UN/Treaties

Former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) returned to the Senate floor Tuesday for a vote on disability rights.

Your morning global affairs speed-read

The Senate votes today on ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of People With Disabilities. Democrats are expected to have a hard time getting the 13 Republicans they need for the treaty's passage after 36 Republicans vowed to oppose any treaties during the lame-duck session of Congress.

Refugees and terrorism: The House Homeland Security panel's subcommittee on counterterrorism holds a hearing on “terrorist exploitation of refugee programs.” Witnesses include the director of the Refugee Admissions Office at the State Department, Lawrence Bartlett, as well as Homeland Security officials.

Senate Republicans are expected on Tuesday to reject an international treaty affirming the rights of people with disabilities.

“Trying to turn this into an abortion debate is bad politics and just wrong,” the Arizona Republican said Tuesday night.

Sen. John Kerry and other supporters might be short of winning the 67 votes needed for passage. 

Google's chief Internet evangelist is warning that the conference proposals could increase online censorship.

Labor chief Richard Trumka is urging U.S. negotiators and the United Nations to nix a proposal to allow countries to regulate the Internet.

The U.N.'s International Telecommunications Union is meeting next week in Dubai to update the treaty regulating world telecommunications for the first time since 1988. Countries such as Russia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have proposed giving national governments more control over the Internet.

RootsAction.org is demanding the potential secretary of State nominee sell shares in the company behind the Keystone XL pipeline. 

U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice said a Palestinian state cannot be created "by pressing a green voting button in this hall."

The senator said Rice's inaccurate description of the attack in Libya should not disqualify her from becoming secretary of State.