December 19, 2013

Iran Sanctions Bill From Sens. Bob Menendez And Mark Kirk Could Endanger U.S. Negotiations

Source: Huffington Post

WASHINGTON -- Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) are threatening to push the United States toward war with Iran, circulating and planning to introduce a sanctions bill despite warnings that it could derail nuclear negotiations at a delicate moment.

International observers and both parties to the negotiations have repeatedly pleaded with Congress to allow the talks to unfold -- warnings that Kirk and Menendez, the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, appear intent on ignoring. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is also part of the effort, though much of the final decision rests with Menendez.

"The White House doesn't want a bill, that's true. Menendez and Kirk are working on it and trying to build the list of cosponsors. Likely to be introduced soon," said a Senate Democratic aide involved in the effort.

The lawmakers are circulating a draft sanctions bill that would target the Iranian petroleum and mining industries, and set up unilateral guidelines for what would constitute compliance.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/19/iran-sanctions-bill_n_4472439.html

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more at link, pic has Menendez speaking at AIPAC.

December 19, 2013

CEO to Obama During Contentious Meeting with Top Tech Executives: "Pardon Edward Snowden."

Source: Daily Kos

Executives for the nation's largest technology companies met with President Obama this morning to argue that the NSA's unchecked surveillance is harming their businesses and the overall economic environment in which they operate.

CEOs from over 15 companies – including Google, Apple and Microsoft – pressed for the president to rein in the NSA's bulk surveillance activities and expressed anger over the government's infiltration of U.S. servers around the world.

During the meeting, Mark Pincus (founder of Zynga) boldly suggested to Obama before the gathered group that Edward Snowden should be pardoned. Pincus, it is important to note, gave $1 million to Obama's Super PAC, Priorities Action USA.

Obama's response: he could not do so.


Read more: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/18/1263679/-CEO-to-Obama-During-Contentious-Meeting-with-Top-Tech-Executives-Pardon-Edward-Snowden#

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more at link

December 10, 2013

Texas Judge Leaves GOP, Will Run For State Supreme Court As A Democrat

Source: Huffington Post

A Texas judge announced Monday his decision to leave the Republican Party and run for the state Supreme Court as a Democrat.

Larry Meyers, a judge on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, will run for a seat on the Texas Supreme Court against Republican Jeff Brown.

“Judge Meyers decision to leave the Republican Party today is big news," Battleground Texas' executive director Jenn Brown said in a statement. "It shows that the Texas GOP continues to drive Texans away with their divisive rhetoric and extreme policies. And it puts the first of what we think will ultimately be many Democrats in statewide office again."

As the Dallas Morning News notes, the party switch makes Meyers the first Democrat to hold statewide office in Texas since 1998.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/09/texas-judge-leaves-gop_n_4415211.html

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more at link. While I am ok with those Republicans of conscience who see the light and switch, I am leery of those who are "carpetbagging" so to speak…Those who switch parties when they stick their wetted finger to the air. I am not sure which camp this one falls into.

December 8, 2013

Obama Faces Backlash Over New Corporate Political Powers In Secret Trade Deal

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration appears to have almost no international support for controversial new trade standards that would grant radical new political powers to corporations, increase the cost of prescription medications and restrict bank regulation, according to two internal memos obtained by The Huffington Post.

The memos, which come from a government involved in the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations, detail continued disputes in the talks over the deal. They reveal broad disagreement over a host of key positions, and general skepticism that an agreement can be reached by year-end. The Obama administration has urged countries to reach a deal by New Year's Day, though there is no technical deadline.

One memo, which was heavily redacted before being provided to HuffPost, was written ahead of a new round of talks in Singapore this week. Read the full text of what HuffPost received here. (Note: Ellipses indicate redacted text. Text in brackets has been added by a third party.) Another document, a chart outlining different country positions on the text, dates from early November, before the round of negotiations in Salt Lake City, Utah. View the chart here. HuffPost was unable to determine which of the 11 non-U.S. nations involved in the talks was responsible for the memo. The Obama administration was not available for comment Sunday evening.

Previously leaked TPP documents have sparked alarm among global health experts, Internet freedom activists, environmentalists and organized labor, but are adamantly supported by American corporations and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Obama administration has deemed negotiations to be classified information -- banning members of Congress from discussing the American negotiating position with the press or the public. Congressional staffers have been restricted from viewing the documents.

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More at link, I would have posted to LBN because the docs were leaked to HuffPo, but there are those here who don't consider them mainstream news, so. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/08/tpp-trade-agreement_n_4409211.html

December 4, 2013

I would love to see an event like this for the next year or so: A series of panels, campaign-style

with Sen. Warren, Sen. Sanders, Congressman Grayson, Sen. Sherrod Brown, et al. A pre-planned discussion of the state of our union. Even before candidacies are announced, a series of dozens of town hall panels all around the country, to solidify the Democratic ideals in voters minds. What do you all think? Is there enough time to work something like this in?