Causecast

by MAEGAN CARBERRY, Contributing Writer

Sotomayor Expected Confirmation Today

Before the Senate breaks for recess they are pushing a number of legislative priorities through this week. Atop the list is today’s 3 p.m. EST vote to confirm Sonia Sotomayor as the first female Latina US Supreme Court justice, Politico reports. Also on the agenda are aide to rural dairy farms and the “Cash for Clunkers” rebate program designed to boost the auto industry. The much-discussed health care debate will resume in the fall.

Housing Crisis Isn’t Over Yet

Sub-prime loans haven’t been in the news much lately, but they’re still a threat to the economy and the security of a large number of American families, according to a report from Reuters. Deutsche Bank officials said Wednesday that the percentage of homeowners who owe more than their house is worth will nearly double by 2011, representing about 48 percent. California, Florida, Arizona, Nevada, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Massachusetts and West Virginia will be the states most affected by the scenario.

Bill Clinton’s Rich Pals Paid for North Korea Rescue Mission

Apart from the salaries of his secret service detail, former President Bill Clinton’s trip to North Korea to free captured journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee was the “private mission” the White House billed. According to a Washington Post report, no taxpayer funds were used to secure the women’s release.

Dow Chemical, which has contributed as much as $50,000 to Clinton’s Foundation, provided the former president’s plane from New York to Burbank, where he then used an all-business-class Boeing 737 jet provided by Hollywood producer Steve Bing. Bing has donated gifts totaling between $10 million to $25 million to the Foundation, will foot an estimated $200,000 bill for the fuel, the crew and other incidental expenses for the trip.

WW2 Soldier’s Son Fulfills His Dad’s Promise to Captive

More than 60 years ago an American soldier promised a Japanese prisoner he was tasked with guarding at Iwo Jima that he would deliver a photo to the captive’s wife should he be killed. Gimundo, the good news site, reports on the shocking, decades-long quest to honor this commitment.

Photo from Senator Mark Warner, flickr