jerusalem got ugly today as hundreds of Palestinians set tires and garbage bins on fire, in part, because of Israel’s announced plan to build more settlements there.  Thousands of Israeli riot police, armed with assault rifles, stun grenades and batons, were deployed throughout the city in anticipation of the unrest.  As the protestors threw rocks at them, the police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.  About 60 protestors were arrested and 10 seriously wounded.  But as the protests heated up, the diplomatic furor cooled down.  It all started just a week ago when Israel announced the settlement plan just as Vice President Biden was arriving for a visit to get Middle East peace talks back on track.  Secretary of State Clinton later called the timing of the announcement “insulting” to the United States.  But today Secretary Clinton tried to play down the dispute:  “We have a close, unshakable bond between the United States and Israel. But that doesn't mean that we're going to agree. We don't agree with any of our international partners on everything.”  So why the apparent change of heart?  As Martha Raddatz puts it:  “She wanted to defuse the tensions which one powerful Israel lobbying group AIPAC called "a matter of serious concern"… Secretary Clinton still expects Prime Minister Netanyahu to fix the problem…but the secretary sees this as a messy fight…not a matter for divorce court.”  Kirit Radia tells us a senior State Department official has indicated Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to have more to say about the settlement dispute on Wednesday.  (Thanks to Ed Bailey for this entry)

TIGER’S MASTER PLAN:  Back on February 19th, Tiger Woods publicly apologized for his infidelity and said “I do plan to return to golf one day.  I just don’t know when that day will be.”  Now we know.  John Berman reported on WORLD NEWS on Tiger’s decision to return to the PGA tour and compete on its biggest stage: The Masters.  “In a statement today, he said ‘Augusta is where I need to be.’ Why? The Masters in Augusta, Georgia is where he has played his best golf.  But more importantly, it might also be the best place on earth to stage-manage a comeback.”  Berman spoke with ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi.  “It is the most controlled setting anywhere in the world.  The media will be controlled.  The fans or patrons will be controlled.”   Flash back to the February 19th apology, “Woods said that he had so much work to do to heal his family, that his return to golf was uncertain.”  USA Today Columnist Christine Brennan has her doubts. “Three weeks later we find out he’s going to be at the Masters?  He’s not even going to miss one major?  Wow.  It makes you wonder if the whole thing’s a fraud.”  (thanks to George Sanchez for this entry)

MIDWEST/NORTHEAST FLOODING:  Across the Northeast and Midwest residents are in a race against time as the snow melts and flood waters rise.  In Fargo, North Dakota, volunteers are out en force filling sandbags to prevent the Red River from flooding the city. “On the banks of the rising Red River, it’s a full scale war,” Barbara Pinto reported on WORLD NEWS. “This city is moving tons of earth-barricading itself against yet another massive flood – nearly a year to the date after Fargo’s worst flood ever.”  Ice jams in the Minnesota River have caused flooding concerns in towns lying along the river in southern Minnesota.  Forecasters expect the river to rise above flood levels later this week, and officials are monitoring the levees.  In the Northeast, heavy rain storms followed by a spring thaw have caused flooding in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  The Passaic River in New Jersey crested at its highest levels in years, forcing hundreds of homeowners living along the river’s banks to evacuate.  Forecasters expect the waters to start receding on Wednesday.   More than 200,000 residents in the Northeast are still without power.

HOLDER ON 9/11 TRIALS, OBL: Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday Obama bin Laden would never be captured alive and that the White House was “weeks” away from making a decision on where the trial for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed would be held.  Jason Ryan reports:  “The Attorney General defended his decision to bring the 9/11 plotters to a civilian trial in New York City as decision that has been undermined in the past several months by local leaders in New York and internal debates among White House officials…During the hearing before the House Appropriations hearing Holder also said during heated testimony that Osama Bin Laden would never face a trial in the US since he would likely be killed.  ‘You’re talking about a hypothetical that will never occur.  The reality is that we will be reading Miranda rights to the corpse of Osama bin laden.  He will never appear in an American courtroom.' Holder said". 

MEXICO KILLINGS:  It now appears that the two Americans and a Mexican gunned down just across the Texas border over the weekend were killed by mistake.   All three, with ties to the U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez, died in a hail of gunfire as two SUVs drove off after a birthday party.  Tonight,  Jason Ryan tells us: “ABC News has confirmed that FBI and some DHS officials believe that the hit men in the shooting over the weekend may have had their targets wrong. This is a leading theory at this time, officials say there is no information at this time that the hit men knew they were US Consulate workers.”   Ciudad Juarez, just across the Rio Grande from El Paso, is regarded as one of the most violent places in the world.  It’s believed the killers were associated with the Juarez drug cartel.  Several children were in the vehicles to witness the deadly attacks and at least two of them were injured.  One of those killed was a woman who was four months pregnant. The president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, showed up in Ciudad Juarez late in the day on a previously scheduled visit and was met by hundreds of demonstrators, angry at the violence in their city.  Some held signs reading “government assassins.” Calderon tried to reassure Mexicans and Americans alike that despite the escalation in violence, his military crackdown on the drug cartels is the best way to curb their terrifying turf wars. (Thanks to Ed Bailey for this entry)

FED INTEREST RATES:  The Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates low Tuesday for “an extended period” in an effort to help boost economic recovery. Matt Jaffe reports: “The Fed sounded more optimistic about the battered jobs market. ‘Economic activity has continued to strengthen and the labor market is stabilizing,’ the Fed said. Not only that, but ‘business spending on equipment and software has risen significantly’ and ‘household spending is expanding at a moderate rate.’…Another sign that the Fed could be gaining confidence about the economic recovery is that the central bank today reiterated its plan to stop snapping up mortgage-backed securities at the end of this month. To date the Fed has bought $1.25 trillion of these assets, but that support is now coming to an end…But the Fed today was not completely bullish about the country’s economic recovery. ‘Investment in non-residential structures is declining, housing starts have been flat at a depressed level, and employers remain reluctant to add to payrolls,’ the Fed said.”  The Dow rose modestly in response to the Fed’s news, and broader indexes advanced.

STATE OF THE ECONOMY: Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Office of Management and Budget Peter Orzag and Council of Economic Advisors chair Christina Romer testified before the House Appropriations Committee this morning on the state of the nation’s economy.  Matt Jaffe reports: “Three of the Obama administration’s top economic officials today said the country has bounced back from the depths of the recession but still faces serious obstacles such as high unemployment, rising foreclosures, and a soaring budget deficit…’We expect to begin seeing job gains sometime this spring,’ Romer said, citing the administration’s forecasts that the labor market will add about 100,000 jobs per month this year, 200,000 per month next year, and 250,000 per month in 2012. ’Nevertheless,’ she said, ‘because of the severe toll the recession has taken on the labor market, unemployment is likely to remain elevated for an extended period.’ (1028) Romer noted the administration’s forecast that the unemployment rate – currently at 9.7 percent – will fall to 8.9 percent at the end of next year and 7.9 percent at the end of 2012. She also reiterated their predictions that the economy will grow by 3 percent this year and 4.3 percent the next two years, with inflation expected to remain low.”

STRANDED PASSENGERS ON VIRGIN FLIGHT:  Virgin Atlantic has apologized for keeping passengers stranded for 19 hours on a Los Angeles-New York flight over the weekend.  The flight was en route to New York City at 10am Saturday when bad weather forced the plane to circle for two hours before landing at Stewart Airport, located 90 miles north of New York City.“An airline spokeswoman says the guests were free to leave at that point, and about 20 did.  But passengers say they were told if they did get off, they’d be on their own,” Ron Claiborne reported on WORLD NEWS.  While waiting on the tarmac for nearly 5 hours, the airline staff offered passengers food rations of 4-5 chips or 10 nuts and a cup of water.  The passengers eventually arrived in New York City – at 2am via bus.  “Under a new passenger’s bill of rights law, airlines will have to let passengers off a plane after three hours on the ground..or face a fine of $27,000 per passenger,” Claiborne reports, “But that law doesn’t go into effect until next month…too late for those on Virgin flight 404.”Virgin America has promised the passengers refunds and a $100 credit for a future flight.

SICK CRUISE PASSENGERS:  Hundreds of passengers on a Celebrity Cruise ship are suffering from norovirus, the company stated Tuesday.  “While there was a decline in the spread of the illness during the sailing, in an abundance of caution, and in order to prevent additional guests and crew from becoming ill, we have decided to bypass Celebrity Mercury’s port of call to Tortola, British Virgin Islands, on Monday and return to Charleston a day earlier than originally scheduled. Celebrity Mercury will now arrive in Charleston early Thursday morning,” the company’s statement read.  It is the second time this month a Celebrity cruise ship from Charleston was affected by the gastrointestinal virus.

TEHRAN FIRE FESTIVAL PROTEST:   Clashes in Iran Tuesday night as protesters took to the streets during the “Fire Festival,” a celebration of bonfires and fireworks that takes place days before the Iranian New Year.   Jim Sciutto reports: “The protests seem to be more widespread than expected today. There are firsthand accounts of clashes across Tehran as well as in cities where big demonstrations are rarer, including Isfahan, Bukan, Sananjaz, and Tabriz. The reason we're not seeing many videos apparently is that the internet is down or very slow in many places. A day like this isn't necessarily significant on its own. But together with other recent national holidays hijacked by the opposition, including the recent anniversary of the revolution, it shows people still aren't scared to vent their anger in the streets despite the danger and, in today's case, an explicit order from the Supreme Leader.”