George Wenschhof
Today, President Barack Obama will be busy attending many events across D.C. - beginning with a speech to the Esperanza National Conference during breakfast at the JW Marriot hotel. You can read more here. He is also promoting the importance of being a Father with Father's Day approaching. After visiting a non-profit which helps prepare young adults for their future, he will host males from local high schools at the White House. Tonight, he will attend the annual Radio and Television Correspondents Association Dinner.
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Iran Supreme Leader says vote was not rigged - Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke at a morning prayer service in Tehran this morning. He went on to call for peace and tranquility while praising the reported high (85%) turnout of voters. Time.com has more here.
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Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) threatens to demand a delay of the confirmation hearing of Sonia Sotomayor - in what has become a tired Republican refrain, he says they are lacking documents they had requested from the supreme court justice nominee, including 50 speeches. TheHill.com has more here.
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Health care reform continues to receive strong opposition - one could easily say that if health care reform measures are not implemented when a Democrat is president and Democrats have a majority in the House and Senate, then reform will never happen in America. The reported cost of 1 Trillion over ten years put out by the CBO has moderate Democrats questioning the health care proposals being circulated. Politico.com has a good read here.
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Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner begins pitch to Congress of Obama's plan for Financial Regulatory Reform - like health care reform, expect this to receive plenty of criticism. However, it was due to years of deregulation that led to the financial collapse facing America today. The president's plan calls for more authority for the federal reserve, the creation of a consumer protection agency, and to also bring currently unregulated financial markets under government oversight. MSNBC.com has more here.
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Will U.S. - Cuba Talks resume? - the overblown discussion on this tends to be somewhat ridiculous. Why would you not want discussions is the better question. Twice a year discussions between the two countries have been going on for years until suspended by the George W. Bush administration in 2004. McClatchydc.com has more here.
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Friday, June 19, 2009
Daily Democratic Wire 6-19-2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Daily Democratic Wire 6-16-2009
George Wenschhof
Today, details of financial regulations proposed by President Barack Obama will be discussed - The president will be interviewed by Al Hunt of Bloomberg and John Harwood of CNBC. Both are set to air at 4:00 PM ET today.
One aspect of the new financial regulations, is the proposal to establish a new consumer protection agency for finance. It would cover deceptive mortgages, credit cards, and other financial products. Expect cries from Republicans of more big government. CNN.com has more here.
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Iran Guardian Council will not annul the election - However, the top legislative branch of government will have a partial recount of the election. Supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi continue to claim the vote was rigged which gave incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the victory with 63% of the vote. Reuters.com has more here.
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Obama administration filing of "Defense of Marriage Act" upsets Gay and Lesbian community - a recent filing included reference to previous decisions, including one that referred to gay marriage as similar to an uncle/niece marriage which was illegal. Joe Solmonese, president; Human Rights Campaign has written a letter to the president expressing their displeasure. Politico.com has more here.
Rachel Maddow on her MSNBC show last night also railed about the action by the Obama administration. She also had Howard Dean as her guest, who when Governor of Vermont passed civil unions in the state.
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Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) calls for more diversity on Sunday morning "Talking Heads" - Barbara Lee (D-Calf.), chair of the CBC pointed out that CBC members are now chairs of 4 congressional committees and 17 sub-committees. She feels they should be appearing more often on the Sunday morning talk shows. TheHill.com has more here.
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The trial of former Louisiana congressman William Jefferson begins today - yes, he was the man who two years ago was found to have $90,000 in his freezer. The trial is being held in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. The Washington Post has more here.
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Former President Bill Clinton discusses his goals as United Nations Special Envoy to Haiti - in a speech yesterday, the former president said he one of the most important things he wanted to do is make sure the 353 million in pledged international aid actually arrived in Haiti. The president was named to the position by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last month. The Miami Herald has more here.
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