It's Still the Economy, Mostly

Tuesday and Thursday – Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke testified before the House Financial Services Committee on oversight issues with the bailout(s).

Also, mark your calendars. This coming Thursday, March 26, Secretary Geithner will be testifying again before the Financial Services Committee. This time he will be testifying on overhauling financial regulation. Particularly relevant in the lead up to the upcoming G-20 summit.

Here are the details for those of you who can make it:

Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2128
10:00am (but arrive at least half an hour early to get a seat in the public gallery of the hearing room).

Strange bedfellows in Israel: The leftist Labour party has voted to join the right-wing Likud party in a coalition that has split Labour but gives Likud much welcomed mainstream support from a major third party.

Outback steakhouse – Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is in town to meet with government officials and gave a variety of issues ranging from the financial crisis to strategy in Afghanistan. Since the Bush years the strategic importance of Australia has grown for the United States and both PM Rudd and President Obama will no doubt be keen to maintain the positive relationship.

Progressive Saudi Arabia? – In one of the most culturally conservative countries in the world a glimmer of hope for reform? Don’t hold your breathe but still an interesting story.