Daily Political Wire 9-12-2010

George Wenschhof

Yesterday, President Obama participates in National Day of Service and Remembrance - in memory of 9-11, he helps paint at the Ron Brown Middle School in Washington.



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Poverty levels near record highs in U.S. - a report from the 2009 census expected to be released soon will show poverty levels at 15% in the United States, an increase from the 13.2% level prior to the 2008 presidential election. You can read more here.

These will be the highest poverty levels since the 1960's when the Johnson administration declared the "war on poverty". Expect Republican leadership to jump on this report and claim failure of Obama economic policies.

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Will Democratic Representative Luis Gutierrez Run for Mayor of Chicago? - with all the recent attention on White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Gutierrez also is seriously considering a bid for the seat to be left vacant by retiring Mayor Daley. TheHill.com has more here.

A strong advocate for immigration reform, many do not want Gutierrez to leave his current seat in Congress.

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NY Times on House minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) ties with Lobbyists - a good read on what was already commonly known. Boehner receives hundreds of thousands of contributions from lobbyists. His connection to the financial industry was evident as he worked to block meaningful finance regulatory reform in the aftermath of the wall street meltdown.

This reporting can not help Republicans as the mid term elections near. You can read more here.

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Iran will release American prisoner for $500, 000 Bail - the on-again, off-again release of Sarah Shroud is now on, for a price. She was one of three Americans arrested while hiking in the border region between Iraq and Iran. It is also being reported her health is deteriorating. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Afghanistan Security Deteriorating - aid groups warn of travel within Afghanistan. Estimates are as much as 30% of the country is unsafe to travel without armed protection. This news comes as an increase of U.S. troops has taken place under the Obama administration. You can read more here.

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