The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has reversed course on a law to regulate safety systems to prevent swimmers, particularly children, from getting trapped in public swimming pool drains. Federal regulators will investigate single drain systems and require public pools to install suction shut off systems by May 2012, or they will be closed down. In a 3-2 vote, the CPSC approved the new pool-safety measure on Wednesday. Previous to the new requirement, municipal pool operators were exempted from requirements mandated by the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act of 2007 if they installed special covers on their drains to prevent entrapments.

A new Gallup poll found a record-breaking 81 percent of Americans dissatisfied with the U.S. government�s performance, as the economy remains stagnant and the country�s fiscal integrity wanes. The polling company noted: 

Infamous for political corruption, the city of Chicago rehired for one day former union leader Dennis Gannon (left), who as a result netted $158,000 in a public pension, according to the Chicago Tribune. Rehired by the city in 1994, Gannon was accorded an indefinite leave of absence after working a single shift. Raking in about five times greater than the average retired city worker, Gannon’s lavish pension is a product of corrupt political massaging among Chicago union leaders and government officials.

The Associated Press "fact-checked" President Obama�s combative proclamation that "middle-class families shouldn�t pay higher taxes than millionaires and billionaires." In broadcasting his new "Buffett Rule" for millionaires � his so-called "revenue" vehicle for the American Jobs Act � Obama tossed a class-warfare grenade, claiming that the wealthy are not covering enough of the tax burden. The President demanded in a bellicose speech Monday that individuals earning over $1 million a year must "pay their fair share" to help slash the soaring federal deficit.

President Obama declared to an impassioned crowd of students at North Carolina State University Wednesday, "If you love me, you got to help me pass this bill!" In an auditorium holding more than 9,000 people, the President rehashed the supposed economic benefits of his new $447 billion American Jobs Act, as he pleaded with the audience to help him win congressional support. But do the merits of the President’s latest legislative attempt at reviving the U.S. economy have any relation to the American citizenry’s emotional feelings for their country’s political "leadership?"

A U.S. House committee reported that President Obama�s aides pressed White House budget officials to review a $535 million federal loan guarantee to Solyndra, a failed solar-maker manufacturer that recently filed for bankruptcy protection. Republicans on a House Energy subcommittee released internal administration documents Wednesday revealing an attempt to expedite completion of the loan package so that Vice President Joe Biden could publicly announce the plan at a company event two years ago.

Bob Turner (left), former television executive and the Republican candidate vying to secure Anthony Weiner�s former congressional seat, has swiped first place in a new poll by Siena College Research Institute. With one day to go before the Sept. 13 special election, Turner holds a six-point lead over Democratic Assemblyman David Weprin, a sharp turn from Siena College�s August 10 poll when Weprin led with 48 percent of likely voters over Turner�s 42 percent.

Hundreds of protestors from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) breached the Port of Longview in Washington state, dumping grain, damaging railroad cars, and assaulting security guards. After tearing down the port’s gates early Thursday morning, 500 Longshoremen workers trashed the guard shack and held six port guards hostage.

Last week�s jobs report could spur further anxiety for President Obama�s 2012 reelection campaign, as the President�s core constituencies continue to struggle with high unemployment. The Labor Department reported dismal jobs numbers for August, with unemployment continuing to hover around 9 percent � a grave concern for Obama�s approval ratings. Young workers, aged 18 to 24, are now burdened with 16.4 percent unemployment, while many more are underemployed. Such affliction for America�s youth could prove fatal for Obama�s 2012 presidential aspirations, as he garnered nearly 70 percent of 18 to 29 aged voters in 2008.

The White House announced Thursday that it is building a new webpage, entitled "We the People," designed to give Americans the ability to digitally create and sign petitions to propose various government actions, particularly regarding job creation.