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Justice

After Court Rejects Discriminatory Redistricting Plan, New Texas Map Creates Four Additional Minority-Friendly Districts

By Scott Keyes on Nov 23, 2011 at 6:29 pm

After a federal court threw out Texas Republicans’ redistricting map this month because it discriminated against minorities, a three-judge panel today released a new map that will significantly boost minority representation in Congress.

Though the Republican-controlled Texas legislature was originally tasked with drawing the state’s new congressional districts, the map they produced was not only highly-partisan, but discriminated against the state’s burgeoning minority population. Texas, which is one of a handful of states that must get federal approval under the Voting Rights Act for new redistricting maps, saw its proposal nixed by the District Court of DC two weeks ago. As a result, three federal judges in San Antonio were charged with creating a new map for next year’s elections.

Their proposal today is far more equitable for Texas’ growing minority population, particularly Latinos. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund praised the new plan, calling it an “important victory for Latinos in Texas.” It creates a new “Latino opportunity district” in South Texas (TX-35) where Latino voters won’t be disenfranchised or split up, but rather enabled to elect a candidate of their choosing. In total, four new districts will boost minority representation.

Given the Texas’ Latino surge, it’s no surprise that the original map was thrown out in favor one that was fairer to minorities. Over the past decade, two-thirds of Texas’ population growth has been Latinos, while blacks accounted for another 22 percent. Whites increased by just four percent since 2000.

This population boom earned Texas four new congressional seats, the largest gain of any state. Currently, Republicans enjoy a 23-9 advantage among Texas’ 32 seats, but redistricting analyst Charles Kuffner did a thorough examination of the new districts and predicted that after the dust settles next year, Democrats would gain four seats. The Houston Chronicle, meanwhile, predicted a possible three-seat pickup for Democrats.

Interested parties have until Friday to comment on the court’s proposed map. Kuffner predicts the map “will be finalized by Monday the 28th, which is the opening of filing season, though I hear that could possibly get pushed back a day.”

Economy

This Thanksgiving, Many Who Once Donated To Food Banks Are Asking For Help Themselves

By Marie Diamond on Nov 23, 2011 at 6:25 pm

While some eager shoppers are preparing to wait in long lines when their favorite stores open on Black Friday, many Americans are already lining up at food banks, simply hoping to put food on the table this Thanksgiving.

In a heartbreaking report, CBS chronicles the plight of “America’s new poor” — many of whom used to be the very people who donated to food banks. But with millions out of work, foreclosure rates still high, and the country’s economic outlook as bleak as ever, yesterday’s givers have become today’s takers.

Take Forsyth County, near Atlanta. Despite having the highest average household income in Georgia, hundreds of these “newly-needy” file into local food banks:

“People lost their jobs and went from great incomes to no incomes,” said Sandy Beaver [who] leads The Place, Forsyth County’s biggest non-profit center for social services. She calls those who visit The Place “the new poor.” The Place’s main mission: Feed the hungry. [...]

“Many of our people who have come for assistance used to be our donors. And they’ll say, ‘I never thought I’d have to do this, never in my wildest dreams.’” [...]

People like these married retirees in their 70s, too embarrassed to appear on camera…They retired comfortably in their early 50s. But now, after bad investments, a ruined portfolio, and costly medical issues, they qualify for food stamps – and could lose the house.

“Taking the food was really tough,” the woman said. “The hard part was, we used to give it, and now I’m taking it back, you know?” she said, crying.

At one Forsyth high school, 8 percent of kids now get free lunch, double the number three years ago. And unfortunately, the situation Forsyth is not unusual. One in six Americans — 49 million people — isn’t sure where their next meal will come from. A record 15 percent of Americans are now receiving food stamps — a jump of about two-thirds since 2007.

Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, who are returning from combat to face higher unemployment rates than nearly any other group, are also struggling to get by. Raymond Price, an Afghanistan vet, says “All I want is a job. I don’t really want anybody’s handouts.” But with a family to feed, he came by a food bank last week for a box of non-perishables.

This holiday season, please consider donating to a local food bank. You can find one nearby or donate online through the Feeding America website. You can also give to Operation Homefront, a group that provides assistance to military families.

Health

Expand Access, Not Exemptions

By Guest Blogger on Nov 23, 2011 at 6:00 pm

Our guest blogger is Jessica Arons, director of the Women’s Health and Rights Program at American Progress.

As the Obama Administration debates whether to expand an exemption to a new health insurance requirement to cover all FDA-approved methods of contraception, there are some important facts to keep in mind:

– The average woman spends five years pregnant, postpartum, or trying to get pregnant, and at least 30 years trying to avoid pregnancy.

– More than 99 percent of women of reproductive age who have had sexual intercourse have used at least one method of family planning.

– Contraception is the most commonly prescribed medication for women ages 18 to 44

– Eighty-eight percent of voters support access to birth control

– Approximately three-quarters of Americans agree that insurance should cover contraception

– Fifty-eight percent of pill users rely on oral contraception at least in part for non-contraceptive reasons

– Eighteen percent of women on the pill reported inconsistent use, such as skipping doses, as a cost-cutting measure

Under the Affordable Care Act, or the ACA, women will benefit from greatly expanded access to contraception—which has been shown to improve health. But this important consumer protection is at risk of being undermined by an unreasonably expansive religious exemption.

Congress recognized that cost was a major barrier for women in accessing care. In response, it passed the Women’s Health Amendment, which required health plans to cover preventive services for women with no cost-sharing such as co-pays. Contraception was included among the comprehensive list of services deemed preventive based on an assessment of their effectiveness by the Institute of Medicine, an independent body of experts that issues unbiased, evidence-based guidance on matters of importance to public health. Read more

NEWS FLASH

Massachusetts Becomes 16th State To Protect Transgender People From Discrimination | Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has signed into law “An Act Relative To Gender Identity,” which adds “gender identity and expression” to the state’s hate crimes law as well as existing civil rights laws that protect from discrimination in employment, housing, education, and credit. “No individual should face discrimination because of who they are,” Patrick said. “This legislation gives Massachusetts the necessary tools to stop hate crimes against transgender people and to treat others fairly. I am proud to sign it.” Massachusetts is now the 16th state (plus the District of Columbia) to include protections for transgender people.

Related Posts

Security

Quinnipiac Poll Poses Factually Inaccurate Questions Assuming Iran Has A Nuke Weapons Program

By Eli Clifton on Nov 23, 2011 at 5:30 pm

The press release for Quinnipiac University’s National Poll leads with the findings that “American voters say Iran sanctions aren’t working. … 50 percent say bomb Iran if sanctions don’t work.” But an examination of the polling questions reveals some surprising bias and outright misstatement of facts by the pollsters. Take the following questions:

43. How closely have you been following news about Iran’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons – Would you say you have been following it very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all?

44. Do you consider Iran’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons to be a very serious threat to U.S. national security, a somewhat serious threat, not a very serious threat or not a threat to U.S. national security?

45. How effective do you think the U.S. and its allies policy of economic sanctions against Iran have been in preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, very effective, somewhat effective, not too effective, or not effective at all?

46. Do you think the U.S. should take military action to prevent Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon or not?

47. (If No q46) If the economic sanctions are unable to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program, do you think the U.S. should take military action to prevent Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon or not?

48. If Israel were to attack Iran to stop its nuclear weapons program, would you want the U.S. to, support Israel’s military action, oppose Israel’s military action, or would you want the US to stay neutral?

Either Quinnipiac University has information about Iran’s nuclear program that wasn’t available to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), or the entire Iran section of the poll was full of leading questions assuming Iran has a nuclear weapons program. Earlier this month, a senior Obama administration official told the National Journal:

The IAEA does not assert that Iran has resumed a full scale nuclear weapons program nor does it have a program [sic] about how advanced the programs really are.

The IAEA report did flag a number of “serious concerns” about Iran’s nuclear program but came up well short of asserting that Tehran had resumed its halted nuclear weapons program from 2003.

While Quinnipiac University’s findings that “50 percent of U.S. voters support military action if sanctions fail” are disturbing, the pollsters may have seriously misled respondents by suggesting that there is conclusive evidence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program or that a military attack could be effective in destroying Iran’s alleged weapons program. Indeed, such assertions, and the resulting polling statistics, serve to tilt public opinion toward preemptive military action when intelligence reports paint a far more complex picture of Iran’s nuclear program and the extremely risky outcomes of an Israeli and/or U.S. airstrike.

When reached for comment, Douglas Schwartz, director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, declined to answer questions about the poll’s questions or methodology. He told ThinkProgress, “The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute stands by its questions and by its results.”

Climate Progress

Google Phases Out Clean Energy R&D in Favor of Deployment, Citing the “Compelling” Cost Reductions in Solar PV

By Stephen Lacey on Nov 23, 2011 at 5:16 pm

Media incorrectly report Google is abandoning renewables. In fact, the company is increasing clean energy investments.

Buried at the bottom of an innocuous “spring cleaning” post on Google’s blog yesterday, the internet giant made a very important announcement: it will stop funding its Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal (RE<C) initiative.

But that’s not the whole story. And if you believe the headlines — “Google Abandons Renewable Energy Push” or “Are Google’s Green Days Over?” — you might think this is a negative development. But if you look at the details, it’s a story about how the company is adapting to a changing market and actually increasing investments in renewables.

Announced in 2007 by Google, RE<C was focused on driving down the cost of renewable electricity (mostly solar and geothermal) to meet the cost of generating electricity from coal. The initiative funded R&D in capital-intensive, early-stage technologies that would enable cheaper Enhanced Geothermal Systems and Concentrating Solar Power projects.

But Google says it’s now shifting its focus to project financing rather than R&D, citing the need for more sophisticated research on CSP technologies beyond Google’s scope, and the rapidly changing economics of solar PV:

Over the last few years, we’ve seen a lot of progress in clean energy. We’re excited that some technologies are so quickly approaching cost competitiveness with traditional forms of energy in parts of the US and the world. Power tower technology has come a long way, too. But the installed cost of solar photovoltaic technology has declined dramatically over the past few years, making solar photovoltaic technology a compelling choice for consumers.

At this point, other institutions are better positioned than Google to take this research to the next level. So we’ve published our results to help others in the field continue to advance the state of power tower technology, and we’ve closed our efforts. We will continue our work to generate cleaner, more efficient energy—including our on-campus efforts, procuring renewable energy for our data centers, making our data centers even more efficient and investing more than $850 million in renewable energy technologies.

Although the news was hidden at the bottom of a blog post, this is a pretty important announcement. (Only at Google would they casually “spring clean” millions of dollars in R&D investments for renewable energy).

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE OR COMMENT

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Climate Progress

Van Jones and Bill McKibben: Making Some Noise to Protect the Future of the 99 Percent

By Climate Guest Blogger on Nov 23, 2011 at 5:08 pm

wendyannibell via Flickr

by Van Jones and Bill McKibben in a HuffPo repost

If you wanted one word to sum up this year, it’s “noisy.” From Tahrir Square to Zuccotti Park, people who have gotten tired of the old politics have started grabbing the microphone away from the authorities and speaking themselves. And not just speaking; chanting, drumming, singing-conjuring up a new future.

As 2011 draws to a close, diplomats from almost every country will be gathering in Durban, South Africa to talk about global warming. After the warmest year on record, and endless flood and drought, you’d think they’d be digging in for real change. But, alas, they seem likely to just go on spinning their wheels, unwilling to challenge the power of the fossil fuel industry. Leaders of the world’s major economies are privately admitting that they’re unlikely to reach a global deal until 2016 at the earliest. So here too people will need to raise their voices.

But since climate change is the first truly global problem, those people have to figure out how to raise a common message, one that crosses the boundaries of language. The best method — proven in countless social movements — may be music. Earlier this week, the global climate campaign 350.org launched “Radiowave.” It’s designed to take a single powerful song, and use it as the focus of a campaign that will sweep down Africa, one country at time, for the next few weeks, finally landing in South Africa just as the UN’s climate conference begins.

“People Power” (radio version) by 350RadioWaves. Uploaded with Gobbler

The song is written and performed by a who’s who of African musicians, from Angelique Kidjo to Maria Daulne and Ahmed Soultan. Hip Hop star Talib Kweli performs the opening verse. It’s in English and French, but also Berber, Arabic, Xhosa, Zulu, Setswana, Zolani Maholo, and Fon. But it’s not just the beat that crosses borders; the sentiment, once translated, will make sense to anyone suffering the early effects of climate change. As the South African hip hop star Jabulani Tsambo puts it:

Read more

Health

Gingrich-Endorsed Health Care Expert Don Berwick Forced To Resign As A Result Of GOP Filibuster

By Igor Volsky on Nov 23, 2011 at 5:08 pm

This afternoon, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) chief Don Berwick announced that he would resign next week, following strong Republican opposition to his recess appointment and slim chances of winning Senate confirmation for a full term. The former pediatrician and Harvard professor — who has spent his career developing ways to improve care quality — came under intense criticism from Republicans for praising the British health care system and suggesting that the government should play a larger role in controlling health care spending.

Berwick’s resignation is not a reflection on his performance. He has overseen crucial initial reforms and established a vision that will help the agency — and his replacement Marilyn Tavenner — move forward in implementing the reform. But Republicans lined up against him in order to rally their base and shift the conversation from job creation to tearing down Obama’s signature accomplishment during an election year. Their criticism had less to do with concerns about “rationing” of care and more with preventing the Affordable Care Act from succeeding in lowering health care spending.

After all, it was the current Republican presidential frontrunner Newt Gingrich who in 2000 and then again in his 2006 book “Saving Lives & Saving Money” praised Berwick for his passionate belief that quality-care focused systems improve health outcomes and reduce health care spending — and many other conservatives (including former Bush health officials) shared and espoused this vision. From Gingrich’s 2000 editorial:

The Veterans Administration’s Palo Alto Health Care System is creating a computerized patient medical record system. The new Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago was designed from its conception to be a safer, more accurate and more electronic facility. Don Berwick at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement has worked for years to spread the word that the same systematic approach to quality control that has worked so well in manufacturing could create a dramatically safer, less expensive and more effective system of health and health care.

Berwick fell to the right’s hyper politicization of health care reform and his decision to step down serves as another example of Republicans turning their backs on their own ideas in order to attack the president and his health care law.

Justice

Senate Judiciary Commitee Slows Confirmation Hearings In The Wake of GOP Obstructionism

By Ian Millhiser on Nov 23, 2011 at 5:00 pm

DC Circuit Nominee Caitlan Halligan

From the moment President Obama took office, Senate Republicans waged a campaign of delay and obstruction against his judicial nominees. Indeed, the problem became so bad that conservative Chief Justice John Roberts felt the need to speak out about the urgent vacancy crisis this campaign created. So it is very unfortunate that a key Senate committee recently decided to roll back the pace of confirmation hearings:

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has decided to slow down nomination hearings to give time to confirm pending nominees.

There are currently 23 nominees awaiting final votes in the Senate. Some, as in the case of Caitlin Halligan of Washington, D.C., have been waiting more than 400 days for a vote.

The committee on Nov. 16 met and decided to slow down the nomination hearings.

As a practical matter, this development is unlikely to slow the confirmations process more than its current snail’s pace. Because the Judiciary Committee operates under the radical assumptions that 1) a majority of the committee should get to actually approve a nominee; and 2) the minority should not be allowed to delay votes indefinitely, this Committee has actually managed to clear nominees at a reasonable pace.

The same cannot be said, however, for the Senate floor. There, of course, it takes 60 votes to get nearly anything done — but it really takes all 100 votes to get anything done quickly. That’s because the Senate’s broken rules allow dissenting senators to impose crippling delays on the body as a whole any time the majority tries to advance something that anyone at all objects to. As a result, President Obama’s nominees consistently clear the committee. And then wait. And wait. And wait.

So the Judiciary Committee’s decision to slow down hearings really just brings one of the Senate’s still functioning arms in line with it’s completely broken floor process. Nevertheless, it is an unfortunate development. By generating a backlog of nominees awaiting confirmation, the committee could at least hope to embarrass obstructionists into action. Now, they won’t even have that lever at their disposal anymore.

NEWS FLASH

Polish Nationalists Adopt No Gay Sex Logo | Poland’s far right National Rebirth of Poland party has registered two symbols: one, a Celtic cross employed by other nationalist movements, the other an illustration of two men having sex with a bar through it. The country’s gay rights groups and Robert Biedron — Poland’s first openly-gay member of parliament — are strongly condemning the logo, characterizing it as a symbol that taps “directly into fascist, neo-facist and xenophobic traditions, and intolerance.” The overwhelming majority of Poles oppose extending any rights to gays and lesbians.

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