The Constitution vests in the President the power to appoint judges to the Supreme Court. It’s a duty that I take seriously, and one that I will fulfill in the weeks ahead.It’s also one of t
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Obama highlights links between climate change and public health
President Barack Obama, at at Howard University, participated in a roundtable discussion examining the impacts of climate change on human health. The group explored the role of increased airborne particulates,shifts in insect-borne diseases and heat waves on respiratory distress, illness and heat stroke in Americans.
The administration also released an array of data that details links between climate change and public health. Google and Microsoft are now using that data to help inform communities about imminent climate-related threats.
In addition, the inter-agency U.S. Global Change Research Program is also drafting a Climate and Health Assessment report to describe human health impacts emerging from changes in extreme weather events, air quality and insect-borne diseases.
EPA announces new limits on greenhouse gas emissions
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency announced new regulations designed to reduce CO2 emissions from power plants by 30% by the year 2030. The Clean Power Plan, expected to be enacted by 2015 is an effort to curtail power plant emissions, which account for 40% of total US emissions.
The new regulations follow on the heels of the EPA’s report, Climate Change Indicators in the United States that documents increased sea level rise, tropical storms and large wildfires.
Over at FiveThirtyEight, an analysis of approaches is summarized in their article, The Cap Matters Most in Cap-And-Trade Markets.
The federal plan is also hoped to motivate countries such as China and India to enact similar regulations. Whereas US power plant emissions have been in decline, China’s emission have risen 52% since 2005. Today’s announcement may be part of negotiations to occur at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, slated to meet in Paris in 2015.
Obama sinking Romneys Battleship
In their final debate in Florida, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are discussing a range of topics both foreign and domestic. The debate started slowly and then veered quickly off topic into domestic policy. Education, budgets and unemployment dominated. Libya was covered in one short section and it is surprising that Romney didn’t dig deeper on the issue to put the President on his heels. Romney looks much less aggressive than previously, perhaps feeling that he has momentum on his side. He has repeated the line, “attacking me isn’t leadership.”
Obama on the other hand, is clearly pushing the issue. He continues to press on the changes in opinion that Romney has made in his foreign policy stances over time. Romney pressed for funding the military for more ships and planes, which the US has fewer of at any time since 1916. Obama pounced on Romney telling him that he needed to spend some more time “looking at how our military works” because “the nature of our military has changed”.
In the most memorable line of the night, Obama quipped that the US also has fewer horses and bayonets than 1916. He continued to point out that we now have battleships and submarines and that military planning is not a game of Battleship, counting the total number of ships. A searing exchange that painfully underscores that Romney doesn’t fully appreciate the evolution of the modern military.
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Some tweets:
“Is that first time Romney hasn’t convinced a moderator to give him more time?” @chucktodd
“Romney sounds more like Obama’s running mate than his opponent tonight” @carr2n
Another effective line from Obama: “You keep trying to airbrush history.”
Now Romney is picking up steam and is passionate about government not investing in companies. Investment in basic research at universities is fine, but not for companies. When Obama tries to rebut, a clearly energized Romney snaps: “I’m still speaking!”
And now we’re back into domestic policy. Romney talking about foodstamps, the economy and the fact that hiring teachers won’t get us out of economic malaise. Wow, what a terrible ending. Now for the closing remarks.
Well, at times Obama painted Romney as out of touch and at others too inexperienced and “all over the map” for the Commander and Chief. From the beginning, Romney was intent on staying out of any squirmishes and did not delineate many differences with the President’s policies. Overall, a very toned-down Romney perhaps trying to show a measured approach. Romney was trying hard to address his stance on the auto bailout, which made for some strange answers.
Romney vs. Obama European speeches
Obama watches Team USA basketball
Monday night President Obama watched Kobe, Lebron and the rest of Team USA play against Brazil.
President Obama supports same-sex marriage
In an interview with ABC yesterday, President Obama went on record explaining the evolution of his personal views on same-sex marriage. The President gave, for the first time, clear support for same-sex marriage, “Personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married”.
The statement is sure to hurt the President in states like North Carolina, where the electorate recently passed a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage by a 61% vote. The decision may also dog Obama in a slew of other closely contested states like Florida, Colorado and Nevada. Still, the President left to grey area on where he stands on the issue.
The position is in sharp contrast to Mitt Romney, who is on the record as interpreting marriage as restricted to a relationship between one man and one woman.In fact, Romney stood by as his new spokesman, Richard Grenell was let go from the campaign. If Romney hoped to placate the right, he may be disappointed. AS conservative personality Bryan Fischer responded,
“… if Mitt Romney can be pushed around, intimidated, coerced, co-opted by a conservative radio talk show host in Middle America, then how is he going to stand up to the Chinese? How is he going to stand up to Putin? How is he going to stand up to North Korea if he can be pushed around by a yokel like me?”