The Washington bureau will be covering:

- A joint discussion with the UN Correspondents Association and the American Moroccan Institute on “Women Leaders in the Arab World.”

- A pen and pad briefing with Senators Lamar Alexander and Jim Webb on bipartisanship in furthering national clean energy technology.

- A stakeout following Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. George Casey Jr. and Secretary of the Army John McHugh’s testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on circumstances surrounding the Ft. Hood shootings.

- The Coalition for Religious Freedom’s news conference held to “condemn [the] Stupak-Pitts Amendment”

- A Natural Resources Defense Council discussion on “President Obama’s Trip to China and Climate Issues.”

- The American Enterprise Institute and National Chamber Foundation discussion on “Challenges to Creating 20 Million New Jobs.”

- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace discussion on “Restoring the Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

- A discussion hosted by the Center for American Progress on unifying diplomatic, development and military strategy under the Obama administration.

- and the AAAS and University Corporation for Atmospheric Research hosts a discussion on “Climate Change: Health and Policy Implications.”

By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico- Talk Radio News Service

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stepped up her call for immigration reform Friday, saying that while Congress has lagged on the issue, comprehensive reform is more realistic and necessary than ever before.

“Everybody recognizes that our current system isn’t working and that our immigration laws need to change,” Napolitano said in a morning address at the Center for American Progress.

Napolitano said the Obama administration will give a strong push for immigration reform in early 2010, noting that the immigration debate has changed since two years ago when it was last taken up by Congress.

“In 2007, many members of Congress said that they could support immigration reform in the future, but only if we first made significant progress securing the border,” Napolitano said.

Napolitano said DHS has proved their commitment to border law enforcement as the U.S. Border Patrol has grown to 20,000 and erected a 600 mile border fence, adding that the number of illegal immigrants trying to enter into the United States has significantly decreased.

“I’ve been dealing hands-on with immigration issues since 1993, so trust me: I know a major shift when I see one, and what I have seen makes reform far more attainable this time around,” stated Napolitano, who served as Governor of Arizona, a border state, from 2003-2009.

She specified that Immigration reform would not serve as a free path to legalization for the 12 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States. Rather, reform would require illegal immigrants to register with DHS and pay fines and back taxes, pass criminal background checks and learn English.

“This is a task that is critical, it’s attainable and that we are fully committed to fulfill,” Napolitano said.

The Washington bureau will be covering:

- The Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano delivers remarks on immigration policy at the Center for American Progress

- The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee ranking Republican Sen. Dick Lugar, R-Ind., meets with actor Jason Alexander on Israel and Palestine.

- An interview with Anne Vorce with the New America Foundation to discuss Sen. Chris Dodd’s (D-Conn.) new financial regulatory reform bill

- The Congressional Muslim Staffers Association holds a briefing on “U.S. Commission on International Religion Freedom (U.S.C.I.R.F.): The Monitoring of the International Status of Freedom of Religion and Thought.”

- The Alliance for Health Reform; and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation holds a briefing on “Children’s Health Coverage: Medicaid, CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), and Next Steps.”

- The Center for American Progress (CAP) holds a conference to discuss the “impact of clean energy policy on domestic manufacturing.”

- The Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip Crowley holds a briefing for foreign media on “U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East.”

By Ravi Bhatia- Talk Radio News Service

Christina Romer, Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said Thursday that a health care report conducted by the Business Roundtable shows that enacting health care reform could significantly slow the growth of health care costs.

“[The Roundtable's] number, which I find striking, is that the health legislation as it’s coming out of Congress could lower costs, relative to what they otherwise would have been, by as much as $3000 [per person] by 2019,” Romer said. “The reason the report is so powerful is because it shows where we are and how far we’ve come.”

“[The report] makes a point that [current] health care costs are out of control,” Romer added. “If you think about the trajectory that we’re on, it’s simply not sustainable.”

The Roundtable, which consists of chief executive officers from leading U.S. corporations, generally leans conservatively. While their report identifies the components of health care reform that could slow the growth rate of health care costs, it also mentions the proposals in the bill that could do the opposite, such as shifting costs to the private sector.

President Barack Obama made brief remarks Thursday on White House plans to “get this economy moving again.” He said that during his trip to Asia, he will discuss ways to boost U.S. exports while decreasing the global economic need for “American consumption and borrowing.”
(03:18)

 

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The Washington Bureau will be covering the following:

-Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will discuss a law enforcement partnership that uses biometrics to identify and remove criminal aliens.

-Education Secretary Arne Duncan announces the $4.35 billion “Race to the Top Fund.”

-Former U.S. Homeland Security advisor Frances Townsend, holds a discussion on “Developing a Research Agenda for Homeland Security.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) Tuesday addressed major obstacles facing the Senate’s health care reform legislation, including a possible move by pro-life Senators to introduce language barring federal funding for abortions, similar to the Stupak amendment that made its way into the Affordable Health Care for Americans Act.

“We’re going to continue to work with the pro-choice folks and the pro-life folks in the Senate and come up with something fair and reasonable,” Reid said during a late-morning press conference.

The majority leader added that the public option will continue to be included in the legislation, despite the objections levied by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), who has threatened to filibuster any legislation with the provision.

“We’re going to move forward, I believe strongly, with the public option,” said Reid. “I had a conversation with Joe Lieberman an hour ago, it was a good conversation and I’m confident we’ll work something out.”

Reid, and the Democratic Senators that joined him, appeared at Tuesday’s conference flanked by U.S. servicemen and women. They took the opportunity to highlight the Caregiver and Veterans Affairs Act, a piece of legislation Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Ok.) has put a hold on.

Coburn has stated that although he supports the aim of the bill, which would give families of wounded veterans the resources for home treatment, he is uncomfortable passing the legislation until payment is addressed.

“Where was he when we were spending a trillion dollars on the war in Iraq? That wasn’t paid for,” Reid argued. “I have no ability to comprehend the illogic of [Senator] Coburn.”

By Justin Duckham – Talk Radio News Service

President Barack Obama has caught flak for reportedly calling the conservative activists that descended on Capitol Hill twice in the past week “tea bag, anti-government people.”

The description comes from a New York Times blog written by Jackie Calmes featuring a quote provided by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) detailing Obama’s talks with Congress in the hours leading to the House vote.

“According to Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, who supports the health care bill, the president asked, “Does anybody think that the teabag, anti-government people are going to support them if they bring down health care? All it will do is confuse and dispirit” Democratic voters “and it will encourage the extremists.”

Right wing blog redstate.com posted an article Tuesday morning chiding the left for its use of “tea bag” or “tea bagger” as in insult aimed at conservative activists, using the New York Times blog to charge that even the President uses the insulting term to describe the demonstrators.

However, it seems that Obama might not have uttered those words and that Blumenauer was in fact paraphrasing.

Talk Radio News Service was present during Blumenauer’s discussion with Calmes and captured sound from the exchange. While the audio shows that Blumeanuer did make the statement in question, the Oregon Democrat appears to revise his words several seconds later to instead suggest that the president only said “extreme people.”

Click on the audio icon below to listen to the exchange.

 

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The Washington Bureau will be covering:

-Rep. Edward Markey’s (D-Mass.) address to the Council of Foreign Relations on climate change.

-Senator Christopher Dodd’s (D-Conn.) unveiling of a financial reform package.

-Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) press conference on veterans care and benefits.

-The Senate Budget Committee’s full committee hearing on “Bipartisan Process Proposals for Long-Term Fiscal Stability,” featuring Senate Select Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), and others.

-The Council on Foreign Relations’ (CFR) symposium on “Countdown to Copenhagen: What’s Next for Climate Change?”

-The Senate Finance Committee’s full committee hearing on “Climate Change Legislation: Considerations for Future Jobs.”

- A press conference on health reform and the middle class, featuring Senators Benjamin Cardin (D-Md.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) and Paul Kirk (D-Mass.).

-A Senate HELP committee Children and Families subcommittee hearing on “The Cost of Being Sick: H1N1 and Paid Sick Days,” featuring Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.).

By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico- Talk Radio News Service

Israeli Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that he is ready to resume peace negotiations with Palestine immediately.

“I believe there is no time to waste, we need to move towards peace with a sense of urgency and a sense of purpose,” Netanyahu said during a speech for the Jewish Federations of North America.

Netanyahu urged the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, to stop insisting on preconditions for peace negotiations.

“My goal is not to have endless negotiations,” Netanyahu said. “It is high time we stop negotiating about the negotiations, let’s get on with it.”

Palestinian leaders have insisted that Israel freeze settlement in West Bank before peace talks can resume. Netanyahu criticized Abbas for rebuffing Israel’s concession to freeze the building of some settlements as a precursor to talks.

“No Israeli government has been so willing to restrain settlement activity,” Netanyahu said.

Without preconditions, negotiations have not resumed and time may be running out. Last week, Abbas said that he does not plan to run for re-election in January. This has raised concern that, without an appropriate predecessor, Palestinians will not have the leadership necessary to reach a Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement.

“We need a Palestinian partner that is as willing to shoulder the risks and burdens of making peace as we are,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu said that his ultimate goal is to have Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

“What does the Jewish state mean for the Palestinians?” he said. “It means that they must recognize that the fantasy of flooding Israel with refugees is gone, that they give up iridescent claims to the Negev and the Galilee, and that they declare irrevocably that the conflict is finally over,” he said.

Recognizing Israel as a Jewish state is a key issue Palestinian leaders have resisted. Critics say that such a recognition would enable prejudice against Israeli Arabs.

Netanyahu said peace is possible, but that talks must begin promptly to be effective.

“I say to Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestinian Authority: Let us seize the moment to reach an historic agreement. Let us begin talks immediately,” Netanyahu said.