February 26, 2009

The Concord Coalition said today that President Obama's pledge to cut the deficit in half by 2013 is a positive and achievable goal but warned that it would still leave the nation on an unsustainable fiscal path. Concord praised the administration for improving transparency in the budget by using realistic policy projections and specifying several offsets for new initiatives. It warned, however, that spending cuts and tax increases used to fund new initiatives would no longer be available to close the existing long-term budget gap. Full release.

A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called on Attorney General Eric Holder to protect the right of American Muslims to participate fully in the political process and to practice their faith without fear of government intrusion. Full release.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted today to send David Ogden's name to the full Senate for a confirmation vote for the position of Deputy Attorney General. The Committee voted 14-5 in favor of Ogden, despite his long career of defending child pornographers, Playboy Enterprises, and Penthouse. Family Research Council President Tony Perkins urges the full Senate to reject David Ogden's confirmation. Full release.

Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans, issued the following statement today in response to the President's budget: "Today's budget submission sends a signal to the American people that this Administration is serious about prioritizing health care. We applaud the President for laying out a bold framework and setting aside significant resources to put our nation on a path towards comprehensive health care reform, which is a goal that has eluded our country for more than a century." Full release

A ruling announced this week by the U.S. Supreme Court gives weight to an argument by The American Legion against the placing of public monuments that could threaten the sanctity of veterans memorials. Justices ruled unanimously that an obscure religious group cannot use a "free speech" argument to force a small Utah city to erect a granite marker in a local park that is home to a long-standing monument to the Ten Commandments. Full release

The number of hate groups operating in the United States continued to rise in 2008 and has grown by 54 percent since 2000 - an increase fueled last year by immigration fears, a failing economy and the successful campaign of Barack Obama, according to the "Year in Hate" issue of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Report released today. Full release

Friday, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) will address the urgent need for Congress to begin transportation finance reforms. Blumenauer, a member of the House Ways and Means and Budget Committees, will lay out necessary finance initiatives to sustain our nation's transportation infrastructure for the future. He will be joined by leaders from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), American Public Transportation Association (APTA), American Institute of Architects (AIA), Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Full release.

Change to Win and the AFL-CIO filed a joint complaint with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) today against Rick Berman's Center for Union Facts and Bernie Marcus' the Marcus Foundation for violating their "charitable" tax status by engaging in partisan political activity on behalf of Republican Senate candidates during the 2008 election. Full release.

An updated analysis found that the U.S. could receive as much as $51.9 billion in federal revenue over the next decade if Internet gambling is regulated as proposed in legislation introduced by Representatives Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Jim McDermott (D-Wash.). The new revenue estimates are approximately 22 percent larger than those of an earlier analysis prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2007, reflecting the increased online gambling activities of Americans despite attempts to prohibit activity through passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. Full release.

If you're looking for an example of how banks are abusing the Troubled Asset Relief Program, consider Wells Fargo Bank, which has received $25 billion in federal aid. Full release.

A new global policy report estimates that approximately 37 percent of colon cancer cases and 28 percent of breast cancer cases in Brazil and other middle-income countries in South America are preventable through diet, physical activity and weight maintenance. The report also sets out recommendations for policies to reduce the global number of cancer cases. Full release.

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