Newly installed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Richard Cordray laid out his agenda Thursday, vowing to press ahead despite political objections and legal questions about his status as a recess appointee. “It’s a valid appointment. I’m now the director of the bureau. . . . We now have our full authority to move forward,” Cordray said in his first public speech as the agency’s director, a day after President Obama used a recess appointment to bypass Republicans who had blocked Cordray’s confirmation in the Senate. Read full article > >

See the rest here:
Cordray moves forward despite appointment challenges

Calling it a sign that the D.C. Council and Republicans on Capitol Hill can work together, Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown (D) said he has won assurances for U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) that the House won’t move forward with a proposal to require criminal background checks on new city hires. On Monday, after the release of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform report on Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s relationship to Sulaimon Brown, Issa (R-Calif.) introduced a bill that would require the checks of city’s “excepted service” positions. Read full article > >

Read more from the original source:
Kwame Brown, Darrell Issa appear to strike deal on background checks of city hires

A key panel of government advisers Friday recommended that the federal government sponsor a controversial study to test the anthrax vaccine in children to see whether the inoculation would protect young Americans against a bioterrorist attack. The National Biodefense Science Board (NBSB), which advises the federal government on issues related to bioterrorism, voted 12-1 to recommend that the Health and Human Services Department move forward with a study aimed at determining whether the vaccine is safe and effective in children and identifying the best dose. Patricia Quinlisk of the Iowa Department of Public Health, who chairs the panel, was the only dissenter. Read full article > >

See original here:
Federal advisers endorse testing anthrax vaccine in children

New York City Opera’s announcement of its departure from Lincoln Center was not exactly a triumphant declaration of independence; the company will need a clear sense of purpose to move forward successfully.

Go here to read the rest:
Critic’s Notebook: Move From Lincoln Center Could Fortify City Opera’s Identity

Republicans have refused to allow a South Korean free-trade deal to move forward until the White House makes similar progress on deals with Colombia and Panama.

More:
U.S. Plans for Trade Are Stalled