"Invoking the name of Edward M. Kennedy, Democrats united Saturday night to push historic health care legislation past a key Senate hurdle over the opposition of Republicans eager to inflict a punishing defeat on President Barack Obama. There was not a vote to spare.
The 60-39 vote cleared the way for a bruising, full-scale debate beginning after Thanksgiving on the legislation, which is designed to extend coverage to roughly 31 million who lack it, crack down on insurance company practices that deny or dilute benefits and curtail the growth of spending on medical care nationally.
The spectator galleries were full for the unusual Saturday night showdown, and applause broke out briefly when the vote was announced. In a measure of the significance of the moment, senators sat quietly in their seats, standing only when they were called upon to vote."
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Health Care Bill Clears 1st Senate Hurdle
Sen. Levin: ‘Significant evidence’ Ft. Hood shooting was ‘terrorism’
"US Army Major Nidal Hasan, accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, intensified contacts with a radical Yemeni American cleric just months before the shootings and began discussing surreptitious financial transfers, The Washington Post reported Saturday."
in reference to:"Citing two unnamed sources briefed on a collection of secret e-mails between the two, the newspaper said the e-mails were obtained by an FBI-led task force in San Diego between late last year and June but were not forwarded to the military. Some were sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Washington field office, triggering an assessment into whether they raised national security concerns, but those intercepted later were not, the report said."
- Sen. Levin: ‘Significant evidence’ Ft. Hood shooting was ‘terrorism’ | Raw Story (view on Google Sidewiki)
80 Taliban lay down weapons, join Afghan police
If only they could keep repeating this success story. But I'm not optimistic. This is 80 out of thousands.
in reference to:"TALIBAN militants have laid down their weapons and joined Afghanistan's police force, accepting a government amnesty aimed at ending a vicious insurgency. In a ceremony at police headquarters in the eastern city of Herat, the 80 men handed over their weapons and pledged to end their fight against the government, Herat police chief Asmatullah Alizai said. "Negotiations have been going on with their commander Solaiman as we have been trying to absorb him into the government," he said, referring to Mula Solaiman, a former border guard commander who changed sides a number of times."
- AdelaideNow... 80 Taliban lay down weapons, join Afghan police (view on Google Sidewiki)
Limbaugh Accuses Gallup of Counting Too Many Blacks in Polls on Obama
"Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh today accused Gallup of counting too many blacks in its tracking polls on President Obama's approval ratings in order to keep him above the 50 percent mark while several other polls have shown him slipping below that."
in reference to:""Gallup has him just teetering on the little teeter-totter at 50% and they're doing everything they can -- they're upping the sample to black Americans -- to keep him up at 50% in the Gallup poll," Limbaugh said on today's broadcast. Limbaugh did not give any details about how he arrived at his conclusion about Gallup's methodology in the transcript of the show available on his website. Gallup's Nov. 9-15 survey had Obama's approval rating at 53 percent while 39 percent disapproved of his performance and 8 percent expressed no opinion. Limbaugh pointed to a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll conducted Nov. 17-18 putting the number of voters who approve or disapprove of Obama at 46 percent each, with 8 percent undecided. That compared to the 50 percent who approved of his performance in late October, while 41 percent disapproved."
- Limbaugh Accuses Gallup of Counting Too Many Blacks in Polls on Obama -- Politics Daily (view on Google Sidewiki)
Transcript: The Ed Show (11-20-09)
"SCHULTZ: Why has this taken so long? And I`m excited that this vote is finally going to take place and the headcount is just about completed. But this whole stalling that the Republicans have done, and all of the badmouthing of the public option that has taken place has really stalled the process, hasn`t it?
STABENOW: Ed, this really has been stalled. And, you know, I first want to start, though, by saying, don`t forget, 40 Republicans look like they`re going to vote in lockstep, not even to debate the health care bill. Business as usual for the insurance companies seems to be what the Republicans, the majority of Republicans, are saying.But they have taken what is now -- I believe we`re going into the 37th week, and we have over 33 weeks of the 37 in which they have been filibustering, blocking, stalling. Not just health care. Four weeks on unemployment compensation to try to get an extension for families, when it could have taken one day.SCHULTZ: And I`m sure we`re going to see this when it gets to the floor, all the amendments and the stall tactics that are going to take place.STABENOW: No question. No question.SCHULTZ: Liberals in this country feel that the Democrats have made a lot of concessions to get to this point. How confident are you that a lot of the good stuff that`s been taken out is going to be amended in this final bill on the floor?STABENOW: Ed, this really is an incredible step forward for the country. What we have in front of us is a bill that will save lives and save money.It`s going to strengthen Medicare. It`s going to stop insurance abuses. And in the end, it`s going to save jobs, which, as you know, is incredibly important to me.There are things in here we`ve been trying to do for years, to create a health care bill of rights so the insurance companies can`t continue to do what they do with people who are paying in all the time and don`t get what they are paying for. Strengthening Medicare, which we know needs to happen for our seniors. That is in here, no matter what.You know I`m a strong proponent of a public option as one of the choices for people that currently don`t have insurance today.SCHULTZ: Yes.STABENOW: And that`s very important. But it`s one of a number of things. And for the first time, what is the most important thing about this debate? America is now debating, and is very close, to saying we believe every American should be able to find affordable insurance in this great country."
- LexisNexis News - Latest News from over 4,000 sources, including newspapers, tv transcripts, wire services, magazines, journals. (view on Google Sidewiki)
Interview Transcript: Mike Huckabee on FOX's Neal Cavuto
"HUCKABEE: Well, let`s just remember this is the brilliant government that told us that, don`t worry, we are going to have plenty of H1N1 vaccine, we`re going to be able to vaccinate the entire country by October."
in reference to:"HUCKABEE: Well, it is as if the house is on fire, and we`re worried about how loud the music is playing in the family room. This is insane.There are more and more Americans out of work than have been in a generation. The real unemployment numbers are probably well above the 10.2. It`s probably 17 percent, if you take into consideration the people that just quit showing up to even apply for jobs because there are not any.So, this is a huge issue, where one in five Americans, approximately, could be of work right now. And what are they talking about? Well, let`s do something that will cost even more Americans their jobs, because, if you pass this health care bill, you are going to do two very, very anti- business, anti-job things.First, you are going to have to raise taxes to pay for it, no matter what they tell you. And, secondly, you`re going to have a lot of small- business operators who will simply start laying people off, because there is no way under heaven that a small-business operator right now can afford to take on any more burden than he is already facing."
- LexisNexis News - Latest News from over 4,000 sources, including newspapers, tv transcripts, wire services, magazines, journals. (view on Google Sidewiki)
Robbery Motive in Deaths of 5 in Arkansas
"Thieves shot to death five Arkansas family members and burned their bodies for the meager bounty of a set of wheel rims and some flat-screen televisions, court documents said Friday.
Samuel Conway and Jeremy Pickney, both 23, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of capital murder, aggravated residential burglary and arson, Garland County court documents showed.
Police fatally shot a third suspect, 22-year-old Marvin Lamar Stringer, in a nighttime raid at a motel Thursday.
Firefighters had discovered four bodies in a torched mobile home after the Nov. 12 attack in the small town of Pearcy: 56-year-old Edward "Eddie" Earl Gentry Jr.; his 52-year-old wife Pam; their 24-year-old son Jeremy and his 19-year-old girlfriend Kristyn N. Warneke."
Italian police arrest 2 linked to Mumbai attacks
"Italian police on Saturday arrested two Pakistani men accused of providing logistical support for last year's terror attacks in Mumbai, officials said.
The two, father and son, were arrested in an early morning raid in Brescia, police in the northern Italian city said."
"Italian police on Saturday arrested two Pakistani men accused of providing logistical support for last year's terror attacks in Mumbai, officials said.The two, father and son, were arrested in an early morning raid in Brescia, police in the northern Italian city said."
- Italian police arrest 2 linked to Mumbai attacks - Terror in Mumbai- msnbc.com (view on Google Sidewiki)
Prosecutors Request Life in Prison for Amanda Knox
Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini on Saturday asked a jury in Perugia to convict Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito on charges of murder and sexual violence for their alleged role in the 2007 slaying of Meredith Kercher. They deny wrongdoing.
in reference to: Prosecutors Request Life in Prison for Amanda Knox - Europe | Map | News - FOXNews.com (view on Google Sidewiki)US to drop shooting case against Blackwater guard
"Prosecutors say the guards was itching for a fight and unleashed a gruesome attack on unarmed Iraqis, including women, children and people trying to escape. The convoy allegedly launched a grenade into a nearby girls' school."
in reference to:"The Justice Department intends to drop manslaughter and weapons charges against one of the Blackwater Worldwide security guards involved in a deadly 2007 Baghdad shooting, prosecutors said in court documents Friday. The shooting in busy Nisoor Square left 17 Iraqis dead and inflamed anti-American sentiment abroad. It touched off a string of investigations that ultimately led the State Department to cancel the company's lucrative contract to guard diplomats in Iraq."
- US to drop shooting case against Blackwater guard - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)
Rocket hits outside luxury hotel in Afghan capital
Barack, you need to start making decisions soon. They're getting too close for comfort.
in reference to:"A rocket hit outside the luxury Serena Hotel in Afghanistan's capital late Saturday, wounding at least two, the Interior Ministry said. An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw police searching through rubble along the wall of the hotel's compound, apparently the impact point. The area was blocked off by dozens of police and army officers. The sound of wailing ambulance sirens came from many directions. The rocket wounded two people,"
- Rocket hits outside luxury hotel in Afghan capital - Yahoo! News (view on Google Sidewiki)
