Daily Democratic Wire 6-20-2009

George Wenschhof

Unease continues in Iran - a day after the U.S. House and Senate passed resolutions condemning the violence in Iran following the election, police were out in force to block planned demonstrations. Rallies had been planned in both Freedom Square and Revolution Square in Tehran. CNN.com has more here.

The Iranian Guardian Council said they were prepared to hold a recount of 10% of the vote chosen randomly and in the presence of representatives from the three defeated candidates for president. Reuters.com has more here.

While some Republican leaders have been quick to attack President Obama for not speaking out in a more forceful manner in regard to the Iran election, I believe he is handling it correctly. Remember, the U.S. had an election in 2000 many felt was stolen from the people by the supreme court. However, no American would have wanted interference from other countries on our vote.

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80 Billion deal in the works to fund medicare drugs and help pay for health care reform - in a major agreement with the pharmaceutical industry, medicare beneficiaries would receive better drug coverage and part of President Obama's health care legislation would be paid for in the agreement being negotiated. You can read more here.

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Sotomayor resigns from all woman's club - after continued questioning from Republican leaders, supreme court justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor resigned from the organization. She sent a letter informing Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee of her decision and stating she did not feel it violated and judicial ethics. You can read more here.

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Last night, the President attended a Radio and TV Correspondents dinner - one of the requirements is a speech which includes a long list of hopefully funny one-liners for the crowd. In case you missed some of the television replays last evening, Politico.com has the video of Obama's speech and interviews with others who attended the dinner here.

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Hillary Clinton's Elbow surgery successful - she underwent the surgery yesterday at George Washington University hospital after suffering a fracture from a fall. Doctors say she is expected to recover fully without any lasting damage. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Obama names Ertharin Cousin as US Representative to UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture - she was a senior adviser during the campaign and is currently president of the Polk Street Group. Her past includes a stint as White House liaison to the state department and as a national leader in domestic hunger relief. Swamppolitics.com has more here.

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