February 2007

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today sent a letter to John B. Catoe, the general manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), requesting an investigation into an ongoing and misleading ad campaign currently running on WMATA vehicles, and run by "The Second Look Project," which is sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The ads violate WMATA's own guidelines governing commercial advertising. Full release

The following is a transcript of remarks by President Bush after meeting with military service organizations:

"One of the most enjoyable things I do as the President is to hear stories of my fellow citizens -- stories of compassion, stories of care. I just talked to social entrepreneurs who have decided to help improve the lives of our servicemen and women and their families." Full release

With America still less safe than it should be five years after 9/11, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, Senator Debbie Stabenow, former 9/11 Commissioner Richard Ben-Veniste, Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans, International Association of Firefighters President Harold Schaitberger, and American Federation of Government Employees President John Gage today joined to call for a change. Full release

The Christian Medical Association (CMA, http://www.cmda.org) today lauded a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that the U.S. government may enforce a policy that groups receiving certain federal grants to fight AIDS and human trafficking must declare that they will not promote prostitution. Full release

Accuracy in Media will honor Michelle Malkin and Mark M. Alexander for their outstanding contributions to journalism in a ceremony taking place during the American Conservative Union's 2007 Conservative Political Action Conference. The Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award is named for AIM's founder, Reed Irvine, who was America's first media watchdog. Full release

Congressman Marty Meehan (D-MA), chair of the House Armed Services Sub-Committee on Oversight and Investigations, today will re-introduce legislation to repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual military personnel. Full release

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today released the following statement on news that the Bush Administration will now participate in talks with Iran and Syria about Iraq.

"The Bush Administration's decision to begin talks with Iran and Syria should have been made long ago." Full release

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., called for a Strategic Energy Fund to jumpstart investment in clean energy technologies to promote job growth, energy independence, and a cleaner environment at a summit sponsored by the Apollo Alliance on Capitol Hill today. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi today reacted to media reports indicating that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace, has reported to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates that the readiness of our armed forces declined last year. According to the reports, Gates has concluded that the decline poses a significant risk to the ability of our forces to respond to threats to our national security. Full release

A Laborer and a Teamster who encountered company interference when they tried to unite with their co- workers to achieve the American Dream will speak at a press conference in support of the Employee Free Choice Act on Capitol Hill tomorrow, February 28, at 11 a.m. Kenny Tucker and Anishya Sanders, both members of Change to Win unions, will share their first-hand experiences of how they and fellow workers faced harassment, intimidation and firings simply for exercising their freedom to choose a voice at work. Full release

Over 1,400 active duty members of the Marine Corps, Army, Navy, Air Force and Coastguard will call on Congress tomorrow to support the troops by ending the war in Iraq as soon as possible, and voting for efforts that protect the troops from being sent into the middle of Iraq's civil war without adequate training or equipment. Full release

Pharmacies neither set drug prices nor are responsible for their rising costs, yet the Bush Administration continues to saddle neighborhood pharmacies with the bulk of proposed Medicaid cost cutting measures. Full release

Amnesty International charged today that the new European Union regulations are exceedingly weak in the international trade of equipment used for torture and executions. In its new report, European Union: Stopping the Trade in the Tools of Torture, the organization asserted that urgent steps are required to prevent any exploitation of legal loopholes. Full release

In an on-line poll on Richard Viguerie's website ConservativesBetrayed.com, readers were asked: "Who was responsible for the Republicans' disastrous defeats, including loss of control of the House and Senate, in the 2006 elections?" They were given 31 choices of various individuals, factors, and groups, and were asked to select 10. Full release

Tuesday's hearings in the Senate Appropriations Committee will debate the President's funding requests for Iraq and Afghanistan. Christopher Preble, the Cato Institute's director of foreign policy studies and editor of the book "Exiting Iraq: Why the U.S. Must End the Military Occupation and Renew the War against Al Qaeda," comments on the hearings. Full release

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., will kick-off the visit to Capitol Hill by Apollo Alliance members, addressing the luncheon of the national Apollo summit on Tuesday. Following the luncheon, summit attendees will urge members of Congress to free our nation of its dependence on foreign oil by investing in clean energy initiatives. The summit, which began on Sunday evening, is designed to create a strategy to promote clean energy solutions that create good jobs in America. Full release

Women political opponents of ruling General Pervez Musharraf are increasingly targets of murderous government-directed "goons" in a wave of violence similar to that in Chile during the Pinochet regime, the Pakistan Peoples Party has charged. Full release

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, founder of the Center for Health Transformation, will hold a press availability today, Monday, February 26, 2007, at the New Orleans Convention Center. Speaker Gingrich is in New Orleans to tour the city, meet with state officials and visit local health clinics. He will also deliver a speech at HIMSS, the nation's largest health IT conference, being held at the convention center. Full release

A study released today by the Employment Policies Institute [EPI] reveals that a national mandate on businesses to provide health insurance to their employees would result in almost a million (995,000) lost jobs. Full release

New Global Initiatives Inc. has released an overview of its two-year study of American emigration to other nations. Six surveys totaling more than 100,000 adult Americans were completed from June of 2005 through December of 2006. Full release

Debating the most critical issue on Capitol Hill and in America, on Feb. 28, five experienced analysts will present their views on the future of Iraq, directed at a more realistic understanding of our options. Full release

Following is a statement by White House Press Secretary Tony Snow:

The president today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms and tornadoes during the period of Feb. 12-13, 2007. Full release

Mitt Romney heads back to New Hampshire today at the end of yet another rough week on the campaign trail. Since announcing his White House bid last week, the smooth talking presidential candidate has been bombarded by critics blasting his flip-flopping ways, marred by poor reviews of his campaign announcement tour, and dogged by his lackluster record as Massachusetts governor. Full release

The Bush administration is expected to announce today it intends to open the U.S. border to unsafe Mexican trucks in the next six to eight weeks for a one-year experimental pilot program. The border has remained closed, except for transfers within a 20-mile commercial zone, since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) because of the Mexican government's failure to meet the truck safety and driver training requirements of NAFTA. Full release

Automobile manufacturers today commended President Bush for continuing to encourage the development of alternative fuel automobiles and alternative fuels. Currently manufacturers are offering 60 models of alternative fuel automobiles including ethanol- capable E-85, hybrid electric, clean diesel and more. Full release

Former Governor Mike Huckabee announced Friday that U.S. Representative Don Young (R-AK) will serve as congressional chairman of his presidential exploratory committee and U.S. Representative John Boozman (R-AR) will serve as co-chairman. "It's an honor to have the strong support of such dedicated and well respected members of the U.S. Congress," said Huckabee. Full release

Following is a release from the Iranian-American Community of Northern California (IACNC): Iran's 60-day grace period for it to stop enriching uranium expired on Wednesday, February 22, 2007. Full release

More than three-quarters of a million Americans were able to cast their ballot in November 2006 because of Election Day Registration (EDR), according to a new report published this week by Demos. Full release

Following are remarks by Vice President Dick Cheney at a rally in Guam...

"Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. (Applause.) And a warm hafa adai to all of you. Governor Camacho, Delegate Bordallo, Admiral Leidig, General Goldhorn, Chief Master Sergeant Wicks, distinguished guests and fellow Americans, thank you for the warm welcome. And, General Owens, thank you for your introduction." Full release

College Democrats of America President Lauren Wolfe, Hispanic Caucus Chair Laura DeCastro, CDA Black Caucus Chair Anthony Jones, CDA Asian Pacific Islander American Caucus Chair Varoon Modak and NYU's CDA Chapter President Nora Toiv today strongly criticized reports that College Republicans are once again playing deeply offensive anti-immigrant "games." Full release

Amnesty International condemns the four-year sentence handed down by an Egyptian court today against blogger Karim Amer and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. Full release

Do hard money contributions by interest groups to members of Congress contribute to better quality policy deliberations and outcomes in congressional committees? A new study conducted by political scientist Kevin M. Esterling (University of California, Riverside) finds that over the long term -- regardless of the intent of such contributions -- they tend to create incentives for members of Congress to enhance their analytical capacity for policymaking. Full release

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today released the following statement calling for a new commitment to fixing America's health care crisis.

"America's health care system is in crisis. Forty-seven million Americans lack health insurance, and 9 million of them are children. Caught between the rising cost and the falling accessibility of care, too many families are unable even to get by." Full release

Being the establishment candidate has its rewards, but as John McCain is learning, attacking the Vice President and getting away with it isn't one of them. As part of his do- anything-to-win campaign for the Republican nomination, McCain has made it a habit to attack the execution of the Iraq war, even though he's been one of its strongest supporters and the lead proponent of the escalation. Full release

Wal-Mart has been cited for a supplier's collusion with government agents in violence against workers and other serious sweatshop abuses. The supplier is Chong Won, Inc., a clothing factory located in the Philippines. Full release

Low taxes are dangerous to the health of millions of American children, according to the findings of a major new book, "Homeland Insecurity ... American Children at Risk," which is available free on the Web at http://www.everychildmatters.org/homelandinsecurity/index.html. Children in low-tax states are considerably more likely to suffer from poor prenatal care, early death, child abuse and teen incarceration than are children in higher- tax states that invest in child and family programs. Full release

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today released the following statement on news that the British government will begin to redeploy its troops from Iraq.

"By announcing its decision to redeploy troops from Iraq, the British Government has acknowledged a reality that President Bush still stubbornly refuses to accept. There can be no purely military solution in Iraq." Full release

Jim Sedlak, vice president of American Life League, has issued the following statement regarding National Condom Week...

"For the past week, Planned Parenthood affiliates across the country have celebrated National Condom Week by encouraging young people, especially college students, to explore various types of sexual activity." Full release

Refugee advocates found prison-like conditions at the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) facilities that house immigrant families, including asylum seekers, who are in immigration proceedings. The Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) describe their findings in a report released today, "Locking Up Family Values: The Detention of Immigrant Families," which also lays out steps that DHS can take immediately to ensure that families in U.S. detention are treated humanely. Full release

The following is a transcript of the remarks by the Vice President at a rally for the troops...

Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Thank you, Admiral Crowder, and thank you for the introduction, and thank you all for the warm welcome to this great American carrier. It's good to see all of you, and it's a real privilege for me to visit the USS Kitty Hawk. Full release

Malaria advocates today offered sincere thanks to the U.S. Congress for agreeing to support a major increase in funds to combat malaria in fiscal year 2007. Malaria kills one million people each year, mostly children under age five living in sub-Saharan Africa. Full release

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has sued the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) today for its failure to respond to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records related to global warming science and policy. Full release

The Commission on the National Guard and Reserves will brief reporters at an NPC Newsmaker on recommendations it will present to Congress in a report mandated by the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act. This report will make recommendations on legislative proposals related to the stature, authority, and resources of the National Guard. Full release

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) will lead and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), and Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) will host the 8th Congressional Civil RightsPilgrimage the weekend of March 2-4, 2007. As in past years, the delegation, including roughly 30 members of Congress, will visit sites in Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma with Civil Rights leaders and historians such as Bernard Lafayette, Dorothy Cotton, Harris Wofford, Bettie Mae Fikes, and others. Full release

The average American spends 57 hours each week at work -- roughly 70% of their waking hours. But do we always live our Christian principles as we earn our daily bread? That's the question Jim Butler asked himself a year ago. When he realized the "disconnect" between work and life among Christians, he knew he had found his true calling. Full release

In less than two decades, half of everything seniors consume may be health care, according to a new study by the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA). For today's oldest seniors, this has already happened. Full release

Today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid joins in recognition of the 65th anniversary of the National Day of Remembrance, commemorating the World War II internment of Japanese Americans. Full release

As absorbing as the politics of a possible Roe reversal might be, the actual consequences of such a reversal would be drastic. According to our study "What If Roe Fell?" 30 states would be poised to criminalize abortion within a year's time. Full release

With dozens of Republicans, evangelical leaders and fiscal conservatives rebuking President Bush for his Iraq policy, Dr. K. A. Paul, a prominent evangelical leader, this week sent a letter to every member of Congress asking them to "pray before authorizing to send more troops to Iraq." Dr. Paul's work was endorsed by 2008 presidential candidate Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., and more than a dozen prominent religious leaders. Full release

The following is a transcript of remarks by President Bush in honor of President George Washington's 275th birthday...

Thank you all for coming. Laura and I are honored to be with you in this historic place, on this special anniversary. I feel right at home here. After all, this is the home of the first George W. (Laughter.) I thank President Washington for welcoming us today. He doesn't look a day over 275 years old. (Laughter.) Full release

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