Las Vegas (CNN) -- President Barack Obama threw his full support behind a comprehensive overhaul of U.S. immigration laws on Tuesday, saying "now's the time" to replace a system he called "out of date and badly broken."
Speaking at a majority Hispanic high school in Las Vegas, Obama said "a broad consensus is emerging" behind the issue across the country, with signs of progress in Congress.
However, he acknowledged a fierce debate ahead on an issue he described as emotional and challenging, but vital to economic growth and ensuring equal opportunity for all.
"At this moment, it looks like there's a genuine desire to get this done soon. And that's very encouraging," Obama said, later adding: "This time, action must follow. We can't allow immigration reform to get bogged down in an endless debate."
The president spoke a day after eight senators -- four from each party -- introduced a framework for overhauling the immigration system that would provide an eventual path to citizenship for most of the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in America.
While touted as a breakthrough by its drafters, the plan was similar in many aspects to previous immigration reform efforts that have failed in recent years.
Exit polls in November indicated that Latino voters overwhelmingly supported Obama over GOP challenger Mitt Romney, who had advocated a policy that amounted to forcing undocumented immigrants to deport themselves. Obama won Nevada, a battleground state with a large Hispanic population.
Obama appeared on Tuesday at Del Sol High School, which has a 54% Hispanic student body, according to U.S. News and World Report rankings. The president, in his speech, specified three pillars of immigration reform: better enforcement of immigration laws, providing a path to citizenship for the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the country, and reforming the legal immigration system.
To earn the opportunity for citizenship, Obama said undocumented immigrants must first pass a background check, learn English, pay a penalty, and then get "in the back of the line" behind people trying to come to America legally. Millions of undocumented immigrants would get immediate but provisional status to live and work in the United States, under the compromise plan crafted by the senate group. That outline also called for strengthening border controls, improved monitoring of visitors and cracking down on hiring undocumented workers. Only after those steps occurred could undocumented immigrants already in the country begin the process of getting permanent residence -- green cards -- as a step toward citizenship, the senators said at a news conference on Monday.
Before Obama spoke on Tuesday, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said any legislation based on the framework he helped draft must include tougher law enforcement sought by conservatives to get his vote. "We need border security, we need workplace enforcement, we need a visa tracking system," Rubio said, adding later that would oppose a bill that lacked language guaranteeing that "nothing else will happen unless these enforcement mechanisms are in place."
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Military to open combat to women
CNN
By Chris Lawrence, with reporting from Barbara Starr
The U.S. military is ending its policy of excluding women from combat and will open combat jobs and direct combat units to female troops, multiple officials told CNN on Wednesday.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will make the announcement Thursday and notify Congress of the planned change in policy, the officials said.
"We will eliminate the policy of 'no women in units that are tasked with direct combat,'" a senior defense official said.
The officials cautioned, however, that "not every position will open all at once on Thursday." Once the policy is changed, the Department of Defense will enter what is being called an "assessment phase," in which each branch of service will examine all its jobs and units not currently integrated and then produce a timetable for integrating them.
By Chris Lawrence, with reporting from Barbara Starr
The U.S. military is ending its policy of excluding women from combat and will open combat jobs and direct combat units to female troops, multiple officials told CNN on Wednesday.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will make the announcement Thursday and notify Congress of the planned change in policy, the officials said.
"We will eliminate the policy of 'no women in units that are tasked with direct combat,'" a senior defense official said.
The officials cautioned, however, that "not every position will open all at once on Thursday." Once the policy is changed, the Department of Defense will enter what is being called an "assessment phase," in which each branch of service will examine all its jobs and units not currently integrated and then produce a timetable for integrating them.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Obama unveils sweeping gun plan, concedes tough fight ahead
STAR TRIBUNE
Article by: PAUL WEST, KATHLEEN HENNESSEY and RICHARD SIMON
WASHINGTON -- Pledging to "put everything I've got into this," a somber President Obama unveiled the most sweeping proposals for curbing gun violence in two decades, pressing a reluctant Congress to pass universal background checks and bans on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines like the ones used in the Newtown, Conn., school shootings.
Surrounded by children who wrote him letters seeking curbs on guns, Obama committed himself to a high-profile and politically volatile campaign behind proposals assembled by Vice President Joe Biden that will test the administration's strength heading into the next four years. The first big push of Obama's second term, then, will come on an issue that was not even on his to-do list on Election Day when voters renewed his lease on the presidency. "I will put everything I've got into this," Obama said, "and so will Joe."
The emotionally charged ceremony, attended by family members of those killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, reflected a decision by the White House to seize on public outrage to challenge the political power of the National Rifle Association and other forces that have successfully fought new gun laws for decades.
The plan, which includes 23 executive actions, was described as a major initiative by advocates on both sides of the debate. The most important parts of Obama's plan will require congressional approval. They include a federal ban on the sale of military-style assault weapons, with fewer loopholes than the 1994 law that expired in 2004. Several states already have such bans. The president also wants to reinstate an earlier ban on sales of magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds.
Obama also wants to expand the background-check system to encompass all gun purchases, including the nearly 40 percent that are estimated to occur at gun shows and in private sales. Six states require background checks on all firearms sold at gun shows, according to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
Federally licensed gun dealers are already required to run checks to ensure that potential buyers have not been convicted of a felony or domestic violence, or committed to a mental institution. But for years, the National Rifle Association and its allies in Congress have blocked universal background checks.
Obama said his response to that opposition will be to try to mobilize public support. "I tell you, the only way we can change is if the American people demand it," Obama said.
Obama announced numerous initiatives. He said the background-check system would be strengthened by, among other steps, making it easier for states to share information about mentally ill persons who should be prohibited from owning guns. He also proposed spending for increased training in the areas of school safety and metal health.
The price tag of the package is nearly $4.5 billion, the White House said. Most of it -- $4 billion -- would subsidize the cost of keeping 15,000 police on the streets, renewing a portion of an earlier Obama jobs initiative that failed to gain approval in Congress.
Foes of gun control condemned Obama's actions, calling them an infringement of the rights of gun owners and an ineffective response to gun violence. Typical was the response of Sen. Marco Rubio, a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate, who said Obama "is again abusing his power by imposing his policies via executive fiat instead of allowing them to be debated in Congress."
The NRA echoed its criticisms of Obama. "Attacking firearms and ignoring children is not a solution to the crisis we face as a nation," the group said in a statement. "Only honest, law-abiding gun owners will be affected and our children will remain vulnerable to the inevitability of more tragedy."
Article by: PAUL WEST, KATHLEEN HENNESSEY and RICHARD SIMON
WASHINGTON -- Pledging to "put everything I've got into this," a somber President Obama unveiled the most sweeping proposals for curbing gun violence in two decades, pressing a reluctant Congress to pass universal background checks and bans on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines like the ones used in the Newtown, Conn., school shootings.
Surrounded by children who wrote him letters seeking curbs on guns, Obama committed himself to a high-profile and politically volatile campaign behind proposals assembled by Vice President Joe Biden that will test the administration's strength heading into the next four years. The first big push of Obama's second term, then, will come on an issue that was not even on his to-do list on Election Day when voters renewed his lease on the presidency. "I will put everything I've got into this," Obama said, "and so will Joe."
The emotionally charged ceremony, attended by family members of those killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, reflected a decision by the White House to seize on public outrage to challenge the political power of the National Rifle Association and other forces that have successfully fought new gun laws for decades.
The plan, which includes 23 executive actions, was described as a major initiative by advocates on both sides of the debate. The most important parts of Obama's plan will require congressional approval. They include a federal ban on the sale of military-style assault weapons, with fewer loopholes than the 1994 law that expired in 2004. Several states already have such bans. The president also wants to reinstate an earlier ban on sales of magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds.
Obama also wants to expand the background-check system to encompass all gun purchases, including the nearly 40 percent that are estimated to occur at gun shows and in private sales. Six states require background checks on all firearms sold at gun shows, according to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
Federally licensed gun dealers are already required to run checks to ensure that potential buyers have not been convicted of a felony or domestic violence, or committed to a mental institution. But for years, the National Rifle Association and its allies in Congress have blocked universal background checks.
Obama said his response to that opposition will be to try to mobilize public support. "I tell you, the only way we can change is if the American people demand it," Obama said.
Obama announced numerous initiatives. He said the background-check system would be strengthened by, among other steps, making it easier for states to share information about mentally ill persons who should be prohibited from owning guns. He also proposed spending for increased training in the areas of school safety and metal health.
The price tag of the package is nearly $4.5 billion, the White House said. Most of it -- $4 billion -- would subsidize the cost of keeping 15,000 police on the streets, renewing a portion of an earlier Obama jobs initiative that failed to gain approval in Congress.
Foes of gun control condemned Obama's actions, calling them an infringement of the rights of gun owners and an ineffective response to gun violence. Typical was the response of Sen. Marco Rubio, a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate, who said Obama "is again abusing his power by imposing his policies via executive fiat instead of allowing them to be debated in Congress."
The NRA echoed its criticisms of Obama. "Attacking firearms and ignoring children is not a solution to the crisis we face as a nation," the group said in a statement. "Only honest, law-abiding gun owners will be affected and our children will remain vulnerable to the inevitability of more tragedy."
Monday, January 14, 2013
2012 was hottest year ever...by far!
Public Opinion
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today affirmed that 2012 was the hottest year on record for the continental United States.
Globally, the past 36 years have been warmer than the 20th century average and each of the past 5 decades has been warmer than the last. According to weather observer Timothy W. Hawkins, Shippensburg University associate professor of geography and earth science, Shippensburg saw its second hottest year since records were kept starting in 1933.The average temperature was 55.3 degrees in 2012, compared to the previous record of 55.9 degrees in 1998.
NOAA also announced this month that 2012 was the second most expensive year on record for U.S. weather disasters that cost more than $1 billion. Its list of states affected by severe weather shows that most of the country suffered from climate change-related extremes, including extensive heat
and drought, western wildfires and the destruction from Sandy, which rode in on a super-high tide due to rising sea levels. "Unfortunately, this won't be the last time we break records like this," said Angela Anderson, the director of the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "The longer we delay reducing emissions, the more climate change we're going to lock in. The price tag for dealing with unchecked climate change makes the fiscal cliff look like a crack in the sidewalk."
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today affirmed that 2012 was the hottest year on record for the continental United States.
Globally, the past 36 years have been warmer than the 20th century average and each of the past 5 decades has been warmer than the last. According to weather observer Timothy W. Hawkins, Shippensburg University associate professor of geography and earth science, Shippensburg saw its second hottest year since records were kept starting in 1933.The average temperature was 55.3 degrees in 2012, compared to the previous record of 55.9 degrees in 1998.
NOAA also announced this month that 2012 was the second most expensive year on record for U.S. weather disasters that cost more than $1 billion. Its list of states affected by severe weather shows that most of the country suffered from climate change-related extremes, including extensive heat
and drought, western wildfires and the destruction from Sandy, which rode in on a super-high tide due to rising sea levels. "Unfortunately, this won't be the last time we break records like this," said Angela Anderson, the director of the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "The longer we delay reducing emissions, the more climate change we're going to lock in. The price tag for dealing with unchecked climate change makes the fiscal cliff look like a crack in the sidewalk."
Monday, January 7, 2013
Obama signs fiscal cliff deal; raises taxes on wealthy
(CNN) -- President Barack Obama has signed into law a bill to avert the fiscal cliff, a day after the House and Senate approved the much-debated legislation.
Obama, who returned to his family vacation in Hawaii after Tuesday's House vote, signed the bill via autopen on Wednesday.
But new battles over taxes and spending await Washington in the next few weeks.
Congress averted that self-built precipice late Tuesday when the House voted to stave off widespread tax increases and deep spending cuts by accepting a brokered Senate compromise. It makes permanent the Bush administration's tax cuts for individuals earning less than $400,000 per year and couples earning less than $450,000.
It raises rates on those who make more than that from 35% to 39.6%, bringing back a top tax bracket from the Clinton administration, and will raise roughly $600 billion in new revenues over 10 years, according to various estimates.
The bill also extends unemployment insurance and delays for two months the threat of sequestration -- a series of automatic, across-the-board cuts in federal spending.
Economists had predicted the combination of those tax increases and spending cuts could have thrown the U.S. economy back into recession and driven unemployment back into the 9% range.
Obama, who returned to his family vacation in Hawaii after Tuesday's House vote, signed the bill via autopen on Wednesday.
But new battles over taxes and spending await Washington in the next few weeks.
Congress averted that self-built precipice late Tuesday when the House voted to stave off widespread tax increases and deep spending cuts by accepting a brokered Senate compromise. It makes permanent the Bush administration's tax cuts for individuals earning less than $400,000 per year and couples earning less than $450,000.
It raises rates on those who make more than that from 35% to 39.6%, bringing back a top tax bracket from the Clinton administration, and will raise roughly $600 billion in new revenues over 10 years, according to various estimates.
The bill also extends unemployment insurance and delays for two months the threat of sequestration -- a series of automatic, across-the-board cuts in federal spending.
Economists had predicted the combination of those tax increases and spending cuts could have thrown the U.S. economy back into recession and driven unemployment back into the 9% range.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Club in Colorado legally celebrates New Year with pot
Denver (CNN) -- A small group of New Year's Eve revelers here ditched the traditional champagne toast, lighting up joints instead at a newly opened marijuana club.
The members-only Club 64 is the first of its kind to open in Colorado since November when voters approved Amendment 64, which legalized possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use.
The club opened on New Year's Eve at 4:20 p.m. -- another significant number among pro-pot advocates -- to a small, but enthusiastic crowd of about a dozen people, all over the age of 21. Each member paid a $29 fee, allowing them to bring their own weed and smoke anywhere on the premises.
Not all of Colorado's marijuana advocates are celebrating. "Much of our success with Amendment 64 was making the soccer moms comfortable," said one advocate who campaigned to pass the amendment and declined to be named for fear of creating a rift within the marijuana advocacy community. "This is not the fight we want to have right now."
Despite new laws in Colorado and Washington state, federal law still prohibits recreational marijuana use. It's unclear if the federal government will step in and try to stop either state's laws from being enacted.
The advocate expressed concern that unregulated marijuana clubs in Colorado could create a bad impression on voters who supported the measure. "We have not only an opportunity but a responsibility to demonstrate to America this can work."
In a carefully worded statement, the advocacy director of Yes on Amendment 64 said that while Club 64 poses no risk to the community, it does put at risk the advances their cause has made.
"We can best demonstrate that regulation is a much safer approach to marijuana policy than prohibition through the careful and swift creation of regulated businesses," Betty Aldworth said.
Those who showed up at Club 64 Tuesday weren't interested in making sure "soccer moms" would approve of their behavior. They just wanted to celebrate their recent victory at the ballot box by ringing in the new year with their now legal drug of choice.
"The voters of Colorado have said we want cannabis to be legalized and we want a bunch of like-minded adults to be able to get together and exercise their constitutional rights together and that's what Club 64 embodies," said club owner Rob Corry.
The members-only Club 64 is the first of its kind to open in Colorado since November when voters approved Amendment 64, which legalized possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use.
The club opened on New Year's Eve at 4:20 p.m. -- another significant number among pro-pot advocates -- to a small, but enthusiastic crowd of about a dozen people, all over the age of 21. Each member paid a $29 fee, allowing them to bring their own weed and smoke anywhere on the premises.
Not all of Colorado's marijuana advocates are celebrating. "Much of our success with Amendment 64 was making the soccer moms comfortable," said one advocate who campaigned to pass the amendment and declined to be named for fear of creating a rift within the marijuana advocacy community. "This is not the fight we want to have right now."
Despite new laws in Colorado and Washington state, federal law still prohibits recreational marijuana use. It's unclear if the federal government will step in and try to stop either state's laws from being enacted.
The advocate expressed concern that unregulated marijuana clubs in Colorado could create a bad impression on voters who supported the measure. "We have not only an opportunity but a responsibility to demonstrate to America this can work."
In a carefully worded statement, the advocacy director of Yes on Amendment 64 said that while Club 64 poses no risk to the community, it does put at risk the advances their cause has made.
"We can best demonstrate that regulation is a much safer approach to marijuana policy than prohibition through the careful and swift creation of regulated businesses," Betty Aldworth said.
Those who showed up at Club 64 Tuesday weren't interested in making sure "soccer moms" would approve of their behavior. They just wanted to celebrate their recent victory at the ballot box by ringing in the new year with their now legal drug of choice.
"The voters of Colorado have said we want cannabis to be legalized and we want a bunch of like-minded adults to be able to get together and exercise their constitutional rights together and that's what Club 64 embodies," said club owner Rob Corry.
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