Driving the Day 11/8/2011

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by Bobby Maldonado

Nov 8, 2011

Ten months into his tenure as chief of staff, White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley will hand off day-to-day responsibilities to presidential confidante Pete Rouse.
By a vote of 94-1, the Senate approved Majority Leader Reid’s motion to invoke cloture on a bill to repeal a rule requiring the government to withhold 3% of its payments to contractors. This clears the way for the Senate to begin consideration of the bill and possible amendments. Final passage is expected on Thursday.
Defections from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s coalition government mean he no longer commands enough loyalty to pass the reforms needed to boost growth and cut debt. Rumors yesterday morning were that he might step down in favor of early elections, however, he later batted away those reports saying they were “without foundation.”
Top Japanese officials have signaled that Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda plans to make a decision on whether the country should join Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. Media reports suggest that at a press conference on Thursday, Noda plans to explain to the public why Japan should join the negotiations.