Tag Archives: republicans

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TGIF … and the News too


Today, Birth Control Pills turn 50. It’s Friday and the Month of May but it feels more like winter to me.  It’s cold out here in the 206, though the sun is great when it does come out … that will be later today.  It’s another day to be still stay calm …  slowly breathe in through your nose and slowly breathe out through your mouth and repeat …

Hey! don’t forget your MOM this weekend…

There are a lot of strange things going on with not only the weather and it impacts us all.

Yesterday, and i know it will continue because the crazy seems rampant but listening to politicians and lawmakers We the People actually voted into office proposing things like stripping away citizenship, national id’s, no amnesty, complaining about the small things like how potential terrorists almost got away; 9/11 transformed the US a new world and in case people have forgotten we had both international and homegrown terrorists  …where were these folks during all 8 years of the house of Bush and the crap that went on.   The vast conspiracy comments from people in,out or who were in office in the past; like Michael Brown ex-Fema loser… very disturbing.  How many people want a National ID?  i don’t … i still have no idea what Reasonable Suspicion means and what does an illegal look like anyway …

We need comprehensive immigration reform that includes a beefed up border patrol, a way to make Corporations stop hiring undocumented workers but give those who have been here a path to citizenship… whether people will admit it or not the impact on certain parts of our economy will be enormous and deserves serious efforts to finally be reformed.

The jobs numbers came out this morning and while the unemployment rate jumped to 9.9% there was an increase in job gain in the Private Sector by 290thousand, which is definitely a positive considering where we were 2 years ago.  The massive loss of jobs of over 700thousand was stunning and now things seem to be getting better and the over all outlook of our future is on the right track.

Other News …

**Yesterday 2 Republicans voted with Democrats regarding a consumer protection agency

**Airports in Ireland have been closed…the ash plume has grown;western Irish area airports

**New clashes in Greece in response to the austerity bill passing

**Germany to grant credit to Greece almost 29.

**Taylor Swift has donated $500thousand to help with Nashville recovery

**The Obama administration is preparing to revive a civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Moscow that then-President George W. Bush angrily canceled two years ago after Russia invaded Georgia, administration officials said Thursday.

**reports of a money courier is still being sought in the NYC bombing attempt

**Recall on Lettuce in 23 States/19 ill …the recall is for any lettuce from: Freshway Foods of Sydney ,Ohio… lettuce was sold in Alabama, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.



C-SPAN …

5/6

watch Newsmakers: Sen. Durbin

watch Defense Dept. Briefing

watch White House Briefing

watch Panel 1 watch Panel 2 watch Panel 3 read Reuters: U.S. was ill-prepared for crisis FCIC

watch Sec. Napolitano Briefing

watch Spkr. Pelosi Briefing

2010 White House Correspondents’ Dinner

5/7

April Unemployment rises to 9.9%: 290,000 jobs created

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today that the unemployment rate for April edged up to 9.9% but that 290,000 jobs were created. Later today, Pres. Obama will comment on the jobs figures and then the Joint Economic Cmte. will hold a hearing on the employment numbers.

read BLS April: Employment Situation Summary
read BLS April Full Employment Report
watch Jt. Econ. Cmte: c-span.org at 9:30am ET
watch Pres. Obama: C-SPAN at 11am ET
read AP: Economy adds 290,000 jobs

Senate Dems beat back GOP alternative

The Senate continues debate today on amendments to the financial reform bill. No further votes are expected until next week. Yesterday, an amendment by Sen. Shelby (R-AL) was defeated 38 to 61; it would have created a new consumer protection agency within the FDIC. Sen. Maj. Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has urged lawmakers to keep debate to a minimum, saying, “I can’t spend 24 hours on one amendment and accommodate people here.”

hung parliament in U.K., Brown to stay as P.M. for now

BBC exit polls show a hung parliament in the U.K. elections race. Today, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stated he is willing to meet with the other two candidates to find “common ground” and form a coalition government. He also called for immediate legislation to have a “fairer voting process.” David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party, says Brown’s Party has lost its mandate to govern. Mr. Cameron will make a statement at 9:30am (ET).

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

ThinkProgress.org …


UNDER THE RADAR

MEDIA — SAUDI-FUNDED FOX NEWS REJECTS AD ARGUING AGAINST MIDDLE EAST OIL DEPENDENCE: Last week, the progressive veterans organization VoteVets released an ad arguing that “a clean energy climate plan would cut our dependence on foreign oil in half and cut oil profits for hostile nations.” The ad features a bedside alarm clock displaying an increasing dollar figure to symbolize the millions of dollars the U.S. spends making hostile countries like Iran “richer selling oil around the world and peddling hate.” While CNN and MSNBC both aired the ad, Fox News refused to, claiming the ad was “too confusing.” There is nothing confusing about the ad. In fact, VoteVets assertion that hostile nations profit from American dependence on foreign oil is based on a Progress Report analysis that finds that a strong cap on carbon would result in Iran losing $1.8 trillion of oil revenue over the next forty years — or more than $100 million a day. “If the world moves away from oil dependence, Iran’s regime will no longer be able to rely on petrodollars to stay afloat,” the Wonk Room’s Brad Johnson wrote. In a statement to The Progress Report, Richard Smith, a senior adviser to VoteVets who served in Afghanistan, said, “The only confusing thing here is why FOX News would reject an ad that calls on Congress to defund our enemies by finding new sources of energy.” While Fox News’ motivation for rejecting the ad is unclear, Media Matters notes that the network has consistently spread misinformation on clean energy reform. Interestingly, the largest stockholder outside the family of CEO Rupert Murdoch is Saudi oil tycoon Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who owns a 7 percent stake in Fox News’ parent company News Corp. But Murdoch himself has supported a mandatory cap on carbon emissions and said he believes Fox News ought to cover the issue differently.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

aflcio.org


Together we’re breaking the powerful grip Wall Street bankers and their high-paid lobbyists have on Washington. Our message is powerful and simple:

Good Jobs Now! Wall Street Must Pay.

Last week, mere hours before we rallied and marched on Wall Street, the Senate overcame Republican obstructionism and brought us closer than ever to meaningful Wall Street reform.

Meanwhile, the most elite Wall Street investment bank of them all, Goldman Sachs, is facing a criminal investigation, compounding its already substantial legal problems. As a result, Goldman stock has plummeted, costing executives millions—small consolation for those out of work, but a start.

The last few months have been amazing, as across the country union members, leaders and allies in the movement have taken our message to the street and to the Wall Street banks that cost us billions of dollars and millions of jobs.

Last week’s rally on Wall Street, with more than 10,000 marching in person and more than 35,000 joining online, was a powerful event, making it clear we will not be taken for granted. Together we are making a difference. What’s NEXT in our fight for good jobs?

1) Text: REFORM to 225568 to join our Wall Street rapid action network. Wall Street must pay to rebuild our economy and create jobs to replace the millions it helped destroy.

2) Ensure the Senate passes meaningful Wall Street reform. We overcame a huge hurdle last week, but many more remain and the next few weeks are critical, as opponents of reform will be fighting with all their power to weaken the Wall Street reform bill on the Senate floor. Contact your senator now and take action.

3) Keep on marching and rallying. Marching and rallying. We can’t slow down. We can’t stop taking our message of Good Jobs Now! Wall Street Must Pay to the rich and powerful. In two weeks we will rally and march here in DC to make sure the banks and their K Street lobbyists hear your message.

For more pictures and stories from our march and rally on Wall Street, visit our blog.

In solidarity,

Marc Laitin
AFL-CIO Online Mobilization Coordinator

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

ThinkProgress.org …


UNDER THE RADAR

RADICAL RIGHT — CONSERVATIVES TOUT CONSPIRACY THEORY THAT OBAMA WANTED OIL SPILL: Yesterday, former Bush-appointed FEMA director Michael Brown — infamous for severely mismanaged the federal response to Hurricane Katrina — accused the Obama administration of playing politics with the oil spill, claiming that the growing catastrophe is “exactly what they want.” Brown said that the President sought to use the disaster to “pander to the environmentalists,” and even suggested  that he intentionally delayed the administration’s response in order to allow the spill to worsen. Brown’s charge, which ignores the fact that every branch of government had been engaged in managing or investigating the crisis for at least a week, follows a spate of similar right-wing conspiracy theories about the incident. As the disaster caused by the explosion became more apparent last week, right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh suggested that someone intentionally blew up the rig in order to “head off more oil drilling.” By yesterday morning the meme had found a home on Fox and Friends, where former Bush press secretary Dana Perino said she was “not trying to introduce a conspiracy theory” before asking, “But was this deliberate?” Later in this show, host Steve Doocy asked Fox Business’ Eric Bolling to respond to people who have suggested that “there’s a possibility this could be sabotage.” Citing Perino, Bolling engaged in conspiracy speculation, asking “did they let it leak a little bit and say, ‘boy I don’t know?’ I mean, the conspiracy theorists would say, maybe they let it leak for a while and then they address the issue.” Until Limbaugh and Fox News’ recent speculation, such oil spill truther theories had appeared only on fringe websites. And while federal investigators are not ruling out any possible causes, the President of BP America himself blamed the disaster on “a failed piece of equipment.”