This morning, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform unanimously approved the DATA Act (PDF). And that's a problem, because now it's headed to the House floor with a number of provisions we have serious concerns about.

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) is getting specific about what the hostage takers Republicans want in exchange for raising the debt ceiling.

On May 16, the United States Treasury auctioned off $72 billion in bonds, and as it did so, it reached the limit of its $14.294 trillion limit on how much it can legally borrow. But the world didn't end. Or at least the bond market -- the collective pool of investors that buy us debt -- went about its businesses as if nothing happened. A full on freak out by the bond market would drive up the cost U.S. borrowing and, according to Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke, "destabilize" the financial system and "have extremely dire consequences for the U.S. economy."

As President Obama puts the finishing touches on a draft executive order (E.O.) that would require federal contractors to disclose their political contributions, Big Business and its allies in Congress have lined up to oppose transparency in federal contracting. And they're throwing the kitchen sink at the E.O.