Talk Radio News Service Bureau Chief Ellen Ratner speaks with Mr. Soon Ju-An Chee, the opposition leader in Singapore. Soon Ju-An tells Ms. Ratner that he and his supporters would like U.S. President Barack Obama to address the serious human rights abuses taking place in Singapore when he visits that nation later this week. Soon Ju-An adds that Obama must hold political leaders in Singapore accountable for various violations involving the country’s legal system and crackdown on the press. Click the audio icon below to listen to the full conversation. (8:16)

 

 Standard Podcast [8:16m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

By Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

The Pro-life caucus touted the adoption of the Stupak-Pitts amendment in the Affordable Health Care for America legislation as a significant victory late Saturday evening.

“I can’t say enough for my colleagues on both the Democratic and Republican side… this is a great victory for people across this nation,” said Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI).

The amendment was adopted with a bi-partisan vote of 240-194.

The Stupak Amendment prohibits the use of federal funding for abortion under the public health insurance option and prohibits the use of federal affordability credits to purchase a health insurance policy that covers abortion.

By Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

House Minority Lead John Boehner (R-Ohio) promised late Saturday morning that Congressional Republicans are preparing a strong stand against the Affordable Health Care for America Act, stating that they will attempt to convince Democrats to vote against the legislation.

“Members are having conversations with colleagues on the other side of the aisle… we’re going to do everything we can to make sure this bill does not happen,” he said.

The House is expected to vote on the bill Saturday evening.

Boehner and the rest of the House Republican leadership stood at a podium flanked by two flow charts showing what Boehner described as the ‘Super Bureaucracy’ that will be implemented if the bill passes.

House Minority Whip Erica Cantor (R-VA) commented that the only bipartisan votes on this bill will be from Democratic members who have decided to side with Republicans in opposition.

Cantor touted the Republican’s alternative bill.

“One version … will be a massive overhaul and remake the health care system that we know to a system we don’t, and another version … takes a reasoned and smart approach,” Cantor said.

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

Unemployment increased to 10.2 percent in October, the highest rate since 1983, leaving Americans with 190,000 less jobs, Bureau of Labor and Statistics Commission Keith Hall told Congress in a Joint Economic Committee hearing Friday.

“The declines are much smaller and less widespread than they were last Fall and Winter,” Hall said. “Nevertheless, some industries are still experiencing notable employment decline.”

Hall told the committee that in October the heavy construction, manufacturing and retail industries have had a particularly significant decline in employment losing a combined total of 163,000 jobs.

However, he added that some industries have seen an increase in employment. Health care and help services are among the few that have added jobs, with a much smaller figure of 63,000 combined jobs.

Hall said since the recession began the number of unemployed has more than doubled to 15.7 million.

“The number of long-term unemployed remained high in October,” Hall said. “5.6 million workers have been jobless for 27 weeks or more.”

He said the increasing number of people who have become discouraged in looking for work and therefore remained unemployed have added to the problem. In October there was a reported 808,000 discouraged workers, a figure up from 484,000 last year.

“These are individuals are not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them,” Hall said.

Committee members on both side of the aisle agreed that in terms of job creation, the economy is not where it needs to be. Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) said she believes the nation is on track to recovery, while Republicans argued that the Obama administration has not done enough to facilitate employment growth.

By Meagan Wiseley – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

AARP CEO A. Barry Rand announced Thursday that the lobbying organization for seniors’ interests is endorsing the House health care bill.

“On behalf of our nearly 40 million members, AARP is pleased to endorse the Affordable Health Care for America Act,” Rand said during a press conference.

Rand said the House bill improves and strengthens Medicare benefits and protects the program for future generations. He also said the bill restricts insurance companies from discriminating against older Americans.

“The Affordable Health Care for America Act…meets those goals with improved benefits for people in Medicare and needed health insurance market reforms to help ensure every American can purchase affordable health coverage,” said Rand.

The House is preparing to vote on this bill as soon as Saturday.

Rand added, “As members of the House gear up for this historic vote, they will hear from older Americans.”

AARP is the largest membership organization for people over 50.

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

While Republicans celebrated their parties numerous victories from Tuesday’s elections, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that she was not disappointed by the results.

“From our standpoint, we picked up votes last night, one in California and one in New York,” Pelosi said during a press appearance, referencing the special elections held in New York’s 23rd Congressional district and California’s 10th.

“From our perspective, we won last night,” Pelosi added. “From our standpoint…a candidate was victorious who supports health care reform.”

The Speaker did not acknowledge the fact that Democratic gubernatorial losses in New Jersey and Virginia may have a negative political impact on her efforts to win votes to pass the America’s Healthy Choices Act, the bill to reform the health care system, through the House.

Pelosi instead focused on the Democratic wins in the two special elections for House seats.

By Ravi Bhatia, Talk Radio News Service

If the public option on health care is viable and sustainable for the American people, then members of Congress and the Senate should sacrifice their own federal health benefits and use it themselves, said Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and other House Republicans Wednesday.

“If this government-run plan is so good, why don’t members of Congress take the plan?” asked Wilson, during a press conference promoting an amendment to the Affordable Health Care For All Americans Act requiring all members of the House and Senate subscribe to the public insurance option offered by the legislation.

While Wilson admittedly does not support the public option, the proposed amendment is being interpreted as a way to make a point to Wilson’s Democratic colleagues.

“We know why the majority of the ‘Pelosi takeover bill’ does not provide this,” Wilson continued. “They do know that the government-run option will not be in the interest of the American people, either individually or for the American citizens at large. I’m just very hopeful that they’ll reconsider, that they will understand if it’s good enough for the American people, it’s good enough for Congress.”

Wilson added that the House is “shoving this bill through.”

Wilson went on to say that the House is “shoving this bill through.”

“Speaker Pelosi still has not informed us about what the amendment process will be for this bill,” Wilson said in a statement released Wednesday. “An issue as important as a health care overhaul that will impact every American is much too important through rush through without transparency or a democratic amendment process.”

Wilson garnered controversy when he shouted the phrase “you lie” during President Barack Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress in September.

The alternative health care reform bill being pitched by House Republicans will not prevent insurance providers from barring clients based on pre-existing conditions, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Monday.

Instead, the bill aims to increase high-risk pools on a state-by-state basis.

“We do encourage more states to have high-risk pools,” said Boehner during a pen and pad session with reporters. “It is a place where people with pre-existing conditions will have an opportunity to get affordable health insurance.”

According to Boehner, the Republican plan will likely not provide tax-incentives for those who purchase their own insurance either, citing the presumably high-cost as the prohibitive factor.

In addition to the alternative bill, Boehner and House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) outlined the party’s strategy for combating the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which will include a 12-hour online town hall and a campaign spear-headed by Republican women members.

“Our goal is to make this as difficult as possible to vote for,” Boehner remarked.

By Meagan Wiseley – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Despite continued threats to the security of the global cyber infrastructure, Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Monday that she is opposed to the Obama administration appointing a cyber security coordinator, or “cyber czar.”

“We don’t need yet another White House czar. A czar would conflict with statutory duties established elsewhere,” Collins said.

Instead, Collins favors a cyber security “center” within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS would appoint a director for the center, and the director would report both to the DHS on a day to day basis, and act as the head adviser to the President on cybersecurity.

“Effectively managing government cybersecurity is going to require more than a few staff crammed into a cubicle in the depths of the White House,” said Collins.

Last Friday, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano opened the DHS’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Coordination Integration Center, which acts as a 24-hour coordinated watch and warning center to bolster cyber information sharing and incident response.

Collins said that despite its effort to manage cyber security, the DHS “still lacks the authority and resources it needs to secure our federal and private sector networks.”

She says her “center” proposal must work in accordance with law enforcement and intelligence agencies, the U.S. military and private owners and operators of critical cyberspace infrastructures.

“It is vitally important that we build a strong public-private partnership to protect cyberspace, a vital engine of our economy, our government, our country and our future,” Collins concluded.

By Meagan Wiseley, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Max Boot, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, advised the Obama administration Friday not to wait for Afghanistan’s runoff election to decide upon a military strategy for the region.

“I think it’s a bit of a cop-out to say we have to wait until after the election to see if there’s a government we can work with,” Boot said during a late morning conference call. “I think we have a pretty good sense it’s going to be a somewhat dysfunctional government no matter what happens with the election.”

“The odds are that Karzai will win and we’ll face exactly the same set of problems after the election that we face today,” Boot added.

Boot supports the U.S. counterinsurgency (COIN) military strategy in Afghanistan, proposed by General Stanley McChrystal. COIN, he says, will improve Afghan stability and lead to a future where Afghan leaders can successfully govern it’s citizens without the temptation to join forces with the Taliban or al-Qaida.

“The best way to expand and improve the capabilities of an indigenous security force is by partnering them with American unit,” said Boot. “To do that you have to have more American units on the ground … which is going to happen over the next two years under the McChrystal plan.”

McChrystal compiled a report suggesting 40,000 additional troops, but President Barack Obama has not settled on strategic approach for the 8 year old Afghan war.

The run-off election is scheduled for November 7th and will be between current President Hamid Karzai and politician Abdullah Abdullah.