via Laura Bassett, The Huffington Post To protest a bill that would require women to undergo an ultrasound before having an abortion, Virginia State Sen. Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) on Monday attached an amendment that would require men to have a rectal exam and a cardiac stress test before obtaining a prescription for erectile dysfunction medication. … Continue reading
via Katie Miller, The Huffington Post OutServe, the association of actively serving LGBT military personnel, issued a press release Thursday announcing the Our Families Matter campaign and a Capital Summit in May to address support for military partners and families. As of Sept. 20, 2011, the military may not be able to discharge gay servicemembers, … Continue reading
via Somini Sengupta, The New York Times The unlikely coalition of companies and consumer groups that last week helped quash antipiracy legislation on Capitol Hill is now weighing the future of what might be called lobbying 2.0. Can the Internet industry, along with legions of newly politicized Web users, be a new force in Washington? … Continue reading
via David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement In what is certain to be a staggering blow for the religious right and conservative organizations, as well as the 2012 Republican Party’s attempts to regain the White House, a new poll by UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) finds that 71.3% of college freshmen support same-sex marriage … Continue reading
via Domenico Montanaro, NBC In a country sharply divided on almost every issue, most Americans agree on one thing: they don’t like Congress, and they would vote to replace every single member — even their own — if they had the option. Fifty-six percent of registered voters say they would vote out every member of … Continue reading
via Luke Johnson, The Huffington Post Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) intends to marry his longtime partner, Jim Ready, according to his office. “Barney is planning to get married to his partner Jim Ready. The ceremony will take place in Massachusetts,” Harry Gural, Frank’s spokesman, told HuffPost. A date has not been set. Frank announced last … Continue reading
via Ryan Grim and Zach Carter, The Huffington Post A Senate bill banning the trading of corporate stocks by members of Congress based on nonpublic political information will see a vote next week, according to Democratic sources working on the bill. “It’ll be on the floor next week, either hotlined or an actual vote,” one … Continue reading
via AP, Indianapolis Business Journal An Indiana Senate panel has approved a bill that would allow creationism to be taught in Indiana’s public schools. The Times of Munster reported that the Republican-controlled Senate Education Committee voted 8-2 Wednesday to send the legislation to the full Senate despite pleas from scientists and religious leaders to keep … Continue reading
via The Huffington Post The number of abortions performed in Illinois fell to a 37 year low in 2010, according to new data from the Illinois Department of Public Health. While both abortion opponents and pro-choice advocates believe the decrease in abortions is a good thing, the groups disagree on why the state saw such … Continue reading
via Dave Crary, The Huffington Post With a flurry of coast-to-coast developments this week, same-sex marriage is back in the political spotlight and likely to remain there through Election Day as a half-dozen states face potentially wrenching votes on the issue. In Maryland, New Jersey and Washington, bills to legalize same-sex marriage have high-powered support … Continue reading
On Tuesday night, President Barack Obama delivered this year’s State of the Union address to a joint-session of Congress. Below, Obama’s prepared remarks as released by the White House. As Prepared for Delivery – Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans: Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force … Continue reading
via Rachel La Corte and MIke Baker, The Huffington Post Gay marriage proponents urged their supporters not to become complacent following news the Legislature has enough votes to make Washington the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage. Democratic Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen says she’ll support the measure, becoming the 25th vote needed to pass the … Continue reading
via Katherine Skiba and Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk underwent surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to relieve pressure on his brain after suffering a stroke, and doctors say they are hopeful about his recovery. “On Saturday, Senator Kirk checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital, where doctors discovered a carotid artery dissection in … Continue reading
via Associated Press, The Washington Post The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that police must get a search warrant before using GPS technology to track criminal suspects. The GPS device helped authorities link Washington, D.C., nightclub owner Antoine Jones to a suburban house used to stash money and drugs. He was sentenced to life in … Continue reading
via Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune Show of hands: How many of you tried to go to Wikipedia on Wednesday and, instead of reading “List of Gilmore Girls Episodes,” were puzzled by the black and white screen that said “Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge”? Every English-language article was blocked, the frivolous ones and the serious … Continue reading
via Corey Boles, The Wall Street Journal Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona Democrat who survived a gunshot wound to the head a year ago last week, said Sunday she was stepping down from Congress. In a video released on YouTube, Ms. Giffords said she had more work to do on her recovery. “I’m getting better … Continue reading
via Sari Horwitz and Cecilia Kang, The Washington Post One of the world’s largest file-sharing sites was shut down Thursday, and its founder and several company executives were charged with violating piracy laws, federal prosecutors said. An indictment accuses Megaupload.com of costing copyright holders more than $500 million in lost revenue from pirated films and … Continue reading
via Luke Johnson, The Huffington Post The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act (PIPA), have ignited widespread online protests–yet there is considerable confusion surrounding the legislation. Here’s a rundown of how the bills would work: The legislation would allow copyright holders and the Justice Department to seek court … Continue reading
via Jessica Arons, ThinkProgress Yesterday, in a huge victory for women’s health, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that most employers will be required to cover contraception in their health plans, along with other preventive services, with no cost-sharing such as co-pays or deductibles. This means that after years of trying to get … Continue reading
via Jasmin Melvin, Reuters Lawmakers stopped anti-piracy legislation in its tracks on Friday, delivering a stunning win for Internet companies that staged an unprecedented online protest this week to kill the previously fast-moving bills. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he would postpone a critical vote that had been scheduled for January 24 “in light … Continue reading
via Amanda Terkel, The Huffington Post Democrats needed to collect 540,208 signatures to trigger a gubernatorial recall election against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R). On Tuesday, they announced they had far exceeded that number, collecting more than one million signatures. Tuesday was the deadline for recall organizers, led by the group United Wisconsin, to turn … Continue reading
via Laura Meckler, Washington Wire The mayors of several big cities, including Chicago, New York, Boston and Los Angeles, are joining together to support same-sex marriage rights, a move that could put additional pressure on President Barack Obama to do the same. The effort is being organized by Freedom to Marry, an advocacy group that … Continue reading
via Jeff Zeleny and Michael D. Shear, The New York Times Gov. Rick Perry of Texas dropped out of the Republican presidential race here on Thursday and announced his endorsement for the candidacy of Newt Gingrich, a man he called a “conservative visionary.” “I’ve never believed that the cause of conservatism is embodied by one … Continue reading
via Mike Masnick, Techdirt Well, well. It appears that Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) really wants to tempt fate and stick his tongue out at the internet. Beyond announcing that he’s moving forward with SOPA, he’s also continuing to mock the critics, calling the Wikipedia blackout a “publicity stunt”: “It is ironic that a website dedicated … Continue reading
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