Daily Democratic Wire 6-17-2009

George Wenschhof

Unrest continues in Iran after disputed election - defeated challenger Mir Hossein Mousavi called for a day of mourning and peaceful protests after reports of at least seven deaths of those protesting the results. Media has been restricted access to events and interestingly it has been Twitter and Facebook which has been used to provide details of what is happening inside Iran. Reuters.com has more here.

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Today, in a statement from the White House, President Barack Obama will extend federal benefits to Gay Partners - he will provide details of those benefits in his speech today. The NY Times has more here. This announcement comes after the White House legal counsel provided legal filings in regard to the defense of marriage act which offended many gay and lesbians.

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Obama to reveal financial system reforms - the president is expected to outline his proposed changes to the financial system designed to help ensure there will not be another financial meltdown as we have been experiencing. Transparency and openness are key goals along with the creation of a federal agency to provide protection to consumers. The Wall Street Journal has more here.

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Health care bills expected out this week - Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) expects to release his bill by the end of the week. As has been the case in recent attempts in health care reform, consensus has been difficult to achieve on Capitol Hill. In addition the recent CBO estimate of the 1 Trillion plus cost for reform has slowed momentum. In spite of the many differing opinions on many aspects of reform Democratic Leaders in both the Senate and the House hope to have their bills passed by the end of July. President Obama hopes to sign a bill by October 15. TheHill.com has more here.

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106 Billion War Supplemental bill expected to pass the Senate today - yesterday, the bill narrowly passed the House with a vote of 226-202. The opposition were Republicans angry with the inclusion of 5 Billion for IMF aid to poorer countries hit by the bad economy and anti-war Democrats; an unlikely coalition. It is expected to pass the Senate today. MSNBC.com has more here.

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U.S. Middle East Envoy George Mitchell to meet with Israel Prime Minister - Mitchell plans to travel to Paris to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu who recently gave a speech in which he indicated Israel would accept Palestinian statehood under certain conditions. It is hoped Israel-Palestinian peace talks will resume within a few weeks. ABC News has more here.

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