Coal on the Ropes: Part One
Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on
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U.S. Congress
Telecom War on Net Neutrality
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"Telecommunications industry groups have attacked a new bill calling for government regulators to take a closer look at how broadband providers manage their networks," reports Kenneth Corin. "The Internet Freedom Preservation Act, introduced earlier this week by Rep.
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Taking a Stand for Their Communities' Health
Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on
Low-income California communities concerned with environmental justice have launched a 21-point "Environmental Justice Movement Declaration." Their position is a challenge to the policies of Gov.
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Tapping into Consumer Assumptions
Submitted by Judith Siers-Poisson on
Rep. Al Wynn of Maryland and Rep. Hilda Solis of California have asked the Government Accountability Office to look into the bottled water industry.
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Congresspedia Review: This Week in Congress (Feb. 9 - 15, 2008)
Democrats in Congress this week challenged their Republicans colleagues in the House and Senate and the Bush Administration, approving contempt citations for two White House aides and a controversial intelligence authorization that drew a veto threat from President Bush.
The animosity on the Hill came on the heels of a bipartisan push to approve an economic stimulus package, which Bush signed on Wednesday. The spirit of compromise that ushered the stimulus bill through Congress in less than two weeks was quickly erased when the debate over intelligence reform resumed this week.
When Democrats in the House approved contempt citations for former White House counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolton – rather than conference with the Senate on a reform of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act – GOP members walked out and staged a protest on the Capitol steps.
AAEI - How Democrats Took Over and Betrayed the Peace Movement
Submitted by John Stauber on
Matt Taibbi analyzes how "Democrats have surrendered to Bush on Iraq and betrayed the peace movement for their own political ends." He faults the MoveOn-led Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, "a political tool for the Democrats -- one operated from inside the Beltway and
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Congresspedia Review: This Week in Congress (Feb. 2 - 8, 2008)
Less than two weeks after President George W. Bush issued his call for action, Congress approved an economic stimulus package designed to put spending money in the hands of Americans. While the Senate was able to exert some pressure on the legislation, expanding eligibility for seniors and disabled veterans, Republicans successfully blocked additional measures geared toward lower-income workers and the unemployed.
Meanwhile, the debate over the stimulus package stalled work on the RESTORE Act (the FISA reform bill) in the Senate. With the recently approved 15-day extension of the Protect America Act expiring on February 16, time is again running out for electronic surveillance reform.
Major differences exist between the House and Senate versions of the bill, including the question of whether phone companies that helped the administration eavesdrop on Americans’ phone calls should receive immunity from civil lawsuits. The House approved its bill last year without an immunity provision. Meanwhile, the Senate spent the first few weeks of the year fighting over immunity, which President Bush has said is essential in a completed bill.
For more on FISA and on energy legislation, follow the link after the break.
Science for Hire Comes Under Fire
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
The U.S.
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Think Tank Talks Up Telecom Immunity
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
The Democratic think tank / advocacy group Third Way has been working with Senate Democrats to help sell a controversial measure granting retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies, reports Matt Renner.
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James Glassman: The Journalist Turned Journo-lobbyist's Bid to Be PR Czar
James Glassman, the nominee for Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, probably won't have much of an impact on how the United States presents itself to the rest of the world.
For one thing, he'll only have 11 months in the post. For another -- as his predecessor Karen Hughes proved -- putting shinier lipstick on the pig of U.S. foreign policy doesn't do much to assuage widespread anti-American sentiment. Still, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's January 30 hearing on Glassman's nomination provided some insight into Washington's evolving view of public diplomacy.
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