June 2008

A new report released today by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) describes how HRSA-funded health centers improve the lives of the more than 16 million people they treat each year. Full release

Africa's rapidly changing environmental landscape, from the disappearance of glaciers in Uganda's Rwenzori Mountains to the loss of Cape Town's unique vegetation, is graphically documented by more than 300 satellite images in Africa: Atlas of Our Changing Environment, a new publication from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Full release

In recognition of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing this summer, the National Archives presents a special program on August 6, at noon, and a document display on "Ping Pong Diplomacy" -- an athletic event that became part of diplomatic history. Both the program and display will take place at the National Archives Building, which is located on Constitution Avenue at 9th Street, NW, and is open daily from 10 AM to 7 PM. Full release

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that the remaining $11,127,000 of a $17 million National Emergency Grant is being provided to Iowa to assist in the ongoing flood and tornado recovery efforts underway. Full release

In collaboration with the National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI), the twelve Presidential Libraries of the National Archives and Records Administration will host a series of discussions on public policy issues between Labor Day and Election Day this fall. All forums will be open to the public. Full release

In collaboration with the National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI), the twelve Presidential Libraries of the National Archives and Records Administration will host a series of discussions on public policy issues between Labor Day and Election Day this fall. All forums will be open to the public. Full release

Film and television stars Olivia Wilde ("House" and "The O.C.") and Peter Sarsgaard ("Jarhead" and "Boys Don't Cry") appear in two new public service announcements encouraging young people to register and vote in the 2008 election. Full release

John McCain says he would keep our country safe. But the reality is Senator McCain has voted repeatedly against giving our law enforcement officers the resources they need to protect our communities. Senator McCain voted against funding for the successful COPS program and against interoperable communications equipment for first responders. And instead of putting new officers on the street, helping officers prevent crime, and instituting tough new penalties for criminals, Senator McCain voted against the landmark 1994 Crime Bill. Full release

FLASHBACK: Sen. Clinton Attacked Barack Obama's Inconsistencies On Health Care: Sen. Clinton Said Obama "Could Have A Pretty Good Debate With Himself" Based On His Inconsistencies On Health Care. Sen. Clinton: "You know, Senator Obama has been -- as the Associated Press described it, he could have a pretty good debate with himself, because four years ago he was for single-payer health care." Full release

Yesterday, Gen. Wesley Clark Attacked McCain's Military Service: Gen. Clark: "But he hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded? It wasn't a wartime squadron. He hasn't been there and ordered the bombs to fall. He hasn't seen what it's like when diplomats come in and say, 'I don't know whether we're going to be able to get this point through or not, do you want to take the risk, what about your reputation, how do we handle this publicly?' He hasn't made those points Bob." (CBS' "Face The Nation," 6/29/08) Full release

Beth Cypser, the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) deputy mission director in Haiti is now the mission director. The promotion took place this morning after Jose Cardenas, Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean's acting assistant administrator, provided the oath of office during a brief ceremony this morning. Full release

Today, John McCain's campaign released its latest misleading ad aimed at drawing attention away from his history of opposing efforts to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil. After years of voting against incentives for renewable energy and green jobs, McCain has now offered a series of gimmicks and giveaways that even his own campaign admits won't reduce the price of gas.
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Obama: "She knows better. Shame on her. Shame on her. She knows better. She is running around talking about how this is an insult to sportsmen, how she values the Second Amendment. She's talking like she's Annie Oakley. Hillary Clinton is out there like she's on the duck blind every Sunday. She's packing a six-shooter. Come on, she knows better. That's some politics being played by Hillary Clinton." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks To United Steelworkers Union, Steelton, PA, 4/13/08) Full release

AIDS Action criticizes Congress on National HIV Testing Day for substantially under-funding domestic HIV/AIDS prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). House and Senate Appropriators have both proposed HIV/AIDS spending bills that allocate no increase to CDC's HIV prevention budget. CDC is expected to soon release a new estimate revising from 40,000 to more than 50,000 the estimated number of people who are infected with HIV each year in the United States. Congress's decision to flat fund HIV prevention in the face of increased HIV incidence is unacceptable. Full release

TODAY at 1:30 PM Eastern Time, Latino elected officials from around the country will gather to highlight John McCain's problems with Latino voters, and to challenge the Senator to use his address before a national Latino organization this weekend to make it clear where he truly stands on immigration reform. Full release

John McCain believes he will get support from Hispanic voters because he has a "long record working with Hispanic leadership" and that "[e]verything about our Hispanic voters is tailor made to the Republican message." [CNN.com, 5/5/08] But the reality is Hispanic voters have made it clear that they don't trust Senator McCain on the issues that Hispanic voters think are important-health care, the economy, and jobs-issues on which Senator McCain has proven he lacks the leadership and vision America needs. As Congressman Silvestre Reyes of Texas pointed out in an op-ed in the Washington Times this morning, it's hard to know where John McCain stands on the issue of immigration reform. [Pew Hispanic Center, 12/6/07; Washington Times, 6/27/08] Full release

Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response, and Rep. Al Green (D-TX), Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, announced the introduction of three bills to enhance the nation's preparedness and response capabilities. Full release

Congressional Quarterly Inc., the nation's premier provider of news, analysis and information on Congress, politics and public policy, today announced the launch of SpyTalk (http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/spytalk/), a new blog written by CQ's National Security Editor Jeff Stein. SpyTalk, which focuses on U.S. intelligence, defense and foreign policy issues, joins CQ Politics' growing roster of popular blogs from noteworthy bloggers, including Craig Crawford, David Corn and Taegan Goddard. Full release

Sen. Clinton Attacked Obama's Candidacy As Dangerously Oversimplifying America's Challenges: Sen. Clinton Said The "Phenomenon Associated With His Candidacy ... Dangerously Oversimplifies The Complexity Of The Problems We Face, The Challenge Of Navigating Our Country Through Some Difficult, Uncharted Waters." Full release

The following Op-Ed by Arlen Specter from The Morning Call was issued today by the Republican National Committee: "McCain knows America needs to reform its energy portfolio to include both new and proven sources of energy. He supports harnessing solar, wind and clean coal as well as expanding the use of nuclear power." ... [A]merica currently imports approximately two thirds of the oil it needs. This dependence on foreign sources of oil contributes to the wealth of undemocratic governments, some of which are supportive of terrorist attacks. ... Full release

In recognition of June 26 as a "Day in Support of Victims of Torture," representatives from the California Consortium of Torture Treatment Centers and survivors of torture joined together at a press conference today to educate state lawmakers about the long-term psychological and physical effects of torture and how treatment centers in California are playing an important role in the recovery process. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today calling on Senate Republicans to stop blocking the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act and allow a vote on this critical legislation that passed the House this week by an overwhelming, veto-proof margin. Full release

Today the Supreme Court upheld the decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, striking down the District's gun ban and recognizing an individual right to bear arms. Robert Levy, Cato senior fellow and plaintiff's co-counsel, comments: "On Thursday, the Court rediscovered the Second Amendment. More than five years after six Washington, D.C. residents challenged the city's 32-year-old ban on all functional firearms in the home, the Court held in District of Columbia v. Heller that the law is unconstitutional." Full release

The following is being issued by the Republican National Committee: Obama: "I Bit My Tongue Many Times. Many Times. I Bit My Tongue Many Times During This Campaign." "'I bit my tongue many times. Many times. I bit my tongue many times during this campaign,' Obama told his colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) last week during a private meeting.
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The Democratic National Committee today released a new web ad called "NIMBY: Not In McCain's Back Yard" that highlights John McCain's Yucca Mountain problem. Yesterday -- barely a day after McCain dismissed criticism of Yucca Mountain as "a NIBMY problem" that "we've gotta have the guts and the courage" to get over -- new video emerged of McCain admitting that he would not be comfortable shipping material though Arizona on its way to Yucca Mountain. Despite calling for the creation of 100 new nuclear power plants, McCain failed to address the question of what to do with the spent nuclear fuel during yesterday's remarks in Las Vegas. Full release

When talking about American workers on a recent visit to Ohio, John McCain said that he would "commit to giving these workers a second chance. They need it, they deserve it." But the reality is Senator McCain says no to jobs in Ohio by opposing common-sense policies that would create jobs and help the American worker. Senator McCain has voted against renewable energy initiatives in the Senate that would create green jobs all across the country. And his gas tax gimmick, which would do little to solve our energy problems, would cost Ohio nearly 9,000 jobs. [New York Times, 4/23/08] Full release

With this morning's ruling on the case of District of Columbia v. Heller, America has begun "its long march back toward liberty under a Second Amendment that means what it says," the Second Amendment Foundation said. Full release

The Franklin & Marshall College Poll, produced in partnership with Hearst-Argyle Television, finds that Barack Obama leads John McCain nationally by six percentage points (42% to 36%), while 15% are undecided and 7% would vote for another candidate. The poll also shows that Obama leads among women (44% to 34%), narrowly among men (40% to 38%), and leads among independents (36% to 29%). Full release

The Republican National Committee (RNC) released a new Web site today, DrNObama.com . The web site highlights Barack Obama's refusal to consider energy solutions that will provide relief for hardworking Americans and move our country toward real energy independence. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The bill passed by a vote of 402 to 17: "Nearly 18 years ago, with the enactment of the ADA, this nation committed to removing barriers that had too long denied Americans with disabilities full and equal access to all aspects of American society - in our businesses, schools, communities, and government." Full release

In the midst of a sluggish American economy, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) outlines "serious concerns" regarding H.R. 5546, a bill sponsored by Reps. Conyers and Cannon, which will legalize collusion among our nation's largest and most profitable retailers. In a letter sent on June 23, 2008 to Representative Lamar Smith, a senior official at DOJ emphatically states that the "bill may actually harm consumers, not benefit them." Full release

In a demonstration of strong, bipartisan opposition to a Bush Administration regulatory action that will cut $770 million in seniors' Medicare Part A nursing home funding in 2009, 40 Senators and 108 U.S. House members have joined U.S. Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Norm Coleman (R-MN), and U.S. Representatives Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Shelley Berkley (D-NV), to send separate letters to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt, warning Medicare beneficiaries are "severely threatened" by the Administration's imminent action. U.S. Senator John Warner (R-VA) has sent his own separate letter to Secretary Leavitt expressing his concerns. Full release

"It's time to hold liberals accountable for the energy crisis they have created," Richard A. Viguerie, publisher of ConservativeHQ.com, said. "On energy and the environment, Republican Party leaders have run for the tall grass. It's up to grassroots conservatives to stand up for regular Americans and to expose what the liberals have done to us," he said. Full release

Today Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), Chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, issued the following statement on the expected nomination of Sandy Baruah, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, for head of the Small Business Administration (SBA). Full release

John McCain Wants To Increase Energy Independence By Allowing States To Decide If They Want To Drill Offshore, But Obama Says No: John McCain Proposed Lifting The Ban On Offshore Drilling And Letting States Decide If They Wanted To Explore And Drill For Energy. McCain: "But I also believe that lifting the moratoria from offshore drilling or oil and natural gas exploration is something that we should place as a very high priority. Full release

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF) today welcomes the Supreme Court's rejection of attempts to expand the death penalty to crimes other than murder. Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing the majority opinion, said the Constitution bars the imposition of "the death penalty for the rape of a child where the crime did not result...in death of victim." Full release

John McCain says that "energy security is the great national challenge of our time" and claims he has a responsible energy plan to create jobs and decrease waste. But like his poll-driven gimmick to drill for offshore oil and pretend it will have any effect on gas prices today, Mr. McCain's claims to support the core energy priorities of Nevada will ring as hollow as the caverns in Yucca Mountain. [johnmccain.com, accessed 6/24/08] Full release

On June 12th, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued the latest release in a series of press releases entitled "Myth vs. Fact". (http://www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba_homepage/myth_fact.pdf) The latest "Myth vs. Fact" press release is in response to a New York Times article on a multitude of significant problems at the SBA that continue even after the departure of Administrator Steven Preston. In the release, Bush officials at the SBA once again claimed, "Large corporations are not receiving contracts meant for small businesses." Full release

FLASHBACK: Sen. Clinton Attacked Barack Obama's "Long Record Of Changing Positions": Sen. Clinton Said Obama Has "A Long Record Of Changing Positions." Sen. Clinton: "When you say John Edwards isn't electable because he changed positions between 2004 and 2008, and then you have a long record of changing positions, you know, all of a sudden you start to ask yourself, wait a minute - I mean, what is the substance here. What is, as famously was said years ago, where's the beef? You know, where is the reality? And I think that's a fair question." (ABC's "Good Morning America," 1/7/08) Full release

In the same week John McCain admitted that his new plan to end the moratorium on offshore oil drilling would have nothing more than a "psychological impact" on energy prices, McCain is bringing his out of touch campaign agenda to Nevada. While recent polls show that three quarters of Nevadans oppose construction of a nuclear repository at Yucca Mountain, Senator McCain has repeatedly voted to approve it and now proposes the construction of at least 45 new nuclear power plants. Presumably, Senator McCain's energy plan would require shipping the waste from those new plants to Nevada. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today on the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, which passed the House this afternoon by a veto-proof margin of 355 to 59. Full release

Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 25th, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, will hold a Diversity Best Practices Roundtable. The roundtable will bring together acknowledged diversity leaders from several business sectors, including private for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, and governmental entities, to discuss their challenges and experiences in achieving model diversity initiatives. Full release

The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing an additional $4 million to the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) in Sudan. This brings the total United States contribution to UNHAS in Sudan to $7.2 million in fiscal year 2008.
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John McCain is in California today trying to sell his off-shore drilling idea by claiming it would have a "psychological impact that I think is beneficial." But the reality is Senator McCain doesn't understand the American people, who want a plan for dealing with the energy crisis, not just a psychological trick. With skyrocketing gas prices that have become unmanageable, Americans want a president with a real plan to solve our energy needs. But Senator McCain himself has admitted that the off-shore drilling plan -- a Washington gimmick -- wouldn't give us "immediate relief" at all. Even the American Petroleum Institute, an oil industry trade group, agrees, saying that Americans wouldn't see more oil under McCain's plan for seven to ten years. [MSNBC, 6/24/08; McClatchy, 6/17/08] Full release

The Democratic National Committee today filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in D.C. to compel the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to investigate John McCain's decision to unilaterally withdraw from the FEC's matching funds program despite using the program to financially benefit his campaign -- just one of many McCain campaign improprieties. To view a copy of the DNC's lawsuit, please visit: http://www.democrats.org/page/-/pdf/DNCFECMcCain_062408.pdf. Full release

The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), a plaintiff in the successful 1993 lawsuit to open the meetings and records of Hillary Rodham Clinton's health care task force, today asked Barack Obama to dismiss Eric Holder from his Vice-Presidential selection committee. Full release

The following was released today by the Republican National Committee: Obama In July 2007: "I Actually Think That We Should Explore Nuclear Power As Part Of The Energy Mix": Obama: "I actually think that we should explore nuclear power as part of the energy mix. There are no silver bullets to this issue." (CNN/YouTube Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Charleston, SC, 7/23/07) Full release

In keeping with its commitment to make the 2008 Democratic National Convention the most accessible and technologically-savvy event of its kind, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) announced today that Comcast Corporation will produce simultaneous, online streaming coverage of the Convention in Spanish at DemConvention.com and make available a broad range of Convention content through its signature On Demand service. The DNCC also announced that Comcast has been named the Convention's Official Cable Television and Video-On-Demand (VOD) provider. Full release.

FLASHBACK: Sen. Clinton Attacked Barack Obama's Vote In Favor Of The 2005 Energy Bill. Full release.

DNC Chairman Howard Dean and DNC Women's Caucus Chair Mame Reiley today issued the following statement marking the 36th anniversary of the enactment of Title IX, which outlaws sex discrimination in educational programs. After the passage of Title IX in 1972, today more than 2.7 million girls participate in athletics in high school according to the U.S. Dept. of Education. [Feminist Majority Foundation Website, accessed 6/18/08] Full release

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