May 2013
24 posts
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Lawmakers still no closer to answering questions...
WASHINGTON - With major provisions of the new health care law set to kick in on Jan. 1, Republicans Monday warned of impending insurance premiums hikes, while Democrats said that was an overreaction, leaving consumers and insurers with no clear answer.
Insurance subsidies, cost-sharing mechanisms and provisions designed to slow the growth of health care costs are housed in the Affordable Care...
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GOP efforts to repeal 'Obamacare' all politics
The Republican Party is stuck on a merry-go-round — instead of ponies to go round on, the GOP uses “Obamacare” repeal votes.
Today marks the 37th vote to repeal all or part of President Barack Obama’s health care law. (The Washington Post has an excellent round-up of the first 36 votes.) The vote is now a political exercise in vanity even House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said health care reform...
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Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Erdogan visits...
Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Erdogan will meet with President Barack Obama Thursday on the Syrian crisis.
Bordering Syria, Turkey has a major stake in finding a solution to the crisis. Thousands of refugees have fled across the border into Turkey and a bombing in Turkey that killed 50 has been said to have been carried out by Syrian intelligence.
Erdogan visit signifies the U.S. and its allies...
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Why the IRS scandal might be a good thing for...
A scandal for the political party in power is almost always bad news. This time could be different for the Democrats, though, because of the force with which President Barack Obama and his allies on Capitol Hill have responded.
Internal Revenue Service workers inappropriately targeted conservative groups who sought to be tax-exempt, particularly those with the words “tea party” or “patriot” in the...
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U.S. schools vs. Shanghai schools
WASHINGTON - As Congress examines ways our nation’s education system can be reformed, some experts are looking to what other countries are doing to see if those tactics can be used in U.S. schools.
Shanghai was one of the nations researchers focused on in three reports released Tuesday by the Center for American Progress.
The Program for International Student Assessment ranked Shanghai as...
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Obama: Republican outrage on Benghazi a "sideshow"
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Monday called Republican outrage over last year’s attack in Benghazi a political “sideshow.”
“We’ve got a whole bunch of people in the State Department who consistently say, ‘You know what, I’m willing to step up, I’m willing to put myself in harm’s way because I think that this mission is important in...
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Opposition for oppositions' sake
President Barack Obama begins another jobs tour this week. On this trip he is highlighting new efforts to boost advanced manufacturing in the country, according to reports from The Washington Post and The New York Times.
The trip stems from a new executive order the president issued mandating more transparency and better data-sharing between government and the private sector. The order is targeted...
Congress holds first hearing on Boston Marathon...
WASHINGTON — “See something, say something” was the theme of the first hearing on the Boston bombings held by the House Committee on Homeland Security Thursday.
Former Sen. Joseph Lieberman called on leaders and members of Muslim-American communities to better serve the U.S. by “identifying early stages of radicalization.”
Lieberman argued that the Boston Marathon victims might have been...
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South Korean president: Nuclear-armed North Korea...
WASHINGTON — South Korea President Park Geun-hye brought her tough talk to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, declaring her nation would not tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea.
Any violent intent from her northern neighbor would be “met decisively,” Park said.
She took efforts, though, to note that her nation wants peaceful resolution to the current tensions. “I will remain steadfast in...
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“Until the aftermath of Benghazi, I loved every day of my job.”
– Benghazi Witness who testified Wednesday at the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform
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The rapidly shifting public opinion on gay...
Delaware legalized same-sex marriage Tuesday. Rhode Island did the same late last week. That brings the total number of states permitting such partnerships to 11.
Just under a decade ago, in the 2004 elections, 11 states put gay marriage ban propositions on the ballot. All 11 of them passed. But, oh, how times change.
Maryland, Minnesota and Maine all passed ballot propositions allowing gay...
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OFA volunteers lobby Sen. Mark Warner on...
On Tuesday morning, a group of five volunteers with Organizing for Action met with a representative from the office of Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) in support of the immigration reform bill currently working its way through the Senate.
The group’s coordinator, Marilyn Karp, a resident of Virginia’s Prince William County, is a Neighborhood Team Leader with OFA, which means she’s tasked with...
Demi Lovato helps kick off Mental Health Awareness...
As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recognized singer Demi Lovato for her work as a mentor to adolescents with mental health conditions Tuesday.
Lovato is extremely outspoken about her struggles with bipolar disorder, bulimia and self-injury and has seen an overwhelming flow of support from her fans, as well as her peers. During...
SEC Chair defends budget proposal
Newly appointed SEC Chair Mary Jo White said its proposed budget is essential in moving forward with the regulation and oversight that is required by the Dodd-Frank Act in a hearing with the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommitee Tuesday.
The fiscal year 2014 budget requests $1.7 billion. This would be a 27 percent increase from last year, and a 33 percent increase...
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Debate over federal government's role in education...
The debate on what role the federal government should play in state and local levels regarding education continues to be a debate.
As Congress examines the reauthorization of the Education and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).
“Congress needs to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as soon as possible, providing all schools and students with relief from the broken, outdated...
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Gay and lesbian wedding expo comes to the Capital
WASHINGTON—Hundreds of same-sex couples are expected to check out Sunday’s 4th Annual Same Love, Same Rights Gay and Lesbian Wedding Expo.
The expo will feature gay and gay-friendly vendors in a welcoming environment where couples can plan their weddings without having to “translate” themselves, said Marianne Puechl of RainbowWeddingNetwork.com, the expo’s organizer.
Couples “don’t have to explain...
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Forcing the GOP House majority's hand on...
In this morning’s The Washington Post’s Morning Fix, Chris Cillizza penned an insightful analysis of immigration reform vs. a grand bargain on the nation’s debt. To sum up his argument, immigration reform is much easier to find common ground on because it isn’t the Republican Party’s signature issue and changing demographics make inaction on something this significant politically perilous...
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Congressional Democrats get good news in midterm...
An interesting Quinnipiac University poll, which I first noticed in Politico, was released this morning and showed favorable numbers for Congressional Democrats in next year’s elections. The poll showed 41 percent of people saying they would vote Democrat if the midterms were held today while 37 percent would vote Republican.
This runs contrary to the famed “six-year itch” — the idea that...
April 2013
79 posts
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Obama talks Syria, Boston bombings, Guantanamo Bay...
President Barack Obama, marking the first 100 days of his second term, answered questions Tuesday in his first press conference since March 1.
The highlights:
SYRIA AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS - Obama said if the U.S. establishes that Syria used chemical weapons, it would be a “game changer” and the U.S. would consider options that they might not otherwise have used.
“Clearly that would be an...
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Environmental education vs. sustainability
Some may think there isn’t a difference between environmental education and sustainability education, but many experts would say there is.
“While related in many ways, the two are different,” said Sarah Kozicki, education program coordinator at the National Environmental Education Foundation. Its website defines environmental education as teaching “children and adults how to learn about and...
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White House releases simplified insurance form,...
The White House released a simplified insurance form, the Associated Press reported Tuesday morning. This is the latest development in efforts to ensure health care reform is on track.
Different reports have emerged detailing the shaky start that “Obamacare” might have, including articles from Politico and The New York Times. Medill News Service has taken a close look at the employer mandate for...
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“We make no bones that we are recruiting people to help fulfill Canada’s...”
– Neil Yeates, Canadian Deputy Minister, Citizenship and Immigration. Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Tuesday, he said the “main thrust” of Canada’s immigration system is a points regime aimed at pulling in skilled labor.
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Baucus retirement makes uphill climb for GOP...
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., announced Tuesday he will not seek re-election in 2014, making it much harder for the Democrats to hold onto the Senate. That makes six Democratic senators who are retiring, with three from key red and swing states.
Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, Tim Johnson, D-S.D., and Jay Rockefeller, D-W.V., are also retiring. Each state represents a pick-up opportunity for Republicans....
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Baucus won’t seek re-election in 2014
Sen. Max Baucus, the Democrat from Montana who is chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, will not seek re-election in 2014, his colleagues said Tuesday.
Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said Baucus has “indicated” his decision to retire after 36 years in the Senate.
Baucus will become the sixth Senate Democrat to announce a departure after the 2014 elections. Two Republicans...
“We cannot use the atmosphere as a CO2 garbage can.”
– Wallace Broecker, a geochemist and member of the National Academy of Science. He was featured as a panelist at the “Energizing Media Coverage of Energy Issues” discussion held at the National Press Club Tuesday afternoon.
Boston Bombing: Spotlight On Federal Public... →
He may be one of the most hated men in America. But Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is getting legal counsel from an office led by one of the nation’s most respected public defenders, Miriam Conrad.
Boston bomber’s public defender is a Medill grad
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Both parties come together to introduce...
A rare sight to see - eight senators on both sides of the political spectrum came together agreeing it was imperative to redesign the “failed” immigration system and to ensure stronger borders and a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented people currently living in the U.S.
“We have recognized that most people who have crossed our borders illegally came here for the same...
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Senators sound off about gun vote results on...
Senate ignored will of the people & rejected background checks. Im not giving up. Constituents will know they obeyed gun lobby and not them.
— Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) April 17, 2013
Things Senators who voted against Manchin-Toomey cannot say today: “Of course I don’t want criminals to have guns…”
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 18,...
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N. Korean refugee and trafficking victim: ‘I pray that God and the whole world would judge the regime that doesn’t care for its own people’
— Meghan Anne Bunchman (@MissBunchman) April 18, 2013
(Quote via Esther Choe, N. Korean refugee and human trafficking victim)
-Meghan Bunchman, Medill News Service
“It’s hard to make a case that these policies are working.”
– Stanford Economist John Taylor before Congress Thursday on the failures of the Federal Reserves current monetary policies.
Megan Hickey, Medill News Service
WatchDr. Adam Posen gives an impromptu harmonica performance while waiting to testify at a Joint Economic Committee hearing on the Federal Reserve on Thursday morning.
Posen served on the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee and is an expert on Japan.
-Megan Hickey, Medill News Service
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Nebraska senator, Secretary of Education discuss...
WASHINGTON—A Nebraska senator says he’s fed up with his state continuing to be “written off” from educational incentive programs like Race to the Top.
Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Nebraska, told the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, that although Nebraska has a high education standard, it still doesn’t qualify for Race to the Top.
The Obama administration implemented the program...
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“I don’t want to spend the next year coming up here and talking about...”
– Secretary of State John Kerry at the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Wednesday.
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McCain undeterred by criticism of immigration bill
WASHINGTON—Hours after details of the Senate’s comprehensive immigration bill were released, Republican “Gang of Eight” member Sen. John McCain of Arizona responded to critics of the proposed reforms he and seven other senators have spent months negotiating.
Criticism of the bill means he and the rest of the bipartisan group are “in the right place,” McCain said. “We expect...
