Democratic
presidential candidate Bernie Sanders accepts the endorsement from the
Transport Workers Union Local 100 and talks income inequality, the
minimum wage and trade policies.
Click here for video.
Source: MSNBC
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
California Lawmakers Take Step Toward Outlawing 'Ransomware'
California lawmakers on Tuesday took a major step toward outlawing the use of so-called "ransomware" to hijack computers for money, passing a bill through its first committee with the support of law enforcement.
The legislation, which would call for hackers
using ransomware to be prosecuted under a statute similar to extortion
but geared specifically to cyber crime, easily cleared the state
senate's public safety committee.
Click here for summary.
Source: NBC News
Ortho to Drop Chemicals Linked to Bee Declines
DENVER — Amid ominous warnings about threats to
pollinators and the food crops they make possible, garden-care giant
Ortho said Tuesday it will stop using a class of chemicals widely
believed to harm the most important pollinators of all: bees.
Bees are critical to the food supply because
about one-third of the human diet comes from insect-pollinated plants,
and honeybees are responsible for 80 percent of that pollination.
Concern about bee health is growing, with federal officials considering
whether to protect two species of wild bumblebees.
Ortho said it has already removed neonicotinoids from the majority of
its products used to control garden pests and diseases. It plans to
remove it from all the rest in two to five years.
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
Student Leaders Mobilize 'Day of Action' Demonstrations
Student leaders across the country are holding
localized demonstrations specific to their campus as part of a "National
Day of Action" today.
Organized by the Black Liberation Collective (BLC) in partnership with #MillionStudentMarch,
a student movement created to respond to the education crisis in
America, their mission is end campus racism and student debt.
According to Tatyana Atkinson, one of the
national BLC organizers, the joint action is the first of its kind for
BLC, the collective of student leaders committed to assisting student
campus leaders in fighting racism and systematic injustices.
"Million Student March and BLC both wanted to
work together. Initially we were asked to join them in an anti-Trump
action, but we wanted the action to be about more than just anti-Trump,"
the John Carroll University student told NBCBLK.
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
#BlackLivesMatter: A Look into the Movement's History
Black Lives Matter is a movement created as a reaction to police violence and has since reached new levels.
Judge Delays Trial Against Charleston Church Shooter Dylann Roof Until January
CHARLESTON, S.C. — A South Carolina judge has
delayed the state death-penalty trial of Dylann Roof, who is charged
with killing nine people at a Charleston church last year.
Circuit Judge J.C. Nicholson on Wednesday
granted a request by Roof's lawyers to delay the trial until next year
while additional psychiatric testing of Roof is completed.
Click here for summary.
Source: NBC News
Robert De Niro on Anti-Vaccine Film Controversy: ‘Let’s Find Out the Truth’
The Tribeca Film Festival now is celebrating its 15th year and founders,
actor Robert De Niro and producer Jane Rosenthal mark the occasion with
an interview on TODAY. De Niro, who has an autistic child, comments on
the decision to pull the anti-vaccination film “Vaxxed” from this year’s
lineup, even though he says, “I think the movie is something that
people should see,” and he questions statistics on vaccine-preventable
diseases.
Click here for video.
Source: NBC News/TODAY
Russia Jets Make ‘Simulated Attack’ Passes Near U.S. Destroyer – U.S.
Sukhoi SU-24 warplane
Reuters, 13/04 17:37 CET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two Russian
warplanes with no visible weaponry flew simulated attack passes near a
U.S. guided missile destroyer on April 12 in international waters off
Russia, a U.S. official said on
Wednesday, describing it as one of the
most aggressive acts in recent memory.
The flight by the Sukhoi SU-24 warplanes was so close it
created “wake in the water” and was followed by seven passes by Russian
KA-27 Helix helicopter taking pictures of the USS Donald Cook, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Copyright: Reuters 2016
Copyright: Reuters 2016
Source: Euronews
MEPs Call for Restrictions on Weed-Killing Substance
MEPs have
voted to renew the licence for glyphosate – a chemical widely used in
popular weed-killing products – but only for an additional seven years.
The European Commission wants to extend the license until 2031; it runs out this June.
However, the European Parliament’s vote is non-binding and has no legal effect whatsoever.
MEPs also said it should be restricted for professional uses only.
The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has said that glyphosate should be classified as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
Two-third of Europeans back a ban on the substance, according to a YouGov poll of 7,000 people published earlier this month.
Source: Euronews
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
President Obama Remarks on Women's Rights
President Obama delivers remarks at the newly-designated Belmont-Paul
Women’s Equality National Monument, a house on Capitol Hill that has
served as National Woman’s Party headquarters since 1929.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
White House Briefing
Josh Earnest responded to reporters' questions on a variety of topics.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Bono's Testimony on Foreign Aid and Combating Violent Extremism
U2 lead singer and activist Bono and United Nations and military
officials testified at a hearing on the role of foreign assistance in
combating violent extremism worldwide.
After the conclusion of the hearing, Bono spoke with reporters, senators, and others in attendance.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Hearing on FEMA Preparedness
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation
Department, the Government Accountability Office, and Federal Emergency
Management Agency testified at a hearing on FEMA preparedness.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Hearing on Cybersecurity and Taxpayer Data
IRS Commissioner John Koskinen and officials from the Treasury
Department and the Government Accountability Office testified at a
hearing on cybersecurity and taxpayer information.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
John Kasich Remarks in New York City
Ohio governor and Republican presidential candidate John Kasich
delivered a campaign speech at the Women’s National Republican Club in
New York City. He spoke of “two paths” facing America today, and which
he thought is the better one for the country to take.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Speaker Paul Ryan Statement on White House Bid
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) held a news conference at Republican
National Committee headquarters to formally rule out the possibility
that he would seek the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
The Role of Money in Politics
Christian Berg and Meredith McGehee talked about the role of money in
U.S. politics, efforts to reform the campaign finance system, and the
impact of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. FEC.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Politics in Action: H.R. 3791, H.R. 3340 and H.R. 2666
STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY
H.R. 3791 – Raise the Consolidated Assets Threshold
under the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement
under the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement
(Rep. Love,
R-UT, and four cosponsors)
The Administration strongly opposes H.R.
3791, a bill that seeks to raise the consolidated assets threshold
under the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement from $1 billion to
$5 billion.
The
primary purpose of the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement
(Policy Statement) is to make it easier for small banks to raise capital
so they can continue to provide services to their local communities. The Policy Statement also ensures that when small, community
institutions are purchased, they are more likely to be purchased by
another community institution rather than a larger bank. Less than one
year ago, the Congress reached a compromise to raise the Small Bank
Holding Company Policy Statement threshold from $500 million to $1
billion. That change was intended to ensure that local communities
retain access to the banks that best understand their needs and can
provide personalized services to residents. Now, less than one year later,
this piece of legislation seeks to raise that threshold again – to $5
billion – in an attempt to allow large banks to evade specific minimum
leverage and risk‑based capital requirements. These limitations were
put in place to ensure that banks remain sound and able to serve their
customers. Community banks with $1 to $5 billion in assets already have
sufficient access to capital markets and as a group are exhibiting
health and resilience. Raising the threshold to exempt banks with over
$1 billion from important minimum leverage and capital requirements
would do little more than encourage banks to take on debt, endangering
their soundness and potentially depriving their customers of much needed
banking services should the bank fail.
Setting
the consolidated assets threshold at $1 billion was a bipartisan
decision that struck a balance between allowing small banks to access
capital to better serve their customers, and ensuring their safety and
soundness. Raising the threshold to $5 billion less than a year later
would be an unnecessary and risky change.
If the President were presented with H.R. 3791, his senior advisors would recommend he veto the bill.
H.R. 3340 – Financial Stability Oversight Council
Reform Act
(Rep. Emmer,
R-MN, and 15 cosponsors)
The
Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 3340, the
Financial Stability Oversight Council Reform Act, which seeks to subject
the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) and the Office of
Financial Research (OFR) to Congressional appropriations. The bill also
would require the OFR to submit quarterly reports to the Congress
regarding its activities and to provide a public notice and comment
period of at least 90 days before issuing any report, rule, or
regulation. Subjecting these bodies to Congressional appropriations
would hinder their independence and could limit their ability to monitor
and address threats to financial stability.
The
Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Wall Street Reform)
created FSOC to bring independent regulators together with a collective
responsibility for monitoring risks across the system, wherever they may
arise, and to identify and respond to emerging threats to financial
stability. Before FSOC, no single entity was accountable for monitoring
and responding to risks to financial stability. Similarly, the OFR
plays a unique role in promoting financial stability by identifying and
filling in gaps in data and knowledge about the financial system,
monitoring financial stability metrics across the system, conducting
independent research on financial stability policies and providing FSOC
with data and analytical support.
Wall
Street Reform provided FSOC and the OFR with permanent funding through
assessments on the largest financial institutions, including bank
holding companies with total consolidated assets of $50 billion or more
and nonbank financial companies supervised by the Federal Reserve Board
of Governors. This funding system ensures that large financial
institutions bear the costs of protecting financial stability. Maintaining a funding source independent of political interference
allows FSOC and the OFR to function at full capacity and focus on
threats to financial stability. Moreover, funding FSOC and the OFR
through appropriations would subject these entities to political
gamesmanship that could hinder their ability to conduct independent
research, ask questions, and analyze information about industries,
firms, or activities — running the risk of ignoring the next threat to financial stability.
If the President were presented with H.R. 3340, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.
H.R. 2666 - No Rate Regulation of Broadband Internet
Access Act
(Rep. Kinzinger,
R-IL, and 19 cosponsors)
The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 2666, the No Rate Regulation of Broadband Internet Access Act, which would undermine key provisions in the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Open Internet order and harm the Commission's ability to protect consumers while facilitating innovation and economic growth.
For
almost a century, our laws have recognized that companies that connect
Americans to the world have special obligations not to exploit the
gatekeeper power they enjoy over access in and out of our homes and
businesses. The same philosophy should guide any service that is based
on the transmission of information, whether a phone call or a packet of
data. The FCC's rules — issued after a lengthy rulemaking process that
garnered an unprecedented amount of public input, including comments
from four million Americans — recognize that broadband service is of the
same importance, and must carry the same obligations as so many of the
other vital services do. These carefully‑designed rules have already
been implemented in large part with little or no adverse impact on the
telecommunications companies making important investments in our
economy.
H.R.
2666 is overly broad and extends far beyond codifying the FCC's
forbearance from applying provisions of the Communications Act related
to tariffs, rate approval, or other forms of utility regulation. Even
as amended, H.R. 2666 would restrict the FCC's ability to take
enforcement actions to protect consumers on issues where the FCC has
received numerous consumer complaints. The bill also would hamstring
the FCC's public interest authority to review transactions. H.R. 2666
also could limit the Commission's ability to address new practices and
adapt its rules for a dynamic, fast-changing online marketplace.
If the President were presented with H.R. 2666, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.
Source: The Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget
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