usdemocrats.com * September 2, 2009 keynote news, current events, political news ticker, democratic daily weblog

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September 2, 2009

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German
DAX up 0.2% to 5,336

from MarketWatch.com - Real-time Headlines

Nasdaq
100 futures up 3.5 points to 1,599.00

from MarketWatch.com - Real-time Headlines

S&P
500 futures up 4 points to 1,000.50

from MarketWatch.com - Real-time Headlines

Virginia
Race Tightens

The Virginia gubernatorial race is "back in single digits,"
according to a new Public Policy Polling survey, as Creigh Deeds
(D) has pulled to within 49% to 42% against Bob McDonnell (R)
after trailing by 14 points just a month ago.

Evaluating
Spitzer's Prospects

With Eliot Spitzer reportedly considering a comeback, a new SurveyUSA
poll in New York looks at his electoral prospects.

The poll finds that 15% of voters said
they'd vote for Spitzer again no matter what office he sought,
47% said they might vote for him and 39% would never vote for
him under any circumstances.

Spitzer
Mulling Comeback

Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) "has been privately
talking with friends about a possible comeback, and is considering
a run for statewide office next year," the New York Post
reports.

Massachusetts
AG takes steps to run for Kennedy's seat

Posted: September 1st, 2009 02:24 PM ET

From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Coakley has picked up papers to run for Ted Kennedy's seat.

(CNN) – Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, a
Democrat, has taken the first step to run for Ted Kennedy's empty
Senate seat.

Obama
encourages 'common-sense' steps against H1N1 virus

Posted: September 1st, 2009 02:29 PM ET

Obama warns about the H1N1 virus before flu season.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Barack Obama encouraged all
Americans Tuesday to take "common-sense" steps in preparation
for an expected resurgence in the H1N1 virus this fall.

House
Majority Leader won’t close door on final health-care bill
without public option

Posted: 12:39 AM ET

(CNN) — House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Tuesday night
stopped short of saying House Democrats will reject a health-care
bill that lacks a government-funded public insurance option.

Medicare
paying too much for wheelchairs, report finds

Posted: 12:53 AM ET

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Power-driven wheelchairs are costing
Medicare and its beneficiaries nearly four times what suppliers
pay for them, and competitive bidding could have reduced those
costs, according to an inspector general’s report released
Wednesday.

U.N.
chief calls for urgent action on climate change

from Reuters: International News

LONGYEARBYEN, Svalbard (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon called on world leaders on Monday to take urgent
action to combat climate change for the sake of "the future
of humanity."

North
Korea sends diplomatic delegation to China

from Reuters: International News

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea, facing tougher U.N. sanctions
for its nuclear test in May and a series of missile launches,
said on Tuesday it had sent a Foreign Ministry delegation to
China, its biggest benefactor and only major ally.

Iran's
Ahmadinejad plans U.N. visit: aide

from Reuters: International News

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans
to address this month's U.N. General Assembly meeting, an aide
said on Tuesday, in what would be his first trip to the West
since his disputed re-election in June.

Iran
says ready for nuclear talks with world powers

from Reuters: International News

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has prepared an "updated nuclear
proposal" and is ready to talk to world powers, state television
quoted the Islamic Republic's chief nuclear negotiator as saying
on Tuesday.

Americans
more confident on healthcare costs: poll

from Reuters: Politics

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fewer Americans are afraid that they will
be unable to pay for healthcare services and fewer expect to
postpone medical treatments due to costs, according to a Thomson
Reuters survey published on Monday.

U.S.
health reform estimates need long view: study

from Reuters: Politics

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Congressional Budget Office may be
missing potential savings from various health reform proposals
by not looking at efforts to manage or prevent expensive, chronic
conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, researchers said
in a study released on Tuesday.

Real
peace needs compassion, dialogue, says Tibetan laureate

from Politics by By Dennis Engbarth<br>Taiwan
News, Staff Reporter

The Dalai Lama urged world political leaders yesterday to cease
thinking in terms of "we" and "they" and
realize that dialogue based on mutual respect

North
Korea lifts curbs on border with South Korea

from Politics by Agence France-Presse

North Korea yesterday lifted tough restrictions on South Korean
traffic across the heavily fortified border, its latest apparent
goodwill gesture after months of hostility. Operations have

AFL-CIO:
Gov't option an absolute must

from Politico.com: Politics by Carrie Budoff
Brown

Unions "won't support" a health bill sans public option.

Labor
mounts autumn offensive

from Politico.com: Lobbyists by Jeanne
Cummings

Union leaders are launching a new offensive to provide fresh
momentum for key legislation.

Labor
gears up for key governors races

from Politico.com: Lobbyists by Alex Isenstadt

The AFL-CIO is betting big in N.J. and Va., where critical gubernatorial
races are taking place in November.

VIDEO:
A&C: Oral Argument on Providing Medical Care for Veterans

from C-SPAN Recent Video

On August 12th, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral
arguments in Veterans for Common Sense v. Shinseki. Veterans
for Common Sense, the plaintiff in this case, is asking the Court
to order the Department of Veterans Affairs to reform the way
it deals with disability claims for post-traumatic stress disorder
and traumatic brain injury. A lower court ruled that the judicial
branch does not have the authority to order the VA to provide
timely medical care.

Length: 1 hr.

Published: Saturday at 7pm (ET)

VIDEO:
Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC, Dir. interviewed by Lauran Neergaard,
AP & Maggie Fox, Thomson Reuters

from C-SPAN Recent Video

Centers for Disease Control Director Dr. Thomas Frieden gives
an update on the CDC recommendations for dealing with the H1N1
Swine Flu Virus this fall season and the availability of vaccinations.
Recently a report by the Presidential Council of Science Advisers
suggested that as many as 90,000 people could die from the virus.

Length: 33 min.

Published: Sunday at 10am (ET)

VIDEO:
Michael Wilson, Americans for Democratic Action, National Director

from C-SPAN Recent Video

Michael Wilson takes a look at the fall legislative agenda for
the Democrats.

Length: 42 min.

Published: Tuesday at 7:30am (ET)

VIDEO:
Robin Norman, Virginia Hospital Center, Senior V.P. & CFO

from C-SPAN Recent Video

In the third installment of our series, Senior Vice President
& Chief Financial Officer Robin Norman talks about the hospital's
health care costs and Medicare reimbursement rates.

Length: 29 min.

Published: Tuesday at 9am (ET)

VIDEO:
Fmr. Israeli Amb. Dore Gold, Author, "The Rise of Nuclear
Iran"

from C-SPAN Recent Video

According to Dore Gold, former Israeli ambassador to the U.S.,
Iran continues to pursue nuclear weapons even as western leaders
pursue talks with the Islamic republic. Speaking at the Heritage
Foundation, Amb. Gold discusses his new book, "The Rise
of Nuclear Iran: How Tehran Defies the West."

Length: 1 hr.

Published: Tuesday at 11am (ET)

VIDEO:
Pres. Obama Briefing on H1N1 Flu Virus

from C-SPAN Recent Video

President Obama was joined in the Rose Garden by members of his
Cabinet as he made remarks about preparedness and response efforts
surrounding the H1N1 flu virus.

Length: 5 min.

Published: Tuesday at 2:10pm (ET)

VIDEO:
State Department Press Briefing Tuesday Sept 1 2009

from C-SPAN Recent Video

Topics at this State Department briefing included the political
situation in Honduras, and allegations of misconduct by guards
at the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan. Those allegations are being
investigated by the State Department Inspector General. Spokesman
Ian Kelly spoke with reporters for about 45 minutes.

Length: 44 min.

Published: Tuesday at 1:30pm (ET)

Obama:
Manufacturing Growth a Good Sign

from BusinessWeek.com --

President Barack Obama says a promising report on the state of
U.S. manufacturing is a sign that the hurting economy is moving
in the right direction.

PetroChina
in oil sands deal

from Business

PetroChina Co, the country's largest oil and gas producer, has
agreed to pay C$1.9 billion ($1.7 billion) for a stake in two
oil sands projects in Canada to tap the rich deposits in the
country. Beijing-based PetroChina has signed initial agreements
with Athabasca Oil Sands Corp (AOSC) to take a 60 percent stake
in the Canadian company's MacKay River and Dover oil sands projects.
The projects contain approximately 5 billion barrels of bitumen,
AOSC said in a statement late Monday. Analysts ...

End
immoral Cuba embargo, US urged

from BBC News | News Front Page | World
Edition

The US should drop its "immoral" trade embargo against
the Cuba, Amnesty International urges.

Argentina's
FM to visit China

from Argentina News latest RSS headlines
- Big News Network.com

Argentina's Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana is to visit China from
Sept. 5 to 8 as the guest of his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi,
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Tuesday. During his
stay i...

UN
seeks better data on hurricanes, droughts

from AP Top Science News At 5:42 a.m. EST
by By ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS

GENEVA (AP) -- The world needs more innovative projects - like
putting weather stations on cellular phone towers across Africa
- to help it better predict the increased hurricanes, tsunamis,
droughts and floods that climate change will bring, Kofi Annan
said Monday....

Obama
says Americans should go get H1N1 flu vaccine

from AP Top Political News At 5:39 a.m.
EST by By JULIE PACE

WASHINGTON (AP) -- With a potentially deadly swine flu outbreak
looming, President Barack Obama is urging Americans to take steps
to prevent infection....

Election
talk heats up in Canada

from AP Top International News At 5:48
a... by By ROB GILLIES

TORONTO (AP) -- Canada's main opposition party vowed Tuesday
to try to topple Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government
at the first opportunity, which could force a fourth election
in the last five years and the second in just a year....

Gates
Cites Importance of Acquisition Reform

from American Forces Information Services
- News Articles

Taxpayers get their money's worth from troops in terms of performance,
but acquisition reform is essential to keeping them properly
equipped, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said.

Rebuking
Cheney's Torture Propaganda in 7 Easy Steps

from AlterNet.org by Jeremy Scahill, Rebel
Reports

Cheney is all over the airwaves, trotting out his propaganda
and defense of the Bush administration's serial violations of
the Geneva conventions.

Iraq
security commands to control borders with Iran

from Alsumaria TV Iraq, Iraq news | Iraq
News | RSS feed

Security commands in Basra held a meeting to discuss required
measures to be taken in order to control borders with Iran and
prevent smuggling of weapons and drugs. For more details, click
on play movie.

Al
Maliki meets with Iraq Media Commission

from Alsumaria TV Iraq, Iraq news | Iraq
News | RSS feed

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki received head of Communications
and Media Commission and its members. Al Maliki stressed the
importance of the Commission’s role in this stage and the
government’s willingness to extend it all the support and
assistance it needs. Head of the Commission ...

Turkish
FM optimistic about easing Iraqi-Syrian tension

from Alsumaria TV Iraq, Iraq news | Iraq
News | RSS feed

In a statement to Al Hayat Newspaper, Turkish Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu said he started mediation between Iraq and Syria
after consulting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
After meeting with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad while he
had met earlier with Prime Minister Nuri Al ...

Urban
Youth in Todays Navy

from All Hands Television

The
Navy's Future Force and Joint Combined Exchange

from All Hands Television

More
consumers complaining about credit, AGs report shows

from All Consuming by Kristin Alexander
All Consuming Blog Moderator

In a sign of the economic times, credit cards and predatory lending/mortgages
cracked the national top 10 list of consumer complaints to state
attorneys general offices last year, the National Association
of Attorney General announced today.

Alberta
co-hosts world education discussion on job-skill trends

from Alberta.ca News by ACN@gov.ab.ca

Educational leaders from 16 countries are meeting with their
Canadian counterparts in Calgary August 31 to discuss innovative
developments in vocational education and training and explore
the trends and skill requirements for the ‘next generation’
economy within a global context.

Iran
'ready for new nuclear talks'

from AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE)

Tehran says that it has updated its proposal ahead of a US deadline.

Zelaya:
Honduras election 'a fraud'

from AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE)

Ousted Honduras president says November election will not be
recognised by neighbours.

US
reports question Afghan policy

from AL JAZEERA ENGLISH (AJE)

Reports raise doubts about US reliance on private contractors
as security deteroriates.

Top
UN official in Afghanistan calls for national participation in
peace campaign