No lame duck

From Newt Gingrich on Human Events on Aug. 4:

In the election of 1800, the country thoroughly repudiated the Federalist Party. President John Adams was defeated in his reelection campaign by Thomas Jefferson and the Democrat-Republicans gained majorities in the House and Senate.

The Federalists had clearly lost the support of the people. Yet, in a “lame duck” congressional session, which is when the outgoing Congress returns to Washington before the newly elected Congress takes over in, the Federalists enacted the Judiciary Act of 1801. The Act nearly doubled the number of federal judgeships, which President Adams filled with his Federalist allies. These appointments were an explicit, and ultimately futile, action to hamstring the newly elected President and Congress (the Jeffersonians simply repealed the Act with the Judiciary Act of 1802).

With this action, the Federalists made the ultimate mistake in a governmental system that derives its authority from the consent of the governed. Instead of heeding the will of the people, John Adams and the Federalists decided to thwart it. In the process, they set their party on a course toward extinction. The Federalists never regained power, eventually disappearing by the 1820s.

Are the Democrats about to make the same mistake the Federalists made?

Democratic leaders today have been sending clear signals that they are willing to use the lame duck session of Congress to pass the most unpopular and destructive parts of their agenda. Like the Federalists’ actions in 1801, any attempt by the outgoing Congress to pass legislation they were unwilling to defend in an election would be an attempt to thwart the will of the people.

As destructive as the Democratic Congress and President Obama have been in the past 18 months, it is worth remembering that things could have been a lot worse if not for the vocal and consistent activism of the American people opposing the Democrats’ radical agenda.

The Orwellian named Employee Free Choice Act, which would strip workers of the right to a secret ballot when deciding when to join a union, is not yet law.

The job killing energy tax – or cap and trade – passed the House but remains hung up in the Senate.

The Democrats have also not been able to pass an amnesty bill for illegal immigrants.

And let’s not forget that President Obama’s ‘Deficit Commission’ is expected to recommend tax increases, possibly in the form of a value added tax (VAT), that could raise the cost of everything Americans buy. Conveniently, the Commission will not report its findings until after the November 2nd elections, just in time for a lame duck Congressional session.

Read more.

Poll finds Crist leads Senate race

From Quinnipiac University on July 30:

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist leads the three-way race for the U.S. Senate seat with 37 percent, followed by 32 percent for Republican Marco Rubio and 17 percent for Jeff Greene, the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. If U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek wins the Democratic primary, Crist’s lead would be 39 percent to 33 percent for Rubio and 13 percent for Meek.

The three-way race for Governor is a squeaker between Democrat Alex Sink, the State Chief Financial Officer, and either of the Republican candidates, retired health care executive Rick Scott or Attorney General Bill McCollum, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University survey finds. Scott gets 29 percent to Sink’s 27 percent with independent Bud Chiles receiving 14 percent. If McCollum wins the GOP primary, he would get 27 percent to 26 percent for Sink and 14 percent for Chiles.

In the Senate race, Crist’s lead is based on getting half the independent voters, about 20 percent of Republicans and about 40 percent of Democrats. His 53 – 37 percent voter approval of his job as Governor probably is a factor in his lead.

Crist’s margin in the general election matchups compare to a 37 – 33 – 17 percent lead with Meek in the race and 40 – 33 – 14 percent with Greene running in a June 9 poll.

“There has been little movement in the Senate race over the past two months. Gov. Charlie Crist’s small lead comes as neither Democrat breaks 20 percent in the trial heats. If that were to be the case in November, Gov. Crist would have a very good chance to win. But if the Democratic nominee can move into the mid-to-high 20s, Crist’s chances decrease substantially,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Read more.

Obamacare and the Constitution -- an update

From Betsy McCaughey of The Wall Street Journal on Aug. 4:

Last November, a reporter asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if it was constitutional for Congress to require Americans to buy health insurance. Ms. Pelosi responded, "Are you serious?"

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson got serious. He denied Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius's motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the state of Virginia challenging the new health law. His ruling stated that it is far from certain Congress has the authority to compel Americans to buy insurance and penalize those who don't.

Judge Hudson's ruling paved the way for a trial to begin on October 18, with possible appeals all the way to the Supreme Court, a lengthy process. Some states will likely delay creating insurance exchanges and slow down other costly preparations for ObamaCare until its constitutionality is determined by this case.

If mandatory insurance is declared unconstitutional, the entire health law could collapse like a house of cards. Most complex legislation states that if one part of the law is struck down, other parts remain enforceable. But authors of ObamaCare chose to omit that clause, suggesting that the health overhaul won't work without mandatory insurance.

The law's defenders say the requirement that everyone purchase health insurance will solve a national problem by reducing the number of uninsured and spreading the cost of care over a larger insurance pool.

Critics say that the requirement tramples the Constitution. Twenty-one states and several individuals are already suing to overturn it. Virginia went one step further, enacting a law that makes it illegal to require any resident to purchase health insurance. The Virginia measure won solid support from both Republican and Democratic state legislators. Despite what Mrs. Pelosi tried to suggest, questioning the constitutionality of ObamaCare is not partisan posturing. A fundamental principle is at stake.

Read more.

Interactive map shows how unemployment rates have changed since 2007

"According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are nearly 31 million people currently unemployed -- that's including those involuntarily working parttime and those who want a job, but have given up on trying to find one. In the face of the worst economic upheaval since the Great Depression, millions of Americans are hurting. "The Decline: The Geography of a Recession," as created by labor writer LaToya Egwuekwe, serves as a vivid representation of just how much. Watch the deteriorating transformation of the U.S. economy from January 2007 -- approximately one year before the start of the recession -- to the most recent unemployment data available today."

Click here for a larger, detailed version.

Florida attorney general candidates match wits in TV debate

From Steve Bousquet of The St. Petersburg Times on Aug. 1:

TALLAHASSEE — In their first joint TV appearance Saturday, all three Republican candidates for attorney general matched wits and contrasted their qualifications to be the state's next chief legal officer.

The three GOP hopefuls hit their strong points, but former Hillsborough prosecutor Pam Bondi seemed more confident than Holly Benson or Jeff Kottkamp. With her terse answers, Bondi excelled in a sound bite-driven format in which candidates were limited to answers of one minute or less.

Bondi also deftly used the chance to question her opponents, calling both "key members of the Crist-Kottkamp administration."

Benson served as a two-time agency head appointee under Gov. Charlie Crist, but when she described her experience, she said: "I worked with Gov. Jeb Bush."

Kottkamp is the lieutenant governor under Crist, an unpopular figure in Republican circles after he bolted from the party three months ago and drifted leftward to appeal to independents and Democrats as a U.S. Senate candidate.

Kottkamp said he and Crist have not spoken since April 29, the day Crist became an independent Senate candidate.

"I've never been a politician," Bondi said, seeking to tap the same anti-incumbent sentiment that Rick Scott has exploited in the governor's race. "I've not spent my career behind a desk in Tallahassee, but on the front lines."

All three candidates said they opposed Crist's proposed referendum to permanently ban oil drilling in Florida's Constitution.

All three also repeatedly used the word "Obamacare" in promising to carry on with Attorney General Bill McCollum's lawsuit seeking to block the new federal health care mandates.

"Draw a line in the sand and say, 'Enough is enough,' " Kottkamp said.

One of the rare areas of disagreement concerned immigration. Benson, a former state House member from Pensacola, emphasized her support for less regulation of business and said she supports deportation of all undocumented immigrants in Florida.

"The illegal ones need to be shipped back," Benson said.

Read more.

States go deeper into debt

From Tami Luhby of CNNMoney.com on July 30:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The states are broke, and like many consumers, they're borrowing big time to get out of their fiscal binds.

The amount of debt that states are carrying spiked 10.3% last year to $460 billion, according to Moody's Investors Service. The debt is paid for through taxes and fees, making residents ultimately responsible.

The median personal share of this burden jumped to $936, from $865 in 2008. (To see how much the tab is in your state, click here.)

And it's likely that states will turn to the bond markets even more this year as federal stimulus money dwindles, experts said. After all, officials face an additional $12 billion shortfall for the current fiscal year and a $72 billion gap for fiscal 2012, which starts next July 1.

Debt "is a tool to help bridge the gap between the downturn and when the economy starts to recover," said Robert Kurtter, a managing director at Moody's.

States are relying on the debt markets in a variety of ways. With less cash on hand, some state officials are borrowing more to fund capital projects. Other states are engaging in so-called deficit financing, where they issue bonds to cover their budget shortfalls or restructure their debts to lower their monthly payments.

The good news for states is that it's a good time to issue debt. Not only are interest rates are low, but the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act subsidizes interest payments on certain municipal bonds. This is a marked change from late 2008, when the municipal bond markets were effectively closed for many issuers.

To be sure, not every state is ratcheting up its borrowing. Many states have strict laws governing their debt issuance. Some places, such as Nebraska and Wyoming, have virtually no debt. Others have to turn to voters to approve bond proposals.

Read more.

In case you missed the link above, click here to find out your share of the state debt.

Palm Beach County Commissioner Koons resigns after extortion, perjury charges

From Jennifer Sorentrue, Sonja Isger, Andrew Abramson and Pat Beall of The Palm Beach Post on Aug. 3:

Palm Beach County Commissioner Jeff Koons resigned from the county commission this morning, hours after being booked on charges of extortion, perjury and violating public open meetings laws.

He was released on his own recognizance.

Authorities pinned the arrest partly on threats Koons allegedly made against a family that opposed his pet environmental project in the Lake Worth Lagoon, according to the arrest report.

"The charges focus firmly on the defendant's conduct -- both in words and deeds -- and include his extortionate threats to silence opposition to a project he supported, his attempts to punish opponents of the project when they did not submit to his extortion, and his attempts to mislead the authorities when asked to account for his actions," said State Attorney Michael McAuliffe in a prepared statement.

Koons' actions "do not reflect impulsive or fleeting mistakes," McAuliffe said. "The alleged conduct reflects an arrogance borne of the perceived protections of power and influence."

At a press conference, criminal defense lawyer David Roth read a statement from Koons, as his client sat silently: "I screwed up big time and I blame no one but myself. I shamed my friends, family and community. I can only pray for their forgiveness."

Roth said Koons never benefited financially from the lagoon project.

"Unfortunately it was his misdirected passion that led him to make totally inappropriate and ultimately illegal decisions that were never for personal economic gain," Roth said. "The South Cove environment project he tirelessly labored on for over 10 years. Jeff's emotions overpowered his common sense and good judgment and decency. His decisions were ill-conceived, born of frustration, impulsiveness and anger."

Sterling Ivey, a spokesman for Gov. Charlie Crist, said Koons' seat on the commission likely will remain vacant until the November election. Koons is term-limited out and was not running for re-election.

The governor's office will accept applications for the seat, but the appointment process typically takes a couple of months, Ivey said.

Read more.

EPA to crack down on ... farm dust?

From Jacqueline Sit of NewsOn6.com on July 30:

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering a crackdown on farm dust, so senators have signed a letter addressing their concerns on the possible regulations.

The letter dated July 23 to the EPA states, "If approved, would establish the most stringent and unparalleled regulation of dust in our nation's history." It further states, "We respect efforts for a clean and healthy environment, but not at the expense of common sense. These identified levels will be extremely burdensome for farmers and livestock producers to attain. Whether its livestock kicking up dust, soybeans being combined on a dry day in the fall, or driving a car down the gravel road, dust is a naturally occurring event."

Many in the Oklahoma farming industry are opposed to the EPA's consideration. One farmer said the possible regulations are ridiculous.

"It's plain common sense, we don't want to do anything detrimental," said farmer Curtis Roberts. "If the dust is detrimental to us, it's going to be to everybody. We're not going to do anything to hurt ourselves or our farm."

Read more.

Click here to read the letter.

Senate Republican Whip backs anchor baby hearing

From Connie Hair of Human Events on Aug. 2:

On CBS’ "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) backed the notion of a hearing to examine the constitutionality of granting citizenship to children of illegal aliens born on U.S. soil.

Kyl was asked by the host if he backed the "movement afoot" to "rescind the law that makes anyone born in the United States a U.S. citizen specifically aimed at the children of illegal immigrants."

"There is a constitutional provision in the Fourteenth Amendment that has been interpreted to provide that, if you are born in the United States, you are a citizen no matter what," Kyl said. "Now, there are limitations on that, for example, for the children of diplomats and so on. And so the question is, if both parents are here illegally, should there be a reward for their illegal behavior?"

Crafted in 1866 and ratified July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was aimed at settling citizenship issues of slaves born on U.S. soil that had been recently freed by the Civil War.

Section One of the Fourteenth Amendment states:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Aliens in the United States legally or illegally are subject to the jurisdiction of their own country.

Read more.

State has right to challenge health care law, judge rules

From Noam N. Levey of the Los Angeles Times on Aug. 3:

The Obama administration lost an early legal skirmish over the new healthcare law Monday when a federal judge declined to dismiss Virginia's lawsuit challenging a key part of the landmark legislation.

U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson did not rule on the central issue in the lawsuit brought by Virginia Atty. Gen. Kenneth Cuccinelli — the law's requirement that most Americans buy health insurance beginning in 2014.

But the judge swept aside the Obama administration's efforts to quash the legal contest in its infancy, ruling that the state of Virginia has the right to sue. Citing the sweep of the new law, he also appeared to open the door to a potentially drawn-out legal battle over a core tenet of the health overhaul.

"While this case raises a host of complex constitutional issues, all seem to distill to the single question of whether or not Congress has the power to regulate — and tax — a citizen's decision not to participate in interstate commerce," wrote Hudson, an appointee of President George W. Bush. "Neither the Supreme Court nor any circuit court of appeals has squarely addressed this issue."

President Obama and many healthcare experts think that requiring Americans to buy health coverage — and fining them if they do not — is the only way to assure that healthy people do not game the system by purchasing insurance only after they develop medical problems, thereby pushing up costs for everyone.

Many legal experts also support the administration's view that because the Constitution gives Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce, lawmakers have broad authority to regulate the health insurance market.

Critics argue that the insurance requirement is an unprecedented and illegal expansion of federal power. On Monday, Cuccinelli, a conservative Republican, and other opponents cheered the judge's ruling.

"Today's decision makes us very optimistic about the prospects of our own legal challenge," said Karen Harned, executive director of the Small Business Legal Center at the National Federation of Independent Business.

Read more.

Calif. Democratic Rep.: 'Gov't can do most anything'

At least Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., was "very uncomfortable" when he said it.

The federal government, yes, can do most anything in this country.

The death of cap and tax

From The Wall Street Journal on Aug. 1:

President Obama's undeniable success in passing liberal legislation hasn't translated into greater popularity for himself or the Democratic Congress. So perhaps he'll get a bump in the polls now that he's suffered his first setback on one of his signature promises.

We refer to the failure of cap and tax, which Mr. Obama once modestly promised would signal "the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid gave the plan, if not the planet, up for dead this month, and last week he unveiled a new energy bill whose major provisions include a Cash for Clunkers replay for home appliances and a $5.8 billion subsidy for natural gas vehicles.

In other words, the green lobby has suffered a landmark defeat, and the recriminations in the liberal press are remarkable. Either Mr. Obama didn't sell it well enough, perfidious Big Business intervened (never mind that many CEOs were supporters), the obtuse middle class won't sacrifice for the global good, or evil Republicans ... Everyone is to blame but the policy itself.

In fact, the bill went down for lack of Democratic votes, in particular those from Midwest coal and manufacturing states. Voters in those states have figured out that cap and tax is a redistributionist exercise from the carbon-dependent heartland to the richer coasts. A Democrat — Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia — is also leading the charge to repeal the EPA's climate "endangerment" regulation that imposes cap and trade though the backdoor.

The American Council for Capital Formation released a study on Senator John Kerry's "compromise" climate plan — which the greens castigated as too modest — that showed cumulative GDP losses of $2.1 trillion through 2030 and consumer electricity price increases up to 42%.

Environmentalists didn't even get consolation prizes like a "renewable portfolio standard," the mandate for utilities to generate a set percentage of their electricity from wind, solar and other marginal sources that was supposed to be their cap-and-tax fallback. The new oil and gas taxes that Mr. Obama endorsed in January, which would have run as high as $60 billion, didn't make Mr. Reid's cut either.

Left as collateral damage are House Democrats who Nancy Pelosi forced to walk point last year on a promise that the Senate would also take up the bill. Mrs. Pelosi has no regrets, last week calling that vote "one of our proudest boasts." The Blue Dog Democrats who voted for it will now deny paternity as they try to save their seats.

As for the Senate, Mr. Reid's new nonclimate energy bill is all about trying to link Republicans to Big Oil. With BP as the corporate villain, Democrats are proposing to lift the $75 million oil spill liability cap for economic damages to infinity. And to do so retroactively on all rig leases.

This is a bad-faith exercise. Mr. Reid knows that Democrats like Mary Landrieu of Louisiana have criticized Democratic proposals to set even a $10 billion cap, while Senate Republicans have proposed giving regulators the power to raise the cap based on specific circumstances. Mr. Reid's proposal is designed to throw a bouquet to the trial bar and undermine any grounds for compromise so Democrats can have an election issue.

The main effect, if it passed, would be to push the small- and mid-sized producers that account for most domestic drilling out of the Gulf, regardless of their safety records. Only the supermajors would be able to afford insurance under the unlimited liability regime.

Read more.

Taxes, taxes and more taxes

According to Americans for Tax Reform, "the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect" Jan. 1. The taxes come in three "waves," ATR says. Here are some we can expect:

The return of the Death Tax. This year, there is no death tax. For those dying on or after January 1 2011, there is a 55 percent top death tax rate on estates over $1 million. A person leaving behind two homes and a retirement account could easily pass along a death tax bill to their loved ones.

The Tanning Tax. This went into effect on July 1st of this year. It imposes a new, 10% excise tax on getting a tan at a tanning salon. There is no exemption for tanners making less than $250,000 per year.

Tax Benefits for Education and Teaching Reduced. The deduction for tuition and fees will not be available. Tax credits for education will be limited. Teachers will no longer be able to deduct classroom expenses. Coverdell Education Savings Accounts will be cut. Employer-provided educational assistance is curtailed. The student loan interest deduction will be disallowed for hundreds of thousands of families.

Read more.

What will your 2011 income tax look like? Find out at My Tax Burden, where you can calculate how much you will owe under three circumstances:

1. Congress allows all of the Bush administration tax cuts to expire.
2. Congress extends all of the Bush tax cuts into 2011.
3. Congress passes the tax laws suggested in President Barack Obama's budget, letting some tax cuts expire, extending some and enacting some new tax laws.

Now that you're depressed, enjoy the poem below. It'd be funny if it weren't true.

Tax his land, tax his bed,

Tax the table at which he's fed.

Tax his tractor, tax his mule,

Teach him taxes are the rule.

Tax his work, tax his pay.

He works for peanuts, anyway!

Tax his cow, tax his goat,

Tax his pants, tax his coat.

Tax his ties, tax his shirt,

Tax his work, tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco, tax his drink,

Tax him if he tries to think.

Tax his cigars, tax his beers.

If he cries, tax his tears.

Tax his car, tax his gas.

Find other ways to tax his ass.

Tax all he has, then let him know

That you won't be done 'til he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers, then tax him some more.

Tax him 'til he's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin, tax his grave,

Tax the sod in which he's laid.

Put these words upon his tomb:

"Taxes drove me to my doom."

When he's gone, do not relax;

It's time to apply the inheritance tax!

Finally, none of these taxes existed 100 years ago:

• Accounts Receivable Tax
• Building Permit Tax
• CDL license Tax
• Cigarette Tax
• Corporate Income Tax
• Dog License Tax
• Excise Taxes
• Federal Income Tax
• Federal Unemployment Tax
• Fishing License Tax
• Food License Tax
• Fuel Permit Tax
• Gasoline Tax
• Gross Receipts Tax
• Hunting License Tax
• Inheritance Tax
• Inventory Tax
• IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
• Liquor Tax
• Luxury Taxes (I thought this only existed in Monopoly!)
• Marriage License Tax
• Medicare Tax
• Personal Property Tax
• Property Tax
• Real Estate Tax
• Service Charge Tax
• Social Security Tax
• Road Usage Tax
• Sales Tax
• Recreational Vehicle Tax
• School Tax
• State Income Tax
• State Unemployment Tax
• Telephone Federal Excise Tax
• Telephone Federal Universal Service FeeTax
• Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
• Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
• Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
• Telephone State and Local Tax
• Telephone Usage Charge Tax
• Utility Taxes
• Vehicle License Registration Tax
• Vehicle Sales Tax
• Watercraft Registration Tax
• Well Permit Tax
• Workers Compensation Tax

Arizona governor responds to coach's criticism of immigration law

The following statement was e-mailed to me. I tried to find a well-known news source to confirm the statement, but the only media reporting about this seem to be conservative bloggers ...

So here's one more.

The owner of the Phoenix Suns, Robert Sarver, opposes Arizona's new immigration laws.

Gov. Jan Brewer, R-Ariz., released the following statement in response to Sarver's criticism of the new law:

"What if the owners of the Suns discovered that hordes of people were sneaking into games without paying?

"What if they had a good idea who the gate-crashers are, but the ushers and security personnel were not allowed to ask these folks to produce their ticket stubs, thus non-paying attendees couldn't be ejected?

"Furthermore, what if Suns' ownership was expected to provide those who sneaked in with complimentary eats and drink?

"And what if, on those days when a gate-crasher became ill or injured, the Suns had to provide free medical care and shelter?"

Ray Stevens: "Let's Throw The Bums Out"

And throw some Patriots in!

Well, Obama's tax man cheats on his own taxes.

Congress won't read the bill but insists that it passes.

House votes to end offshore drilling moratorium

From Tom Doggett and Richard Cowa of Reuters on July 30:

The House of Representatives on Friday voted to end the federal moratorium on deepwater drilling for oil companies that meet new federal safety requirements.

The proposal to end the moratorium was an amendment to a pending energy bill the House was poised to vote on.

The moratorium will not end unless the Senate also votes to terminate it and President Barack Obama signs the legislation into law. The fate of the proposal in the Senate is uncertain.

The Obama administration imposed the six-month moratorium on exploratory drilling in waters more than 500 feet deep in response to the BP oil spill. The moratorium runs through the end of November.

Read more.

Wyo., Miss., Utah rank as most conservative states

From Jeffrey M. Jones of Gallup on Aug. 2:

PRINCETON, N.J. -- A majority of Wyoming, Mississippi, and Utah residents identified as conservative rather than moderate or liberal during the first half of 2010, making these the most politically conservative states in the U.S. The District of Columbia had the greatest percentage of liberals, along with four New England states: Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, and Massachusetts.

The group of most conservative states includes five Southern states, three Western states, and three states from the Midwest. The 10 most liberal states are primarily made up of Northeastern states, but also include the Pacific Coast states of Oregon and Washington.

In general, Americans are much more likely to identify politically as conservative than as liberal, and this has been the case for many years. As a result, the 10 most conservative states have no fewer than 46% of their residents identifying as conservative. In contrast, the 10 most liberal states have a much lower threshold of 25% liberal identifiers in their states.

Read more.

Fox News gets front-row White House seat

From Michael Calderone of Yahoo! News on Aug. 1:

The White House Correspondents Association is moving Fox News up to the front row in the briefing room, according to sources familiar with the process. The WHCA board's decision was unanimous.

Since the retirement of veteran journalist Helen Thomas, three news organizations — Fox News, Bloomberg News and NPR — each argued that it should move to the front row. Fox News will join the broadcast networks and CNN up front.

However, Fox News will not be taking Thomas' long-held seat in the center.

The Associated Press moves to the center under the new set-up, with Fox News taking the wire service's spot in the front row. (The Upshot reported last week on briefing room speculation that this is how the move would play out.)

The idea of moving AP — which normally gets the first question at presidential news conferences — was under discussion in recent years, long before Thomas retired.

Bloomberg remains in the second row, while NPR moves up from the third row to Fox's current second-row seat.

Read more.