The U.S. Senate passed food safety bill, which gives broader power for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to protect the country’s food supply.

The jurisdiction was brought to light, following a series of food safety control negligence occurred in the wake of salmonella-outbreak in 2009, when President Barrack Obama called for a food safety overhaul. The Senate voted 73 against 25 to achieve the legislation’s approval.

The new bill was the biggest proposed overhaul to happen in the nation for food safety laws for more than 70 years.

Furthermore, the bill will be beneficial for consumers in general, because it is intended to provide assurance that the food that everyone will consume are handled securely from farm harvesting through the processor and tables.

Some of the products that have been contaminated with salmonella in the past are peanut products, spinach, eggs, and other products that made thousands of Americans getting ill and hospitalized.

Due to the various salmonella contamination have been reported across the country, legislators started to debate regarding new food safety regulations.

Sandra Eskin, director of the Food safety campaign at Pew charitable Trusts, said that the fundamental change will be able to give a clear authority for the agency to take steps in preventing food contamination problems.

The new legislation will require FDA to have a full inspection for food processing plants, and it may also allow the agency to force companies to immediately recall their contaminated products and oblige food manufacturers to execute detailed plans to avoid the occurrence of food-borne diseases.

President Barack Obama will face congressional leaders from the Republicans to tackle tax issues on Tuesday.

In addition the face-off between Obama and the Republicans will foresee how the White House will work together against the opposition party within two more years.

Also, Obama will set host to Republicans John Boehner and Mitch McConnell. Boehner will be the next speaker for the House and Representatives while McConnell is the Republicans head in the Senate. Meanwhile, incumbent speaker, Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will also be in the White House to join the forum.

On the other hand, it is expected that the top agenda for the said meeting will be all about taxes.

Moreover, the Republicans are enthusiast enough to drive the Democrats to lengthen tax cuts from the Bush era, following their landslide victory in the November 2 elections. The tax cuts are entitled for the well-off Americans likewise those who belong in the middle class that supports Obama.

Because of that, the Democrats have been in confusion on how they will proceed onto in spite of a deadline that is coming near. If this will happen, American families with income less than $250,000 each year will face a tax increase in January 1.

However, in order for Obama to prevent it from happening, he must agree with the Republicans to expand tax cuts for the wealthy people, but he also showed support for a compromise, following the “shellacking” his party obtained after this November elections.

Shoppers from the United States looked for best deals on popular toys and high-definition TVs early on Black Friday.

Sellers hoped that the sales on Black Friday will start the holiday shopping season in three years, while some shops were open Thursday and several sellers have offered deals on Black Friday for weeks. On the other hand, shoppers lined up late Thursday and early Friday for the year day-after-Thanksgiving good buy hunt.

Black Friday is a word takes on by sellers to refer to the period of year when their businesses move into the black, or turns an income. This 2010, sellers aim is to anticipated to be almost keeping the momentum of their sales that has lifted up moderately this year as the cutback gets well.

However, some shoppers were dissatisfied in some of the retailers’ offers that they see, even though they were still coming up in line for more hours before they can get into the door. One shopper said while he was waiting outside Best Buy in Princeton, New Jersey that he was looking at the TV and it said that he can only save $70.

Others said that if it is Black Friday, they have to be $100 or $120 minimum savings. Shoppers also expecting the bargains they hope to have. Another shopper spotted Blu-ray Disc players for $69 and HDTVs set for $198 to on sale in Wal-Mart in Secaucus, New Jersey at 5:00 a.m.

This shopper also said that Wal-Mart is quite good because they are allowing their consumers to be inside the store before time, and it is really cool. Wal-Mart opened several of its discount stores in the U.S. on Thanksgiving Day and the doors remained open overnight, a strategy it implemented after an employee was walked on to casualty past two years on Black Friday.

Median forecast revealed Monday that US deficit will narrow from this year’s $1.3 trillion to $1.1 trillion next year.

According to the median forecast of 51 economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics, the biggest threat to the US economy will be the excessive federal debt, which is expected to exceed concern over unemployment and either inflation or deflation. Gross domestic product, on the other hand, will increase by 2.6 percent in 2011 after growing 2.7 percent this year.

Richard Wobbekind, president of the group and associate dean of the Leeds School of Business as the University of Colorado-Boulder, said that the growth is expected to be moderate. Study showed that a diminishing need to replenish inventories, the recuperating of government stimulus and household’s drive to pay off debt will contain the economic growth. Survey revealed that the world’s largest economy will add fewer jobs than they estimated in October this year.

Employment in 2011 will climb by 136,000 a month on average, which is lower than the October projection of 153,000. November’s canvass, however, was accomplished ahead of the Labor Department report showing that employers have added 151,000 workforces to payrolls in October, surpassing the median projection. Unemployment rate is expected to be as much as 9.4 percent or higher through the middle of the following year before falling to 9.2 percent by the end of 2011. Meanwhile, median forecasts for consumer spending will expand 1.7 percent this year and 2.4 percent next year.

On the other hand, inflation next year will remain below the Federal Reserve’s projections. Personal consumption spending index exclusive of food and energy will increase 1.3 percent in 2011 after a 1.1 percent gain this year. Fed policy makers have a long-run inflation forecast of 1.7 percent to two percent, which they said to be consistent with achieving legislative mandates for maximum employment and stable prices.

House unanimously approved the $4.5 billion-dollar settlement that will resolve native farmers’ claims against the federal government for discrimination and mismanagement on Friday.

The Black American farmers will receive $1.15 billion settlement for class-action lawsuit against the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), while the whole American natives involved in the land trust lawsuit will get access to a $3.4 billion settlement. John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association, said that it has been a long overdue process. Many farmers have died waiting for justice. He said he hoped that this money will be distributed to those who are living.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said in an interview after the vote that he was heartened that Democrats and Republicans were able to come together to deliver the settlement that these people deserved for the discrimination and mismanagement they have long suffered in the past. Boyd’s group has petitioned for years just to get Congress to fund the settlement, which is expected to settle the claims of tens of thousands of black farmers.

The case wound through hundreds of motions, seven trials, dozens of rulings and appeals ahead of the settlement was reached in December. The lead plaintiff Eloise Cobell was able to resolved complaints filed by 300,000 natives who found the government had grossly mismanaged royalty payments for natural resources mined on tribal lands. Dennis Gingol, Cobell’s lawyer gave the merit to Congress. He said that in spite of political issues, the Democrats and the Republicans were still able to merge for these poor people’s sake and made everything possible.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said that he pledged with President Barack Obama not only to treat all farmers fairly and equally, but also to correct the insult brought by discrimination on the farmers. Obama issued a statement urging the Congress to pass legislation funding the settlements, saying that he is looking forward to signing them into law.

Republicans said that they intend to launch an attack against President Barack Obama’s healthcare revamp next year but admitted that it could take them until the 2010 presidential election to abolish it.

In addition, Representative Paul Ryan, who is expected to be the chairman of the House Budget Committee, said on Sunday that the Republicans will attempt to block all the expenses for the healthcare law’s implementation and will have meetings to stress out its inadequacies when the new Congress starts in January.

However, the complete cancellation of the legislation and replacing it by another will have to wait for the outcomes of the next election, when the authority of the Congress will be available again and as well as Obama’s attempt for a second year term.

In addition, Ryan said in a news interview that the bill is such a nonsense spending that causes further decline for the country’s weak economy and also for the health care system. He also added that they are going to do the best they can do in order to stop and prevent the healthcare law imposed by Obama, and he said that it will be done on 2013.

Furthermore, the healthcare legislation is a mark accomplishment for the Obama’s first term in the office and he might likely to reject other legislation that wishes to prevent it from realization in order to help people in their healthcare systems.

Also, on Sunday, the Republicans said that they will do anything that they have to do just to interrupt the further implementation of Obama’s legislation. The Republicans were fresh straight from their success in the mid-term congressional elections on November 2 that gave them the total power on the House of the Representatives and cut down the authority of the Democrats in the Senate.

The Labor Department reported unchanged unemployment rate in the US at 9.6 percent Friday.

In spite of 151,000 jobs added in the US economy in October, the unemployment rate in the country remained at its last month’s figures of 9.6 percent. The rate is the strongest figures the nation achieved in the last five months, but October’s rate does not demonstrate even a slight positive change.

The private sector created over 159,000 jobs, due to the increasing unemployment in the government sector, the gains somewhat been affected and reverse its positive effect.

The Labor Department accounted significant declines in government employment especially on the state and local levels.

Economists estimated that there were more than 100,000 to 150,000 jobs been added, and say that these jobs are necessary to keep up with the population growth. However, the gain is still in a smaller amount needed to return the total number of unemployed individuals to be back on work with a total number of 14.8 million.

According to the agency since December 2009, employment in the country risen up to 874,000, though it is a positive development, it is still not enough to restore almost 8.4 million jobs that been lost at the start of the recession  in December 2007.

The job announcement report was the first announcement to be made after the Electoral day. Although there is a positive increase in the country’s job situation, US President Obama said that it was not good enough.

He added that the administration needs to accelerate the nation’s economic growth. He said that they are into producing jobs at a faster pace, and he is open to any idea and proposal that can positively help the growth of the economy. His aim is to deliver enough jobs for every people who are in need of it in the fastest way they can.

President Barack Obama may be in denial about what happened in the past Congressional elections wherein the Republicans won the majority of the seats, according to a statement made by Republican leader John Boehner on Thursday.

In addition, it is expected that Boehner is set to become the speaker of the House of the Representatives shortly after the Republicans made big gains in Tuesday’s elections against the Democrats, winning them 60 seats, and is the biggest shift of authority for many years.

In a news interview, Boehner stated that there is likely a denial on Obama’s part and those Democratic leaders after a message that was sent by the Americans. He also added that having a historic election for the past 70 years, it is clear that the Americans renounced the policies that the leaders imposed for the past few years.

On the other hand, Obama said on Wednesday that the result of the elections was clearly a reflection that American people were frustrated about the outcome of the declining economy and he is urged for the two parties to work in harmony.

In addition, Boehner talked with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who is saying that the Republicans’ main goal is to make sure that Obama will be a president for one term only.

Boehner said that it is Senator McConnell’s statement and opinion. He also said that the Americans want them to focus on the message that they have propagated during the election; to cut down all the expenses and have responsible governance.

In addition, he said that they will also focus in creating jobs for everyone in order to help the sluggish economy to recuperate in the coming years ahead. He also said that those things were their top priority as of now, so it is worth the try for all of them to cooperate and work for something that can benefit the whole country.

House Republicans said they will try to reverse some Medicare law’s cuts and lead on the re-examination of unpopular provisions.

Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, the man in line to be the next House Speaker, said that it is more important to lay the foundation before they begin to abolish the new health care law and other provisions such as new taxes and mandatory requirement for most American to carry health insurance.

The election results go along with the battle over the health care law that will take effect next year. The new Congress showed a partisan divide, making it difficult for President Obama and other Democrats to secure public acceptance of the new provisions.

Republicans said, on the other hand, that they may agree to keep some popular provisions, like protection for individuals who already have an existing medical conditions. However, they will rescind unpopular provisions, like a mandatory healthcare insurance for everyone, which they find unnecessary and against people’s freedom of choice. Nevertheless, administration officials and insurance executives believed that separating the two will not work in practice.

Meanwhile, President Obama said in a news conference on Wednesday, that the new health care law is the right thing to do. Obama admitted, on the other hand, that this health reforms made a negative impact on people. He said that he will consider the Republicans’ idea to re-examine the law, as long as they will deliver faster and more effective reforms. Obama cited an example of acceptable changes in the provision such as if it enforces transparency on small businesses.

In an interview, James P. Gelfand, director of health policy at the US Chamber of Commerce, said that they cannot see a possible repeal of the health care law. Nevertheless, he believed that the Congress knew that this needs an immediate attention and these changes must be realistic.

Republicans are projected to win the majority in the House of Representative by 60 seats based on the early returns today.

The GOP is expected to pick up seats in House races from Florida to Virginia to Indiana as voters are sending a rebuke to Democrats by electing Republicans over Democratic incumbents.

In Virginia’s fifth district, Democratic Tom Perriello is projected to lose against his close rival Robert Hurt, despite the recurring campaign appearances of President Obama on his behalf. Long-time Democratic Representative Rick Boucher was projected to lose against his Republican opponent in the ninth district of Virginia.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is likely to fall and be succeeded by Minority Leader John Boehner. In Arkansas, Republican John Boozman will be overpowered Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln, taking from the latter the chance for another term in the Congress. It was believed that Lincoln’s support for President Obama’s health care overhaul made an impact on the senator’s popularity.

Meanwhile, Republicans also made a strong start on the Senate race, winning seats in Florida, Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. Former Senator Dan Coats scored the first GOP Senate pick-up of the night against Democratic Representative Brad Ellsworth. In North Dakota, Republican John Hoeven beat Tracy Potter and gained the seat of the outgoing Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan. Tea-party backed Republican Marco Rubio overpowered his two opponents on a three-way race in Florida. In Kansas, Jerry Moran won the seat held by Sam Brownback while Ohio Republican Rob Portman has beaten Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher.

On the other hand, Democrats have scored three key victories for open seats. West Virginia Democratic Governor Joe Manchin beat John Raese, despite a negative propaganda against Manchin being a supporter to Washington Democrats. In Connecticut, Attorney General Dick Blumentahal beat professional wrestling mogul Linda Mcmahon, while Chris Coons beat Tea Party-backed Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell in Delaware.

George Stephanopoulos, ABC News’ chief Washington correspondent, said that if the Democrats lose two out of three tough races in Indiana, GOP will win the majority in the House.