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The
Turning Point?
After the Democratic effort to reform health care took a pounding
in August, President Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress
in early September may have been even more important than we
thought at the time to getting things back on track.
Important things happened during that speech:
First, the president surprised many when
he made an impassioned case for the public option. Most analysts
thought he would push for compromise by dropping it altogether.
Instead, the public option is still very much alive today in
both the House and Senate versions of the bill.
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Application Procedures Announced for the
2010 Harvard Fire Executive Fellowship Program
Emmitsburg, MD - Application procedures have been announced for
the 2010
Harvard Fire Executive Fellowship Program. The program is
once again sponsored through a partnership between the International
Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), Fire Protection Publications/International
Fire Service Training Association (FPP/IFSTA), the National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA), and the Department of Homeland
Security/U.S. Fire Administration (USFA).
USFA Administrator Kelvin J. Cochran, in announcing the 2010
program said, “The U.S. Fire Administration and our funding
partners, the IAFC, FPP/IFSTA, and the NFPA, are excited once
again to sponsor a number of fellows who will attend the Senior
Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard’s
Kennedy School of Government next summer. The curriculum, faculty,
and setting are truly outstanding. Most importantly, this premier
program can provide tools and experiences in confronting the
collective challenges which fire executives face. I personally
know many fire executives who have benefitted from the State
and Local Program and found it extremely valuable when examining
and understanding the relationships between careerists, elected,
and appointed officials.”
Senior fire executives who are selected will be awarded fellowships
to attend Harvard's annual Program for Senior Executives in State
and Local Government. The 3-week program is conducted on the
Harvard campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Selected Fellows
will be assigned to attend one of the two session dates: June
7-25, 2010 or July 5-23, 2010. Fellows must be available to attend
either session.
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DoD
Identifies Marine Casualties
Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:03:00 -0500
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Ares
I-X at the Launch Pad
Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:00:00 -0500
NASA's Ares I-X rocket is seen on Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy
Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Monday, Oct. 26, 2009.
The flight test of Ares I-X, scheduled for today, Oct. 27, 2009,
will provide NASA with an early opportunity to test and prove
flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations
associated with the Ares I. Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
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St.
Vincent and the Grenadines Independence Day
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of StateWashington, DC
October 27, 2009
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Kerry:
Afghan Surge Proposal 'Goes Too Far, Too Fast'
from VOA News: Politics Chairman of US
Senate Foreign Relations Committee praises President Obama's
current review of strategy in Afghanistan
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Senator
Reid: US Health Care Reform Bill Will Include Government-Run
Plan
from VOA News: Politics Government-run
alternative to private health insurance has been extremely controversial
in debate over reforming America's health care system
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U.S.
Releases Annual Freedom-Of-Religion Report To Promote 'Universal
Value'
from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
The U.S. State Department has released its annual report on how
governments around the world are doing when it comes to protecting
their citizens' religious freedom. The survey of 198 countries
and territories was released by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,
who called the freedom to practice the religion of one's own
choosing a "universal value."
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41st
-U.S.-Republic of Korea Joint Communique, and Analysis of Deepening
Relations between the U.S. and Vietnam
from MERLN - Military Education Research
Library Network The East Asia and the Pacific Regional Policy
Overview has been updated with the 41st U.S.-Republic of Korea
Joint Communique and speeches from Secretary of Defense Gates's
recent trip to the region, a Congressional hearing on U.S. policy
towards Burma, reports from the Brookings Institution on Mongolia's
national security and on Japan's new diplomacy, and a report
from the Institute for National Strategic Studies on deepening
relations between the U.S. and Vietnam. Please see the Recently
Added Documents section for the latest on this region - the newest
updates are in bold.
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Obama
readies tougher "too big to fail" strategy
from Reuters: Politics WASHINGTON (Reuters)
- The Obama administration within days will move to get tougher
with large financial firms that are in trouble by urging Congress
to let the government seize control, wipe out shareholders, boot
management and restructure debts, an administration official
said on Monday.
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Reid
says healthcare bill to include public option
from Reuters: Politics WASHINGTON (Reuters)
- U.S. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said on Monday the
Senate's sweeping healthcare reform bill would include a government-run
insurance plan that lets states opt out of participation if they
choose.
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U.S.
Senate panel kicks off climate bill drive
from Reuters: Politics WASHINGTON (Reuters)
- A U.S. Senate committee on Tuesday launches three long days
of hearings on a Democratic climate bill in a bid to further
convince an international summit in December that Washington
is serious about tackling global warming.
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Obama
to announce smart grid plans
from Politico.com: Politics by Lisa LererObama
will announce $3.4B investment of stimulus funds to modernize
electric grid at Florida event.
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GAO-09-866,
New Drug Approval: FDA Needs to Enhance Its Oversight of Drugs
Approved on the Basis of Surrogate Endpoints, September 23, 2009
from GAO Reports Before approving a drug,
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assesses a drug's effectiveness.
This assessment may be based on evidence showing that a drug
has a positive impact on a surrogate endpoint--a laboratory measure,
such as blood pressure--instead of more direct clinical evidence,
like preventing strokes. After approval, FDA often requires or
requests a drug sponsor to further study the drug. Concerns have
been raised about FDA's reliance on surrogate endpoints and its
oversight of postmarketing studies. This report provides information
on (1) all drug applications approved based on surrogate endpoints
in FDA's accelerated approval process, (2) a subset of applications
for potentially innovative drugs approved based on surrogate
endpoints under FDA's traditional process, and (3) FDA's oversight
of postmarketing studies. GAO identified drugs approved based
on surrogate endpoints, obtained the status of related postmarketing
studies, and reviewed FDA's oversight of a sample of 35 studies
it required under its accelerated approval process, selected
to include studies which were at varying levels of completion.
FDA approved 90 applications for drugs based on surrogate endpoints
through its accelerated approval process from the creation of
the process in 1992 through November 20, 2008, and about two-thirds
of postmarketing studies have been closed. FDA created the accelerated
approval process to expedite the approval of drugs which are
designed to treat serious or life-threatening illnesses and are
expected to provide meaningful therapeutic benefits compared
to existing treatments. Under this process, 79 of the 90 applications
were approved for drugs to treat cancer, HIV/AIDS, and inhalation
anthrax. Because of the need to expedite approval, FDA approves
drugs under this process based on surrogate endpoints which are
not yet proven substitutes for clinical endpoints, but does require
that drug sponsors complete postmarketing studies to confirm
the drug's clinical benefit. FDA had required drug sponsors to
conduct 144 postmarketing confirmatory studies associated with
these 90 applications, and as of December 19, 2008, classified
64 percent as closed--meaning that drug sponsors had met FDA's
requirements for these studies or FDA determined the studies
were no longer needed or feasible. However, several of the remaining
studies have been classified by FDA as open for an extended period.
FDA approved 69 applications on the basis of surrogate endpoints
for new molecular entities (NME)--potentially innovative drugs
containing active chemical substances that have never been approved
for marketing in the United States in any form--through its traditional
approval process from January 1998 through June 30, 2008. These
69 NME drugs accounted for about one-third of the 204 applications
for NME drugs which FDA approved through its traditional process
during this period, many for drugs to treat cancer, heart disease,
and diabetes. Unlike surrogate endpoints used in the accelerated
process, FDA considers those used in the traditional process
as valid substitutes for demonstrating the clinical benefit of
drugs, and thus does not require sponsors to complete postmarketing
confirmatory studies. However, FDA requested that sponsors complete
175 postmarketing studies to obtain other information on many
of these NME drugs, and as of February 13, 2009, FDA classified
about one-half as closed. Weaknesses in FDA's monitoring and
enforcement process hamper its ability to effectively oversee
postmarketing studies. FDA has not routinely been reviewing sponsors'
annual submissions on the status of studies in a timely manner.
It has little in the way of readily accessible, comprehensive
data to monitor studies' progression and does not consider such
oversight a priority. FDA is implementing initiatives to improve
its oversight, but it is too early to tell if they will be effective.
Although FDA has authority to expedite the withdrawal of a drug
from the market if a sponsor does not complete a required confirmatory
study with due diligence, or if a study fails to confirm a drug's
clinical benefit, it has not specified the conditions thatwould
prompt it to do so. It has never exercised its authority, even
when such study requirements have gone unfulfilled for nearly
13 years.
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GAO-10-31,
Retirement Savings: Automatic Enrollment Shows Promise for Some
Workers, but Proposals to Broaden Retirement Savings for Other
Workers Could Face Challenges, October 23, 2009
from GAO Reports Although employer-sponsored
retirement plans can be an important component of income security
after retirement, only about half of all workers participate
in such plans. To foster greater participation among workers
who have access to such plans, Congress included provisions that
facilitate plan sponsors' adoption of automatic enrollment policies
in the Pension Protection Act of 2006. To foster greater retirement
savings among workers who do not have access to an employer-sponsored
plan, proposals have been made at the federal level for an "automatic
IRA" and at the state level for state-based programs. Because
of questions about the extent of retirement savings and prospects
for a sound retirement for all Americans, GAO was asked to determine
(1) what is known about the effect of automatic enrollment policies
among the nation's 401(k) plans, and the extent of and future
prospect for such policies; and (2) the potential benefits and
limitations of automatic IRA proposals and state-assisted retirement
savings proposals. To answer these questions, GAO reviewed available
reports and data, and interviewed plan sponsors, industry groups,
investment professionals, and relevant federal agencies. Automatic
enrollment appears to significantly increase participation in
401(k) plans according to existing studies, but may not be suitable
for all plan sponsors. Some studies found that participation
rates can reach as high as 95 percent under automatic enrollment.
Available data indicate that the percentage of plans with automatic
enrollment policies increased from about 1 percent in 2004 to
more than 16 percent in 2009, with higher rates of adoption among
larger plan sponsors. In most cases, these plans automatically
enroll only new employees, rather than all employees. We also
found that automatic enrollment may not be suitable for all plan
sponsors, such as those with a high-turnover workforce. Further,
some data show that while automatic escalation policies--which
automatically increase saving rates over time--are increasingly
common, they lag behind adoption of automatic enrollment. In
combination with low initial contribution rates, this could depress
savings for some workers. Also, the emergence of target-date
funds--funds that allocate investments among various asset classes
and shift to lower-risk investments as a "target" retirement
date approaches--as the typical default investment raises questions
in light of the substantial losses such funds experienced in
the past year. Other proposals could expand the portion of the
workforce saving for retirement, but these proposals could face
challenges. Under a federally mandated automatic IRA, certain
employers could be required to enroll eligible employees in payroll-deduction
IRAs, unless the worker specifically opted out. Such a proposal
could broaden the population that saves for retirement at minimal
cost to employers. However, this proposal faces a number of challenges,
including uncertainty about the extent to which it would help
low-income workers accumulate significant retirement savings.
Proposals for state-assisted retirement savings programs could
raise coverage and, ultimately, savings by involving state governments
in facilitating retirement savings for workers without access
to an employer-sponsored plan. However, such programs face uncertainty
about employer and worker participation levels, as well as legal
and regulatory issues.
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GAO-09-665,
Defense Acquisitions: Many Analyses of Alternatives Have Not
Provided a Robust Assessment of Weapon System Options, September
24, 2009
from GAO Reports Department of Defense
(DOD) weapon programs often experience significant cost and schedule
problems because they are allowed to start with too many technical
unknowns and not enough knowledge about the development and production
risks they entail. GAO was asked to review the department's Analysis
of Alternatives (AOA) process--a key first step in the acquisition
process intended to assess the operational effectiveness, costs,
and risks of alternative weapon system solutions for addressing
a validated warfighting need. This report (1) examines whether
AOAs have been effective in identifying the most promising options
and providing a sound rationale for weapon program initiation,
(2) determines what factors have affected the scope and quality
of AOAs, and (3) assesses whether recent DOD policy changes will
enhance the effectiveness of AOAs. To meet these objectives,
GAO efforts included collecting information on AOAs from 32 major
defense acquisition programs, reviewing guidance and other documents,
and interviewing subject matter experts. Although an AOA is just
one of several inputs required to initiate a weapon system program,
a robust AOA can be a key element to ensure that new programs
have a sound, executable business case. Many of the AOAs that
GAO reviewed did not effectively consider a broad range of alternatives
for addressing a warfighting need or assess technical and other
risks associated with each alternative. For example, the AOA
for the Future Combat System program, one of DOD's large and
most complex development efforts, analyzed the operational performance
and cost of its alternatives but failed to compare the technical
feasibility and risks, assuming that the technologies would perform
as forecasted. Without a sufficient comparison of alternatives
and focus on technical and other risks, AOAs may identify solutions
that are not feasible and decision makers may approve programs
based on limited knowledge. While many factors can affect cost
and schedule outcomes, we found that programs that had a limited
assessment of alternatives tended to have poorer outcomes than
those that had more robust AOAs. The narrow scope and limited
risk analyses in AOAs can be attributed in part to program sponsors
choosing a solution too early in the process, the compressed
timeframes that AOAs are conducted under, and the lack of guidance
for conducting AOAs. While AOAs are supposed to provide a reliable
and objective assessment of viable weapon solutions, we found
that service sponsors sometimes identify a preferred solution
or a narrow range of solutions early on, before an AOA is conducted.
The timing of AOAs has also been problematic. Some AOAs are conducted
under compressed timeframes in order to meet a planned milestone
or weapon system fielding date and are conducted concurrently
with other key activities required to become a program of record.
This can short-change a comprehensive assessment of risks and
preclude effective cost, schedule, and performance trade offs
from taking place prior to beginning development. Furthermore,
while DOD has an opportunity to influence the scope and quality
of AOAs, it has not always provided guidance for conducting individual
AOAs. Recognizing the need for more discipline in weapon systems
acquisition, DOD recently revised its overall acquisition and
requirements policies. If implemented properly, the revised policies
could provide a better foundation for planning and starting new
programs with sound, knowledge-based business cases. Included
in the revised acquisition policy are several mechanisms to improve
the AOA process. For example, the policy revisions should help
ensure that DOD direction is provided before AOAs are started
and that they are conducted at an early point in the acquisition
process where their results can inform decisions affecting program
initiation. While these policy changes are promising, DOD must
ensure that they are consistently implemented and reflected in
decisions on individual programs. Furthermore, more specific
criteria and guidance for how AOAs should be conducted may need
to be developed to ensure they meet their intended objectives
and provide an in-depth assessment of alternatives.
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GAO-09-794,
Combating Illicit Financing: Treasury's Office of Terrorism and
Financial Intelligence Could Manage More Effectively to Achieve
Its Mission, September 24, 2009
from GAO Reports In 2004, Congress combined
preexisting and newly created units to form the Office of Terrorism
and Financial Intelligence (TFI) within the Department of the
Treasury (Treasury). TFI's mission is to integrate intelligence
and enforcement functions to (1) safeguard the financial system
against illicit use and (2) combat rogue nations, terrorist facilitators,
and other national security threats. In the 5 years since TFI's
creation, questioned have been raised about how TFI is managed
and allocates its resources. As a result, GAO was asked to analyze
how TFI (1) implements its functions, particularly in collaboration
with interagency partners, (2) conducts strategic resource planning,
and (3) measures its performance. To conduct this analysis, GAO
reviewed Treasury and TFI planning documents, performance reports,
and workforce data, and interviewed officials from Treasury and
its key interagency partners. TFI undertakes five functions,
each implemented by a TFI component, in order to achieve its
mission. TFI officials cite the analysis of financial intelligence
as a critical part of TFI's efforts because it underlies TFI's
ability to utilize many of its tools. They said that the creation
of OIA was critical to Treasury's ability to effectively identify
illicit financial networks. To achieve its mission, TFI's five
components often work with each other, other U.S. government
agencies, the private sector, or foreign governments. Officials
from TFI and its interagency partners cited strong collaboration
in many areas, such as effective information sharing between
FinCEN and the Justice Department (Justice). Officials differed,
however, about the quality of interagency collaboration involving
international forums. Treasury officials who led this collaboration
stated that it runs smoothly and that they were unaware of any
significant concerns, while Justice and State officials reported
declining collaboration and unclear mechanisms to enhance or
sustain it. While TFI and some of its components have conducted
selected strategic resource planning activities, TFI as a unit
has not fully adopted key practices that enhance such efforts.
For example, TFI and its components have produced multiple strategic
planning documents in recent years, but the objectives in some
of these documents are not clearly aligned with resources needed
to achieve them. As a result, it may be unclear whether TFI has
sufficient resources to address its objectives. Also, though
TFI has undertaken some workforce planning activities, it lacks
a process for performing comprehensive strategic workforce planning.
Thus, it is unclear whether TFI is able to effectively address
persistent workforce challenges. Also, TFI has not yet developed
appropriate performance measures, changing their number and substance
each year. Though TFI's current measures fully address many attributes
of effective performance measures, they do not cover all TFI
core program activities. TFI officials acknowledge the need for
improvement and have worked since 2007 to develop one overall
performance measure to assess TFI. Yet questions remain about
when TFI will implement its new measure and whether it will effectively
gauge TFI's performance.
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GAO-09-802,
Medicare: Per Capita Method Can Be Used to Profile Physicians
and Provide Feedback on Resource Use, September 25, 2009
from GAO Reports The Medicare Improvements
for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 directed the Secretary
of Health and Human Services to develop a program to give physicians
confidential feedback on the Medicare resources used to provide
care to Medicare beneficiaries. GAO was asked to evaluate the
per capita methodology for profiling physicians--a method which
measures a patient's resource use over a fixed period of time
and attributes that resource use to physicians--in order to assist
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) with the
development of a physician feedback approach. In response, this
report examines (1) the extent to which physicians in selected
specialties show stable practice patterns and how beneficiary
utilization of services varies by physician resource use level;
(2) factors to consider in developing feedback reports on physicians'
performance, including per capita resource use; and (3) the extent
to which feedback reports may influence physician behavior. GAO
focused on four medical specialties and four metropolitan areas
chosen for their geographic diversity and range in average Medicare
spending per beneficiary. To identify considerations for developing
a physician feedback system, GAO reviewed the literature and
interviewed officials from health plans and specialty societies.
Further, GAO drew upon literature and interviews to develop an
illustration of how per capita measures could be included in
a physician feedback report. Using 2005 and 2006 Medicare claims
data and a per capita methodology, GAO found that specialist
physicians showed considerable stability in resource use despite
high patient turnover. This stability suggests that per capita
resource use is a reasonable approach for profiling specialist
physicians because it reflects distinct patterns of a physician's
resource use, not the particular population of beneficiaries
seen by a physician in a given year. GAO also found that our
per capita method can differentiate specialists' patterns of
resource use with respect to different types of services, such
as institutional services, which were a major factor in beneficiaries'
resource use. In particular, patients of high resource use physicians
used more institutional services than patients of low resource
use physicians. GAO identified four key considerations in developing
feedback reports on physician performance. To illustrate how
per capita measures could be included in a physician feedback
report, we developed a mock report containing three types of
per capita measures. Although the literature suggested that feedback
alone has no more than a moderate influence on physicians' behavior,
the potential influence of feedback from CMS on Medicare costs
may be greater, in part because of the relatively large share
of physicians' practice revenues that Medicare typically represents.
CMS reviewed a draft of this report and broadly agreed with our
findings.
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GAO-10-8,
Influenza Pandemic: Key Securities Market Participants Are Making
Progress, but Agencies Could Do More to Address Potential Internet
Congestion and Encourage Readiness, October 26, 2009
from GAO Reports In Process
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GAO-10-20,
Higher Education: Issues Related to Law School Cost and Access,
October 26, 2009
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Reid:
Public option in Senate health care bill
from CNN.com - Politics Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid announced Monday that he intends to move forward
with a health care bill including a public insurance option allowing
states to opt out.
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World
Leaders - CIA Updates for 14 - 22 October 2009
from CIA Library October 26 - Posted updated
Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments with
updated entries for Australia, Burma, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador,
Greece, Honduras, Iceland, Iraq, Korea, North--NDE, Kyrgyzstan,
Mexico, Mongolia, Norway, Qatar, Sudan, Sweden, Tajikistan. Changes
reflect updates in leadership, positions, or the spelling of
officials' names in the country listings during the period 14
- 22 October 2009.
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Subsidizing
Infrastructure Investment with Tax-Preferred Bonds
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S.
1776, Medicare Physicians Fairness Act of 2009
from CBO's Latest 10 Documents Cost estimate
for the bill as introduced.
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H.R.
2868, Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009
from CBO's Latest 10 Documents Cost estimate
for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy
and Commerce on October 22, 2009
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H.R.
3258, Drinking Water System Security Act of 2009
from CBO's Latest 10 Documents Cost estimate
for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy
and Commerce on October 21, 2009
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H.R.
3633, A bill to allow the funding for the interoperable emergency
communications grant program established under the Digital Television
Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 to remain available
until expended through fiscal year 2012
from CBO's Latest 10 Documents Cost estimate
for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy
and Commerce on October 15, 2009
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H.R.
3639, Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of 2009
from CBO's Latest 10 Documents Cost estimate
for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Financial
Services on October 22, 2009
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S.
1692, USA PATRIOT Act Sunset Extension Act of 2009
from CBO's Latest 10 Documents Cost estimate
for the bill as reported by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary
on October 13, 2009
|
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S.
1782, Federal Judiciary Administrative Improvements Act of 2009
from CBO's Latest 10 Documents Cost estimate
for the bill as introduced on October 14, 2009
|
Pharmaceutical
R&D and the Evolving Market for Drugs
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VIDEO:
State Dept. Briefing on Afghanistan
from C-SPAN Recent Video The State Department
said it is on-track to meet staffing goals in Afghanistan. Deputy
Secretary of State Jacob Lew spoke with reporters about the State
Department mission in Afghanistan.
Length: 49 min.
Published: Monday at 10:30am (ET)
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VIDEO:
State Department Press Briefing Mon Oct 26
from C-SPAN Recent Video Spokesman Ian
Kelly conducts a daily briefing at the State Department.
Length: 19 min.
Published: Monday at 1pm (ET)
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VIDEO:
Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) on U.S. Policy in Afghanistan
from C-SPAN Recent Video Following his
recent visit to Afghanistan, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) met with
Pres. Obama and advised him to not finalize military policy until
after the Nov. 7 run-off elections. Sen. Kerry gave a congressional
perspective on the situation in Afghanistan in a speech at the
Council on Foreign Relations.
Length: 1 hr. 12 min.
Published: Monday at 12:30pm (ET)
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VIDEO:
State Dept. Briefing on Annual Religious Freedom Report
from C-SPAN Recent Video Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton delivered opening remarks at a State Department
briefing on the annual religious freedom report. She was followed
by Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy
and Human Rights.
Length: 34 min.
Published: Monday at 2:15pm (ET)
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VIDEO:
Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) Press Conference on Health Care Reform
from C-SPAN Recent Video Senate Maj. Leader
Harry Reid (D-NV) announced that the Senate health reform bill
will include a public option that states will be allowed to opt
out from if they choose. Leader Reid also said he would send
the bill, based on two earlier versions, to the Congressional
Budget Office to be scored for costs. Later, Sens. Mitch McConnell
(R-KY) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) responded to Sen. Reid's remarks on
the Senate Floor.
Length: 11 min.
Published: Monday at 3:15pm (ET)
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VIDEO:
Pres. Obama Remarks to Service Men and Women
from C-SPAN Recent Video President Obama
made remarks to service men and women during a visit to Naval
Air Station Jacksonville.
Length: 30 min.
Published: Monday at 3:15pm (ET)
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CANADA
POLITICAL TICKER has been updated
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Report:
FBI not reviewing all of its evidence
from AP Top Political News At 5:39 a.m.
EST by By DEVLIN BARRETTWASHINGTON (AP) -- The FBI is still not
reviewing reams of evidence collected in counterterrorism cases,
and has fewer translators than it did a few years ago, an internal
government watchdog said Monday....
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Defense
Department's top auditor forced from post
from AP Top Political News At 5:39 a.m.
EST by By RICHARD LARDNERWASHINGTON (AP) -- The Pentagon's chief
auditor was forced from her post Monday following sharp criticism
from lawmakers over failures to hold defense contractors accountable
for overcharges and poor performance....
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Dodd
wants immediate rate freeze on credit cards
from AP Top Political News At 5:39 a.m.
EST by By ANNE FLAHERTYWASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Banking Committee
Chairman Chris Dodd, who is fighting for his political survival,
proposed Monday an immediate interest rate freeze on existing
balances for the estimated 700 million credit cards in circulation....
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Obama
not going to rush Afghanistan decision
from AP Top Political News At 5:39 a.m.
EST by By CHARLES BABINGTON and ANNE GEARANJACKSONVILLE, Fla.
(AP) -- Despite Republican pressure to act quickly, President
Barack Obama says he won't rush his decision about whether to
send more troops to Afghanistan where 14 Americans died in the
deadliest day for U.S. forces in more than four years....
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Trumka:
Health Care Reform Must Include Public Option, No Benefits Tax
from AFL-CIO NOW BLOG by James Parks
With congressional leaders working to bring a combined health
care reform bill to the floor soon, AFL-CIO President Richard
Trumka is optimistic today that a final real reform package will
include a robust public option, require employers to pay their
fair share and not place an unfair excise tax on working families.
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Reid:
Public Option Will Be in Health Care Bill
from AFL-CIO NOW BLOG by James Parks
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
announced in a Capitol Hill press conference today that he will
send a health care reform bill to the Senate floor that includes
a public option. States will have until 2014 to decide if they
want to participate in the public plan.
|
Statement
by the President on the Anniversary of the Peace Treaty between
Jordan and Israel
Today marks the anniversary of the peace treaty between Jordan
and Israel, signed fifteen years ago near the Israeli-Jordanian
border.
|
Statement
on Health Insurance Reform from Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
The President congratulates Senator Reid and Chairmen Baucus
and Dodd for their hard work on health insurance reform.
|
Background
on the President's Meeting with Enlisted Servicemembers Today
at Naval Air Station Jacksonville
The President will meet with 11 United States Navy and Marine
Corps personnel. These sailors and Marines were selected by NAS
Jacksonville leadership for high achievement and excellence in
performing their duties.
|
Gaggle
by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs aboard Air Force One en route
Jacksonville, FL, 10/26/09
|
Remarks
by the President to Servicemen and Women in Jacksonville, FL
|
Excerpts
from Remarks by Christina Romer to the Center for American Progress
|
Good
ideas from good people; GreenGov Challenge rounds final turn
with nearly 6,000 sustainability suggestions
Posted by Secretary Ray LaHood on October 26, 2009 at 11:42 AM
EDT
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Ocean
Policy Task Force in New Orleans
Posted by Nancy Sutley on October 26, 2009 at 4:27 PM EDT
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Cybersecurity
Awareness Month Part IV
Posted by John Brennan on October 26, 2009 at 6:59 PM EDT
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EPA Names Top 20 Green Powered Schools
WASHINGTON -- For the first time, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency’s Green Power Partnership announced the 20 primary
and secondary schools nationwide using the most power from renewable
energy sources. The top Green Power Partner schools are buying
nearly 113 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually,
equivalent to carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) that would be produced
from the electricity use of 11,000 American homes for one year.
“Our green powered schools are giving kids a brighter future
in more ways than one. They’re leading the way in protecting
our health and environment, and moving the country into the clean
energy economy of the 21st century,” said EPA Administrator
Lisa P. Jackson. “This is a great lesson on how we reduce
harmful pollution in our skies and get America running on clean
energy.”
The five schools using the greenest power are:
1. Austin Independent School District (Austin, Texas)
2. Round Rock Independent School District (Round Rock, Texas)
3. Rochester City School District (Rochester, N.Y.)
4. Bullis School (Potomac, Md.)
5. The Dalton School (New York, N.Y.)
Green power is generated from renewable resources such as solar,
wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas, and low-impact hydropower.
Green power electricity generates less pollution than conventional
power and produces no net increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
EPA’s Green Power Partnership works with more than 1,100
organizations to voluntarily purchase green power to reduce the
environmental impacts of conventional electricity use. Overall,
EPA Green Power Partners are buying more than 17 billion kWh
of green power annually, equivalent to the CO2 emissions from
electricity use of nearly 1.7 million American homes annually.
More information on the entire top 20 list
of k-12 schools: http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/top20k-12schools.htm
Information on EPA’s Green Power Partnership: http://www.epa.gov/greenpower
R308
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Privacy
Impact Assessments (PIA) for U.S. Department of Homeland Security
This information has recently been updated,
and is now available.
Updated PIA:
Grant
Management Programs, July 14, 2009 (PDF, 14 pages –
250 KB) Many of the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) grant operations and projects collect
a minimum amount of contact information. The information is collected
in order to determine awards for both disaster and non-disaster
grants and for the issuance of awarded funds. This Privacy Impact
Assessment (PIA) is conducted because the information provided
by applicants includes personal identifiable information (PII).
New PIA:
IDOCX
System, October 14, 2009, (PDF, 21 pages – 252KB) IDOCX
is an information system owned by U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE). The system supports the collection, organization,
and analysis of paper and electronic documents for law enforcement
and other programmatic or administrative purposes. ICE conducted
this Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) because IDOCX collects,
analyzes, and stores personally identifiable information (PII).
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AGRICULTURE SECRETARY VILSACK ANNOUNCES
U.S. MEMBERS OF THREE WORKING GROUPS UNDER THE U.S.-AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN
TRILATERAL
WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2009-Agriculture Secretary
Tom Vilsack today announced the U.S. members of three working
groups under the U.S.-Afghanistan-Pakistan trilateral consultations
launched in May as part of President Obama's comprehensive, new
strategy to enhance global food security.
"The individuals I have selected have
experience in Afghanistan and Pakistan and bring creativity,
commitment and dedication to the task at hand," said Vilsack.
"USDA is uniquely positioned to reach out to land-grant
universities, agribusinesses and non-governmental and private
organizations to call upon their expertise for this important
effort."
Burnham Philbrook, USDA's Farm and Foreign
Agricultural Services Deputy Under Secretary, will head the U.S.
Secretariat for Agriculture, while the trilateral working groups
on agricultural trade corridors, food security and water management
and watershed rehabilitation will be lead by Christian Foster,
Deputy Administrator for Trade Programs in USDA's Foreign Agricultural
Service (FAS); Ibrahim Shaqir, Director for International Research
Programs in USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS); and Melvin
Westbrook, Director for International Programs in USDA's Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), respectively. Listed below
are the members of each working group.
Agricultural Trade Corridors
Charles Stuart Callison, Senior Development
Economist, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Gleyn Edward Bledsoe, Senior Technical
Advisor, Chemonics
Marc Clayton Gilkey, Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service Attaché for the Indian Subcontinent/USDA
Gary A. Kuhn, Executive Director, Roots
of Peace
Allan E. Lines, Professor Emeritus in the
Department of Agriculture, Environmental and Development Economics,
Ohio State University
Barbara Rasco, Professor in the College
of Agriculture, Human and Natural Resources Science, Washington
State University
Food Security
Mary Katherine Walker Simmons, National
Program Leader, Plant Genetics and Grain Crops, ARS/USDA
Philip Nathan Steffen, Agricultural Recovery
Advisor, USAID
Anne Williams, Agriculture Policy Team
Leader, USAID
Penelope S. Anderson, Food Security Director,
Mercy Corps
Jonathan Cleveland Brown, Independent Consultant/Managing
Director, Social and Strategic Assessment LLC
James Edward Hill, Associate Dean for International
Programs, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,
University of California
Water Management and Watershed Rehabilitation
Sylvana Li, Branch Chief for Rural Development
and Natural Resources, FAS/USDA
Jon Fripp, Civil Engineer, NRCS/USDA
Gary Domian, Soil Scientist, NRCS/USDA
Kathryn Ann Carpenter, Program Manager,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
John O'Dell Wilson, Deputy Director, Office
of Technical Support, USAID
Gerrit Hoogenboom, Professor and Coordinator
for Research, Extension and Instruction and BAE-Griffin, Department
of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, University of Georgia
Joanne Trotter, Director of Programs, Aga
Khan Foundation, USA
Dennis B. Warner, Senior Technical Advisor
for Water Supply, Sanitation and Water Resources, Catholic Relief
Services
These individuals will work with their
respective Afghan and Pakistani group members to identify priorities
and develop and apply appropriate programs, training and solutions.
The Afghan Secretariat is lead by Saleem Kunduzi, Deputy Minister
in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock and
the Pakistani Secretariat is lead by Malik Zahoor Ahmad, Director
General of the National Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
The goal of each working group is to: develop agriculture trade
corridors along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan to
facilitate trans-border trade; strengthen food security by collaborating
on research to improve the production of fruits, nuts, livestock
and other agricultural products and reduce post-harvest loss;
and improve water and watershed management and irrigation methods
and rehabilitate watersheds to increase crop yields and create
jobs.
In May, Secretary Vilsack met with Afghanistan's
Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock Mohammad Asif
Rahimi and Pakistan's Minister for Food and Agriculture Nazar
Muhammad Gondal as part of an Obama Administration effort to
bring a new era of stability and prosperity to the Afghan-Pakistan
border.
#
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FirstSource
Awarded Contracts for U.S. Department of Homeland Security
This information has recently been updated,
and is now available.
|
|
NATIONAL ARCHIVES HELPS FOUNDING FATHERS
GO ONLINE
WASHINGTON, DC* The National Historical
Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), the grant making
arm of the National Archives, in partnership with Documents Compass
at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, is pleased to
announce 5,000 previously unpublished documents from our nation's
founders are now online through Rotunda, the digital imprint
of The University of Virginia Press.
The ROTUNDA Founders Early Access project
makes available for the first time letters and other papers penned
by important figures such as James Madison, John Adams, and Thomas
Jefferson. The Founders Early Access portion of the site allows
users to read, search, and browse the newly transcribed documents,
and is available at no cost to users. See http://rotunda.upress.virginia.edu:8080/founders/FOEA.html
In 2008, Congress urged the National Archives
to investigate ways to make the Founders Papers more readily
available to historians, scholars, and the general public at
no cost to researchers. As long-time funders of the print editions
of the Founding Fathers documentary projects, the NHPRC worked
with the editorial teams and supported a pilot demonstration
project through Documents Compass, a nonprofit organization designed
to assist in the digital production of historical documentary
editions.
Over the past ten months, the pilot has
transcribed and completed basic transcription verification for
roughly 5,000 documents. These transcriptions will be fully verified,
and the editorial teams will provide explanatory annotation as
they proceed with their work. Each completed volume of a documentary
edition contains roughly 500 documents and provides notations
that identify historical figures and events to shed light on
the papers' meaning and significance.
"This is an important stage in the
process," said Kathleen Williams, Executive Director of
the NHPRC. "We have been looking for ways to help the public
gain access to these documents sooner and to assist the editorial
projects in completing the comprehensive documentary editions.
This work advances those goals."
"There is much to discover here,"
said Penelope Kaiserlian, director of the Press. "Take a
look, for example, at Thomas Jefferson's letter to James Madison
on August 30, 1823, when the elderly Jefferson contests the memory
of 88-year-old John Adams regarding the creation of the Declaration
of Independence. Historians will already know this letter, but
now anyone can easily find this readable version."
The Founders historical documentary editions
include the papers of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John
Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison,
as well as the Documentary History of the Ratification of the
U.S. Constitution, the first Federal Congress, and the first
Supreme Court. Rotunda is publishing digital editions of some
of these publications in its American Founding Era Collection.
"Generations of scholars, historians,
and teachers will use these documents to tell the American story
from its grand beginnings," added Williams. "We will
look back in wonder at the effort of countless scholars to create
this work, a national monument to the founding of our nation.
Transcribing documents and publishing them online at an early
stage makes more of this treasure available sooner, and we look
forward to the day when the entire collection is fully annotated
and complete."
# # #
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Obama Administration Officials to Hold
Briefing on Smart Grid Announcement
WASHINGTON – Tonight, Monday, October 26, 2009, Obama administration
officials will hold a briefing call with reporters to discuss
President Obama’s announcement tomorrow of a $3.4 billion
Recovery Act investment to spur the transition to the Smart Grid,
the largest single grid modernization investment in U.S. history.
Modernizing the grid will create tens of thousands of jobs, save
money for consumers and businesses, and allow for the transportation
of renewable energy across the nation.
The call will be on the record, but EMBARGOED until 6:00 am ET
tomorrow, Tuesday, October 27, 2009. Information cannot be used
for tomorrow’s papers.
WHO: Carol Browner, Assistant to the President for Energy and
Climate
Change
Jared Bernstein, Chief Economist and Economic Policy Adviser
to the Vice President
Matt Rogers, Department of Energy
WHAT: On the record press briefing call
WHEN: 7:00 PM ET
Call in: (800) 230-1059
-DOE-
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|
Briefing
on Progress Made in Civilian Hiring in Afghanistan
Jacob J. Lew
Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources Washington, DC
October 26, 2009
|
Exercise
Seeks to Reduce 'Friendly-fire' Incidents
Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:23:00 -0500
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USCIRF Comment on State Dept. Religious
Freedom Report
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Commission
on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomes today’s
release of the first International Religious Freedom Report of
the Obama administration, and urges the prompt designation of
“countries of particular concern” (CPCs) as well as
implementation of targeted policies on those countries.
“To date, President Obama has raised
religious freedom in his speeches abroad without those sentiments
being translated into concrete policy actions, and our hope is
that this report will be the administration’s call to action”
said Leonard Leo, USCIRF chair. “This report can serve as
a solid baseline for determining effective U.S. policy toward
severe religious freedom violators. The report makes clear that
the United States must do more to ensure reforms are made and
implemented.”
The International Religious Freedom Act
of 1998 (IRFA) requires the State Department to undertake an
annual review of every country to “determine whether the
government of that country has engaged in or tolerated particularly
severe violations of religious freedom.” Any country meeting
that threshold is to be designated a “country of particular
concern,” and the U.S. government is required to take action
to encourage improvements in each CPC country. IRFA provides
a range of possibilities for such action, from negotiating a
bilateral agreement to sanctions.
“Both Democratic and Republican administrations
have underutilized the ‘country of particular concern’
designation,” said Mr. Leo. “As documented in this
first report under the Obama administration, religious freedoms
are aggressively repressed in the nations that have been designated
as CPC countries. But the facts outlined in the report demonstrate
just as clearly that countries such as Pakistan and Vietnam meet
the CPC statutory requirements and should be so designated.”
USCIRF commissioners met with Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton in June regarding USCIRF’s continuing
recommendation that she designate as CPCs the following 13 countries:
Burma, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, People’s
Republic of China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan,
and Vietnam. USCIRF also recommended that stronger actions be
taken against the eight countries currently listed as CPCs by
the State Department: Burma, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, People’s
Republic of China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Uzbekistan.
USCIRF continues to differ with the State
Department over the assessment of religious freedom conditions
in several of those countries and the policies that should be
undertaken in response.
These differences include:
The State Department publicly announced
in 2006 that the Saudi government had confirmed a set of policies
that were aimed at advancing religious freedom and promoting
tolerance in the Kingdom. More than three years later, virtually
none of the policies have been fulfilled. The only policy that
had a completion date attached to it was the removal of inflammatory
and intolerant passages from Saudi educational materials. That
deadline passed in July 2008. The State Department’s own
human rights report released this year concluded that Saudi government
textbooks “still retained some language that was intolerant
of other religious traditions…and in some cases provided
justification for violence against non-Muslims.” A spot
check of the religious texts used during the 2008-2009 school
year shows much of the same objectionable content. Since 2005,
the U.S. has invoked a waiver on any such action in the national
interest.
“It is time for the United States
to lift that waiver and take action under IRFA,” said Mr.
Leo. “This would demonstrate that the Obama administration
cares about this issue, and it gives the United States much-needed
leverage to urge the Saudis to make genuine, measurable improvements,
including in its education system. That would be truly in our
national interest.”
USCIRF has recommended since 2002 that
Pakistan should be designated as a CPC, but the State Department
has not followed that recommendation. A number of the country’s
laws, including anti-Ahmadi and anti-blasphemy laws, abridge
freedom of religion or belief and contribute to an atmosphere
of hostility towards, and violence against, Pakistanis who follow
minority religions or dissent on religious views. After a recent
incident in which a false blasphemy charge led to mob violence
resulting in arson and murder, the Pakistani government announced
that it was reviewing the blasphemy laws.
“As a matter of policy priority, the
U.S. government should do everything it can to support this domestic
effort,” said Nina Shea, USCIRF commissioner. “These
laws – which can be invoked by anyone – give extremists
a dangerous degree of control over civil society and thus undermine
other American foreign policy goals in the country and region.
The repeal of these laws would be a significant step to better
protect the human rights, including religious freedom, of all
Pakistanis and to fight extremism in that country.”
A USCIRF delegation traveled to Vietnam
in May 2009 and came away concerned about the level of police
harassment of independent religious activity. USCIRF found the
continued detention of religious prisoners of concern and coordinated
government policies designed to suppress the growth of certain
Buddhist, Hoa Hao, and Protestant groups, as evidence that Vietnam
should be designated as a CPC. Since USCIRF returned, there have
been detentions of Protestant religious leaders, police raids
on Protestant churches and Buddhist monasteries, evictions of
monks from monasteries, and violence used to dispel peaceful
Catholic prayer vigils at disputed properties.
“No more excuses can be made by the
administration for not designating Vietnam as a CPC,” said
Michael Cromartie, USCIRF Vice Chair. “There is clear evidence
of severe religious freedom restrictions and the CPC designation
worked in the past to bring out tangible change without hindering
other bilateral interests.”
USCIRF’s own assessments are presented
in greater detail in our 2009 Annual Report, available at http://www.uscirf.gov.
“Despite our policy differences, USCIRF
commends the State Department, the Office of International Religious
Freedom, and our diplomats abroad for their independent efforts
in comprehensively surveying the abuses of and restrictions on
religious freedom around the world,” said Mr. Leo.
USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S.
federal government commission. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed
by the President and the leadership of both political parties
in the Senate and the House of Representatives. USCIRF’s
principal responsibilities are to review the facts and circumstances
of violations of religious freedom internationally and to make
policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State
and Congress.
To interview a USCIRF Commissioner, contact
Tom Carter, Communications Director at tcarter@uscirf.gov, or
(202) 523-3257.
|
U.S.
Department of State Highlights: Progress in Civilian Hiring in
Afghanistan
Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:00:00 -0500
|
Information
Regarding Registration as a Castelano Class Member
Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:52:25 -0500
|
|
DOT
Secretary's Blog - Welcome to the Fast Lane for Department of
Transportation
This information has recently been updated,
and is now available
|
CARDIN,
HASTINGS SEEK TO IMPROVE INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
|
U.S.
Department of State : Daily Press Briefing - October 26
Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:40:10 -0500
|
FEC
Introduces New Formats for Downloading Data Files, Disclosure
Data Blog
Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:58:03 -0500
WASHINGTON - The Federal Election Commission today introduced
new formats for downloading data files from its website that
allow users increased flexibility and choice to customize their
searches. The Commission also opened a new disclosure data blog
to increase the exchange of information between the website’s
managers and users.
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Special
Press Briefing on Refugee Issues in Africa
Washington, DC
October 26, 2009
|
|
Remarks
on The Release of the 2009 Annual Report on International Religious
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of StateWashington, DC
October 26, 2009
|
Marine
Corps Marathon
Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:39:18 -0500
Tens of thousands of runners hit the streets of Washington D.C.
October 25 for the Marine Corps Marathon.
|
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EAGLE
Awarded Contracts for U.S. Department of Homeland Security
This information has recently been updated,
and is now available.
|
|
Release
of the International Religious Freedom Report
Secretary Clinton, standing at podium in
the Department of State Briefing Room, addresses members of the
press
October 26, 2009
|
WHO
Updates International H1N1 Situation
Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:30:00 -0500
|
President
Obama Signs Emergency Declaration for H1N1 Flu
Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0500
|
Hospitalized
Patients with 2009 H1N1 Influenza in the United States- April-June
2009: Questions and Answers, NEJM
Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:30:00 -0500
|
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Chicago
Press Releases for Federal Bureau of Investigation
This information has recently been updated,
and is now available.
|
Questions
and Answers: Prevention of Pneumococcal Infections Secondary
to Seasonal and 2009 H1N1 Influenza
Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:00:00 -0500
|
FDA
Authorizes Emergency Use of Intravenous Antiviral Peramivir for
2009 H1N1 Influenza for Certain Patients, Settings
|
Press Conference with Deputy Director of
National Intelligence for Collection, Glenn
A. Gaffney, on the Camp Williams, Utah, Data Center - Transcript
| Video
|
U.S
and Iraqi Division Commanders To Brief Live From Iraq
Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:07:00 -0500
|
|
Houston
Press Releases for Federal Bureau of Investigation
This information has recently been updated,
and is now available.
|
|
Honolulu
Press Releases for Federal Bureau of Investigation
This information has recently been updated,
and is now available.
|
DoD
Contracts for October 26, 2009
Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:01:00 -0500
|
Pentagon,
VA Team Up to Improve Mental Health Care
Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:17:00 -0500
|
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Kansas
City Press Releases for Federal Bureau of Investigation
This information has recently been updated,
and is now available.
|
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C-SPAN Daily Alert
Programming Information for Mon. 10/26 - Tues. 10/27, 2009
**********************************************************************
C-SPAN Highlights
Tonight:
* Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) Press Briefing on Public
Option (11pm)
* Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) Remarks on Health Care (11:20pm)
* Interview with Alexander Bolton on Sen. Reid's Health Care
Update (11:40pm)
Tomorrow:
* U.S. House: In Session (10:30am) - LIVE
**********************************************************************
C-SPAN2 Highlights
Tonight:
* The Communicators: Rep. Boucher (D-VA) & Rep. Stearns (R-FL)
on FCC Rules (8pm)
* Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) Press Briefing on Public
Option (8:30pm)
* Discussion on the American Left in Israel (8:50pm)
Tomorrow:
* U.S. Senate: In Session (Time TBA) - LIVE
**********************************************************************
C-SPAN3 Highlights
Tonight:
* Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) & GOP Remarks on Public
Option (7:05pm)
* GOP Congressional Health Care Caucus (7:45pm)
* Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) on U.S. Policy in Afghanistan (8:15pm)
Tomorrow:
* Senate Environment Global Climate Change (9:30am) - LIVE
* House Homeland Security Federal Response do H1N1 (2pm) - LIVE
**********************************************************************
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
* Newspaper Articles & Viewer Calls
* Discussion on Health Care
* Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)
* Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI)
* Jean Sasson, Author, “Growing Up bin Laden"
**********************************************************************
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Secretary Chu Announcement of $151 Million
in ARPA-E Grants
(San Francisco, Calif.) - Today, Secretary Chu announced the
first $151 million in grant funding through the Advanced Research
Projects Agency - Energy. Secretary Chu made the announcement
at the headquarters of Google Inc. in Mountain View, California.
Below are his remarks:
Sometimes a great idea can change the world.
The transistor made possible modern computers, the internet,
and Silicon Valley. The hybrid strains of wheat and the Green
Revolution helped us feed a growing planet. Linking our computers
together through the Internet unleashed an Information Age –
in no small part because of the great ideas that have come out
of Google.
We are here today because this place reminds us that, occasionally,
radical innovation can alter the landscape of an entire industry.
And we’re here to announce a portfolio of bold new research
projects, any one of which could do for energy what Google did
for the Internet.
I’m pleased to announce the first $151 million in funding
through the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy. ARPA-E
was funded for the first time in the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act to pursue truly transformational solutions to the energy
problem.
With ARPA-E, we are swinging from the heels and trying to hit
home runs, not just base hits. The 37 projects we’re funding
span the spectrum – from renewable energy, to energy storage,
to industrial and building efficiency, to petroleum-free vehicles,
and carbon capture.
They are out-of-the-box approaches like:
· symbiotic bacteria that can produce
gasoline-like fuels directly from sunlight;
· an all-liquid metal battery that
could provide grid-scale energy storage and enable widespread
use of renewable energy sources;
· a building efficiency project
that uses sensors and software – including the Google PowerMeter
– to reduce energy use by giving people the right information
at the right time; and
· a new way to capture carbon dioxide
from power plants inspired by the enzyme the human body uses
to capture carbon dioxide generated by cells, transport it in
the blood stream and exhale it through the lungs.
These ideas are potentially revolutionary. Yes, they are risky,
and many of these technologies will not pan out. But this is
high-risk, high reward research: if even one or two of these
ideas become transformative technologies – the next transistor
or another Green Revolution – this will be among the best
investments we’ve ever made.
ARPA-E was originally proposed in a National Academies report,
Rising Above the Gathering Storm. I was privileged to be part
of the committee that proposed to create a flat, nimble, and
creative agency, and it is now my privilege to execute that promise.
After President Obama announced this effort in April, we received
a stunning level of interest – nearly 3,700 submissions.
We invited about 300 of those to put together full proposals.
Today, we are funding 37 projects – 1 percent of the submissions.
To reach these decisions, more than 500 expert reviewers put
in nearly 8,700 hours of work – or 4.2 person-years of effort.
The selection process was the most rigorous peer review process
the DOE has engaged in. I sent a letter to the Presidents of
major research universities and heads of the engineering societies
to give us names of the best scientists and engineers in the
country. When we asked these people to serve as reviewers, many
of the most talented and busy people agreed to serve. We argued
simply that this work was part of their patriotic duty to our
country and the world.
We are now hiring top practicing scientists and engineers to
serve as program managers. In addition to guiding these projects,
they will proactively seek out additional areas that are ripe
for breakthroughs.
I particularly want to recognize the new head of ARPA-E, Arun
Majumdar, who was unanimously confirmed by the Senate last week.
Arun has a stellar research career in the science and engineering
of energy conversion, transport, and storage, ranging from molecular
and nanoscale level to large energy systems.
For this work, Arun was elected to the National Academy of Engineering
in 2005 at the age of 41. In 2007, I was able to convince him
to take on the job as Director of the Environmental Energy Technologies
Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Arun has proven
to be a remarkable leader. He is also an entrepreneur and has
served as an advisor to startup companies and venture capital
firms in Silicon Valley. He is a member of the Nanotechnology
Technical Advisory Group to the President's Council of Advisors
on Science and Technology (PCAST).
With ARPA-E and all of the Department of Energy’s research
efforts, we are determined to attract the best and brightest
minds to help solve the energy problem. This is truly the scientific
and engineering challenge of our time. Scientists and engineers
have come to our nation’s aid in times of need before, and
it is time to do so again. I’m calling on all of America’s
young scientists and researchers to consider tackling this challenge.
The stakes could not be higher. Great ideas have transformed
our world before. But the great ideas on energy might do more
than just change our world; they might help save it.
Thank you, and I’d be glad to take any questions.
-DOE-
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|
Newark
Press Releases for Federal Bureau of Investigation
This information has recently been updated,
and is now available.
|
|
Sacramento
Press Releases for Federal Bureau of Investigation
This information has recently been updated,
and is now available.
|
|
Denver
Press Releases for Federal Bureau of Investigation
This information has recently been updated,
and is now available.
|
|
Little
Rock Press Releases for Federal Bureau of Investigation
This information has recently been updated,
and is now available.
|
|
Remarks
With Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew Before Their Meeting
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of StateTreaty Room
Washington, DC
October 26, 2009
|
Today
in the Department of Defense, 10/27/2009
Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:02:00 -0500
|
|
Jacksonville
Press Releases for Federal Bureau of Investigation
This information has recently been updated,
and is now available.
|
|
New
Haven Press Releases for Federal Bureau of Investigation
This information has recently been updated,
and is now available.
|
|
United
States-Bolivia Bilateral Dialogue
Washington, DC
October 26, 2009
|
|
Department
of State Ranks High as Employer for HBCU Students and Alumni
Washington, DC
October 26, 2009
|
|
Briefing
on the Release of the 2009 Annual Report on International Religious
Freedom
Michael H. Posner
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Washington, DC
October 26, 2009
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FDA
Approves New Treatment for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:27:00 -0500
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Miami
Press Releases for Federal Bureau of Investigation
This information has recently been updated,
and is now available.
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Indian
Tribe Official Surrenders in California on Bribery Charges
Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:16:35 -0500
Robert Salgado, Sr., the chairman of the Soboba Band of Luiseno
Indians, surrendered to federal agents in Riverside, California
after being indicted on federal charges of accepting a quarter
million dollars in bribes from tribal vendors and concealing
income from the IRS.
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An update of the HUD Aggregated USPS
Administrative Data
on Address Vacancies has been released for the second
quarter of 2009 (ending June 30).
Key findings about
second quarter activity include:
o Essentially no change (0.01 percentage points) in the
overall residential vacancy rate from the previous
quarter;
o An increase of 0.2 percentage points in the business
vacancy rate;
o An apparent increase in the residential vacancy rate
that exceeds 0.6 percentage points in Lima, Ohio;
Longview, Washington; Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona;
and Lake Havasu City-Kingman, Arizona;
o Reductions in the residential vacancy rate of more than
0.4 percentage points in New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner,
Louisiana; Fairbanks, Alaska; and Sebastian-Vero Beach,
Florida.
o Business vacancy rates rose more than 1.7 percentage
points in Lake Havasu City-Kingman, Arizona and Boulder,
Colorado in the past quarter, but actually fell by more
than 0.8 percentage points in Carson City, Nevada; Las
Vegas-Paradise, Nevada; Odessa, Texas; Monroe, Louisiana;
and Lawton, Oklahoma.
These data represent the universe of all addresses in the
United States and - through special agreement with USPS -
are aggregated to the census tract level, thus providing
a critical measure of the well-being of America's
communities. Quarterly information is available from
March 31, 2008 to June 30, 2009 and can be downloaded
from HUD USER free of charge
at www.huduser.org/datasets/metro.html
and www.huduser.org/datasets/usps.html.
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Please contact us at:
HUD USER
P.O. Box 23268
Washington, DC 20026-3268
1-800-245-2691
1-800-927-7589 (TDD)
202-708-9981 (fax)
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FLOOR SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY, OCTOBER
27, 2009
House Meets At… First Vote Predicted… Last Vote Predicted…
10:30 a.m.: Morning Hour
12:00 p.m.: Legislative Business 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. 2:00
– 3:00 p.m.
“One Minutes” (Unlimited)
Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R.
2996 - Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 (Rep. Dicks – Appropriations)
Suspensions (4 Bills)
H.Res.
838 - Welcoming to the United States and to Washington, DC,
His All Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New
Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch on his upcoming trip on October 20,
2009, through November 6, 2009 (Rep. Bilirakis - Foreign Affairs)
H.Res.
784 - Honoring the 2560th anniversary of the birth of Confucius
and recognizing his invaluable contributions to philosophy and
social and political thought (Rep. Al Green - Foreign Affairs)
S.Con.Res.
45 - A concurrent resolution encouraging the Government of
Iran to allow Joshua Fattal, Shane Bauer, and Sarah Shourd to
reunite with their families in the United States as soon as possible
(Sen. Specter - Foreign Affairs)
H.Res.
831 - Supporting the goals and ideals of National Adoption
Day and National Adoption Month by promoting national awareness
of adoption and the children in foster care awaiting families,
celebrating children and families involved in adoption, recognizing
current programs and efforts designed to promote adoption, and
encouraging people in the United States to seek improved safety,
permanency, and well-being for all children (Rep. Brown-Waite
- Ways and Means)
* Conference Reports may be brought up at any time.
* Motions to go to Conference should they become available.
* Possible Motions to Instruct Conferees.
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College Democrats of West Georgia Meeting
Thursday @ 5.30 pm in Campus Center Room 302!!!
Hello everyone,
Hope you all are having great semesters
and that you enjoyed the many homecoming festivities this past
weekend.
Just wanted to inform you of our next meeting
this Thursday October 29 at 5.30 p.m. in the Campus Center Room
302. We still have a few executive board positions to hash out,as
well as a health care debate with the College Republicans next
Tuesday night!!! (More info on that coming soon)
Also, former state representative and senator
Mary Squires will be our guest speaker. She is currently running
for Georgia Insurance Commissioner for 2010 and is coming to
share some of her insight with us.
Hope to see you there!!!
Democratically yours,
Frederick E. Curtis II
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NEW GOV JOB VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS have
been posted at www.usdemocrats.com/ticker/jobs/
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a new ticker page has started for Tuesday
October 27.
Yesterday's ticker items are archived here
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ticker timeline 05:19 Eastern Time October
27, 2009
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new ticker page started 00:01 Eastern
Time October 27, 2009
today's ticker page 1
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