February 18, 2009

The New York Post is sorely misguided in its efforts to downplay the serious lapse in judgment exhibited in today's editorial cartoon by Sean Delonas. To think that the cartoonist and the responsible editors at the paper did not see the racist overtones of the finished product should insult their intelligence. Instead, they celebrate their own lack of perspective and criticize those who call it what it is: tone deaf at best, overtly racist at worst. Full release.

The Coalition for the Future American Worker (CFAW) has launched another national TV blitz. The ads emphasize the fact that worksite immigration enforcement is opening up jobs for Americans, improving workplace safety and raising wages. The ads go on to urge President Obama to tell Congressman Gutierrez that we need to continue opening up jobs for Americans through worksite immigration enforcement. Congressman Gutierrez is an outspoken advocate of allowing illegal workers to continue taking American jobs and recently led a march on Washington, D.C. on President Obama's inauguration to protest enforcement of worksite immigration laws. The new administration has not taken a specific position on whether ICE will continue worksite enforcement of immigration laws. Full release.

AARP Pennsylvania, Business Roundtable, National Federation of Independent Business, and the Service Employees International Union held a town hall meeting today on the need for health reform with U.S. Senator Arlen Specter in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center. While in Philadelphia, Senator Specter spoke with constituents on the prospects for bipartisan action on America's health care problems under a new Administration and Congress. Full release.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today on the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan announced today in Arizona by President Barack Obama. The plan, part of the President's wide-ranging strategy to get the economy back on track, is designed to help up to 7 to 9 million families restructure or refinance their mortgages to avoid foreclosure. Full release.

Judie Brown, president of American Life League and three-term member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, issued the following statement today on the meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Full release.

The following remarks were delivered by Attorney General Eric Holder at the Department of Justice African American History Month Program: Every year, in February, we attempt to recognize and to appreciate black history. It is a worthwhile endeavor for the contributions of African Americans to this great nation are numerous and significant. Even as we fight a war against terrorism, deal with the reality of electing an African American as our President for the first time and deal with the other significant issues of the day, the need to confront our racial past, and our racial present, and to understand the history of African people in this country endures. One cannot truly understand America without understanding the historical experience of black people in this nation. Simply put, to get to the heart of this country, one must examine its racial soul. Full release

A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said today that two Muslim high school students in Pennsylvania will now be allowed to wear kaffiyehs, a checkered scarf worn by many men in the Middle East. The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the students at Gateway High School in Monroeville, Penn., were sent home yesterday after refusing to remove their kaffiyehs. Full release

Amnesty International is gravely concerned by the possible consequences of today's decision by the Law Lords, the United Kingdom's highest court, which authorizes the U.K. government to deport people to countries where they will be at a real risk of serious human rights violations, including torture or other ill-treatment. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today following a meeting at the Vatican with his Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI: "It is with great joy that my husband, Paul, and I met with his Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI today. In our conversation, I had the opportunity to praise the Church's leadership in fighting poverty, hunger, and global warming, as well as the Holy Father's dedication to religious freedom and his upcoming trip and message to Israel. " Full release

President Barack Obama's stimulus bill offers $499 billion in new government spending. The bill contains no specific provisions to direct even one dollar of those funds to America's 26 million small businesses. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, firms with less than 20 employees account for over 90 percent of all American businesses and are responsible for more than 97 percent of all new jobs. These small businesses also employ over 50 percent of all private sector workers. Full release

U.S. legislators and business leaders will meet with experts on climate change economics and policy at the Capitol building in March to discuss the challenges and opportunities for U.S. leadership on climate change, it was announced today. U.S. and international policymakers will join climate experts for the one-day bipartisan and bicameral event. The cosponsoring Senators to date are Senators Bingaman (D-NM), McCain (R-AZ), Snowe (R-ME) and Stabenow (D-MI). Full release

The following is an excerpt from The Washington Post's "The Fix" Blog by Chris Cillizza, and is being released today by the Republican National Committee: "The Republican National Committee is going up on television with ads in support of New York state Assemblyman Jim Tedisco in his special election bid in the state's 20th district, an early sign that newly elected chairman Michael Steele plans to wade into downballot races to reassert the party's competitiveness across the country and in the northeast in particular." Full release

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