Daily News Summaries for Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin and Steven Mufson
The Obama administration announced Wednesday that it will not allow offshore oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico or off the Atlantic coast through 2017, reversing two key policy changes the president embraced in late March.
By Lori Montgomery and Brady Dennis
Members of President Obama's bipartisan deficit commission expressed a surprising willingness Wednesday to compromise on issues that have long divided Republicans and Democrats, including raising taxes and cutting Social Security.
By Robin Givhan
The world of hat-making is relatively small, and within that tiny universe of horsehair and feathers, Rep.-elect Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) is a glorious, bedazzled star. Washington, however, does not cotton to glitter, spangles or bright shiny objects.
By Lena H. Sun
Premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance increased an average of 41 percent across states from 2003 to 2009, more than three times faster than median incomes, and Maryland's rise was among the highest, at 50 percent, according to a report to be released Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund.
By Ashley Halsey III and Mike DeBonis
The water in almost 15,000 D.C. homes that received repairs during a massive effort to remove lead pipes may still be contaminated by dangerous levels of the metal, according to a report released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The New York Times
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
WASHINGTON — Not even 24 hours after President Obama met with senior Republican Congressional leaders and expressed hopes for a “new dialogue,” renewed partisan fury engulfed the Senate on Wednesday, as Republicans threatened to block any legislation until a deal is reached to extend the expiring Bush-era tax cuts, potentially derailing the Democrats’ busy end-of-year agenda.
By LYNN ZINSER
FIFA broke new ground by awarding Russia and Qatar the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on Thursday, choosing first-time hosts over the more conventional choices of England and the United States. The winning bids were announced by FIFA president Sepp Blatter after the voting concluded by FIFA’s executive committee in Zurich.
By SABRINA TAVERNISE
BALTIMORE — For years, this city had one of the worst school systems in the country. Fewer than half its students graduated, enrollment had fallen precipitously and proficiency levels were far below the national average.
By MONICA DAVEY
CHICAGO — Illinois lawmakers on Wednesday approved legislation allowing civil unions in this state, and the governor has indicated he will sign it, making Illinois one of only a handful of states to grant to same-sex couples a broad array of legal rights and responsibilities similar to those of marriage.
By DALIA FAHMY
In a case study we’ve just published, Dalia Fahmy writes about OfficeDrop, a two-year-old document-scanning company based in Boston. Prasad Thammineni, chief executive, knew he would have to check employee backgrounds before giving them access to sensitive client documents, but it took him a while to find the right solution. He eventually settled on a customized bundle offered by Kroll Background Screening, which reviews a variety of federal and local criminal records, as well driving histories and credit reports (Mr. Thammineni decided against requiring drug tests). Now, every new employee undergoes a background check after accepting a conditional job offer.
By ANDREW POLLACK
Weight-loss surgery, once a last resort for extremely overweight people, may soon become an option for those who are less heavy.
An advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration will consider on Friday a request by Allergan, the pharmaceutical company, to significantly lower how obese someone must be to qualify for surgery using the company’s Lap-Band device, which restricts intake to the stomach.
USA Today
By Paul Davidson, USA TODAY
About 2 million Americans stand to lose their jobless benefits this month after Congress failed to pass an extension by Tuesday's deadline. About 800,000 will be cut off by the end of next week, and 1.2 million will run dry by Dec. 31 if lawmakers don't act. Here are answers to common questions:
GRAPHIC: Unemployment checks to 2 million will stop without action
Q: Congress has restored benefits after they lapsed several times the past year, and payments were made retroactively. Will that happen again?
Slate
Sonia Van Gilder Cooke
PR Week
Transparency and the need to educate varied audiences are among the challenges healthcare PR pros face. PRWeek was in Boston for this Waggener Edstrom Worldwide-sponsored roundtable.
The rise of transparency
Erica Iacono (PRWeek): What are the challenges and opportunities overall in healthcare?
Chris Daniels
WASHINGTON: Digital channels have dramatically increased in popularity as a two-way communications tool for legislative leaders, according to a trans-Atlantic study from Edelman.
The second annual Capital Staffers Index interviewed 271 senior legislative staffers in Washington, DC, Berlin, Brussels, Paris and London to determine the perceived value of the Internet as a tool for policymakers to connect with local residents and communities.
The Los Angeles Times
By Jeannine Stein, Los Angeles Times
Doctors and public health officials have been admonishing us for years that it's unhealthful to carry around extra pounds. A new study quantifies just how much that additional weight increases one's risk of death and finds that being even a few pounds overweight makes a measurable difference.
The Wall Street Journal
By JOHN D. MCKINNON and JANET HOOK
Republicans and Democrats Wednesday sat down to negotiate a compromise on extending Bush-era income tax cuts—an effort that could be the first step toward a deal this month that many strategists in both parties believe will temporarily extend current tax rates for all income levels.
Associated Press
WASHINGTON—Directly challenging the Pentagon's top leadership, Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain on Thursday snubbed a military study on gays as flawed and said letting them serve openly would be dangerous in a time of war.
Mr. McCain's opposition foreshadows the upcoming Senate debate on a bill that would overturn the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" law, which bans gays from serving openly in the service.
By Katherine Hobson
Is it essential that health insurance protect people from the worst-case scenario?
That’s the heart of the debate over limited-benefit, or so-called mini-med plans. In the case of McDonald’s, which has become the mini-med poster child, most workers opt for the plan with a $2,000 annual benefit cap, the WSJ reports. But the Senate committee that held a hearing on the plans yesterday calculates that the minimal coverage costs workers $710 a year. (More extensive coverage is also available.)
By Katherine Hobson
Is colorectal surgery a family-friendly career?
Research discussed at a workplace-flexibility conference earlier this week suggests it is. As our colleagues at the Juggle report, Harvard economics professor Claudia Goldin said that lucrative jobs that are more amenable to family life are drawing in women. That includes colorectal surgery, “because of rapid growth in routine colonoscopies that can be scheduled in advance, giving doctors control over their time,” the Juggle reports.
By SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN
When it comes to hiring, Main Street remains reluctant to fully open its doors.
U.S. small businesses continued to hire in November, this time adding the most jobs in a month's time in nearly three years, according to payroll company Automatic Data Processing Inc. But job growth remains modest compared with prerecession years, and many entrepreneurs say they plan to hold back for some time to come.
Politico
By JOSH GERSTEIN
As the release of leaked diplomatic cables dominated the news on Monday, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department had cracked down on websites breaking counterfeiting and copyright laws.
But Wikileaks.org — which government officials say has endangered U.S. lives and jeopardized national security — wasn’t one of them. The offenders: 82 web sites suspected of selling counterfeit goods and pirated videos.
By CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN
A day that started off with the rare sight of top Obama officials sitting down with Democrats and Republicans in Congress to hash out a tax-cut deal deteriorated almost immediately Wednesday, as both parties reverted to partisan form.
Senate Republicans threatened to grind the Senate to a halt. House Democrats announced plans to force a vote on middle-class only tax cuts – with Republicans crying foul.
By ABBY PHILLIP & JONATHAN ALLEN & JENNIFER HABERKORN
House Republicans scuttled a pet bill of Michelle Obama, using a procedural gambit to knock her child nutrition bill off the House floor Wednesday.
House Democrats scrapped plans to vote on an Obama-backed child nutrition bill Wednesday after Republicans threatened to force a procedural vote that would bar funds from going to child care institutions that employ individuals who refuse criminal sex-offender background checks, or lie on them.
By JAKE SHERMAN & JONATHAN ALLEN
Republicans are moving to get rid of House votes on symbolic resolutions and are planning to post their internal conference rules online, two minor yet politically important changes to the party’s operating guidelines.
Huffington Post
By Amanda Terkel
The Senate Armed Services committee is holding hearings for the military's controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on Thursday. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who in November urged Congress to repeal DADT, will appear before the committee. Other guests include Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen and the authors of a Pentagon study on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which found that gays can serve openly without harming the military's fighting ability.
By CHARLES J. HANLEY
CANCUN, Mexico — Even if we stopped spewing global warming gases today, the world would face a steady rise in food prices this century. But on our current emissions path, climate change becomes the "threat multiplier" that could double grain prices by 2050 and leave millions more children malnourished, global food experts reported Wednesday.
By Nick Wing
Newt Gingrich went on a publicity tour Wednesday, advertising his master plan to achieve total "replacement of the left."
The Former Speaker of the House spoke at the American Legislative Exchange Council's annual conference Wednesday and unveiled his program, which he has neatly packaged into 12 steps.
By Nick Wing
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) spoke on MSNBC's "The Ed Show" Wednesday night about what he characterized as an unacceptable Republican prioritization of the fiscal interests of the wealthiest Americans over the unemployed.
Anderson Cooper demolished the claims behind the "birther" movement in an interview with Texas State Representative Leo Berman on his Monday show.
Berman is sponsoring a bill to require that all presidential candidates produce a valid birth certificate to get on the presidential ballot in Texas -- a clear reference to the claim that Barack Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States, and has falsified his birth records.
Politicians, entrepreneurs and education professionals from across the country convened in Washington, DC for a two-day education summit that ended Wednesday.
The National Summit on Education Reform, an annual convention hosted by former Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush's Foundation for Excellence in Education, offered a venue for state education secretaries, superintendents, university professors and business execs to share ideas.
Talking Points Memo
Eric Kleefeld
Hmm, something seems odd about the House Tea Party Caucus -- the group founded to promote cuts in government spending. As National Journal reports, a new study finds that the caucus' 52 members requested a total of more than $1 billion in this past Congress.
Ryan J. Reilly
Two former federal prosecutors who were suspended from the House ethics committee -- both of whom previously worked for Republican appointed judges -- reportedly kept probing allegations against Rep. Maxine Waters even after the subcommittee recommended the California Democrat be tried for ethics violations.
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