Sen. David Vitter’s brazen, and now successful, bid to block a scheduled pay increase for Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is a petty gesture that Vitter’s fellow senators should apologize for having permitted.
By manipulating the Senate’s rules and customs, Vitter singlehandedly denied Sec. Salazar compensation provided to other cabinet officers, from both political parties, for decades. His shameless offer to accede to the raise in exchange for the secretary’s approval of new oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico borders on extortion.
Former Illinois congressman and White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel delivered the following remarks at his mayoral inauguration in Chicago, Ill. Below are excerpts of Emanuel's address.
Today, more than any other time in our history, more than any other place in our country, the city of Chicago is ready for change.
For all the parents who deserve a school system that expects every student to earn a diploma; for all the neighbors who deserve to walk home on safer streets; for all the taxpayers who deserve a city government that is more effective and costs less; and for all the people in the hardest-working city in America who deserve a strong economy so they can find jobs or create jobs -- this is your day.
As your new mayor, it is an honor to fight for the change we need and a privilege to lead the city we love.
Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, today announced a weekly video update series on the issues facing Congress and the nation.
In the inaugural update, Grijalva discusses the death of Osama bin Laden and its effect on foreign policy; the federal budget debate; and the facts behind rising gas prices.
These updates, like his other video content, are viewable at his Congressional YouTube page.
Americans like to gamble online. Millions of Americans bet billions of dollars a year at offshore foreign websites and have demonstrated that they will do so even if their government tells them it is illegal.
However, many of the websites offering these activities have been in direct violation of U.S. law. They have been run by individuals who, according to the Justice Department, engaged in serious criminal activity, including bank fraud and money-laundering.
The American Gaming Association supports strong law enforcement oversight and applauds the Justice Department for bringing charges against those companies that have shown no respect for the laws of the United States.
Read more...
Today, Americans and all who long for justice woke to the news: nearly 10 years after the United States set out to kill or capture Osama bin Laden, justice has been done. The man who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks and who reveled in the horror of that day is dead. And those who follow his twisted vision are again on notice: America is in pursuit.
This was a long time coming.
For two decades, Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda network he created, sustained and led has been at war with the United States. The path of terror extended from the first World Trade Center bombing to the bombing of the Khobar Towers and the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, to the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole, to the horrors of 9/11, and through two long and difficult wars that followed.
Just arriving in D.C. from New Mexico at about 10:30 p.m., I almost missed the announcement that bin Laden was dead. My BlackBerry was buzzing with the news of the impending Presidential Message.
I was frustrated, in the airport, waiting for my bag. I ran to the car, turned on the radio; the president had not yet spoken. The announcer said a small group was gathering at the White House chanting “USA.”
I hurried there, arriving just as the President was speaking. One of the first to arrive, I parked half a block from the White House.
"The President's announcement that Osama bin Laden has been found and killed is simply fantastic news. After ten years of dedicated effort across two administrations, we have struck a major blow against al Qaeda and achieved a momentous turning point in our nation's ongoing War on Terrorism. While we must remain vigilant in defense of freedom and democracy in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and on other fronts, we can rest assured that the murderer who orchestrated the deaths of thousands of our countrymen has finally met justice at the hands of the brave men and women of our military and intelligence community."
Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) -
"This is a great day for America and our allies across the free world. Osama bin Laden has finally gotten the justice he deserved. I commend President Obama, former President Bush and the highly capable men and women in our military and intelligence community whose tireless work over the last decade made this day possible. It is also a time to reflect on the victims of 9/11 and their families, as well as those who have died across the world fighting terrorism. Let this be a lesson that there is no sanctuary in the world for America's enemies."
The April 19, 2011 letter sent to Mayor Vincent Gray from more than 100 members of Congress regarding reinstatement of the ban on District funding of abortions for low-income women demonstrates why District residents must continue to fight for statehood and free this city from its Congressional shackles.
I found the letter to be very disrespectful to our Mayor. The tone of the correspondence is condescending and patronizing, and its authors have temerity to suggest that our Mayor would consider breaking the law and continue District funding of abortions for low-income women.
Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, issued the following statement in response to news that President Obama intends to nominate Leon Panetta to be Secretary of Defense and Gen. David Petraeus to be Director of the CIA:
I strongly support the President's planned nominations. Director Panetta has done an outstanding job at the CIA, and General Petraeus has distinguished himself as one of the great American military leaders. Both men currently play integral roles in our Nation's war against al Qaeda and its affiliates and will be instrumental as we continue to combat the terrorist threat.
Director Panetta has had important success in stabilizing the CIA workforce and played a critical role in indentifying and disrupting terrorist plots against the United States.
General Petraeus is a patriot who has served honorably and admirably whenever and wherever the President has asked.
King is the only Member of Congress to currently serve on both the Committee on Homeland Security and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
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