Obama to States: If You Can Do Health Reform Better, Go For It

Obama to States: If You Can Do Health Reform Better, Go For It

Shuttle Discovery takes off on its final flight

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: A NASA official describes Thursday's launch as "an amazing event"
• NEW: The 4 pieces of foam that fell off the shuttle aren't considered dangerous
• Discovery, on its 39th flight, is part of a shuttle fleet that is being retired
• Its crew will deliver a storage module and other items to the space station

(CNN) -- The Space Shuttle Discovery launched late Thursday afternoon from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the start of its 39th and final flight.
"This was a pretty successful day," said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for space operations. "It was just an amazing event."
The six-member crew will deliver a storage module, a science rig and spare parts to the international space station during its 11-day mission.
Originally scheduled for November, Discovery's launch had been delayed in order to make repairs to the external tank's support beams.

And NASA halted its countdown on Thursday, at five minutes, because of a computer problem related to safety on the "eastern range." But after a confirmation that all was good to go, the countdown resumed, and the shuttle lifted off about three minutes behind its planned 4:50 p.m. ET launch.

Five minutes in, NASA's official blog reported "a good separation for solid rocket boosters," which separated from the main shuttle after pushing the shuttle through Earth's lower atmosphere. Shortly thereafter, the blog reported that the Discovery and its astronauts were "safely in orbit," having "performed flawlessly" on its launch.
Gerstenmaier noted, and video showed, four pieces of foam tearing apart from the shuttle about four minutes into launch. But the NASA administrator called these incidents "typical" and likely harmless, since they came off "after the area of concern" when the atmosphere was so thin to make its impact negligible.
The crew is headed by Steve Lindsey, and includes a late addition in Steve Bowen -- who became the first ever astronaut to fly consecutive missions after he was assigned to take the place of Tim Kopra, when Kopra was injured last month in a bicycle accident, according to NASA.
Prior to Thursday's launch, Discovery had spent 352 days in orbit, circling the Earth 5,628 times. It has also carried 246 crew members, more than any space vehicle in history.
"In a way, it's ... sad to see the last flight," said astronaut Steven Swanson. "It's such a wonderful vehicle."
The last scheduled launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour is set for April 19 and will be commanded by Mark Kelly, the husband of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who is recovering from being shot last month in Tucson, Arizona. Atlantis is tentatively scheduled to launch during the summer.
The 30-year shuttle program should have ended a long time ago, NASA's administrator told CNN on Wednesday.
"What is not acceptable is the fact that the most powerful nation in the world, the United States of America, finds itself in a situation that we didn't do the proper planning to have a vehicle in place to replace shuttle when it lands its last landing," Charles Bolden said.

Bolden hopes that at least two commercial space companies will emerge to transport astronauts to the International Space Station. This will allow NASA to concentrate on building a new heavy-lift rocket capable of leaving lower Earth orbit.

Hopefully everything goes great up there for those men that are up there.

RAHM EMANUAL WINS CHICAGO MAYORAL VOTE

Chicago (CNN) -- Rahm Emanuel, the former chief of staff to President Barack Obama, won the Chicago mayoral election over five other challengers Tuesday, topping the 50% threshold to avoid a runoff vote, CNN projects.
With almost 75% of the vote counted, Emanuel had almost 55% of the vote, far outdistancing his rivals.
Former Chicago School Board head Gery Chico was in second place with 25%, while City Clerk Miguel del Valle had 9% and former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun had more than 8%. The other two candidates both had less than 2%.
Speaking to supporters Tuesday night, a buoyant Emanuel praised outgoing Mayor Richard M. Daley, saying it would be "a tough act to follow," then spoke to problems facing the nation's third-largest city, which is dealing with an unexpected $654 million city deficit, possible reforms to the city's pension system and rising crime.
"What makes this victory most gratifying is that it was built on votes from every corner of this city," he said, touching on an overall theme of unity. "It's easy to find differences, but we can never allow them to become divisions."
Saying his administration will be dependent "on the plural pronoun, 'we,'" Emanuel said, "We know that we face serious new challenges, and overcoming them will not be easy."

 

Emanuel also said he had spoken earlier in the evening to Obama, who extended his congratulations.
During his campaign, Emanuel proposed a series of tax cuts, as well as increasing levies for luxury services, drawing the ire of some of his opponents, and he alluded to them again Tuesday night, when he said he would work toward a balanced budget "and a playing field that is fair."
Tuesday's vote was a nonpartisan election, though the city is heavily Democratic, and the top job has long been so associated with the Daley family. Richard M. Daley has been mayor since 1989, and his father, Richard J. Daley, held the post from 1955 to his death in 1976, making them the two longest-serving mayors in the city's history.
Emanuel, 51, started his campaign in November as a relative unknown to many in his native city, despite having served three terms as a congressman, being a key aide to President Bill Clinton and Obama's chief of staff.
He worked hard to introduce himself, assembling a well-organized campaign operation and canvassing the city to deliver a series of high-profile campaign speeches as well as making 357 informal stops to meet voters -- 229 at various community locations, such as schools, grocery stories and churches and 110 at subway stations.
Emanuel also has hit the airwaves with a series of ads, buoyed by a large war chest, that touted his record and connections with Obama and Clinton while attacking his opponents.
For much of the campaign, Emanuel fought off an accusation that he was not a legal resident of Chicago and therefore could not run. The accusation stemmed from the renting of his house when he joined Obama's White House in 2009.
Emanuel maintained he never gave up his residency and defended himself at an election board hearing in December, which lasted almost 12 hours, even listing what possessions he had kept in the home: his wife's wedding dress, the family china, photo albums, a bed, a piano and a stereo, and was asked specifically where they were stored: in a storage area in the basement.
After a series of conflicting rulings the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously Emanuel's name should be on the ballot.
His opponents also accused Emanuel of being a Washington insider who avoided answering questions about some of his controversial moves.
"He is a pathological evader of the truth," Chico said Monday.
For his part, Emanuel seemed to try to stay above the fray as the front-runner.
"They can say whatever they want," he said Monday. "It doesn't matter what anybody says or what they say about me because if we don't turn this city around it is going to be harder for their kids. That has been my focus from day one."
Emanuel, well-known for his colorful personality and past demonstrations of anger, stayed low-key throughout the campaign. He exploited the popularity in Chicago of the presidents he served, having Clinton come to town and stand next to him at a high-profile event last month, and running television and radio ads using some of Obama's laudatory words during an event when Emanuel confirmed his resignation.

Emanuel also used questions regarding statements from his opponents to tout some of the achievements he helped usher in while working in the White House: putting more police officers on the street, gun measures, the Wall Street reform bill and health care reform.

Swift justice? Still no decision on trial for accused 9/11 terrorists

Summary

My opinion to attorney general eric holder i think he's not trying to make a decision to this terrorists. when is he going to make a decision? Is he ever going to make a decision? He's taking his time in making a decision that's showing the people that he's not taking his time in Making a decision aldready. Just make a decision, a decision that those criminals deserve and i think we all know what that is. This man is not trying to make a decision he's not looking out for those who lost someone in 9/11. Those criminals deserve the the worst and they should pay for what they've done. general eric should just make a decision and move on and fix another problem there might be in this world.

  

By Jim Barnett, CNN

February 18, 2011 1:00 p.m. EST

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Eric Holder: "The nation has had no higher priority" than bringing 9/11 plotters to justice
• Five suspects are charged before military commissions with participating in the 9/11 plot
• The detainees are being held at the military facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
• Attorney general has said several times that he hopes to announce a trial location soon

Washington (CNN) -- Attorney General Eric Holder gripped a black folder in his right hand as he walked briskly into the Justice Department's briefing room on the morning of Friday the 13th in November 2009.

Cameras clicked with his every step. A roomful of reporters were there to hear how the U.S. government planned to prosecute the 9/11 defendants in federal court.
Holder stepped to the podium and pulled out his prepared remarks.
"Good morning," he began, then pursed his lips slightly and clenched his jaw. "Just over eight years ago on a morning our nation will never forget, 19 hijackers working with a network of al Qaeda conspirators around the world launched the deadliest terrorist attacks our country has ever seen."
Holder told a live cable TV audience, "The nation has had no higher priority" than bringing those who planned and plotted the 9/11 attacks to justice."
For months, prosecutors at the Department of Justice had been working diligently with the Pentagon to review the case of each detainee being held at the military facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
What's happened to that "priority?" The country, the world and the defendants are still waiting.
Back in 2009, Holder called the Justice Department's decision to prosecute a "step forward."
"Today, I am announcing that the Department of Justice will pursue prosecution in federal court of the five individuals accused of conspiring to commit the 9/11 attacks," Holder said.
He expressed confidence in the court system's ability to provide a fair trial: "The alleged 9/11 conspirators will stand trial in our justice system before an impartial jury under long-established rules and procedures."
Five suspects are charged before military commissions with participating in the 9/11 plot: Khalid Sheik Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi. All five remain in Guantanamo. The attorney general has promised to seek the death penalty for each.
Five days after his news conference, the attorney general, flanked by Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, and Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, walked into the newly refurbished Senate hearing room and took his case to Capitol Hill. His audience this time: skeptical Republicans on the Judiciary Committee.
At a contentious hearing, Holder defended his decision to try the five suspected 9/11 terrorists in civilian court.
"Failure is not an option. These are cases that have to be won," the attorney general declared in closing his 10-minute opening statement. "For eight years, justice has been delayed for the victims of the 9/11 attacks."
He told lawmakers a civilian trial represents the best chance for a successful outcome.
"It is time," Holder pronounced. "It is past time to finally act. By bringing prosecutions in both our courts and military commissions, by seeking the death penalty, by holding these terrorists responsible for their actions, we are finally taking ultimate steps toward justice."
Looking straight at the lawmakers and pointing his left index finger, Holder said with a heavy emphasis on his next word, "That is why I made the decision."
As if to bring home the point, Holder concluded, "I am confident that this decision meets those goals, and that it will also withstand the judgment of history."
Four months later, on March 16, 2010, long after winter's snow had melted and the crocuses started blooming in Washington, the attorney general was back on the Hill, this time testifying in front of a House Appropriations subcommittee.
Rep. Frank Wolf, D-Virginia, looked down at Holder and asked, "When will you be making a decision on the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed issue... when do you expect that to come out?"
Holder said, "I think we are weeks away from making the determination. I don't think we're talking about months; I think we're probably weeks away."
It didn't turn out to be weeks or months, but years.
Three weeks later on April 14, the attorney general sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and once again he was asked when the Obama administration would announce details for the upcoming trials.
"Well, the administration is in the process of reviewing the decision as to where Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants should actually be tried. New York is not off the table as a place where they might be tried, but we have to take into consideration the concerns that have been raised by local officials and by the community in New York City. We expect that we will be in a position to make that determination, I think, in a number of weeks," he said.
There's that word again -- "weeks."
Then came the run-up to the midterm elections, and the country's focus shifted from Guantanamo to the economy, witches and the Tea Party.
On November 10, 2010, three days short of a year since the attorney general held his news conference, Holder joined Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and his Canadian counterparts at a cross-border crime and security forum in Washington. After Holder made an opening statement, a press handler stated that participants had time for two questions.
The first reporter asked, "Now that the elections are over, the midterm elections, I was wondering if you now are hopeful a decision in the KSM case might happen sometime soon?"
A final decision on where to try the suspects is "close," Holder said. Short on specifics, he added, "We have been working on it, and I think we are close to a decision."
"The process is an ongoing one," he said. "We are working to make a determination about the placement of that trial. I would hope whatever that decision, it will be judged on the merits, what is best for the case and the thing that will guide that decision."
2010 ended the same way 2009 did with assurances the administration would make a decision soon.
What would 2011 bring?
On January 20, Holder held another news conference, this time in New York, where the Justice Department was announcing one of the largest number of arrests of organized crime suspects in one day. Standing in front of a backdrop of legal books, Holder called the mob arrests "a step forward against the Mafia."
As the briefing wound down, a reporter changed the subject and prefaced his question by saying New York was still waiting for a decision on the 9/11 suspects. He sounded a familiar theme.
The attorney general said the administration is "trying to work through how we will bring to justice those people who perpetrated those heinous acts."
"We are still in the process of determining where the trials will be, what form they will be in, and no decision has been made. Nothing is off the table as yet. We are considering all possibilities," Holder repeated.
Which brings us to this week, when the Justice Department announced at a news conference the largest federal health care fraud takedown in U.S. history.
"At the risk of being tiresome," queried one Justice Department reporter as the briefing wound down, "do you have any update at all on when and where there might be a trial for KSM?"
Holder replied, "With regard to the trial location, that is something that we are still in the process of working on, and we hope to be able to announce a decision."
And when?
"We're working on it, and as soon as we have a decision I will announce it," Holder said.

And with that, Holder walked from the podium and the news conference ended.

DISCUSSION REFLECTION

I THINK THE DISCUSSION ON FRIDAY WAS GREAT AND IT WAS VERY INTERESTING
ALSO I MIGHT OF NOT SAID ANYTHING BUT I ACTUALLY AGREED WITH MJ WHY SHOULD THE ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTER BE BUILT 2 BLOCKS AWAY FROM GROUND ZERO?  I DON'T LIKE THE FACT THAT IMAM SAYS THAT THE RADICALS HAVE TAKEN OVER THE DISCORSE. WHAT I DEFINITELY DISAGREE ON IS THAT HE SAID WE "the united states" DESERVED WHAT HAPPENED TO US.I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY I MEAN IT'S LIKE IF HE WAS SAYING THE UNITED STATES DESERVE EVERYTHING BAD THAT HAPPENS TO US. I THINK HE'S AN ENEMY FOR THE UNITED STATES.
I DON'T AGREE AT ALL ON BUILDING THE ISLAMIC CULTURAL CENTER. I ALSO LIKED WHAT XSEIBIER WAS SAYING HE BROUGHT UP SOME GOOD POINTS. I ENJOYED LISTENING TO EVERYONE'S OPINIONS AND THE NEXT DISCUSSION I WILL BE PREPARED AND I WILL PARTICIPATE, IM KIND OF SHY BUT I WILL GET IT OUT OF ME.

Defense leaders warn of impact of budget cuts

The U.S. congress fails to pass a 2011 budget bill even though the military needs this bill the congress

wants to save money and make a short budget but at the same time the military are complaining that

their going to need more surveillance like bombs and the navy need a new submarine and other useful weapons, official are pleading for the congress to aprrove the 2011 spending levels that obama proposed

but it's hard for the congress because they're trying to save money.Less money, will risk thousands of jobs and projects.they would lose about 26 billion the budget from 2010 was this years also comparing with this year's level of spending. The congress suggested 35 billion in program cuts.But, still the congress don't know how many the Navy or Army or Airforce where each going to get out of the spending.Trade-offs are real and their going to have to get money out of other programs if the same budget is made as 2010.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Congress' failure to pass a 2011 defense budget bill is jeopardizing the military's effort to send more surveillance and attack drones into Afghanistan, as well as stymieing plans to buy a new Navy submarine, Army combat helicopters and other major weapons systems, defense leaders say.

As Pentagon officials fan out across Capitol Hill, pleading for lawmakers to approve the 2011 spending levels proposed by the Obama administration, they also are hitting lawmakers where it hurts — in their congressional districts and states. Less money in the budget, the officials said, will put at risk thousands of jobs and construction projects nationwide.

Right now the U.S. is operating under a stopgap budget extension that funds the federal government at the 2010 level. And Republicans, who control the House and gained ground in the Senate in the 2010 elections, have said they intend to use this opportunity to end dozens of programs and slash spending on many more.

Overall, the Army, Navy and Air Force say they would lose at least $26 billion if the spending level stays largely the same as 2010, compared with the larger 2011 budget request made by the administration.

"This is going to have a really significant impact on us in four main areas," Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said. "And time is not on our side. By March we'll be almost halfway through the fiscal year. Even if you get (the budget) done in March, it still is going to be hard to do some of these things."

Republican response Laying out a plan for $35 billion in program cuts and terminations Wednesday, Republicans said they were determined to keep their pledge to the American people to rein in federal spending. Some, including congressman Jeff Flake of Arizona, said he'd prefer to see even more savings.

But other lawmakers have spoken out against cutbacks in defense spending.

Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that is unacceptable that the military, in its 10th year of war, be expected to absorb such budget reductions.

Military officials were quick to say they will make sure that forces in Iraq and Afghanistan get what they need. But the cuts will affect training and equipment for troops at home — and many of those are slated for future deployments to the war zone.

On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers rolled out a plan to give the Pentagon about $518 billion, which is about $1 billion more than the 2010 level, but still well short of the $531 billion recommended in Obama's 2011 request. There were no details on how much each military service would get.

'The trade-offs are real' If the totals in the stopgap spending bill stick, the Army would lose as much as $13 billion, the Air Force about $7 billion and the Navy nearly $6 billion.

Living with those cuts, military leaders said, would force costly delays in major programs, such as the purchase of 24 hunter-killer Reaper drones used heavily in Afghanistan, the construction of a new Virginia-class submarine, a naval destroyer and an E-2D Hawkeye airborne command and control aircraft.

As an example, the decreased funding would give the Air Force $1.2 billion less for salaries and personnel costs than the 2011 funding bill, and would require shifting money around later this summer in order to meet the payroll in the final quarter of the fiscal year.

"The trade-offs are real," said Jamie Morin, assistant Air Force secretary for financial management. "We would have to pull that money from other major programs."

Air Force Maj. Gen Alfred Flowers, the deputy assistant secretary for the budget, said 36 construction projects already have been deferred, and that number could go as high as 129, for a total of $1.1 billion, if the money is not restored.

The Navy said the cuts have delayed and could jeopardize nearly 90 construction projects in 13 states, threatening up to 7,300 jobs. And it could force cancellation of major maintenance on ships, aircraft and engines that would affect another 1,300 private sector jobs.

At the same time, program delays could trigger price increases down the road. Canceling the order for a submarine this year would increase the cost of one that is already being built, Mabus said. He added that the cuts would cost the Marine Corps about a third of its procurement budget for equipment.

Army officials said the cuts could delay the awarding of contracts for a new ground combat vehicle, putting delivery of the first vehicle behind schedule. And there would be no money to buy four new Chinook transport helicopters that are used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan

Response to the Rebate

Even though i wasn't their on friday i'm pretty sure there was a lot of interesting
opinions and different points people had. What i think, healthcare is full of different opinions
from different people and my opinion is that Barack Obama has tried anything to get this issue
solved for good but their's always that one person that no matter how close it is for it to be solved
that person always finds a way to put the issue in arguments all over again. There are does who
want this issue to be solved and their are those who don't really care.Tthe President of The United
States might not have other skills that president's from the past had but he is in fact the first one that
for the first time got this issued in place of being accepted. I might not have the greatest answer but i
try and that's all that matters. Trying and risking yourself will make you a better person in life. That's
pretty much it! so see you tomorrow Mr.Palo and for sure next week's discussion i will be present.

Israel shocked by Obama's "betrayal" of Mubarak

If Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak is toppled, Israel will lose one of its very few friends in a hostile neighborhood and President Barack Obama will bear a large share of the blame, Israeli pundits said on Monday.
Political commentators expressed shock at how the United States as well as its major European allies appeared to be ready to dump a staunch strategic ally of three decades, simply to conform to the current ideology of political correctness.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told ministers of the Jewish state to make no comment on the political cliffhanger in Cairo, to avoid inflaming an already explosive situation. But Israel's President Shimon Peres is not a minister.
"We always have had and still have great respect for President Mubarak," he said on Monday. He then switched to the past tense. "I don't say everything that he did was right, but he did one thing which all of us are thankful to him for: he kept the peace in the Middle East."
Newspaper columnists were far more blunt.
One comment by Aviad Pohoryles in the daily Maariv was entitled "A Bullet in the Back from Uncle Sam." It accused Obama and his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of pursuing a naive, smug, and insular diplomacy heedless of the risks.
Who is advising them, he asked, "to fuel the mob raging in the streets of Egypt and to demand the head of the person who five minutes ago was the bold ally of the president ... an almost lone voice of sanity in a Middle East?"
"The politically correct diplomacy of American presidents throughout the generations ... is painfully naive."
Obama on Sunday called for an "orderly transition" to democracy in Egypt, stopping short of calling on Mubarak to step down, but signaling that his days may be numbered. [nN30161335]
"AMERICA HAS LOST IT"
Netanyahu instructed Israeli ambassadors in a dozen key capitals over the weekend to impress on host governments that Egypt's stability is paramount, official sources said.
"Jordan and Saudi Arabia see the reactions in the West, how everyone is abandoning Mubarak, and this will have very serious implications," Haaretz daily quoted one official as saying.
Egypt, Israel's most powerful neighbor, was the first Arab country to make peace with the Jewish state, in 1979. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, who signed the treaty, was assassinated two years later by an Egyptian fanatic.
It took another 13 years before King Hussein of Jordan broke Arab ranks to made a second peace with the Israelis. That treaty was signed by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated one year later, in 1995, by an Israeli fanatic.
There have been no peace treaties since. Lebanon and Syria are still technically at war with Israel. Conservative Gulf Arab regimes have failed to advance their peace ideas. A hostile Iran has greatly increased its influence in the Middle East conflict.