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via Josh Lederman, The Hill House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) threatened Friday to withhold funding from the Justice Department unless it agrees to defend a ban on government-recognized same-sex marriages. “We’re going to take the money away from the Justice Department, who’s supposed to enforce it, and we’ll use it to enforce the law,” Boehner … Continue reading
via Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl thinks anyone caught with 10 grams or less of pot does not intend to sell it, and so should only be ticketed and fined — not jailed. She recently asked the city’s legal department to draft an ordinance that lightens the penalty for anyone possessing small … Continue reading
via Tammy Duckworth, Politico On the 10th anniversary of sending troops to Afghanistan, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is due to give a foreign policy address in South Carolina. This is a good time to reflect on President Barack Obama’s record — and reflect where Romney and the Republican field could take us. The bottom … Continue reading
via CNN As anti-Wall Street protests continued across the country, several hundred people gathered Thursday in the nation’s capital in a scheduled anti-war demonstration that also adopted new overtones in decrying economic disparities. Demonstrators first congregated in the shadow of Congress, at its height filling about half of Washington’s Freedom Plaza, which is about the … Continue reading
via Ansley Haman, Times Free Press Dorothy Cooper is 96 but she can remember only one election when she’s been eligible to vote but hasn’t. The retired domestic worker was born in a small North Georgia town before women had the right to vote. She began casting ballots in her 20s after moving to Chattanooga … Continue reading
via Alexander Trowbridge and Mackenzie Weinger, Politico Many Hispanic students and workers have stayed home in response to Alabama’s tough new immigration law — and that’s the whole point of the measure, Rep. Mo Brooks said on Thursday. The Alabama Republican told POLITICO in an interview that he does not consider the above-average number of … Continue reading
via CNN As fears of a euro meltdown continue apace, a guerrilla war of Post-it note art has broken out in office spaces across corporate Paris. The first shot was fired four months ago, when employees at French computer gaming company Ubisoft – maker of the popular “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell” and “Ghost Recon” game series – put … Continue reading
via Jake Malooley, Time Out Chicago The sign made only a brief appearance this morning on windows of the Chicago Board of Trade Building, but the message lingers. Four pieces of white paper pasted up in as many windows of the historic 141 West Jackson Boulevard building, declaring in dark marker, WE ARE THE 1%. … Continue reading
via Alex Keefe, WBEZ Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Wednesday he will review a city program that funnels public money to non-profits, after the city’s inspector general this week revealed that a group led by Chicago’s former first lady disproportionately benefited from the program. But Emanuel stopped short of commenting in on the merits of … Continue reading
via Jennifer Brandel, WBEZ Gov. Pat Quinn said Wendesday he’s willing to consider reallocating money to avoid a prison closing. Seven state facilities including a central Illinois prison might close because of a lack of state funds. But Quinn said the money to keep the prison open must come from re-allocation, and that he won’t … Continue reading
via David Sarno and Christopher Goffard, L.A. Times Steven P. Jobs, the charismatic technology pioneer who co-founded Apple Inc. and transformed one industry after another, from computers and smartphones to music and movies, has died. He was 56. Apple announced the death of Jobs — whose legacy included the Apple II, Macintosh, iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad. “We are deeply saddened … Continue reading
via Polson Kanneth, ABC News Sarah Palin will not run for president. She made the announcement in a letter to supporters Wednesday night. Read Palin’s letter here: October 5, 2011 Wasilla, Alaska After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the … Continue reading
via Jason Cherkis, The Huffington Post When Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) took friends, fellow legislators or campaign donors to his hunting camp, they passed the word “Niggerhead” painted on a rock. As the Washington Post reported Saturday, “Niggerhead” stood for the long-ago name of the Perry family’s hunting camp. Perry told the Post that … Continue reading
via Jon Ward, The Huffington Post Long-time Republican pollster Ed Goeas is leaving Rep. Michele Bachmann’s (R-MN) presidential campaign, The Huffington Post has learned. Goeas, who has served as an adviser to Bachmann, will consult with the campaign for two more weeks before ending his involvement, he said in a phone interview. The Associated Press … Continue reading
via Amanda Terkel, The Huffington Post President Obama forcefully called for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act on Saturday night at the annual Human Rights Campaign fundraising dinner, but he did not come out in support of marriage equality, as some hoped he would do. The 3,000 attendees at the dinner, which took … Continue reading
via Felicia Sonmez, The Washington Post Five months after House Republicans announced that they had set a $500,000 salary cap for the lawyer hired to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, a revised contract shows that the pay limit has been lifted to three times that amount. According to a new contract dated Sept. 30, … Continue reading
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced Tuesday that he would not seek the Republican presidential nomination, saying that while he thought seriously about entering the presidential race, “now is not my time.” Christie said he made his final decision last night and told those closest to him this morning. He said he went to the … Continue reading
Sesame Street has a new muppet who is hungry for more than just cookies. The iconic kids show is set to unveil a new impoverished puppet named Lily, whose family faces an ongoing struggle with hunger issues. Lily will be revealed in a one-hour Sesame Street primetime special, Growing Hope Against Hunger, which is being sponsored by … Continue reading
This June the United Nation Human Rights Council narrowly passed its first-ever resolution calling for universal gay rights with the support of more than 80 countries. It was an historic milestone, a global recognition that gay rights and human rights were finally synonymous, at least on paper, here in New York at the world body. … Continue reading
UK passport forms are being updated to include options for same-sex parents. New forms including “parent one” and “parent two” alongside “mother” and “father” are expected to be brought in by the end of the year. The Home Office says the additional terms will ensure passports are issued safely to the right person. Gay rights … Continue reading
Facebook has overhauled its Pages Insights analytics tool and added a new metric to gauge the health of a page: “People Talking About.” That statistic, which users will see on Pages below the total number of “Likes,” will be one of four tracked by Pages Insights. The idea is that users will understand a Page … Continue reading
Four states have announced that they will be raising their minimum wage rates for 2012, led by Washington state, which will become the first in the country with a minimum wage over $9 per hour. The 37-cent bump in Washington will hike the wage to $9.04, or $1.79 per hour more than the federal minimum … Continue reading
Starbucks Corp CEO Howard Schultz, decrying a lack of leadership in Washington, said his chain of coffee shops is helping to launch a nationwide fund designed to stimulate U.S. job creation. Starbucks introduced on Monday the “Create Jobs for USA” fund in partnership with Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), a group of private financial institutions that … Continue reading
President Barack Obama’s job-creation package effectively fell to pieces on Monday as a top Republican lawmaker said the House of Representatives will only pass portions of the $447 billion measure. As Obama continued to press lawmakers for a vote on his signature legislation, Representative Eric Cantor, the No. 2 House Republican, said that was not … Continue reading
As al-Qaeda’s military capabilities have declined, it has become increasingly dependent on its message to stay in the global spotlight, a strategy undermined by the death of one of its chief propagandists , terrorism experts say. Propaganda has long been a priority of al-Qaeda and its affiliates, but its role has grown in prominence. “It … Continue reading
The Brandt Standard 