Obama picks Jack Lew for Treasury as issues loom

WASHINGTON – For 30 years, Jack Lew has had a hand in some of the biggest economic deals negotiated in Washington. What awaits him if he’s confirmed as treasury secretary could far exceed any challenge of the past – a triple-decked potential crisis that will test his experience the moment he opens his office door on the third floor of the Treasury Building

Lew, nominated for the job Thursday by President Barack Obama, has honed his skills in the trenches of fiscal policy, helping forge major deals encompassing Social Security and budgets for the likes of former Speaker Tip O’Neill and President Bill Clinton.

Obama highlighted that experience in announcing Lew’s selection, an unmistakable nod to the fast-approaching deadlines to raise the government borrowing limit, avert deep and immediate spending cuts and extend government operations.

Federal judge lifts ban on Nevada horse roundup

RENO, Nev. – The Bureau of Land Management can resume its roundup of dozens of wild mustangs in northern Nevada, but wranglers must limit their use of electric cattle prods and take other steps to ensure the animals are treated humanely, a federal judge said Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Miranda Du’s formal order lifted an injunction she issued last week blocking the roundup of 50 horses near the Idaho-Nevada line.

Although disappointed that the roundup was set to resume today, horse protection advocates were pleased that Du’s order outlined specific conduct for the BLM.

Associated Press