December 2008

News Unfiltered will be back to regular posting on Monday, January 5th.

Communities and nonprofits across the country are gearing up for a record number of volunteers on the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal holiday, fueled by President-elect Obama's call for Americans to serve on King Day and throughout the year. Organizers of the annual service day say momentum is building in the wake of the President-elect's call and the timing of the holiday coming one day before the Inauguration. In addition to asking Americans to serve, President-elect Obama, Vice President-elect Biden, and their families will participate in service on the January 19 holiday in the Washington D.C. area. Full release

The following is a statement by John McAuliff, executive director of the Fund for Reconciliation and Development, a non-governmental organization he founded in 1985 to normalize relations with Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. He has visited Cuba annually during the past decade: As Cuba celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of its revolution on January 1, the incoming Obama Administration faces several choices about whether and how it will address decades of mutual hostility and misunderstanding. Full release

The following is a statement by Bob Gallo, Senior State Director of AARP Illinois: The economic situation is forcing more Illinois families to face a broken health care system. Everyday an increasing number of people are cutting back on necessities in order to pay for health care and delaying seeing their doctor because it's too expensive. High health care costs are leaving many unable to afford the care they need. Full release

Consumers Union (CU), the highly trusted, independent publisher of Consumer Reports magazine and ConsumerReports.org, has purchased Consumerist.com from Gawker Media. The popular consumer watchdog blog will operate independently of Consumer Reports publications and be the first property housed under a new non-profit entity called Consumer Media LLC. The change in ownership will be in effect as of January 1, 2009. Full release

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Robert M. "Mike" Duncan announced the following statement tonight. "Al Franken's declarations of victory are as inaccurate as they are premature. This recount has taken some time and we won't know a winner for weeks to come. And, when a winner finally does emerge, we are confident it will be Norm Coleman." Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt today announced their support for Dr. Douglas W. Elmendorf to become Director of the Congressional Budget Office. Under the Budget Act, the Director is appointed by the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, after considering recommendations from the House and Senate Budget Committees. By custom, the House and Senate alternate in taking the lead role on the CBO Director's selection; this time it is the House's turn. Chairman Spratt stated that he will convene the Budget Committee and ask it to recommend Dr. Elmendorf while Speaker Pelosi announced her intention to name him to the position. Full release

Riki Ellison, Chairman of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org points out in an Alert to the membership of his organization that the situation in the Middle East between Israel and the Hamas is a real life example of the need for missile defense deployment by Israel. Ellison was in Israel a few months ago and toured many of the cities under attack by Hamas. He has a good understanding of the need for a missile defense system for Israel, and shares this with the MDAA membership. His remarks are as follows. Full release

Lev L. Dassin, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Ben-Ami Kadish pleaded guilty earlier today to a one-count information charging him with participating in a conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of the Government of Israel. Full release

On Wednesday, December 31, American Muslims and other people of conscience will gather outside the White House in Washington, D.C., for a "New Year's Eve Candlelight Vigil for Gaza." The vigil is sponsored by the American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), a coalition of 12 major Islamic organizations. Full release

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) says the actions of the federal government to support GMAC Financial Services will bring stability to consumer and dealer lending and help restore consumer confidence on Main Street. Full release

Terry McAuliffe, former DNC chairman and Hillary Clinton campaign chairman, says John LaCombe "represents the passion, energy, and commitment to real change that helped revolutionize the Democratic Party in 2008." In endorsing John LaCombe, Terry McAuliffe released the following statement: "John LaCombe represents the passion, energy, and commitment to real change that helped revolutionize the Democratic Party in 2008." Full release

While the housing market has slumped and the economy has slowed, economic interest in Elgin, Illinois, has amplified internationally over the last several years with many global companies expanding and green initiatives emerging in the City. Full release

With Congress poised to act to end the secret ballot right of employees choosing representation, a national movement to protect the secret ballot in state constitutions launched today in Washington, DC, and in five states. Entitled SOS Ballot ­ Save Our Secret Ballot ­ the new group announced its efforts to place before voters a secret ballot constitutional amendment in Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Nevada and Utah, with the expectation that additional states will be announced in the coming weeks. Full release

The latest victim of the economic recession could be your health. According to a recent AARP survey, one in five adults ages 45 and older are suffering health problems due to financial stress. The survey details the health care problems and challenges many Americans are facing because of the current economic situation. Full release

The Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) today condemned an arson attack on a Chicago synagogue as "reprehensible." The incident occurred just before 2 a.m. Monday at Temple Sholom on North Lake Shore Drive. An individual allegedly threw an incendiary device against the wall of the synagogue causing a small fire. Full release

Ronald S. Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, expressed outrage over the statement made be United Nations General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann falsely accusing Israel of "collective punishment," "targeting civilians," and "disproportionate military response."
Full release

New negotiating texts on anti-dumping and subsidies released by the World Trade Organization (WTO) reflect how far the negotiations are from being an acceptable basis for conclusion for the United States. As 2008 comes to an end, the WTO dispute settlement system continues its unacceptable pattern of rewriting the rules of trade remedies. Full release

Life for Relief and Development (LIFE), a U.S.-based charity, has begun providing emergency humanitarian relief to the civilian victims of the recent conflict in Gaza. As one of only a handful of international non-governmental organizations operating in the area, LIFE has obtained permission from the Israeli authorities to deliver urgently needed relief items to Gaza via a specially designated humanitarian corridor. Full release

New negotiating texts on anti-dumping and subsidies released by the World Trade Organization (WTO) reflect how far the negotiations are from being an acceptable basis for conclusion for the United States. As 2008 comes to an end, the WTO dispute settlement system continues its unacceptable pattern of rewriting the rules of trade remedies. Full release

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today issued a statement calling on the Bush administration to take concrete actions to restore the flow of humanitarian aid to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip and to help reinstate the cease-fire that an Israeli newspaper admits was "unilaterally violated" by Israel. CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad read the statement this morning during a news conference, which aired live on C-SPAN, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Full release

Multinational Monitor magazine has released its annual list of the 10 worst corporations of the year. The companies on the list are: AIG, Cargill, Chevron, Constellation Energy, CNPC, Dole, General Electric, Imperial Sugar, Philip Morris International and Roche. "In the 20 years that we've published our annual list of worst corporations," says Multinational Monitor editor Robert Weissman, "we've covered corporate villains, scoundrels, criminals and miscreants. But we've never had a year like 2008." Full release

The proposals are coming fast and furious from Washington: fix the economy and generate jobs by repairing and rebuilding the nation's crumbling infrastructure. President-elect Barack Obama says he plans to make the kinds of investments not seen since the 1930s when Franklin Delano Roosevelt unleashed the New Deal in an effort to pull the nation out of The Great Depression. To help viewers better understand what exactly is at stake, the stations of WNET.ORG will air a Blueprint America special: Blueprint America: The Big Fix airing Tuesday, December 30th from 9:00-10:00 p.m. on THIRTEEN and from 12:00-1:00 a.m on WLIW21. Full release

This is the WashingtonWatch.com federal legislative update for the week of December 29, 2008. Just before the beginning of the 2009 fiscal year in October, Congress passed a temporary spending measure to fund the operations of the government until March. Without action early in the next Congress, though, funding for much of the government will run out. The stopgap bill passed in September set full year FY 2009 funding levels for Defense, Homeland Security, and Military Veterans. It spent about $8,000 per U.S. family. But the rest of the government's operations remain unfunded past early March. Full release

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on American Muslims and other people of conscience to contact public officials and urge them to condemn Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip that have killed almost 300 people and injured hundreds more, including women and children. In its bombardment of Gaza, Israel has targeted at least one mosque, a university and a warehouse for medical supplies. Full release

On Dec. 23, 2008, President George W. Bush granted pardons to 19 individuals and commutation of sentence to one individual. Full release.

A criminal information was filed today in federal court charging a wholly owned subsidiary of ExxonMobil Corporation with violating the criminal provisions of the Clean Water Act in connection with a spill of approximately 15,000 gallons of diesel oil into the Mystic River from ExxonMobil's oil terminal in Everett, Mass. Full release.

Seniors and residents with disabilities have nine days to submit Property Tax/Rent Rebate program applications before the Dec. 31 deadline. "More than half a million seniors have already received rebates this year, but we know there are about 128,000 more people who qualify but haven't yet applied," said acting Secretary of Revenue Stephen H. Stetler. "As families and friends gather for the holidays, I encourage them to ask loved ones who may qualify for a rebate if they have applied." Full release

This week, the incoming Obama administration announced the creation of a new "White House Task Force on Working Families" to examine and raise the standard of living of America's middle class working families. In response to the announcement of this new task force, to be chaired by Vice-President Biden, the public policy center Demos released the following statement from Tamara Draut, Vice President of Policy and Programs and long-time director of Demos' Economic Opportunity Program. Full release.

The American Petroleum Institute should do more to resist OPEC's manipulation of the price of oil, says John W. Rich, Jr., a leader in the domestic waste coal and biomass to diesel fuel effort. "OPEC's decision to cut oil production again to raise the price of oil and gasoline is economic terrorism and amounts to a foreign imposed surprise tax for the Holidays for American families. It's time for the domestic oil industry to stand up for the American consumer and take action to resist OPEC's manipulation of the price of oil." Full release.

U.S. acreage planted with organic cotton increased for second straight year, according to research compiled by the Organic Trade Association (OTA). Analysis of available data found that the total acres planted in organic cotton grew from 8,510 in 2007 to 9,279 in 2008, constituting a nine percent increase. Harvest acreage figures for 2008 are not yet available. Other findings show 14,025 bales of organic cotton were harvested in 2007, representing a 73 percent increase over the previous year, when the total number of bales was 8,116. The U.S. organic cotton harvest represents about 2.1 percent of total global organic cotton production. Full release.

The following was released today by the American Small Business League: President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to create significant changes in federal contracting law that will allow some of the nation's wealthiest investors to receive federal contracts earmarked for small businesses. Under the banner of "increasing access to capital" for small businesses, the policies will allow firms controlled by individual venture capitalist and even large venture capital firms to participate in federal small business contracting programs. Full release.

Saubhe Jassim Al-Dellemy, age 67, an Iraqi national living in Maryland, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, specifically, as an agent of Iraq, announced Patrick Rowan, Assistant Attorney General for National Security and U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Full release.

Fiat S.p.A. (Fiat), an Italian corporation based in Turin, Italy, has agreed to a $7 million penalty for illegal kickbacks paid to officials of the former Iraqi government by three of its subsidiaries, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division announced today. Fiat agreed to pay the fine as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department. The matter is part of the Justice Department's ongoing investigation into the U.N. Oil for Food program. Full release.

American Life League and the Diocese of Amarillo scored a major victory this week as Planned Parenthood prepares to completely withdraw from the Texas Panhandle. Using American Life League's STOPP project to defeat Planned Parenthood the nation's largest abortion chain has been completely eradicated from the diocese of Amarillo, Texas. Full release.

Barack Obama campaigned on the need to create a clean-energy economy in the United States. Today, 67 grassroots organizations in 28 states sent a letter to the President-Elect to let him know that they intend to support the goal of clean energy, underscoring that this does not include taxpayer investment of so-called "clean coal" technology or unsafe nuclear power. Full release.

The 2008 holiday season will be one of the toughest in decades for millions of America's worst-off children, according to Every Child Matters Education Foundation President Michael Petit, author of "Homeland Insecurity: Why New Investments in Children and Youth Must be a Priority for the Obama Administration and the 111th Congress" Full release.

With President-elect Obama heavily focused on energy and climate change policy, six articles in the Winter 2009 Issues in Science and Technology offer practical ways to help the United States reach its goals of reduced energy dependence and greenhouse gas emissions. Full release.

Michael Connell, the Bush IT expert who has been directly implicated in the rigging of George Bush's 2000 and 2004 elections, was killed last night when his single engine plane crashed three miles short of the Akron airport. Velvet Revolution ("VR"), a non-profit that has been investigating Mr. Connell's activities for the past two years, can now reveal that a person close to Mr. Connell has recently been discussing with a VR investigator how he can tell all about his work for George Bush. Mr. Connell told a close associate that he was afraid that George Bush and Dick Cheney would "throw [him] under the bus." Full release.

President-elect Barack Obama has nominated Karen Gordon Mills as Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Mills is president of MMP Group, a private equity investor and adviser, a former founding partner and managing director of Solera Capital, a New York based venture capital firm and lead director of Scotts Miracle-Gro, according to the Washington Post. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today on President-elect Obama's nomination of Congresswoman Hilda Solis of California as Secretary of Labor: "I applaud President-elect Obama's selection of my colleague and friend Congresswoman Hilda Solis to serve as America's next Labor Secretary. Hilda Solis' tenure in Congress has been defined by an unrelenting commitment to working Americans, from their health care and job creation to their retirement security and workplace safety. As the first elected Latina in the California Senate, she led the fight to increase the state's minimum wage." Full release

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on American Muslims and others who value civil and religious rights to send postcards and letters of support to the Muslim women in Georgia who were either jailed or barred from a courtroom in that state because they wished to wear Islamic headscarves, or hijabs, in court. Full release.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today in response to the White House plan to give General Motors and Chrysler a bridge loan while they restructure their companies to become viable: "The President's announcement this morning provides an opportunity for the American automakers to become viable and competitive while securing millions of jobs. The auto companies and all other parties now must engage in comprehensive negotiations that will require all parties to make concessions." Full release.

The following statement was issued today by the Office of U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy: "I applaud President-elect Obama's selection of Congressman Ray LaHood to be the next Transportation Secretary. This is a choice that not only will play very well in Peoria but also on Capitol Hill and across the country." Full release.

In the final weeks of Republican control of Washington, the Bush Administration's OSHA has entered into a nearly toothless settlement agreement with Cintas over lethal violations in its laundries. The agreement attempts to resolve six OSHA cases relating to citations against Cintas for safety hazards at laundry facilities across the country, including hazards that led to the March 2007 death of Cintas worker Eleazar Torres Gomez. Full release.

Chrysler LLC Chairman and CEO Bob Nardelli said on behalf of the men and women of Chrysler and its extended enterprise, that he would like to thank the Administration and Treasury for their confidence in the Company. "A letter of intent was signed which outlines the specific requirements that must be achieved," said Nardelli. "These requirements will require consideration from all constituents, requiring commitment first in principal, leading to implementation this coming year. Chrysler is committed to meeting these requirements." Full release.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the Bush Administration's "refusal clause" rule. While current law already protects the religious beliefs of health care providers and professionals, the scope of this new rule is so broad that it could limit women's access to comprehensive health care and other services: "In issuing this midnight regulation, the Bush Administration has once again rejected medical and sound science in favor of misguided ideology that has no place in our government. The Administration has ignored the opposition of the American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Hospital Association, Members of Congress, and hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens and practitioners who made their informed views known to Health and Human Services." Full release.

Four leading civil liberties and human rights organizations today urged President-elect Obama to implement "an unqualified return to America's established system of justice for detaining and prosecuting suspects" when he fulfills his pledge to shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison camp and military commissions. In a letter delivered to the presidential transition team, the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International USA, Human Rights First and Human Rights Watch state that they "categorically oppose the creation of any other ad-hoc illegal detention system or 'third way' that permits the executive branch to suspend due process and hold suspected terrorists without charge or trial, essentially moving Guantanamo on-shore." Full release.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the latest economic news that 554,000 Americans filed for jobless claims: "Today's jobless claims again illustrate the struggles that workers are facing as they search for jobs, worry about layoffs, or fight to make ends meet. It is critical that Democrats and Republicans work together to ensure that the new year is a time of new economic opportunities for all Americans. Congress is working with the incoming Obama Administration to pass at the earliest date an economic recovery plan to provide immediate relief to Americans, to create or save 2.5 million American jobs, and to make long-term investments to strengthen the economy." Full release.

On Monday, January 12th, 2009 Matt Dillon and Sarah Jessica Parker will join Refugees International to host a one-night only performance of the critically acclaimed George Packer play, Betrayed, at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater. The play follows the stories of three young Iraqi translators as they risk their lives for Americans in Iraq. The production, and the article in The New Yorker it was based on, drew national attention to the Iraqi refugee crisis. Betrayed explores the complex relationships among the Iraqis themselves and with the State Department employee who supervises them. Full release.

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