Daily Democratic Wire 9-23-2009

George Wenschhof

Today, President Barack Obama will address the UN General Assembly - it is expected he will continue the theme of global cooperation in regard to global warming.

President Obama will also have meetings in New York with Russian President Dimitry Medvedev and Japan's new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Politico.com has more here.

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Obama reviewing all Afghanistan options - realizing the U.S. does not need another quagmire, the president is not rushing to accept and move forward on one recommendation to increase the size of U.S. troops. Vice President Joe Biden has proposed a plan that would reduce the size of U.S. troops and increase the size of special ops targeted at Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The NY Times has more here.

Further exacerbating the problem is the extremely fragile government of Pakistan, a country will an armed nuclear arsenal.

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House extends unemployment benefits - as unemployment hit 9.7% at the end of August. Those who are unemployed in states with unemployment higher than 8.5% will receive 13 more weeks of benefits. This action will affect D.C. and 27 states. Reuters.com has more here.

What is surprising is that under the 800 Billion Stimulus bill there were not provisions for a major public service employment program. These work experience programs designed to put people to work in the area of public service have been proven to work over the years and have been a benefit to the many communities across the country during periods of high unemployment.

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Massachusetts state senate approves bill to allow interim appointment for vacant Kennedy seat - the bill is expected to be signed by Governor Deval Patrick by the end of the week. Leading contenders to be appointed by the governor to the U.S. Senate seat are Michael Dukakis and Paul Kirk. They would serve until the special election is held on January 19, 2010. Every Democratic seat in the senate is crucial during the final stages of a health care reform bill. Time.com has more here.

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Senator Byrd (D-WV) recent fall and hospitalization leads to speculation - the longest serving Senator has missed an overwhelming number of roll calls and votes over the past year. His vote will also be needed in the passage of health care reform. You can read more here.

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