FBI Report Once Again Confirms What We Already Knew About Guns

BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – The FBI’s semi-annual uniform crime data for the first half of 2013 confirms once again what the firearms community already knew, that violent crime has continued to decline while gun sales have continued to climb, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

The report, issued last week, says murders declined 6.9 percent from the first half of 2012, while aggravated assaults dropped by 6.6 percent nationwide and robberies were down 1.8 percent. Forcible rapes declined 10.6 percent from the same period in 2012 and overall, violent crime fell by 10.6 percent in non-metropolitan counties and 3.6 percent in metropolitan counties.

“This new information reinforces the notion that not only do guns save lives, their presence in the hands and homes of law-abiding citizens just might be a deterrent to crime,” observed CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “The National Shooting Sports Foundation has been reporting a steady increase in firearm sales for the past few years. Taken as a whole, one cannot help but conclude that the predictions from gun prohibitionists that more guns leads to more crime have been consistently wrong.”

Gottlieb said the tired argument from the anti-gun lobby that more firearms in the hands of private citizens would result in sharp increases in violence have run out of traction. Not only has the decline in crime corresponded with an increase in gun sales, it also coincides with a steady rise in the number of citizens obtaining concealed carry licenses and permits, he noted.

“The FBI report says burglaries and auto theft have also decreased,” Gottlieb said, “and it is impossible to look at this pattern and not suggest that increased gun ownership just might be one contributing factor. Gun prohibitionists would, of course, dismiss that suggestion as poppycock, but you can bet your life savings that if the data was reversed, and violent crime had risen, the gun control lobby would be rushing to every available microphone declaring that guns were to blame.

“This continuing pattern brings up a pertinent question,” he concluded. “If the gun ban lobby has been so wrong about more guns resulting in more crime, what else have they been wrong about? The word ‘everything’ comes to mind.”

With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms  is one of the nation’s premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in local communities throughout the United States.

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FBI Report Once Again Confirms What We Already Knew About Guns

Myntra Confirms $50M Fund Raise Led By Premji Invest

As we reported on January 31, Indian fashion portal Myntra has just confirmed raising $ 50 million in fresh funding from investors led by Premji Invest.

The new funding comes after Myntra preferred to invest in its own growth and did not pursue a merger offer from India’s biggest e-commerce company Flipkart.

“We are confident of achieving $ 1 billion GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) by 2016 and will be by far the largest fashion destination in India,” said Mukesh Bansal, co-founder and CEO of Myntra.

The startup said there’s enough and more opportunities to grow in India’s $ 3.1 Billion e-commerce market (excluding online travel), which is expected to reach $ 22 billion in five years, according to a CLSA report.

“We have been growing steadily, increasing our product offerings and attracting new users from different corners of the country. This round of funding will allow us to scale up, attract and retain superior talent, ramp up our technology infrastructure and strengthen the Myntra brand,” Bansal added in a statement.

Since its launch in 2007, Myntra has raised close to $ 75 million from investors, including Accel Partners and Tiger Global.

As TechCrunch’s Ingrid Lunden wrote in January, Myntra now has the funds to continue to invest in its business for the next stage of growth as a standalone company. The company is on track to have gross merchandise value — the total value of goods sold via Myntra’s portal — of $ 100 million for the current fiscal year. But it has been growing at a rapid rate. In April 2013 the rate was 100% every six months, and Myntra believes that GMV will be $ 1 billion by 2016.

As a point of comparison, Flipkart is projecting a GMV of $ 1 billion by 2015.

We will be updating this post with details of Myntra’s latest funding and comments from other investors.

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Myntra Confirms $50M Fund Raise Led By Premji Invest

Email Confirms Bank Of America’s ‘Social Media Trolling’ Spy Team

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RED CROSS EXPOSES “JEWISH” HOLOCAUST HOAX: INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS (IRC) DOCUMENT CONFIRMS 271 THOUSAND NOT 6 MILLION DIED IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS

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RED CROSS EXPOSES “JEWISH” HOLOCAUST HOAX: INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS (IRC) DOCUMENT CONFIRMS 271 THOUSAND NOT 6 MILLION DIED IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS

Fox News Confirms Alex Jones DHS Ammo Purchases Story

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Pharmaceutical drugs now pollute Lake Michigan, study confirms

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(NaturalNews) Following the release of several reports in recent years highlighting the presence of pharmaceutical contaminants in many of the nation’s drinking water supplies, a new study published in the Elsevier journal Chemosphere reveals that pharmaceuticals are now turning up in large quantities in the Great Lakes as well. A summary of this new research recently put out by Environmental Health News reveals disturbing levels of undiluted pharmaceuticals just two miles from Milwaukee’s main wastewater outfalls.

For their study, researchers from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences and the University of Wisconsin – Madison’s State Laboratory of Hygiene conducted tests on water samples collected from various spots in Lake Michigan, both close to shore and out to deeper waters. The team looked specifically for the presence of 54 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in these samples, which came from both surface water and sediment that was sampled over the course of two years.

Upon analysis, it was determined that 32 different PPCPs were present in Lake Michigan water, and 30 in Lake Michigan sediment. Several of these PPCPs were also identified up to 3.2 kilometers, or about two miles, away from the city. Among these were metformin, a popular oral anti-diabetic drug; caffeine; the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole; and triclosan, a toxic antibacterial and antibiotic compound found in many conventional hand soap and toothpaste brands.

According to the study’s abstract, the team determined the ecological risk of these substances by measuring their maximum environmental concentrations as detected in the lake and comparing them to the predicted “no-effect” concentrations. From this, they determined that 14 PPCPs present in the lake are currently of “medium or high ecological risk,” meaning they are a threat to both animal life and humans. And the greatest concentrations of these chemicals were found near the shore, where people wade at beaches and algae and other aquatic life abounds.

“In a body of water like the Great Lakes, you’d expect dilution would kick in and decrease concentrations,” says Dana Kolpin, a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research hydrologist based out of Iowa, as quoted by Environmental Health News. “That was not the case here,” she adds, noting that these new discoveries contradict previously held assumptions.

While the immediate effects of this widespread pollution problem are still largely unknown, we do know that many of these drug compounds have already been shown to change the behaviors and hormone profiles of various animals, as evidenced by previous studies. This implies that humans may also be at risk, especially as the sheer volume of pharmaceutical runoff increases over time.

“You’re not going to see fish die-offs [from pharmaceuticals] but subtle changes in how the fish eat and socialize that can have a big impact down the road,” adds Kolpin. “With behavior changes and endocrine disruption, reproduction and survival problems may not rear their ugly head for generations.”

Since federal regulations for PPCPs in water are currently non-existent, the problem will most likely persist until proactive solutions are eventually implemented. It is also important to note that most PPCPs are not filtered out by wastewater treatment plants, as the filtration systems currently used by most of them were not designed to capture these pervasive compounds. This means that these toxins end up being dumped right back into waterways unchanged.

“People should reconsider the notion that the Great Lakes are so large that this stuff cannot hurt us,” adds Olga Lyandres, a research manager with the Alliance for the Great Lakes organization. “The stuff you excrete and wash down the drain ends up in the same bodies of water that you drink out of.”

Sources for this article include:

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org

http://www.sciencedirect.com

http://www.naturalnews.com

Articles Related to This Article: • Mystery silver substance ‘tri-calcium orthophosphate’ found in Lake Michigan, prompts beach closure • Pharmaceuticals in the Water: Why Medication Contamination is a Danger to Our Health and the Environment (transcript) • Pure Water, Pure Consciousness: Finding a Water Filter That Works • The Poisoning of America’s Water Supplies • Daniel Vitalis Part II: Water Gurus, Water Filters and Bottled Water • Water: The World Is Facing a Dire Shortage of This Essential Element

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Related Articles: • Mystery silver substance ‘tri-calcium orthophosphate’ found in Lake Michigan, prompts beach closure • Pharmaceuticals in the Water: Why Medication Contamination is a Danger to Our Health and the Environment (transcript) • Pure Water, Pure Consciousness: Finding a Water Filter That Works • The Poisoning of America’s Water Supplies • Daniel Vitalis Part II: Water Gurus, Water Filters and Bottled Water • Water: The World Is Facing a Dire Shortage of This Essential Element

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Pharmaceutical drugs now pollute Lake Michigan, study confirms

Patent confirms that aspartame is the excrement of GM bacteria

(NaturalNews) In 1999, The Independent published an article entitled “World’s top sweetener is made with GM bacteria,” which revealed that Monsanto was knowingly adding aspartame to soft drinks in the United States – and that aspartame is made from GM bacteria. This report, which remains one of the earliest disclosures on aspartame in a mainstream newspaper, received little attention after its publication – possibly because its implications were underestimated at the time – and it has long been forgotten.

Since 1999, the world has become a little more attentive to Monsanto and aspartame, but ignorance still abounds about the latter’s genesis. While more and more people are starting to awaken to aspartame’s destructive effects on our health, do they know how it is actually made? Fortunately, a 1981 patent for aspartame production, once confined to the drawers of patent offices, is now available online for everyone to see – and it confirms everything that Monsanto was happy to tell us in 1999 before their meteoric growth necessitated greater prudence.

The patent, which is entitled Process for producing aspartame and is credited to Bahl, Rose, and White, summarizes the process as follows:

“The artificial sweetener aspartame, a dipeptide with the formula Asp-Phe-me, is produced using a cloned micrcorganism [sic]. A DNA which codes for a large stable peptide comprised of the repeating amino acid sequence (Asp-Phe)n is inserted into a cloning vehicle which in turn is introduced into a suitable host microorganism. The host microorganism is cultured and the large peptide containing the repeating Asp-Phe sequence is harvested therefrom. The free carboxyl group of the large peptide is benzylated and then hydrolysed to benzyl Asp-Phe dipeptides. This dipeptide is methylated and then debenzylated to form aspartame.”

This scientific jargon obfuscates (perhaps deliberately) a truly disturbing process:

1.) ‘Cloned microorganisms’ (which the patent later reveals to be genetically modified E. coli) are cultivated in tanks whose environments are tailored to help them thrive.

2.) The well-fed E. coli cultures defecate the proteins that contain the aspartic acid-phenylalanine amino acid segment needed to make aspartame.

3.) The proteins containing the Asp-Phe segments are ‘harvested’ (i.e. lab assistants collect the bacteria’s feces).

4.) The feces are then treated. This includes a process of methylation (adding an excess of the toxic alcohol, methanol, to the protected dipeptide).

While common sense dictates that this abomination doesn’t belong anywhere near our bodies, the patent’s authors made no secret about their belief that aspartame constitutes a safe and nutritious sweetener:

“Aspartame is not only sweeter than sucrose, but is preferable as a food to sucrose. While sucrose can provide the body with little more than energy, aspartame is composed of amino acids, the building blocks of body proteins, and like other proteins is broken down by the digestive enzymes in the stomach to its constituent amino acids thus providing nutritive value. [...] For these reasons, aspartame holds significant promise in replacing sugar as a sweetener.”

So there we have it: An official document that not only reveals the shocking truth behind aspartame production, but also freely admits that it was intended for mass consumption as a sucrose substitute. Therefore, the next time someone claims that your reservations about this sweetener are unfounded, direct them to this patent – the truth behind aspartame is now in plain view.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.independent.co.uk

http://www.freepatentsonline.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

About the author:
Michael Ravensthorpe is an independent writer whose research interests include nutrition, alternative medicine, and bushcraft. He is the creator of the website Spiritfoods, through which he promotes the world’s healthiest foods, whether they be established superfruits such as mangosteen or lesser-known health supplements like blackstrap molasses.

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Patent confirms that aspartame is the excrement of GM bacteria

NSA audit confirms abuse despite Obama"s claim

U.S. Senate confirms Obama"s head of Joint Chiefs of Staff

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey testifies at a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing on ”Department Leadership.” on Capitol Hill in Washington June 11, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

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U.S. Senate confirms Obama"s head of Joint Chiefs of Staff

RBS confirms McEwan as chief executive

RBS made a pre-tax profit of £1.37bn in the six months to June 30. This compared with a £1.68bn loss in the same period a year earlier.

• McEwan, who currently heads its UK retail banking arm, will take over at the start of October


• His basic salary, meanwhile, has been set at £1m a year, less than the £1.2m that was paid to Mr Hester


• RBS said McEwan had asked not to be given an annual bonus in 2014, or the remainder of 2013

(Financial Times) — Royal Bank of Scotland confirmed that Ross McEwan will be the state-controlled group’s new chief executive as it reported first-half results that were hit by investment banking weakness and charges linked to regulatory and legal issues.

McEwan, a 56 year-old New Zealander who currently heads its UK retail banking arm, will take over at the start of October. He succeeds Stephen Hester, who is being ousted after pressure from the Treasury.

RBS said McEwan had asked not to be given an annual bonus in 2014, or the remainder of 2013 for his work as chief executive. In addition, conditions have been attached to the payment of any 2013 bonus related to his current role.

His basic salary, meanwhile, has been set at £1m a year, less than the £1.2m that was paid to Hester, who waived his own bonus in 2011 and 2012.

The bonus sacrifice and reduced salary represent an acknowledgment of the fierce public scrutiny that pay still attracts within the bailed-out banking sector.

Philip Hampton, RBS chairman, said: “He [McEwan] wanted to make some gesture in relation to both basic pay and what has been a very contentious issue around bonuses.”

However, McEwan — who joined RBS from Commonwealth Bank of Australia last year — will be eligible for a long-term incentive award in 2014.

Presenting his last set of results before leaving the bank, Hester said he had promised McEwan an “adventure” when recruiting him. “An adventure is what we are delivering,” he added.

Ian Gordon, an analyst at Investec Securities, welcomed the appointment, saying it should signify “a degree of strategic continuity”.

Shares in RBS nevertheless fell 4 per cent to 319p on Friday morning as investors digested the first-half results.

RBS made a pre-tax profit of £1.37bn in the six months to June 30. This compared with a £1.68bn loss in the same period a year earlier.

But its performance in 2013 was flattered by a £376m “own credit” gain linked to the fluctuating value of its own debt and derivative liabilities. Own credit losses of £3bn had wiped out its profit in the first half of 2012, meanwhile.

The deliberate shrinking of RBS’s investment banking arm took a heavy toll on the unit’s operating profit, which was £371m in the first half of 2013, down from £1.08bn a year earlier. In the second quarter, it made just £93m.

“We hope that profits [from investment banking] will be bolstered over the next two years by cost-cutting,” Mr Hester said.

Like peers Barclays and Lloyds Banking Group earlier in the week, RBS had to set aside yet more money in the second quarter to compensate customers mis-sold payment protection insurance.

This charge amounted to £185m, taking its cumulative PPI charge to £2.4bn. It also had to set aside £385m against regulatory and legal actions during the second quarter, mainly related to its investment banking and international banking arms.

© The Financial Times Limited 2013

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RBS confirms McEwan as chief executive

U.S. Senate confirms White, Stein, Piwowar to serve on SEC

SEC Chair Mary Jo White testifies at a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill July 30, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Jose Luis Magana

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U.S. Senate confirms White, Stein, Piwowar to serve on SEC

Senate confirms Comey as FBI director in 93-1 vote

With a vote of 93 to one, the Senate confirmed James Comey to replace Robert Mueller as head of the FBI. NBC’s Brian Williams reports.

By Kasie Hunt, NBC News

The Senate on Monday confirmed James Comey as the seventh director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation with a 93-1 vote.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted “no,” becoming the first senator to vote against an FBI director since the death of J. Edgar Hoover in 1972.

Two senators — Oregon Democrats Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden — voted “present.”

All other confirmed FBI directors were approved by the Senate either by unanimous consent or with no dissenting votes. Two nominees were withdrawn by the presidents who picked them — L. Patrick Gray, nominated by President Richard Nixon, was implicated in the Watergate scandal, while Frank M. Johnson, selected by President Jimmy Carter, withdrew because of a health problem.

Paul opposed Comey’s nomination because of concerns about the FBI’s use of drone surveillance over U.S. soil. He received a letter from the FBI on Monday, a second round of correspondence that prompted him to drop his objections to Comey’s nomination and allow the Senate to vote to confirm him.

The FBI responded to his initial query with details of the drone program, saying earlier this month that they had used drones over American soil a total of 10 times.

Evan Vucci / AP file

FBI Director nominee James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, July 9, 2013, before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his nomination.

Paul wrote back asking about whether or not the FBI needed a warrant to conduct such surveillance.

On Monday, Paul received a second letter back from the FBI. In that letter, the FBI said that while the Supreme Court has never directly considered drone use in this context, there are cases that say there’s no reasonable expectation of privacy because the areas observed were open to public view.

The FBI also argued that using drones does not represent physical trespass.

The law enforcement agency also said that long term surveillance of a person in public space could amount to a search as defined by the Fourth Amendment and indicated they do not use drones to surveil Americans in the long term. “We do not use UAVs to conduct such surveillance,” they said.

Paul said he disagreed with this interpretation but lifted the hold because they responded.

In a statement after Comey’s confirmation, President Obama said he “applaud[ed] the overwhelming, bipartisan majority of Senators who today confirmed Jim Comey to be the next director of the FBI,” but he noted that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has also not had a confirmed director for years.

“I urge the Senate to swiftly confirm Todd Jones, my nominee to lead the ATF, so that he and his team can do their part to keep American families safe,” Obama said.

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Senate confirms Comey as FBI director in 93-1 vote

Senate confirms Comey for FBI

Comey will succeed FBI Director Robert Mueller. | AP Photo

The Senate confirmed James Comey to head up the FBI with an 93-1 vote Monday.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) – the only senator who voted nay – lifted his hold on the nominee to succeed FBI Director Robert Mueller late Monday afternoon, minutes before the vote, after receiving more information from the agency on the domestic drone program. Paul had maintained that he would delay the nomination until his questions were answered.

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“The FBI today responded to my questions on domestic use of surveillance drones by saying that they don’t necessarily need a warrant to deploy this technology,” Paul said in a statement. “I disagree with this interpretation. However, given the fact that they did respond to my concerns over drone use on U.S. soil, I have decided to release my hold on the pending FBI director nominee.”

The FBI sent a letter with additional information Paul after he deemed a response last week insufficient. The Senate skipped a cloture vote and went straight to roll call for Comey’s confirmation.

Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, longtime critics of surveillance on Americans, voted present.

Comey served as the No. 2 at the Justice Department under President George W. Bush and spent 15 years as a federal prosecutor.

Prior to the Monday vote, no senator had voted against a nominee for FBI director since the death of J. Edgar Hoover in 1972, according to the Congressional Research Service.

POLITICO – Congress

Senate confirms Comey for FBI

Senate Confirms Richard Cordray as Consumer Watchdog

Megan Slack

July 17, 2013
06:46 PM EDT

President Barack Obama listens to Richard Cordray deliver remarks following his confirmation as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, in the State Dining Room of the White House, July 17, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Today, President Obama thanked lawmakers from both parties for coming together to confirm Richard Cordray as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The CFPB was established to make sure American consumers are treated fairly in the financial market place, whether applying for a credit card, taking out a loan to buy a home or pay for college, dealing with a debt collector or other activities.

“Four years ago, even as we were working on restoring the economy and dealing with the immediate crisis,” President Obama said, “we also wanted to figure out how do we set new rules for the road to make sure that a few bad apples in the financial sector couldn’t break the law, or cheat consumers, or put the entire economy at risk.”

Those efforts led to the creation of the CFPB in 2011, and two years ago this week, President Obama first nominated Cordray to run the new agency. But the Senate wouldn’t vote on his confirmation, and the CFPB was severly hampered without a director, President Obama said.

The CFPB wasn’t able to give consumers the information they needed to make good, informed decisions. Folks in the financial system who were doing the right thing didn’t have much certainty or clear rules of the road. And the CFPB didn’t have all the tools it needed to protect consumers against mortgage brokers, or credit reporting agencies, or debt collectors who were taking advantage of ordinary Americans.

President Obama took action to temporarily appoint Cordray as Director so CFPB could get to work. And as a result, President Obama said, Americans everywhere are better off.

Today, if you want to take out a mortgage or a student loan or a payday loan, or you’ve got a credit reporting agency or debt collector who’s causing you problems — maybe they’re not playing by the rules, maybe they’re taking advantage of you — you have somewhere to go.  The CFPB has already addressed more than 175,000 complaints from all across the nation, giving people an advocate who is working with them when they’re dealing with these financial institutions that may not always be thinking about consumers first.

Students and their parents can now get a simple report with the information they need before taking out student loans, President Obama explained. Credit card forms are easier to understand than they used to be, and veterans and seniors are better protected from dishonest lenders and get-rich-quick schemes — all thanks to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

“And now that Rich has gotten the yes-or-no vote he deserved, businesses and consumers have more certainty than they did before that this will continue,” President Obama said.

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Senate Confirms Richard Cordray as Consumer Watchdog

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Senate confirms Lew as Treasury secretary

FILE – In this Feb. 13, 2013, file photo, Jack Lew testifies at his confirmation hearing to be the new Treasury Secretary in Washington. The Senate confirmed Lew on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, to be Treasury secretary, affirming President Barack Obama’s choice of a budget expert at a time when Congress and the White House are at odds over sharp government spending cuts. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Jacob Lew to be Treasury secretary, affirming President Barack Obama’s choice of a budget expert at a time when Congress and the White House are at odds over sharp government spending cuts.

The vote was 71 to 26 to support the nomination. A total of 25 Republicans and independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont voted against Lew’s confirmation.

Lew, 57, had most recently served as Obama’s chief of staff. He succeeds Timothy Geithner, who completed a tumultuous four-year term in which he helped lead the administration’s response to the financial crisis and recession.

Lew is scheduled to be sworn in on Thursday. He will take over just one day before automatic spending cuts are set to take effect. He’s likely to take part in any negotiations to reverse the cuts, and also in key budget talks next month to continue funding the government.

Lew began his government service in the 1980s as an aide to House Speaker Tip O’Neill. He brings nearly three decades of government service to the job, including two stints as White House budget director.

“Mr. Lew is well-qualified to be the nation’s next Treasury secretary,” said Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana. “He has demonstrated time and again that he has the knowledge and expertise” to deal with the country’s budget problems.

But Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who opposed the nomination, said Lew as budget director was the architect of the Obama’s administration’s failed efforts to get soaring deficits under control.

In a statement issued after the vote, Obama said, “At this critical time for our economy and our country, there is no one more qualified for this position than Jack. … His reputation as a master of fiscal issues who can work with leaders on both sides of the aisle has already helped him succeed in some of the toughest jobs in Washington.”

During his confirmation hearing, Lew signaled no major economic policy changes. He advocated a balanced approach to reducing the long-term budget deficit through spending cuts and additional tax revenue.

He said he would be open to reforms to Medicare, but he didn’t spell out any details. Lew also said he would work with the committee on a rewrite of the tax code.

Beyond the budget, Lew is expected to hew closely to the positions Geithner struck on Europe’s debt crisis, the U.S. relationship with China and the administration’s defense of the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law that the banking industry has fought to weaken.

Some Republicans voted against Lew because they were not satisfied with his answers about his previous employment with Citigroup, including a brief time when he was chief operating officer for an investment unit in 2008. The unit has been criticized for making risky investments that imploded during the financial crisis. And Lew received a bonus of nearly $ 1 million in early 2009, a time when Citi was being bailed out by taxpayers.

Lew told the panel that he didn’t make decisions about the investments being offered to clients. He said his bonus reflected compensation for his work.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, opposed Lew’s nomination. He cited questions about his time at Citi, as well as Lew’s compensation while working as chief operating officer at New York University.

“Mr. Lew’s eagerness and skill in obtaining bonuses, severance payments, housing allowances and other perks raises concerns about whether he appreciates who pays the bills,” Grassley said.

One potential weakness for Lew: His relative inexperience with financial markets and international economic crises — areas that had played to Geithner’s background. Analysts think Lew will keep pressuring Europe to deal aggressively with its budget and debt issues. But they think this will consume less of his time given that Europe’s debt crisis now poses less of a threat to the global economy.

On trade, Lew is expected to keep prodding China. The U.S. trade gap with the world’s second-largest economy hit another record high last year. No breakthrough is expected, though.

Lew will also need to calm investors who have grown concerned about possible currency wars after Japan’s new government sought to lower the value of the yen as a way to boost exports and its weak economy. A weaker yen makes Japanese goods cheaper overseas and foreign goods costlier in Japan.

And Lew will need to defend the Dodd-Frank Act, which overhauled financial regulation after the 2008 crisis. Since the law was passed in 2010, Wall Street has fought to weaken many of its stricter regulations.

He may also need to work on his signature, which starts off with a soft “J” but is followed by seven loopy scribbles that render it illegible. The Treasury secretary’s signature is emblazoned in the lower right corner of U.S. dollar bills of all denominations.

When he announced Lew’s nomination, Obama said Lew had promised to work to make one letter legible “in order not to debase our currency.”

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Senate confirms Lew as Treasury secretary