Category Archives: ~ my 2cents …

~ my 2cents ...

hump -day &some News


If not now -when

It is mid-week and while today is a big day for Americans… General McChrystal firing or not, US vs Algeria in soccer, financial regulation talks are drawing near an end and a bipartisan group will consider a comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation, the Senate will debate consider HR4213 with votes throughout the day. The question is will it be for We the People or for Corporations.

In addition, while talking heads stir up the public, stating the image of the President is at risk if he does not fire McChrystal. Some feel this President will need to weigh the odds against the needs for a good general in the war and or his image. The question is not how this President will look in the end it’s whether this general is that important to the mission of the war itself, though many feel this war is one we should be getting out of now.

The importance of the chain of command is definitely an element this guy forgot to consider and with all that being said the reporter stated something that was far more  important to hear – that McChrystal had plans to ask for more soldiers, quite possibly wanting to stay in Afghanistan, which was not on the agenda. The war in Afghanistan is not going well, the way forward should change because as stated by some soldiers they have been restrained to fight in a certain way and begs the question is it worth the deaths of so many civilians and soldiers in what seems like an unending war? With what progress and for an area that has posers at any given day. maybe the location should change maybe admit that it’s Pakistan and yes we have to keep the people who committed 9/11 under fire and out of the business of terrorizing but when it seems Americans are doing all the work the true efforts just seems fruitless.

The end result- The general will resign instead of being fired because a true soldier would accept his punishment and move on and if reports are correct the general left the White House for good, which seems appropriate given the circumstances, comments and the lack of confidence in him after what happened.

Other News …

**5 hardest hit states to get more housing aid/the Obama administration approved Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Nevada will get help to bust the housing bust 1.5billion dollar effort.

**2 deaths have been reported -vessels of opportunity-

**Reports of strikes in China halt auto production in factories by parts suppliers

**Obama admin is making strides for gay rights though many feel it is too slow/progress is being made however slow &without violence

**Doctors are still refusing Medicare/Medicaid patients

C-SPAN …

watch Pres. Obama on Health Care

watch Vice Pres. Biden Remarks

watch Hearing on Iran Sanctions

watch COP Hearing: From Earlier visit COP Website

watch Admiral Allen Daily Oil Spill Update

watch Conf. Meeting: Part 1 watch Conf. Meeting: Part 2

watch Pres. Obama with Cabinet

watch White House Briefing

c-span Today

Lawmakers Discuss Minerals Management Service Reorganization

Earlier in the week, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar swore in Michael Bromwich as the director of the new Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOE), formerly known as the Minerals Management Service. Secretary Salazar discusses the reorganization of the agency, the future of offshore oil drilling regulations and the impact on cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee.

Yesterday, a federal judge overturned the ban on deep water drilling imposed by the Obama administration following the oil spill in the Gulf. The case was brought by several companies that provide support services to oil rigs. In the filing, Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC claimed the suspension on drilling will result in lost jobs and wages in Louisiana. The White House said it planned to appeal the decision.


Gen. McChrystal in Washington to meet with gates and the President

General Stanley McChrystal is in Washington to meet with Sec. of Defense Gates and President Obama to explain his comments from a recently published interview. In the July issue of Rolling Stone, the General and his aides made critical remarks on various Obama administration officials including Afghanistan-Pakistan Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke and Vice President Joe Biden. On Monday, following a Cabinet meeting, President Obama said that Gen. McChrystal used “poor judgment” in his contributions to the article. “I also want to make sure that I talk to him directly before I make any final decisions,” added the President.

Conferees near end of conference as they vote on auto dealers exemption

The House and Senate conferees are moving ahead with financial regulation legislation introducing amendments to the base text under Title VI, which deals with rules for regulating institutions that hold consumer deposits and companies with ownership or controlling interest in banks. Conference Chairman Frank (D-MA) and Senator Dodd (D-CT), who are leading the talks, plan to wrap up debate on the consolidated bill by the end of the week. The leaders hope to have a bill approved by both chambers of Congress and signed into law by President Obama by July 4th.

~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

tentative Tuesday …&some News ~ new hc benefit


Today, our President will announce a new health care benefit that will impact all Americans.

Primary day

If not now   -when

Politicians and the Military who serve the people would be well warned to remember that the consequences of their actions or inaction have an impact that affects all of us.

In our 24/7 news cycle, it brings forth a lot of information that quite frankly seems more  like ugly gossip than anything else and in some instances reporters seem willing to put people at risk and today we hear that our military has started to fight openly, something that is usually classified  is not anymore? gotta say,  it is with great displeasure to know that in order to get the story magazines like the Rolling Stone would go with or without thought that extra mile and get a top military general to talk on or off the record not only about the President and his Administration but about others in the circle and or chain of command.  I am no military expert but it would be a moment that maybe someone would have enough sense to see what the impact would be on everyone including Americans  -it is with great sadness no one said ok this story could have all kinds of repercussions to our security to the security of the guys fighting and quite possibly to the top guys; but no- Rolling Stone found the rogue General was upset enough to talk and say things that will probably end his career though from what i read about McChrystal he seemed very adept at his job though the Obama administration has fought him about his military moves he has on some occasions been right -but was overridden which is probably why he decided to go rogue and talk til it got to the mainland; big big mistake.  Most people, sane people know this behavior is not acceptable by anyone on the lower level let alone those on the top level.  The notion that Rolling Stone made arrangements to do a story then spent over 3months with the general and no one told them that what was being said was off the record? even the comments from eiken berry should have been off the record/classified. The comments made by the General were calculated and  in response to his feelings of being betrayed but no military man should spout off to civilians unless and until he has gone through all the channels needed at the highest level ever -the President and from this mornings reports our President is furious and rightly so.  It’s a tough call -though he seems to have been somebody who had a plan his outbursts are unacceptable and should be dealt with swiftly.

The other odd news …among so many, is that Peter Orszag will be leaving in July and though he has been out of sight for quite sometime since the financial crisis was at its worse; obviously the rumors will be hot and heavy with no end in sight until someone at the WH decides to announce his departure and why. The Tea party has decided…well, reports are that Sarah Palin has given an indian woman and a black man permission to run for office which is strange in and of itself because who anointed Palin with that kind or power.

The BP oil disaster has cast a big shadow on Republicans because it showed exactly what side of any issue about big Corporations they are on and it ain’t with We the People; it’s an issue for me hopefully others will continue to replay the words that Barton, Bachmann Boehner, Paul Rand Sarah Palin have said: they are  corporatist that have probably voted against the people for years and are now being outed by an oil spill that will impact the Gulf Coast for decades and bring that areas businesses to their knees unfortunately. A lawsuit demanding the Feds cancel the moratorium because of all the jobs in limbo has been filed and the judge will decide on Wednesday if it merits.  It seems like a no brainer for a moratorium to be placed in effect until each one is evaluated and relief wells put into place and that 500mil dollar accessory is available so that each well has true safety features.

Other News …

judge says moratorium should end/grants injunction/administration will appeal/judge martin feldman -is a lot of things but should end/will affect unemployment and ripple throughout and damage that cannot undo/he cannot justify the moratoriumthis ruling coming  from a judge from  Alabama and given his position by Ronald Reagan


Fifty-seven percent of residents in Fremont, NE voted Monday to “banish illegal immigrants from jobs and rental homes,” overturning an earlier decision by city leaders. “Within minutes” of its passage, the ACLU in Nebraska “pledged to file a lawsuit” against the ordinance on grounds that it would “cause discrimination and racial profiling.”TP

Under orders from President Obama, the Labor Department is set to “expand the rights of gay workers by allowing them to take family and medical leave to care for sick or newborn children of same-sex partners.” Those who work for a company with 50 or more employees are entitled to 12 weeks of unpaid leave “to care for a newborn or for a spouse, son or daughter with ‘a serious health condition.'”TP

Sixty-five percent of Americans support President Obama’s temporary moratorium on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, a New York Times/CBS News poll found. “Overwhelmingly, Americans think the nation needs a fundamental overhaul of its energy policies, and most expect alternative forms to replace oil as a major source within 25 years,” the poll suggested.TP

“I have great respect for [gays and lesbians].”
— Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, 4/24/10

VERSUS

 

“We can get into the ick factor, but the fact is two men in a relationship, two women in a relationship, biologically, that doesn’t work the same.”

— Huckabee, 6/28/10, quoted in the New Yorker magazine


C-SPAN …

Conferees to address “swipe fees” at todays meeting

The Conference Cmte. on Financial Regulation legislation continues its meeting today. One of the issues under discussion will be fees charged to consumers on debit card “swipe fees”. Other areas of the legislation that will be debated this week include, derivatives trading, a consumer protection agency, an auto dealers exemption on some of the new regulations, and the so called “Volcker rule” which limits banks ability to make trades with their own money.The conference cmte. hopes to finish the bill this week so both chambers can vote on it before the July 4th recess.

Watchdog Questions Secretary Geithner on TARP’s Management

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner makes his fourth appearance before the Congressional Oversight Panel, giving an update on his Department’s handling of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). The Congressionally-created group is charged with supervising how the $700 billion fund is managed and other financial stabilization initiatives proposed by the Obama Administration.
watch COP Hearing on C-SPAN at 10am ET
visit COP Website

Oil Rig Support Services File Lawsuit to Overturn Ban

The federal hold on new deepwater drilling faces its first legal challenge after several companies that provide support services to oil rigs filed a lawsuit to overturn the moratorium. In the filing, Hornbeck Offshore Services LLC claims the suspension on drilling will result in lost jobs and wages in Louisiana. A federal judge will decide Wednesday whether to overturn the ban.Kenneth Feinberg, the Independent Claims Facilitator of the $20 billion fund for victims of the spill, is in the Gulf region to begin implementing a plan to dispense funds to victims of the spill. He says the plan will likely be in place in 30 to 45 days, and after that time future claims will be addressed within 30 to 60 days of submission. He and his associates have also started arranging town hall meetings across the region, where people can discuss concerns and learn how to file claims.

~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Weekend …&some News


This week ended in calamity…Well, new information this Saturday afternoon to top off all the nonsense of all things BP and associates have said and or done this last week -a real fU moment to Americans … Apparently, BP CEO Tony Hayward was seen sailing in his yacht getting his life back. Though the Media is trying to tie the President’s & Vice President’s Saturday golf game to the BP person out sailing I have to say ish on it. There had to be a lot to talk about and what better place to say exactly what you want without a live mic on and if a deal needs to be made no one else has access to the information … hey- there are the two of them out there .. In addition, the FBI/Body Guards…if anything makes the airwaves -you know the guilty party. People do use golf for meetings why not think something positive is going on not something negative or self-serving…

I do not agree with any so-called journalist’s comments about where the President should be or how he is handling himself. Where was all this talk and or nonsense when Bush took Americans for an 8yr ride and then ruined our economy the double standard is astonishing, offensive and the whole notion of polls having any meaning is just strange… I didn’t get polled …who got polled and what percentage were Republicans how many were white men or women, were minorities included and what percentage  men and women were included in these polls …

If you were listening to American TV and or radio you would have heard that Tony Hayward stepped down… not so. If you were listening to the BBC and or overseas radio, the fact is he is still in CEO mode but I have a feeling this ceo will no longer be taking the witness stand unless forced and we probably will not see him with a mic in his hand. The other strange things heard on British radio are the overwhelming negative complaints edging on disdain feelings toward our President. These feelings and comments are beyond me since reports and evidence that Americans did want this President to go after BP. The People of the USA wanted the President to get funds for the people on the Gulf Coast. The reports are that the British people feel our President is such an actor that it is making them disrespectful of his intent; which was and still is to make the people on the gulf coast completely whole again. In addition, BP cannot fix the damages they inflicted on the Gulf Coast but they can pay until they fix the economy there. However, if you listened to the folks on radio we seem to be making a mountain of a molehill…that I find absurd. In addition, the little people or small people comment from the British radio folks felt the comment was appropriate, because the spill did hurt the little people.

The British compared the people on the Gulf Coast to the people like Congress and or the President and they make their wages from the water and or the things that help their people. I actually think he said exactly what he meant because it was a comparison made between aristocrats vs. the small people -maybe cable heads asked but I don’t remember the exact answers to it; go figure. I knew exactly what that man meant and it was offensive. I also got the impression that getting real answers will be harder than they were if not more because according to British radio the drama the yelling and screaming from the panel was a joke to them. In addition, when pressured about the lives lost. It seemed like they were sorry but that jobs with risk are just that- risky.

The other wacky and or offensive behavior this week was the lack of cooperation going on in Congress. It was just strange that the House and Senate Democrats either didn’t sync up their votes or didn’t care because major miss-communication went on to the point where major and I mean major progress was lost because of scheduling, planning or just plan ole incompetency. There were major votes that went on this last week and while there were miscues in both Chambers the biggest offensive miscues were the vote for Medicare and Veteran coverage. The doc fix was in line to be voted on after Republicans managed to stall and block HR4213 which, would have helped millions of Americans; but Republicans and a couple of Democrats made a deliberate choice to block a jobs bill.

The Senate finally decided under the max Baucus amendment to help doctors and our Vets; but after the final vote, which passed; politicians started claiming victory for progress. Then, within hours of the vote, journalists were stating the doc fix was too late because the House was not in session until June 21. My first thought was: how could this be, how could they not prepare for a special session to get the fix in before claims would be processed at the lower rate and will definitely cost more for tax payers and providers. The Democratic Party needs to make sure they are available so miscue -votes never happen again. The Democratic Party is supposed to be organized and in control, they need to act like it.

Other News …

The students taping the Democratic Congressman was in error and should have id’ himself and got permission to tape before s–there have been instances of violence toward our politicians and no one can blame D. Bob Etheridge apologies should be given by both sides.

C-SPAN …

In his weekly address, President Obama criticizes congressional Republicans for blocking legislation on a variety of issues including the extension of unemployment benefits, tax credits for first-time homebuyers, and over 100 nominations for federal positions.

watch Pres. Obama’s Weekly Address

~ my 2cents ...

TGIF …&some News


I needed some feeling of peace so the picture on the left is of our I-5 Peace Arch on the Canadian Border.

Last night, the following comments were made after the jobs/tax extenders bill failed in the Senate again 56-40 -“Tonight, every single Republican voted to deny states critical aid that would keep firefighters, police offices and teachers employed,” said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). “And tonight, every single Republican voted to tell the one in ten Americans who have lost their jobs that they are on their own.” Please call your representative in Congress.

We need Congress to walk through a feature like our Arch to bring peace over them and maybe they will all come to the same conclusion… The need to vote yes to the Jobs bill and that  BP is a big Corporation that should be held completely accountable for the BP disaster; lets hope all Americans heard the Barton, Bachmann; cable heads and Boehner comments-   Corporatist-Republicans! The escrow was for We the People and is not a Chicago style take down as suggested. Republican Congressmen like Barton came out in support and the protection of a company that has ruined not only the Gulf Coast, the livelihoods the environment the Marshes, Estuaries and now the beaches in Louisiana are suffering, which may affect every aspect of their economy for decades. Those comments were pulled back by Barton but as I have said, those comments cannot be put back into any bottle and hopefully Americans will not forget or forgive.

The President will be in Ohio to talk and see exactly what the locals are doing with the stimulus money, how many were hired and how can we get more people to work in Ohio as well as other places in the country. Apparently, there are a lot people with negative comments about the stimulus money but I feel if Governors continue to use the stimulus money to balance their budgets and the private sector seems unwilling to open up, the unemployment numbers will continue to dive.

Thank goodness, it is Friday; today, the US plays slovenia… live on cable now. It is definitely a week full of big sports news and some great and not so great news. The Lakers pull one out of their hatsss… in game seven 83-79. I will admit I did not watch the first six games, but game seven started out with the Lakers throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the hoop. The first half really look like the Lakers were going down; looking at the close-ups of the Celtic players told it all they looked tired and very old like a story or two already written for the airwaves and it showed on game seven. As a viewer, watching Kobe and associates miss so many shots at the beginning was irritating  but then I read that somebody was willing to put limbaugh on the Golf Channel -what? Yep he will be getting golf tips on the Haney Project show and well you have to wonder if the ratings are just so bad that they need controversy and more viewers …good luck with that. Watch out for baseball- College World Series …this weekend

Other News …

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently told an Ecuadorian TV network that the Department of Justice “will be bringing a lawsuit” against Arizona over SB-1070, saying President Obama “thinks that the federal government should be determining immigration policy.” The DOJ refused to confirm or deny Clinton’s comments, and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) called the remarks “outrageous.”

THINK FAST

“Liberal Democrats in the Senate are threatening to vote against energy legislation if it does not address global climate change,” the Hill reports. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) “declined to commit” yesterday to including a climate change provision in the bill, and liberals don’t want a repeat of other major bills, which were watered down by concessions to conservatives.


C-SPAN …

watch White House Press Briefing

watch Spkr. Pelosi Briefing

watch Panel 1 watch Panel 2 watch Panel 3

watch Atty. Gen. Holder & FBI Dir. Mueller

Obama Travels to Ohio, New Tax Extenders Bill Evolves in Senate

President Obama travels to Ohio today to mark the groundbreaking of a Columbus road project. He plans to meet with workers, and deliver remarks on the impact of the $787 billion Recovery Act.  This week, the Senate has been working on the Unemployment Extension 2010 Tax Extenders Bill (H.R. 4213). Two procedural motions have been defeated and leadership is now working on a scaled down version of the bill which they hope can pass. Unemployment benefits for up to a million Amerricans expired June 2, meaning that they are without benefits.

BP CEO Tony Hayward Offers Few New Details in Hearing

In his opening testimony yesterday, BP chief executive Tony Hayward said that he was “deeply sorry” over the Gulf oil spill and that the accident “never should have happened.” During the nearly six hour hearing, Mr. Hayward repeatedly claimed that he was not included on many decisions leading up to the Deepwater Horizon rig accident. Later during questions he acknowledged that he wasn’t familiar with the well until it hit oil in early April. The hearing was the CEO’s first appearance before Congress on the disaster. BP America President Lamar McKay, who oversees BP’s U.S. operations, has been its top representative at previous hearings. After a fire Tuesday on a BP vessel capturing oil, BP resumed the containment process, which they announced is capturing more than 15,000 barrels a day. On June 15th, government officials announced the well is leaking between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels a day.  The change was “based on updated information and scientific assessments,” the Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center said.

Commission Scrutinizes Role of Private Security Firms

The federal government has depended on security protection and other services provided by contractors during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, the Commission on Wartime Contracting (CWC) examines if some of the tasks performed by armed and unarmed contractors are inherently governmental duties, such as hostage negotiations and providing security for convoys and bases. The two-day hearing also discusses how the drawdown of U.S. military forces in Iraq will affect the need for private contractors.
~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

thoughtful Thursday &some News


It was very strange and offensive to hear GOP call our President’s achievement as a shake down? how dare anyone in Congress say that; it’s obviously those that have BP investments are complaining …can it get any more offensive. The tragedy is that 11 people died and this Republican as well as many others feel the same way; that it was a shake down.  This is a moment when Republican voters need to see just what side their representatives are on and it ain’t with the people on the Gulf Coast or the Environment because they obviously put Profits above all else.

Today, the BP executive will hopefully have an ugly day while being dragged over the coals by the energy panel. It is with great hope that most of the naysayers will be watching and or listening to Tony Hayward answer the questions Americans all over this country have by giving the people on the Gulf Coast money and their lives back.

The day after our President’s first speech from the Oval Office, the media went right after him. The comments were a strange combination of folks who obviously felt they knew more about what a President should say or gesture, they felt comfortable analyzing him and obviously felt they would not offend the rest of us, who actually support this man. That was so wrong. There were people all over the country cancelling their podcast accounts and turning off left of center talking heads because of the verbal beat down given on cable TV, who in my opinion were overreacting, have had to step back.

Wednesday had some talking heads apologizing; others stated it was not that big of a deal, that it was only a matter of time? The deal was a BFD because no President has ever –ever managed to get this deal made with a Private Sector Company. It is obvious that things were going on while talking head and pundits flap their mouths. It was and is hard to understand that even people left or far left of center, specifically in the Media are not happy until he acts or gestures in the ways in which they want? Even at this moment, it is beyond me to know what that means. The ultimate result is that BP resigned to no cap, get money immediately, no litigation, no guarantee, and this whole was unexpected. I have to ask, is this the end of big corporations being able to say, do and tell government what they will and will not give up in order making a bad thing right? I say with a President like Obama we might be on our way as a country to letting big corporations like BP, Halliburton, and TransOcean know that we will not take it sitting down anymore. It is a moment when big Corporations had to be honest, back down, and accept what the President wanted and the deal offered to BP to take.

It is another day; people on the right have been upsetting a sector of once supportive progressive radio, TV, and internet talkers. The last few weeks the airwaves have been a strange combination of negativity with odd comments about his hand gestures and his PR problems; which translates into listeners turning on the President instead of deciding for themselves. I do not care about the PR problems so-called experts are focusing on or that seem to prefer latching onto silly things like his hand gestures during his speech. There are Americans that hear this language and they use this as ammo against the President.

President Barack Obama and his administration got the job done and all those who want to down play this achievement have little or no respect for what he has done and probably never will respect anything he does for Americans. I do hope that the people on the Gulf Coast understand what a big deal this is and thank him for whatever he had to do while cable heads were throwing stones at him. The comments were offensive to hear and made me and quite a few others want to express our support for this President even more. It is with great hope that Republicans continue to show themselves for whom they are and that voters see that Republicans are in fact the Corporatists’ and this fact is one we should all be very afraid of and fear.

We need to make our Democratic Party understand that We the People want reform, we want to move into the 21st Century; we want change that we can all believe in that 53% voted for means Democrats in Congress need to find the courage to support our President and his agenda or they will be voted out of office.


Other News …

**A Texas lawmaker stated he was embarrassed/sorry to BP for what happened-he called the President/BP agreement a shake down

**Reports are that bill gates/warren buffet have called on others to give at least half of their money to charities

**Banks will be changing how the chrg bank fees…look for big changes; like no more free checking …

**BP cancels dividend payments for the year

**France will raise their retirement age from 60 to 62 starting in 2018

**Toyota will re-start its Mississippi plant

**Israel states it will ease its Gaza blockade

**Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae will delist




C-SPAN …

Debate continues at house-senate conf. on financial regulation

The House-Senate Conference Committee on financial regulation continues its debate on the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010. The 43 committee members, or conferees, are debating sections of the bill related to the creation of a new regulator who would focus on risks to the entire financial system. Also under consideration is a way to provide the government rules to unwind failing financial institutions.

The bill contains 12 major sections and spans almost 2000 pages.

The committee hopes to have a bill approved by both chambers of Congress and signed into law by President Obama by July 4th.

BP CEO: “Spill in the Gulf of Mexico never should have happened and I am deeply sorry”

BP CEO Tony Hayward is in front of the House Subcmte. on Oversight and Investigations to address the Deepwater Horizon explosion and explain “five questionable decisions,” outlined in a letter from Subcmte. Chrmn. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Cmte. Chrmn. Henry Waxman (D-CA). The letter advises Mr. Hayward that he should be prepared to address these issues, as “it appears that BP made decisions that increased the risk of a blowout to save the company time or expense.” He is expected to talk about his meeting yesterday with Pres. Obama, the $20 billion escrow account to pay for damages and lost wages and the continuing efforts to stop the oil spill in the Gulf. In his opening statement, Hse. Energy and Commerce ranking member Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) apologized to BP CEO Hayward and accused the White House of a shakedown on BP. The hearing will be the CEO’s first appearance at a congressional hearing on the disaster. BP America President Lamar McKay, who oversees the BP’s U.S. operations, has been its top representative at previous hearings.

Congress Examines START Treaty, Lawmakers Question Russia’s Long-Term Commitment

Secretaries Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates and Steven Chu, along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mike Mullen, described how various national security programs will be affected by the adoption of a new nuclear arms reduction treaty signed by President Obama and Russian President Medvedev in April. Today’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing focused on the implications of the new START Treaty, which replaces the one signed in 1991 and expired last December.