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20081218

Barack Obama

Gay

Politics

Religion

Book

People

Children

Girls

Schools

Pakistan

Palestine

British

Soviet

Military

History

"Three Cups of Tea for Rick Warren." ... "Rick Warren is providing the invocation for the [Democratic President Elect Barack Obama's] presidential inauguration. As a pastor whose books have been read by tens of millions of Americans and whose voice is respected by an equal or larger number, he has tremendous influence and power. And as an open homophobe who aggressively works to wound gay people in this country (as well as pretty much anybody else who doesn’t believe with his own particular and peculiar recently-invented version of Christian theology) he should be the guy with the bull’s-eye on his back for the progressive movement." ... "But consider that metaphor for a moment. In Pakistan there are entire regions filled with people who not only hate gays but hate Americans as well, regardless of religion. We've tried bombing them (as the Soviets did, and the British before them). Three consecutive Western empires have tried threatening them, starving them, poisoning them, infiltrating them, and overpowering them - all without success." ... "And then Greg Mortenson came to one of their villages, had three cups of tea with them (a metaphor for hospitality - they nursed him back to health after a mountain climbing injury - and the title of his best-selling book), and now in dozens of these formerly Taliban-controlled villages the people are rejecting the Taliban, embracing modernity, and openly proclaiming themselves as our friends." ... "His "weapon" for this conversion? He built schools for their children, particularly their previously-banned-from-school girls." ... "We pushed the Palestinians on the West Bank to have open and democratic elections, assuming that because they were using the tool of our culture (the secret ballot) they’d vote in people reflecting the values of our culture. Instead, they voted in Hamas, a group that is openly hostile to us and our allies. Hamas’ “weapon” for winning the hearts and minds of the Palestinians? They supported schools, hospitals, and fed and clothed people." ... "You’d think that we’d have learned from these experiences - particularly those of us who call ourselves “progressives” - that you get your desired results faster when you embrace, engage, and nurture your “enemies” than when you physically or rhetorically bomb them." ... "Barack Obama has learned that lesson, and is applying it in inviting Rick Warren to perform the invocation for his inauguration. In doing so, he is reaching out a hand to those who today are - out of fear and ignorance - pushing away gays the same way their intellectual ancestors pushed away African Americans when anti-miscegenation laws were supported by most of these same “fundamentalist” Christian churches in the 1950s and 1960s." -By Thom Hartmann

-ThomHartmann.com

20081212

Christmas

Children

Consumer

History

Sacramento - California

"Christmas bleak for KB Toys as it files Chapter 11." ... "The toy retailer filed for bankruptcy protection Thursday just two weeks before Christmas and announced plans to immediately liquidate its stores, including all four in the Sacramento [California's capital] area." ... ""It's sad that all of these companies are going out of business," said Gina Quivan of Sacramento after a day of Christmas shopping with husband Justin Vasquez and their three children. Vasquez carried a large bag of toys stamped with the KB Toys logo." ... "KB Toys now joins a growing list of household names tacking up going-out-of-business signs, from Linens 'n Things to Mervyns to Circuit City and Shoe Pavilion. That a toy retailer failed just before Christmas shows how bleak things have become." ... "Retail sales are at their worst in 35 years, and three in five people say they'll spend less money over the next 90 days, according to a survey of consumer spending released Thursday by Maryland-based researcher ChangeWave." ... "The 86-year-old company decided the most viable way to cover its debt was to liquidate its stores via immediate going-out-of-business sales." -By Darrell Smith

-SacBee.com

20081210

Homeless

Families

Poverty

Crisis

Politics

Law

Police

Florida

"Homeless turn foreclosures into shelters." ... "For Max Rameau, a vacant, boarded-up home is more than just a symbol of the national housing crisis. It's an opportunity to house the homeless." ... "Rameau, a homeless advocate, runs a controversial program in Miami [Florida] that helps families squat in homes vacated because of bank foreclosures. Using Internet listings and a team of volunteers, Rameau and his Take Back the Land foundation matches homeless families with empty homes." ... "Rameau, 39, says his efforts are creative solutions for two of America's biggest problems: rising numbers of vacant homes and a growing homeless population. He has moved in six families since January. The authorities so far haven't stopped him." ... ""It's morally indefensible to have vacant homes sitting there, potentially for years, while you have human beings on the street," Rameau says." ... "Kelly Penton, a city of Miami spokeswoman, says police don't have the manpower to scour neighborhoods looking for squatters. Police only act on a complaint by a property owner, which so far hasn't happened, she says." ... ""People need to obey the law, obviously," Penton says. "But it has to be something that's reported to the city."" ... "With 44% of the nation's 744,000 homeless unsheltered, it's not surprising that people want to take over homes, says Michael Stoops, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless." -By Rick Jervis

-USATODAY

20081209

Adolescents

Emergency

Mental

Privacy

"Adolescents, Failed by U.S. Health Care, Go to Emergency Rooms." ... "Adolescents rely on hospital emergency rooms for routine treatment more than any other age group, according to a report that found the U.S. [United States] health-care system often fails those ages 10 to 19." ... "Many youths lack access to specialty services for mental health, substance abuse and sexual and reproductive health, according to the report today by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine." ... "“Even when services are accessible, many adolescents may not find them acceptable because of concerns that confidentiality is not fully ensured, especially in such sensitive domains as substance use or sexual and reproductive health,” according to the report." -By Justin Blum

-Bloomberg

REPORT: "Adolescent Health Services: Missing Opportunities." -Institute of Medicine

20081126

Infant

Food

Health

Science

Politics

Industrial

Maker

China

"FDA finds melamine traces in U.S. infant formulas." ... "The Food and Drug Administration has found trace amounts of the industrial chemical melamine in some U.S. [United States] infant formulas, but at levels 10,000 times lower than those found in Chinese-made formula." ... "In China, where faked formula killed at least four children and sickened more than 53,000, large amounts of melamine were added to watered-down milk to make it appear to have an appropriate protein content." ... "The trace amounts of melamine and cyanuric acid, a melamine by-product, were found in formula from Abbott Laboratories, Nestle and Mead Johnson, which together make more than 90% of all infant formula produced in the United States."

-AP via -USATODAY

20081117

Children

Food

Poverty

Health

Safety

Government

Language

Politics

Economics

Accounting

"50 percent more US children went hungry in 2007." ... "Some 691,000 children went hungry in America sometime in 2007, while close to one in eight Americans struggled to feed themselves adequately even before this year's sharp economic downtown, the Agriculture Department reported Monday." ... "The department's annual report on food security showed that during 2007 the number of children who suffered a substantial disruption in the amount of food they typically eat was more than 50 percent above the 430,000 in 2006 and the largest figure since 716,000 in 1998." ... "Overall, the 36.2 million adults and children who struggled with hunger during the year was up slightly from 35.5 million in 2006. That was 12.2 percent of Americans who didn't have the money or assistance to get enough food to maintain active, healthy lives." ... "Almost a third of those, 11.9 million adults and children, went hungry at some point. That figure has grown by more than 40 percent since 2000. The government says these people suffered a substantial disruption in their food supply at some point and classifies them as having "very low food security." Until the government rewrote its definitions two years ago, this group was described as having "food insecurity with hunger."" -By Michael J. Sniffen

-AP via -Yahoo

PDF: USDA.gov Report: "Household Food Security in the United States, 2007."

20081110

Child

Labor

Safety

Enforcement

Employers

Politics

Food

Agriculture

Plants

Construction

People

Federal

Immigration

North Carolina

South Carolina

Iowa

"Child labor going largely unchecked." ... "Nery Castañeda tackled a job that was never intended for kids his age." ... "One afternoon last fall, the 17-year-old Guatemala native ran a machine to grind damaged pallets into mulch. When a co-worker at the Greensboro [North Carolina] plant returned from another task, he didn't see Nery – until he looked inside the shredder." ... "“A person shouldn't die like this,” said older brother Luis. “…He came with a dream and found death.”" ... "Decades after the enactment of regulations designed to prevent such tragedies, thousands of youths still get hurt on American jobs deemed unsafe for young workers. On a typical day, more than 400 juvenile workers are injured on the job. Once every 10 days, on average, a worker under the age of 18 is killed, federal statistics show." ... "Enforcement has waned, despite new evidence that many employers are ignoring child labor laws. U.S. [United States] Department of Labor investigations have dropped by nearly half since fiscal year 2000." ... "“There are lots of kids being asked to do work that's been prohibited for them – and it's been prohibited because it's dangerous,” said Carol Runyan, who heads UNC's Injury Prevention Research Center. “…Our system is failing them.”" ... "More than 3 million youths under age 18 have jobs. Regulations prohibit them from doing a variety of hazardous jobs, including most meat-processing work." ... "But last month, at an immigration raid at a House of Raeford Farms poultry plant in Greenville, S.C. [South Carolina], six juveniles were among the workers detained. Three young workers told the Observer they were under 18 when they held jobs at House of Raeford plants requiring them to make thousands of cuts a day with sharp knives. The company says it requires job applicants to present identification showing their age, but not all the documentation is accurate." ... "At Agriprocessors, a large meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, authorities recently charged owners with thousands of child-labor violations after finding that teenage employees were asked to use circular saws, clean floors with powerful chemicals and perform other dangerous tasks." ... "“The raids in Postville and Greenville show that 15- and 16-year-old kids are doing some of the most dangerous jobs in America,” says Reid Maki of the National Consumers League. “ … It's time for the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate slaughterhouses and poultry plants.”" ... "A study of 16- and 17-year-old construction workers in North Carolina, published in 2006, found that more than 80 percent did tasks that were clearly prohibited. A national survey of young retail and service workers, published in 2007, found that more than half of males and more than 40 percent of females performed prohibited tasks." ... "Runyan, who co-authored both studies, says much of the blame lies with employers." ... "“I suspect there are employers who flagrantly disregard the law,” she said. “And I suspect there are others who are clueless.”" ... "Total federal penalties for child labor violations dropped 29 percent from 2000 to 2007." -By Ames Alexander and Franco Ordonez

-Observer

20081108

Gay

Religion

Money

Salt Lake City

Utah

Tourism

California

Family

Law

2008 Election

"Utah Boycott Urged After Calif. Vote." ... "Utah's growing tourism industry and the star-studded Sundance Film Festival are being targeted for a boycott by bloggers, gay rights activists and others seeking to punish the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for its aggressive promotion of California's ban on gay marriage." ... "Gay rights activist John Aravosis, whose well-trafficked AmericaBlog.com is urging the boycott, is unapologetic about targeting Utah rather than California, where voters defined marriage in the state Constitution as a heterosexual act." ... "Utah, Aravosis said, "is a hate state," and on this issue, "at a fundamental level, the Utah Mormons crossed the line. . . . They just took marriage away from 20,000 couples and made their children bastards. You don't do that and get away with it."" ... "The Mormon Church, based in Salt Lake City [Utah's capital], encouraged members to work for passage of the ballot measure. Thousands of Mormons worked as grass-roots volunteers and gave tens of millions of dollars to the campaign." ... "Proposition 8, the measure passed Tuesday, overrode a state Supreme Court ruling that briefly gave same-sex couples the right to wed." -By Brock Vergakis

-WashingtonPost

20081103

Barack Obama

Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham

Grandmother

Hawaii

2008 Election

Politics

"Obama's grandmother dies a day before election." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama's grandmother, whose personality and bearing shaped much of the life of the Democratic presidential contender, has died, Obama announced Monday, one day before the election. Madelyn Payne Dunham was 86." ... "Obama announced the news from the campaign trail in Charlotte, N.C. [North Carolina.] The joint statement with his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng said Dunham died peacefully late Sunday night after a battle with cancer." ... "They said: "She was the cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment, strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us to take chances."" ... "Last month, Obama took a break from campaigning and flew to Hawaii to be with Dunham as her health declined." ... "Stanley Dunham [Obama's grandfather] died in 1992, while Obama's mother died in 1995. His father is also deceased." ... "When Obama was young, he and his grandmother toured the United States by Greyhound bus, stopping at the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone Park, Disneyland and Chicago [Illinois], where Obama would years later settle. " -By Herbert A. Sample with contributions by Nedra Pickler

-AP via -Yahoo

20081101

Halloween

Politics

John McCain

Barack Obama

2008 Election

Michigan

Kids

"McCain Supporter Denies Candy To Children Of Obama Supporters On Halloween (VIDEO)." ... "Kids in this suburban Detroit [Michigan] neighborhood cried foul after a [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain supporter refused to give them candy because they were the children of [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama supporters." -By Nicholas Graham

-HuffingtonPost.com

WATCH: "Michigan McCain-Palin supporter says no treats for Obama kids on Halloween."

20081030

Sarah Palin

Money

Politics

Family

Travel

Flights

2008 Election

"Palin faces new ethics complaint over kids' travel." ... "A new ethics complaint has been filed against [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor] Sarah Palin, accusing the Alaska governor of abusing her power by charging the state when her children traveled with her." ... "The complaint alleges that the Republican vice presidential nominee used her official position as governor for personal gain, violating a statute of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. It follows a report by The Associated Press last week that Palin charged the state more than $21,000 for her three daughters' commercial flights, including events where they weren't invited, and later ordered their expense forms amended to specify official state business." ... "In some cases, Palin also has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls." ... ""Governor Palin intentionally secured unwarranted benefits for family members, improperly used state property to benefit her personal and financial interests, and illegally altered documents that were the subject of a Public Records request," the complaint states." ... "Earlier this month, a legislative report found Palin violated state ethics laws when she fired her public safety commissioner." ... "The state already is reviewing nearly $17,000 in per diem payments to Palin for 312 nights she slept at her home in Wasilla [Alaska], about an hour's drive from her satellite office in Anchorage [Alaska]." -By Rachel D'Oro

-AP via -BostonGlobe

20081029

Barack Obama

Media

2008 Election

Families

Economy

Military

Ohio

Missouri

Kansas

New Mexico

Florida

Arizona

Iraq

"30-minute Obama ad shows campaign muscle." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama's 30-minute TV ad, which ran simultaneously on broadcast and cable networks at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, is muscle-flexing that has little precedent, a campaign advertising expert said." ... ""It's evidence, if you needed any, that the Obama campaign has more money than there is ad time left to buy," said Evan Tracey, director of the Campaign Media Analysis Group. "This is flexing the muscles."" ... ""The strategic brilliance of this for Obama is that he is going to consume about 24 hours of the news cycle," Tracey said. "It boxes [John] McCain in, takes the oxygen out of the room."" ... "In the carefully produced infomercial, Obama laid out his plans for the economy and for bringing an end to the war in Iraq." ... "It also featured stories of struggling families in swing states such as Ohio and Missouri and included testimonials from high-profile supporters, including Kansas [Democratic Governor] Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and New Mexico [Democratic Governor] Gov. Bill Richardson." ... "Obama's Republican opponent, Arizona Sen. John McCain, was not mentioned, nor was the GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican]. The spot ended with a brief, live Obama address to a rally in Florida, another hotly contested state in this year's campaign." -By Richard Allen Greene

-CNN

WATCH Barack Obama ad: "American Stories, American Solutions."

"Obama: "I'm reminded every single day that I am not a perfect man. I will not be a perfect president. But I can promise you this: I will always tell you what I think and where I stand. I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you when we disagree. And, most importantly, I will open the doors of government and ask you to be involved in your own democracy again."" - BarackObama.com

20081020

Barack Obama

Madelyn Payne Dunham

Grandmother

Hawaii

Illinois

Kansas

Politics

Race

History

Book

2008 Election

"Obama's grandmother fights to see him elected." ... "Madelyn Payne Dunham gave young [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama a place to call home while his mother traveled the world. When he needed money for school, she went without new clothes to help pay his tuition." ... "And when the Illinois Senator decided to seek the Democratic presidential nomination, Dunham provided the "Kansas heartland" pedigree he needed to appeal to conservative white voters — and a personal anecdote about racial prejudice that helped the man with the foreign name and Ivy League resume connect with the African-American experience." ... "The 85-year-old former bank executive is said to be "gravely ill" after falling and breaking her hip, and some reports suggest she might not live to see the results of the Nov. 4 election. Whatever happens, she's already lived long enough to see her "Barry" achieve what she'd wanted for him, her brother says." ... "Although he made his mark thousands of miles from the Honolulu [Hawaii's capital] apartment where she helped raise him, Obama and others credit Dunham — whose birthday is Sunday — with instilling in him an appreciation for education and hard work, and with setting an example of thrift, practicality and tolerance." ... ""I think there's nobody more important than her, except his mother, in shaping his character," said David Mendell, who interviewed Dunham in 2004 for the Chicago Tribune and later wrote the book, "Obama: From Promise to Power."" ... "While her husband [Obama's grandfather, Stanley Dunham] was away in the Army during World War II, she was home raising their daughter, Stanley Ann, and supervising a B-29 bomber assembly line at the Boeing plant in Wichita [Kansas]." -By Allen G. Breed

-AP via -Google

Obama's Grandmother:

Madelyn Payne Dunham
Obama's Grandparents:

Stanley Armour Dunham and Madelyn Lee Payne Dunham
Barack Obama's Grandparents

Barack Obama

Madelyn Dunham

Grandmother

Hawaii

Indiana

Wisconsin

Des-Moines

Iowa

Politics

2008 Election

"Obama will make emergency trip to Hawaii to visit his Grandmother." ... "[2008 Election Democratic] Presidential hopeful Barack Obama will make an emergency trip back to the [Hawaii] islands this week to visit his grandmother." ... "A campaign spokesman says 86-year old Madelyn Dunham is very ill." ... "Obama plans to leave Indianapolis [Indiania's capital] on Thursday afternoon." ... "His grandmother has always been one of the most important people in his life." ... ""She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me," said Obama on August 28." ... "Obama will be stepping off the campaign trail for a couple days to be at his grandmother's side." ... "He cancelled his appearances in Madison, Wisconsin, and Des Moines, Iowa to make the trip." -By Marisa Yamane

-KHON2.com

Barack Obama

Madelyn Dunham

Grandmother

Politics

2008 Election

"Obama Calls Grandmother "Rock of My Family"." ... "In September, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barak Obama talked about his grandmother [Madelyn Dunham] during an interview with CBS News' Katie Couric." ... ""She's been the rock of my family. She worked very hard all of her life. And made a lot of sacrifices on my behalf. And now she can't travel. She's got osteoporosis that's very bad. She's as sharp as they come. She explained to me the other day, she said you know the problem with getting old is that you're the same person, just your body is falling apart, and it's very frustrating. And that's how she feels. And you know, spending time with her is something that's going to be a priority after the election is over."" -By Tim Sakahara

-KGMB9.com

Barack Obama

Madelyn Dunham

Business

Woman

Grandmother

Hawaii

Illinois

Politics

2008 Election

"Obama's Grandmother Described As 'Strong Willed': Senator Leaves Campaign Trail To Make Visit." ... "Those who know Madelyn Dunham said throughout her life she has been "strong willed" and ambitious." ... "Dunham's health has slowly deteriorated and during his recent visit to Hawaii [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama spoke about his grandmother's condition." ... ""Her body is not in great shape she has osteoporosis which means she can't travel. She can't sit for a long periods of time on the plane so that's why it is so important for me to take these trips back to Hawaii," Obama said." ... "Barack Obama since he was 10." ... "Dunham turns 86 on Sunday." ... "University of Hawaii professor Alice Dewey is a longtime friend of the Obamas and remembers Dunham's tenacity." ... ""She was a very determined person as you began to get to know her she knew her mind and followed her principles," Dewey said." ... "Dunham was one of the first women vice presidents at the Bank of Hawaii. Co-workers said she was a well respected business woman."

-KITV.com

Barack Obama

Madelyn Dunham

Grandmother

Health

Hawaii

Illinois

Politics

2008 Election

"Obama coming to Hawaii to visit ailing grandmother." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs announced that the senator will head to Hawaii Thursday to see his 86-year-old grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who is seriously ill." ... "She was released from the hospital last week and is at her home on Oahu [Hawaii]. Obama plans to return to the campaign on Saturday." ... "In a statement Gibbs said: "[Illinois] Senator Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, has always been one of the most important people in his life. Along with his mother and his grandfather, she raised him in Hawaii from the time he was born until the moment he left for college. As he said at the Democratic Convention, she poured everything she had into him." ... ""Recently, his grandmother has become ill, and in the last few weeks, her health has deteriorated to the point where her situation is very serious. It is for that reason that Senator Obama has decided to change his schedule on Thursday and Friday so that he can see her and spend some time with her. He will be returning the the campaign trail on Saturday.""

-KHNL.com

Obama's Grandparents:

Barack Obama's Grandparents: Grandmother Madelyn Dunham and Grandfather Stanley Dunham

20081006

John McCain

Poor

Families

Seniors

Federal

Health

Politics

Arizona

2008 Election

"McCain Plans Federal Health Cuts: Medicare, Medicaid Spending Would Be Reduced to Offset Proposed Tax Credit." ... "[Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain would pay for his health plan with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid, a top aide said, in a move that independent analysts estimate could result in cuts of $1.3 trillion over 10 years to the government programs." ... "The Republican presidential nominee has said little about the proposed cuts, but they are needed to keep his health-care plan "budget neutral," as he has promised. The McCain campaign hasn't given a specific figure for the cuts, but didn't dispute the analysts' estimate." ... "In the months since Sen. McCain introduced his health plan, statements made by his campaign have implied that the new tax credits he is proposing to help Americans buy health insurance would be paid for with other tax increases." ... "But Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Sen. McCain's senior policy adviser, said Sunday that the campaign has always planned to fund the tax credits, in part, with savings from Medicare and Medicaid. Those government health-care programs serve seniors, poor families and the disabled." ... "In April, when [Arizona Senator] Sen. McCain gave a major speech about his health plan, Mr. Holtz-Eakin, the senior policy adviser, said the tax provisions alone were budget neutral -- meaning that health benefits would have to be subject to both income and payroll taxes." -By Laura Meckler

-WSJ.com

20080923

Housing

Consumer

People

Working

Families

"Millions spend half of income on housing." ... "[Al] Ray is one of more than 7.5 million people — almost 15 percent of American homeowners with a mortgage — who are spending half of their income or more on housing costs, according to 2007 data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. That is up from nearly 7.1 million the year before." ... "Traditionally, the government and most lenders consider a homeowner spending 30 percent or more of their income on housing costs to be financially burdened. But that definition now covers almost 38 percent of American homeowners with a mortgage — 19 million of them." ... "Though home prices have fallen this year, in the most expensive markets where home prices tripled during the boom, many working families still cannot afford to buy a home." ... "More than 4 million homeowners were at least one month behind on their loans at the end of June, and almost 500,000 had started the foreclosure process, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association." -By Adrian Sainz and Alan Zibel with contributions by Allen Chen

-AP via -Yahoo

20080921

John McCain

Barack Obama

Health-Care

Economy

Parents

Social Security

Journal

Fla

2008 Election

"McCain Health-Care Article Fuels New Clash Over Economy." ... "An article [by McCain] about health care published in an obscure journal led to a new skirmish Saturday between the campaigns of [2008 Election Presidential Candidates] Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain over who should be trusted with the ailing economy." ... "The article was published in Contingencies magazine, which is produced under the auspices of the American Academy of Actuaries. In it, McCain touted his plans for increasing competition in health care as one way to expand coverage and reduce costs." ... "McCain wrote, "Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation."" ... "Obama, appearing at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Fla. [Florida], mocked his rival for sounding out of touch at a time when Washington is moving rapidly to re-regulate the financial industry to curb the excesses that put the system into near-paralysis in the past week." ... ""So let me get this straight -- he wants to run health care like they've been running Wall Street," Obama told the audience. "Well, Senator, I know some folks on Main Street who aren't going to think that's such a good idea."" ... "With millions of Americans worrying about their retirement security as federal officials rushed to stabilize the shaky financial system, Obama also seized on McCain's support for partial privatization of Social Security. He said McCain was prepared to gamble with people's life savings." ... ""If my opponent had his way, the millions of Floridians who rely on it would've had their Social Security tied up in the stock market this week," he said. "Millions would've watched as the market tumbled and their nest egg disappeared before their eyes. Millions of families would've been scrambling to figure out how to give their mothers and fathers, their grandmothers and grandfathers, the secure retirement that every American deserves."" (1, 2) -By Dan Balz

-WashingtonPost

20080919

Political

Science

Psychology

DNA

Nature

Nurture

Nebraska

"Are you a born conservative (or liberal)? A new study suggests that your political attitudes are wired in from the beginning." ... "It's literally in their DNA." ... "People with strongly conservative views were three times more fearful than staunch liberals after the effects of gender, age, income and education were factored out." ... "Kevin B. Smith, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a study author, said conservatives were more vigilant to environmental threats, and he speculated that this innate tendency led them to support policies that protect the social order." ... "Fowler said the study added to the growing research suggesting that over millions of years, humans have developed two cognitive styles -- conservative and liberal. Cautious conservatives prevented societies from taking undue risks, while more flexible liberals fostered cooperation." ... ""For the species to survive, you need both," he said." ... "But Jon Krosnick, a political science professor at Stanford University, said it was impossible to draw any conclusions from a study with so few people, all from a small Midwestern town." ... "The study is the latest to challenge the long-standing dogma that upbringing and environmental factors determine political attitudes." -By Denise Gellene

-LAtimes

20080916

Sarah Palin

Criminal

Money

Politics

Women

Children

Law

Federal

Alaska

2008 Election

"Source: Sex Assault Program Cited in Monegan Firing Targeted Child Abusers." ... "So [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor] Sarah Palin's latest explanation for why she fired Walt Monegan is that he had gone over her head in seeking federal money for an initiative to combat sexual assault crimes, before she had approved the program." ... "But it now appears that the program in question is one that most elected officials would be wary of admitting they hadn't strongly backed. According to Peggy Brown, who heads the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Monegan wanted to use the federal money to hire retired troopers and law enforcement officials, and assign them to investigate the most egregious cases of sexual assault -- including those against children." ... "In other words, if Palin's new story is true, she fired Monegan for being too aggressive in going after child molesters." ... "ABC News reported yesterday that, although Alaska leads the nation in reported rapes per capita, Palin hasn't made the issue a priority as governor." ... "Monegan, however, appeared eager to change that. "He seemed to get the issue and really took it seriously," Brown told TPMmuckraker." ... "According to the Palin camp, too seriously." -By Zachary Roth

-TPMMuckracker .TalkingPointsMemo

20080915

Sarah Palin

John McCain

Money

Politics

Travel

Family

Alaska

2008 Election

"Palin Tax Mystery Enters Second Week: Itemizing The Questions." ... "When news broke last week that [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of] Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin received more than $17,000 in state-issued per diems for evenings spent in her own home, several tax experts and watchdogs asked whether [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain's running mate had ever declared and paid taxes on that money as income. Including travel reimbursements for Palin's family members, the Washington Post reported that the total amount of potentially taxable income totals over $60,000 for Palin's first 18 months as governor." -By Seth Colter Walls

-HuffingtonPost.com

Sarah Palin

John McCain

Criminal

Politics

Women

Children

Safety

Law

Money

Religion

Alaska

2008 Election

"Critics Question Palin's Record on "Epidemic" Rape, Domestic Violence in Alaska: Effort to Tackle Sex Violence Stalled by [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah] Palin's Office, Sources Say." ... "Evangelicals and social conservatives have embraced [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain's vice presidential pick for what they call her "pro-family," "pro-woman" values. But in Alaska, critics say [Alaska Republican Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin has not addressed the rampant sexual abuse, rape, domestic violence and murder that make her state one of the most dangerous places in the country for women and children." ... "Alaska leads the nation in reported forcible rapes per capita, according to the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation], with a rate two and a half times the national average – a ranking it has held for many years. Children are no safer: Public safety experts believe that the prevalence of rape and sexual assault of minors in Alaska makes the state's record one of the worst in the U.S. [United States] And while solid statistics on domestic violence are hard to come by, most – including Gov. Palin – agree it is an "epidemic."" ... "Despite the governor's pro-family image, public safety experts and advocates for women and children struggled when asked to explain how Palin's leadership has helped address the crisis. And current and former officials from Palin's administration confirmed that an ambitious plan to tackle the crisis has apparently sunk into doldrums after arriving at the governor's office." ... ""She's really done a lot of work on oil and gas, but when it comes to violence against women and children. . . we haven't been on her radar as a priority," said Peggy Brown, executive director of the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. The Juneau[Alaska's capital]-based group is an umbrella organization for shelters and anti-violence programs around the state." ... "State troopers respond to most domestic violence calls outside of Alaska's major cities, but they're too short-staffed and under-funded to do it well, according to Robert Claus, a recently retired trooper." (1, 2, 3) -By Justin Rood

-ABCNEWS.com

20080914

Sarah Palin

E-Mails

Archive

Politics

Legal

Investigation

Family

Privacy

Alaska

2008 Election

"Palin asked to release her husband's e-mails." ... "Can [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin legally keep e-mails between her husband and her administration from being released to the public?" ... "That's the question the lawyer of Andree McLeod, a self-described Republican watchdog, put to the governor last week in an appeal to disclose e-mails between her administration and her husband, Todd." ... "Those e-mails could shed light on how Gov. Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, runs the state. And they could also help reveal what role Todd Palin, who the state Legislature's special investigator called a "central figure" in the governor's firing of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, played in his wife's administration." ... "In July, the governor's office refused to disclose the contents of about 40 e-mails between Todd Palin and Gov. Palin's administration as part of a larger public records request by McLeod. Other e-mails between Todd Palin and the governor's staff were released, McLeod said, but had some parts redacted. Todd Palin is copied as a recipient on most of the e-mails but also authored a few." ... "Some of the subject lines of the withheld e-mails, which were created between [February] Feb. 1 and [April] Apr. 15. of this year, included: "Andrew Halcro," and "PSEA." Halcro is a political rival of Palin. The PSEA is the union that represents the Alaska State Troopers, including trooper Mike Wooten, who is divorced from Gov. Palin's sister and is also a key figure in the investigation of Monegan's firing." ... "In redacting or denying the request for e-mails, the governor's office mostly cited Gov. Palin's right to a "deliberative process privilege," a law designed to let public officials receive candid advice from their staff and consultants regarding matters of the state without fear of that advice going public." ... "But McLeod's lawyer, Donald Mitchell, said Gov. Palin waived that privilege when Todd Palin was included in her staff's e-mails. Documents released to one member of the public have to be available to all members of the public, he said." ... ""Mr. Palin is a private citizens whose only connection to the office of the governor is that, at your invitation, he from time to time is physically present in the offices of ... the governor for no reason other than that he is your spouse," Mitchell wrote in his appeal directly to the governor." ... "Those who pay attention to Alaska's public records laws said Mitchell's legal argument holds water." ... "Larry Persily, a former Empire editor who recently finished working for Gov. Palin in Washington D.C., said he would bet his Alaska Permanent Fund dividend that a judge would agree with him that Gov. Palin has no claims to the deliberative process privilege once her administration's e-mail discussions include her husband." ... ""The dike has got a hole in it, it's over," Persily said. " -By Alan Suderman

-JuneauEmpire.com

20080910

Sarah Palin

Money

Politics

Children

Travel

Meals

Alaska

2008 Election

"Palin expensed her children's air travel to the state." ... "Since [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin took office nearly two years ago, the state of Alaska has routinely bought commercial airline tickets for her daughters when they travel with her, a practice that raises questions about the governor's claim to being a fiscal conservative." ... "Travel records from the governor's office show that the state has spent at least $31,800 on dozens of airline tickets for the family, and more for meals and hotels." ... "Records show the family has traveled with Palin for events such as the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Fairbanks [Alaska] last fall and to shoot official first family photos in Juneau [Alaska's capital], to draw raffle tickets at an event in Anchorage [Alaska] and to tour a teen center spearheaded by the Juneau Christian Center. " -By Kyle Hopkins

-ADN.com via -McClatchyDC.com

20080909

Sarah Palin

Money

Politics

Travel

Food

Family

Sports

Entertainment

Alaska

New York

2008 Election

"Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home: Taxpayers Also Funded Family's Travel." ... "[2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of] Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business." ... "The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife." ... "Palin, who earns $125,000 a year, claimed and received $16,951 as her allowance, which officials say was permitted because her official "duty station" is Juneau, according to an analysis of her travel documents by The Washington Post." ... "The governor's daughters and husband charged the state $43,490 to travel, and many of the trips were between their house in Wasilla and Juneau, the capital city 600 miles away, the documents show." ... "She wrote some form of "Lodging -- own residence" or "Lodging -- Wasilla residence" more than 30 times at the same time she took a per diem, according to the reports. In two dozen undated amendments to the reports, the governor deleted the reference to staying in her home but still charged the per diem." ... "Palin charged the state a per diem for working on Nov. 22, 2007 -- Thanksgiving Day. The reason given, according to the expense report, was the Great Alaska Shootout, an annual NCAA college basketball tournament held in Anchorage." ... "In separate filings, the state was billed about $25,000 for Palin's daughters' expenses and $19,000 for her husband's." ... "One event was in New York City in October 2007, when Bristol accompanied the governor to Newsweek's third annual Women and Leadership Conference, toured the New York Stock Exchange and met local officials and business executives. The state paid for three nights in a $707-a-day hotel room." ... "The family also charged for flights around the state, including trips to Alaska events such as the start of the Iditarod dog-sled race and the Iron Dog snowmobile race, a contest that Todd Palin won." (1, 2, 3) -By James V. Grimaldi and Karl Vick with contribution by Alice Crites

-WashingtonPost

20080831

John McCain

Joe Biden

Barack Obama

Hillary Clinton

Hurricane Katrina

Weather

Emergency

Investigation

Legislation

Politics

History

Federal

New Orleans

Louisiana

Communications

Funds

Children

Transportation

2008 Election

"McCain To Katrina Victims In 2005: You're On Your Own." ... "It doesn’t really come as a surprise to those of us who have watched [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain over the years that he's about to make a campaign stop in New Orleans [Louisiana] after Hurricane Gustav hits this week. After all, he's been exploiting the troops for years, what's a few hurricane victims after that?" ... "What does seem odd is that McCain thinks Gulf Coast residents will forget how he, [Republican President] George W. Bush and the then-Republican Congress turned their backs on them so many times in the months after Katrina thundered ashore in 2005." ... "Too bad he spent the months to follow leading the Republican charge against every Senate bill that would have actually helped Katrina victims or mandated investigations on how the Bush administration could have blown disaster response so thoroughly." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden jumped immediately to the aid of hurricane victims in the week after the 2005 disaster, authoring S.Amdt. 1661 "…to provide emergency funding for victims of Hurricane Katrina."" ... "Biden's legislation would have provided many things including money to purchase interoperable communications equipment to help first-responders dealing with the disaster, $10 million "to find, unite, and transport children impacted by Hurricane Katrina to their parents, legal guardian, or next of kin" and funding to assist victims of domestic violence in affected areas." ... "But with John McCain's help, the Republican-led Senate shot down the funding on a 41-56 vote with McCain voting against, while Biden and Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama voted for the funding." ... "When [New York Democratic] Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY[ Democratic-New York]) proposed the creation of a Congressional Commission to "examine the Federal, State, and local response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina.. and make immediate corrective measures to improve such responses in the future," John McCain was once again exactly where [Republican President] George W. Bush wanted him to be: On the "nay" side of a straight party-line vote (44-54) that killed that legislation." ... "And lest you think it was McCain taking a stand against what might become a Democratic witch hunt on the failures of his bosses in the White House, the bill called for a wholly bipartisan panel, stating specifically of the 10-member group that "not more than 5 members of the Commission shall be from the same political party."" ... "Unlike McCain, Barack Obama was one of the cosponsors of that bill and both he and Biden voted for immediate oversight on the bungled Katrina response." ... "But that's not all." -By Bob Geiger

20080829

Sarah Palin

John McCain

Politics

People

Family

Drugs

Health

Federal

Foreign

Military

Terrorism

Alaska

Idaho

2008 Election

"On Sarah Palin." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain has selected Alaska [Republican] Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. [Governor] Gov. Palin was first elected to the position in 2006 and previously served as the mayor of Wasilla (pop. 5,470) [Alaska]. She also served on the town's city council. She has a degree from the University of Idaho where she minored in political science. That is the extent of her political experience." ... "Her biography is fascinating. She is only 44 years-old. She eloped with her highschool sweetheart, a Yup'ik Eskimo. They have five children named: Track 18, Bristol, 17, Willow, 13, Piper, 7, and Trig (who was born on April 18th). Trig has Down's Syndrome. The Palins knew that Trig had an extra chromosome but decided to go ahead with the pregnancy." ... "She has admitted to smoking the ganja [marijuana] but says she didn't enjoy it. She was the runner-up in the Miss Alaska contest." ... "I am not aware of Palin having any knowledge or experience with foreign affairs, terrorism, the armed forces, or the federal bureaucracy." ... "Considering [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain's age and history with cancer, this pick has extra importance. It's hard to envision Gov. Palin becoming president on short notice. It also undermines McCain's focus on foreign policy and experience." -By BooMan Tribune

20080828

Cindy McCain

John McCain

Barack Obama

2008 Election

Phoenix

Arizona

Family

"Cindy McCain's Half Sister: "I'm Voting for Barack Obama"." ... "Cindy McCain's half sister is planning on voting for [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama, she tells Usmagazine.com." ... ""I'm not voting for McCain," Kathleen Hensley Portalski tells Us. "I have a different political standpoint." ... ""I'm voting for Obama," the Phoenix [Arizona's capital] resident says. "I think his proposals to improve the country are more positive and I'm not a big war believer."" ... "Portalski, 65, and the potential first lady, 54, have the same father: Jim Hensley, the founder of the beer distributor Hensley and Co. that Cindy McCain now chairs." ... "In an interview with NPR News' All Things Considered last week, Portalski said she felt "like a non-person" after Cindy McCain described herself as an "only child."" ... "Portalski's mother is Hensley's first wife; Cindy McCain's mother, Marguerite Hensley, also had another daughter from her first marriage."

-UsMagazine.com

20080821

John McCain

Homes

Money

Politics

2008 Election

Working

Families

"McCain owns so many homes, he’s lost count." ... "It’s one thing to be so extraordinarily wealthy that you own multiple homes. It’s another to be so extraordinarily wealthy that you can’t even remember how many homes you own." ... "By one count, the actual number [of homes owned by 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain] is actually 10." ... "But in most respects, the exact number isn’t especially relevant. The point is a) McCain is so rich he owns a lot of homes; b) McCain is so out of touch he can’t even remember the number of homes he owns; and c) despite his extravagant wealth, McCain is anxious to push an agenda that favors the rich even more while screwing over the middle class and working families." -By Steve Benen

-TheCarpetbaggerReport.com

20080820

John McCain

Family

Bangladesh - Vietnam

History

2008 Election

"Watchdogs make it harder for politicians to stretch the truth: Cindy McCain's past is the latest to be questioned after errors were found." ... "The latest embellishments come from the [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain camp. Cindy McCain has repeatedly referred to herself as an “only child.” This week came news that she actually has two half sisters, although apparently she had very little contact with them." ... "The McCain campaign had also put out the story that Mother Teresa “convinced” Cindy to bring home two orphans from Bangladesh in 1991." ... "Mrs. McCain, it turns out, never met Mother Teresa on that trip." ... "In another instance, McCain told the Chicago Tribune earlier this year that on one of her medical missions to Vietnam she was in “the very hospital – and in the very room – where her husband was brought after being shot down and then beaten by a mob during the war.”" ... "A 1992 Washington Times story recounts a different version: “Mrs. McCain asked to see the operating room and her husband’s cell, but was turned down. She took the rejection philosophically. ‘It’s 27 years later. Let’s go on,’ Mrs. McCain said.”" -By Alexandra Marks

-CSMonitor

20080819

Cindy McCain

John McCain

2008 Election

Family

"Cindy McCain's Half Sister: She "Makes Me Feel Like a Non-Person"." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain's wife Cindy is coming under criticism from her older half sister for claiming to be an "only child."" ... "Just last month, Cindy McCain told CNN: "I grew up with my dad. I'm an only child. My father was a cowboy and he really loved me very much, but I think he wanted a son occasionally."" ... "But in an interview with NPR News' All Things Considered, half sister Kathleen Hensley Portalski responded: "I'm upset. I'm angry. It makes me feel like a non-person, kind of."" ... "Portalski's son Nicholas told NPR it's "just very, very hurtful" that "we don't exist" and "Cindy has to put such a fine point on it by saying something that's not true.""

-UsMagazine.com

20080818

Cindy McCain

Family

Phoenix

Arizona

John McCain

2008 Election

"Cindy McCain's Half Sister 'Angry' She's Hidden." ... "Last Tuesday, NPR broadcast a story about [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain's wife] Cindy McCain's business and charity work. In it, Ted Robbins described McCain as the only child of Jim Hensley, a wealthy Arizona businessman. The next morning, NPR received an e-mail from Nicholas Portalski of Phoenix [Arizona], who heard the story with his mother." ... ""We were listening to the piece about Cindy McCain on NPR, All Things Considered, and it just struck us very hard," Portalski said." ... "His mother, Kathleen Hensley Portalski, is also Hensley's daughter." ... "McCain herself routinely uses the phrase "only child," as she did on CNN last month. "I grew up with my dad," she said then. "I'm an only child. My father was a cowboy, and he really loved me very much, but I think he wanted a son occasionally."" ... ""I'm upset," Kathleen Portalski says. "I'm angry. It makes me feel like a nonperson, kind of."" ... ""The fact that we don't exist," he says. "The fact that we've never been recognized, and then Cindy has to put such a fine point on it by saying something that's not true. Recently, again and again. It's just very, very hurtful."" -By Ted Robbins

-NPR.org

20080812

Barack Obama

Family

Hawai'i

Journalist

Politics

Military

Sports

Illinois

2008 Election

"Akaka defends Obama's Hawaii vacation from ABC commentator: Journalist questions [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama's vacation in 'foreign' destination." ... "A group called Asian Americans for Obama sent out a media alert yesterday with the headline, "BREAKING: Hawai'i is a State," as U.S. [Unisted States Hawaii Democratic Senator] Sen. Daniel Akaka and others defended U.S. [Illinois Democratic Senator] Sen. Barack Obama's decision to spend a weeklong vacation in the Islands." ... "Obama had another casual day yesterday: Visit his grandmother at her Makiki apartment again, watch a movie at the Ward Complex theaters and go to dinner. But his choice of vacation destinations — his hometown of Honolulu — prompted [Disney TV's] ABC News' Cokie Roberts to twice call Hawai'i a "foreign" and "exotic" vacation destination for the man who wants to be president." ... ""I know his grandmother lives in Hawai'i," Roberts said on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos. "And I know Hawai'i is a state. But it has the look of him going off to some sort of foreign, exotic place. He should be in Myrtle Beach if he's going to take a vacation at this time."" ... "But Akaka didn't see any humor in Roberts' comments." ... ""Saying our 50th state is somehow 'foreign,' does a great disservice to the hardworking, patriotic Americans who call Hawai'i home," Akaka said. "For months, people have been asking me, 'When is Sen. Obama going to come home?' I'm so glad he found time to visit his sister and his grandmother, and for him and his family to bond and recharge in his home state. Hawai'i is a great U.S. destination; just ask the 5.5 million Americans who visited last year for business and pleasure."" ... "Akaka's press secretary, Jesse Broder Van Dyke, wants Roberts to see firsthand evidence of Hawai'i's history and its role in the country's future." ... ""I would love to take Ms. Roberts on a tour of O'ahu, with stops at the Arizona Memorial and Punchbowl, followed by a visit with Hawai'i Army National Guard soldiers training for their second deployment to the Middle East," he said. "Then I would take her to Eastside Grill to watch Team USA women's volleyball and Bryan Clay. I would introduce her to Hawai'i residents so she could witness our diversity and learn about the aloha spirit. Part of what makes America great is the unique contributions of all 50 states. Sen. Obama has every right to come home and visit his sister and grandmother."" -By Dan Nakaso

-HonoluluAdvertiser.com

20080810

John Edwards

John McCain

Media

Politics

2008 Election

Obama

Family

People

Money

History

"Catching the Wrong John: Why Are the Media Talking about John Edwards' Infidelity If They Aren't Going to Talk about John McCain's?" ... "If John Edwards' infidelity is news, and he's not a candidate for anything, why isn't [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain's? He reportedly had numerous affairs in the years after returning home from Vietnam to a beautiful wife who had been disfigured in a car accident, and ultimately, by his own reports, he zeroed in like a laser on beautiful a 25-year-old heiress upon meeting her one evening in 1979 while he was still married, promptly lied to her about his age, and almost as promptly left his wife for her. We all extol John McCain for enduring 5 years of extreme hardship in Vietnam. But aren't his first wife's circumstances much like Elizabeth Edwards'? After all, the first Mrs. McCain waited in agony (and presumably fidelity) during those five long years for her beloved husband to return from Vietnam, raising their children while he was away and undergoing dozens of painful operations herself, only to be repaid by a philandering husband who ultimately left her for a younger woman." ... "Now personally, I don't think anybody's sex life has any bearing on a campaign, except to the extent that the candidate runs as a hypocrite, extolling family values, fighting gays while fighting his own gay demons, etc. But John McCain is increasingly making this campaign about character, and his actions over many years suggest some worrisome patterns that fly in the face of the entire story he tells about himself. Setting aside his cheating on his first wife, what about his attending to something other than the people's business as a member of the Keating Five (and ultimately contributing to a bailout that cost middle class American taxpayers the equivalent of nearly half a trillion in 2008 tax dollars -- imagine the middle class tax break we could offer if we weren't still paying off the principal and debt on that boondoggle); or hiring the most dishonest, amoral campaign team money could buy in 2008; or generating one fabricated or grossly misleading charge after another against [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama in the last three weeks (as in his sleazy new tax ad where, for example, he says Obama would raise taxes on small businesses when Obama has never proposed anything of the sort)? Like [Republican] George W. Bush, he doesn't seem like a man who once was lost but now is found. He [McCain] seems more like a man's whose principles are soluble in self-interest." -By Drew Westen

-HuffingtonPost.com

20080808

John McCain

John Edwards

Family

People

2008 Election

Politicians

"How is John McCain's Affair Different than John Edwards'?" ... "We have this weird notion in America now that if a politician is caught in an affair that his career is done. We seem to be saying that what he did in his private life effects his policies or how he governs. But we all know that isn't true. We know that because almost all of our great presidents, and great leaders throughout history, have had numerous affairs. Obviously it didn't hurt how they governed at all." ... "Now, we get to the most relevant question - if [former 2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards' political career is done, why isn't John McCain's? [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain had a well-documented affair on his first wife, with his current wife. He has admitted in the books he has written about his life that he ran around with several different women while still married to his first wife. And don't forget that he left her for a younger, richer woman - multi-millionaire Cindy Hensley who is now Cindy McCain - after she had been severely hurt in a car accident." ... "So, why are McCain's actions any more excusable than Edwards'? Because it was thirty years ago? Does that wash it away? Will we be fine with Edwards running for office again in a couple of years because then it will all be in the past? What is the statute of limitations on an affair?" ... "Remember Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan and Ross Perot were so upset with how John McCain dealt with his first wife that they didn't forgive him for a very, very long time. Perot still hasn't forgiven him. In fact, he said recently about McCain dumping his first wife for Cindy, "McCain is the classic opportunist. He's always reaching for attention and glory."" ... "So, I want every pundit who condemns John Edwards today to tell me what the difference between him and McCain is and why John McCain shouldn't also be run out of politics for his adulterous affairs and what he did to his first wife." -By Cenk Uygur

-HuffingtonPost.com

Elizabeth Edwards

John Edwards

Family

2008 Election

Politics

"Today." [By Elizabeth Edwards] ... "Our family has been through a lot. Some caused by nature, some caused by human weakness, and some – most recently – caused by the desire for sensationalism and profit without any regard for the human consequences. None of these has been easy. But we have stood with one another through them all. Although John believes he should stand alone and take the consequences of his action now, when the door closes behind him, he has his family waiting for him." ... "John made a terrible mistake in 2006. The fact that it is a mistake that many others have made before him did not make it any easier for me to hear when he told me what he had done. But he did tell me. And we began a long and painful process in 2006, a process oddly made somewhat easier with my diagnosis in March of 2007. This was our private matter, and I frankly wanted it to be private because as painful as it was I did not want to have to play it out on a public stage as well. Because of a recent string of hurtful and absurd lies in a tabloid publication, because of a picture falsely suggesting that John was spending time with a child it wrongly alleged he had fathered outside our marriage, our private matter could no longer be wholly private." ... "The pain of the long journey since 2006 was about to be renewed." ... "John has spoken in a long on-camera interview I hope you watch. Admitting one’s mistakes is a hard thing for anyone to do, and I am proud of the courage John showed by his honesty in the face of shame. The toll on our family of news helicopters over our house and reporters in our driveway is yet unknown. But now the truth is out, and the repair work that began in 2006 will continue. I ask that the public, who expressed concern about the harm John’s conduct has done to us, think also about the real harm that the present voyeurism does and give me and my family the privacy we need at this time." -By Elizabeth Edwards

-DailyKos.com

20080806

Barack Obama

John McCain

Oil

Companies

Politics

2008 Election

Ohio

Arizona

Working

Families

"Energy wars continue on trail." ... "In Youngstown [Ohio], [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama said that [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain has "proposed an energy plan that’s nothing but four years more of the same," and that helps oil companies and not consumers, according to excerpts provided by the Obama campaign." ... "Obama says that "under [Arizona] Senator McCain’s plan, the oil companies get billions more, we don’t pay any less at the pump, and we stay in the same cycle of dependence on oil that got us into this crisis. The oil companies have placed their bet on Senator McCain, and if he wins, they will continue to cash in while our families and our economy suffer and our future is put in jeopardy.That’s the choice we face in this election. We can choose four years more of the same failed policies that have gotten us where we are. Four years more of oil companies calling the shots while hard working families are struggling. That’s what Senator McCain is offering."" ... "Obama then promotes his own plan for alternative energy and green-collar jobs." ... "Trying to reinforce Obama's point about McCain't ties to Big Oil, the Democratic National Committee posted a web video that shows McCain as a puppet whose strings are being pulled by oil company lobbyists." ... ""Big Oil in the White House. We've seen this show before," the video concludes. " -By Foon Rhee

-Boston/Globe

WATCH: McCain Oil Industry Lobbyists Puppet Masters ad

20080728

Jim Adkisson

Terrorism

Politics

Tennessee

Church

Children

"Timeline: Church service marred by gunfire." ... "A neighbor told 10News [suspected killer, Jim] Adkisson described himself as a "Confederate" and a "believer in the old South." She says Adkisson self-identified in this way to her on more than one occasion, but that she didn't know what he meant by it." ... "The shootings happened at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church on Kingston Pike." ... "A witness who spoke to 10 News said police had arrived and one person was being detained at the scene." ... "A children's production of "Annie" was taking place as part of the normal Sunday service at the time of the shooting, the witness, who is a member of the church, said. The gunman walked into a packed sanctuary and opened fire."

-WBIR.com

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church - TVUUC.org

Jim Adkisson

Political

Terrorism

Tennessee

Out-of-Work

Homeless

Food

Gay

Churchgoers

Women's

Rights

Children

"Police: Man shot churchgoers over liberal views." ... "An out-of-work truck driver accused of opening fire at a Unitarian church [in Knoxville, Tennessee], killing two people, left behind a note suggesting that he targeted the congregation out of hatred for its liberal policies, including its acceptance of gays, authorities said Monday." ... "[Jim] Adkisson, a 58-year-old truck driver on the verge of losing his food stamps, had 76 rounds with him when he entered the church and pulled a shotgun from a guitar case during a children's performance of the musical "Annie."" ... "The Unitarian-Universalist church advocates for women's rights and gay rights and has provided sanctuary for political refugees. It also has fed the homeless and founded a chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, according to its Web site." -By Duncan Mansfield

-AP via -Yahoo

20080718

Hillary Clinton

Women's

Medical

Science

Abortion

Language

Politics

Family

Federal

Money

New York

"Clinton vows to fight "insulting" abortion plan." ... "A [Republican President] Bush administration plan to define several widely used contraception methods as abortion is a "gratuitous, unnecessary insult" to women and faces tough opposition, [New York Democratic Senator] Sen. Hillary Clinton said on Friday." ... "The former Democratic presidential candidate joined family planning groups to condemn the proposal that defines abortion to include contraception such as birth control pills and intrauterine devices." ... "It would cut off federal funds to hospitals and states where medical providers are obligated to offer legal abortion and contraception to women." ... ""We will not put up with this radical, ideological agenda to turn the clock back on women's rights," the New York senator told a joint news conference with New York [Democratic Representative] Rep. Nita Lowey, also a Democrat, at Bellevue Hospital." ... ""Women would watch their contraceptive coverage disappear overnight," said Clinton." (1, 2) -By Michelle Nichols with contributions by Ellen Wulfhorst and Eric Beech

-Reuters

20080627

David Vitter

Larry Craig

Sam Brownback

James Inhofe

Gay

Family

Law

Politics

Idaho

Kansas

Oklahoma

"The Federal Marriage Amendment is back — with Vitter’s and Craig’s support." ... "Republicans are looking at the political landscape, and they’re feeling awfully discouraged. The polls look bad, the base looks depressed, and fundraising looks iffy. Rallying the far-right troops with an anti-gay amendment to the Constitution — even though it has no chance at even getting so much as a hearing — might be helpful to the conservative movement." ... "But the funny part is looking over the list of the 10 original sponsors. Most of the names are predictable — [Kansas Republican Senator Sam] Brownback and [Oklahoma Republican Senator James] Inhofe, for example — but there are two others whose names stand out: [Republican Senators] Sens. David Vitter (R-La. [Republican-Louisiana]) and Larry Craig (R-Idaho [Republican])." ... "Yes, two of the principal sponsors of a constitutional amendment to “protect” marriage include one far-right Republican who hired prostitutes and another far-right Republican who was arrested for soliciting gay sex an airport men’s room." ... "As my friend Kyle put it, these two are “not exactly the poster boys of the family values crowd or particularly upstanding examples of the supposed sanctity of the ‘union of a man and a woman.”‘" -By Steve Benen -

TheCarpetbaggerReport.com

20080613

John McCain

Clayton Williams

Money

Politics

Family

Abortion

Law

Texas

2008 Election

"McCain Cancels Fundraiser with Oilman Who Joked About Rape." ... "Clayton Williams, who ran unsuccessfully against the late Texas [Governor] Gov. Ann Richards (D [Democratic]), sparked controversy nearly two decades ago when he joked women should give in while being raped. "As long as it's inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it," the oilman remarked at the time." ... "The Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which has sharply criticized [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain for his opposition to abortion rights and other family planning programs, first contacted the Post about Williams' remarks. The group's president, Cecile Richards, is the daughter of the late Texas governor." ... ""It's shocking that John McCain would choose to fundraise with Clayton Williams, who made his political career saying completely inappropriate and disrespectful remarks about women," Richards wrote in an e-mail. "This is a real misstep for the McCain campaign, who is having a hard time getting support from women."" -By Juliet Eilperin

-WashingtonPost

John McCain's contributor Clayton Williams "in His Own Words".

J Robert Flores

Crime

Political

Juvenile

Justice

Science

Sports

New Jersey

Texas

"Football Charity Says It Deserved a $500,000 Govt Grant: Despite Not Even Applying, the Charity Was Awarded a Grant; Some [Department Of Justice] DOJ Staffers Objected." ... "A group that promotes leadership through football says it doesn't know how it was awarded a $500,000 federal grant to help stop juvenile crime, but that it "wasn't political."" ... "The grant is one of a number for the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) that has come under scrutiny after current and former employees said the official who awarded the money ignored professional staff recommendations and played favorites with groups connected to the [Republican] Bush White House. ABC News conducted an investigation into the OJJDP, which aired earlier this week on "Nightline"." ... "The National Football Foundation (NFF), formerly based in New Jersey and now in Texas, says they did not apply for the grant and have had no contact with J. Robert Flores, the official who awarded the money." ... "Some OJJDP staffers said this program did not deserve the funding." ... ""The football program, like the World Golf Foundation, has lots of private resources and outside funding. They have wealthy powerful people on the board," one staffer said." ... "The staffer added that by law the OJJDP's primary focus is to fund programs that intervene and protect kids who are on the cusp of entering into the juvenile justice system or who are already in the system, and there is no research that shows this program targets the most at-risk kids." (1, 2) -By Anna Schecter

-ABCNEWS.com

20080612

Health

Science

Environmental

Safety

Laws

Manufacturing

Industries

Global

Consumers

Government

Politics

Computer

Privacy

Newborns

"Chemical Law Has Global Impact: [European Union's] E.U.'s New Rules Forcing Changes By [United States] U.S. Firms." ... "Europe this month rolled out new restrictions on makers of chemicals linked to cancer and other health problems, changes that are forcing U.S. industries to find new ways to produce a wide range of everyday products." ... "The new laws in the European Union require companies to demonstrate that a chemical is safe before it enters commerce -- the opposite of policies in the United States, where regulators must prove that a chemical is harmful before it can be restricted or removed from the market. Manufacturers say that complying with the European laws will add billions to their costs, possibly driving up prices of some products." ... "The changes come at a time when consumers are increasingly worried about the long-term consequences of chemical exposure and are agitating for more aggressive regulation. In the United States, these pressures have spurred efforts in Congress and some state legislatures to pass laws that would circumvent the laborious federal regulatory process." ... "Adamantly opposed by the U.S. chemical industry and the [Republican President] Bush administration, the E.U. laws will be phased in over the next decade. It is difficult to know exactly how the changes will affect products sold in the United States. But American manufacturers are already searching for safer alternatives to chemicals used to make thousands of consumer goods, from bike helmets to shower curtains." ... "The European Union's tough stance on chemical regulation is the latest area in which the Europeans are reshaping business practices with demands that American companies either comply or lose access to a market of 27 countries and nearly 500 million people." ... "From its crackdown on antitrust practices in the computer industry to its rigorous protection of consumer privacy, the European Union has adopted a regulatory philosophy that emphasizes the consumer. Its approach to managing chemical risks, which started with a trickle of individual bans and has swelled into a wave, is part of a European focus on caution when it comes to health and the environment." ... "A study by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found an average of 200 industrial chemicals in the cord blood of newborns." (1, 2) -By Lyndsey Layton

-WashingtonPost

J Robert Flores

Political

Federal

Juvenile

Justice

Health

Science

"Questions Surround Govt Funded Abstinence Program: Why Did a Lower-Ranked Organization Get Money While Higher-Ranked Groups Were Denied Funding?" ... "An organization that promotes sexual abstinence for teens received a federal grant of over a million dollars, twice what it had requested, despite the skepticism Department of Justice staffers had about the group and the fact that it refused to participate in a congressionally mandated study." ... "So why did the Best Friends Foundation receive the grant from the Justice Department's juvenile justice office even though dozens of competing organizations were rated higher by the office's own reviewers? Current and former staffers say it was because of Best Friends' powerful president and founder, Elayne Bennett." ... "Not only is Bennett the wife of Bill Bennett, a former [Republican President] Reagan and [Republican President] Bush administration official and conservative political commentator, but she is also personally close to the chief administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), J. Robert Flores." ... "DOJ staffers were deeply skeptical when Best Friends applied for a grant of around a half-million dollars last summer. For one thing, the organization had backed out of a congressionally mandated study to examine whether or not abstinence programs are effective." ... "Then there were the DOJ staffers own internal reviews, which placed Best Friends behind dozens of other competing organizations. Out of 104 grants in their category, Best Friends ranked 53rd." ... "But those other organizations didn't have Elayne Bennett. Bennett, say current and former DOJ staffers in the OJJDP, often spoke on the phone with Flores and had access to him and his aides that other juvenile organizations ordinarily wouldn't have." ... "Meanwhile, competing with Best Friends for a federal grant from the OJJDP was a Washington non-profit, the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), an advocacy group for victims of rape and sexual assault." ... "In the category of OJJDP grants for which both organizations applied, Best Friends ranked 51st, while RAINN came in at 14th. RAINN did not receive a grant from the OJJDP." (1, 2, 3, 4) -By Murray Waas

-ABCNEWS.com

20080611

Racist

Media

Politics

2008 Election

Obama

Family

Mom

"Fox News calls Michelle Obama "Obama's baby mama"." ... "An alert reader wrote in just a little while ago to let us know about something he'd spotted on Fox News Wednesday afternoon. During a segment discussing conservative attacks against Michelle Obama, the wife of [2008 Election] presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama, the network described the former as "Obama's baby mama."" ... "I checked, and sure enough, as you can see below, our e-mailer was right. In fact, that description was displayed on-screen several times during the segment, which featured anchor Megyn Kelly and conservative blogger Michelle Malkin, an FNC contributor. " -By Alex Koppelman

-Salon

Barack Obama

John McCain

Money

Politics

Workers

Retirees

Homeowners

Students

Farmers

Families

US_Debt

Law

Illinois

Arizona

2008 Election

"A Preliminary Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans." [Full Report PDF] ... "Senator [from Illinois and 2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama would permanently extend certain provisions of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts primarily affecting taxpayers with incomes under $250,000; increase the maximum rate on capital gains and qualified dividends; and enact new and expanded targeted tax breaks for workers, retirees, homeowners, savers, students, and new farmers. Senator [from Arizona and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain proposes to extend permanently the AMT "patch" that has prevented most individuals and families with incomes below $200,000 from being affected by the tax, and in our interpretation of his proposal, Senator Obama would do the same." ... "Although both candidates have at times stressed fiscal responsibility, their specific non-health tax proposals would reduce tax revenues by $3.7 trillion (McCain) and $2.7 trillion (Obama) over the next 10 years, or approximately 10 and 7 percent of the revenues scheduled for collection under current law, respectively. Furthermore, as in the case of [Republican] President Bush's tax cuts, the true cost of McCain's policies may be masked by phase-ins and sunsets (scheduled expiration dates) that reduce the estimated revenue costs. If his policies were fully phased in and permanent, the ten-year cost would rise to $4.1 trillion, or about 11 percent of total revenues."

-TaxPolicyCenter.org

20080610

Special Report

J Robert Flores

Money

Politics

Secret

Government

Juvenile

Justice

Nev

"Special Report: Juvenile Justice." ... "The following documents accompany Youth Today's ongoing reporting on the [United States] U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention." ... "*From "At Justice, 84th Place Wins"" ... "OJJDP spreadsheets containing scores and place-rankings for bids submitted under various 2007 grant programs, including mentoring, research and delinquency prevention (winners are highlighted by red borders)." ... "*From "Former Justice Official Says Juvenile Chief Misled Her" and "A Friend at Justice"" ... "A memo that U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Administrator Robert Flores wrote to Regina Schofield last July, in which he explained how he chose 10 winning proposals from among more than 100 bids for the National Programs grants." ... "*From "Juvenile Judges Group Secretly Pays to Settle U.S. Fraud Claim"" ... "Under a set of confidential agreements, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges will pay $300,000 to settle allegations that it committed fraud to get grant money from the U.S. Department of Justice, while its director [Mary Mentaberry] will pay $16,500 to settle conflict-of-interest charges." ... "The Justice Department charged that the council falsified employee time sheets, billed the federal government for work by "ghost" employees, failed to disclose that it hired the spouses of employees and fired a worker who questioned those practices, according to settlements filed this month in U.S. District Court in Reno, Nev. [Nevada]" ... "Serena Hulbert, who alleges she was wrongfully fired from the council, filed a new lawsuit for wrongful termination on April 23, according to court records." ... "*From "Juvenile Justice, A Panel of One"" ... "Here are PDFs of the winning 2007 National Juvenile Justice Program bids." ... "Here is a detailed list of bidders for OJJDP's 2007 National Juvenile Justice Program grants (winners are highlighted)." ... "Here is a spreadsheet of all OJJDP 2007 discretionary grants."

-YouthToday.org

20080609

J Robert Flores

Crime

Political

Federal

Sports

Religious

Juvenile

Justice

"Justice Department Official Awards $500,000 Grant to Golf Group: Former Staffer Tells ABC News Anti-Crime Funds Given to Programs With The "Right" Connections." ... "A senior Justice Department official says a $500,000 federal grant to the World Golf Foundation is an appropriate use of money designed to deal with juvenile crime in America." ... "The Justice Department, in a decision by [Republican President Bush's Department of Justice Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention J. Robert] Flores, gave the money to the World Golf Foundation's First Tee program, even though Justice Department staffers had rated the program 47th on a list of 104 applicants. The allegations were first reported earlier this year by the trade journal Youth Today." ... "Current and former Justice Department employees allege that Flores ignored the staff rankings in favor of programs that had political, social or religious connections to the [Republican President George W.] Bush White House." ... "The honorary chairman of the First Tee program is former [Republican] President George [H.W.] Bush [George W. Bush's father]." ... "A key witness will be a former employee of Flores' office, Scott Peterson, who says the grants were awarded based more on politics than merit." ... ""This is cronyism, this is waste, fraud and abuse," Peterson told ABC News in an interview aired on Nightline Monday night." ... "Many top-rated programs were denied federal grants." ... "Flores was appointed to the position by President Bush six years ago and has overseen about $1.5 billion dollars in grants during that time." ... "A Washington, D.C. program, Best Friends, that promotes abstinences was awarded $1.1 million by Flores even though it ranked 53rd on a list of 104 applicants." ... "Best Friends is run by Elayne Bennett, the wife of Bill Bennett, a former Republican cabinet member and now political commentator." (1, 2, 3) -By Brian Ross, Anna Schecter, and Murray Waas

-ABCNEWS.com

WATCH: "Does the White House favor social programs based on politics?"

20080602

Dick Cheney

Humor?-(

Family

Lineage

History

Book

West Virginia

"Dick Cheney's Incest Joke Irks West Virginian Lawmakers." ... "[Republican Vice President Dick] Cheney explained that during the course of researching his family lineage for Lynne's memoir "Blue Skies, No Fences" last year, he learned there were Cheneys on both his father's and his mother's side of the family. There was a Richard Cheney on his mother's side, the vice president said." ... ""So I had Cheneys on both sides of the family and we don't even live in West Virginia," Cheney quipped." ... "[West Virginia Democratic Representative Robert Byrd later responded:] "That a man who has ascended to the seat of vice president of the United States would openly display such contempt and astounding ignorance toward his own countrymen is an insult to all Americans. Now that he or the administration he represents no longer needs their vote, Mr. Cheney apparently feels that he is now free to mock and belittle the people of West Virginia."" -By Mary Ann Akers

-WashingtonPost

WATCH Republican Cheney make West Virginia incest joke.

20080530

Barack Obama - John McCain - Accounting - People - Families - US - Iraq - Military - Book - MT - Arizona - Wisconsin - 2008 Election - "Obama slams McCain on Iraq facts." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama isn't expected to speak until 7:45 pm ET at a rally in Great Falls, MT [Montana]. But his campaign has released excerpts of his remarks, which go right after [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain's "pre-surge levels" misstatement yesterday. They also invoke Scott McClellan's new book." ... "[Barack Obama:] "There are honest differences about how to move forward in Iraq, just like there were honest differences about whether or not we should go to war," Obama is supposed to say. "John McCain was for the invasion of Iraq; I opposed it. John McCain wants to continue George Bush’s war in Iraq indefinitely; I want to end it. So there’s going to be a clear choice for the American people this November."" ... ""But that’s not what John McCain’s been talking about the last few days. He’s been proposing a joint trip to Iraq that’s nothing more than a political stunt. He’s even been using it to raise a few dollars for his campaign. But it seems like [Arizona Senator] Sen. McCain’s a lot more interested in my travel plans than the facts, because yesterday – in his continued effort to put the best light on a failed policy – he stood up in Wisconsin and said, 'We have drawn down to pre-surge levels' in Iraq."" ... ""That’s not true, and anyone running for commander-in-chief should know better. As the saying goes, you’re entitled to your own view, but not your own facts. We’ve got around 150,000 troops in Iraq -- 20,000 more than we had before the surge. We have plans to get down to around 140,000 later this summer -- that’s still more troops than we had in Iraq before the surge. And today, Sen. McCain refused to correct his mistake. Just like George Bush, when he was presented with the truth, he just dug in and refused to admit his mistake. His campaign said it amounts to 'nitpicking.'"" ... ""Well, I don’t think tens of thousands of American troops amounts to nitpicking. Tell that to the young men and women who are serving bravely and brilliantly under our flag. Tell that to the families who have seen their loved ones fight tour after tour after tour of duty in a war that should’ve never been authorized and never been waged."" ... ""It’s time for a debate that’s based on the truth, and I can’t think of anything more important than how many Americans are in harm’s way. It’s time for a debate that’s based on how we’re going to end this war -- not a debate that’s based on raising a few dollars for John McCain’s campaign."" ... ""The American people have had enough spin. Just this week, we were reminded by President Bush’s own former spokesman of how it was deception -- not straight talk -- that misled the American people into war. It’s time to cut through the tough talk so that we can be straight with the American people about a war that’s cost us thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars without making us safer. It’s time to end the political game-playing so that we can finally end this war. That’s what I’ll do in this campaign. And that’s what I’ll do when I’m President of the United States."" -From Mark Murray and Athena Jones -MSNBC

20080527

Obama - McCain - Money - Housing - Working - People - Families - Arizona - Nevada - 2008 Election - "Obama Hits McCain on Closed Door Meeting with Bush." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama on Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain:] "Today, John McCain is having a different kind of meeting. He's holding a fundraiser with George Bush behind closed doors in Arizona. No cameras. No reporters," Obama said before a town hall in Las Vegas [Nevada], "And we all know why. Senator McCain doesn't want to be seen, hat-in-hand, with the President whose failed policies he promises to continue for another four years. But the question for the American people is: do we want to continue George Bush's policies?"" ... "Watch the VIDEO HERE." ... ""I don't think the American people want to continue the disastrous economic policies that have helped create catastrophes like the housing crisis that we're here to discuss today," Obama continued, "On issue after issue, John McCain is offering more of the same policies that have failed for the last eight years. That's the agenda that he and the President are raising money to support later today. But I'm here in Nevada because we know it’s time to turn the page."" ... "Obama referenced an economic address that [Arizona] Senator McCain gave last week, characterizing his comments as out of touch with working people, "Senator McCain is so out of touch with the struggles of working people that he gave a speech laying out his economic agenda last week, and he couldn't even be bothered to talk about the foreclosure crisis that has put so many families on the brink of financial catastrophe, and put our economy on the brink—or in—recession."" -From Sunlen Miller -ABCNEWS.com

20080523

John McCain - US_Debt - Money - Politics - Legislator - Military - Families - Housing - Construction - Iraq - Israel - Egypt - Jordan - Arizona - US - 2008 Election - Noteworthy - "McCain's Fantasy War on Earmarks." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain boasts that he can save $100 billion a year "immediately" by eliminating the so-called earmarks that legislators attach to spending bills to finance pet projects, usually in their home state. But he has refused to say exactly which projects he would cut, and his estimates of the amount of money that is being spent on earmarks have been challenged by independent experts." ... "The Facts:" ... "The Arizona senator is promising to balance the budget by the end of his first term, while simultaneously extending the [Republican] George W. Bush tax cuts, introducing billions of dollars of new tax cuts of his own, and remaining in Iraq as long as is necessary to stabilize that country. Asked how this miracle will be accomplished, McCain told George Stephanopoulos of ABC News This Week on April 20 that he could come up with $100 billion "tomorrow" by vetoing pork-barrel spending bills." ... "There are a number of problems with this magical budgetary balancing act. First of all, the suspiciously round $100 billion figure is largely a figment of the McCain campaign's imagination. I have not been able to find a single independent budget expert to vouch for it. McCain's economics adviser, Doug Holtz-Eakin, will not say how the campaign arrived at the figure, other than that it is an extrapolation from various studies, including a 2006 study by the Congressional Research Service available here [PDF]." ... "However, much of this money is tied to items such as foreign aid to countries like Israel, Egypt, and Jordan, that McCain says he will not touch." ... "By most definitions of the term, the amount of money spent on earmarks is much lower than the CRS study. The Office for Management and the Budget came up with a figure for $16.9 billion in the 2008 appropriation bills. Taxpayers for Commonsense, an independent watchdog group that focuses on wasteful spending, identified $18.3 billion worth of earmarks in the 2008 bills, a 23 per cent cut from a record $23.6 billion set in 2005 [when Republicans controlled Congress]." ... "The figure includes such items as $4 billion for the [United States] U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which could not be eliminated without halting hundreds of construction projects around the country. Another big chunk goes to military construction, including housing for servicemen and their families, which McCain has also promised not to touch." ... "McCain's talk about eliminating $100 billion a year in earmarks is largely fantasy." ... "To use a phrase coined by [Republican] George H.W. Bush, this is "voodoo economics," based more on wishful thinking than on hard data or carefully considered policy proposals." [The Washington Post gives McCain's accounting numbers four Pinochio's out of a possible four, calling the statements by Candidate McCain "Whoppers."] -WashingtonPost

20080519

Vito Fossella - Politicians - Family - Virginia - Law - New York - 2008 Election - "Signs Fossella May Run Again Unnerve G.O.P.." ... "All signs indicate that [New York Republican Representative Vito] Mr. Fossella, a Republican who was arrested in Virginia on May 1 on a drunken driving charge and then admitted to fathering a child out of wedlock, is leaning toward running for a sixth term in November [2008 Election]." ... "Mr. Fossella, the only New York City [New York] Republican in Congress, represents a district that includes [New York City, New York burroughs] Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn. It is the most conservative-leaning district in the city. And he has portrayed himself during his years in politics as a Republican moderate who exemplified traditional family values." ... "As a result, many politicians on Staten Island initially expected that he would resign shortly after the revelations of an extramarital affair and a daughter born from that relationship — or at least not run again." ... "Stephen A. Harrison, a Brooklyn lawyer who was Mr. Fossella’s Democratic opponent in 2006 and hopes to challenge him again this year [2008 Election], has stopped short of calling for Mr. Fossella to resign or step down after his present term. In a statement, Mr. Harrison said, “If he decides to run, the people will decide in November if his recent behavior and revelations should disqualify him from continuing in office.”" -By Jonathan P. Hicks -NYTimes

20080516

California - Gay - People - Parents - Politics - 2008 Election - "California Supreme Court overturns gay marriage ban." ... "The California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage Thursday in a broadly worded decision that would invalidate virtually any law that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation." ... "The 4-3 ruling declared that the state Constitution protects a fundamental "right to marry" that extends equally to same-sex couples. It tossed a highly emotional issue into the [2008] election year while opening the way for tens of thousands of gay people to wed in California, starting as early as mid-June." ... "The majority opinion, by Chief Justice Ronald M. George, declared that any law that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation will from this point on be constitutionally suspect in California in the same way as laws that discriminate by race or gender, making the state's high court the first in the nation to adopt such a stringent standard." ... "The decision was a bold surprise from a moderately conservative, Republican-dominated court that legal scholars have long dubbed "cautious," and experts said it was likely to influence other courts around the country." ... "But the scope of the court's decision could be thrown into question by an initiative already heading toward the November ballot. The initiative would amend the state Constitution to prohibit same-sex unions." ... "The court's ruling repeatedly invoked the words "respect and dignity" and framed the marriage question as one that deeply affected not just couples but also their children. California has more than 100,000 households headed by gay couples, about a quarter with children, according to 2000 census data." ... ""Our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation," George wrote for the majority. "An individual's sexual orientation -- like a person's race or gender -- does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights."" (1, 2, 3) -By Maura Dolan with contributions by Patrick McGreevy, Rong-Gong Lin II, Jean-Paul Renaud, Francisco Vara-Orta, Molly Hennessy-Fiske, John M. Glionna and Lee Romney -LAtimes

20080514

WATCH - Noteworthy - Terrorism - Politics - War Crimes - US - Freedom - Iraq - Intelligence - Military - Families - Sports - McCain - 2008 Election - "Mr. President, the war isn’t about you — or golf: Olbermann: [Republican President] Bush's claim he gave up game to honor dead GIs is ludicrous." ... "President Bush has resorted anew to the sleaziest fear-mongering and mass manipulation of an administration and public life dedicated to realizing the lowest of our expectations. And he has now applied these poisons to the 2008 presidential election, on behalf of the party at whose center he and [Republican Candidate] John McCain lurk." ... "Mr. Bush has predicted that the election of a Democratic president could "eventually lead to another attack on the United States." This ludicrous, infuriating, holier-than-thou and most importantly bone-headedly wrong statement came during a May 13 interview with Politico.com and online users of Yahoo." ... "The question was phrased as follows: "If we were to pull out of Iraq next year, what's the worst that could happen, what's the doomsday scenario?"" ... "The president replied: "Doomsday scenario of course is that extremists throughout the Middle East would be emboldened, which would eventually lead to another attack on the United States. The biggest issue we face is, it's bigger than Iraq, it's this ideological struggle against cold-blooded killers who will kill people to achieve their political objectives."" ... "Mr. Bush, at long last, has it not dawned on you that the America you have now created, includes "cold-blooded killers who will kill people to achieve their political objectives?" They are those in — or formerly in — your employ, who may yet be charged some day with war crimes." ... "Through your haze of self-congratulation and self-pity, do you still have no earthly clue that this nation has laid waste to Iraq to achieve your political objectives? "This ideological struggle," Mr. Bush, is taking place within this country." ... "It is a struggle between Americans who cherish freedom, ours and everybody else's, and Americans like you, sir, to whom freedom is just a brand name, just like "Patriot Act" is a brand name or "Protect America" is a brand name." ... "But wait, there's more: You also said "Iraq is the place where al-Qaida and other extremists have made their stand and they will be defeated." They made no "stand" in Iraq, sir, you allowed them to assemble there!" ... "As certainly as if that were the plan, the borders were left wide open by your government's farcical post-invasion strategy of "they'll greet us as liberators." And as certainly as if that were the plan, the inspiration for another generation of terrorists in another country was provided by your government's farcical post-invasion strategy of letting the societal infra-structure of Iraq dissolve, to be replaced by an American viceroy, enforced by merciless mercenaries who shoot unarmed Iraqis and then evade prosecution in any country by hiding behind your skirts, sir." ... "Terrorism inside Iraq is your creation, Mr. Bush!" ... "Then came Mr. Bush's final blow to our nation's solar plexus, his last reopening of our common wounds, his last remark that makes the rest of us question not merely his leadership or his judgment but his very suitably to remain in office." ... ""Mr. President," he was asked, "you haven't been golfing in recent years. Is that related to Iraq?"" ... ""Yes," began perhaps the most startling reply of this nightmarish blight on our lives as Americans on our history. "It really is. I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the Commander in Chief playing golf. I feel I owe it to the families to be as — to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal."" ... "Golf, sir? Golf sends the wrong signal to the grieving families of our men and women butchered in Iraq? Do you think these families, Mr. Bush, their lives blighted forever, care about you playing golf? Do you think, sir, they care about you?" ... "You, Mr. Bush, let their sons and daughters be killed. Sir, to show your solidarity with them you gave up golf? Sir, to show your solidarity with them you didn't give up your pursuit of this insurance-scam, profiteering, morally and financially bankrupting war." ... "Sir, to show your solidarity with them you didn't even give up talking about Iraq, a subject about which you have incessantly proved without pause or backwards glance, that you may literally be the least informed person in the world?" ... "Sir, to show your solidarity with them, you didn't give up your presidency? In your own words "solidarity as best as I can" is to stop a game? That is the "best" you can do?" ... "Four thousand Americans give up their lives and your sacrifice was to give up golf!" ... "The great Bushian sacrifice — an Army private loses a leg, a Marine loses half his skull, 4,000 of their brothers and sisters lose their lives — and you lose golf, and they have to pull you off the golf course to get you to just do that?" ... "If it's even true." ... "... CBS News has records of you playing golf as late as [October] Oct. 13 of that year, nearly two months later [two months after Bush claimed that he had given up golf "in solidarity" with the families of American troops.]." (1, 2,3, 4) -By Keith Olbermann -MSNBC
US - Military - Families - Iraq - Afghanistan - Israel - Consumer - Business - Terrorism - Politics - History - "Bush Says He's Not A Golfer In Wartime." ... "[Republican] President Bush said yesterday that he gave up golfing in 2003 "in solidarity" with the families of soldiers who were dying in Iraq, concluding that it was "just not worth it anymore" to play the sport in a time of war." ... "Democrats have criticized Bush for allegedly not requiring Americans to sacrifice enough while waging wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and for urging people to keep shopping as a way to fight terrorism after the [September] Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Bush was also widely criticized in August 2002 when he decried terrorist bombings in Israel while golfing and then told reporters: "Now watch this drive."" ... "... [Presidential historian Robert] Dallek, who is critical of the current president's legacy, said Bush's remarks about Iraq "speak to his shallowness." Dallek added: "That's his idea of sacrifice, to give up golf?"" -By Dan Eggen -WashingtonPost
WATCH: "Now watch this drive," video of Republican President Bush golfing immediately after explaining that "We must stop the terror. I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers, thank you. Now watch this drive."

20080511

Mother's-Day - Museum - West Virginia - Woman - Mother - People - Consumer - Marketing - Industry - "For the mother of Mother's Day, it's just never been right." ... "Anna Jarvis never had children, but she became the mother of Mother's Day, giving birth to the holiday during a serene church ceremony in her hometown [Grafton, West Virginia] 100 years ago." ... "At first, her creation was perfect and pure. People honored their mothers the way she envisioned it -- with a white carnation, a symbol of maternal purity, a handwritten note or a day off." ... "But then her holiday started acting like a rebellious teenager, selling out to the flower and card industry, leaving Miss Jarvis bitter and disillusioned. She ended her life in a mental asylum." ... "The story of Miss Jarvis and the holiday that she couldn't control come to life in two exhibits more than 20 miles south of Morgantown [West Virginia]. The International Mother's Day Shrine memorializes the first Mother's Day service on May 10, 1908, the anniversary of the death of Miss Jarvis' mother, Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis." ... "Four miles away from Grafton in Webster [West Virginia] is the Anna Jarvis Birthplace Museum, a lovingly restored wooden Civil War-era house." ... "Miss Jarvis likely would cringe if she could see Mother's Day today." ... "The simple white carnation handed out to mothers in the former Andrews Methodist Church 100 years ago has given way to modern marketing -- crowded department store Mother's Day sales, restaurant pitches for elaborate brunches and dinners, ornate floral bouquets and rows upon rows of Mother's Day cards, instead of the handwritten note she urged. On average, Americans are expected to spend $138 each on mom this Mother's Day, ringing up $15.8 billion in sales." ... "In her day, Anna Jarvis was a public figure and irresistible newspaper copy as she crashed confectioners' conferences, broke up a War Mothers' rally and threatened lawsuits -- all in the name of saving her beloved Mother's Day from encroachers." -By Cristina Rouvalis -Post-Gazette.com

20080509

Mother's-Day - Politics - Women - Parents - Legislation - Kan - Fla - "Republicans Vote Against Moms; No Word Yet on Puppies, Kittens." ... "It was already shaping up to be a difficult year for congressional Republicans. Now, on the cusp of Mother's Day, comes this: A majority of the House GOP has voted against motherhood." ... "On Wednesday afternoon, the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day," when [Kansas Republican Representative] Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), rose in protest." ... ""Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the vote," he announced." ... "[Florida Democratic Representative] Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), who has two young daughters, moved to table Tiahrt's request, setting up a revote. This time, 178 Republicans cast their votes against mothers." ... "It has long been the custom to compare a popular piece of legislation to motherhood and apple pie. Evidently, that is no longer the standard. Worse, Republicans are now confronted with a John Kerry-esque predicament: They actually voted for motherhood before they voted against it. " (1, 2) -By Dana Milbank -WashingtonPost

20080508

J Robert Flores

Politics

Federal

Juvenile

Justice

Investigation

"Former Justice Official Says Juvenile Chief Misled Her: Says Flores ‘misrepresented’ scores on grant proposals so that she’d approve his choices." ... "A former assistant attorney general says the head of the nation’s juvenile justice agency misled her into approving millions of dollars in grants to organizations that he favored." ... "Regina Schofield said Thursday that J. Robert Flores, administrator of the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), “misrepresented the rating scores” of bidders for the National Juvenile Justice Programs last year, hiding the fact that most of his choices received lower scores than many of the proposals that he rejected." ... "Schofield’s statement on Thursday could undercut a defense that Flores has given as a congressional committee investigates his agency’s grant making: that Schofield approved the grants." ... "Flores declined to comment about the allegation by Schofield, whose Office of Justice Programs oversaw the OJJDP. Flores has previously said that he followed proper procedures in awarding the grants. On May 2 he traveled to Capitol Hill to discuss the investigation with members and/or staffers of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, according to people familiar with the committee’s investigation." ... "At issue is a memo that Flores wrote to Schofield last July, in which he explained how he chose 10 winning proposals from among more than 100 bids for the National Programs grants. The memo repeatedly uses the phrase “highest scoring” to describe his choices, even though those choices ranked behind the top bids as scored by the OJJDP staff, and in some cases below dozens of proposals that didn’t get funded." ... "Here’s what explains the discrepancy: After the agency invited bids for the funds through a Request for Proposals, Flores created new criteria and categories for the grants. The incoming bids were assigned to those new categories." ... "Out of the 10 winning bids, eight were the only bids assigned to certain categories – and therefore were the highest-scoring bids in those categories. (For a detailed explanation, see “A Friend at Justice.”)" ... "For example: Under a criterion called “School-based outreach efforts directed at preventing high-risk activity (out-of-wedlock pregnancy),” Flores’ memo says the application of the nonprofit Best Friends Foundation [controlled by Elayne Bennett, Republican politician Bill Bennett's wife] “has the highest score that met the criteria.” The memo does not say, as other OJJDP documents show, that Best Friends was the only qualified bidder in that category, or that among all the bidders, it ranked 51st." -By Patrick Boyle

-YouthToday.org

Vito J Fossella - New York - Parent - Va - Law - Investigation - "Fossella Admits to Extramarital Affair." ... "[New York Republican] Representative Vito J. Fossella, a Staten Island Republican who was arrested on May 1 in Alexandria, Va. [Virginia], and charged with drunken driving, issued a statement on Thursday acknowledging that he had had an extramarital affair with Laura Fay, a former Air Force lieutenant colonel, and that the two of them have a 3-year-old daughter together." ... "The prospect that Mr. Fossella could face a mandatory jail sentence if convicted had already threatened to bring to an end his decade-long career in the House, where Mr. Fossella is the only Republican representing New York City [New York]." ... "He faces a mandatory five days in jail if convicted." ... "The House ethics committee also could open an investigation into the matter." ... "Mr. Fossella and his wife, the former Mary Patricia Rowan, married in 1990. They have two sons and a daughter." ... "“Vito Fossella’s behavior is a disgrace to himself, his family and to Staten Island,” said an anesthesiologist, Dr. John Ferguson, 44. “Given the fact that he votes along the Bush-Cheney line 90 percent of the time, which means he sees himself as a moral values candidate, I find his behavior completely, but not surprisingly, hypocritical. He should resign immediately.”" -By Jonathan P. Hicks with contributions by Sewell Chan, Carl Hulse, Maureen Seaberg and David Stout -NYTimes
Vito J Fossella - New York - Parent - "Fosella Admits Fathering Child out of Wedlock." ... "Republican Congressman [New York Representative] Vito Fosella has admitted to having an affair and fathering a child out of wedlock. His confession today has some speculating that his seat in Congress might be in peril. WNYC's Kathleen Horan has more." ... "Fosella says he fathered a child three years ago and has had a relationship with the child's mother." -By Kathleen Horan -WNYC.org
Israel - Racism - Palestine - Families - Human Rights - Law - People - History - "Arabs say racism on rise as Israel turns 60." ... "Salwa Abu Jaber believes her story shows Israel discriminating against its Arab citizens, 60 years after the state was established as a haven for Jews." ... "The 32-year-old mother of four from northern Israel said her five-year-old daughter has never seen her father, who lives in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Separated from the man for five years, she says she has been forced to divorce him." ... "Thousands of families have been similarly split by a 2003 ban on Palestinians in the West Bank from reuniting with their families inside Israel, imposed citing security reasons after the Palestinian uprising or intifada began in 2000." ... ""In practical terms, Israel forced the divorce on us," Abu Jaber said. "We could not continue to live like this any longer. If this is not racism, then what is it?"" ... "This week, as Israel celebrates the anniversary of its foundation, its supreme court has said it found merit in the position of numerous petitions filed by rights groups against the law that keeps the families apart." ... "But Israeli Arabs -- those Palestinians who remained after hundreds of thousands fled or were expelled from their homes when Israel was created -- say institutionalized racism and illegal killings of Arabs have increased since the intifada started." ... "After 1948, about 120,000 stayed and were granted Israeli citizenship. Now about one in five Israelis is Arab, and many prefer to be called Palestinians like their kin outside Israel." ... "About 1.5 million Arabs reside in Israel with 5.5 million Jews, but 3.8 million Palestinians live in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem." (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) -By Mohammed Assadi with contributions by Samia Nakhoul, Sara Ledwith and Ari Rabinovitch in Jerusalem -Reuters

20080502

Stephen Johnson - Corporate - Government - Politics - Fetal - Human - Health- Science - Environmental - Safety - Enforcement - Emergency - Wildlife - Soil - Water - Law - Manufacturing - History - Michigan - Illinois - "EPA's top Midwest regulator forced out: Mary Gade, based in Chicago [Illinois], says [Republican President] Bush administration made her quit over Dow Chemical case." ... "The Bush administration forced its top environmental regulator in the Midwest to quit Thursday after months of internal bickering about dioxin contamination downstream from Dow Chemical's world headquarters in Michigan." ... "In an interview with the [Chicago] Tribune, Mary Gade said two top officials at the U.S. [United States] Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington stripped her of her powers as regional administrator and told her to quit or be fired by June 1." ... "Gade said she had told the agency she would resign her position, based in Chicago [Illinois]." ... "For the past year, Gade has been locked in a heated dispute with Dow about long-delayed plans to clean up dioxin-saturated soil and sediment that extends 50 miles beyond its Midland, Mich. [Michigan], plant into Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron." ... "Gade, a former corporate attorney appointed by Bush in September 2006, invoked emergency powers last year to force Dow to clean up four hot spots of dioxin, including the largest amount of the cancer-causing chemical ever recorded in the United States." ... "In January, Dow urged officials at the EPA's [Environmental Protection Agency's] headquarters to intervene after Gade broke off negotiations intended to renew the terms for a more comprehensive cleanup. Neither side would reveal details, citing confidentiality agreements, but Gade said Dow resisted taking steps needed to protect human health and wildlife." ... "Though regional EPA administrators typically have wide latitude to enforce environmental laws, Gade drew fire from officials in Washington last month after she sent contractors to test soil in a Saginaw [Michigan] neighborhood where Dow had found high dioxin levels." ... "She said top lieutenants to Stephen Johnson, the national EPA administrator, repeatedly questioned her aggressive action against Dow, which long ago acknowledged it is responsible for the dioxin contamination but has resisted federal and state involvement in cleanup plans." ... "Dow dumped dioxin-contaminated waste into the waterways for most of the last century. The chemical, which is so toxic that it is measured in trillionths of a gram, was a manufacturing byproduct of the Vietnam-era herbicide Agent Orange and other chlorinated herbicides." ... "Company documents show Dow knew by the mid-1960s that it could make people sick or even kill them." ... "Citing years of independent studies, the EPA says dioxin can cause cancer, disrupt the immune system and alter fetal development." ... ""We have a responsibility to make sure people are living in a healthy and safe environment," Gade said. "This problem has been out there for more than 30 years, and it's unconscionable that action hasn't been taken."" (1, 2) -By Michael Hawthorne -ChicagoTribune

20080430

Chinese - Child - Labor - Human Rights - Politics - "Chinese children sold "like cabbages" into slavery." ... "Thousands of children in southwest China have been sold into slavery like "cabbages", to work as labourers in more prosperous areas such as the booming southern province of Guangdong [China], a newspaper said on Tuesday." ... "China announced a nationwide crackdown on slavery and child labor last year after reports that hundreds of poor farmers, children and mentally disabled were forced to work in kilns and mines in Shanxi province and neighboring Henan." (1, 2) -Contributed to by Nick Macfie and Valerie Lee -Reuters

20080424

US - Iraq - Military - Family - Photographs - People - Media - Politics - Virginia - "What the Family Would Let You See, the Pentagon Obstructs." ... "[Lieutenant Colonel] Lt. Col. Billy Hall, one of the most senior officers to be killed in the Iraq war, was laid to rest yesterday at Arlington National Cemetery [Arlington, Virginia]. It's hard to escape the conclusion that the Pentagon doesn't want you to know that." ... "The family of 38-year-old Hall, who leaves behind two young daughters and two stepsons, gave their permission for the media to cover his Arlington burial -- a decision many grieving families make so that the nation will learn about their loved ones' sacrifice. But the military had other ideas, and they arranged the Marine's burial yesterday so that no sound, and few images, would make it into the public domain." ... "That's a shame, because Hall's story is a moving reminder that the war in Iraq, forgotten by much of the nation, remains real and present for some. Among those unlikely to forget the war: 6-year-old Gladys and 3-year-old Tatianna. The rest of the nation, if it remembers Hall at all, will remember him as the 4,011th American service member to die in Iraq, give or take, and the 419th to be buried at Arlington. Gladys and Tatianna will remember him as Dad." ... "Journalists were held 50 yards from the service, separated from the mourning party by six or seven rows of graves, and staring into the sun and penned in by a yellow rope." ... "It had the feel of a throwback to Donald Rumsfeld's Pentagon, when the military cracked down on photographs of flag-draped caskets returning home from the war. Rumsfeld himself was exposed for failing to sign by hand the condolence letters he sent to the next of kin." -By Dana Milbank -WashingtonPost
Military - Families - Financial- Law - Politics - "More U.S. troops battle foreclosure." ... "As the home foreclosure crisis sweeps across America, military and financial aid groups say they are hearing from a rising number of troops who say they are falling behind on their mortgage payments and struggling to keep their homes." ... ""The Army as a whole has seen an increase in soldiers and families seeking assistance for mortgage foreclosures," says Army [Lieutenant Colonel] Lt. Col. Anne Edgecomb, an Army spokeswoman, citing data from branch legal offices trying to advise soldiers." ... "The VA and financial counseling services say they are hearing from more servicemembers fighting to stave off foreclosure. In the current crisis, 1.2 million foreclosures have occurred nationwide." ... "Troops have limited foreclosure protection under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. Lenders can seek a court order to foreclose on a house, even if the soldier is in combat, federal housing records show." ... ""Anybody who's defending our nation should not be subject to this," says [California Democratic Representative] Rep. Bob Filner, a California Democrat who chairs the House Veterans Affairs Committee. He has sponsored legislation to address the problem. "Right now the VA home loan program is basically irrelevant to the crisis," Filner says." -By Gregg Zoroya -USATODAY

20080423

John McCain - Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - Working - Women - Families - Poverty - Homes - Gasoline - Groceries - Corporate - Politics - Arizona - Nev - Illinois - New York - New Orleans - Louisiana - 2008 Election - "McCain opposes equal pay bill in Senate." ... "Republican [2008 Election Presidential Candidate and Arizona] Sen. John McCain, campaigning through poverty-stricken cities and towns, said Wednesday he opposes a Senate bill that seeks equal pay for women because it would lead to more lawsuits." ... "Senate Republicans killed the bill Wednesday night on a 56-42 vote that denied the measure the 60 votes needed to advance it to full debate and a vote. [Nevada Democratic Representative and] Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.[Democratic-Nevada], had delayed the vote to give McCain's Democratic rivals, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Senators of New York and Illinois] Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, time to return to Washington to support the measure, which would make it easier for women to sue their employers for pay discrimination." ... "McCain skipped the vote to campaign in New Orleans [Louisiana]." ... ""Senator McCain has yet again fallen in line with President Bush while middle-class families are falling by the wayside," Clinton said in a statement following the vote. "Women are earning less, but Senator McCain is offering more of the same."" ... "Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Karen Finney said: "At a time when American families are struggling to keep their homes and jobs while paying more for everything from gasoline to groceries, how on Earth would anyone who thinks they can lead our country also think it's acceptable to oppose equal pay for America's mothers, wives and daughters?"" -By Libby Quaid -AP via -SeattlePI

20080422

Smog - Science - Elderly - Children - Environmental - Safety - Government - Politics - Fuel - Industry - Clean Air - Law - "Scientists: Smog contributes to premature death." ... "Short-term exposure to smog, or ozone, is clearly linked to premature deaths that should be taken into account when measuring the health benefits of reducing air pollution, a National Academy of Sciences review concludes." ... "The findings contradict arguments made by some [Republican President Bush] White House officials that the connection between smog and premature death has not been shown sufficiently and that the number of saved lives should not be calculated in determining clean air benefits." ... "The report released Tuesday by a panel of the Academy's National Research Council says government agencies "should give little or no weight" to such arguments." ... ""The committee has concluded from its review of health-based evidence that short-term exposure to ambient ozone is likely to contribute to premature deaths," the 13-member panel said." ... "It added that "studies have yielded strong evidence that short-term exposure to ozone can exacerbate lung conditions, causing illness and hospitalization and can potentially lead to death."" ... "Ground-level ozone is formed from nitrogen oxide and organic compounds created by burning fossil fuels and is demonstrated often by the yellow haze or smog that lingers in the air. Ozone exposure is a leading cause of respiratory illnesses and especially affects the elderly, those with respiratory problems and children." -AP via -CNN

20080414

Emergency - Economy - Politics - Haiti - Bangladesh - Egypt - United States - World - Poor - People - Historical - - Children - Health - Mind - "Riots, instability spread as food prices skyrocket." ... "Riots from Haiti to Bangladesh to Egypt over the soaring costs of basic foods have brought the issue to a boiling point and catapulted it to the forefront of the world's attention, the head of an agency focused on global development said Monday." ... ""This is the world's big story," said Jeffrey Sachs, director of Columbia University's Earth Institute." ... ""The finance ministers were in shock, almost in panic this weekend," he said on CNN's "American Morning," in a reference to top economic officials who gathered in Washington. "There are riots all over the world in the poor countries ... and, of course, our own poor are feeling it in the United States."" ... "World Bank President Robert Zoellick has said the surging costs could mean "seven lost years" in the fight against worldwide poverty." ... ""The international community must fill the at least $500 million food gap identified by the U.N.'s [United Nations] World Food Programme to meet emergency needs," he said. "Governments should be able to come up with this assistance and come up with it now."" ... ""In just two months," Zoellick said in his speech, "rice prices have skyrocketed to near historical levels, rising by around 75 percent globally and more in some markets, with more likely to come. In Bangladesh, a 2-kilogram bag of rice ... now consumes about half of the daily income of a poor family."" ... "The price of wheat has jumped 120 percent in the past year, he said -- meaning that the price of a loaf of bread has more than doubled in places where the poor spend as much as 75 percent of their income on food." ... ""This is not just about meals forgone today or about increasing social unrest. This is about lost learning potential for children and adults in the future, stunted intellectual and physical growth," Zoellick said." -CNN
Consumer - Money - History - Poor - Families- Agriculture - "Food Costs Rising Fastest in 17 Years." ... "The U.S. [United States] is wrestling with the worst food inflation in 17 years, and analysts expect new data due on Wednesday to show it's getting worse. That's putting the squeeze on poor families and forcing bakeries, bagel shops and delis to explain price increases to their customers." ... "U.S. food prices rose 4 percent in 2007, compared with an average 2.5 percent annual rise for the last 15 years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And the agency says 2008 could be worse, with a rise of as much as 4.5 percent." ... "Eggs cost 25 percent more in February than they did a year ago, according to the USDA [United States Department of Agriculture]. Milk and other dairy products jumped 13 percent, chicken and other poultry nearly 7 percent." -By Ellen Simon -AP via -SFGate.com
John McCain - Criminal - Abortion - Women - Medical - Law - Parent - Federal - Money - Gay - US - Iraq - Military - 2008 Election - "McCain: More Conservative Than His Image." ... "The likely Republican presidential nominee is much more conservative than voters appear to realize. [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain leans to the right on issue after issue, not just on the Iraq war but also on abortion, gay rights, gun control and other issues that matter to his party's social conservatives." ... "_Abortion. McCain promises to appoint judges who, in the mold of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, are likely to limit the reach of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. McCain's record is not spotless on abortion: He said once, in 1999, that Roe v. Wade should not be overturned." ... "But that was an aberration in an otherwise unbroken record of opposing abortion rights for women. McCain voted repeatedly to ban federal funding for abortion; he once voted against Medicaid funds for abortion even in cases of rape or incest." ... "He voted to require parental consent for abortion and voted to criminalize anyone but a parent crossing state lines with a minor to help get an abortion. McCain also supported a ban preventing women in the military from getting abortions with their own money at overseas military hospitals." ... ""I am pro-life and an advocate for the rights of man everywhere in the world," McCain told the Conservative Political Action Conference in February. "Because to be denied liberty is an offense to nature and nature's Creator."" (1,2) -By Libby Quaid -AP via -WTOPnews.com

20080410

John McCain - Health - History - Senior - Politics - Parents - Women - Education - Science - Money - 2008 Election - WVa - "Dean: McCain's Age Worries Voters: DNC Chair Cites Health, 'Old-Fashioned' Views." ... "Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Thursday that swing voters participating in focus groups commissioned by the D.N.C. [Democratic National Committee] bring up [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain's age unprompted." ... ""We didn't bring it up, but they volunteered it," said Dean who explained that voters have two concerns about McCain's age. "One was a health concern, the other was, and this is really interesting . . . that his views are old-fashioned."" ... "At the age of 72, McCain would be the oldest newly elected president in U.S. [United States] history if inaugurated in 2009." ... "Referring to what Dean characterized as the party's most conservative focus group in Charleston, W. Va. [West Virginia], the DNC chairman said "the women in that group were shocked that [McCain] believed health insurance shouldn't cover birth control pills and they were shocked about his belief in abstinence only education."" (1, 2) -By Teddy Davis and Mike Elmore -ABCNEWS.com

20080409

Families - Jobs - Consumer- Economic - History - Accounting - "For Many, a Boom That Wasn’t." ... "The bigger problem is that the now-finished boom was, for most Americans, nothing of the sort. In 2000, at the end of the previous economic expansion, the median American family made about $61,000, according to the Census Bureau’s inflation-adjusted numbers. In 2007, in what looks to have been the final year of the most recent expansion, the median family, amazingly, seems to have made less — about $60,500." ... "This has never happened before, at least not for as long as the government has been keeping records. In every other expansion since World War II, the buying power of most American families grew while the economy did. You can think of this as the most basic test of an economy’s health: does it produce ever-rising living standards for its citizens?" ... "“We have had expansions before where the bottom end didn’t do well,” said Lawrence F. Katz, a Harvard economist who studies the job market. “But we’ve never had an expansion in which the middle of income distribution had no wage growth.”" ... "But the larger point is still crucial: the modern American economy distributes the fruits of its growth to a relatively narrow slice of the population." -By David Leonhardt -NYTimes
Bob Schaffer - Jack Abramoff - Criminal - Money - Politician - Abortion - Child - Labor - Female - Textile - Factory - Immigration - Human Rights - Law - History - US - Mariana Islands - 2008 Election - Colorado - Vacation - "Fashhhionating." ... "Earlier today we noted that the [2008 Election] Republican Senate candidate from Colorado, Bob Schaffer, told the Denver Post that America should adopt an immigration and guest labor policy modeled on that of the Mariana Islands (aka the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) -- whose guest worker program is notorious around the world for forced abortion, slavery, child prostitution, sex trafficking, beatings, female workers kept in shacks with no plumbing surrounded by barbed wire and other fun stuff [sarcasm]." ... "TPM Reader AK points out that the folks at ProgressNowAction have done a little digging. And it seems that that back in 1999, when Schaffer was serving in Congress, he went on one of those junkets to the Islands put together by none other than disgraced lobbyist and now-federal inmate Jack Abramoff." ... "Those of you with a clear recollection of the details of the Abramoff scandal will remember that one of Jack's biggest clients was the group of sharks who ran the Marianas sweat shops." ... "They had a great thing going because they were able to slap Made In The USA labels on clothes and other items made in Saipan [Northern Mariana Islands capital] by female guest workers imported from other parts of East Asia to work in sub-Third World labor conditions. That is, when the guest workers weren't busy getting beaten, raped or coerced into having abortions. Jack's job was to find politicians willing to travel with him on junkets to the Marianas, hang out at the casinos and come back to the states and say how well the labor conditions actually there seemed to be." ... "In any case, it was just one of these junkets with Abramoff that then US Rep. Bob Schaffer took back in 1999, which, as it happens, was a year after the release of the Department of Labor report that confirmed the 15 year old sex slave's account." -By Josh Marshall -TalkingPointsMemo.com
Watch TPMtv Video update: "... Colorado senate candidate Bob Schaffer (R) says we should remodel our national immigration policy on that of the Mariana Islands -- a program notorious for child prostitution, forced abortions, beatings, slavery, twelve hour days and sex trafficking. Now it turns out he went on a Jack Abramoff junket to the islands and came back saying it was A-OK!" -By Josh Marshall -Veracifier

20080403

Medical - Database - Abortion - Science - Literature - Family- Education - Government - Search Engine - Funding - Maryland - US - International - Politics- "U.S. Funded Health Search Engine Blocks 'Abortion'." ... "A U.S. [United States] government-funded medical information site that bills itself as the world's largest database on reproductive health has quietly begun to block searches on the word "abortion," concealing nearly 25,000 search results." ... "Called Popline, the search site is run by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland. It's funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, the federal office in charge of providing foreign aid, including health care funding, to developing nations." ... "The massive database indexes a broad range of reproductive health literature, including titles like "Previous abortion and the risk of low birth weight and preterm births," and "Abortion in the United States: Incidence and access to services, 2005."" ... "But on Thursday, a search on "abortion" was producing only the message "No records found by latest query."" ... "Stephen Goldstein, a spokesman for Johns Hopkins, said he wasn't aware of the censorship, and couldn't immediately comment. " -By Sarah Lai Stirland -Wired
Corporate - Government - Politics - Lawmakers - Builders-v. Families - "Housing Accord Puts Builders First: Strapped Homeowners Offered Little Aid." ... "Senate Democratic and Republican leaders rushing to address the nation's housing crisis reached agreement yesterday on a package that would provide billions of dollars in tax rebates to the slumping home-building industry while offering little to homeowners threatened with foreclosure." ... "After working through Tuesday night to flesh out a bipartisan agreement, lawmakers unveiled a bill that rejects the most ambitious plans for aiding distressed homeowners, including a Democratic proposal to permit bankruptcy judges to modify the mortgage on a person's primary residence." ... "Instead, lawmakers settled on a sharply scaled-back array of measures that would provide $4 billion in grants for cities to buy foreclosed properties, temporary tax breaks worth up to $7,000 for home buyers who purchase foreclosed properties, and new tax deductions for almost every American who owns a home. The package, which would cost about $15 billion over the next 10 years, also would jump-start stalled legislation to streamline the Federal Housing Administration, one of the top priorities of the [Republican President] Bush administration." ... "Families who cannot afford to repay their home loans -- the group at the heart of the mortgage meltdown -- would benefit mainly from $100 million to expand foreclosure counseling services and greater latitude for local housing authorities to use tax-exempt bonds in refinancing subprime loans." ... "Home builders and other businesses suffering losses in the flagging economy, meanwhile, would get the lion's share of federal spending in the bill: $6 billion in tax rebates." (1, 2) -By Lori Montgomery -WashingtonPost

20080401

Girls - Fashion - Politics - Companies- North Carolina - Students - Faith - "Modesty is the new black for girls tired of racy clothes: Teen groups teach the value of covering up." ... "In Charlotte [North Carolina] and across the country, young girls, their mothers and even clothing companies are covering up." ... "Teens and parents fighting over what is appropriate is nothing new. But now, girl-centric groups are working to arm girls with the awareness and self-confidence to say no to the sexy." ... "And in Charlotte, more than 65 high-school students are participating in Pure Fashion, an international faith-based program that recognizes "true beauty."" ... "It was started in 1999 by a lay Catholic group, and has chapters in more than 25 cities, including Raleigh [North Carolina's capital]." -By Rachel Sutherland -Charlotte.com

20080331

Government - Food - People - Families - Poverty - Disasters - Fuel - Prices - Politics - History - "As Jobs Vanish and Prices Rise, Food Stamp Use Nears Record." ... "Driven by a painful mix of layoffs and rising food and fuel prices, the number of Americans receiving food stamps is projected to reach 28 million in the coming year, the highest level since the aid program began in the 1960s." ... "The number of recipients, who must have near-poverty incomes to qualify for benefits averaging $100 a month per family member, has fluctuated over the years along with economic conditions, eligibility rules, enlistment drives and natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, which led to a spike in the South." ... "But recent rises in many states appear to be resulting mainly from the economic slowdown, officials and experts say, as well as inflation in prices of basic goods that leave more families feeling pinched. Citing expected growth in unemployment, the Congressional Budget Office this month projected a continued increase in the monthly number of recipients in the next fiscal year, starting Oct. 1 — to 28 million, up from 27.8 million in 2008, and 26.5 million in 2007." ... "The percentage of Americans receiving food stamps was higher after a recession in the 1990s, but actual numbers are expected to be higher this year." -By Erik Eckholm -NYTimes

20080327

Barack Obama - John McCain - Housing - Financial - Law - Government - Families - Arizona - 2008 Election - "Obama Urges Regulation in Wake of Housing Slump." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Mr. Obama proposed to rebuild the government’s regulatory structure and promised not to clamp a too-tight hand on economic innovation. But he was unsparing in his view that industry lobbyists and weak legislators produced a misshapen deregulation of the economy." ... "Mr. Obama criticized [Republican] President Bush, describing his proposals for dealing with this crisis as “completely divorced from reality.” And Mr. Obama took on [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona] Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, who argued this week against vigorous government intervention in the housing market, saying Washington should not be bailing out banks and homeowners who in his view had knowingly plunged into risky mortgages." ... "Mr. Obama argued Mr. McCain’s approach offers far too little to rescue the deteriorating economy." ... "“While this is consistent with Senator McCain’s determination to run for George Bush’s third term, it won’t help families who are suffering,” Mr. Obama said." -By Michael Powell -NYTimes

20080321

John McCain - Rod Parsley - Racist - Politics - Government - Abortion - Law - Women - Parents - Health - Arizona - Ohio - 2008 Election - "McCain Spiritual Guide Accused Gov't Of Enabling 'Black Genocide'." ... "Reverend Rod Parsley of the World Harvest Church of Columbus, Ohio -- whom [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain hails as a spiritual adviser -- has suggested on several occasions that the U.S. [United States] government was complicit in facilitating black genocide." ... "In speeches that have gone largely unnoticed, Parsley (who is white) compares Planned Parenthood, the reproductive care and family planning group, to the Klu Klux Klan and Nazis, and describes the American government as enablers of murder for supporting the organization." ... ""If I were call for the sterilization or the elimination of an entire segment of society, I'd be labeled a racists or a murderer, or at very best a Nazi," says Parsley. "That every single year, millions of our tax dollars are funding a national organization built upon that very goal -- their target: African Americans. That's right, the death toll: nearly fifteen hundred African Americans a day. The shocking truth of black genocide."" ... "He goes on." ... ""Right now our own government is allowing organizations like Planned Parenthood to legally take the innocent lives of precious baby girls and baby boys and even footing the bill for it all with our tax dollars, turning every single one of us into accessories to murder," he says. "You know who their biggest fans must be, that must be the Klu Klux Klan, because the woman who founded this organization detested black people.... African Americans were number one on Margaret Sanger's list. So this 'Lady MacDeath,' as I like to call her, studied the works of Englishman Thomas Robert Malthus, and embraced his plan of eugenics."" ... "However, there are issues with Parsley's stats. While black populations in America do have higher abortion rates than white populations, there are far more abortions among white mothers than among blacks." -By Sam Stein -HuffingtonPost.com

20080318

Barack Obama - Christian - American - Race - Politics - History - 2008 Election - Israel - Military - Terrorism - Economy - Health-Care - Climate - Housing - Poor - People - Scholarships - Family - "A More Perfect Union." ... [Partial text of Barack Obama's speech "A More Perfect Union". Read full text of speech or Watch speech.] "[Barack Obama:] I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely - just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed." ... "But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam." ... "As such, Reverend Wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems - two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all." ... "Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way[.]" ... "But the truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God's work here on Earth - by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS." ... "In my first book, Dreams From My Father, I described the experience of my first service at Trinity:" ... ""People began to shout, to rise from their seats and clap and cry out, a forceful wind carrying the reverend's voice up into the rafters....And in that single note - hope! - I heard something else; at the foot of that cross, inside the thousands of churches across the city, I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion's den, Ezekiel's field of dry bones. Those stories - of survival, and freedom, and hope - became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black; in chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a means to reclaim memories that we didn't need to feel shame about...memories that all people might study and cherish - and with which we could start to rebuild."" ... "That has been my experience at Trinity. Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety - the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity's services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America." ... "And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions - the good and the bad - of the community that he has served diligently for so many years." -By BarackObama.com -read full text of Barack Obama's speech "A More Perfect Union" via HavenWorks.com

20080314

Hillary Clinton - Children - Healthcare - Legislation - History - 2008 Election - Mothers - Iowa - Massachusetts - Utah - "Clinton role in health program disputed." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton, who has frequently described herself on the campaign trail as playing a pivotal role in forging a children's health insurance plan, had little to do with crafting the landmark legislation or ushering it through Congress, according to several lawmakers, staffers, and healthcare advocates involved in the issue." ... "In campaign speeches, Clinton describes the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, as an initiative "I helped to start." Addressing Iowa voters in November, Clinton said, "in 1997, I joined forces with members of Congress and we passed the State Children's Health Insurance Program." Clinton regularly cites the number of children in each state who are covered by the program, and mothers of sick children have appeared at Clinton campaign rallies to thank her." ... "But the Clinton White House, while supportive of the idea of expanding children's health, fought the first SCHIP effort, spearheaded by Senators Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah, because of fears that it would derail a bigger budget bill. And several current and former lawmakers and staff said Hillary Clinton had no role in helping to write the congressional legislation, which grew out of a similar program approved in Massachusetts in 1996." ... ""The White House wasn't for it. We really roughed them up" in trying to get it approved over the Clinton administration's objections, Hatch said in an interview. "She may have done some advocacy [privately] over at the White House, but I'm not aware of it."" ... ""I do like her," Hatch said of Hillary Clinton. "We all care about children. But does she deserve credit for SCHIP? No - Teddy does, but she doesn't."" -By Susan Milligan -BostonGlobe

20080313

Stephen L Johnson - Corporate - Government - Politics - Environmental - Air - Health - Science - Clean Air Act - Law - History - Vehicles - Manufacturing - Power Plants - Children - "EPA Tightens Pollution Standards: But Agency Ignored Advisers' Guidance." ... "The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday limited the allowable amount of pollution-forming ozone in the air to 75 parts per billion, a level significantly higher [meaning more polluting] than what the agency's scientific advisers had urged for this key component of unhealthy air pollution." ... "[Republican President Bush's Environmental Protection Agency] Administrator Stephen L. Johnson also said he would push Congress to rewrite the nearly 37-year-old Clean Air Act to allow regulators to take into consideration the cost and feasibility of controlling pollution when making decisions about air quality, something that is currently prohibited by the law. In 2001, the Supreme Court ruled that the government needed to base the ozone standard strictly on protecting public health, with no regard to cost." ... "The new pollution rules -- one of the most important environmental decisions facing the Bush administration in the president's final year in office -- will be a major factor in determining the quality of the air Americans will breathe for at least a decade. The standards, which are aimed at protecting both public health and welfare, are designed to limit the amount of nitrogen oxides and other chemical compounds released into the air by vehicles, manufacturing facilities and power plants. In sunlight, the pollutants form ozone." ... "Johnson said he did "what was required by the law and the recent scientific evidence," but his decision to set a lower but still less-restrictive limit than what the EPA's advisory committees had recommended sparked a backlash from Democratic lawmakers, public health advocates and his own independent advisers." ... "Nearly a year ago, EPA's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee reiterated in writing that its members were "unanimous in recommending" that the agency set the standard no higher than 70 parts per billion (ppb) and to consider a limit as low as 60 ppb. EPA's Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee and public health advocates lobbied for the 60-ppb limit because children are more vulnerable to air pollution." ... "EPA and other scientists have shown that ozone has a direct impact on rates of heart and respiratory disease and resulting premature deaths. The agency calculates that the new standard of 75 ppb would prevent 1,300 to 3,500 premature deaths a year, whereas 65 ppb would avoid 3,000 to 9,200 deaths annually. " -By Juliet Eilperin -WashingtonPost

20080222

John McCain - Corporate - Politics - Lawmaker - Jets - US_Debt - US - Iraq - Military - Children's - Health-Care - Barack Obama - 2008 Election - "Transcript: Howard Dean On John McCain And The Republican 'Culture Of Corruption'." ... "Q: So there is big news about [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain -- the story that is in the New York Times, raising questions about his relationship with a lobbyist. This is a story the McCain people are saying is unfair and untrue. What do you think?"

"[Democratic National Committee chairman Howard] Dean: I have no idea whether the affair story is true or not, and I don't care. What I do care about is John McCain -- and this has been well-documented -- is talking all the time about being a reformer and a maverick, and in fact, he has taken thousands of dollars from corporations, ridden on their corporate jets, and then turned around and tried to do favors for them and get projects approved. He has tons of lobbyists on his staff. This is a guy who is very close to the lobbyist community, a guy who has been documented again and again by taking contributions and then doing favors for it. This is not a guy who is a reformer. This is a guy who has been in Washington for 25 years and wants to give us four more years of the same, and I don't think we need that."

"Q: So are you saying that McCain, by virtue of what is spelled out in this story, has somehow suffered a hit in terms of his own legitimacy on the campaign finance and ethics issue?"

"Dean: Yes, he certainly has. This goes all the way back to the Keating Five Scandal and the S & L [Savings and Loan] scandals, where he took a hundred thousand donations, rode on corporate jets and then intervened on Charles Keating's behalf -- and again and again we see this. We even saw -- it's so hypocritical -- we even saw that he is trying to harass [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama about whether he's going to take public financing in the campaign, and he forewent his own public financing in the primaries after getting a loan, based on the idea that he might take public financing." ... "This is not a guy who is a reformer. He talks about change, and he makes a big deal about not being like [Republican President] Bush when in fact he is Bush. He voted for Bush's tax cuts after saying he didn't, and has been responsible for a $6 trillion national debt that our children are going to have to pay. He thinks we ought to stay in Iraq for 100 years. He thought it was great that the president vetoed health care for our kids under 18. This is four more years of George Bush, and I don't think the American people are going to buy it."

-NationalJournal/OnAir

20080207

Kids - Health - Safety - Corporate - Government - Animals - Agriculture - Law - Enforcement - Politics - California - Human - Undercover - Video - "USDA's oversight of meat safety criticized." ... "The USDA [United States Department of Agriculture] announced this week that it was shutting down operations at a Chino[California]-based meat producer, after hidden camera video showed workers there using various inhumane methods to force "downer" -- or non-ambulatory -- cattle to their feet and into the slaughter box." ... "Now, in the wake of the video's release and the agency's response, food industry insiders are questioning just how reliable the USDA's inspection process is. The incidents recorded at Hallmark Meat Packing occurred under the noses of eight on-site USDA inspectors." ... ""We rely on a system, and the system dropped the ball," said Dean Cliver, a food safety expert who has served in advisory roles with the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture. "Somebody ought to be asking some questions."" ... "Cattle that are unable to walk are banned from use as human food because they show a higher occurrence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease." ... "Westland Meat Co.[Company], Hallmark's distributor and a ground beef supplier for the National School Lunch Program, has voluntarily halted operations, and school district officials around the country pulled suspect beef from lunch menus." -By Victoria Kim -LAtimes

20080204

Child - Soldier - War Criminal - Canadian - Afghanistan - Cuba - Guantanamo - Prison - US - Criminal - Justice - Politics - "U.S. says no one too young for Guantanamo court." ... "A Canadian accused of killing a U.S. [United States] soldier in Afghanistan should not be tried as a war criminal because he was a child soldier for al Qaeda, too young to voluntarily join its forces, his military defense lawyer told a U.S. war court on Monday." ... "Navy [Lieutenant] Lt. William Kuebler asked a military judge to throw out the charges against Canadian defendant Omar Khadr, who was shot and captured at age 15 in a firefight at a suspected al Qaeda compound in Afghanistan in 2002." ... ""He is a victim of al Qaeda, not a member of al Qaeda," Kuebler said." ... "But a U.S. Department of Justice attorney [under Republican President Bush], arguing for the prosecution, said that if Congress intended to exclude juveniles from the Guantanamo war court [in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba], it would have explicitly written that, because lawmakers knew Khadr could face charges. Instead, Congress wrote the law using the term "person," which legally refers to "anyone born alive," Justice Department attorney Andy Oldham said." (1, 2) -By Jane Sutton with contributions by Tom Brown and Alan Elsner -Reuters
Babies - Health - Corporate - Manufacturers - Los Angeles - California - Washington - "Study finds high levels of chemicals in infants using baby cosmetics: Babies exposed to lotion, shampoo and powder had more than four times the level of phthalates in their urine as those whose parents had not used the products. Previous research found that the substances altered the children’s hormones." ... "Infants and toddlers exposed to baby lotions, shampoos and powders carry high concentrations of hormone-altering chemicals in their bodies that might have reproductive effects, according to a new scientific study of babies born in Los Angeles [California] and two other U.S. [United States] cities." ... "The research, to be published today in the medical journal Pediatrics, found that as the use of baby care products rose, so did the concentration of phthalates, which are used in many fragrances." ... "The lead scientist in the study, Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana of the University of Washington's Department of Pediatrics, said the findings suggested that many baby care products contain a variety of phthalates that enter children's bodies through their skin." ... "Manufacturers do not list phthalates as ingredients on labels, so it is unknown which products contain them." ... "In their report, the scientists advised parents who want to reduce their baby's exposure to stop using lotions and powders unless their doctors recommend them for medical reasons. They also suggested limiting use of shampoos and other products. Many adult lotions and other personal care products also contain phthalates." -By Marla Cone -LAtimes

20080203

Poor - Children - Health - Energy - Money - Politics - Government - Debt - "President's Spending Plan Would Rival 2004 Deficit." ... "The more than $3 trillion federal budget for 2009 that [Republican President] Bush will unveil is his final opportunity to shape the priorities of the government before leaving office a year from now." ... "But even in the unlikely event that he were to get his way, the budget deficit would jump sharply, from $163 billion in 2007 to about $400 billion in 2008 and 2009 -- partly the result of the new economic stimulus plan. Such deficits would rival the record deficit of $412 billion of 2004 [under the Republican controlled Congress], though administration allies argue that shortfalls of that size now represent a smaller share of the overall economy and are thus more manageable." ... "Alice M. Rivlin, who served [Democratic] President Bill Clinton as budget director, pointed out that [Republican President] Bush "inherited a very large surplus," but his "legacy from a fiscal point of view is having blown an opportunity to ameliorate the long-run budget deficits."" ... "Among the reductions are more than $1 billion to programs run by the Administration for Children and Families, including a $280 million hit to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, a block grant program that helps the poor pay heating and air-conditioning bills." ... "The budget plan argues for a $500 million reduction in the Social Services Block Grant program, which helps states protect children from neglect and abuse, and pay for day care, adoption, health services, foster care and other services for children and families." ... "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would lose more than $430 million, including $27 million from its efforts to detect and control infectious diseases, and $28 million from chronic disease prevention and health promotion. A $301 million program that trains 4,700 pediatricians and pediatric specialists at children's teaching hospitals also would be eliminated, at a time when pediatric specialties, such as rheumatology and pulmonology, face critical shortages." (1, 2) -By Michael Abramowitz and Jonathan Weisman with contributions by Maria Glod, Spencer Hsu, Christopher Lee, Josh White and Robin Wright -WashingtonPost

20080123

John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - South Carolina - Economic - Family - Farmers - Jobs - Internet - 2008 Election - "Edwards jabs Clinton for leaving SC." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards said South Carolina voters should question [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Rodham Clinton's commitment to the state since she left in the run-up to the state's primary." ... ""After the debate, she flew out and she's been gone and she won't be back until I don't know - later in the week or until primary day," Edwards told a crowd of about 150 people in this small city on Wednesday. "What are the chances she's coming back when she's president of the United States?"" ... "A South Carolina native and son of a mill worker, he stresses themes focused on the middle class and an economic plan that would bring help to family farmers, and jobs and broadband Internet connections to rural areas." -By Susanne M. Schafer -AssociatedPress

20080122

John Edwards - South Carolina - Workers - Economy - 2008 Election - Health-Care - Kids - Education - "Edwards gets union support, details $1.5B plan for SC." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Tuesday won the endorsement of one of South Carolina's largest unions [the Communications Workers of America] as he gave details of an economic plan his campaign said would offer his native state's struggling economy $1.5 billion in relief." ... ""Our country is no longer on the brink of a recession. I think we're in one," Edwards said during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, a day after a testy debate between the Democratic candidates." ... ""I was proud to represent the grown-up wing of the Democratic Party," he told the cheering crowd." ... ""When all those kinds of personal attacks are going on, it doesn't do a thing to help somebody get health care who doesn't have it," Edwards said. "It doesn't do a thing to help our kids get the education they need. We have work to do in this country."" ... ""There's a disconnect between Washington and the government paying attention to what's happening in real people's lives, as opposed to just paying attention to what's happening on Wall Street," he said." ... ""You watch what [Republican President] George Bush does he just waits and waits and waits and then by the time the water's coming in like a flood, he responds, which is exactly what he's done about the economy," Edwards said. "A month ago I said we had to do something about this and still be he waited and waited."" -By Bruce Smith with contributions by Jim Davenport -AP via-AJC

20080114

John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - Government - Economy - Workers - Families - Alternative Energy - Consumer - 2008 Election - "Responding to Recession." ... "On the Democratic side, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards, although never the front-runner, has been driving his party’s policy agenda. He’s done it again on economic stimulus: last month, before the economic consensus turned as negative as it now has, he proposed a stimulus package including aid to unemployed workers, aid to cash-strapped state and local governments, public investment in alternative energy, and other measures." ... "Last week [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton offered a broadly similar but somewhat larger proposal. (It also includes aid to families having trouble paying heating bills, which seems like a clever way to put cash in the hands of people likely to spend it.) The Edwards and Clinton proposals both contain provisions for bigger stimulus if the economy worsens." ... "And you have to say that Mrs. Clinton seems comfortable with and knowledgeable about economic policy. I’m sure the Hillary-haters will find some reason that’s a bad thing, but there’s something to be said for presidents who know what they’re talking about." ... "The [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama campaign’s initial response to the latest wave of bad economic news was, I’m sorry to say, disreputable: Mr. Obama’s top economic adviser claimed that the long-term tax-cut plan the candidate announced months ago is just what we need to keep the slump from “morphing into a drastic decline in consumer spending.” Hmm: claiming that the candidate is all-seeing, and that a tax cut originally proposed for other reasons is also a recession-fighting measure — doesn’t that sound familiar?" ... "Anyway, on Sunday Mr. Obama came out with a real stimulus plan. As was the case with his health care plan, which fell short of universal coverage, his stimulus proposal is similar to those of the other Democratic candidates, but tilted to the right." ... "I know that Mr. Obama’s supporters hate to hear this, but he really is less progressive than his rivals on matters of domestic policy." -By Paul Krugman -NYTimes

20080111

John Edwards - Peoples - Families - Lawyer - Corporate - Government - Drug Companies - Health Care - 2008 Election - "Corporate elite fear candidate Edwards." ... "Ask corporate lobbyists which presidential contender is most feared by their clients and the answer is almost always the same -- [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Democrat John Edwards." ... "His stump speeches are peppered with attacks on "corporate greed" and warnings of "the destruction of the middle class."" ... "He accuses lobbyists of "corrupting the government" and says Americans lack universal health care because of "drug companies, insurance companies and their lobbyists."" ... "An Edwards campaign spokesman said on Thursday that inside-the-Beltway operatives who fight to defend the powerful and the privileged should be afraid." ... ""The lobbyists and special interests who abuse the system in Washington have good reason to fear John Edwards." ... ""Once he is president, the interests of middle class families will never again take a back seat to corporate greed in Washington," said campaign spokesman Eric Schultz." ... "Open attacks on the business elite are seldom heard from mainstream White House candidates in America, despite skyrocketing CEO pay, rising income inequality, and a torrent of scandals in corporate boardrooms and on Wall Street." (1,2, 3) -By Kevin Drawbaugh with contributions by John Wallace -Reuters

20080108

John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Families - Health-Care - Drug - Corporations - Multinationals - US - Jobs - California - New Hampshire - 2008 Election - "Edwards focuses on health in final campaign push." ... "[2008 Election Democratic President] John Edwards appealed to the emotions of New Hampshire voters in his final campaign push last night by bringing on stage with him three families who had suffered from lack of health care." ... "On a 36-hour non-stop, marathon bus tour round New England, he put health care at the core of his message." ... "At a rally in Elk Lodge, Dover [New Hampshire], he lambasted health insurance firms and drug companies, as well as multinationals who have transferred US jobs overseas. "The powerful interests in Washington have an iron-clad clasp on your democracy," he said." ... "The families with him included a mother, Hilda Sarkisyan, whose 17-year-old daughter Natalie died from cancer on December 20 in California after an insurance company failed to pay up for a liver transplant that could have saved her." ... "Edwards said: "This should never happen in the United States of America. Things have to change."" ... "Hillary Clinton's team accused him of exploiting the families. Edwards, who has been outspoken in criticism of Clinton, retorted that the Clinton campaign had "no conscience"." -By Ewen MacAskill -Guardian.co.uk

20080107

US Immigrant - Women - Children - Politics - Sacramento - California - US - Mexico - "Abused immigrant spouses may face deportation: U.S. [United States] rethinks its policy of letting them remain here in certain cases." ... "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is re-examining a longtime policy [Violence Against Women Act visas] to let immigrant spouses remain here when their abusive U.S. citizen or permanent-resident spouses refuse to help them obtain legal status." ... "Ana Bertha Arellano, who runs her own Sacramento [California's capital] restaurant and cleans offices all night as a janitor, fears a change in that policy would destroy the safe life she's been struggling to build for herself and her children." ... "Without that protection, Arellano could end up deported by the same U.S. officials who agreed to shelter her from abuse six years ago and legally stay here on a special provisional visa." ... ""I have my own health insurance. I don't take any aid for anything. I don't want anything else but a chance to have some stability for my family," said Arellano, 37, one of the thousands of immigrants, many mothers of U.S.-born children, who could be affected if the policy shifts." ... "Arellano's story, like many, begins with marriage to a husband she loved and with whom she had two children, both born here. But her husband, a permanent resident of the United States, never filed papers to sponsor her for permanent residency, she said." ... "After they were married, she said he told her to cross the border from Mexico illegally in 1997, saying he would submit their application once she got here." ... "Instead, she said, he used her undocumented status to prevent her from complaining about his subsequent beatings and verbal taunts." ... "Beth Hassett, executive director of Women Escaping a Violent Environment, which counsels battered women in Sacramento County, predicted that a hard-line policy will cause immigrant women to remain in violent relationships if coming forward leaves them vulnerable to deportation." (1, 2) -By Susan Ferriss -SacBee.com
John Edwards - New Hampshire - Iowa - North Carolina - California - Teenager-