Saturday, March 31, 2012

What Effect Does Bush Family Have on 2012 Race?

President George H.W. Bush and Gov. Jeb Bush have thrown their support behind Mitt Romney while Pres. George W. Bush has stayed out of the limelight.



By Zach Toombs
Anchor: Zach Toombs
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

Walker Faces Wisconsin Recall June 5

An NBC News/Marist poll shows Gov. Scott Walker neck-and-neck with a to-be-determined Democratic opponent.



By Zach Toombs
Anchor: Zach Toombs
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

Running of the Bulls: US Markets Surging

Some are crediting the rally to Apple, while some are saying getting too enthusiastic could be a big mistake.



By Jim Flink
Anchor: Christina Hartman
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

MasterCard, Visa Confirm 'Major' Breach

The company is keeping mum on specifics — like how many cardholders or banks might have been affected.



By Christina Hartman
Anchor: Zach Toombs
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

Weekly Address: Passing the Buffett Rule


President Obama calls on Congress to pass the Buffett Rule, a principle that ensures that millionaires and billionaires do not pay less in taxes as a share of their income than middle class families pay -- as a matter of fairness.

Cuomo Signs 2012-2013 Budget

Cuomo Holds Cabinet Meeting on Budget

Friday, March 30, 2012

West Wing Week: 3/30/2012


This week, the President traveled to the Republic of Korea to attend a nuclear security summit where he also visited the DMZ, held a series of bilateral (and one trilateral) meetings, and gave a major address to students at Hankuk University. Back at home, the kitchen garden got underway with this year's first planting.

NY Senators Help Restore School Bus Service



Addabbo, Avella and Lanza Fought in Support of Bill S. 6027

Albany, NY – Yesterday, bipartisan legislation (S.6027), supported by State Senators Joe Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) and Tony Avella (D-Bayside) successfully passed the State Senate.

The bill, initiated by State Senator Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island), will restore yellow school bus services to hundreds of middle school students throughout the City who lost it as a result of a May 2010 decision by the NYC Department of Education.

Addabbo and Avella advocated with Senator Lanza to expand the concept of his original bill, which had only applied to Staten Island, to address the problem that affected middle school children across the city. 

“Ensuring the safety of our youth as they commute back and forth to school should be the number-one priority in student transportation,” stated Avella.

“Restoring the bus services that have been cut since 2010 is vital to attaining our safety goals. In my district, College Point is without a middle school altogether. They are forced to use public transportation or search for rides to and from school. This extends their commute times and may expose them to situations that they may not be mature enough to handle. Students should be allowed to concentrate on their studies.  They don’t need the added stress of worrying about how they are going to get home.”

"When the May 2010 decision by the NYC Department of Education ended yellow school bus service for over 4,000 7th and 8th graders citywide, two-thirds of the students affected were Staten Islanders. I'm in total agreement with my Senate colleague, Tony Avella, that Queens students also got a raw deal; they have to get to school in the city's largest-sized borough," added Senator Addabbo.

"My district's students also face crossing dangerous intersections and speeders in Forest Hills, Howard Beach, Maspeth, Middle Village, Ozone Park, Woodhaven and Woodside. Students in Broad Channel have had to walk a mile or more to school alongside Crossbay Boulevard, negotiating an area with a lack of sidewalks in many places. It's great that the Department of Education wants to cut bureaucratic waste and save money, but our children's safety must come first."

Image courtesy of http://en.clipart-fr.com

Newsy Now: Latest Headlines

Record lotto jackpot up for grabs; bin Laden details revealed; Romney ahead, but behind.



By Nathan Byrne
Anchor: Nathan Byrne
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

Married Couple Accused of Luring Schoolteacher to her Death

Police reports state Allen Prue and Patricia Prue called Melissa Jenkins to help them with their car then killed her in front of her child.



By Zach Toombs
Anchor: Zach Toombs
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

Best Buy to Cut Costs, Close 50 'Big-Box' Stores

Best Buy may have beaten Wall Street expectations in the fourth quarter, but it appears to be taking a beating on Main Street.



By Jim Flink
Anchor: Megan Murphy
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

Google Shows Off Self-Driving Car in New Video

Google released a demo video of a blind man taking their self-driving car for a spin. The tech media reactions have been very favorable.



By JJ Bailey
Anchor: Megan Murphy
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

Health Care Law: Do Oral Arguments Really Matter?

The Supreme Court entertained an almost unprecedented six hours of oral arguments on the federal health care overhaul law.



By Christina Hartman
Anchor: Christina Hartman
Link courtesy of Newsy.com 

Did Secret Meeting with Romney Push Gingrich to Cut Back?

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich announced Wednesday he would downsize his campaign.



By Zach Toombs
Anchor: Zach Toombs
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

Thursday, March 29, 2012

President Obama Speaks on Repealing Subsidies for Oil Companies


President Obama calls on Congress end taxpayer giveaways to an industry that’s never been more profitable, and instead use that money to double-down on investments in clean energy technologies that have never been more promising.

'We Urge Members to Vote for This Common Sense Approach'


Statement  by the Press Secretary on Senate Action on the Buffet Rule

The President proposed the Buffett Rule to ensure a very basic principle of fairness: millionaires shouldn’t pay less in taxes as a share of their income than middle class families pay. The President believes our system must ask the wealthiest to pay their fair share, while protecting 98 percent of Americans from seeing their taxes go up at all.  And we can’t accept the Ryan Republican approach that hands out massive tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans at the expense of investing in the things we need to grow our economy, create jobs and help the middle class. In the next few weeks, Members of Congress will get a chance to vote on the Buffett Rule, and show the American people whether they are willing to make sure the middle class gets a fair shake. We urge Members to vote for this common sense approach.

White House Briefs

Biden to Travel to Norfolk to Discuss College Affordability



People from Across the Country Invited to Pose Questions Via Twitter

Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012, Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Norfolk, VA to discuss college affordability. 

In the afternoon of April 3rd, Vice President Biden will answer questions about college affordability on Twitter.

People from across the country can ask questions using the hashtag #AskVP and follow the chat live from the @VP Twitter account. 

Additional details can be found at WhiteHouse.gov/AskVP.

In Memoriam....Staff Sergeant William R. Wilson III



From the Executive Chamber of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo

Governor Andrew Cuomo has directed that flags on state government buildings be flown at half-staff on Monday, April 2 in honor of a New York soldier who died in Afghanistan on March 26.

Staff Sergeant William R. Wilson III
 died in Paktika province as a result of wounds from small arms fire. He was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment of the 172nd Infantry Brigade, based in Grafenwoehr, Germany. Staff Sergeant Wilson was from Getzville.

"On behalf of all New Yorkers, I extend my deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and fellow soldiers of Staff Sergeant Wilson," Governor Cuomo said.

"We will always be grateful for the service and dedication of this New York soldier. 
I join with all New Yorkers in honoring the service of this Fort Drum soldier. We will mourn his loss."

From The G-Man would like to honor Staff Sergeant William R. Wilson III, his love of country, and his service with the following video tribute. May he rest in peace.


Video uploaded to YouTube by moderatepopulist

Carney: 'The Senate Has Done Its Part...'


Press Secretary Comments on House Passage of the 90-Day Surface Transportation Extension

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney has issued the following statement on the Senate's bipartisan effort to pass the 90-Day Surface Transportation Extension.

While it is critical that we not put American jobs and safety at risk and hurt our economic recovery by allowing funding to run out, it is not enough for us to continue to patch together our nation’s infrastructure future with short-term band-aids. States and cities need certainty to plan ahead and America’s construction workers deserve the peace of mind that they won’t have to worry about their jobs every few months.

The Senate has done its part, passing a bipartisan bill with 52 Democrats and 22 Republicans that would keep American workers on the job maintaining our roads, bridges, and railways. As soon as the House gets back to work, they should do their part and pass that bill in similarly bipartisan fashion.

More information on the bill is available here: H.R. 4239

A Presidential Proclamation: Vietnam Veterans Day



VIETNAM VETERANS DAY
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

On January 12, 1962, United States Army pilots lifted more than 1,000 South Vietnamese service members over jungle and underbrush to capture a National Liberation Front stronghold near Saigon. Operation Chopper marked America's first combat mission against the Viet Cong, and the beginning of one of our longest and most challenging wars. Through more than a decade of conflict that tested the fabric of our Nation, the service of our men and women in uniform stood true. Fifty years after that fateful mission, we honor the more than 3 million Americans who served, we pay tribute to those we have laid to rest, and we reaffirm our dedication to showing a generation of veterans the respect and support of a grateful Nation.

The Vietnam War is a story of service members of different backgrounds, colors, and creeds who came together to complete a daunting mission. It is a story of Americans from every corner of our Nation who left the warmth of family to serve the country they loved. It is a story of patriots who braved the line of fire, who cast themselves into harm's way to save a friend, who fought hour after hour, day after day to preserve the liberties we hold dear. From Ia Drang to Hue, they won every major battle of the war and upheld the highest traditions of our Armed Forces.

Eleven years of combat left their imprint on a generation. Thousands returned home bearing shrapnel and scars; still more were burdened by the invisible wounds of post-traumatic stress, of Agent Orange, of memories that would never fade. More than 58,000 laid down their lives in service to our Nation. Now and forever, their names are etched into two faces of black granite, a lasting memorial to those who bore conflict's greatest cost.

Our veterans answered our country's call and served with honor, and on March 29, 1973, the last of our troops left Vietnam. Yet, in one of the war's most profound tragedies, many of these men and women came home to be shunned or neglected -- to face treatment unbefitting their courage and a welcome unworthy of their example. We must never let this happen again. Today, we reaffirm one of our most fundamental obligations: to show all who have worn the uniform of the United States the respect and dignity they deserve, and to honor their sacrifice by serving them as well as they served us. Half a century after those helicopters swept off the ground and into the annals of history, we pay tribute to the fallen, the missing, the wounded, the millions who served, and the millions more who awaited their return. Our Nation stands stronger for their service, and on Vietnam Veterans Day, we honor their proud legacy with our deepest gratitude.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 29, 2012, as Vietnam Veterans Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the Vietnam War.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

Image courtesy of http://openclipart.org

Threat of Tapping Oil Reserves Sends Crude Lower

The United States, France and the U.K. all consider tapping oil reserves, sending the price of crude lower.



By Jim Flink
Anchor: Christina Hartman
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

Elderly Couple Harassed After Spike Lee Tweets Wrong Address

Lee tweeted their address as that of George Zimmerman, who shot and killed Trayvon Martin.



By Evan Bush
Anchor: Jim Flink
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

Eight-Year-Old Boy Helps Police Solve Multiple Burglaries

After his iPad was stolen, eight-year-old Landon Crabtree used a tracking app to track down the thief.



By Evan Bush
Anchor: Christina Hartman
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

Mega Millions Jackpot Biggest in Game’s History

No one has picked the winning numbers for the Mega Millions jackpot since January 24th, meaning the estimated grand prize is now $476 million.



By Mallory Perryman
Anchor: Christina Hartman
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

Obama Under Fire for Hoodie Sale

When President Obama's reelection team put a hoodie on sale, critics accused him of capitalizing on the tragedy of Trayvon Martin's shooting death.



By Christina Hartman
Anchor: Christina Hartman
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Press Briefing by Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest

Community College to Career Bus Tour


Hit the open road with Dr. Jill Biden and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis at they travel through Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia stopping at community colleges along the way to see examples of programs where the private sector is partnering with Community Colleges to build the workforce of the future.

President Obama Makes a Trilateral Announcement with the Presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan


President Obama, President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, and President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan make a statement at the National Security Summit in South Korea about progress the three countries have made together toward making sure that loose nuclear material is not vulnerable to smuggling or to potential terrorist plots.

Voters' Disapproval of Presidential Candidates Rising?

Pollsters are tracking "disapproval" ratings closer than approval ratings.



By Jim Flink 
Anchor: Jim Flink
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

News Corp. Accused of Promoting Piracy of Rivals Services

The Australian newspaper, Australian Financial Review has released the findings of a four-year investigation alleging News Corp. hacked its rivals.



By Madison Mack
Anchor: Christina Hartman
Link courtesy of Newsy.com

JetBlue Pilot's Outburst Leads to Emergency Landing

A pilot's "erratic behavior" led his co-pilot to lock him out of the cockpit. Passengers subdued the pilot. The plane made an emergency landing.



By Nathan Byrne
Anchor: Nathan Byrne
Link courtesy of Newsy.com