Republicans hit Arizona immigration law

By ANDY BARR | 4/28/10 10:10 AM EDT

After staying quiet following Arizona’s passage of a controversial new immigration law, a number of national Republican voices have begun to criticize it as heavy-handed.

While none of the GOP critics who are speaking out go as far as liberal critics who have called the bill “racist,” they do believe the bill is not the correct approach and hope it prompts the federal government to step in.

Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio said in a statement Tuesday that he fears the law puts the Arizona’s police force in an “incredibly difficult position.”

“It could also unreasonably single out people who are here legally, including many American citizens,” Rubio said. “Throughout American history and throughout this administration we have seen that when government is given an inch it takes a mile.”

Texas Gov: Arizona Immigration Law 'Not Right' for Texas

Associated Press

Gov. Rick Perry said in a statement: "I have concerns with portions of the law passed in Arizona and believe it would not be the right direction for Texas."

AUSTIN, Texas  -- Arizona's tough new illegal immigration enforcement law would not be right for Texas, Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday, upholding the state's long-held tradition of rejecting harsh anti-immigrant policies.

The Arizona law will require local and state law enforcement officers to question people about their immigration status if there's reason to suspect they're in the country illegally, making it a crime for them to lack registration documents. The law also makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally.

"I fully recognize and support a state's right and obligation to protect its citizens, but I have concerns with portions of the law passed in Arizona and believe it would not be the right direction for Texas," Perry said in a written statement.

"For example, some aspects of the law turn law enforcement officers into immigration officials by requiring them to determine immigration status during any lawful contact with a suspected alien, taking them away from their existing law enforcement duties, which are critical to keeping citizens safe."

The Arizona law has been hailed by conservatives as long overdue and two Texas lawmakers have said they'll introduce similar immigration measures when the Texas Legislature meets next.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday that a Justice Department review is under way to determine the Arizona law's constitutionality.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/29/texas-governor-arizona-immigration-law-right-texas/

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday once again asked Congress not to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy before the Pentagon completes a review of it.  

In a sharply worded letter, Gates said he believes the Defense Department must be allowed to review the potential impact of repealing the ban on openly gay service members before Congress acts.

"Our military must be afforded the opportunity to inform us of their concerns, insights and suggestions if we are to carry out this change successfully," Gates wrote in response to an inquiry from House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.).

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/04/gates_to_congress_dont_vote_ye.html

The nation's new health law creates a far cheaper insurance program opening July 1 for people with pre-exisiting medical conditions. To qualify, a person can't have had health coverage for six months.

The result is it excludes people already enrolled in 35 state high risk pools offering insurance of last resort. The state pools charge high premiums — often double standard rates for healthier people in the individual market — to help cover costs.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-04-29-health-care-law-undercuts-risk-pools_N.htm?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell

Governor Brewer Makes Arizona First to Drop Abortion Funding in Health Care
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 26, 2010

Phoenix, AZ (LifeNews.com) -- State legislators in Tennessee may have beaten their colleagues in Arizona in passing a law to allow the state to opt out of some of the abortion funding in the government-run health care bill President Barack Obama signed. But Governor Jan Brewer made Arizona officially the first to have the bill become law.

As pro-life advocates in Tennessee wait for Governor Bredesen to decide if he will sign the bill there into law, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer wasted little time signing her state's version.

On Saturday at the Center for Arizona Policy Family dinner before 1600 guests, Brewer signed SB 1305 to opt Arizona out of abortion coverage in any insurance exchanges created by the new federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The first-in-the-nation law further clarifies current Arizona law prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortion by prohibiting state and local governments from offering abortion insurance coverage in employee benefit plans.

http://www.lifenews.com/state5027.html?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell

Democrats unveil immigration-reform proposal

By Perry Bacon Jr.

Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 29, 2010; 8:12 PM

Senate Democrats officially unveiled a proposal to reform America's immigration system on Thursday, looking past the fact that no Republican has offered support for the effort and President Obama a day earlier played down the chances of legislation passing this year.

Seeking to woo Republicans, the 26-page framework, which has not yet been written into a formal bill, emphasizes first taking steps to limit illegal immigration before offering new rights for those here illegally. But the REPAIR (Real Enforcement with Practical Answers for Immigration Reform) proposal, as Democrats dubbed it, also would create a pathway to legal status for an estimated 10.8 million people who are already in the country illegally, an idea opposed by many conservatives.

Under the proposal, illegal immigrants currently in the United States would be eligible for legal status in eight years, as long as they learned English, had not committed a crime and paid their taxes. The federal government would increase funding for border security and require all American workers get a new version of their Social Security card that would include a biometric identifier to protect against the creation of counterfeits.

"I say to my Republican colleagues, work with us to fix this broken system, don't just say no," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in a Thursday evening press conference.

In a statement released by the White House, Obama called the proposal "a very important step in the process of fixing out nation's broken immigration system."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/29/AR2010042904512.html

Obama Defends New Drilling Despite Suspending Plans Until Answers on Accident

FOXNews.com

President Obama expressed support Friday for new offshore drilling despite suspending all plans for drilling expansion until authorities learn what caused the explosion of the rig Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico.

"I continue to believe that domestic oil production is an important part of our overall strategy for energy security," Obama said in remarks in the White House Rose Garden. "But I've always said it must be done responsibly for the safety of our workers and our environment."

Obama said he has ordered Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to review what happened and report within 30 days. That review will examine what safeguards there should be to prevent future spills.Obama said any new oil drilling leases must have safeguards against accidents.

Earlier, the White House announced its suspension of new drilling, the morning after oil started washing up on the Mississippi shoreline.

http://www.foxnews.com//politics/2010/04/30/axelrod-new-drilling-answers-accident/

The Hill's Lawmaker Ratings

The Hill has tabulated scores that Washington advocacy organizations give members of Congress, so you can check them at thehill.com rather than roaming the Internet from site to site. We cite 31 organizations, which is a fair cross section rather than a comprehensive list. Click on a lawmaker's name to see his or her page.

http://thehill.com/resources/lawmaker-ratings

Socialists in Hungary Are Ousted in Elections

By DAN BILEFSKY

Published: April 25, 2010

PRAGUE — Hungary’s center-right Fidesz party secured a two-thirds majority in second-round parliamentary elections on Sunday, ousting the governing Socialist Party and giving it the authority to pass legislation, including crucial economic changes, without having to form alliances with the opposition.

With nearly all the votes counted, the Fidesz party, led by Viktor Orban, who promised to restore “law and order” and pull Hungary from recession, won 263 of the 386 seats in Parliament, followed by 59 seats for the Socialists and 47 seats for the far-right Jobbik party. The Jobbiks have drawn international scorn for what some critics call barely veiled anti-Semitism and language against the country’s large Roma population.

“The new government’s strong majority means they won’t have to negotiate with Jobbik and can seek to weaken their influence,” said Attila Gyulai, managing director of the Political Capital Institute in Budapest, a research and consulting firm. “Jobbik will likely respond by speaking louder and in a more spectacular way, but in policy terms, they will be outnumbered.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/26/world/europe/26hungary.html?ref=todayspaper&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell

Arizona Sets Aside Bill Requiring Presidential Candidates to Show Birth Certificates

Associated Press

A bill to require presidential candidates to show their birth certificates to get on the state's ballot is being set aside at the Arizona Legislature.

With lawmakers working toward adjournment of their annual session, the sponsor of the bill used to resurrect the proposal says it won't get a Senate vote because some fellow Republicans don't support it.

The House narrowly approved the measure last week.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/29/arizona-sets-aside-requiring-presidential-candidates-birth-certificates/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Text+-+Politics%29

NY Senator: 'You Racist People In Here'

Sen. Kevin Parker Hurls Racism Accusations At Colleagues In Albany, Calls Republicans 'White Supremacists'

ALBANY (CBS) ? It looks like the circus and childish antics are rearing their ugly head once again in Albany.

It started as an angry blow-up, and then it escalated. A state senator with a history of anger management issues says his race-based rant was part of his fight against the "evil of white supremacy."

Brooklyn State Senator Kevin Parker is a well-documented hothead, and on Wednesday he took to the airwaves to unapologetically defend his latest shouting match.

"It's par for the course for what we have to do in Albany – fighting the forces of evil," Senator Parker said.

Parker shockingly identified the "enemies" he's fighting as other senators.

"These long-term, white supremacist, you know, Republican senators," he said.

That followed a free-for-all shouting match in Albany Tuesday where Parker heatedly objected to the questions asked by a white senator, John DeFrancisco of Syracuse, of a black nominee to the New York State Power Authority.

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/kevin.parker.outburst.2.1660854.html

Economy grows at 3.2% rate in first quarter

By Neil Irwin

Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 30, 2010; 11:51 AM

The U.S. economy grew at a 3.2 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year, evidence that the economic recovery continues to plug along but that growth is not accelerating in a way that would bring down joblessness rapidly.

The first-quarter gain in gross domestic product represents a deceleration from the 5.6 percent pace of growth in the final months of 2009, and is a bit below the 3.5 percent growth analysts were forecasting.

The growth in gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic activity, was driven by a 3.6 percent rise in personal consumption expenditures. That is the largest component of GDP and suggests that American consumers are gradually coming out of their shells and returning to stores following the recession that probably ended last year.

"We're heading in the right direction. We're moving forward. Our economy is stronger," President Obama said during an appearance at the White House with workers and business leaders. However, he acknowledged that the nation's grudging recovery has not reached the point where all the damage of the downturn has been repaired.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/30/AR2010043001041.html?hpid=topnews

U.S. Mum During Iran Vote to U.N. Women's Commission

FOXNews.com

High off its success in keeping Iran from getting on the U.N.'s Human Rights Council, the U.S. appears to have missed its opportunity to object to Iran's selection to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, making no gesture of disapproval during an acclamation vote this week affirming the Islamic Republican's appointment to the 45-nation group.

A senior official with the U.S. Mission to the U.N. told FoxNews.com that the United States was powerless to stop the selection because Iran faced no competition -- a scenario that Iran took advantage of in the 2005 election too.

Iran was one of only two nations that put forward candidates to fill two empty seats for the Asian bloc for the 2011-2015 period during a round of "elections" in which no real votes were cast. The other nation was Thailand.

"Yes, the U.S. government was aware this was a possibility," said the senior official, who requested anonymity because the agency is not publicly commenting on it. "Procedurally, there was no blocking this."

As at most such commissions in the U.N., backroom deals determined who would gain new seats at the women's rights body.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/30/stayed-mum-iran-vote-womens-commission/