November 06, 2008

Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) pushed for strong action to combat hunger in the U.S. and around the world. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Alliance to End Hunger, Sen. Lugar and Rep. McGovern spoke to more than 100 hunger advocates from non-profit organizations, universities, faith-based groups and major corporations urging them to engage the new Obama administration and Democratic Congress on the issue of hunger. Full release.

In a year where the presidential campaigns spent a record billion dollars, and billions more were spent on campaigns for candidates and issues nationwide, a smartly conceived and executed Florida environmental campaign received nearly 70 percent of the vote on a shoe-string budget. Full release.

House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) today announced that he will not run for Republican Whip in the 111th Congress. Blunt informed his colleagues of his decision this morning in the letter below. Full release.

The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, (USAID) airlifted plastic sheeting used to construct transitional shelters for families affected by the October 29 earthquake in Balochistan Province, Pakistan, to the provincial capital of Quetta. This USAID plastic sheeting will help meet the needs of approximately 13,000 people in the affected area as they face the upcoming winter. Full release.

A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called on the FBI to launch a hate crime investigation into an Election Night assault on a New York Muslim by a gang allegedly angry that Barack Obama was elected president. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said media reports indicate that four "white men" beat a Muslim of Liberian heritage as he was walking near his Staten Island home. The victim said the alleged attackers jumped from a car and attacked him after shouting "Obama." Local law enforcement authorities are investigating the attack as a hate crime. Full release.

As the nation winds down from an historic election, many Americans are asking the question: Now What? Today, the "We" Campaign responded to that question with a comprehensive solution to the three core challenges facing our country: our economy, national security and the climate crisis. Full release.

The Global AIDS Alliance today welcomed the election of Senator Barack Obama as President of the United States. "We look forward to working with President-elect Obama as he confronts that challenge of HIV/AIDS, which every day kills over 5,000 people and infects another 7,500 every day," said Carol Bergman, Acting Director of the Global AIDS Alliance. Full release.

Twenty-six out of the 29 Democratic candidates who won seats previously held by Republicans in the House and Senate championed bold progressive economic positions, according to a new report released today by the Campaign for America's Future. The report shows that these progressive candidates' victories represent a swing to the left of 34 votes in the House and 10 in the Senate, reflecting a clear mandate for progressive change. Full release.

International relief agency World Vision has re-entered eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to begin assessing and serving the relief needs of tens of thousands of people displaced by the most recent outbreak of fighting in the area. At the same time, the agency continues to call on regional and global leaders to take actions that will protect civilians and address the root causes of the crisis. Full release.

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