Just in time for the Fourth of July: A story about buried treasure. Directly underfoot at one of the most recognizable spots in the Nation’s Capital.

With lawmakers in recess for the week, it’s a good time to pause. And delve into some of the details of legislation that’s already passed through this rather active Congress. Last month, the President signed into law the Credit Card Act of 2009. The law promises to rein in excessive fees and interest rates.
And although lawmakers like Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders devoted hours to railing against credit card companies ("It is loan-sharking with people in three-piece suits!"), less was said about the role that some consumers played in their own financial undoings.
The new law DOES contain a provision aimed squarely at helping people become better (or at least smarter) consumers. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) championed a key amendment.
"Even as we look at what we need to do to regulate the financial industry to bring stability and make sure this doesn’t happen again," says Murray, "we have to talk about the fact that too many ppl today in this country don’t know when they sign a mortgage or balance their checkbook (or not) or pay their bills or pay interest, what it means in terms of their own financial security."
The result will be a survey and assessment of all existing federal financial and economic literacy programs... and a plan to expand them. To help states teach financial literacy in K-through-12 and at four-year colleges.

Once upon a time, there was talk of getting the House energy and climate change bill to the floor before the July Fourth recess. Now it's looking like the week after (at best). The man currently at the center of it all: Agriculture chairman Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN). He’s still working to overcome deeply-rooted conflicts between farm states and federal environmental watchdogs.
"I’m trying to translate between the people that speak Urdu and French. And I can’t speak either language," says Peterson.
This afternoon, a Senate Commerce panel looks at the prospects for high-speed rail. President Obama promised additional money in the stimulus package. And the federal government has just released new criteria to evaluate projects in different regions. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) wants everyone to be realistic.
"It is wildly expensive and it will take us decades to make the kind of investment that we need to make establish high speed rail all over the country. So we’ve got to focus in on, where does it make the most sense first?" says McCaskill. For now, the Midwest and California appear to have the edge.
Finally – as Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor continues her rounds on the Hill, one door will NOT open to her: That of Senator James Inhofe. The Oklahoma Republican says there’s no point in talking, since he already plans to vote against her confirmation.
"And see this is one of the rare cases where I agree with Joe Biden," says Inhofe. "You can’t turn around and support someone you rejected at a lower level. That’s just not logical."
A number of Republican senators plan to launch their own campaign against the Supreme Court nominee today.

When General Motors and Chrysler started sputtering last fall, many dealers agreed to purchase extra cars. Then, in order to get government assistance, the two companies agreed to shutter some two thousand dealerships.
"I knew of some dealers who, the day they got their closure notices, actually had a closure notice in hand as a truck full of brand new cars that they ordered on their lot as they were opening up their closure letter," says Bailey Wood, spokesman for the National Auto Dealers Association.
The situation has Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) doing something of an an about-face. After opposing government aid to the auto industry, the Republican has introduced a bill to force Chrysler and GM to reimburse auto dealers for inventory purchased in the last nine months. His attempt to help out small business owners also puts Congress in the driver’s seat on management decisions.
Both Michigan senators oppose Corker’s bill. Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) toes the company line: that Chrysler and GM need to have the freedom to make their own decisions.
"It could not only hurt them but it is taking over the management of companies, which I think most people want to keep the government out of," says Levin.
Levin and fellow Michigan Democrat Debbie Stabenow, were behind the “cash for clunkers” provision that passed in the Senate last week.
"This was about jobs," says Stabenow. "This was about helping small businesses, helping people who are just barely hanging on in this economy.
All in all, the domestic auto crisis – and Washington’s attempts to fix it – have a lot of lawmakers looking in the rearview mirror, and realizing that apparent contradictions may be closer than they appear.

A mix of new and ongoing conflicts stymie the supplemental war spending bill. Like what’s to be done about 5-billion dollars in indirect foreign aid. President Obama wants it in; late last week House Republicans objected, saying the money could wind up in the hands of terrorists.

"And then the Guantanamo language is still somewhat at issue, although I think that will be resolved in a way that the Administration won’t be pleased with. It will be very restrictive of doing anything on transferring of detainees," says Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA). 

This week the American Association for Nude Recreation makes its annual political pilgrimage to Washington. "They come fully clothed. So they’re not raising eyebrows," chuckles Rep. Pete DeFazio (D-OR).

A spokesman for the organization says the goal is to raise awareness about the 400-million-dollar clothing-optional industry.  AANR will also advocate for state parks facing closure due to the economic crisis.

Utah’s Republican senators say it is too early to tell if they will support Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, even though they voted to seat her on the federal appeals court in 1998.
They now say they need to examine her record since then. Orrin Hatch sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"The Supreme Court is different, this is the court of last resort – there are only nine of them," Hatch said. "It’s the most important court in the world and these are the most important judicial positions in the world.“
With her diverse background and Hispanic heritage, Sotomayor is winning praise as a judge who understands minority issues. That’s causing Republicans to claim she’s an activist.
Hatch says her legal writings already raise red flags: “[She wrote] that our society would be straight jacketed were not the courts – and get this language – constantly overhauling the law and adapting it to the realities of ever changing social, industrial and political conditions. That’s a direct quote. What does that mean?”
Hatch’s committee will examine Sotomayor’s record before the full chamber votes on her nomination. He says he is reserving his judgment until after she testifies.

The Governor of Guam has opened a liaison office in Washington to respond to federal policies that affect Guam. The new director, a Cabinet official yet to be named to the position, will track the military buildup, health care reform, immigration laws, stimulus money, and more.
Shawn Gumataotao, the governor’s chief of staff who has been running things in the new office, says he's glad to see the office open. He says the fourteen hour time difference makes it hard to manage Washington work from Guam.
"We spend a lot of time discussing issues with people on the Hill," he says, "either at the start if their day, which is late in the evening, Guam time. And then when we wake up in the morning we spend our time wrapping up those issues to start another day for them here in DC.”
The governor will announce who heads the office in a few weeks.

How much would 'cap and trade' really cost? Republican Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming has a ready answer: “$3,100 per year, per household in overall energy costs. That includes electricity, and gasoline and a variety of energy uses.” Under cap and trade, the government would set yearly limits on greenhouse gas emissions. Companies would either get emissions allowances from the government or buy from a carbon market. Lummis says consumers will take the hit. But not so fast: An EPA study says the annual impact would be between $98 to $148, assuming of course the government returns 40% of the revenue from selling allowances to consumers.