-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
via Amy B. Dean, The Huffington Post “We are striking to improve the conditions in the schools. Right now the children are getting a raw deal.” That statement came from a striking member of the Chicago Teachers’ Union… in 1969. It still resonates in September 2012, when the CTU’s members have again walked a picket … Continue reading
via Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Diane Rado, and Bill Ruthhart, Chicago Tribune Delegates for the Chicago Teachers Union voted Tuesday to call off their seven-day strike, sending some 350,000 public schools students back to class Wednesday morning and ending the daily scene of teachers dressed in red picketing their schools. The overwhelming vote by the union’s … Continue reading
via Ken Dilanian and Salvador Rodriguez, L.A. Times A hacker group’s claim that it obtained from an FBI laptop a file with more than 12 million identification numbers for Apple iPhones, iPads and other devices has set off widespread speculation about why a federal agency would possess such information. But the FBI disputed the allegation … Continue reading
via Rick Hampson, USA Today Protesters will mark the anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement today with rallies in more than 30 cities around the world, including a march on the New York Stock Exchange, not far from the park where the movement was born. But as the last of its urban encampments close … Continue reading
via Michael McAuliff, The Huffington Post Lawyers for the Obama administration are arguing that the United States will be irreparably harmed if it has to abide by a judge’s ruling that it can no longer hold terrorism suspects indefinitely without trial in military custody. The lawyers made the argument on Friday in seeking a stay … Continue reading
via Steve Peoples, The Boston Globe Mitt Romney is promising to reduce taxes on middle-income Americans. But how does he define ‘‘middle-income”? The Republican presidential nominee defined it Friday as income of $200,000 to $250,000 a year and less. The definition of ‘‘middle income’’ or the ‘‘middle class’’ is politically charged as Romney and President … Continue reading
via Scott Bauer, The Huffington Post A Wisconsin judge on Friday struck down nearly all of the state law championed by Gov. Scott Walker that effectively ended collective bargaining rights for most public workers. Walker’s administration immediately vowed to appeal, while unions, which have vigorously fought the law, declared victory. But what the ruling meant … Continue reading
via David B. Caruso, The Boston Globe For over a decade, New York City has outlawed smoking in bars and offices, banned trans fats, and forced fast-food restaurants to list calorie counts on their menus. Now, the Big Apple has set its sights on sugary beverages with a first-in-the-nation rule barring restaurants, cafeterias and concessions … Continue reading
via NBC News Dozens of churches and community organizations also were opening their doors to students for at least part of the day. John Harvey and Sarah Vanderstow were dropping off their 7-year-old son, Aiden, at the Disney Magnet School, but they were nervous because it was unfamiliar to the second-grader, the Tribune reported. Vanderstow … Continue reading
via Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA), Politix This election year Americans are faced with a difficult decision on how to best move our country forward. Among the proposals to address our economic challenges and federal deficit is one filled with extreme, regressive, and deeply cynical policy choices: that of congressman and vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan. … Continue reading
via The Economist Not since 1933 had an American president taken the oath of office in an economic climate as grim as it was when Barack Obama put his left hand on the Bible in January 2009. The banking system was near collapse, two big car manufacturers were sliding towards bankruptcy; and employment, the housing … Continue reading
via Alexandra Jaffe, The Hill’s Ballot Box A new poll of women nationwide shows just how steep Mitt Romney will have to climb to get out of the crater he’s in with respect to women’s vote, but indicates he could have an opening if he can win the one issue he’s been banking on all … Continue reading
via Jeremy Herb, The Hill’s Ballot Box The tight presidential race has all but ensured that Congress will not pass a bill before the election that would halt sequestration cuts to the military. President Obama and presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney have traded barbs over sequestration as the issue has amplified on the campaign trail … Continue reading
via Joe Erbentraut and Lizzie Schiffman, The Huffington Post Though it’s still only about three-quarters of the way through, 2012 has already been a busy year for drug policy in Chicago. Of course, the headline grabber has been the marijuana ticketing law originally tiptoed around and later trumpeted by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. When the proposal … Continue reading
via Bonnie Kavoussi, The Huffington Post If Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have their way, then Americans of all ages may be spending more on health care during their retirement. If Romney becomes president and repeals the Affordable Care Act as promised, then retirement would cost $11,100 more for the average 65-year-old and $18,600 more … Continue reading
via Nick Wing, The Huffington Post A federal judge on Wednesday said he was prepared to grant a permanent injunction that would block controversial restrictions on voter registration groups passed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) last year. Federal Judge Robert L. Hinkle had earlier put a temporary hold on the measure, declaring that it … Continue reading
via Philip Elliot and Alan Fram, The Huffington Post Republicans emphatically approved a toughly worded party platform at their national convention Tuesday that would ban all abortions and gay marriages, reshape Medicare into a voucher-like program and cut taxes to energize the economy and create jobs. The document opens by warning that while the American … Continue reading
via Nick R. Martin, Talking Points Memo, Muckracker Gabriela Saucedo Mercer hasn’t even won the Republican primary for Congress in Arizona yet, but she is already facing attacks from the Democratic Congressman she is hoping to unseat in November over some incendiary comments she made in the past about Middle Eastern immigrants. In an interview … Continue reading
via Sterling C. Beard, The Hill’s Ballot Box The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to expedite its handling of a legal challenge to Pennsylvania’s new voter ID law, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer. The plaintiffs seeking to place an injunction on the law and prevent it from going into effect, including the American Civil Liberties … Continue reading
via Charles P. Pierce, Esquire The remarks of Missouri Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin, and Akin’s stubborn refusal to defenestrate himself to placate the party’s leaders who want him gone for saying things that they all agree should never be said out loud, has occasioned much guffawing and posturing — and, very probably, fundraising — … Continue reading
via Michael Felberbaum, ABC News A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a decision barring the federal government from requiring tobacco companies to put large graphic health warnings on cigarette packages to show that smoking can disfigure and even kill people. In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington affirmed a lower … Continue reading
via Frank Bruni, The New York Times It makes no strategic sense for Bob Kerrey to bring up his support for gay marriage on the campaign trail in Nebraska, where he’s the Democratic nominee for an open Senate seat. Republicans far outnumber Democrats here; the state’s voters are socially conservative; his opponents are already smearing … Continue reading
via David Lawder, Reuters Massive U.S. government spending cuts and tax hikes due next year will cause even worse economic damage than previously thought if Washington fails to come up with a solution, the Congressional Budget Office warned on Wednesday. Without action by Congress to avoid a “fiscal cliff,” Americans should expect a “significant recession” … Continue reading
via Lester Brathwaite, Queerty Earlier this month, Mexico’s Supreme Court upheld Mexico City’s same-sex marriage law as constitutional, but on Tuesday the court extended the legality of those marriages to all 31 states. So basically, any gay marriage registered in Mexico City has to be honored in all of Mexico. Each state, however, is not required … Continue reading
via Fox Van Allen, Tecca Did you know that what you say on Facebook can be used against you in a court of law? If you’re sharing something with your friends, you may as well be sharing directly with the judge and jury: A recent ruling in a U.S. federal court says that if you post … Continue reading
The Brandt Standard 