Free Republic

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on “Fox & Friends” on Monday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., “believe they can blackmail the president into accepting really dumb ideas.” Gingrich, who is in Italy with his wife, the ambassador to the Vatican, spoke after Senate Democrats blocked a GOP-backed $1.4 trillion coronavirus rescue package, sowing fresh doubt the parties can forge an agreement as the nation descends into economic disaster amid the coronavirus pandemic. On Sunday, when Pelosi was asked if people should be concerned the rescue package won't pass by Monday, she said...

Isn't this a little like the cat threatening that if the mouse doesn't walk into his mouth he'll be eaten?

Dutch-Belgian bank and insurance giant Fortis NV was given a 11.2 billion euro ($16.4 billion) lifeline to avert insolvency as part of a wider bailout plan agreed to by Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, officials said Sunday. Belgium's Prime Minister Yves Leterme said the bailout shows account holders and investors that Fortis will not be allowed to fall victim to the global credit crisis. Leterme announced the deal after weekend talks between the three countries, European Union and national banking officials. The deal will force the bank -- which has headquarters in both Brussels and the Dutch city of Utrecht...

A side-by-side (it's a Word doc) on the various plans, from Roy Blount's office.

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. This is an extraordinary period for America's economy. Over the past few weeks, many Americans have felt anxiety about their finances and their future. I understand their worry and their frustration. We've seen triple-digit swings in the stock market. Major financial institutions have teetered on the edge of collapse, and some have failed. As uncertainty has grown, many banks have restricted lending. Credit markets have frozen. And families and businesses have found it harder to borrow money. We're in the midst of a serious financial crisis, and the federal government is responding with decisive action. We've...