July 31, 2012

Eight More Ways Women Will Benefit Under Obamacare Starting Tomorrow

When eight Obamacare regulations go into effect tomorrow, 47 million women will benefit from the guaranteed coverage of preventive services — including contraception coverage — without co-pays. The new rules will require most insurance plans to begin including the services at no additional cost at the next renewal date that falls on or after August 1, according to a news release from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Center for American Progress graphic breaks down what will be covered and how women will benefit:
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/07/infographic_women_obamacare.html

more at link
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/07/31/614331/women-benefit-from-obamacare/

July 31, 2012

Republican Congressman Blasts GOP: Party Caters To ‘Extremes,’ Is ‘Incapable Of Governing’

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/07/30/611651/republican-congressman-blasts-gop-party-caters-to-extremes-is-incapable-of-governing/

Congressman Richard Hanna (R-NY) is fed up with the GOP.

Hanna singled out Michele Bachmann’s “suggestion that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin be investigated to see if she has ties to Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood” as an example of a party that has gone off the rails.
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/07/rep_richard_hanna_fellow_repub.html

(snip)
“I have to say that I’m frustrated by how much we — I mean the Republican Party — are willing to give deferential treatment to our extremes in this moment in history,” he told The Post-Standard editorial board.

(snip)
This isn’t the first time that Hanna, who was first elected to Congress in 2010, has been critical of the Republican party. At at women’s rights rally in March he advised the crowd to “contribute your money to people who speak out on your behalf, because the other side — my side — has a lot of it.”

July 29, 2012

Sunday Talk Shows

Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Dick Durbin, Robert Gibbs, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Paul Krugman, Bill Richardson, Gabriela Domenzain, Rep. Sander Levin

Meet The Press
Will not air because of NBC’s Olympics coverage.

CBS Face The Nation
Penn State President Rodney Erickson and panel with Buzz Bissinger, Sara Ganim, Bill Rhoden, CBS Sports' James Brown and Jim Rome plus DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, CBS News' Jan Crawford, and an interview with former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

ABC This Week
This Sunday, Obama campaign senior adviser Robert Gibbs squares off with Romney campaign senior adviser Kevin Madden in an exclusive "This Week" debate on the latest in the 2012 presidential contest.

As presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney hits the international stage, he stumbles diplomatically by criticizing London's preparation for the Olympics. Did Romney offend a U.S. ally in his first major overseas trip? Can he make his case to be commander-in-chief as he travels to Israel?

Back in the U.S., the Romney campaign continues hammering President Obama's comments about businesses. Are they taking him out of context, or did the president question the work of entrepreneurs? Plus, how will the debate over whether to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy impact the presidential race?

Obama adviser Robert Gibbs and Romney adviser Kevin Madden face off on the 2012 election, only on "This Week" Sunday, hosted by ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd.

Then, the powerhouse roundtable debates all the week's politics, with ABC News' George Will; Democratic strategist and ABC News contributor Donna Brazile; Yahoo! News Washington bureau chief David Chalian, radio host and Brietbart.com contributing editor Dana Loesch, and Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus

With just 100 days until Election Day, both candidates are on the defensive, with their negative ratings at historic highs. Will the latest skirmishes on the campaign trail have a lasting impact on the race, or are they a distraction from major issues? And as attack ads continue to fill the airwaves, has Gov. Romney allowed the Obama campaign to define him over the summer, rather than aggressively presenting his case for election?

Plus, ABC News senior political correspondent Jonathan Karl speaks exclusively to former Vice President Dick Cheney, in his first interview since his heart transplant in March. The former vice president weighs in on the 2012 election, plus his advice to Mitt Romney on his vice presidential pick.

Fox News Sunday-Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia joins Chris Wallace for an Exclusive Sunday Show interview. The justice will discuss his new book, the big decisions he’s been a part of and how they illustrate his judicial philosophy.

CNN State of The Union
Sunday on “State of the Union,” Mitt Romney tries to bolster his foreign policy credentials on an overseas strip that began with a series of missteps. We’ll discuss the candidates’ foreign policy plans with top Romney campaign surrogate Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Democratic Senator Dick Durbin

Plus, the air wars are underway. We’ll look at the barrage of negative ads and how they are shaping voters’ impressions of the campaign. We’ll talk to Ken Goldstein, President of Kantar Media/CMAG, Ron Brownstein, CNN’s Senior Political Analyst and Michael Scherer of Time Magazine.

And we’ll have live coverage of Mitt Romney’s speech in Jerusalem.

Fareed Zakaria GPS
On GPS Sunday: Mitt Romney’s foreign policy, the crisis in Syria and Iran’s future

Coming up on Fareed Zakaria GPS on Sunday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET: My take on Mitt Romney and U.S. foreign policy; the Syrian crisis; Iran’s future; guns and America and a look at the U.S. economy.

Guests on the show this week include: Paul Wolfowitz, Tom Friedman, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Richard Haass, Paul Krugman and Ken Rogoff

In our roundtable discussion on foreign policy issues, former U.S. deputy secretary of defense under President George W. Bush, Paul Wolfowitz, explains why he believes U.S. action over Syria would look very different from that in Iraq.

And New York Times columnist Paul Krugman discusses what he believes the U.S. Federal Reserve could be doing to boost the U.S. economy

I’ll also be looking at the numbers and asking whether it’s time for the United States to rethink its gun laws

The Chris Matthews Show
Gloria Borger, CNN; Kathleen Parker, Washington Post; Dan Rather, HDNet; David Ignatius, Washington Post

Melissa Harris Perry Show-Will return on August 12.

Up w/Chris Hayes-Will return on August 11.

CNN’s Reliable Sources- Keli Goff, Loop21.com; Ryan Lizza, The New Yorker; Jim Geraghty, National Review; Jane Hall, American University; Fred Francis; Frank Deford, Sports Illustrated; Frank Sesno, George Washington University

Univision's Al Punto-President Obama's campaign director of Hispanic press Gabriela Domenzain, Gov. Bill Richardson, Jose Fuentes, co-chairman of Romney's Hispanic steering committee.

C-SPAN's "Newsmakers," -The ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Sander Levin

Bloomberg's Political Capital
Nancy Pelosi

C-Span's Washington Journal
7:00am -Phones

7:45am -Michael Bocian, Democratic Pollster & Strategist and Ed Goeas, Republican Pollster & Strategist

Topic: A look at how President Obama and Mitt Romney are being perceived by voters via recent polls and an examination of their campaign strategies.

8:45 am-Sheila Krumholz, Center for Responsive Politics Executive Director

Topic: Guest will discuss the recent fundraising numbers for campaigns and Super PACs released last week by the Federal Election Commission.

9:15 am-Lara Jakes, Associated Press Baghdad Bureau Chief and Nora Bensahel, Center for a New American Security Senior Fellow

Topic: With the recent attacks in Iraq, guest joins us with a discussion on the stability of the Iraq since the withdrawal of U.S. troops and what’s next for the country moving forward.

CBS 60 Minutes
Hard Times Generation - Scott Pelley brings "60 Minutes" cameras back to central Florida to document another level of homelessness - kids and their parents living in cars. B

The Life and Death of Vincent van Gogh - His paintings are among the most well-known in the world, just like the story of his life and death: Vincent van Gogh was a troubled genius who killed himself. But now the authors of a biography say their exhaustive investigation strongly indicates he may not have taken his own life. Morley Safer reports.

TV One’s “Washington Watch”- is on hiatus until the fall.

Sunday Breakfast Menu
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/28/sunday-breakfast-menu-july-29/

July 28, 2012

President Obama: GOP plan is to spend ‘trillions more on tax cuts for the wealthy’

Source: The Hill

President Obama pressured Congress to avoid an impending rise in middle-class tax rates, accusing GOP lawmakers of holding those families “hostage” in order to enact massive tax cuts for the wealthy.

In his weekly address, the President called for lawmakers to adopt a Democratic measure which would extend the expiring lower George W. Bush-era tax rates only for those couples making below $250,000, and forcing higher income earners to pay more.

“Republicans in Congress and their nominee for President believe that the best way to create prosperity in America is to let it trickle down from the top,” said Obama. “They believe that if our country spends trillions more on tax cuts for the wealthy, we’ll somehow create jobs – even if we have to pay for it by gutting things like education and training and by raising middle-class taxes. They’re wrong.”

(snip)
“Everyone says they agree that we should extend the tax cuts for the middle class,” said Obama. “Instead of doing what’s right for middle class families and small business owners, Republicans in Congress are holding these tax cuts hostage until we extend tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

Read more: http://thehill.com/video/administration/240849-obama-gop-plan-is-to-spend-trillions-more-on-tax-cuts-for-the-wealthy

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Weekly Address: The House of Representatives Must Act on Middle Class Tax Cut Extension
In this week’s address, President Obama urged Republicans in the House of Representatives to act on his proposal to protect middle class families and small businesses from being hit with a big tax hike next year. Everyone says they agree that we should extend the tax cuts for the middle class and the Senate already passed the President’s plan to prevent a typical family from seeing a tax increase of $2,200, but Republicans in Congress are holding these tax cuts hostage until we extend tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. The President called on Congress to pass the middle class tax extension so that we can continue to grow the economy and create jobs the American people.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/07/28/weekly-address-house-representatives-must-act-middle-class-tax-cut-extenPr

July 28, 2012

Weekly Address: The House of Representatives Must Act on Middle Class Tax Cut Extension

&feature=player_embedded




WEEKLY ADDRESS: The House of Representatives Must Act on Middle Class Tax Cut Extension
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/07/28/weekly-address-house-representatives-must-act-middle-class-tax-cut-exten

July 27, 2012

President Obama's campaign airs second ad hitting Romney on abortion

For the second time this month, President Barack Obama's re-election campaign is hitting Mitt Romney over his opposition to abortion in a television ad, as the two candidates battle for the crucial women's vote.

A new spot from Team Obama starts with a graphic saying "Women speak on Mitt Romney" and then features one woman, named Jenni, saying to the camera: "I've never felt this way before, but it's just a scary time to be a woman. Mitt Romney is so out of touch."

Then a female narrator talks about Romney opposing a policy that would have required coverage for contraception and supporting overturning Roe v. Wade. The ad also says Romney would back a federal bill that outlaws abortion. The spot concludes with the same woman, Jenni, saying: "There's so much we need to do. We need to attack our problems – not a woman's choice."

The commercial, part of the new Obama-Democratic National Committee ad coordination buy, is airing in Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, Nevada and Ohio. It will start running in Colorado on Monday.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/26/obama-campaign-airs-second-ad-hitting-romney-on-abortion/

"Women's Choices" - Obama for America TV Ad

July 26, 2012

Top Two Oil Companies Earn $160,000 Per Minute, Paid Low Tax Rate

The top two corporations on the Fortune 500 Global ranking, Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil, announced their 2012 second-quarter earnings today, bringing the total profits for three Big Oil companies to $44 billion for 2012 or $250,000 every day this year. Exxon profited by $16 billion this quarter, bringing its earnings for 2012 to $25 billion.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2012/full_list/index.html

The New York Times wrote that Exxon and Shell’s earnings “disappoint,” because energy prices unexpectedly dropped for consumers this summer. Put their profits in the appropriate context, however, and Exxon and Shell still made a combined $160,000 per minute last quarter, even though the top five oil companies benefit from $2.4 billion federal tax breaks every year.

(snip)
While these companies already benefit from billions in tax breaks, Mitt Romney has offered the industry even more. A Center for American Progress Action analysis finds that Romney’s tax plan could lower five companies’ annual tax bill by another $2.3 billion, virtually doubling what they already receive in tax breaks.
http://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/2012/07/romney_big_oil.html

Chevron and BP are the last two of the Big Oil companies to announce profits.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/07/26/586961/top-two-oil-companies-earn-160000-per-minute-paid-low-tax-rate/

July 26, 2012

Study: Nearly Two-In-Five American Households Live Paycheck To Paycheck

The number of American households living paycheck to paycheck has risen to 38 percent, according to a study by the Consumer Federation of America and the Consumer Planner Board of Standards. Fifteen years ago, the number was 31 percent. The report also found that more than half of Americans are behind on their retirement savings, up from 38 percent in 1997. Both problems have been exacerbated by stagnant wages and an increase in low-wage jobs; as ThinkProgress noted this week, one in four private sector workers make less than $10 an hour.

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/07/26/589311/study-paycheck-households/


Many Families Struggle to Make Ends Meet, But Those With a Financial Plan Feel and Do Better
http://www.consumerfed.org/news/560

Living Paycheck To Paycheck Is Reality For Two In Five Households: Report
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/25/living-paycheck-to-paycheck-2012_n_1702347.html

STUDY: One In Four Private Sector Workers Earn Less Than $10 An Hour
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/07/24/573671/one-in-four-private-sector-workers-earn-less-than-10-an-hour/

July 26, 2012

Heavily Edited Romney Video Targets Black Voters, Shows NAACP Audience Applauding

Heavily Edited Romney Video Targets Black Voters, Shows NAACP Audience Applauding

Mitt Romney’s speech at the NAACP was defined in the media by the resounding chorus of boos he elicited from the crowd. Campaign staffers had a different interpretation, insisting that he received “thunderous applause over and over again.”

Reflecting this idea, the campaign’s new video targeting African American voters, “We Need Mitt Romney,” rewrites history by splicing together Romney’s speech with shots of a couple audience members nodding as if in agreement. While Romney received a polite standing ovation when he was done speaking, the video has been edited to make it seem like the audience rose to their feet to applaud him mid-speech.

In reality, Romney was booed multiple times, especially when he promised to repeal Obamacare. 95 percent of black voters went to President Obama in 2008 and it is highly unlikely Romney will be able to capture the historically progressive demographic. In fact, an NAACP official told MSNBC that the Romney campaign brought their own African American supporters to fill in the July 11 event. Romney himself admitted that he expected to be booed.


video at link
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/07/26/590521/heavily-edited-romney-video-targets-black-voters-shows-naacp-audience-applauding/

July 26, 2012

President Obama announces new education program focused on African Americans

(snip)
The president told the largely African American crowd of roughly 3,700 people that the executive order will seek to improve educational achievement for African Americans at all levels “so every child has greater access to a complete and competitive education from the time they’re born to the time, all through the time they get a career” the president said to cheers.

An administration official tells NBC News the order will create a new White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African-Americans that will “work across Federal agencies and with partners and communities nationwide to produce a more effective continuum of education programs for African American students.”

The official added that the initiative would be housed in the Education Department, which will work with the Executive Office and other Cabinet agencies to identify practices that will improve African Americans’ achievement in schools and colleges. The administration official did not yet know how much funding the program would receive but said more information would be released Thursday when the president signs the executive order.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/25/12955941-obama-announces-new-education-program-focused-on-african-americans

video at link