NATIONAL & WORLD NEWS - June 21, 2008

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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-The Court and Workers
The Supreme Court's pro-worker decision on Thursday is notable because thecourt has appeared in recent years to go out of its way to side withcorporations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/21/opinion/21sat2.html?ref=opinion

-Louisiana's Latest Assault on Darwin
A Louisiana bill on the teaching of evolution implies that there are validcompeting scientific theories to evolution, when there are not. [...] In2006, for the first time in U.S. history, a majority of all births to womenunder 30 - 50.4 percent - were out of wedlock. Nearly 80 percent of birthsamong black women were out of wedlock. By comparison, when John F. Kennedywas elected president in 1960, just 6 percent of all births were tounmarried women under 30. Since then, the percentages have risen across theethnic spectrum. One-third of white, non-Hispanic women under 30 who gavebirth in 2006 were unmarried. For Hispanics, it was 51 percent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/21/opinion/21sat4.html?ref=opinion

-A Dubious Milestone
A lot of clowns have fathered babies when they shouldn't have, but it's alsodifficult for many people to find the kind of job that makes raising afamily feasible.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/21/opinion/21herbert.html?ref=opinion

-Bloomberg, in Florida, Blasts Rumor About Obama
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, injecting himself directly into the presidentialcampaign, forcefully denounced on Friday what he called a "whisper campaign"linking Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidentialnominee, to Islam.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/21/nyregion/21jewish.html?_r=1&oref=login


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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
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-Lawmakers' Relatives Plead Not Guilty to Fraud
A sister, brother and niece of indicted Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.)pleaded not guilty Friday to federal fraud charges accusing them ofpocketing grant money earmarked for charitable and educational programs.New Orleans tax assessor Betty Jefferson, her brother Mose Jefferson and herdaughter Angela Coleman were arraigned on charges they stole more than$600,000.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/20/AR2008062003010.html

-Obama Making Christian Push
With the Democratic presidential nomination in his grasp, Sen. Barack Obamais making a full-throttle push for centrist evangelicals and Catholics.It's a move that's caught some conservative evangelicals off guard. They saythey are surprised and dismayed to see a liberal-minded politicianattempting to conscript their troops. At the same time, they say that Sen.John McCain (R-Ariz.) has done little to court their affections.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/20/AR2008062002477.html

-Pastors Focus On Faith, Morals In Private Meeting
When Sen. Barack Obama held a recent closed-door meeting with an A-listassortment of Christian leaders, the majority of the time was spentdiscussing abortion, homosexuality and the Democrat's faith. That focusdidn't please some participants who had flown to Chicago hoping to also talkabout domestic and foreign policy matters.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/20/AR2008062002476.html


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Demand Fox stop race baiting and fear mongering
Right now, Fox News is trying to paint Barack Obama as foreign, un-American, suspicious, and scary. They're trying to send Americans the message that ourcountry's first viable Black candidate for President is not "one of us."I've joined on to ColorOfChange.org's campaign to push back on Fox, publiclydemanding they stop their race-baiting and fear mongering. If that doesn'twork, then we'll go to their advertisers and the FCC. I wanted to invite youto sign on as well. It takes only a moment:
Here's what happened recently:
After Senator Obama won the nomination, he and his wife gave each other a"pound" in front of the cameras. Fox anchor E.D. Hill called the act ofcelebration a "terrorist fist jab." Then last week, a Fox News on-screengraphic referred to Michelle Obama as "Obama's baby mama"--slang used todescribe the unmarried mother of a man's child. It was a clear attempt toassociate the Obamas with negative cultural stereotypes about Black people,an insult not only to Michelle Obama but to women and Black peopleeverywhere. After each of the incidents mentioned, Fox issued some form ofweak apology. But what does it mean when you slap someone in the face,apologize the next day, then slap them again on the third? It means theapology is meaningless. These aren't one-time incidents--they're part of apattern that continues no matter how often Fox is forced to apologize. Foxhas a clear record of attacking and undermining Black institutions, Blackleaders, and Black people in general. If we don't push back now, we will seemore of the same from now until November. Please join me in helping to bringan end to Fox's behavior.
http://www.colorofchange.org/foxobama/?id=2198-564175


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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Coastal Governors Pledge to Protect Oceans from Offshore Drilling
A bipartisan group of seven coastal governors are reiterating concerns aboutoffshore drilling as Congress actively considers proposals that would revokea 27-year moratorium on the practice.
http://markets.chron.com/chron?GUID=5797676&Page=MediaViewer&ChannelID=3197

-What will offshore drilling really mean?
President Bush's call for lifting the ban on offshore oil drilling has beencalled cruelly misleading -- and rightly so. He knows exploiting ourcoastlines won't bring down gasoline prices any time soon. In fact, a recentreport from his energy office found that increasing offshore drilling willhave no significant impact on gas prices for decades (see Verbatim at left).
http://www.miamiherald.com/456/story/578319.html

-Shift on immigration could cost McCain
The issue of illegal immigration used to set Sen. John McCain apart. Whilemany in his party called for taller fences and harsher penalties, McCainwanted to give undocumented workers a path to citizenship. When hisRepublican rivals for the presidential nomination called him soft on bordersecurity, McCain flew to Miami last June to say they were "pandering forvotes."
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article636189.ece

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