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Senate Dems curb filibuster, pleasing some but stirring up warnings of future regrets
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats quickly enjoyed the first fruits of a milestone Senate vote making it harder for the Republican minority to block President Barack Obama's nominations: They swiftly ended a GOP filibuster against one of his top judicial selections and prepared to do the same for two others.
• Over the longer term, they might regret what they did and how they did it, Republicans and others are warning.
• When Democrats muscled the changes through Thursday over the opposition of every GOP senator, it helped heighten Congress' already high level of partisan animosity. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., used a process that let Democrats unilaterally weaken the filibuster by simple majority vote, rather than the two-thirds margin usually used for major changes in chamber rules, which would have required GOP support.
• "If the majority can change the rules, then there are no rules," said veteran Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who has resisted similar changes in the past. "It puts a chill on the entire U.S. Senate."
• Such comments suggested a further erosion in the mutual trust the two parties would need to tackle sensitive, large-scale issues like still-massive budget deficits and a tax system overhaul. The tensions also won't help Congress' efforts early next year to avoid another government shutdown and prevent a federal default, twin disputes that the two parties struggled to resolve this fall.
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Calling home from 35,000 feet might increase productivity but anger your seatmate
• NEW YORK (AP) -- Airline passengers have already been stripped of their legroom, hot meals and personal space. Now, they might also lose their silence.
• The Federal Communications Commission is considering lifting its longtime prohibition on making cellphone calls on airplanes, saying it is time "to review our outdated and restrictive rules."
• But for many passengers, that would mean the elimination of one of the last sanctuaries from our hyper-connected world. Everybody wants the ability to stay connected while traveling, but nobody wants to be trapped next to some guy yapping away during the entire trip from New York to Las Vegas.
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