December 11, 2008

YouTube has reached out to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for its expertise in dealing with hate on the Internet. In one outgrowth of that partnership, the League is now a contributor to YouTube's newly launched Abuse & Safety Center, where users are empowered to identify and confront hate, and to report abuses. Full release.

More than 7.3 million men and women were under correctional supervision in the nation's prisons or jails or on probation or parole at yearend 2007, the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. About 3.2 percent of the U.S. adult population, or one in every 31 adults, was incarcerated or under community supervision at the end of 2007. This percentage has remained stable since reaching more than 3 percent in 1999. About 70 percent (5.1 million) of the adults under correctional supervision at yearend 2007 were supervised in the community (either on probation or parole), and 30 percent (2.3 million) were incarcerated in the nation's prisons or jails. Offenders held in custody in state or federal prisons or local jails increased by 1.5 percent since yearend 2006. The population under community supervision (either on probation or parole) increased 2.1 percent. Full release.

- Less than 15% of U.S. voters support, and 53% oppose, a proposal pushed by health insurers requiring every American to provide proof of private health insurance or face tax penalties or other fines, according to a new poll. The poll, commissioned by Consumer Watchdog, also found that by just under a two-to-one margin voters favor requiring a return on taxpayer-funded research that leads to new medical treatments or prescription drugs. Full release.

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Robert M. "Mike" Duncan released the following statement today. "President-elect Barack Obama continues to provide less than forthcoming answers to simple questions related to Governor Rod Blagojevich. While it is encouraging that the President-elect has stated his office will disclose contacts with the scandal-ridden governor, it remains disappointing that his actions are in response to political pressure. Americans expect the highest degree of transparency from their elected leaders, rather than promises of openness on the campaign trail." Full release.

Sen. John F. Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, the Committee's Ranking Member, today released the results of their investigation finding gross mismanagement and lavish spending by the National Veterans Business Development Corporation, better known as The Veterans Corporation (TVC). In light of TVC's poor stewardship of federal dollars, veteran entrepreneurs have not received the resources they so rightfully deserve. Full release.

The worst corporate "Scrooges" of 2008 - the CEOs who exhibited the worst kinds of unbridled greed and a lack of compassion or concern for others over the last year - are being named today by Co-op America, in conjunction with its Responsible Shopper program. In order to make the list, the actions of the CEOs had to have had a decidedly negative impact in 2008, a year in which the greed of corporate managers helped created a severe downward economic spiral. Full release.

The Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Literacy (CEEL), www.econ4u.org, today released a new survey that underscores the need for increased education on personal finance and economic issues. The national survey conducted last week shows that an overwhelming number of Americans are unable to answer some of the most basic questions about borrowing, interest rates, terminology, and even basic math. More troubling is that many Americans admit to making poor decisions with their own personal finances. Full release.

Reforming America's health system is critical to any efforts to rebuild the nation's economy, leaders from the business, health, and policymaking communities declared at a forum in Washington, D.C. today. Participants in "Rhetoric to Reality: The Urgency of Health Reform" also said effective health reform would help stem costs that are overwhelming the health care system by addressing the rise in chronic diseases that are currently driving 75 percent of health spending. The event brought together business and health care leaders, members of the media, and key Congressional staff for one of the most wide-ranging public discussions of health reform since the November election. It was sponsored by the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, Partnership for Prevention, Divided We Fail and the Emory Institute for Advanced Policy Solutions. Full release.

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