Gather Weekly: Super Earth, Hellenic hijinks, fix-it bills and more

This week's Gather articles (12/12-12/19):

Finance

• Has Obama sold out to Wall Street? Matt Taibbi thinks so
• Turn-back-the-clock financial reform: McCain-Cantwell Senate bill would reinstate Glass-Steagall Act
• Risky business: Will Moody's downgrade of Greece's credit rating result in EU economic collapse?

Politics

• Corruption in the Commonwealth: Lawrence, MA's Lantigua to be both Mayor and State Rep
• Why stop at mere medical usage? Marijuana legalization referendum to be on 2010 California ballot

Social Media

• Social media in business: Twitter beta testing contributor feature
• Social media shockers: 10 amazing Facebook tales
• Most popular topics on Twitter in 2009

Unemployment

• Xmas comes early: Senate passes bill approving unemployment benefits and COBRA extensions
• Senate passes cloture vote on war funding, unemployment benefits extension bill; final vote tomorrow morning
• House approves two-month unemployment extension in war funding bill
• Season of hope: House to vote on jobs, unemployment benefits extension bills this week
• Clock is ticking on new unemployment extension legislation

Science

• Astronomers discover water-rich Earth-like planet GJ 1214b

Humor

• Holiday humor: SNL's "Schweddy Balls" sketch (video)

Health Care Reform

• Finish line in sight: Reid announces final Senate health care bill

Unemployment benefits extension considered as part of jobs creation bill

	Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) had previously expressed interest in the possibility of extending unemployment benefits through 2010. In a new conference yesterday, House Majority Leader Steny . . . more

Unemployment benefits extension payments delayed in Michigan

	Last week Congress approved a federal unemployment benefits extension for all 50 states made retroactive to November 8th. Unfortunately for unemployed Michigan residents , the state will not send any . . . more

Flawed unemployment extension legislation means potential "fix-it" bill, additional support

	HR 3548, the unemployment extension bill that was signed into law by President Obama this past Friday, is meant to provide 14 weeks of federal extended unemployment benefits to all 50 states, with an . . . more

President Obama to sign unemployment benefits extension bill HR 3548 into law today

	President Obama is scheduled today to put his signature to HR 3548, the unemployment extension bill that's been struggling to make its way out of Congress for over a month. Thousands of unemployed . . . more

House passes unemployment extension bill by vote of 403-12

The House of Representatives just passed the unemployment extension bill HR 3548 by a vote of 403-12. Coming so quickly on the heels of yesterday's passage of the bill in the Senate, this is very . . . more

Senate passes unemployment extension by unanimous vote

	Earlier this evening the Senate voted unanimously to pass bill H.R. 3548, a federal extension of unemployment benefits. This vote comes at the end of a long, arduous process since the House of Representatives . . . more

Unemployment benefits extension vote inches toward finish line

	This afternoon the Senate clobbered the cloture vote to proceed on the unemployment benefits extension vote by a whopping 97-1. It's very likely that the bill will now finally, after innumerable procedural . . . more

Unemployment extension cloture vote to be held Wednesday afternoon

	With the GOP continuing to debate the unemployment extension bill, Senate Dems have moved to hold a cloture vote tomorrow afternoon to end this round of debate and proceed. If this vote passes, opposition . . . more

GOP refuses to speed up vote on unemployment extension

	Well there goes my cock-eyed optimism of yesterday. GOP senators will not acquiesce to an accelerated (relatively speaking) vote on pending federal unemployment benefits extension legislation HR 3548. . . . more

Senate votes 85-2 to hold final unemployment extension vote

	Fantastic news today for those who have been waiting for a month now for the Senate to move on passing federal unemployment benefits extension legislation. Earlier today the Senate passed an overwhelming . . . more

GOP blocks unemployment extension vote with amendments

	On Tuesday of this week the Senate held a successful cloture vote to proceed with moving forward to a vote on pending federal unemployment benefits extension legislation. With Republican amendments . . . more

Sen. Debbie Stabenow pleads with GOP colleagues to pass unemployment extension [video]

Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) gave an impassioned plea on the floor of the Senate this morning imploring her Republican colleagues to stop holding up the federal unemployment benefits extension bill. . . . more

Sen. Dick Durbin slams GOP over unemployment extension delay [video]

Here's a video clip of Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) criticizing his Republican colleagues - and rightly so - for holding up passage of the proposed federal unemployment benefits extension. It's good to . . . more

Senate proposes extending homebuyer tax credit alongside unemployment extension

The good news is that you may be able to rely on a government subsidy to buy your next house. The bad news? You need a job to pay for it. Amidst the uproar over its lack of progress on passing legislation . . . more

GOP continues to stall vote on unemployment benefits extension bill

Senate Republicans continue to prevent Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) from bringing House bill H.R. 3548 - which would give a federal extension to unemployment benefits - to the floor of . . . more

Kyl puts the kibosh on unemployment extension bill vote

Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) can expect a lot of hate mail soon. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) tried to accelerate the usual lengthy process in order to take a quick vote on proposed bill H.R. . . . more

Unemployment Extension Update: Senate Dems propose 50 state coverage

Thursday on Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats introduced an amendment to H.R. 3548, the House bill which generously extended unemployment benefits to half the states in the Union, and ungenerously (and, . . . more

Unemployment extension update: bill to hit Senate floor later this week

According to Capitol Hill Reports , "Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) is planning to offer an amendment to the House-passed Unemployment Compensation Extension Act ( H.R. 3548 ) that would extend . . . more

White House calls for unemployment benefits extension

Yesterday the White House echoed the sentiments of many Americans with its support of the extension of unemployment benefits, in addition to an extension of the social safety net as part of the American . . . more