Here is Wednesday’s look at transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events.

News Roundup:

• House Democrats and Republicans will vote on leadership positions today. (CNN)
• Despite negative public opinion, many Democrats may vote for Pelosi to remain as leader in this morning’s closed door Democratic caucus meeting. (Politico)(Roll Call)($)
• Republican leadership has decided to give freshman members a second seat on the Elected Leadership Committee and a third on the steering committee. (Politico)
• Moderate Democrats are calling for changes to their caucus’s rules. (Politico)
• Representative Dennis Kucinich plans to challenge outgoing Chairman Ed Towns for the top minority spot on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. (Politico)
• Editorial: The House and Senate should embrace earmark transparency, not an earmark ban. (New York Times)
• The House and Senate earmark bans have exposed rifts in both parties on the subject of spending. (New York Times)
• Several senior Republican senators say they will defy their caucus’s earmark ban. (National Journal)($)
• Senate Democrats push back against Republican and White House crackdown on earmarks. (Washington Post)
• The GOP’s earmark moratorium will likely give the ObamaAdministrationmore spending power. (National Journal)($)
• Editorial: It would be a terrible mistake to phase out the independent ethics watchdog known as the OCE. (Washington Post)
• The full Ethics Committee will meet on Thursday to decide Representative Charlie Rangel’s fate. (Roll Call)($)
• The 112th Congress will show tough love to corporate interests. (Roll Call)($)
• In depth analyses of the midterm elections, strategy formulation, and sidelines talk about third party funding highlight the Democratic donors meeting this week. (Politico)
• Unions will not retreat from lobbying on key issues despite Republican gains in Congress. (Roll Call)($)
• The Supreme Court still needs to adapt to the high technology world of social networking. (Washington Post)
• Despite post-election posturing, there are few signs that Democrats and Republicans will be able to work together. (Washington Post)

Relevant committee hearings scheduled for 11/17:

• Judicial/Executive Nominations, Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 11/17, 2:30pm, 226 Dirksen Senate Building,livestream.

Relevant bills introduced:

• None

Transparency events scheduled for 11/17:

• Is Taxpayer Financing of Campaigns Constitutional?, Cato Institute, 11/17, 12:00pm, 1000 Massachusetts Avenue NW (livestream).