U.S. Army Captain Michael Kelvington, commander of the Battle company, 1-508 Parachute Infantry battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, bows next to remains of Gulam Dostager, a member of Afghan Local Police who was killed in the blast of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) during the joint Tor Janda (Black Flag in Pashtu) operation, in Zahri district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan May 25, 2012.  REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov  (AFGHANISTAN - Tags: MILITARY CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Reuters Photojournalism

Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography.  See more | Photo caption 

Members of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly over the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan as part of the 25th annual Fleet Week celebration in New York, May 23, 2012.  REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz (UNITED STATES - Tags: MILITARY ANNIVERSARY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Fleet Week

The U.S. Navy takes Manhattan for a week.  Slideshow 

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The SpaceX mission

A privately owned unmanned rocket blasts off on a mission to be the first commercial flight to the International Space Station.  Slideshow 

Sen. Brown says won't back Wall St bill due to tax

WASHINGTON | Tue Jun 29, 2010 12:30pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator Scott Brown, a key swing vote in the battle to overhaul financial regulations, said on Tuesday he would not back the final bill unless lawmakers drop a $19 billion tax on large financial firms.

"If the final version of this bill contains these higher taxes, I will not support it," Brown wrote in a letter to the Democratic lawmakers who have overseen the bill.

Brown's decision leaves Democrats two votes short of the 60 they need to clear a procedural hurdle and send the bill on to President Barack Obama to sign into law, unless they revise the bill to address his concerns.

Brown has previously supported the bill and helped Democrats pass it out of the Senate last month.

Negotiators from the Senate and the House of Representatives added the tax during an all-night negotiating session last week to cover the costs of the bill.

(Reporting by Andy Sullivan, editing by Vicki Allen)

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Comments (45)
imgibson wrote:
Well hope the idiots of Mass. are happy they gave us another bought and paid for by Corporate America Senator. Heaven forbid we tax the wealthy when we have all those peons to get it from.

Jun 29, 2010 12:51pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
Cru wrote:
So… no taxes to cover the cost of the bill.. and thus, no fiscal responsibility.

I guess you’ve gotta protect your large financial firm buddies somehow.

Jun 29, 2010 12:52pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
I wonder how much money his holdout is netting him. Probably in the hundred thousands. Typical politician. I don’t give a hoot what he drives.

Jun 29, 2010 12:53pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
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