World-News

Jeffrey Young and Kevin Bogardus, The Hill: "K Street lobbyists expect a bonanza this year because of the aggressive agenda of President Obama and congressional Democrats. 'Big government is back,' said Mark Ruge, who heads the policy group at K&L Gates. 'It's going to be a very, very active Congress.' A day after the Inauguration of Obama, lobbying firms were releasing weak 2008 money numbers, but realized that big government was going to mean big demand from corporate America for lobbyists to play offense and defense on their behalf."

http://www.truthout.org/012209D



Jobless Claims Surge, Housing Starts Tumble

Lucia Mutikani, Reuters: "The number of workers lining up for jobless benefits surged last week, while new housing starts and permits hit record lows in December, pointing at an acceleration in the economy's downward spiral. First time applications for state unemployment insurance benefits increased to a seasonally adjusted 589,000 in the week ended January 17 from a revised 527,000 the prior week, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The last time claims were higher was in 1982, when they notched a weekly rise of 612,000."

http://www.truthout.org/012209F



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