Daily Democratic Wire 6-16-2009

George Wenschhof

Today, details of financial regulations proposed by President Barack Obama will be discussed - The president will be interviewed by Al Hunt of Bloomberg and John Harwood of CNBC. Both are set to air at 4:00 PM ET today.

One aspect of the new financial regulations, is the proposal to establish a new consumer protection agency for finance. It would cover deceptive mortgages, credit cards, and other financial products. Expect cries from Republicans of more big government. CNN.com has more here.

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Iran Guardian Council will not annul the election - However, the top legislative branch of government will have a partial recount of the election. Supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi continue to claim the vote was rigged which gave incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the victory with 63% of the vote. Reuters.com has more here.

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Obama administration filing of "Defense of Marriage Act" upsets Gay and Lesbian community - a recent filing included reference to previous decisions, including one that referred to gay marriage as similar to an uncle/niece marriage which was illegal. Joe Solmonese, president; Human Rights Campaign has written a letter to the president expressing their displeasure. Politico.com has more here.

Rachel Maddow on her MSNBC show last night also railed about the action by the Obama administration. She also had Howard Dean as her guest, who when Governor of Vermont passed civil unions in the state.

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Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) calls for more diversity on Sunday morning "Talking Heads" - Barbara Lee (D-Calf.), chair of the CBC pointed out that CBC members are now chairs of 4 congressional committees and 17 sub-committees. She feels they should be appearing more often on the Sunday morning talk shows. TheHill.com has more here.

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The trial of former Louisiana congressman William Jefferson begins today - yes, he was the man who two years ago was found to have $90,000 in his freezer. The trial is being held in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. The Washington Post has more here.

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Former President Bill Clinton discusses his goals as United Nations Special Envoy to Haiti - in a speech yesterday, the former president said he one of the most important things he wanted to do is make sure the 353 million in pledged international aid actually arrived in Haiti. The president was named to the position by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last month. The Miami Herald has more here.

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