February 02, 2009

A national consumer group today called upon Google to publicly disclose its lobbying positions on the electronic medical record provisions of the financial stimulus legislation, given a new account by an independent journalist that Google's presence on the bill was felt on Capitol Hill. Full release

Mark Green, recent U.S. Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania, joins Malaria No More as the new Managing Director of the Malaria No More Policy Center in Washington, DC, the non-profit organization announced today. Green brings unparalleled experience and insight into the fight against malaria in Africa to his new role at the Policy Center, where he will shape Malaria No More's advocacy work to engage policymakers in the race to save lives from this preventable and treatable disease. Full release

Ralph Nicoletti pleaded guilty in Brooklyn, N.Y., federal court today before U.S. District Judge Carol B. Amon to committing three assaults targeting African-American residents in Staten Island, N.Y., on the night of President Barack Obama's election victory. Nicoletti was the last of four defendants to plead guilty in the federal prosecution stemming from the attacks. The other three defendants - Bryan Garaventa, Michael Contreras and Brian Carranza - previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit the hate crime assaults and each face sentences of up to 10 years in prison. As part of his plea, Nicoletti has agreed to a sentence of 12 years, subject to the court's approval. Full release

Trust for America's Health (TFAH) strongly supports President Obama's call for a "complete review" of the nation's food safety system. The latest outbreak of Salmonella tied to peanut butter products in addition to major E.coli and Salmonella outbreaks in 2008 highlight the need to modernize U.S. food safety policies and practices. Full release

"President Obama is asking congressional Democrats to do what President Clinton recognized was an action that cost Democrats their majority 15 years ago after controlling the House of Representatives for several decades," John M. Snyder said here today. Full release

Today the National Legal and Policy Center publicly released an in-depth analysis of financial contributions made to Friends of Blagojevich from Balmoral and Maywood race track owner John Johnston and other Johnston-owned/affiliated interests. The new analysis reveals that previous accounts of Johnston contributions to Friends of Blagojevich greatly under-reported the actual contributions by Johnston family interests and far exceed the $160,000 in contributions that have been reported previously. Full release

President Barack Obama's latest economic stimulus plan may have been heavily influenced by powerful corporate lobbying. Some of President Obama's earlier campaign promises that would have directed hundreds of billions of dollars back into the middle class economy may have been killed by an intensive and well-financed lobbying campaign backed by some of our nation's largest corporations. Full release

More than 57,000 new jobs, 26,800 of which will be new clean energy jobs, could be created in the United States through the Renewable Energy and Green Healthcare Jobs Initiative offered to Congress and the Administration by Health Care Without Harm, Practice Greenhealth and Global Health and Safety Initiative. The health sector's proposed Initiative calls for $2 billion to be directed through the Economic Stimulus Package for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects for the nation's hospitals and health care facilities. Full release

Archive of Previous Posts