November 10, 2008

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on the occasion of Veterans Day, which will be celebrated tomorrow: "On Veterans Day, Americans across our great nation come together to honor the brave men and women who wore our nation's uniform, to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and to pay special tribute to those serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the globe. Without the brave efforts of all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coastguardsmen, none of us would live as free or be able enjoy the blessings of liberty." Full release

In the aftermath of the election victory of Barack Obama, white supremacists rushed to online discussion forums to vent anger and disbelief that voters had chosen an African-American candidate as the next president of the United States. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which monitors and exposes extremist activity and rhetoric, said anger among white supremacists and other right-wing extremists in response to Obama's victory resulted in an avalanche of vitriolic postings on racist Web sites. Full release

The way the presidential election was covered - and the public's reaction to it - was a wake-up call to traditional media that it must maintain its credibility if it is going to stay alive, leading journalists here told a National Press Club forum Thursday. "On Tuesday night, for the first time in the history of the craft, there were so many voices that it was very difficult to separate the voice of what we would call traditional media and the voice of all the others," said Con Psarras, news director at KSL-TV, the Salt Lake City NBC affiliate. "That confuses people." Full release

The American Civil Liberties Union launched a new campaign today calling on President-elect Barack Obama to close the Guantanamo Bay prison and end the military commissions on Day One of his presidency. Obama, as a candidate, pledged to "close Guantanamo, reject the Military Commissions Act and adhere to the Geneva Conventions." In a full page ad in the New York Times today, the ACLU urges Obama, as president, to fulfill those promises and immediately restore America's moral leadership in the world. Full release

Former Governor Mike Huckabee has led the charge to improve health care in the state of Arkansas and has often said Americans must begin to take control of their health and that the effort is just as important at work as it is at home. Wednesday, at the New York Business Group on Health meeting in New York, NY he discussed how he believes the democratic administration will impact the healthcare system, stating "the problem of health care is everyone's issue -- not just the president's." Full release

Without action by the new Administration and Congress to develop an integrated, comprehensive, national health workforce policy, the U.S. is at risk of losing its status as the global health care leader, according to the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC). The Association calls on policymakers to advance beyond incremental steps, and embrace fundamental change in the nation's approach to health workforce planning. Full release

World Vision, a leading international humanitarian aid agency, congratulates President-elect Barack Obama on his win as the 44th President of the United States, and urges his leadership and commitment to making global poverty, disease and injustice among his top priorities. Full release

The majority of financial advisers have little confidence in President-elect Barack Obama's ability to put the U.S. back on sound economic footing, according to a new online survey by InvestmentNews, the leading news source for financial advisers. Of the 968 financial advisers surveyed on November 6 and 7, 61% said they lack confidence in the new commander-in-chief's ability to resolve the country's economic woes. Full release

This is the WashingtonWatch.com federal legislative update for the week of November 10, 2008. President-Elect Barack Obama announced at his first press conference last week that he wanted to see an economic stimulus package passed either later this year or early in his term come January. The stimulus package passed in February included rebate checks to taxpayers, returning about $540 per family on average (and increasing each family's share of the national debt that much). Full release

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