whitehouse has uploaded President Obama & Prime Minister Shinawatra Joint Press Conference.
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President Obama & Prime Minister Shinawatra Joint Press Conference
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President Obama and Prime Minister Shinawatra of Thailand hold a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand. November 18, 2012
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Here’s a sad fact: Each year millions of American families forgo valuable income when they fail to claim tax credits for which they are eligible. That means that millions of dollars of tax credits go unclaimed every year. Tax credits — including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit (CTC), and Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) — provide an indispensable financial boost to vulnerable women and families struggling to make ends meet. But women and their families have to know about these tax benefits in order to claim them. This is why we need your help to spread the word about tax credits. And this is why we are so delighted to debut our new and improved Tax Credits Outreach Resources. We’ve made it easier than ever for advocates to spread the word about these credits. Our new resources include:
If you work or volunteer with families that are likely eligible for tax credits and/or in a program that supports children and families, you can help get the word out! Simply hanging fliers in classrooms, hallways, and offices, sending them home with young children, or talking about tax credits at parent meetings could make a difference for the families you work with. Be sure to let us know how you’re spreading the word about tax credits, or if there’s anything we can do to help, by emailing Amy Qualliotine at aqualliotine@nwlc.org. Thanks for all that you do to help families learn about tax credits! Sincerely, |
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P.S. If you missed our webinar “Tax Credits Outreach Made Easy: Tips & Tools for Advocates,” you can find a recording of the presentation here. |
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| They’re at it again.
If you saw the President’s press conference today, it’s become clear that the right-wing noise machine has chosen to start to launch smears against potential Obama administration nominees, before they’re even nominated. Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham are already smearing Ambassador Susan Rice, who might be a nominee for Secretary of State. And now, the right is even raising old, debunked Swift Boat attacks against Senator John Kerry. On his FOX News show, last night, Sean Hannity (who never served a day in his life) promised an “investigative” report into Senator Kerry, a decorated Veteran, who volunteered for the war in Vietnam. Let’s put an end to this now. CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION TO FOX NEWS AND SEAN HANNITY According to Hannity, Senator Kerry needs to be “vetted,” and he’s just the guy to do it. In reality, Hannity’s just planning to rehash the Swift Boating that occurred in 2004 – a blatant smearing of a Veteran who served our nation with honor. It’s disgusting. Let’s stop this all of this smearing before it starts. Click here to sign our petition, today. Thanks for your support. Sincerely, |
As the fiscal showdown begins in earnest, Republicans have been trying to at least sound like they’re open to a real compromise on taxing the wealthy. But a closer look at what they’re actually proposing shows that it is no compromise at all. In fact, it’s almost identical to the tax plan none other than Mitt Romney just ran on — and lost.
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) said the president should find common ground by adopting policies “just like Romney suggested.” This ridiculous argument has been echoed by numerous other Republicans, including Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
What Republicans are proposing is to lower tax rates for the wealthy, close some unspecified loopholes, and then through magic expect to get more revenue. Republicans relied on this same sort of magic math to suggest that the Bush tax cuts would result in massive job growth and enough revenue to completely pay off the national debt by 2010. Instead we got massive deficits and the worst job growth in decades.
During a White House press conference today, the president rejected this kind of magical thinking on taxes. Obama derided “dynamic scoring” — the revenue increases that conservatives claim will occur after tax cuts — saying he would oppose any efforts to only “sorta-kinda raise revenue”:
What I will not do is to have a process that is vague, that says we’re going to sorta-kinda raise revenue through dynamic scoring or closing loopholes that have not been identified. And the reason I won’t do that is I don’t want to find ourselves in a position six months from now or a year from now, where low-and-behold, the only way to close the deficit is to sock it to middle-class families.
Watch it:
BOTTOM LINE: We have to address our fiscal problems using math, not magic. President Obama received a mandate from voters to ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share. Instead of trying recycle and repackage their failed plans, it’s time for Republicans to stop holding middle class tax cuts hostage and start making a deal.
Romney tells donors that Obama only won because of “big gifts” to blacks and Latinos.
UN declares access to contraception a “universal human right.”
Is it game over for Grover Norquist?
Weeks after giving $100,000 to American Crossroads, coal company lays off workers.
Failure to extend unemployment insurance could cost 400,000 jobs.
Nancy Pelosi might be Speaker Pelosi again if not for the GOP’s extreme gerrymandering.
Romney co-chair says he would’ve “absolutely” won Wisconsin if the state’s voter ID law hadn’t been struck down.
How the tragic death of an Irish woman who was denied an abortion could become the norm in the U.S.
Most Americans support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
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 In days, Nigeria’s Parliament could approve a $5 billion fine against giant oil polluter Shell and set in motion a law that would hold oil companies to account for the first time ever. The President endorses the penalty, but Big Oil are lobbying MPs like crazy to vote against reform. Our voices can drown them out to win justice for Nigeria’s people. Join the urgent call now!
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In days, Nigeria’s Parliament could approve a $5 billion fine against giant oil polluter Shell for a spill that devastated the lives of millions of people, and pass a law to hold all oil companies to account for polluting and plundering. This is a watershed moment, but unless we all speak out, oil giants will crush it.
Finally, Big Oil is having to pay for the wasteland and violence that they’ve created. President Jonathan supports the Shell fine, and progressive Senators are pushing for strong regulations, but oil companies are slick, and without huge international support MPs could buckle under the pressure.
Politicians are deciding their positions right now — sign the urgent petition for the Nigerian Parliament to fine Shell and support the bill, and then forward this to everyone — when we hit a million signers we’ll bring our unprecedented global call to the steps of Nigeria’s Parliament:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/make_shell_pay_b/?biEWLbb&v=19059
Experts say that every year Big Oil spills as much crude into the Niger Delta as an Exxon Valdez, but as it is Africa, it gets little media play. After a leak occurred at Shell’s Bonga oil facility last December, millions of gallons poured into the ocean and washed up on the densely populated coast — resulting in one of the largest African oil spills ever. The fine and bill on the table are a once in a lifetime chance to stand up to Big Oil.
Oil companies have made $600 billion in the last 50 years in Nigeria, but locals don’t see the benefits. Their land, drinking water and fishing grounds are ruined. And Shell has spent hundreds of millions of dollars a year on security forces, repressing protest against its harmful practices.
The oil industry is crucial to the economy, but companies have never been held to account for the devastation of drilling. Now, the Nigerian President and a few brave MPs are speaking out and they could finally slam the oil giants with tough fines and give fair pay outs to the victims. If we show MPs that the world supports these crucial steps, we can literally change the lives of millions. Click below to sign the urgent petition:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/make_shell_pay_b/?biEWLbb&v=19059
Avaazers have stood up to Big Oil all over the world, from Chevron in Ecuador, to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, to ending fossil fuel subsidies at the Rio Summit. Now let’s do it for Nigeria too. Make sure the politicians send a message to Big Oil: your days of impunity are over.
With hope and determination,
Pascal, Patricia, Alex, Ricken, David, Rewan, and the Avaaz team
Shell Faces $5 Billion Nigeria Fine (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303933704577532723563488122.html
Shell urged to pay Nigeria $5bn over Bonga oil spill (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18875731
Shell’s grip on Nigerian state revealed (The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/08/wikileaks-cables-shell-nigeria-spying
U.N. slams Shell as Nigeria needs biggest ever oil clean-up (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/04/us-nigeria-ogoniland-idUSTRE7734MQ20110804
Nigeria: Oil spill investigations ‘a fiasco’ in the Niger Delta (Amnesty International)
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/nigeria-oil-spill-investigations-fiasco-niger-delta-2012-08-02
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