The Senate doesn’t trust women to make decisions about what’s best for their bodies, their lives, or their families. Apparently, it doesn’t trust clergy either. Last night, the Senate passed the Child Custody Protection Act, a federal bill that would criminalize accompanying a minor across state lines to have an abortion without her parent’s permission or knowledge. The law contains no exceptions for grandparents, adult siblings, or clergy members.

But clergy of all faiths have historically played an essential role in helping women receive abortions. In 1967, when abortion was illegal in most of this country, a group of clergy banded together to form the Clergy Consultation Service in order to help women obtain safe, but illegal, abortions. By the time Roe v. Wade was decided, the network had more than 1000 clergy members.

Should Congress have allowed clergy to exercise their conscience and minister to their congregations without the threat of violating federal law? God forbid.

– Jessica Arons

One year ago today, Congress finalized the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which lavished $14.5 billion in tax breaks on energy firms, nearly 60 percent of which went to “oil, natural gas, coal, electric utilities and nuclear power.”

One year ago, the average national gas price was $2.14. Today, it’s $3.00. The country is no closer to ending its addiction to oil, and fuel economy standards are still stuck at 27.5 miles per gallon (where they’ve been for 20 years). Meanwhile, “five of the world’s largest energy companies are expected to report combined second-quarter profits next week of more than $30 billion.”

For most Americans, this is no reason to celebrate. But most Americans aren’t “Representatives of industries who are benefiting from tax incentives available through the Energy Policy Act of 2005.” Those industry reps are holding a “celebration” of the bill on Capitol Hill today with Energy Secretary Bodman, according to a press release obtained by ThinkProgress:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Advisory

Secretary of Energy to Observe One-Year Anniversary of the Energy Policy Act of 2005

WASHINGTON, DC – On Wednesday, July 26, 2006, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman will join Senator Pete Domenici and Congressman Joe Barton to deliver remarks at an “EPAct at One” celebration. Secretary Bodman and Chairmen Domenici and Hobson are expected to discuss the importance of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, America’s first comprehensive energy legislation in over a decade. They will also highlight progress towards implementing the Act intended to increase the United States energy security and reduce its dependence on sources of energy from unstable regions of the world.

WHO: Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman
U.S. Senator Pete Domenici (NM)
U.S. Congressman Joe Barton (TX-6th)
Representatives of industries who are benefiting from tax incentives available through the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Party on.

Rumsfeld: “Oh, I don’t know. You know, I thought about that last night, and just musing over the words, the phrase, and what constitutes it. … It clearly is being stimulated by people who would like to have what could be characterized as a civil war and win it, but I’m not going to be the one to decide if, when or at all.”

The New York Times reported in 2004 that a classified National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraq laid out three possible scenarios for the future of that country. The most favorable outcome warned of continuing instability while the worst case scenario predicted a civil war. At the time, Bush casually dismissed the dire predictions, claiming the CIA was “just guessing as to what the conditions might be like.”

Despite the fact that the intelligence community’s predictions have been largely vindicated by the events in Iraq over the past two years, the Bush administration has been wary of returning to the CIA to ask for another NIE. Last Friday, Harper’s Ken Silverstein reported why there’s been a delay:

[S]ome senior figures at the CIA, along with a number of Iraq analysts, have been pushing to produce a new NIE. They’ve been stonewalled, however, by John Negroponte, the administration’s Director of National Intelligence, who knows that any honest take on the situation would produce an NIE even more pessimistic than the 2004 version. That could create problems on the Hill and, if it is leaked as the last one was, with the public as well.

Today, a group of Senators led by Harry Reid called for the development of a new NIE:

Virtually every prediction made by Administration officials about Iraq has turned out to be wrong, and it is time to get some straight answers and sound analysis. This Administration can start by having intelligence community professionals update the National Intelligence Assessment on Iraq, something that has not been done since 2004. Congress is entitled to this information, and Director Negroponte should do the right thing and see that this NIE is provided in a professional and timely manner.

Click HERE to see a copy of the letter sent to Negroponte.

The second quarter income for Conoco-Phillips, the world’s third-largest oil company, a 65 percent increase from last year.

more Iraqi civilians have been killed than have died in Lebanon and Israel.”

said Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), explaining why he won’t back Sen. Arlen Specter’s (R-PA) bill that would allow Congress to sue President Bush over his use of presidential signing statements.