The Border Is a Back Door for U.S. Device Searches. Know Your Rights: What To Do If You're Stopped By Police, Immigration Agents or the FBI. Ezra Klein: Why Unions Are Worth Fighting For. GOP budget cuts would kill 700,000 jobs: report. By Sahil KapurMonday, February 28, 2011 12:30 EDT WASHINGTON – The Republican budget proposal to sharply cut federal spending would cost 700,000 jobs through 2012, according to the independent analyst Moody’s. In a new report obtained Monday by the Washington Post, Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi analyzes the House Republican budget proposal cutting spending by $61 billion this year and projects that it will curtail job growth.
“The House Republicans’ proposal would reduce 2011 real GDP growth by 0.5% and 2012 growth by 0.2%. This would mean some 400,000 fewer jobs created by the end of 2011 and 700,000 fewer jobs by the end of 2012,” Zandi concluded. The numbers challenge the GOP’s philosophy that government spending cuts help create jobs and grow the economy, a view that puts the party at odds with Democrats. House Republicans passed their budget just over a week ago by a 235-189 margin, setting up a stand off with President Barack Obama and Democrats. 'Honour'
Veterans more likely to be homeless, study says. By William M. Welch, USA TODAY Updated 2/10/2011 6:29:21 AM | Military veterans are much more likely to be homeless than other Americans, according to the government's first in-depth study of homelessness among former servicemembers. By Matt Rourke, APDepartment of Veterans Affairs nurse clinician Richard Burdo, left, speaks to a homeless veteran under an overpass during a winter storm in Philadelphia on Jan. 26. By Matt Rourke, AP Department of Veterans Affairs nurse clinician Richard Burdo, left, speaks to a homeless veteran under an overpass during a winter storm in Philadelphia on Jan. 26. About 16% of homeless adults in a one-night survey in January 2009 were veterans, though vets make up only 10% of the adult population. More than 75,000 veterans were living on the streets or in a temporary shelter that night. The urgency of the problem is growing as more people return from service in Iraq and Afghanistan. "It's an absolute shame," he said.
Male: 93% White, non-Hispanic: 49% Judge Jim Gray on The Six Groups Who Benefit From Drug Prohibition. Mapping America — Census Bureau 2005-9 American Community Survey. State of the Nation. My first act of civil disobedience was a protest I led in fifth grade against a teacher who wouldn’t call on the girls as often as the boys. And I was angry. In high school, when I volunteered for Planned Parenthood, I walked past the throng of anti-choice protestors, with their disgusting signs and false pamphlets and atrocious chants about “baby killers,” and I donated my time and money and put a bumper sticker on my car.
And I was angry. In college, I watched the theft of the White House. I watched the Republican aides from Capitol Hill stage their faux protests in Florida, waving signs that said “Sore Loserman.” And I was angry. In the fall of 2002, I attended my first anti-war protest in Golden Gate Park, when the drumbeats for war against Iraq were growing louder and louder. In 2004, I wrote my first response to a blog posting about how all the dirty fucking hippies were anti-American because they dared to criticize George W.
Why are you so angry? The warning is in my name. Sen Bernie Sanders Amazing Speech DEC 02 2010 .flv. Us.mobile.reuters. Top News Nigeria graft agency charges Cheney, Halliburton boss Tue, Dec 07 15:01 PM EST By Nick Tattersall LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria's anti-corruption agency filed charges against former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney and the head of oil services giant Halliburton Co on Tuesday over an alleged scheme to bribe Nigerian officials. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it had filed 16-count charges at a federal high court in Abuja against Cheney, Halliburton Chief Executive David Lesar and two other executives, in a case dating back to the mid-1990s.
It also filed charges against Halliburton as a company, which was headed by Cheney during the 1990s, and four associated businesses. "Charges have been filed against Dick Cheney and eight others (individual and entities)," EFCC spokesman Femi Babafemi said. KBR and Halliburton reached a $579 million settlement in the United States. Nigeria will hold a presidential election in April. Federal judge pleads guilty to drug charges. By the CNN Wire Staff November 20, 2010 2:39 a.m. EST U.S. District Court Judge Jack Camp Jr. admitted giving money to a woman to buy drugs, say prosecutors. A federal judge has pleaded guilty to drug chargesProsecutors say Jack Camp gave a stripper money to buy drugsCamp has resigned from the judiciary Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- A federal judge pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of drug possession and another charge, admitting he had paid a stripper to buy drugs for the two to use together.
Senior U.S. He pleaded guilty to two counts of drug possession, federal prosecutors said. As part of a plea deal, Camp did not plead guilty to a firearms possession charge included in the initial federal complaint. The plea came shortly after Camp, 67, retired from the judiciary. Federal prosecutors accused Camp of giving Sherry Ann Ramos, 26, money to buy drugs including cocaine, marijuana and roxicodone, which the two then frequently used together. He will be sentenced March 4. Bill Clinton, to stump for Rahm Emanuel, warned by Danny Davis: Stay out of Chicago mayor race. Chicago mayoral hopeful Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.) shot a warning on Tuesday morning to former President Bill Clinton, coming to Chicago to stump for rival Rahm Emanuel: Stay out. Davis said that if Clinton did campaign for Emanuel, it would "fracture" and perhaps break his warm relationship with the African American community if he came "to town and participate overtly in efforts to thwart the legitimate political aspirations of Chicago's Black community.
" Emanuel spokesman Ben LaBolt declined comment. Emanuel is the front-runner in the Feb. 22 Chicago mayoral primary, a non-partisan election where if no one gets over 50 percent, then the top two contenders face an April 5 general election run-off. Davis and former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.) are the leading African American candidates for mayor and neither of them, for now, shows any intention of dropping out in order to consolidate the city's African American vote. Last week, state Sen. Davis said in his statement: 9 in custody as Detroit police hunt for serial rapist. Police have detained nine men in a search for a serial rapist, says Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee. NEW: Detroit's police chief defends response and his asking men to protect women7 women have been sexually assaulted in Detroit in the past two weeks, police sayChief Ralph Godbee says he believes a single perpetrator committed all the attacks9 men arrested on unrelated charges are "persons of interest," the chief says (CNN) -- While saying he believes just one man is responsible, Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee said Monday that authorities have detained nine men as part of their hunt for a serial rapist.
Seven women were criminally sexually assaulted between January 1 and 14, police said, and another woman got away from a would-be attacker. Godbee said the victims were African-Americans, ages 17 to 33. "We want to stop this madness as soon as possible," the chief said. Under the direction of lead investigator Sgt. Seven of the women were alone. "We understand this predator. DNC bans corporate cash from convention. Washington (CNN)—The Democratic National Committee will not accept corporate contributions or donations from lobbyists to help fund the 2012 Democratic National Convention, a committee spokesman said on late Friday afternoon. An excerpt of the contract with the Charlotte, North Carolina host committee provided to CNN reveals that the DNC required a ban corporate cash as well as contributions from political action committees and lobbyists. Emphasizing the importance of grassroots donations, the DNC expressed an eagerness to involve “people from all over the country” during the three-day convention that closes with the Democratic nomination for president.
DNC Communication Director Brad Woodhouse said, “From the very beginning, President Obama has placed a high priority on increasing the influence of grassroots and individual donors, and this convention will go further in that direction than any convention ever.” Christianity now a minority religion in Great Britain - Philadelphia atheism.
According to the British Social Attitudes Survey (BSA), the number of Christians in Great Britain is now down to 42%. Those who claim no religion are up to 51% and is trending. While this may seem surprising here in the United States, it really isn’t all that surprising to those in England. Out of the three political parties there, two are led by open atheists and the third party is led by a Prime Minister who claims that his faith comes and goes. Here in Philadelphia, these numbers seem surprising even to atheists. When I mentioned this, many were skeptical and wanted to know the source. This is natural considering that atheists tend to be skeptical people but also because America and England share a common history and we in some sense we see the two nations as similar.
The fact is that while England has just crossed the threshold of a majority of non-religious, America is also trending in that direction. Please check out the Atheism 101 series for frequently asked topics. VOTE 2010 | Democrats.org. Pat Quinn and Bill Brady on the issues - Your Doubting Thomas. The Chicago Tribune's editorial board asked Pat Quinn and Bill Brady certain questions pertaining to the most pressing issues facing our state. You can find all the questions and answers (including the answers of Independent Party candidate, Scott Lee Cohen, Green Party candidate Rich Whitney, and Libertarian candidate, Lex Green) here: Please read and make an informed decision on Tuesday- if you haven't made that decision yet in early voting.
The following are highlights of Pat Quinn and Bill Brady's answers to certain questions from the Chicago Tribune's on-line election page: Question 1 With Illinois' unemployment rate in double digits, what specific state programs or resources do you propose to use to reduce joblessness? PAT QUINN: It is vital to our economy to create both private and public sector jobs through tailored tax credits and outreach to our business communities.
Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 2 Question 3. WikiLeaks has caused little lasting damage, says US state department | Media. The official implied that the WikiLeaks fiasco was bad public relations but had little concrete impact on policy. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images The damage caused by the WikiLeaks controversy has caused little real and lasting damage to American diplomacy, senior state department officials have concluded. It emerged in private briefings to Congress by top diplomats that the fallout from the release of thousands of private diplomatic cables from all over the globe has not been especially bad. This is in direct opposition to the official stance of the White House and the US government which has been vocal in condemning the whistle-blowing organisation and seeking to bring its founder, Julian Assange, to trial in the US.
The official implied that the WikiLeaks fiasco was bad public relations but had little concrete impact on policy. "We were told [it] was embarrassing, not damaging," the official added. Civil liberties. "Don't Ask Don't Tell" Clears Vital Hurdle. Hide captionSen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO), talks about the passage of legislation to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" at the Capitol on Saturday. Alex Brandon/AP Sen. In a landmark for gay rights, the U.S. Obama was expected to sign it next week, although the change wouldn't take immediate effect. "It is time to close this chapter in our history,'' Obama said in a statement after a test vote cleared the way for final action.
The Senate vote was 65-31. Nation At War The vote was almost anti-climactic. As supporters of repeal packed the upper Senate chamber, lawmakers made their cases for and against on the floor below. "Repealing this law is not about scoring political points or catering to a special interest group," he said. Critics of repeal argued that a nation involved in two wars couldn't risk a big change in a military personnel policy. Sen. "They will do what is asked of them,'' McCain said of service members. History Made. House passes 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal. House votes to repeal 'don't ask' NEW: Reid warns Republican stall tactics could prevent a repeal from passingPresident Obama, defense secretary urge Senate passage of the repeal billRepublican Sen.
Snowe announces her support of a repealThe House votes to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, sending it to the Senate Washington (CNN) -- The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to overturn the ban on openly gay and lesbian soldiers serving in the U.S. military, passing legislation repealing the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The bill -- a so-called "stand alone" measure not tied to any other legislative items -- passed 250 to 175 on mostly partisan lines. The House previously passed a repeal of the ban as part of a larger defense policy bill, but the measure stalled last week in the Senate. Also Wednesday, moderate Republican Sen. Lieberman: 'DADT' should go House OKs 'don't ask' repeal "Discrimination is wrong," declared Rep. Statesmarriagecousin. Salon.com.