In an interview with Bloomberg, President Obama predicted that the unemployment rate would reach 10 percent by the end of the year. He also defended his regulatory reforms for Wall Street. “Wall Street seems to maybe have a shorter memory about how close we were to the abyss than I would have expected,” Obama said, referring to criticism of the government’s growing role in the economy and markets.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard “has warned online media of a crackdown over their coverage of the country’s election crisis.” It “said through the state news service that Iranian Web sites and bloggers must remove any materials that ‘create tension’ or face legal action.” “Iranian authorities appear to have successfully blocked all access to Facebook, MySpace and Twitter Wednesday morning.”
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) chided President Obama yesterday for not following the correct protocol in firing the inspector general of AmeriCorps. “The White House has failed to follow the proper procedure in notifying Congress as to the removal,” said McCaskill. The White House responded by releasing a letter offering more detailed reasons for the dismissal.
“The number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people killed in bias-motivated incidents increased by 28 percent in 2008 compared to a year ago,” according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. Last year’s 29 killings was also the highest number recorded since 1999, with the debates over LGBT issues being “possible flash points” that are sparking a “backlash.”
In a 2003 lecture at the Indiana University law school, Judge Sonia Sotomayor expressed skepticism about “the expanded government surveillance powers in the USA Patriot Act. In particular, Sotomayor cited “what she referred to as its broader authority ‘to impose nationwide wiretaps with little judicial supervision‘ and to monitor Internet use in search of terrorists.”
Members of Congress are increasingly concerned about that the NSA’s “recent intercepts of the private telephone calls and e-mail messages of Americans are broader than previously acknowledged.” In an interview with the New York Times, Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) disputed claims that the overreach was inadvertent. “Some actions are so flagrant that they can’t be accidental,” said Holt.
“The CIA is urging the suppression” of portions of a May 2004 inspector general report that describe “in graphic detail how the agency handled its detainees.” The CIA argues “that the material could damage ongoing counterterrorism operations by laying bare sensitive intelligence procedures and methods.” The White House is supposed to to release any additional portions of the report by Friday.
A new report from the State Department finds that “the global economic crisis is boosting the demand for human trafficking because of a growing demand for cheap goods and services. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton writes today in the Washington Post, “The United States is committed to building partnerships with governments and organizations around the world, to finding new and more effective ways to take on the scourge of human trafficking.”
The Hill reports that “centrist House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are working together privately on healthcare reform” but the talks are so secret that lawmakers interviewed “refused to name other legislators involved.” The group has “been discussing both the policies and politics of moving their middle-of-the-road ideas in a body of Congress usually dominated by liberal or conservative ideology.”
And finally: Tonight is the 48th Annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) expects to be the only woman to suit up. “I’m proud to be representing my gender this year, but the only way I’ll get to play is if the GOP team is 30 runs ahead,” she joked to Roll Call. Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA), “the most notable female player in Congressional baseball history,” won’t be on the field tonight, but instead watching from the stands with her husband and infant son. She said that she’s tried to recruit other women for the game, but hasn’t had any “takers.”
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