Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) says President Barack Obama’s healthcare address sounded “something of a second state of the union speech.” Norton says the President’s ability to fill in the blanks provided her with relief about his plan. (:51)
Talk Radio News Service’s Washington Bureau Chief Ellen Ratner talks to Congresswomen Eleanor Holmes Norton on Healthcare. (7:09)
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) says that charities such as the Red Cross are still unprepared for a major natural disaster. (0:38)
The lack of disaster relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina were “a failure of the public sector,” said Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) in a hearing. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee met to discuss how disaster relief went after hurricanes Ike and Gustav.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said that while there were major improvements in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), some aspects of the response were not good enough. She said that 1,000 of the poorest citizens were put on buses with no idea where they were going before Hurricane Gustav hit. She said that FEMA and the Red Cross were unprepared for a “large-scale disaster.”
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said that preparations for Hurricane Gustav were an improvement on Hurricane Katrina. She said that 97.5 percent of the population evacuated New Orleans this year while only around 90 percent were evacuated before Katrina. He also said that New Orleans was repopulated only four days after the disaster. However, he did mention that the city ran out of supplies that FEMA was supposed to provide including water and food. He said the United States was still playing “Russian roulette” with the lives of its citizens in the New Orleans region.
Deputy FEMA administrator Harvey Johnson said that Hurricanes Gustav and Ike posed “a worst nightmare scenario.” Johnson said the response by FEMA as well as state governments restored the confidence of U.S. citizens in disaster relief.
“You cannot make a program that works for everyone only work for some Americans”, said Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.). She attended a protest, which was held outside of the Republican National Headquarters in Washington D.C, to celebrate Social Security’s 73rd birthday.
Protesters were greeted by Republican National Headquarters employees handing out rainbow leis, referencing Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) decision to vacation in Hawaii in the thick of campaign season. Protesters rallied across from the headquarters until greeted by Norton, who led them across the street where she gave a short speech blasting Sen. John McCain’s strategy to privatize Social Security. Afterwards, she joined the crowd in signing “Happy Birthday”, and cut a tattered cake that was filled with holes to represent what the protesters feel are holes in Social Security’s coverage.
Washington D.C.’s Shadow Senator Paul Strauss attended the protest as well, attempting in vain to deliver a birthday card signed by protesters to the Republican Headquarters. However, he was met with locked doors and security guards. The senator also caused several interns and other employees to run away as they made their way to the locked doors when he tried to pass the card to them. After several attempts, Strauss accepted defeat, saying “well at least there’s more cake for us!”
In a special staff report, Andrew Powaleny reports on the AIDS population, the causes and the solutions in Washington DC. (8:14)
Chairwoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) talks with private, amateur photographer Erin McCann about the photo policy at Union Station in Washington, D.C., calling it “pathetic.” Holmes Norton reads a print out of the photo policy which reads that station management can “prohibit photography of any kind at their sole discretion.” She then says that this is where the confusion comes from. (0:37)
Chairwoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) offers her apology to the photographers who have experienced unfriendly treatment at Union Station in Washington, D.C. She says that a hearing is taking place on the topic of a photo policy in Union Station not only because of American complaints, but also because Union Station is a facility that “enjoys patronage of the Congress of the United States through funding.” (0:48)
The Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee held a hearing on the private management of Union Station, where Chairwoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said that Union Station is a national landmark building and one of the largest rail stations in the world. She explained that public transportation in Washington, D.C. has reached its highest levels in fifty years, and Union Station is the busiest stop on the city’s Metro line. Because of this, and because of the station’s large size, Norton explained that there have been many difficulties in its management. (more…)
