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Friend --
Early this morning, the Senate made history
and health reform cleared its most important hurdle yet -- garnering
the 60 votes needed to move toward a final vote in that chamber
later this week.
This marks the first time in our nation's
history that comprehensive health reform has come to this point.
And it appears that the American people will soon realize the
genuine reform that offers security to those who have health
insurance and affordable options to those who do not.
I'm grateful to Senator Harry Reid and
every senator who's been working around the clock to make this
happen. And I'm grateful to you, and every member of the Organizing
for America community, for all the work you have done to make
this progress possible.
After a nearly century-long struggle, we
are now on the cusp of making health insurance reform a reality
in the United States of America.
As with any legislation, compromise is
part of the process. But I'm pleased that recently added provisions
have made this landmark bill even stronger. Between the time
when the bill passes and the time when the insurance exchanges
get up and running, insurance companies that try to jack up their
rates do so at their own peril. Those who hike their prices may
be barred from selling plans on the exchanges.
And while insurance companies will be prevented
from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions
once the exchanges are open, in the meantime there will be a
high-risk pool where people with pre-existing conditions can
purchase affordable coverage.
A recent amendment has made these protections
even stronger. Insurance companies will now be prohibited from
denying coverage to children immediately after this bill passes.
There's also explicit language in this bill that will protect
a patient's choice of doctor. And small businesses will get additional
assistance as well.
These protections are in addition to the
ones we've been talking about for some time. No longer will insurance
companies be able to drop your coverage if you become sick and
no longer will you have to pay unlimited amounts out of your
own pocket for treatments that you need.
Under this bill families will save on their
premiums; businesses that would see their costs rise if we don't
act will save money now and in the future. This bill will strengthen
Medicare and extend the life of the program. Because it's paid
for and gets rid of waste and inefficiency in our health care
system, this will be the largest deficit reduction plan in over
a decade.
Finally, this reform will extend coverage
to more than 30 million Americans who don't have it.
These are not small changes. These are
big changes. They're fundamental reforms. They will save money.
They will save lives.
And your passion, your work, your organizing
helped make all of this possible. Now it's time to finish the
job.
Thank you,
President Barack Obama
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VIDEO:
Pres. Obama Reads Christmas Story to Boys and Girls Club
President Obama visited a Boys and Girls Club in Northeast Washington,
DC and read the Christmas story, "The Polar Express"
to the children and handed out Christmas cookies.
Length: 19 min.
Published: Today at 3pm (ET)
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VIDEO:
U.N. Sec. Gen. Ban Ki-moon Press Conference on Copenhagen Climate
Summit
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon spoke to reporters
in New York about his thoughts on the recent climate summit held
in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Length: 24 min.
Published: Today at 9:30am (ET)
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VIDEO:
Pres. Obama Remarks on Government Efficiency
President Obama made remarks about efforts to bring more efficiency
into government in a statement made from the White House Diplomatic
Room. The president also made remarks about the Senate's recent
60-40 vote to limit debate to the manager's amendment to the
health care bill.
Length: 10 min.
Published: Today at 11:30am (ET)
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VIDEO:
Senate Democrats Health Care Press Conference
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was joined by Senators
Chris Dodd (D-CT), Max Baucus (D-MT) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) to
discuss the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Also
speaking was Cecil Wilson, President-Elect of the American Medical
Association.
Length: 23 min.
Published: Today at 1:45pm (ET)
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Administration
plan could limit records hidden from public
by By PETE YOST
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama plans to deal with
a Dec. 31 deadline that automatically would declassify secrets
in more than 400 million pages of Cold War-era documents by ordering
government-wide changes that could sharply curb the number of
new and old government records hidden from the public...
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Union
Leaders Tell President’s Economic Advisory Board: Worker
Training Key to Job Creation
by admin
Steven Horsford
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President
Obama Announces Agencies to Save $19 Billion in Contracting Reforms
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Remarks
by the President on the SAVE Award and Making Government More
Efficient and Effective
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Making
a Good Bill Even Better
Posted by Nancy-Ann DeParle on December 19, 2009 at 3:22 PM EST
Congress has been working hard for months
to shape health insurance reform legislation that will bring
down costs, expand coverage, increase accountability for insurers,
and attack our mounting deficit. We got good news today on all
those fronts, as fresh statements of support from the Small Business
Majority, the American Cancer Society, and the American Diabetes
Association amongst others make clear.
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America's
Innovators Call for Health Care Reform to Unlock Jobs of the
Future
Posted by Aneesh Chopra on December 20, 2009 at 1:15 PM EST
To emerge from the most severe economic
downturn since the Great Depression, we are depending on entrepreneurs
and start-ups -- young and small businesses -- to do what they
have historically done for the United States: fuel economic growth
by creating a disproportionate share of the new jobs we need.
As President Obama's Chief Technology Officer, I devote much
of my energy to creating a fertile environment for high-technology
start-ups in areas like information technology, clean energy,
biotech, transportation, manufacturing, and robotics.
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Secretary
Sebelius Takes Questions from BlogHer on Health Reform
Posted by Jesse Lee on December 21, 2009 at 9:00 AM EST
The popular blogging community focused
on women, BlogHer, has been collecting questions over the weekend
from their readers for HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and today
the Secretary answers some of those questions live. Last week
HHS released a new report documenting in detail the extensive
benefits reform will hold for families.
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Connecting
in Georgia
Posted by Lawrence E. Strickling on December 21, 2009 at 11:16
AM EST
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Saving
Your Tax Dollars, Bottom-Up
Posted by Jesse Lee on December 21, 2009 at 5:00 PM EST
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The
President and First Lady Get Vaccinated
Posted by Jesse Lee on December 21, 2009 at 6:16 PM EST
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Obama:
Government contracting reforms will save $19 billion
Posted: December 21st, 2009 11:31 AM ET
Washington (CNN) - A government plan to reduce contracting costs
will save $19 billion in 2010, President Barack Obama announced
Monday.
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Obama:
Health care vote a victory for American people
Posted: December 21st, 2009 11:37 AM ET
President Barack Obama on Monday called the Senate vote to end
its debate and move toward passing a health care bill 'a big
victory for the American people.'
WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Barack Obama on Monday called the
Senate vote to end its debate and move toward passing a health
care bill "a big victory for the American people."
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DOT
puts three-hour limit on tarmac delays
Posted: December 21st, 2009 12:40 PM ET
From CNN's Lauren Kornreich
The DOT has put a three-hour limit on tarmac delays.
Washington (CNN) - Taking action against air travel nightmares,
the Department of Transportation ordered airlines on Monday to
allow passengers stranded on airport tarmacs to deplane after
three hours.
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American
Medical Association endorses Senate health care bill
Posted: December 21st, 2009 02:02 PM ET
American Medical Association President-elect Dr. Cecil Wilson
announced on Monday his organization's support for the Senate
health care reform bill.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – The American Medical Association, a traditional
opponent of health care reform, on Monday endorsed the Senate
health care bill nearing a final vote in the chamber.
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CNN
Poll: 6 point jump in support for health care bill
Posted: December 21st, 2009 03:01 PM ET
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Health
Care Bill Clears Key Vote
"Senate Democrats won a milestone victory early Monday in
the health-care debate, approving a procedural motion to move
the reform legislation to final passage later this week, and
without a single vote to spare," the Washington Post reports.
"The 60-40 tally, taken shortly after
1 a.m., followed 12 hours of acrimonious debate and required
senators to trek to the Capitol in the aftermath of a snowstorm."
Roll Call notes Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid's (D-NV) "goal of clearing the bill before Christmas
and Republican hopes of derailing passage have combined to force
three cloture votes, including late-night and early-morning roll
calls, because of Senate rules mandating 30 hours of sequential
debate time prior to each cloture vote. At present, the third
cloture vote, on the underlying bill, will likely occur Wednesday
afternoon, with the vote on final passage set for Christmas Eve
night."
Marc Ambinder: "Let it be said, at
1:15 a.m. ET, that Democratic Party discipline held, that Republicans
failed to kill health care reform, that the President now has
a strong chance to sign into law an historic, expensive and far-reaching
health care reform legislation before his first official State
of the Union address in a month from now. The bruising year-long
battle has left the Democratic party divided, has expended virtually
all of the president's political capital, and ithe legislation's
fidelity to the goals sketched by candidate Obama are questionable.
"
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Whitehouse
Predicts Day of Judgement
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) took to the Senate floor yesterday
to blast Republicans for "the desperate, no-holds-barred
mission of propaganda, falsehood, obstruction and fear"
over the health care bill.
The video of the speech is definitely worth
watching.
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Health
Care Bill Gets Bump in Poll
"Support for the health care reform bill that Democrats
are pushing through the Senate has risen six points since early
December," according to a new CNN/Opinion Research poll,
"and although a majority of Americans still oppose its passage,
only four in ten agree with Senate Republicans that the bill
is too liberal."
President Obama's approval rating also
experienced a similar six-point rise.
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Reid
Defends Deals
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) defended the deals made
to secure various votes for the health care reform package, adding
that "it doesn't speak well" of senators who didn't
secure such deals, Politico reports.
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Obama
Got What He Wanted
Ezra Klein: "The health-care bill that looks likely to clear
the Senate this week is not very close to the health-care bill
most liberals want. But it is very close to the health-care bill
that Barack Obama promised. Thanks to the magic of Google, it's
easy enough to revisit the plan Obama campaigned on in light
of the plan that seems likely to pass... You can debate whether
Obama should have lashed himself to such an incremental and status-quo
oriented approach, but you cannot argue that he kept it a secret."
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Crew
Lifts Off From Kazakhstan to Begin Science and Construction Work
Aboard the International Space Station
Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:00:00 -0600
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Researchers and practitioners gathered at
the First Predictive Policing Symposium to discuss this emerging
framework and its impact on the future of law enforcement. The
symposium was held in Los Angeles on November 18-20, 2009.
Read
the opening remarks and summaries of the panels and breakout
sessions.
|
NIJ has updated and added new information
on its Standards
and Testing Program.
|
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
has issued the following news release today:
Compensation grew in over 80 percent of the 3,112 counties in
the U.S., as the average annual compensation per job in the U.S.
grew by 2.6 percent to $56,116.
The full text of the release on BEA's Web site can be found at
http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/comp/2009/comp1209.htm
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December
21, 2009 - DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report, (PDF, 22 pages - 163 KB)
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National
Press Releases for Federal Bureau of Investigation. This information has recently been updated, and
is now available.
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Crime
Statistics for Federal Bureau of Investigation. This information has recently been updated, and
is now available.
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Connecticut Young Democrats Good Monday
Morning All!
Just a Quick Reminder:
TONIGHT, Monday, December 21st is our Statewide
Monthly Meeting!
Please join us in New Haven at the
New Haven Hall of Records on 200 Orange Street at 7:00pm.
*We will have a Holiday Happy Hour immediately
following the Meeting.
Location of Happy Hour TBA.
_______________
Also...
We will be holding elections for our National
Committeeman & National Committeewoman positions at our monthly
meeting in January. *Note: The election of National Committeewoman
in September was to fill a vacancy.
Our Statewide Monthly Meeting will be held:
Where: State Central 330 Main Street, 3rd
Floor, Hartford
When: Monday, January 25, 2010.
*It is a week later than our usual schedule
due to the holiday on the 3rd Monday of that month.
In Order to be eligible to run in the election
you must submit an email declaring your intention to run to Stephanie
Podewell at ctydsecretary@gmail.com ASAP . We will announce the
deadline soon, but send your name in now so you don't miss out!
Here is a description of the position:
The National Committeeman & National
Committeewoman
The National Committeeman & National
Committeewoman shall attend all meetings of the National Young
Democrats to present the official position of the CT Young Dems
to the National YDs, or find appropriate proxy to do so if unable
to attend. They must also prepare materials as necessary to maintain
the State Organization's current membership in the Young Democrats
of America, and give an oral report concerning national issues
to the State Caucus each meeting.
Competitive elections are healthy for an
organization. Please consider submitting your name to run. If
you have any questions about the position, please contact us
at ctyoungdemocrats@gmail.com .
__________________
Thank you, again, for all of your support
for our local chapters and statewide organization. We hope to
see you at an upcoming meeting, and that you have a Happy Holiday
Season!
--------------------
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Vulnerability Summary for the Week of
December 14, 2009
This bulletin provides a summary of new
vulnerabilities that have been
recorded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST)
National Vulnerability Database (NVD) the week of December 14,
2009. It is
available here:
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/bulletins/SB09-355.html
|
OCC
and OTS Release Mortgage Metrics Report for Third Quarter 2009
|
Senate
Democrats Clear Hurdle on Health Care
Posted: 20 Dec 2009 04:00 PM PST
By ERICA WERNER
WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats won a crucial test vote on President
Barack Obama's health care overhaul, putting them on track for
passage before Christmas of the historic legislation to remake
the nation's medical system and cover 30 million uninsured.
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U.S.
Transfers 12 Guantanamo Detainees to Home Countries
Posted: 20 Dec 2009 04:00 PM PST
WASHINGTON - The U.S. has transferred a dozen Guantanamo detainees
to Afghanistan, Yemen and the Somaliland region as the Obama
administration continues to move captives out of the facility
in Cuba in preparation for its closure.
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New DOT Consumer Rule Limits Airline Tarmac
Delays, Provides Other Passenger Protections
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a new
rule that significantly strengthens protections afforded to consumers
by, among other things, establishing a hard time limit after
which U.S. airlines must allow passengers to deplane from domestic
flights.
“Airline passengers have rights, and these new rules will
require airlines to live up to their obligation to treat their
customers fairly,” Secretary LaHood said.
The new rule prohibits U.S. airlines operating domestic flights
from permitting an aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more
than three hours without deplaning passengers, with exceptions
allowed only for safety or security or if air traffic control
advises the pilot in command that returning to the terminal would
disrupt airport operations. U.S. carriers operating international
flights departing from or arriving in the United States must
specify, in advance, their own time limits for deplaning passengers,
with the same exceptions applicable.
Carriers are required to provide adequate food and potable drinking
water for passengers within two hours of the aircraft being delayed
on the tarmac and to maintain operable lavatories and, if necessary,
provide medical attention.
This rule was adopted in response to a series of incidents in
which passengers were stranded on the ground aboard aircraft
for lengthy periods and also in response to the high incidence
of flight delays and other consumer problems. In one of the most
recent tarmac delay incidents, the Department fined Continental
Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines and Mesaba Airlines a total of
$175,000 for their roles in a nearly six-hour ground delay at
Rochester, MN.
The rule also:
• Prohibits airlines from scheduling chronically delayed
flights, subjecting those who do to DOT enforcement action for
unfair and deceptive practices;
• Requires airlines to designate an airline employee to
monitor the effects of flight delays and cancellations, respond
in a timely and substantive fashion to consumer complaints and
provide information to consumers on where to file complaints;
• Requires airlines to display on their website flight delay
information for each domestic flight they operate;
• Requires airlines to adopt customer service plans and
audit their own compliance with their plans; and
• Prohibits airlines from retroactively applying material
changes to their contracts of carriage that could have a negative
impact on consumers who already have purchased tickets.
Today’s final rule was adopted following a review of public
comments on a proposal issued in November 2008. The Department
also plans to begin another rulemaking designed to further strengthen
protections for air travelers. Among the areas under consideration
are: a requirement that airlines submit to the Department for
review and approval their contingency plans for lengthy tarmac
delays; reporting of additional tarmac delay data; disclosure
of baggage fees; and strengthening requirements that airline
ads disclose the full fare consumers must pay for tickets.
The rule goes into effect 120 days after date of publication
in the Federal Register. The rule may be obtained on the Internet
at www.regulations.gov,
docket DOT-OST-2007-0022.
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A $60 million Strategic Health IT Advanced
Research Projects (SHARP) was announced last Friday by Dr. David
Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
The SHARP funding will strengthen the health information technology
infrastructure through the competitive award of approximately
four cooperative agreements focused research in areas where breakthrough
advances are needed to address barriers to the adoption of health
IT.
Please note that the Office of the National Coordinator for Health
Information Technology (ONC) will be hosting a Technical Assistance
call for potential SHARP program applicants tomorrow, Tuesday,
December 22 from 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM EST.
Interested parties are encouraged to join the call using the
following information:
To participate:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/dt/join?id=HM6N8Z&role=attend&pw=Z%7D%40%2225g
Audio
Dial in number: 888-324-4392
Participant passcode: 9313506
For detailed information on the SHARP program visit http://healthit.hhs.gov/sharp.
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Critical
Infrastructure and Key Resources Learning Series for U.S. Department
of Homeland Security. This
information has recently been updated, and is now available.
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Merry Christmas from North Georgia Democrats!
To your families and loved ones and yes,
to your crusty old Republican friends and family too! :-) Some
new posts are up, please take time to participate and provide
feedback in the Obama Administration's job effort, linked on
the group.
Tom
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U.S.
International Reserve Position
December 21, 2009
2009-12-21-15-15-1-24365
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C-SPAN Daily Alert
Programming Information for Mon. 12/21 - Tues. 12/22, 2009
**********************************************************************
C-SPAN Highlights
Tonight:
* U.N. Sec.-Gen. Ban Ki-moon on Copenhagen Climate Change Conference
(8pm)
* Jamestown Foundation Discussion with Bruce Riedel on al-Qaeda
(8:25pm)
* Video Journalist David Axe Vignette on Reapers & Predator
Drones (9:25pm)
Tomorrow:
* U.S. House: Not In Session
* Quinnipiac University News Conference on Health Care Poll (10am)
- LIVE
**********************************************************************
C-SPAN2 Highlights
Tonight:
* The Communicators: MPAA Chairman & CEO Dan Glickman (8pm)
* Health Care Press Briefings: Senate Republicans, Democrats
& Pres. Obama (8:30pm)
* Senate Commerce Subcmte. Hearing on Aviation Safety (10:30pm)
Tomorrow:
* U.S. Senate: In Session (Time TBA) - LIVE
**********************************************************************
C-SPAN3 Highlights
Tonight:
* Health Care Briefings with Senate Democrats, Republicans &
Pres. Obama (8pm)
* U.N. Sec.-Gen. Ban Ki-moon on Copenhagen Climate Change Conference
(8:55pm)
* Washington Journal: Steve Forbes, Forbes, President & CEO
(9:20pm)
Tomorrow:
* Programming TBA. Check the Schedule for Updates - http://www.c-spanvideo.org/schedule?timezone=Eastern&date=Dec+22%2C+2009
**********************************************************************
C-SPAN Radio Highlights
Tonight:
* Programming TBA. Check the Schedule for Updates - http://www.c-span.org/Schedules/C-SPAN-Radio-Schedule.aspx
Tomorrow:
* Washington Journal (7am) - LIVE
**********************************************************************
Politics Highlights
* C-SPAN Political Programming - Sunday
on C-SPAN at 6:30pm ET
**********************************************************************
Washington Journal Highlights
* Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY)
* Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
* Discussion on Future of Conservatism
* Discussion on Homeowners & the Foreclosure Crisis
**********************************************************************
C-SPAN Capitol Spotlight
* The most intriguing mystery of the Senate’s
health bill was on page 328 of the final package of amendments
assembled by Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., under a subject
heading innocuously titled “infrastructure to expand access
to care.” It is a provision that grants $100 million to
a single unnamed “health care facility... - Full Story at
http://www.c-span.org/capitolspotlight
**********************************************************************
C-SPAN Special Promotions
* "American Icons," a special
three DVD set of C-SPAN documentaries, now available. Order your
copy today at www. c-span.org/store.
* The new C-SPAN Radio iPhone app is available
FREE! Also lets you listen to C-SPAN & C-SPAN 2 - http://bit.ly/4IRa0d
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Mullen
Updates, Changes Joint Guidance
Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:41:00 -0600
|
Guard
Responds to Record Northeast Snowfall
Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:14:00 -0600
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