Summary of recent US politics

Biodun Iginla, BBC News

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Sunday, July 12, 2009; 1:04 PM

Sotomayor hearing opens Supreme Court debate

WASHINGTON - Sonia Sotomayor looks almost certain to emerge from Senate hearings this week poised to become the first Hispanic member of the U.S. Supreme Court. But political debate over President Barack ObamaBarack Obama's plans for the top U.S. court has only begun.

Democrats say Cheney not above law on CIA secrecy

WASHINGTON - Democratic U.S. senators said on Sunday former Vice President Dick CheneyVice President Dick Cheney should not be above the law after reports he ordered the CIA to withhold information from Congress about a secret counter-terrorism program. "Well, I think it's impossible to just leave it lay when you have something like this. It's either true or it's not true," said Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, told CBS' "Face the Nation." "I'd like to know if it's true or not. I mean, nobody in this country is above the law."

U.S. top prosecutor considering torture investigation

WASHINGTON - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is considering whether to appoint a criminal prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's interrogation practices involving the CIA, and is expected to make a decision in a few weeks, a Justice Department official said on Sunday. The official, who declined to be identified, said any investigation would only cover those who went beyond the Justice Department's legal advice at the time that authorized various harsh interrogation techniques.

Obama says stimulus plan to kick in later this year

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said Saturday more time was needed for his $787 billion stimulus package to work, predicting the spending would have a bigger impact on the economy later this year. In an advanced text of his weekly radio speech, Obama said the stimulus plan approved by Congress and signed into law in mid-February "was not designed to work in four months -- it was designed to work over two years."

Burris bows out of 2010 Senate race

CHICAGO - Senator Roland Burris, whose appointment to fill Barack Obama's vacant seat was tainted by scandal, said on Friday he would not seek a full term in 2010, citing an unwillingness to raise campaign cash as the reason. Burris' seat has especially strategic importance because his Democratic Party controls 60 of the 100 Senate seats, the minimum required to avoid opposition filibusters that could tie up key parts of President's Obama's legislative agenda.

U.S. officials to prod China on climate change

WASHINGTON - U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke visit their ancestral homeland this week to press China to join with the United States in stepped-up efforts to fight global warming. The two Chinese-American cabinet officials arrive in Beijing on Tuesday for talks with senior Chinese leaders and to highlight how working together to cut greenhouse gas emissions would benefit both countries and the entire planet.

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