April 28, 2009

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement on Senator Arlen Specter's decision to join the Democratic Party and work with Senate Democrats to achieve the President's vision for a strong and growing economy. Full release.

Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Bill George said today that working men and women of Pennsylvania are pleased with Senator Arlen Specter's decision to re-join the Democratic Party which has traditionally been the party of working Pennsylvanians. Full release.

Today Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement in recognition of Equal Pay Day: "Today we highlight the important struggle of American women to earn equal pay for equal work. Women first entered the work force en masse during World War II and now comprise almost half of all American workers. They are lawyers and retailers and entrepreneurs - and women are projected to account for 49% of the increase in total labor force growth between 2006 and 2016. Despite this remarkable progress, a woman still earns only 78 cents for every dollar a man earns; a disparity that hurts not only women, but all American families." Full release.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today call on members of the Jewish community to condemn the anti-Islam hate of a speaker who was recently given a standing ovation at a Florida synagogue. CAIR said the speech by Dutch anti-Islam extremist politician Geert Wilders took place at a "large synagogue in Palm Beach." In the speech, Wilders went through his usual laundry list of hate-filled views, including his claim that "Islam is not a religion" and "the right to religious freedom should not apply to this totalitarian ideology called Islam," all to the applause of the audience. Wilders also called for stopping immigration from Muslim countries and urged "voluntary repatriation" to those countries. Full release.

On Thursday, May 7th, Refugees International (RI) will host its 30th Anniversary Dinner, honoring Ted Turner with the 2009 McCall-Pierpaoli Humanitarian Award. Mr. Turner will be recognized for his inspiring commitment to humanitarian issues, including the establishment of the United Nations Foundation and the creation of CNN, which is renowned for bringing humanitarian crises to light. Currently, the United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign has teamed up with the UN Refugee Agency to protect refugees from malaria, the number one killer of refugees in Africa. Former RI Board Member, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke will present Mr. Turner with this prestigious award, and Christiane Amanpour, CNN Chief International Correspondent, will interview Mr. Turner during the program. Full release.

A new analysis released by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) today on Equal Pay Day shows that men outearn women in nearly every occupation for which data are available. Of the more than 500 occupational categories for which sufficient data are provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in only 5 occupations do women earn the same or more than men. Full release.

President Barack Obama's "first 100 days" have been lacking in constructive policy initiatives for entrepreneurs and small businesses, according to one of the nation's leading organizations representing this sector. The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) said small businesses are largely dismayed by the Administration's focus on big business and labor unions while small business gets policy scraps at best. Full release.

As world health leaders work vigorously to consider action to combat the outbreak of swine influenza, the Consumer Specialty Products Association says taking simple precautions can help consumers stay healthy. Full release.

First quarter federal reports show Google lobbied on the electronic medical records provisions of the federal economic stimulus act, contradicting the Internet giant's earlier claims that Consumer Watchdog's report of its effort was "100 percent false." Full release.

Relief Beads for Darfur is a grassroots-campaign raising money and awareness for Relief International's humanitarian efforts in Darfur. Relief Beads for Darfur are handmade African bracelets that have become a national sensation. Full release.

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