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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Saturday, June 20, 2009
Daily Democratic Wire 6-20-2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Daily Democratic Wire 6-18-2009
George Wenschhof
Mousavi supporters rally peacefully in Tehran today - wearing black, tens of thousands protested the outcome of the recent election and mourned the loss of those protesters who died. The Iran Guardian Council will meet with the three presidential candidates who lost on Saturday to hear their specific complaints. The official state reported results were Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with 64% and Mir Hossein Mousavi with 34%. Reuters.com has more here.
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New Wall Street Journal/NBC Poll show Americans concerned about the deficit - almost 7 in 10 Americans expressed concern about federal intervention into the economy. However, more Americans blame the last republican administration for the current deficit. President Barack Obama's approval rating remained high at 56%. The Wall Street Journal has more here.
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Geithner to present Financial regulatory reforms to Congress today - the Treasury Secretary is scheduled to speak to the Senate Banking Committee and the House Financial Services Committee. Expect more details to emerge of the plan presented by President Obama. Time.com has more here.
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Tonight, the President will headline a fundraiser for Senate and House Democrats - in a combined fundraiser held by the Democratic House and Senate Campaign Committees. It is expected to bring in 3 million and will be held at the Mandarin oriental Hotel in Washington. TheHill.com has more here.
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Labor Department releases mixed news unemployment data - while the number of unemployment claims fell by 148,000 to 6.76 million, initial claims were up by 3,000. The NY Times has more here. While some are reporting the drop in claims is signaling a turnaround in the economy, the drop is primarily due to seasonal work which impacts the numbers of claims every year, regardless of the state of the economy.
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Hillary Clinton fractures elbow in fall - yesterday, on the way to the White House, the Secretary of State fell and fractured her elbow. She received treatment at George Washington University hospital and will have surgery next week. MSNBC.com has more here.
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Senate passes bill to prevent release of abuse photos - in a unanimous consent vote, the senate passed the bill co-sponsored by Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). The ACLU recent won a circuit court ruling saying the photos of prisoner abuse should be made public. The Obama administration had originally signaled a willingness to release the photos but backtracked on their position after much debate. It is not clear as to how the House will vote on this measure. CNN.com has more here.
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