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Reflecting the influence that blacks, particularly black women, are expected to have in an administration that will feature the first female, and first black AND the first Indian vice president, the Biden team has already made a point to fill its transition team with minorities, moreso than any previous administration.According to Bloomberg, the Biden team has already selected dozens of progressive economists to help with the transition, including Mehrsa Baradaran, whose book "the Color of Money", is a critical text for contemporary left-wing economists. She's joined by Lisa Cook, an economist at Michigan State University, on the "landing team" for...

We've been astonished to see that Americans fail to realize the economy is booming, and many actually think it's in recession. A big reason for that is the media's open antipathy toward all things Bush. Neither O'Neill nor Snow was able to overcome that. Bush's tax cuts were just right. Since his last cuts in 2003, we've had 12 straight quarters of economic growth, added 4.9 million jobs, seen productivity soar 14% and tacked on $12.96 trillion in wealth, about the size of our entire economy. There's a lot more, but no one seemed to be hitting it — and...

Treasury Secy. Snow to resign. Being replaced by Goldman Sachs Chari, Henry Paulson.

The US dollar fell sharply on Tuesday as Hank Paulson, Goldman Sachs’ chief executive, was named as the new US Treasury secretary, replacing the increasingly pressurised John Snow. Mr Paulson has extensive links with China and some saw him as potentially better equipped than his predecessor to encourage Beijing, and the wider emerging Asian bloc, to allow a faster appreciation of the renminbi in order to help reduce global economic imbalances.....

President Bush’s nominee to lead the Department of the Treasury has a history of giving money to Democrats and liberal causes. Former President Bill Clinton, Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley, Sen. Chuck Schumer and the pro-abortion Emily’s List have benefited from his largesse, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The nominee, Henry M. Paulson Jr., chief executive of Goldman Sachs, has given tens of thousands of dollars to Republicans over the past 15 years, but prior to 2000 he also donated money to Democrats who are staunchly opposed to Bush’s agenda. In fact, during Bush’s campaign for the White...

The Senate should reject President Bush’s nomination of Goldman Sachs CEO Hank Paulson for Treasury secretary. Under Paulson’s leadership, Goldman Sachs participated in ethically, and perhaps legally, questionable business practices. Paulson also supports the economy-killing Kyoto Protocol and has demonstrated little respect for private property rights. On the ethical front, Paulson has refused to answer questions about his apparent use of Goldman Sachs’ corporate assets to advance his personal interests. In 2002, Paulson used at least $35 million of shareholder money to help environmental groups stop a “sustainable forestry” project in Tierra del Fuego, Chile. Environmental groups had delayed the...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush left on Friday for a holiday weekend with his longtime friend Don Evans amid speculation that the former commerce secretary was a top candidate to succeed Treasury Secretary John Snow. The Wall Street Journal online reported that Evans had emerged as the front-runner for the Treasury post. A Republican with close ties to the White House also told Reuters that he believed Evans was the leading candidate. A barrage of media stories in the past two days have suggested that Snow may leave within a month and people with close ties to the...

Treasury secretary signals he may resign By JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economics Writer 22 minutes ago Treasury Secretary John Snow has signaled to the White House he is ready to resign once President Bush has picked a successor, administration officials and people close to Snow said Thursday. They said Snow has made clear he eventually intends to return to the private sector. They spoke on condition of anonymity because Snow is not ready to discuss his plans publicly. It's unclear when Snow will offer his resignation, these people said. Treasury Department spokesman Tony Fratto declined to comment. "I don't speculate on...

One of the most enduring rumors in Washington has resurfaced. The Wall Street Journal reported online in its Washington Wire column Thursday that Treasury Secretary John Snow could leave office after the Group of Eight meetings in Russia on June 9 and 10. "Republican sources say White House has homed in on successor," the Journal reported. Declining to speculate, a senior administration official told the Journal, "Why would I start now?" The names being floated as a successor to Snow are familiar: Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, former Commerce Secretary and presidential buddy Don Evans, U.S. Ambassador to India...

U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow is expected to resign by mid-June, according to CNBC. "What we are now hearing from Republican sources in Washington is the likeliest scenario is that John Snow will leave sometime in the middle of the month of June," said John Harwood, national political editor of the Wall Street Journal, in a CNBC interview. Snow is expected to leave either before or after the G8 finance ministers' meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia. The report is expected in Friday's edition of the Wall Street Jour

In Washington speculation, Phil Gramm, the former Texas senator, gets increasing attention as a potential successor to Treasury Secretary John Snow. The thinking is that previous secretaries and other candidates have either too much politics and not enough economics or too much economics and not enough politics. His assets: Credibility on Capitol Hill, strong on substance, good communicator, private sector experience at UBS. His liabilities: A reputation for being an independent thinker in an administration that wants an implementer rather than a policymaker. Gramm — who, like Snow, has a Ph.D. in economics — taught economics at Texas A&M University...

CRAWFORD, Texas (CNN) -- Presidential press secretary Scott McClellan and Treasury Secretary John Snow could be next in a shake-up in the Bush administration, according to White House and GOP sources. The possible departure of both men could be among "several senior-level staff" announcements to come within the next couple of weeks, said former White House staff members, GOP strategists and administration officials. "You're going to have more change than you expect," one GOP insider said. One change already has been announced: Chief of staff Andy Card officially will leave April 14 and is being replaced by Josh Bolten, director...

By Caren Bohan and Glenn Somerville 25 minutes ago President George W. Bush looks increasingly likely to replace Treasury Secretary John Snow and is considering former lawmakers and some Wall Street executives to succeed him, Republican sources said on Monday. The Bush administration wants a more compelling figure than Snow to lead its effort to highlight the economy's strength in the hope of bolstering Republican chances in November's congressional elections, the sources said. A Republican in frequent contact with the White House said there have been discussions about trying to attract Goldman Sachs Chief Executive Henry Paulson for the job,...

Mexico City – U.S. Treasury Secretary John W. Snow lauded Mexico on Thursday for instituting strong macroeconomic policies, saying that under the leadership of President Vicente Fox and Mexican Treasury Secretary Francisco Gil, "the finances of Mexico have improved dramatically." Snow also said it would not matter to Mexico's economy if Fox's conservative government were replaced by a leftist administration next year as long as the new administration continues with "good (economic) policies." In a joint news conference with Gil, Snow commended Mexico for being an economic leader in Latin America, saying "its voice is important for the region." The...

DANBURY, Connecticut - Rejecting an Arab company's takeover of operations at key U.S. ports would have sent a bad signal about investment in the United States from "certain parts of the world," Treasury Secretary John Snow said on Wednesday. The purchase of a British company that runs several U.S. ports by state-owned Dubai Ports World has created a furor on Capitol Hill, with many lawmakers saying the deal should be overturned because of security concerns. "Our failing here, if there was a failing, was in explaining this process," Snow told reporters as he visited a plant that makes fuel cells,...

21:45 EST Wednesday, December 08, 2004 DUBAI, HONG KONG and JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dubai Ports International ("DPI"), one of the world's leading port operators, announces that it has signed a definitive agreement with CSX Corporation (NYSE: CSX) to acquire the international terminal business conducted by CSX World Terminals ("the Company") and other related interests for a cash consideration of US$1.15 billion, subject to customary adjustments. The transaction will be financed from a committed facility arranged and underwritten by Deutsche Bank. Completion of the transaction is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2005 CSX World...

DETROIT (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow, aiming to boost the ailing domestic auto industry and encourage conservation, on Friday outlined details of proposed tax breaks for people who buy hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles. ADVERTISEMENT At a Ford Motor Co. research center in suburban Detroit, Snow discussed tax policy changes that would give people who buy or lease increasingly popular hybrid cars and trucks a tax credit up to $3,400.

President George Bush has shrugged off weaker-than-expected jobs figures, hailing the strong US economy as "the envy of the industrialised world". Mr Bush also declared the US economy was heading into 2006 "with a full head of steam", at a speech in Chicago. He trumpeted rising consumer confidence and strong retail sales as evidence of America's economic strength. The claims came despite figures showing 108,000 jobs were created in December, less than half analysts had forecast. Trend warning However, Treasury Secretary John Snow warned it was unwise to read too much into the latest employment data, pointing out that November's...

Banking on more good economic news, President Bush and his top economic team made plans before Friday's reports were even out to fan out across the country to trumpet positive new numbers.

Close Bush's Friend To Head Russian Oil Giant 19.12.2005 13:18 Donald Evans, the former commerce secretary and a close personal friend of U.S. President George W. Bush, is “seriously considering” becoming chairman of Rosneft Oil Company. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin offered Mr Evans this post last week. Speculation about Evans’ potential move has already drawn comparisons in Washington to the recent decision by Gerhard Schroeder, Germany’s former chancellor, to oversee the North European Gas Pipeline Company, a business controlled by the Russian oil giant Gazprom. The prospect of Evans joining Russian oil giant could generate intense criticism in Washington, however,...