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

State department spokesman Phillip Crowley said Friday that International efforts to relocate detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility is progressing.

“We remain committed to close Guantanamo,” Crowley said in a briefing at the Foreign Press Center. “We‘re gratified at the cooperation and support that we have received from a variety of countries over the last couple months.”

Crowley did not specify how many detainees have been moved, but said the State Department is working to find a place for all detainees that are cleared to be removed.

“There are still significant blocks of detainees that we are still trying to determine what we might be able to do with them,” Crowley said.

Closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility has been a priority of the Obama administration since the president took office in January, but Obama has been criticized by progressive Americans for working too slowly to move the prisoners.

“Obviously, it has become more of a challenge than might have been anticipated, but clearly we are committed to the closing of Guantanamo as soon as we can.”

Crowley also commented on last week’s Fort Hood shooting, saying that, though the suspected shooter has been identified as a Muslim man, the military will not start to discriminate based on religion, and he does not expect it to affect enlistment.

“I certainly do not think that the fact that the suspect is of a particular faith should in any way effect the willingness of American citizens, regardless of their ethic background or faith, to want to serve in the United States military,” Crowley said.

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

Education Secretary Arne Duncan unveiled the final application of nationwide education reform Thursday: a state by state competition for federal dollars in exchange for proof of improvements in a variety of educational categories.

“We will award grants to the states that have led the way in reform and will show the way for the rest of the country to follow,” Duncan said in a statement released Thursday.

The $4.35 billion competition, called Race to the Top, was passed by Congress as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act last February.

Aside from the competitive aspect of the program, the amount of the grants awarded will be determined by a state’s population of K-12th grade students. More populous states like California, New York and Texas could earn up to $700 million. Less populated states like New Mexico and Vermont stand to earn up to $75 million.

The program uses a 500 point system to determine the funds each state receives, with teacher and principal effectiveness amounting for 58 points alone.

“Race to the Top is absolutely a competition…We expect the winners to lead the way and blaze a new path for the future of school reform for years, and even decades, to come,” Duncan added.

President of the National Education Association (NEA), Dennis Van Roekel, applauded Duncan for putting the “spotlight on what needs to happen in our classrooms.” However, Van Roekel held some qualms over how teacher and principal effectiveness is measured.

“We are disappointed that the administration continues to focus so heavily on tying students’ test scores to individual teachers,” Van Roekel said, adding that the evaluation “misses the mark.”

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

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton announced Thursday a new initiative to expand the ICE’s Secure Communities initiative, a program that uses biometrics, such as taking digital finger-print samplings, to identify and remove illegal immigrants that have committed crimes in the U.S.

Since its inception in October 2008, ICE’s Secure Communities has identified 11,000 people who were convicted with Level 1 offenses or crimes such as murder or rape, of those 1,900 offenders have been deported from the United States.

“By the end of 2011 we project having a presence in every state,” Napolitano said. “By 2013, assuming Congress continues to fund our efforts, Secure Communities plans to expand nationwide and be available to every law enforcement agency in the country.”

Morton said the Secure Communities initiative, which was enacted one year ago, has identified more than 111,000 criminal illegal immigrants in local custody during the program’s first year.

Critics say the Secure Communities initiative could be abused and result in racial profiling, explaining that a law abiding immigrant could be arrested with the sole intention of having their immigration status checked, at the discretion of a local officer.

“There is no distinction between citizen or non-citizen, every single person who is booked into a jail, gets their fingerprints checked and gets their immigration history checked,” Morton said, replying to the criticism. “This is not about, has not been and won’t be about conducting basic civil-immigration enforcement for non-criminal offenders.”

Morton noted that the goal of the initiative to identify and deport serious offenders that are dangerous, but under the initiative all illegal aliens that have committed a crime will be sent back to their country of origin.

“At the end of the day, if you are here unlawfully, not only are you deportable, but you certainly shouldn’t be committing crimes. We are going to identify those people and we are going to remove them.”

John DuBois – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Speaking before the Senate Budget Committee on Tuesday, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) called for the creation of a bipartisan, 16-member panel to examine federal spending. The “Securing America’s Future Economy” (SAFE) Commission would make recommendations to Congress regarding ways to limit overspending and would force lawmakers to vote on them.

According to Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) the nation’s deficit exceeded $1.4 trillion during the last fiscal year. Lieberman and other Democrats including Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) are in support of Wolf’s proposal, making it a truly bipartisan bill.

Said Conrad, “We must also address the demographic challenge we face in Social Security and the revenue challenge we face from an outdated and inefficient revenue system.”

The SAFE Commission mirrors legislation proposed by Wolf and Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) in 2006. That bill, called the “Securing America’s Future Economy Commission Act,” aimed to reform U.S. tax policy and entitlement benefit programs.

Lieberman argued that implementing Wolf’s proposal will effectively help the country get back on the right fiscal track.

“The only way we will be able to make the difficult decisions needed to reduce our national debt is to create a special commission whose sole focus is to develop solutions to the long-term fiscal problems that our country faces,” said Lieberman.

Added Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio), “The federal government is the worst credit card abuser in the world and we’re putting everything on the tab of our children and grandchildren.”

“We can continue down the same path, which means that in just 15 years every penny of the federal budget will go toward entitlement spending and retiring our debt, or we can start making the hard choices now,” said Wolf.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon defended the removal of 200 “not the originally reported 600,” UN staff and personnel from Afghanistan due to collapsed security throughout the country.”We are not evacuating. This is not a withdrawl.”

He returned from a visit to the country late last week and said he had pushed for a security surge in consultation with the President, Hamid Karzai. Six UN staff members were killed late last month along with dozens injured.

The UN has been deeply criticized for the electoral mess that was created in the runoff between Karzai and his opponent Abdullah Abdullah. Peter Galbraith, UN electoral adviser, was forced out of the country after deep disputes with the UN head of mission in Afghanistan, Kai Eida.

“I have raised two issues with the President to reach out to political leaders and ethnic groups to have reconciliation. I also strongly raised the necessity of ensuring good governance and to end corruptive practices to earn the trust of the international community.”

Karzai replied that he “would do his best.” The Secretary General also proposed an international conference in the coming months with Germany, France and the United Kingdom to develop firmer relations for investment.

 

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By Travis Martinez – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) along with members of the Pro-Choice Caucus will push to remove the Stupak-Pitts amendment, which would block federal funds to support partial term abortions, from the Affordable Health Care For America Act 2009.

“We will try very hard to make sure it is not included in the final product,” Wasserman Shultz said in a conference call Monday. “I’m going to be pushing extremely hard to make sure that language is not included.”

The Florida Democrat also rebuked comments made by Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), who on Friday stated that women should pay higher health premiums due to the possibility that they could become pregnant.

“I’ve never seen a more disrespectful display,” Wasserman-Shultz said. “At one point in the debate, [Sessions] actually compared women to smokers and suggested women, like smokers, should have to pay more for insurance, just by the accident for their ability to get pregnant.”

President Barack Obama praised the House of Representatives Sunday for passing the Affordable Health Care for America Act the previous night.

The president added that he was “absolutely confident” the Senate will pass similar legislation.

Obama also discussed a new election law recently passed by the Iraqi parliament that establishes national elections next year, a step that the president says will pave the way for the eventual withdrawal of U.S. forces. (4:55)

 

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By Julianne LaJeunesse, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) spoke with reporters Friday about the newest Democrat health care plan, saying the “Affordable Health Care for America Act” should go to vote by 7 or 8 PM Saturday night.

The bill, which spans nearly 2,000 pages, has garnered the support of the AARP, the American Medical Association, and now, Families USA, a group who joined Hoyer in a teleconference with the press.

Hoyer said the bill is economically sound, despite some Republicans’ impression of the legislation. He said Rep. John Boehner (R- Ohio), who’s been a leader against the costs of the Democrat plan, “would not be for this bill.”

“We have a disagreement, but I think that his proposition is simply that he’s not for the program, irrespective of the economics.”

Hoyer went further on the topic of economics, and said that in light of today’s U.S. Department of Labor announcement of a 10.2 percent unemployment rate, “we’re all disappointed with the job numbers that were released today.” Hoyer added that financial progress has been made in the past few quarters, but said “very frankly, we need to focus on jobs, jobs creation, and jobs sustainment.”

Soon after Hoyer’s remarks, and just after signing a $24 billion bill that will extend unemployment benefits among other measures, President Obama addressed the country, saying, “I’m confident that our economy will recover,” he said. “I’m confident that we’re moving in the right direction. And I promise that I won’t rest until America prospers once again.”

President Barack Obama responded Thursday to the shooting at the Fort Hood military post that left 12 dead and 31 wounded.

“My immediate thoughts and prayers are with the wounded, and the families of the fallen, and those who live and serve at Fort Hood,” Obama said during an appearance at the Department of the Interior. “There is no greater honor, but also no greater responsibility for me than to make sure the extraordinary men and women in uniform are properly cared for, and that their safety and security when they are at home is provided for.”

 

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By Marianna Levyash- Talk Radio News Service

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Thursday re-introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a bill aimed at ensuring employment opportunity for all Americans and banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

According to Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), about 20 states have already enacted laws banning discrimination on sexual orientation, some of which include gender identity.

“Qualified workers should not be turned away or have to fear losing their livelihood for reasons that have nothing to do with their capabilities, skills or performance. Such practices are un-American and it is time for them to stop,” Harkin stated.

Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) also showed their support for the legislation.

“We are on the path for a struggle … to have full equality under the law.” said Merkley.

Harkin said he hopes the bill will be signed by President Barack Obama by 2010.