November 2007

News organizations and their audiences are turning their attention to the presidential election earlier than ever. How does the longer campaign cycle affect coverage? What impact will the Internet, Oprah and Bill Clinton have on voters? How has vote counting changed since 2000 and 2004? An experienced panel of political journalists will discuss these and other issues related to the election and the changing landscape of campaign coverage. Full release

AARP NY, Medical Society of the State of New York, and StateWide Senior Action Council have joined forces to call on Senator Charles Schumer to lead the U.S. Senate in strengthening Medicare by protecting beneficiary access to doctors, stopping steep spikes in Medicare premiums, and helping lower income persons pay for prescription drugs. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on World AIDS Day, tomorrow December 1, 2007: "World AIDS Day gives us an opportunity each year to assess the progress we have made together in the fight against HIV/AIDS and to consider what more we can do to help alleviate poverty and disease at home and in the developing world. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on World AIDS Day, tomorrow December 1, 2007: "World AIDS Day gives us an opportunity each year to assess the progress we have made together in the fight against HIV/AIDS and to consider what more we can do to help alleviate poverty and disease at home and in the developing world." Full release

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has assembled a panel of experts to discuss why minorities are frequently misplaced into special education. While research has long shown that non-Asian minorities make up a disproportionate number of students assigned to special education, there is disagreement concerning the reasons for this disproportion. Full release

Presidential campaigns should publicly express their support of NASA's Constellation Program to ensure America's leadership in space exploration as well as boost education, Aerospace Industries Association President and CEO Marion Blakey said. Full release

On the eve of the Brown and Black forum in Iowa, Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie will join with State Rep. Wayne Ford and community leader Mary Campos to urge attendees of the Brown and Black Forum to challenge the presidential candidates to address America's high school dropout crisis. Throughout the country, more than 1.2 million students will not graduate with their peers and unless there is a dramatic shift, more than 12 million students will drop out over the next decade, resulting in a $3 trillion blow to America's economy. Full release

U.S. Troops in Iraq and other places around the world are center stage in this year's presidential elections. But when it comes to casting votes for the candidates, American soldiers and other U.S. citizens living abroad often face daunting obstacles. Full release

Today, President and Mrs. Bush will mark World AIDS Day 2007 by participating in a faith-based roundtable discussion at Calvary United Methodist Church in Mount Airy, Maryland. Since 2001, the Administration has delivered more than $129 billion to fight HIV/AIDS both at home and abroad.
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Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement honoring the life of Congressman Henry Hyde of Illinois, who passed away today. Full release

A new report from electionline.org finds that in the five years since President George W. Bush signed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) into law, election administration in this country has undergone profound change but has not necessarily raised the confidence of the American public. Enacted in 2002 to address the problems revealed by the disputed 2000 presidential vote, HAVA is Congress' largest investment in election reform. The Act devoted $4 billion in federal funds to replace punch card voting machines, develop state voter registration databases and establish the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Full release

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), recently hosted the first-ever Global Development Commons forum in order to initiate discussions to better identify ways in which increased communication, collaboration and cooperation can benefit global development.
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As part of its HIV Testing Campaign, Test for Life announced today media availability for leading experts on HIV/AIDS issues including HIV screening, trailblazing legislation and the growing impact among minorities and women. Full release

To celebrate the momentous UN General Assembly vote sixty years ago today that led to the creation of the State of Israel, the American Jewish Committee has a multimedia package that includes a short video, a national radio message and two publications. Full release

Republican candidates for the 2008 presidential nomination expressed support this evening for the federal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law which bans openly lesbian, gay and bisexual personnel from the armed forces. The candidates were queried on the topic by retired Brigadier General Keith Kerr, CSMR (Ret.), a member of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network's (SLDN) military advisory council who 'came out' in 2003 and identified as a Republican voter. Full release

Two North Dakota farmers, who filed a federal lawsuit in June to end the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) ban on commercial hemp farming in the United States, had their case dismissed by federal Judge Daniel Hovland yesterday. In a 22- page decision, Judge Hovland wrote that the problem facing state-licensed hemp farmers David Monson and Wayne Hauge needs to be addressed by Congress if they hope to ever grow the versatile crop which is used in everything from food and soap to clothing and auto parts. Full release

The Illinois Academy of Family Physicians has unveiled a video release to illustrate the devastating impact that upcoming Medicare physician fee cuts will have on family physicians and the patients they care for. Full release

Housing Works, Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago -- three of the nation's leading AIDS organizations -- polled 16 presidential hopefuls on pressing AIDS-related issues as part of an ongoing HIV/AIDS candidate and voter education campaign. Now the results are available on AIDSVote.org. Full release

The following was issued today by the Global AIDS Alliance Fund: WHAT: A press briefing by conference call with experts on global HIV/AIDS, assessing the latest epidemic update as well as recently issued proposals by several of the candidates for US President, including Senator Clinton. Full release

Amnesty International is gravely concerned about the Russian authorities' systematic disregard for basic human rights in the run-up to parliamentary elections in the country scheduled for December 2, 2007. Full release.

Hurricane Katrina created or exacerbated many community challenges within New Orleans, from education to ethics to crime to the levee system. Learn more about how citizen leaders are now engaged in these most important issues, challenging political leadership as well as other citizens to build a better New Orleans region for now and the years to come. Full release

Christian humanitarian organization, World Vision will release the findings of an international survey conducted by Ipsos measuring a wide range of opinions and perceptions of AIDS among residents of seven nations: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the United States. Full release

As the Republican presidential candidates prepare to finally answer questions tonight directly from the American people at the CNN/YouTube debate, the Democratic National Committee launched FlipperTV, a unique, new online video tool that is part of the DNC's ongoing efforts to hold Republican frontrunners Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, and John McCain accountable for their positions and flip flops along the campaign trail. Full release

A new report released by the Federal Trade Commission today estimates that 8.3 million Americans fell victim to identity theft in 2005. The report underscores the need to provide consumers with stronger protections against identity fraud, according to Consumers Union, nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports. Full release

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney to meet with American Muslim leaders following a controversy over a reported statement that he would not consider Muslims for cabinet posts. Full release.

U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) is a leading member of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee where he promotes his vision for a clean energy future, including the New Apollo Energy Act. In March 2007, he was appointed to the 15-member Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. With Congress weighing major changes in energy and climate policy, Inslee is well positioned to play a major role in formulating U.S. policy going forward.
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The Democratic National Committee will hold its annual fall meeting in Vienna, Virginia from November 29, to December 1, 2007. On Friday, November 30, the Democratic presidential candidates, DNC Chairman Howard Dean, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Colorado Governor Bill Ritter will address members of the DNC. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer will address the Executive Committee meeting on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Full release

Just weeks ahead of the first presidential primaries and caucuses, Hillary Clinton is the candidate viewed most favorably by likely African American voters -- with Barack Obama running a close second -- according to national survey results released today by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Full release

A highly trained and licensed private wealth manager left his former bank over a year ago because he did not agree with the bank's investment strategy, which at the time touted investments based on a stable US dollar and reasonable oil prices. Christopher Raborg, a graduate of The Wharton School of Finance and award-winning investment advisor, does not believe the war will end soon and wants real answers from the candidates at the CNN YouTube Debates. Full release

In a new ad blitz in Iowa today, U.S. Sen. and Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden exclaims about the "wonderful" support his "national security and foreign affairs" strategies are getting from Senators Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Chris Dodd; former Senator John Edwards; and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi today released the following statement after the White House announced that President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have signed a declaration of principles on the continued U.S. presence in Iraq. Full release

Voter turnout by young people will be crucial in the 2008 election. Harvard University's Institute of Politics (IOP), located at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, has been conducting regular polling of America's college students for seven years, highlighting key trends and issues related to politics and public service. This fall's IOP poll offers new in-depth data on the candidates that young people support in the race for president in 2008. The poll results also provide the 18-24 year olds' views on politics and their attitude toward health care, foreign policy, trust in government and other institutions, community service and other critical issues. Full release

Congressional Quarterly Inc., the nation's premier provider of news and analysis on Congress, politics and public policy, today announced a new report that shows House and Senate Democrats are in a strong position to expand their majorities in 2008. Full release

As reported in today's New York Times, the November 15, 2007, issue of Rolling Stone magazine includes what appears to be a giant, nine-page ad for R.J. Reynolds' Camel cigarettes that features a four-page cartoon foldout, despite a prohibition in the 1998 state tobacco settlement on the use of cartoons to market cigarettes. Full release.

On the eve of World AIDS Day, students, women's rights advocates, and religious leaders will march to and rally at the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator to demand that the U.S. government cut the red tape on global HIV prevention programs under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Full release

It's not a smoking gun, but it's smoking-related, and it's there in black-and-white images: evidence of microscopic structural damage deep in the lungs, caused by secondhand cigarette smoke. For the first time, researchers have identified lung injury to nonsmokers that was long suspected, but not previously detectable with medical imaging tools. Full release.

Researchers at ProCon.org solicited perspectives from over 200 diverse immigration experts to create an in-depth and nonpartisan exploration of the primary question "What are the solutions to illegal immigration in America?" The results of this research are available at http://www.immigrationprocon.org - the 12th website launched by ProCon.org. Full release

Released this morning was the Nonprofit Roundtable's BEYOND CHARITY: RECOGNIZING RETURN ON INVESTMENT - How the Nonprofit Community Impacts Greater Washington, the groundbreaking report of a yearlong effort to answer the question: "What difference do nonprofits make?" To view the full report, please go to http://www.nonprofitroundtable.org. Full release

This is the WashingtonWatch.com federal legislative update for the week of November 26, 2007. The House and Senate remain out of session for their Thanksgiving recess this week. When Congress returns next week, it will have a number of important issues to tackle. Full release

U.S. Sen. Joe Biden will share his views on education as part of the University of Northern Iowa's presidential-candidate education forums "Back to School: Addressing the Challenges and Opportunities in American Education." The forum will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27, at UNI's Lang Hall Auditorium. Forum partners include Strong American Schools' ED in '08, the Iowa Business Council and Lee Enterprises newspapers. The forum is free and open to the public. Full release

Senior Advisor for Political Affairs at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics Jennifer Donahue will moderate a political discussion about how education will play into presidential politics on the campaign trail in New Hampshire. Full release

Food Banks across America are facing a potential crisis as Thanksgiving arrives and millions of Americans seek help feeding their families. America's Second Harvest -- The Nation's Food Network, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization, is projecting an immediate food shortage of 15 million pounds -- the equivalent of more than 400 truckloads or 11.7 million meals -- by the end of the year. Full release

Smooth talking Mitt Romney keeps talking, but he still isn't saying what he would do to ensure every American has health care. Like the rest of the Republican presidential candidates, his current rhetoric focuses on using tax incentives to pay for private health insurance, an approach he once said could not work. But, as the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday, countless Americans with pre-existing medical conditions "could not be sure of getting coverage -- especially if they were not already covered by a government or job-related plan and had to seek insurance as individuals." Full release

Revelations in today's New York Times regarding John Edwards' staunch pro-war stance as a Vice Presidential candidate in 2004 "raise serious questions about the credibility of his positions on every issue being debated in this Presidential campaign," Ohio Congressman and Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich said today. Full release

The William J. Clinton Presidential Library, a part of the National Archives, has been designated as one of the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly places to work in the United States by the U.S. Green Buildings Council under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED-EB) Green Building program. Full release

The vast majority of metropolitan areas showed rising or stable home prices in the third quarter with most experiencing modest gains compared with a year earlier, despite a broad decline in existing-home sales, according to the latest quarterly survey by the National Association of Realtors. Full release

AmeriCares is sending emergency shipments of critical medicines to Bangladesh in response to Cyclone Sidr, which devastated coastal towns throughout the country and has left hundreds of thousands homeless and killed more than 3,000 people. Full release

As Congress intensifies their work to address this nation's product safety crisis, Consumers Union launches a "Twelve Days of Safe Shopping" campaign, calling on manufacturers, retailers, and government agencies to develop effective measures to prevent unsafe products from reaching store shelves. Full release

Kalima, one of the most significant cultural initiatives to come out of the Arab world in years, launched today and announced a much-anticipated list of 100 books, selected as candidates for translation into Arabic. Kalima ("word" in Arabic), funds the translation, publication and distribution of high-quality works of classic and contemporary writing from other languages into Arabic. Full release

Amnesty International condemns the continuing intimidation of journalists in Pakistan including the arrest of at least 100 journalists -- many of whom were beaten -- holding peaceful a protest in Karachi against media curbs today. Full release

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