TPMDC Morning Roundup

Kerry, Lieberman, Graham Release Early Proposal To Cut Greenhouse Emissions
Sens. John Kerry (D-MA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have released a framework proposal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 17% by 2020 -- though there are not yet specifics on how to do it. "The reason there's not specifics [being released] today is very specifically because of the process that we are honoring," said Kerry. "We don't want to jump ahead of the committee process."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama and the First Lady visited with U.S. Embassy staff and their families in Oslo, at about 9:30 a.m. local time (3:30 a.m. ET), and departed Oslo en route to Washington at 10:40 a.m. local time. They will arrive back at Andrews Air Force Base at 12:55 p.m. ET, and at the White House at 1:10 p.m. ET.

Biden's Day Ahead
Vice President Biden is traveling to Hartford, Connecticut. At 12 p.m. ET, he will attend a fundraiser for Sen. Chris Dodd. At 1:45 p.m. ET, he will deliver remarks at the East Hartford Fire Department, which has been awarded a $3.39 million construction grant through the stimulus bill.

Gates Predicts More Sanctions Against Iran
Speaking to troops in Iraq, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates predicted that there will be more sanctions against Iran, because of the country's nuclear program: "I think you are going to see some significant additional sanctions imposed by the international community."

Senate To Work This Weekend On Passing Appropriations Conference Report
The Senate is set to work this weekend, in order to pass a $447 billion appropriations conference report, with a cloture vote for Saturday and a likely vote on final passage on Sunday. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) acknowledged the complaints of his Senate colleagues at the work schedule, saying one Senator had told him she had not seen her family for several weeks.

Economists On Both Left And Right See Necessity Of Value-Added Tax
The New York Times reports that economists across the political spectrum say a value-added tax will become necessary, when the economy has recovered. "We have to start paying our bills eventually," said Charles E. McLure, a tax economist who worked in the Reagan administration. "This strikes me as the best and most obvious way of doing it."

Palin: Obama's Speech 'Really Sounded Familiar' -- Like My Book
Sarah Palin said she liked President Obama's speech accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. "I thumbed through my book quickly this morning to say 'Wow! That really sounded familiar,'" said Palin, "because I talked in book too about the fallen nature of man and why war is necessary at times."