Following are highlights of national news coverage that members of Mason’s School of Public Policy received from April 8 to May 8.

May 7, Washington Post
In the Race for Governor, a Drizzle of Ads Portends a Deluge

“Two of the three Democrats competing in that party's June 9 primary have stepped up their visibility. Terry McAuliffe, who was first on the air in Richmond and Hampton Roads, added TV spots last week in Roanoke, promising to bring ‘big ideas and a fresh approach’ to Richmond. Then came state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath), who added 30-second spots in Roanoke, Richmond, Hampton Roads and Bristol. One of the ads focuses on education. Another portrays Deeds as the candidate most prepared for the governor's mansion…Deeds might be trying to get a jump on establishing himself as the anti-McAuliffe, particularly outside Moran's stronghold of Northern Virginia. ‘There's a strategy here -- that is, to create a buzz that this is the guy who's willing to make his presence known,’ said Mark Rozell, a professor of public policy at George Mason University. ‘He's trying to say he's the alternative candidate, the true competitor to the one who seems to be attracting most of the attention.’”

May 6, WTOP Radio (103.5 FM)
HOT lanes construction to pump billions into the economy

“A study done at George Mason University indicates the Interstate 495 High Occupancy Toll lanes construction project is expected to pump $2.7 billion into the region's economy and support as many as 11,800 full-time jobs during its six-year construction period. Fairfax County would see $2.33 billion generated, along with more than 5,600 jobs…. Stephen Fuller, director for the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., says in the short term, that equates to 10 percent of the job growth in the county in 2009. …Fuller says in the long term, ‘This project, along with Metro rail through Tysons Corner, is going to create a whole new level of access to a very important part of the region's economy.’ … ‘While many shovel-ready projects are still waiting for federal stimulus funding or are on hold due to tight budgets, Capital Beltway HOT Lanes construction is delivering real paychecks, real jobs and real economic growth today,’ says Fuller.”

May 6, Richmond Times-Dispatch
Poll: McAuliffe Leads Democratic Rivals by 10 Percentage Points

“Terry McAuliffe's cash and advertising advantage is translating to a double-digit lead in the increasingly bitter race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, a new poll shows. Among likely voters in the June 9 primary, McAuliffe, who has raised more than $4 million and has been running television advertising for months, is favored by 30 percent, according to survey released yesterday by Public Policy Polling of Raleigh, N.C. Brian J. Moran is pulling 20 percent, and R. Creigh Deeds, 14 percent. ‘McAuliffe is commanding the mass media and the political conversation,’ said Mark J. Rozell, a political analyst at George Mason University. ‘He is very well-positioned right now.’ However, because the poll is neither a measure of the intensity of voter preference, nor a harbinger of turnout, Rozell said anything could happen in June: ‘Don't take these polls to the bank.’”

April 29, The Daily Debrief (Federal News Radio)
Grading the First 100 Days

Professor Jeremy Mayer discusses President Obama’s popularity and management style in his first 100 days in office. (Listen to the interview.)

April 26, Scotland on Sunday
Alex Salmond wants more tools to fix Scotland's economy, but he could use the Tartan Tax.  The question is, Should it go up or down?

“A few months before the establishment of the Scottish Parliament, Alex Salmond took one of the most audacious political gambles of his life. He challenged voters to pay a ‘Penny for Scotland’. It was a gamble that failed to pay off. Salmond’s suggestion that the so-called Tartan Tax should be levied had a frosty reception at the polls and was blamed for the SNP’s relatively poor showing during the first Holyrood elections…. ‘Obviously, numerically raising the Tartan Tax would make a difference and if they used that as an option it would be possible to partly close the gap,’ said Andrew Hughes Hallett, professor of economics and public policy at George Mason University in the U.S. and a visiting professor of economics at St. Andrews. ‘But the money raised would not be enough to satisfy the need completely. It would also be possible to raise taxes from Westminster to close that gap. It would be anomalous to ask the Scots to pay to close their gap, but not ask anyone else to close any gaps in their funding.’”

April 26, Daily Press
Analysis: In McAuliffe's Run, Bill Clinton Helps

“Five weeks before Virginia's Democratic gubernatorial primary, Terry McAuliffe's challenge in his first race for elective office is finding a way to win over party loyalists. His answer is to bring in his political patron, former President Bill Clinton. …Because this is the first gubernatorial primary Democrats have held since 1977, nobody knows exactly who will turn out for the June 9 primary or what will motivate them. It's also anybody's guess how much of Clinton's popularity will rub off on McAuliffe, said George Mason University political science professor Mark Rozell. ‘The question is will voters turn out for Terry McAuliffe because of any long-standing affection they may have for Bill Clinton,’ Rozell said. ‘It's always a challenge to transfer one's popularity to another politician.’”

April 24, Richmond Times-Dispatch
Hints of Upturn Evident in Va. Home Sales

“Home sales in Virginia—including the Richmond area—continue to fall along with housing prices, but signs are emerging that the worst could be over, according to a report released yesterday by the Virginia Association of Realtors. ‘We may be past the bottom—perhaps, perhaps,’ John McClain, senior fellow at George Mason University's Center for Regional Analysis, said during a news media conference call about Virginia's housing market for the first quarter. ‘The positive signs are the national indicators are no longer in a free fall,’ McClain said.”

April 18, Washington Post
Growth in Jobless Rate Slows across Area

“But Stephen S. Fuller, director of the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University, said the number of people who have left the labor force in the three jurisdictions is higher than the number of people who joined the ranks of the unemployed. He said, based on his estimate of the BLS data, that 2,600 people in the District, 5,900 in Maryland and 7,100 in Virginia are not showing up in the numbers. ‘It could be that some of the long-term unemployed have quit looking or the newly unemployed are so discouraged they're not looking,’ Fuller said. They're thinking, “'I'm not going to get a job, why should I try?' "

April 17, 5 News (KFSM, Arkansas)
National Political Commentator Gives His Take on the President’s First One Hundred Days in Office

“Dr. Michael Fauntroy is a professor at George Mason University in Washington, D.C., a civil rights activist, and an author. Fauntroy has been featured as a political commentator on CBS, CNN, and FOX News, just to name a few. Tonight, he gave his opinion of how the new President is doing so far. His grade for President Obama: B+. ‘I think he's done a pretty good job. There are some things that I'm a little disappointed in, but no individual is going to be happy with everything their President does. So overall, as a professor, I grade him a B, B +. somewhere in there.’ … ‘I think we moved a little too slowly on undoing the embargo in Cuba....There are some things the federal government can do in terms of access to college.’ Fauntroy says the President could also do more to address problems with healthcare. … ‘Many of the economic problems we have right now are traceable to health care costs.’ In his speech Fauntroy also said Obama has not talked enough about the issue of race. … On the plus side, Fauntroy approved of the President's handling of the economic situation and his work towards improving our international image.”

April 12, USA Today
Obamas Celebrate Easter in Episcopal Church

“President Obama picked the self-described ‘Church of the Presidents,’ a history-drenched Episcopal church across from the White House, for his first venture to services since he was inaugurated Jan. 20. The Obamas' Easter visit to St. John's Church doesn't mean they have found a permanent place of worship in the capital. …For Obama, ‘it's a very safe and traditional choice. It makes perfect sense on Easter Sunday for him to follow in the steps of his predecessors,’ said Mark Rozell, a George Mason University political scientist who studies presidents and religion. Two days before Obama was sworn in, he attended a service at the Nineteenth St. Baptist Church, founded in 1839 as the first black church in Washington. Last week, Obama hosted a Passover Seder at the White House. ‘This is exactly what a president should be doing: showcasing a broad, open, interdenominational approach. He is ultimately president of all the people,’ Rozell said.”

April 11, Associated Press
Obama Still Has Hundreds of Important Jobs to Fill

“George Mason University professor James Pfiffner, an expert on presidential appointments, said that while capable civil servants can keep the government functioning, no one expects them to ‘go off in a new direction’ to carry out a new president's policies…. By the White House's own count, Obama is outpacing his three predecessors at getting top-level appointees confirmed. But the numbers still are paltry, given all the vacancies to be filled. As of March 31, by an internal White House tally, Obama had 38 top-level officials confirmed, compared with 27 for George W. Bush, 37 for Clinton, and 27 for George H. W. Bush.”

April 10, WTOP Radio (103.5 FM)
Home Sales Rise across the Region

“Home sales are up across our region. Sales in D.C. are up 2 percent. Prince George's County is up 10 percent. Fairfax County sales are up 12 percent. Montgomery County sales made the biggest swing, up 16 percent in March. … ‘We may have seen the bottom of the housing market, and we may be on the way up,’ says John McClain, senior fellow at Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University. McClain says existing home prices are still in negative territory but fairing better when compared to last year. Home prices across the region are now down 19 percent from a year ago. That compares with being down 25 percent in February. …McClain says the most positive sign is the increase in sales throughout the entire region. He says sales are up in part due to low prices and in part because of the stimulus package, which includes an $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers and loan modifications.”

April 8, The Economist
The Cavalry of Commerce

“[Trade] is shrinking at the fastest rate since the second world war. The global economy’s woes are largely to blame, but scarce trade finance, especially in emerging markets, hardly helps. In November the World Trade Organisation put the shortfall at $25 billion, but by March the gap had widened to between $100 billion and $300 billion. At the G20 summit on April 2nd, the leaders vowed to reverse this trend by ensuring the availability of at least $250 billion over the next two years to support trade finance. … The little official information there is suggests that as much as $200 billion would flow through export-credit agencies (ECAs), such as America’s Export-Import Bank, which specialise in trade finance. …ECAs have long thrived in obscurity. They are ‘the unsung giants of international trade and finance,’ in the words of Delio Gianturco, author of a book on the industry. Some agencies are government-sponsored, others private, and others a bit of both. Euler Hermes, for instance, is the public ECA in Germany but also competes privately in other markets.”