Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Friday, September 30, 2016
Shimon Peres Funeral Arrivals and Procession
President Obama and Bill Clinton joined world leaders in Jerusalem at
the state funeral of Shimon Peres, the former Israeli president and
prime minister who died on September 28, 2016 at the age of 93.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
The Politicization of the Supreme Court
Author James Zirin discusses his new book, Supremely Partisan, in
which he argues the Supreme Court has become increasingly partisan and
that its selection of politicized cases could undermine public
confidence in the Court.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Stop and Frisk: U.S. v. Shaquille Robinson Oral Arguments
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, hears oral argument on police stop and frisk policies.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
National Security Council Notes: Status Report on the Implementation of Executive Order 13698 Hostage Recovery Activities
The following statement was issued today by National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price.
Last
year, President Obama ordered comprehensive updates to U.S. hostage
recovery policy and signed an Executive Order to organize more
effectively our efforts so we are
best postured both to bring home U.S. nationals held abroad and support
their families. Since then, we have brought under one roof law
enforcement, intelligence, and military experts at the Hostage Recovery
Fusion Cell, where they work side-by-side to develop
and pursue recovery strategies. Moreover, the President designated a
Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, who coordinates our
diplomatic efforts abroad. The interagency Hostage Response Group is
ensuring that all of the elements put into place
last year are working together as a team and receiving any guidance and
oversight that they need.
To
ensure that the U.S. Government implemented these important reforms
effectively and continued to identify areas for improvement, the
Executive Order required that a status
report be completed one year after it was signed. That report was
produced this summer by the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) and
after discussions with key stakeholders on how best to incorporate their
feedback the report is being made
public today. The report concludes that last year's institutional
and policy changes have had a positive impact on hostage recovery
efforts. Where the report identifies work yet to be done or improvements
still to be made, departments and agencies have
already begun work to implement the recommendations and will continue
to seek ways to improve our hostage recovery efforts.
While
we know that we cannot prevent every hostage situation, we are fully
committed to the safe recovery of our fellow citizens and the provision
of unfailing support to
their families. With the reforms we have made over the last year, the
U.S. Government is now well postured to ensure that hostage recovery
activities will remain an enduring priority from administration to
administration.
Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary
The Power of the Pen: New Bills Signed into Law
On Friday, September 30, 2016, the President signed into law:
S.
1878, the “Advancing Hope Act of 2016,” which modifies the Food and
Drug Administration priority review voucher program for rare pediatric
diseases and extends authority
for the program through December 31, 2016.
Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary
Alabama Chief Justice Suspended for Rest of Term Following SPLC Ethics Complaint
The Alabama Court of the Judiciary today suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore for the rest of his term in office.
The Court ruled that Moore violated the canons of judicial ethics by
ordering Alabama's probate judges to defy a federal court injunction
requiring them to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on a
non-discriminatory basis. This is the second time in 13 years that Moore has been sanctioned as a result of ethics complaints filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“The Court of the Judiciary has done the citizens of Alabama a great
service by suspending Roy Moore from the bench,” said SPLC President
Richard Cohen.
“He disgraced his office and undermined the integrity of the
judiciary by putting his personal religious beliefs above his sworn duty
to uphold the U.S. Constitution.
“Moore was elected to be a judge, not a preacher. It's something that
he never seemed to understand. The people of Alabama who cherish the
rule of law are not going to miss the Ayatollah of Alabama.”
Source: The Southern Poverty Law Center
Trailblazers in Black History: Phylicia Rashād
Phylicia Rashād is an American actress and stage director. She is known for her role as Clair Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–92), which earned her Emmy Award nominations in 1985 and 1986. She was dubbed "The Mother" of the African-American community at the 2010 NAACP Image Awards.
In 2004, Rashad became the first Black actress to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, which she won for her role in the revival of A Raisin in the Sun. Her other Broadway credits include Into the Woods (1988), Jelly's Last Jam (1993), Gem of the Ocean (2004), and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2008).
She won an NAACP Image Award when she reprised her A Raisin in the Sun role in the 2008 television adaptation. She has also appeared in the films, For Colored Girls (2010), Good Deeds (2012) and Creed (2015).
Additional information is available here.
Source: Wikipedia
CDC Sounds Alarm on Travel to Asia as Zika Spreads There
"Pregnant women should not travel to any area with a Zika travel notice
and should consider postponing non-essential travel to the 11 countries
in Southeast Asia listed in the newly issued considerations," the CDC
advised on Thursday.
"The countries included in these considerations are Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste (East Timor), and Vietnam."
Click here for the full article.
The Political Elite Fights Trump -- And They're Still Not Winning
Elites vs. Trump -- and the elites haven't won yet
In a general election unlike any we've covered
before, this fact stands out: Almost every elite institution in America
is united (or mostly united) against Donald Trump. Consider:
- Current or ex-presidents: Zero current or living ex-presidents are supporting Trump, versus four who are backing Hillary Clinton (Obama, Clinton, Bush 41, Carter), with the other (Bush 43) on the sidelines.
- Big business: Not a single Fortune 100 CEO has endorsed Trump, while 11 are supporting Clinton, per the Wall Street Journal. (The other 89 haven't picked a side.)
- Cabinet members: By our count, only 9 of George W. Bush's 34 cabinet secretaries are backing Trump.
- Silicon Valley: Just 1% of the political donations from the internet industry in this presidential election ($28,272 out of nearly $4 million total) has gone to Trump, while 60% has gone to Clinton, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
- Newspaper endorsements: By our count, 15 newspapers have endorsed Hillary Clinton in the general election, versus just one for Trump (The National Enquirer); in fact, Gary Johnson has more newspaper endorsements (four) than Trump does (one). And most recently, USA Today calls Trump "unfit for the presidency."
Tim Kaine Talks Race and Politics in Essay: 'It's a Civil Rights Election'
With 39 days left to election day, the effort to
focus on the priorities of base voters is becoming clearer in the race
for the White House.
"Over many years of Sundays, I've learned how
being white in America means you can go your entire life without ever
understanding the challenges African-Americans face every day. It's on
all of us to come to grips with these issues," the Democratic nominee
for Vice President wrote.
"In many ways, that's the deeper question we're facing in this election:
who we are, how we treat each other and what kind of nation we want to
leave our children. It's a civil rights election," the junior Senator
from Virginia, which is 20 percent African American, states bluntly.
Click here for the full article.
IU Kelley School of Business Welcomes Dr. Mae Jemison as Poling Chair of Business and Government
To some it may appear as though Dr. Mae C. Jemison has done it all.
She is physician, engineer, entrepreneur, and an astronaut. But she
hasn’t stopped there. She is now a leader-in-residence at the Indiana
University Kelley School of Business, where she will serve as the Poling
Chair of Business and Government for the 2016-2017 academic year.
She is the first African-American to be appointed to the Poling
Chair. According to the Indiana University news release, Dr. Jemison
will work to “stimulate discussion in the areas of leadership, and the
critical interactions between the private and public sectors in matters
of economic growth, technology research and development, and
sustainability.”
The Poling Chair was established in 1933 and named after Kelley
School alumnus and Ford Motor Co. chairman, Harold “Red” Poling. Last
year, the position was held by Deepender Hooda, a Kelley School alumnus
and member of India’s parliament.
Dr. Jemison will visit both the Bloomington and Indianapolis Kelley
School campuses. She will visit the week of October 3 and is scheduled
to speak at 4:30 PM on October 6 at the Hutton Honors College in
Bloomington.
Source: Your Black World News
GOP Blocks Probes Into Trump-Russia Ties
By Shane Harris
Russian hackers are apparently trying to mess with our elections. But
congressional Republicans are crippling any investigations—while their
probes of Hillary Clinton continue.
Suspicion is mounting about Donald Trump’s
ties to Russian officials and business interests, as well as possible
links between his campaign and the Russian hacking of U.S. political
organizations. But GOP leaders have refused to support efforts by
Democrats to investigate any possible Trump-Russia connections, which
have been raised in news reports and closed-door intelligence briefings.
And without their support, Democrats, as the minority in both chambers
of Congress, cannot issue subpoenas to potential witnesses and have less
leverage to probe Trump.
Privately, Republican congressional staff told The Daily Beast that Trump and his aides’ connections to Russian officials and businesses interests haven’t gone unnoticed and are concerning. And GOP lawmakers have reviewed Democrats’ written requests to the FBI that it investigate Trump before they were made public.
But the lawmakers in both chambers have declined to sign on to them. Republicans have no appetite to launch inquiries into their party’s presidential nominee, and they continue to believe the FBI flubbed its investigation into Clinton and her aides, who should have been charged with mishandling government secrets, the staffers said.
Click here for the full article.
Source: The Daily Beast
Jefferson, Lewis Counties Declared Natural Disaster Areas
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared Jefferson and Lewis
counties as primary natural disaster areas due to the ongoing drought.
The USDA determined there were sufficient production losses in four New York counties to warrant the designation.
The four are Jefferson, Lewis, Broome and Oswego counties.
The designation means farmers are eligible to receive certain assistance including emergency loans.
The USDA determined there were sufficient production losses in four New York counties to warrant the designation.
The four are Jefferson, Lewis, Broome and Oswego counties.
The designation means farmers are eligible to receive certain assistance including emergency loans.
However, it wasn't immediately clear how much the declaration would
help farmers. Jefferson County agriculture coordinator Jay Matteson was
trying Thursday to find out whether the disaster declaration moves
Jefferson County from a "D2" or "severe drought" zone to a "D3" or
"drought disaster" zone.
Click here for the full article.
Source: wwnytv.com
How a Reclusive Hedge-Fund Boss and His Daughter Are Reshaping the Republican Party
By
When Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination in Cleveland,
some of the most powerful people in the party had a ticket to watch from
Suite 245 in Quicken Loans Arena. Invited to the cushy skybox were
financiers, real estate developers, a supermarket magnate and an
ambassador. Hardly anyone knew it at the time, but the list also
included a pair of political insiders who would soon take control of the
Trump campaign: Kellyanne Conway, a consultant who had spent the GOP
primary toiling for his top rival, and Steve Bannon, the boss of
Breitbart News. Both were guests of a woman named Rebekah Mercer.
Bannon and Conway are hardly the only Republicans who rely on Mercer as a
benefactor. To help pay for the convention, the family foundation
Mercer runs wrote a $500,000 check–pocket change compared with the tens
of millions of dollars it has showered on a sprawling web of
conservative foundations, political networks and research institutions.
That’s not counting the family’s reputed eight-figure investment in
Breitbart, the house organ of the right-wing populist movement that
fueled Trump’s ascent, and in Cambridge Analytica, a controversial data
firm hired by a growing number of GOP candidates. Rebekah’s father
Robert Mercer, a New York hedge-fund executive, has forked over more
than $20 million in the 2016 election, which makes him the single
largest Republican donor this cycle. Before the Mercers backed Trump,
they bankrolled Texas Senator Ted Cruz through a family super PAC that
employed Conway.
Click here for the full article.
Source: Time Magazine
Republican George Amedore Wins Green Party Line, is Blasted By Green Party Co-Chair
Incumbent Republican state Sen. George Amedore has beat out his
Democratic opponent, Palatine Supervisor Sara Niccoli, in a write-in
campaign for the left-leaning Green Party line.
Amedore, R-Rotterdam, secured the Green Party ballot line as a
write-in candidate in the primary, according to state Board of Elections
spokesman John Conklin.
According to Conklin, Amedore won 63 write-in votes and Niccoli won
48. The endorsed Green Party candidate, Marina Karuma-Seales of
Saugerties, received 12 votes. A single vote went to former Congressman
Maurice Hinchey.
Amedore will carry the Republican, Conservative, Independence and
Reform party lines in the November elections. Niccoli will carry the
Democratic, Working Families Party and Women’s Equality Party lines.
Click here for the full article.
Source: HudsonValley.com
New York City’s Homeless Population Is About to Hit 60,000
The
number of New Yorkers sleeping in homeless shelters is at a record
high, and will likely surpass 60,000 in the coming days: a grim
commentary on the failure of the city’s efforts to combat homelessness.
According to the Daily News,
the city officially counted 59,948 individuals in its more than 600
homeless shelters Wednesday night. Of these, 23,600 are children, The Wall Street Journal adds,
noting that the total has risen steeply from 50,689 when Mayor Bill de
Blasio took office in 2014, and from about 57,600 just a few months ago.
City
officials insist the total would be even higher — around 67,000, they
estimate — without the new anti-homelessness programs the de Blasio
administration has put in place like rental assistance and legal aid.
Click here for the full article.
Source: New York Magazine (via The Empire Report)
Firefighter Killed in NYC Explosion to Be Honored With Promotion to Deputy Chief
By
Corinne Gaston
An FDNY battalion chief who was killed in a house explosion will be posthumously promoted to deputy chief, Mayor de Blasio and Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro announced Thursday.
Michael J. Fahy was
struck with debris Tuesday when a suspected drug den exploded. Nine
other firefighters and six police officers were injured.
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Oval Office Chat: Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany
President
Obama spoke today by phone with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany on
the situations in Ukraine and Syria. Regarding Ukraine, President Obama
expressed strong
support for the ongoing efforts of the Normandy Group, led by Germany
and France, to determine a way forward that leads to rapid and full
implementation of the Minsk Agreements. Both leaders urged the parties
to continue respecting the cease-fire, begin the
disengagement of forces along the line of contact as quickly as
possible, and provide international monitors unfettered access to the
entire conflict zone. The President and Chancellor strongly condemned
the barbarous Russian and Syrian regime airstrikes
against eastern Aleppo, an area populated with hundreds of thousands of
civilians, half of whom are children. They agreed Russia and the
Syrian regime bear special responsibility for ending the fighting in
Syria and granting the UN humanitarian access to
besieged and hard to reach areas in Syria.
Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary
White House Briefing
Education
Secretary John King speaks about the president’s education agenda ahead
of Spokesman Josh Earnest’s daily briefing with reporters at the White
House.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Veep Talk: The Amirs of Kuwait and Qatar
The Vice President spoke today with His
Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of Kuwait, to review
recent events in the region and related security cooperation. The Vice
President commended the Amir’s humanitarian leadership and expressed
appreciation for the additional support for refugees that Kuwait generously
announced at the Leaders’ Summit on Refugees in New York on September 20.
Both leaders stressed the enduring strength of the bilateral relationship, and
reaffirmed their commitment to build on the historic ties between the United
States and Kuwait, including through the inaugural U.S.-Kuwait Strategic Dialogue
planned for October
21 in Washington, D.C.
The Vice President also spoke by phone
today with His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Amir of Qatar, to
review events in the region and related defense cooperation. The Vice President
and the Amir discussed important regional developments, including the dire
situation in Syria and the importance of close cooperation to counter violent
extremists. Both leaders also underscored the importance of continued dialogue
and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen joint cooperation between the
United States and Qatar.
Source: The White House, Office
of the Vice President
FCC Commissioners Hold News Conference
FCC Commissioners speak to reporters following the The Federal
Communications Commission’s spring meeting on a variety of topics,
including a rule to allow cable customers to purchase their own set-top
boxes instead of renting them from providers.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
House Speaker Weekly Briefing
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) briefs reporters and responds to their
questions on a variety of topics, including the continuing resolution
passed Wednesday night to fund the federal government through December 9
and the general election.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Minority Leader Weekly Briefing
Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the minority leader in the House,
fields reporters' questions at her weekly briefing at the U.S. Capitol.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Senators Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer Release Report on Senate Productivity
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senator Chuck Schumer
(D-NY) release their new report, which they say details gridlock in the
Republican-led Senate.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Christie and Cuomo News Conference on Hoboken, New Jersey Train Crash
Governors Chris Christie (R-NJ) and Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) speak to
reporters about the New Jersey Transit commuter train that crashed into
Hoboken Terminal. At least one person died in the incident and over 100
are injured.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Statement on the Third Estimate of GDP for the Second Quarter of 2016
WASHINGTON, DC – Jason
Furman, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, issued the
following statement today on the third estimate of GDP for the second
quarter of 2016.
Summary: Real
GDP growth in the second quarter was revised up to 1.4 percent at an
annual rate according to BEA’s third estimate.
Second-quarter
economic growth was revised to 1.4 percent at an annual rate in the
third estimate, up 0.3 percentage point from the second estimate.
Consumer spending grew strongly at 4.3 percent in the second quarter—its
second-fastest quarterly growth since 2006—and, in contrast to recent
quarters, net exports and business fixed investment also added to GDP
growth. Some of this growth was offset by a large decline in inventory
investment (one of the most volatile components of GDP), along with declines in residential investment and government spending. Overall,
growth in the most stable and persistent components of
output—consumption and fixed investment—was revised up to 3.2 percent. Today’s
report underscores that there is more work to do, and the President
will continue to take steps to strengthen economic growth and boost
living standards by promoting greater competition across the economy; supporting innovation; and calling on Congress to increase investments in infrastructure and to pass the high-standards Trans-Pacific Partnership.
FIVE KEY POINTS IN TODAY'S REPORT FROM THE BUREAU OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS (BEA)
1. Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased 1.4 percent at an annual
rate in the second quarter of 2016, according to BEA’s third estimate. Consumer
spending grew 4.3 percent, well above its pace over the prior four
quarters, with faster growth in both durable and nondurable goods
spending. In addition, export growth was positive in the second quarter,
and net exports contributed positively to GDP growth. Nonresidential
fixed investment increased modestly in the second quarter, with strong
growth in intellectual property products investment (see point 4 below)
offset by continued weakness in both structures and equipment
investment. Inventory investment—one of the most volatile
components of GDP—subtracted 1.2 percentage points from GDP growth.
Residential investment contracted following eight straight quarters of
increases.
You can view the complete statement here.
Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary