May 2007

Smooth talking Mitt Romney is having more trouble ducking calls for him to offer a real plan on Iraq. While the American people are looking for clear and decisive leadership from their next president, Romney can't even decide when he plans to make up his mind about the President's Iraq plan. Full release

"The truth hurts," said Jim Sedlak, vice president of American Life League. "Planned Parenthood's own statistics show that despite the protests of the organization's president, Planned Parenthood is indeed the most radical pro-abortion group in the country." Full release

Great humanitarians in the field of global health and journalists and filmmakers will be honored tonight for their outstanding contributions to the well-being of millions of people at the 34th Annual International Conference for Global Health. Full release

Garth Graham grew up in a hospital. The Jamaican-born head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health looks back with fondness on the days he spent roaming the halls of his hometown infirmary. Full release

With rising interest in information about the quality of care delivered by health care providers, HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has developed a new Web tool demonstrating a variety of approaches for health quality report cards. Full release

Although the Senate is in recess this week, Grassfire.org is using the time to spearhead a massive "Secure Our Border" grassroots petition presentation to Senate District offices in all 50 states. Full release

As 2008 Presidential campaigning rushes toward fever pitch, Policlicks.com is offering a completely new way for voters to see all sides of the candidates they love and those they love to hate. Using breakthrough meta-aggregation technology from Magnify.net, the Policlicks site, http://election08.magnify.net/, will gather, sort and allow visitors to rank and comment on candidate videos collected from virtually every point on the Internet. Full release

WakeUpWalMart.com, America's campaign to change Wal-Mart, released a stunning new internal document prepared for Wal-Mart by its old advertising agency, GSD&M. The document, entitled "Wal-Mart Positioning Report," states, in often brutal detail, the serious public image challenges Wal-Mart faces. According to GSD&M, and described in a section entitled "Know thy Enemy," Wal-Mart's reputation problem is the #1 challenge facing the company. Full release

Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich announced today that he is eager to participate in a Democratic Presidential debate sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus, and he is troubled that the other major Democratic candidates have decided to skip the debate because it will be broadcast on the Fox News Network. Full release

The following is a transcript of remarks by President Bush on comprehensive immigration reform:

Thank you all very much. (Applause.) Please be seated -- unless, of course, you don't have a chair. Thanks for having me. I'm honored to be here at the headquarters of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. I don't know whether you realize this, or not, but the government originally planned to open this center inside the Capital Beltway. Full release

While much of the media attention may be focused on Iraq, Americans say they have not forgotten about those in Afghanistan. But they definitely are not paying as much attention as they are to events in Iraq or even in Iran. Full release

In the United States, the battle on immigration has intensified as the White House and Congressional leaders debate over compromise legislation on this issue. But concerns over immigration and what to do about it are not limited to the U.S. Two-thirds (67%) of British adults, 55 percent of adults in both Germany and Italy and 45 percent of adults in Spain believe there are too many immigrants in their country. Full release

The American Jewish Committee welcomed the announcement this morning by President George W. Bush of additional economic measures against Sudan in response to the ongoing tragedy in Darfur. "Once again, the United States has demonstrated its profound concern for the genocide that has already taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of Darfur residents and displaced millions of others," said AJC Executive Director David A. Harris. Full release

Georgia parents are protesting the discriminatory policies of the Boy Scouts of America in light of the organization's decision to hold its annual meeting in Atlanta on May 30th and 31st and are urging the nearly century-old group to change its unethical policy of excluding gay Scouts and Scoutmasters from membership. Full release

Age at marriage is higher than ever before in the US, and according to a new study, this trend bodes well for union stability, as marriages that take place at later ages tend to be stable. In this fact sheet especially prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families, economist Evelyn Lehrer from the University of Illinois at Chicago explains why and previews her forthcoming article in the Journal of Population Economics. Full release

Inspired by the recent National Summit on America's Children, convened by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and co-chaired by Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), the Pennsylvania legislator has introduced a bill to provide critical, accurate information as it relates to the well-being of our nation's children. Full release

ACORN members celebrated a milestone in a years-long campaign for living wages after Congress approved the first increase in the federal minimum wage rate in a decade on Thursday night. "This long-overdue wage increase will bring millions of America's hardest- working families closer to making ends meet," said ACORN President Maude Hurd. Full release

The President announced his intention today to nominate five individuals to serve in his Administration:

The President intends to nominate Diane G. Farrell, of Connecticut, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States for the remainder of a four-year term expiring 01/20/11. Mrs. Farrell recently served as First Selectwoman of Westport, Connecticut. Full release

The high costs of prescription drugs led many Hispanics and African Americans to take desperate measures, like delaying filling a prescription or skipping doses, according to a new AARP national study of adults 18+. The study also found a high level of support in the Hispanic and African American communities for state legislation to make prescription drugs more affordable. Full release

Common Good, the nonpartisan legal reform coalition, announced today that identical bipartisan bills have been introduced in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives that would enable states to create special health courts on a pilot project basis. Advancing an idea developed by Common Good and researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, the bills authorize funding for states to create alternative administrative health systems, including health courts, on a pilot project basis. Full release

The U.S. military has discovered the body of Pfc. Joseph J. Anzack Jr., who was one of three soldiers missing after insurgents attacked a U.S. military observation post south of Baghdad on May 12, 2007. In addition, the U.S. death toll in Iraq topped 100 in April of 2007, largely due to insurgent fighting. Full release

The high costs of prescription drugs led many Hispanics and African Americans to take desperate measures, like delaying filling a prescription or skipping doses, according to a new AARP national study of adults 18+. The study also found a high level of support in the Hispanic and African American communities for state legislation to make prescription drugs more affordable. Full release

USA TODAY remains the most widely read newspaper in the United States, according to the latest Mediamark Research Inc. report. USA TODAY has more than 4.3 million readers daily. Full Release

In what is starting to seem like a daily occurrence, smooth talking Mitt Romney today unveiled yet another new television ad aimed at convincing Republican primary voters to ignore his real record on the issues. As recently as March 2006, Romney said he thought the McCain-Kennedy comprehensive immigration bill included "reasonable proposals" that were "very different than amnesty." Full release

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs today approved a ground-breaking bill to support the creation of an international nuclear fuel bank. The bank would ensure that countries seeking the benefits of nuclear energy will not have to develop a capacity to produce their own nuclear fuel, which can also be used to produce nuclear weapons. Full release

At approximately 11:00 a.m. [today], Congressman Dennis Kucinich will invoke a rarely used procedure to offer a privileged motion claiming one hour of time to speak on the floor of the House of Representatives about current legislative plans to privatize Iraq's oil. Full release

The so-called comprehensive immigration bill makes college graduates with math, science and engineering degrees likely to be counted among the losers. The U.S. Senate and the White House propose increasing the number of H1-B high-tech visas to give new grads' jobs away. Full release

Ten local and state Realtor(R) associations received Diversity Initiative Grants at the National Association of Realtors(R) Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo here last week. The grants, totaling $40,450, are awarded to help fund outreach efforts to minority consumers and bring more cultural diversity into association membership and leadership. Full release

At a time when oil and gas prices are reaching record highs across the country, the U. S. Departments of Energy and Interior have sent a report to Congress that raises concerns regarding rising energy rights-of-way (ROW) costs on tribal lands, underscores Congress' plenary authority to legislate in this area, and provides a series of possible Congressional actions which would be consistent with the Constitution. Full release

The results of a recent nationwide survey released by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) show that illegal downloading of digital copyrighted works by youth (ages 8 to 18) has dropped by 24 percent in the last three years. The survey, first conducted in 2004, indicated that 60 percent of survey participants reported downloading software, music, movies, or games without paying for it; in 2006 the percentage of those who downloaded without paying dropped to 43 percent; and in 2007 the percentage decreased to 36 percent. Full release

In 2006, an estimated $16 million was spent on advertising in Supreme Court races in 10 states, more per race than ever before, with an escalation in fierce and often misleading attack ads. The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania and FactCheck.org invite you to hear judges, consultants and advocates discuss these trends, their implications -- and what 2008 will bring. Full release

Apparently the stress of reviving his crumbling presidential campaign during politically sensitive talks on immigration reform was too much for John McCain. According to media reports, McCain launched an expletive-laden tirade at fellow Republican Senator John Cornyn last week when the Texas senator criticized McCain for his diminished role in this year's immigration negotiations. Full release

This afternoon, the Senate begins debate on the immigration deal reached last week, expected to last several weeks. In the Free Trade Bulletin released today, "The Fiscal Impact of Immigration Reform: The Real Story," Daniel Griswold, director of the Cato Institute's Center for Trade Policy Studies, examines the criticism that comprehensive immigration reform would impose a burden on U.S. taxpayers by increasing the number of low-skilled workers. Full release

"The proposed Senate immigration bill deserves an 'F' when it comes to defending English as the common, unifying language of our nation," said K.C. McAlpin, executive director of ProEnglish, a group that advocates for making English the official language. Full release

Last week, Senate leaders unveiled the key components of an agreement on a comprehensive immigration reform measure that the full U.S. Senate is expected to debate this week. The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) is concerned that the current agreement creates an unfair and unworkable path to legalization as well as a guestworker program that exploits immigrant workers and adversely affects the wages and workplace conditions for U.S. workers. Full release

The following release was issued today by the Democratic National Committee: Smooth talking Mitt Romney may be in the Peach State today, but things are less than peachy for the Republican's presidential candidate's campaign. Despite spending millions of dollars on a national advertising campaign, Romney is still stuck in the single digits in almost every national poll. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey held a press availability in the Speaker's office this morning immediately following their meeting with Republican leaders and White House officials regarding the Iraq Accountability Act. Full release

The following is a statement from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union: UFCW is committed to working with all members of Congress on achieving meaningful immigration reform that is consistent with fundamental American values, protects all workers, provides immigrants an opportunity to fully participate in our democratic system and achieve the American dream. Full release

Despite the resignation of Paul Wolfowitz from the World Bank, underlying problems with the institution still remain. Ian Vasquez, director of the Cato Institute's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, is available for comment on how this action merely treats a symptom of the Bank's ills, and not the cause. Full release

The following is being issued by Clean Air Watch: The federal government has been stalling for a year and a half, but it's finally time for a showdown. California is seeking federal approval to enforce its greenhouse gas pollution standards for motor vehicles. Full release

House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) was joined by 193 of his colleagues in the House this afternoon in urging Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to take up and pass a clean bill of funds for our troops before Memorial Day -- or keep the House in session through the week until the work is done. Full release

Special interest pressure is metastasizing into a permanent national threat to the fairness and impartiality of America's courts, according to a major new report from the Justice at Stake Campaign and its partners, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and the National Institute for Money in State Politics. Full release

A leading US geothermal developer applauded new House legislation seeking to tap possibly hundreds of thousands of megawatts of new geothermal energy to meet US power needs. "Today, nearly 3,000 MW of new geothermal power are under development, which will create over 10,000 new jobs and new investment of over $7 billion, but much more is possible," Paul Thomsen, Public Policy Manager of Ormat Technologies, told the House Science Subcommittee on Energy and Environment. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today issued the following statement:

"Democrats are committed to fully funding our troops and changing course in Iraq. In the coming days, we will work to send the President a bill that does just that." Full release

Defenders of Wildlife today hailed the introduction of the Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act, a bill calling for a national strategy to conserve wildlife in the midst of global warming. Full release

The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) and the Technology Partnership for Small Business Task Force co-founders -- Microsoft Corp., Cisco Systems, Inc., and AT&T -- under the guidance of the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), today launched a new online tool, Biz Tech-Connect. Biz Tech-Connect (http://www.biztechconnect.com) is a small-business Web portal that provides free online technology training geared towards women and minority entrepreneurs nationwide. Full release

Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked the Department of Education Inspector General's office to initiate an investigation into employees who -- in violation of federal law and with the full knowledge of the Department's Office of General Counsel -- have been using non-governmental email accounts for official business. Full release

As the U.S. Senate debates the future of immigration policy, real families caught in the teeth of America's broken immigration system will come to Capitol Hill to testify before national leaders. Full release

The Republican candidates for president again took to the stage tonight for another nationally televised debate, again paying virtually no attention to the critical issue of education reform. This is now the third major-party presidential debate where the field of candidates failed to acknowledge the public education crisis in America. The Democratic candidates for president also failed to discuss education during their first debate last month. Full release

Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) today sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Robert Gates demanding details on the agency's continual shortfalls in meeting federally- mandated procurement goals for service-disabled veteran-owned businesses. Full release

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