March 2008

Six months after the authorities violently suppressed demonstrations in Myanmar, at least 40 protesters, including seven monks, have been given prison sentences, according to new research by Amnesty International. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today on the resignation of Alphonso Jackson as Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): "The resignation of HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson comes at a time when millions of American families are facing the prospect of losing their homes. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today after Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced a proposal by the Bush Administration to overhaul regulation of the financial markets: "Congressional Democrats will continue to work to provide additional assistance to millions of families at risk of losing their homes, bring much-needed relief to consumers feeling the impact of the economic downturn, and ensure meaningful regulation of the financial system." Full release

The following editorial from New York Post is being issued by the Republican National Committee: "We can't go back to some of the, you know, confiscatory rates that existed in the past that have distorted sound economics," Obama admitted while discussing his intention to take the capital-gains tax substantially north of its current 15-percent rate. Full release

This morning, John McCain launches his effort to reinvent himself for the general election with a week of speeches. After running as a so-called "maverick" and "outsider" in his failed 2000 campaign, John McCain cast aside his principles and morphed into a Bush Republican for this year's primaries. Now, after embracing the President's budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthy, abandoning his own immigration reform plan to cozy up to the right wing of his party, and turning his back on the campaign finance and lobbying reforms he once championed, McCain is trying to reinvent himself yet again. Full release

John McCain's campaign has said that McCain is "the American president Americans have been waiting for." But the truth is McCain's shifting positions and political opportunism have hurt him with voters, who see him as out of touch on issues like health care, the economy, and the war in Iraq. [FOXNews.com, 3/29/08] Full release

Jeffrey Sandman, spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, will be available to update media and comment on the hearing, "Proposed UIGEA Regulations: Burden without Benefit?" in the House Committee on Financial Service's Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology. The hearing will explore the burden on U.S. financial institutions to comply with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). Although the law was intended to deter illegal Internet gambling activity, millions of Americans continue to gamble online with off-shore operators. House Committee on Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced a bill last year to regulate Internet gambling, which would require operators to put in place effective safeguards to combat compulsive and underage gambling and ensure the integrity of financial transactions. Full release.

The American Islamic Congress (AIC) is holding a Capitol Hill forum at noon on Tuesday, April 1, on stopping women trafficking in the Muslim world. The panel, co-sponsored by Congress' Religious Freedom and Anti-Terrorism caucuses, features three leading Middle East experts and anti-trafficking advocates. The event is the latest in AIC's monthly forum on Muslim affairs, designed to inform Congressional leaders, Capitol Hill staffers, and the policy community. Lunch is provided. Full release

The following was issued by the Republican National Committee and written by Kenneth P. Vogel from The Politico: During his first run for elected office, Barack Obama played a greater role than his aides now acknowledge in crafting liberal stands on gun control, the death penalty and abortion -- positions that appear at odds with the more moderate image he's projected during his presidential campaign. Full release

The Hill newspaper's website, thehill.com, is today introducing The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, a first-of-its-kind addition to the political blogosphere. Full release.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing: "The Olympic Charter states that the Olympics should seek to foster 'respect for universal and fundamental ethical principles.' Sadly, the Chinese government has not lived up to its commitments to improve the human rights situation in China and Tibet. I believe the International Olympic Committee made a mistake in awarding the 2008 Summer games to China, and I sponsored a Congressional resolution expressing that view at the time. Full release.

The following release was issued today by the Democratic National Committee: This week in what his campaign billed a "major policy speech," John McCain said "[i]t's time to help American families" suffering from the housing crisis. Yet he didn't offer any new plans to help America's families and communities in his speech and failed to mention his dismal voting record on housing issues. The fact is, throughout his career McCain has voted against affordable housing programs and an initiative to help the homeless, skipped votes to help renters, and voted against an independent agency to oversee mortgage lenders, all important programs to help families striving to reach the American Dream. Full release.

On Monday, March 31, leading conservative voices from several national organizations will host a press conference to express concerns regarding the flawed decision to award the $35 billion contract to French-based EADS/Airbus and its minority American partner, Northrop Grumman. The Center for Security Policy, Citizens United, Frontiers of Freedom, Let Freedom Ring, the American Cause, 60 Plus, Free America, the Institute for Liberty, and others will urge the Department of Defense, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and Congress to investigate a series of questionable and unprecedented midstream changes to the tanker contract which favored the EADS Company's bid to build America's next generation of aerial refueling tankers. Full release

The following is being issued by the Republican National Committee: Yesterday, Obama Reiterated His Support For Nearly Doubling The Capital Gains Tax Rate; Claiming It Wouldn't "Distort ... Economic Decision Making." Full release

The American Conservative Union Political Action Committee has endorsed Pete Olson in the Republican Primary runoff for Texas' 22nd Congressional District. Full release

The following is an op-ed by Charles Krauthammer and is being issued by the Republic National Committee: Asked at a New Hampshire campaign stop about possibly staying in Iraq 50 years, John McCain interrupted -- "Make it a hundred" -- then offered a precise analogy to what he envisioned: "We've been in Japan for 60 years. We've been in South Korea for 50 years or so." Lest anyone think he was talking about prolonged war-fighting rather than maintaining a presence in postwar Iraq, he explained: "That would be fine with me, as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or wounded or killed." Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi today released the following statement in reaction to the President's speech on Iraq at the U.S. Air Force museum: "President Bush's speech today on Iraq failed to offer any plan for the safe return of our brave men and women. In fact, the Administration reportedly is preparing to tell the American eople that we must maintain 140,000 troops in Iraq indefinitely."
Full release

Hundreds of determined members of SEIU United Healthcare Workers - West (UHW) will gather at their union headquarters (560 Thomas L. Berkley Way) Thursday at 4:00 p.m. to express outrage at escalating attempts by SEIU's Washington officials to subvert democracy, centralize power and silence their voices in relationships with employers. The healthcare workers will declare their intention to retain control of their local union and their full support for UHW's elected leaders.
Full release

The following is being issued by the Republican National Committee: Fiorina: "John McCain has been very clear throughout this crisis in saying that there is a role for government. The role of government is to help the truly needy. The role of government is to prevent systemic economic risk. The role of government is to enact reforms that ensure that this kind of crisis never happens again, and specifically to enact reforms that ensure greater transparency and accountability." (MSNBC's "MSNBC Live," 3/27/08) Full release

Iraq's Minister of Industry and Minerals, Fawzi Hariri, and U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Business Transformation and Director of the Task Force for Business and Stability Operations in Iraq, Paul Brinkley, will discuss Iraq's Economic Surge and Recent Private Investments.
Full release

In wake of the annual report issued this week by the Social Security and Medicare Trustees, RetireSafe predicts a shaky financial future for retiring Americans unless someone in our nation's capital takes action before it is too late. Full release

On Wednesday, April 16, the first anniversary of the terrible tragedy that took 32 innocent lives at Virginia Tech, local citizens in more than 50 cities and towns across America will participate in events to remember that tragedy - as well as all victims and survivors of gun violence - and call on Congress to act to strengthen the Brady background check system by closing the gun show loophole. Full release

The Men's Health Policy Center, a new resource center affiliated with the Men's Health Network (MHN), announced today that they are hosting an online petition urging Congress to end a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) practice that unfairly restricts prostate cancer patients' access to drug therapies. Full release

John McCain's campaign has argued that the Arizona senator will make Republicans more competitive in states in the Rocky Mountain West -- states in which Democrats are gaining strength. But the reality is Republicans like McCain are out of touch on the issues that matter most to Western voters. Full release

Puerto Rico Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila and 12 associates in Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and the Philadelphia-area have been charged in a 27-count indictment unsealed today and returned by a grand jury in San Juan, Puerto Rico on March 24, 2008, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez-Velez of the District of Puerto Rico announced today. Full release.

Recognizing the valor, service and sacrifice of America's 1.7 million women veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has created a comprehensive array of benefits and programs. Full release.

The following is being issued by the Republican National Committee. Full release.

Federally Employed Women (FEW) has announced the organization's four legislative priorities for the remainder of the 110th Congress. Full release

Leaders from worker, civil rights and immigrant advocacy organizations will hold a news conference call tomorrow, Thursday, March 27 at 12:00 noon Eastern Time, to address the 2007 Social Security Administration (SSA) no-match rule reissued today by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its impact on workers and the economy. The no-match rule issued by the DHS was already struck down by a court because of serious concerns that its full impact on workers and employers hadn't been fully explored and the reissued no-match rule only includes minor cosmetic changes that do not begin to address the court's concerns. Full release

The following was issued by the Democratic National Committee: For the second day in a row, John McCain delivered what was billed as a "major policy speech," but included no new policies, proposals or ideas. After telling the American people what he would NOT do to address the mortgage crisis and our struggling economy yesterday, McCain delivered a foreign policy speech that not only offered no plan for a way forward in Iraq, but seemed to repackage the same rhetoric. Full release

Adolescents receiving comprehensive sex education had a substantially lower risk of teenage pregnancy than students who received either abstinence-only education or no education at all, according to a new, groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Full release.

Congress has criticized the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the past year for not ensuring the safety of the nation's food, prescription drug and medical device supplies. Senior members of Congress have stated at various times, "The health and safety of the American people is at risk... our food supply becomes more dangerous all the time... there is a fundamental breakdown for evaluating the safety of drugs... the FDA is badly broken." These sentiments are reflected in numerous national media stories describing a variety of FDA warnings on and recalls of food and drugs. Full release.

Do you have what it takes to be the president? Today Stardock Entertainment announced The Political Machine 2008, a new PC game that puts players in control of the 2008 presidential campaign. Play as the campaign manager for a host of candidates including Barack Obama, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, historical candidates or design one from scratch. Full release

The following statement is being issued by the Republican National Committee: Fiorina: "I think John McCain understands there is a role for government in helping the truly needy, in focusing on reforms that ensure transparency and accountability so this doesn't happen again, in preventing systemic economic risk. But the role of government is not to bail out people who took a risk and now have to pay the piper." (CNN's "American Morning," 3/26/08) Full release

On the campaign trail John McCain presents himself as a foreign policy expert who understands the war in Iraq better than his opponents, a case he'll likely make today during a speech that will no doubt serve as clean-up for misstatements he made recently about Iraq. But the reality is, McCain has chosen to ignore key issues on the ground and still hasn't offered a plan for Iraq going forward. Full release

The following is an article by Alec MacGillis and is being issued by the Republic National Committee: [A]s Obama heads into the final presidential primaries, Sen. John McCain and other Republicans have already started to brand him a standard-order left-winger, "a down-the-line liberal," as McCain strategist Charles R. Black Jr. put it, in a long line of Democratic White House hopefuls. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement in response to today's reports from the Social Security and Medicare trustees: Full release.

House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) issued the following statement today after the Social Security and Medicare Trustees issued their annual report estimating that Social Security and Medicare will deplete their respective trust funds by 2041 and 2019. Full release

WASHINGTON, March 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- RNC Victory Chair Carly Fiorina released the following statement following Senator John McCain's remarks on the housing industry today: "The American Dream starts with a home and job, and there is no government program or policy that can be a substitute for these." Full release

Experts in business, strategic communications, diplomacy and cultural exchanges will present a range of recommendations on the future of public diplomacy to the new administration at a forum on March 27 at The George Washington University. "Rebuilding America's Public Diplomacy: Proposals for a New Administration" is co-sponsored by the Public Diplomacy Council, GWU's School of Media and Public Affairs and the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange. The event takes place at the Jack Morton Auditorium at 805 21st Street, NW, from 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Full release

In his remarks addressing the housing crisis today, John McCain once again failed to outline any new proposals to help millions of struggling homeowners keep their homes or address the larger issues local communities are facing as a result of the crisis. McCain's speech comes on the same day one leading indicator reported a 10.7 percent drop in single-family home values, the steepest decline in the history of that index. [New York Times, 3/25/08] Full release

For journalists covering today's release of the report of the trustees of Social Security and Medicare assessing the fiscal health of the government's two biggest benefit programs (combined approximately one third of the federal budget), the authors of a popular book on the federal budget say asking the "right" questions is key. One key question: Are America's leaders so immersed in short term political positioning that we have lost the ability to chart our nation's long-term fiscal future? Full release

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today that its private-sector development program in Iraq, known as Izdihar ("prosperity" in Arabic), has helped provide more than $150 million in micro-loans since the start of U.S. government microfinance assistance to Iraq in 2003. The loans, which typically range from $500 to $3,000, are primarily used by Iraqis to start or expand small businesses. The program maintains a repayment rate of nearly 99 percent.
Full release

The upcoming briefing hosted by the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) entitled "Trade and the Race for the White House: Exploring the Candidates' Positions" has been heavily subscribed by U.S. and foreign government officials, industry representatives and major media outlets. But not by the Hillary Clinton campaign. Full release

John McCain claims he delivers "straight talk on health system reform." In his speech today in Los Angeles, the Republican candidate will try to demonstrate that he understands the economy, but his previous health care proposals show that he doesn't. [johnmccain.com, accessed 3/24/08]
Full release

Senior Officers from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard will present the new maritime strategy known as "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower" to more than 180 of Denver's business and community leaders at the Marriott City Center on March 27, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (MST). They will discuss how U.S. seapower directly benefits the people and economy of Denver and maintains the American way of life. Full release

The VIA Institute on Character today announced a national opinion poll on the public perception of presidential character. The 10-question poll, at VIACaucus.org, matches the three candidate's presidential character traits with those of an ideal candidate. Full release.

WASHINGTON, March 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Justice's Antitrust Division issued the following statement today after announcing the closing of its investigation into the proposed merger of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. with Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. Full release

Larry Cox, Amnesty International USA executive director, issued the following statement in response to news reports that Pakistan's new Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, has freed all the judges detained in November 2007 by President Pervez Musharraf. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on reports that the death toll for United States soldiers in Iraq has reached 4,000. Full release.

Archive of Previous Posts