Future of VOTING RIGHTS at stake before the Supreme Court

Story by NBC News
Written by Pete Williams

Before the current U.S. Supreme Court term ends in late June, the justices will decide the fate of the most potent part of a law widely considered the most important piece of civil rights legislation ever passed by Congress ― the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Signed by President Lyndon Johnson and renewed by Congress four times since then, most recently in 2006, a key provision requires states with a history of discrimination at the polls to get federal permission before making adjustments to their election procedures.

The requirement applies to major changes, such as redrawing congressional district boundaries, and minor ones, like moving the locations of polling places. The law was at the core of the legal battles last year that blocked strict new voter ID laws in Texas and South Carolina.

Under the pre-clearance requirement, nine entire states, 12 cities and 57 counties elsewhere are presumed to be acting improperly whenever they seek election changes. They must get permission from either the Justice Department or a special panel of three federal judges.

Shelby County, Ala., is urging the Supreme Court to strike down two provisions of the Voting Rights Act ― the pre-clearance requirement and the map of covered jurisdictions.

"This is based on criteria that came from the 1964 presidential election. It's 47, 48 years old," says Frank "Butch" Ellis, the Shelby County attorney.

"The South has changed in that 48 years. It's not current. It's not relevant anymore," he says.

The areas covered by the law, Shelby County argues, include localities that have made substantial reforms but miss other parts of the nation that have failed to root out discrimination at the polls.

Four years ago, the Supreme Court narrowly rejected a challenge to the pre-clearance requirement. But the court's decision strongly suggested that several justices had doubts about the law's constitutionality, given recent electoral reforms. "Things have changed in the South," said the 2009 majority opinion. "Blatantly discriminatory evasions of federal decrees are rare."

The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (LDF) says the current map is a close enough fit to cover the areas of greatest concern. "Congress is not a surgeon with a scalpel when it acts to legislate across the 50 states. But it can reasonably attack discrimination where it finds it," the group says.

When the court heard the case in February, LDF lawyer Debo Adegbile conceded that the South has made progress. "But some things remain stubbornly the same, and the sustained effort to deny African-Americans the franchise is part of Alabama's history to this very day," he said.

The Supreme Court's more liberal members noted that most voter discrimination lawsuits come from areas in the 16 states covered in whole or in part by the law. "The formula seems to be working pretty well in terms of going after the actual violations on the ground and who's committing them," said Justice Elena Kagan.

But the court's conservatives said Congress failed to consider the most up-to-date evidence when it last renewed the law in 2006. "Is it the government's submission that the citizens in the South are more racist than the citizens in the North?" asked Chief Justice John Roberts.

If the court strikes down the challenged parts of the law, the remainder of the Voting Rights Act would remain in effect, including provisions that allow civil rights groups to challenge election changes one-by-one. But that is a less effective strategy, they say.

Using those lawsuits, by themselves, "continues to be an inadequate remedy to address the problem of these successive violations," Adegbile said.

George Zimmerman defense team loses key rulings in Trayvon Martin case

Story by Yahoo News
Written by David T. Cook of the Christian Science Monitor

A Florida judge on Tuesday barred lawyers from mentioning controversial texts and photos by Trayvon Martin in opening arguments – one of several defeats for George Zimmerman's defense.

A judge in Sanford, Fla., ruled Tuesday against George Zimmerman’s defense team on several key issues in preparation for his trial on charges of second-degree murder in the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in February 2012.

In a two-hour hearing at the Seminole County Courthouse, Circuit Judge Debra Nelson ruled that defense attorneys will not be able to mention Trayvon’s past marijuana use, his suspension from school, or his alleged participation in fights in their opening statements.

The rulings came after Mr. Zimmerman’s defense team recently posted online photos and text messages from Trayvon’s cellphone. The texts included several about being a fighter, smoking marijuana, and being ordered to move out of his home by his mother. The photos included a picture of what appeared to be a .40 caliber handgun, the Orlando Sentinel notes.

Serving Those Who Serve America

President Barack Obama participates in a Memorial Day wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., May 27, 2013.

Yesterday, President Obama traveled to Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate Memorial Day, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and thanking our armed forces for their dedication and service:

"Let it be our task, every single one of us, to honor the strength and the resolve and the love these brave Americans felt for each other and for our country. Let us never forget to always remember and to be worthy of the sacrifice they make in our name."



"It is here, on this hallowed ground, where we choose to build a monument to a constant thread in the American character -- the truth that our nation endures because it has always been home to men and women who are willing to give their all, and lay down their very lives, to preserve and protect this land that we love.

That character -- that selflessness -- beats in the hearts of the very first patriots who died for a democracy they had never known and would never see. It lived on in the men and women who fought to hold our union together, and in those who fought to defend it abroad -- from the beaches of Europe to the mountains and jungles of Asia. This year, as we mark the 60th anniversary of the end of fighting in Korea, we offer a special salute to all those who served and gave their lives in the Korean War. And over the last decade, we’ve seen the character of our country again -- in the nearly 7,000 Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice on battlefields and city streets half a world away....

On this Memorial Day, and every day, let us be true and meet that promise. Let it be our task, every single one of us, to honor the strength and the resolve and the love these brave Americans felt for each other and for our country. Let us never forget to always remember and to be worthy of the sacrifice they make in our name."

Faith - A message from President Obama

Good morning --

On Sunday, I was in Moore, Oklahoma. Today, I'm headed to the Jersey Shore. Those two communities are separated by half a continent but united by a common sense of purpose. Like Joplin, Tuscaloosa, and New Orleans, they are home to people who've seen nature at its worst and humanity at its best. And they're filled with those who have made the choice to rebuild after disaster, to come back stronger than ever.

The scene on the ground this weekend was one we all know too well: homes wrecked and neighborhoods devastated. But the memories I'll take away from Moore will be of people standing tall, of neighbor helping neighbor, of survivors working to ensure that no one suffers through tragedy alone. And that too, was strikingly familiar. I could have been back in Brigantine Beach after Hurricane Sandy. I could have been in Joplin in 2011.

It's because of those past experiences in places like New Jersey and Missouri that I have faith that Moore will emerge from the wreckage of this tornado stronger than ever. And that's in part because I know that they won't undertake the road to recovery alone. This was a national tragedy, and that demands a national response.

If you want to help, the best way to support those affected by this storm is to make a financial contribution to the voluntary organization of your choice. The best way to volunteer is to affiliate with an organization that is already providing support to survivors.

We've set up a page to help steer you in the right direction. Check it out to get started:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/oklahoma

Thank you,


President Barack Obama

President Obama's Weekly Address: Giving Thanks to Our Fallen Heroes this Memorial Day

In this week’s address, President Obama commemorates Memorial Day by paying tribute to the men and women in uniform who have given their lives in service to our country.

President Obama Delivers Morehouse College Commencement Address

President Obama speaks at the Morehouse College commencement ceremony.

“It is one of the great honors of my life to be able to address this gathering here today,” President Obama told the graduates. He spoke about Morehouse’s history, and “ the unique sense of purpose that this place has always infused -- the conviction that this is a training ground not only for individual success, but for leadership that can change the world.”

“Your generation is uniquely poised for success unlike any generation of African Americans that came before it,” President Obama said.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t have work -- because if we’re honest with ourselves, we know that too few of our brothers have the opportunities that you’ve had here at Morehouse. In troubled neighborhoods all across this country -- many of them heavily African American -- too few of our citizens have role models to guide them. Communities just a couple miles from my house in Chicago, communities just a couple miles from here -- they’re places where jobs are still too scarce and wages are still too low; where schools are underfunded and violence is pervasive; where too many of our men spend their youth not behind a desk in a classroom, but hanging out on the streets or brooding behind a jail cell.

My job, as President, is to advocate for policies that generate more opportunity for everybody -- policies that strengthen the middle class and give more people the chance to climb their way into the middle class. Policies that create more good jobs and reduce poverty, and educate more children, and give more families the security of health care, and protect more of our children from the horrors of gun violence. That's my job. Those are matters of public policy, and it is important for all of us -- black, white and brown -- to advocate for an America where everybody has got a fair shot in life. Not just some. Not just a few.

“But along with collective responsibilities, we have individual responsibilities,” the President said. “As Morehouse Men, you now wield something even more powerful than the diploma you’re about to collect -- and that’s the power of your example. So what I ask of you today is the same thing I ask of every graduating class I address: Use that power for something larger than yourself.”

So, yes, go get that law degree. But if you do, ask yourself if the only option is to defend the rich and the powerful, or if you can also find some time to defend the powerless. Sure, go get your MBA, or start that business. We need black businesses out there. But ask yourselves what broader purpose your business might serve, in putting people to work, or transforming a neighborhood. The most successful CEOs I know didn’t start out intent just on making money -- rather, they had a vision of how their product or service would change things, and the money followed.

Some of you may be headed to medical school to become doctors. But make sure you heal folks in underserved communities who really need it, too. For generations, certain groups in this country -- especially African Americans -- have been desperate in need of access to quality, affordable health care. And as a society, we’re finally beginning to change that.

“And finally, as you do these things, do them not just for yourself, but don't even do them just for the African American community. I want you to set your sights higher,” President Obama said. “It’s not just the African American community that needs you. The country needs you. The world needs you.”

Success may not come quickly or easily. But if you strive to do what’s right, if you work harder and dream bigger, if you set an example in your own lives and do your part to help meet the challenges of our time, then I’m confident that, together, we will continue the never-ending task of perfecting our union.

As commencement speakers at black schools, the Obamas pile on the homework

Story by Washington Post
Commentary By Courtland Milloy

In recent commencement addresses to black college graduates, President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama really piled on the homework.

“Be a good role model, and set a good example for that young brother coming up,” the president told graduates at Morehouse College in Atlanta on Sunday. “If you know someone who isn’t on point, go back and bring that brother along.”

The first lady gave out similar assignments to Bowie State grads on Saturday.

“So, if you have friends or cousins or siblings who are not taking their education seriously, shake them up,” she said. “Go talk some sense into them. Get them back on track.”

This emphasis on personal responsibility has long been a staple of the Obamas’ commencement speeches, no matter the venue. But their mandate for black graduates tends to be far more demanding — and is usually aimed at correcting some bad black behavior — than anything they ask of graduates at predominantly white schools.

“I know some of you came to Morehouse from communities where life was about keeping your head down and looking out for yourself,” Obama told graduates at the all-male, historically black college. “Maybe you feel like you escaped, and you can take your degree, get a fancy job and never look back. . . . But I will say it betrays a poverty of ambition if all you think about is what goods you can buy instead of what good you can do.”

Obama might well have singled out those who had “escaped” for special admiration. They had, in fact, avoided the traps that lead so many young black men to prison or the morgue. Instead, the president all but discounted their achievements, injecting the unseemly specter of a “poverty of ambition” and raising the insulting prospect of their interests becoming limited to shopping sprees.

Some have speculated that Obama is simply trying to strike a political balance between calling for individual responsibility and advocating a larger role for government. Or, maybe he was just showing whites that he wasn’t the “food stamp” president.

Others have noted, correctly, that many black audiences appreciate having the Obamas occasionally give them a Bill Cosby-esque beat down.

“If you look at the transcripts of the speeches by the president and first lady to black audiences, you’ll see that the lines about personal responsibility get applause,” Andra Gillespie, a political scientist at Emory University in Atlanta, told me. “Black people have always been critical of the irresponsible. But these things were usually discussed behind closed doors. Now, because of the news media, everything is out in the open.”

And yet, there is something vaguely contemptuous about the president’s style of criticism when addressing black audiences. Invariably, his rosy rhetoric comes with insensitive scolding — his mesmerizing visage leaving them oblivious to the blood he has drawn.

“We’ve got no time for excuses,” Obama said at Morehouse, adding, “Nobody is going to give you anything that you haven’t earned.”

If Obama thinks that is an appropriate commencement message, why doesn’t he ever say such things to white graduates? When he gives commencement addresses at the Naval and Air Force academies this month, will he tell them to stop raping those female recruits?

Last year, Obama spoke to graduates at Barnard College in New York. His words to the young women were laudatory, almost fawning, and unconditionally supportive.

“Fight for your seat at the table,” he said. “Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table. And if you’re willing to do your part now, if you’re willing to reach up and close that gap between what America is and what America should be, I want you to know that I will be right there with you.”

In his address to black graduates at Hampton University in 2010, however, Obama took a different tack. He cautioned them against being so obsessed with themselves that they lose sight of their “separate responsibility” to serve and sacrifice.

“And now it falls to you, the Class of 2010, to write the next great chapter in America’s story, to meet the tests of your own time, to take up the ongoing work of fulfilling our founding promise,” Obama said.

But, unlike at Barnard, he wouldn’t be “right there” with them.

“I’m looking forward to watching,” Obama told the Hampton grads.

And no doubt criticizing, too.

Tiger: Sergio remark 'wrong, hurtful, inappropriate'

Tiger Woods on Wednesday responded to the racially insensitive remark made by Sergio Garcia, saying the comment was “wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate.”

At the European Tour awards dinner on Tuesday night in Wentworth, England, Garcia was asked by Golf Channel’s Steve Sands, who was emceeing the event, whether he would invite Woods over for dinner at the U.S. Open.

Garcia replied, according to multiple media reports: “We will have him round every night. We will serve fried chicken.”

Garcia apologized within an hour of the original comment, saying in a statement that he “answered a question that was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner.”

Woods released a statement via his Twitter account at 8:40 a.m. ET Wednesday. He wrote: “The comment that was made wasn’t silly. It was wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate. I’m confident that there is real regret that the remark was made. The Players ended nearly two weeks ago and it’s long past time to move on and talk about golf.”

News-Talk P1s start day with Radio

Story by Inside Radko

Core news/talk listeners are the most likely of all radio users to begin their day with broadcast radio, especially at home. More than half (54%) say they make radio their first media occasion, according to a breakout of 11,985 news/talk station database members who participated in Jacobs Media’s Techsurvey9.

But the survey found news-talk fans are less likely than fans of other formats to be heavy radio listeners. And the format ranked second from the bottom on the “net promoter” scale, a measure of how likely someone is to recommend the station to others. An older skewing format, core news/talk listeners are less likely to interact with radio through Facebook than other format. They’re also more likely to use LinkedIn as their second social media choice. When it comes to building relationships with radio, news/talk partisans prefer email. They’re also more likely to subscribe to satellite radio, listen to podcasts and own a car equipped with a digital dashboard.

“News/talk fans are especially likely to start their day with radio, but from there, it’s tablets, satellite radio, on demand, and a host of other information sources,” Jacobs Media president Fred Jacobs said during a webinar yesterday.

Just 15% of news/talk radio listeners say they’re listening less to radio, with a lack of enjoyment for the programming the top-cited cause. That’s almost double the percentage of listeners who gave that reason among all formats. The study was fielded online from January 29- February 19. While the sample of core or P1 listeners is non-projectable, such listeners often contribute up to 80% of a station’s listening.

President Obama Speaks on the Oklahoma Tornadoes

This morning, President Obama delivered a statement on the devastating tornadoes and severe weather affecting Oklahoma. He described the response efforts underway, and assured the people of Moore and all the affected areas that they "would have all the resources that they need at their disposal."

"Americans from every corner of this country will be right there with them, opening our homes, our hearts to those in need," President Obama said. "Because we're a nation that stands with our fellow citizens as long as it takes. We've seen that spirit in Joplin, in Tuscaloosa; we saw that spirit in Boston and Breezy Point. And that’s what the people of Oklahoma are going to need from us right now."

As the response effort develops, here is a list of resources for those affected:

Department of Homeland Security
On Twitter: @DHSgov
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/homelandsecurity

FEMA
On Twitter: @FEMA
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/FEMA
Blog Updates from FEMA

American Red Cross
Latest updates
On Twitter: @RedCross
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/redcross

Donations - Physical and Monetary - to Oklahoma tornado victims.

Please continue to pray for all those affected.

Send Physical Donations to:
KVSP-FM/Power 103.5 – Perry Broadcasting
1528 N.E. 23rd Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73111

Interview Contact:
Terry Monday
405-503-3858 ( try calling & sending text)
largefathermonday@hotmail.com



To Send Monetary Help:

Red Cross
The Oklahoma City Red Cross ( http://www.redcross.org/ok/oklahoma-city )will open shelters as first responders assess damage. The organization says in the immediate aftermath, the best way to help is to donate at RedCross.org or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10.00 donation

Salvation Army
The Salvation Army ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/20/www.donate.salvationarmyusa.org ) has mobilized a number of emergency relief services in Oklahoma, including Moore, to dispense food, hydration and emotional support to first responders and survivors. Donate online or text STORM to 80888 to contribute $10 to the Salvation Army’s relief efforts or make a donation via phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

Parliament-Funkadelic Live 1976

George Clinton, Bernie Worrell, Glen Goins, the Brides of Funkenstein, Gary Shider, Eddie Hazel, Fuzzy Haskins, Bootsey Collins, and recently departed bassist Cordell "Boogie" Mosson. The Entire FunkMob is here that all the funk-a-teers spoke of that witnessed the Mothership land at a Funk Fest near you. Full screen and dig.

The Death of Truth: Chris Hedges Interviews Julian Assange

Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, at a press conference during a court appearance for a verdict on an extradition request in London, Feb. 24, 2011. (Photo: Andrew Testa / The New York Times)

Story by Truthdig and The Nation Magazines
Chris Hedges Interview with Julian Assange

Corporate totalitarianism is spreading rapidly, and it’s not just Assange or Manning they want. It is all who dare to defy the official narrative.

London - A tiny tip of the vast subterranean network of governmental and intelligence agencies from around the world dedicated to destroying WikiLeaks and arresting its founder, Julian Assange, appears outside the red-brick building on Hans Crescent Street that houses the Ecuadorean Embassy. Assange, the world’s best-known political refugee, has been in the embassy since he was offered sanctuary there last June. British police in black Kevlar vests are perched night and day on the steps leading up to the building, and others wait in the lobby directly in front of the embassy door. An officer stands on the corner of a side street facing the iconic department store Harrods, half a block away on Brompton Road. Another officer peers out the window of a neighboring building a few feet from Assange’s bedroom at the back of the embassy. Police sit round-the-clock in a communications van topped with an array of antennas that presumably captures all electronic forms of communication from Assange’s ground-floor suite.

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), or Scotland Yard, said the estimated cost of surrounding the Ecuadorean Embassy from June 19, 2012, when Assange entered the building, until Jan. 31, 2013, is the equivalent of $4.5 million.

Britain has rejected an Ecuadorean request that Assange be granted safe passage to an airport. He is in limbo. It is, he said, like living in a “space station.”

“The status quo, for them, is a loss,” Assange said of the U.S.-led campaign against him as we sat in his small workroom, cluttered with cables and computer equipment. He had a full head of gray hair and gray stubble on his face and was wearing a traditional white embroidered Ecuadorean shirt. “The Pentagon threatened WikiLeaks and me personally, threatened us before the whole world, demanded that we destroy everything we had published, demanded we cease ‘soliciting’ new information from U.S. government whistle-blowers, demanded, in other words, the total annihilation of a publisher. It stated that if we did not self-destruct in this way that we would be ‘compelled’ to do so.”

“But they have failed,” he went on. “They set the rules about what a win was. They lost in every battle they defined. Their loss is total. We’ve won the big stuff. The loss of face is hard to overstate. The Pentagon reissued its threats on Sept. 28 last year. This time we laughed. Threats inflate quickly. Now the Pentagon, the White House and the State Department intend to show the world what vindictive losers they are through the persecution of Bradley Manning, myself and the organization more generally.”

Assange, Manning and WikiLeaks, by making public in 2010 half a million internal documents from the Pentagon and the State Department, along with the 2007 video of U.S. helicopter pilots nonchalantly gunning down Iraqi civilians, including children, and two Reuters journalists, effectively exposed the empire’s hypocrisy, indiscriminate violence and its use of torture, lies, bribery and crude tactics of intimidation. WikiLeaks shone a spotlight into the inner workings of empire—the most important role of a press—and for this it has become empire’s prey. Those around the globe with the computer skills to search out the secrets of empire are now those whom empire fears most. If we lose this battle, if these rebels are defeated, it means the dark night of corporate totalitarianism. If we win, if the corporate state is unmasked, it can be destroyed.

U.S. government officials quoted in Australian diplomatic cables obtained by The Saturday Age described the campaign against Assange and WikiLeaks as “unprecedented both in its scale and nature.” The scope of the operation has also been gleaned from statements made during Manning’s pretrial hearing. The U.S. Department of Justice will apparently pay the contractor ManTech of Fairfax, Va., more than $2 million this year alone for a computer system that, from the tender, appears designed to handle the prosecution documents. The government line item refers only to “WikiLeaks Software and Hardware Maintenance.”

The lead government prosecutor in the Manning case, Maj. Ashden Fein, has told the court that the FBI file that deals with the leak of government documents through WikiLeaks has “42,135 pages or 3,475 documents.” This does not include a huge volume of material accumulated by a grand jury investigation. Manning, Fein has said, represents only 8,741 pages or 636 different documents in that classified FBI file.

There are no divisions among government departments or the two major political parties over what should be Assange’s fate. “I think we should be clear here. WikiLeaks and people that disseminate information to people like this are criminals, first and foremost,” then-press secretary Robert Gibbs, speaking for the Obama administration, said during a 2010 press briefing.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, and then-Sen. Christopher S. Bond, a Republican, said in a joint letter to the U.S. attorney general calling for Assange’s prosecution: “If Mr. Assange and his possible accomplices cannot be charged under the Espionage Act (or any other applicable statute), please know that we stand ready and willing to support your efforts to ‘close those gaps’ in the law, as you also mentioned. …”

Republican Candice S. Miller, a U.S. representative from Michigan, said in the House: “It is time that the Obama administration treats WikiLeaks for what it is—a terrorist organization, whose continued operation threatens our security. Shut it down. Shut it down. It is time to shut down this terrorist, this terrorist Web site, WikiLeaks. Shut it down, Attorney General [Eric] Holder.”

Link to read more: http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/16322-the-death-of-truth-chris-hedges-interviews-julian-assange

Documentary "War on Whistle Blowers"

Link: http://www.waronwhistleblowers.com/

Doug Banks deposits new contract at AURN.

Briefing by Inside Radio

American Urban Radio Networks has signed a new, two-year contract with Doug Banks to continue hosting his syndicated afternoon show through 2015. AURN handles both syndication and ad sales for the program. The urban AC “V-103” WVAZ, Chicago-based “Doug Banks Radio Show” airs on about 30 stations. AURN has distributed the show since July 2010.

Over 500 People At Victory Vigil With Radio One Cleveland

Story by UrbanInsite
Photo by WERE Cleveland

Thursday, May 9th over 500 people gathered at Veterans Memorial Bridge to march for Radio One Cleveland’s “Victory Vigil” in honor Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, the three young women held captive for more than 10 years. The vigil brought together people from all walks of life to celebrate the safe return of these three women and bring awareness to other missing people and their families.

NABOB says feds shortchange urban radio.

Story by Inside Radio

A congressional report estimates three quarters of a billion dollars were spent by the federal government on advertising during fiscal 2011. Two-thirds of that came from the Department of Defense, with Health and Human Services, Treasury, Transportation and Homeland Security also spending tens of millions of dollars. But the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters says its members receive a “very small share” and it’s targeting the category to change that.

“Many black-owned broadcast stations receive no federal ad dollars,” according to the group, which says many stations aren’t even aware there are dollars up for grabs until they hear a spot on a competing station. NABOB says the problem lies in how the money is spent. Typically each federal agency decides where to place its ad dollars through its own advertising agency. The result, says NABOB, is that those agencies place buys within their existing “old boy advertising universe.”

The first step in their initiative to change that is to lay the groundwork. NABOB is encouraging members to contact their members of Congress as well as the federal agencies, and report back their findings. In a time when a lot of operators are struggling, NABOB says receiving a “fair share” of federal advertising “could mean the difference between survival and failure.”

Senator Claire McCaskill speaks on Mother and First Lady Michele Obama

As a mom who raised her kids while serving in office, I know how hard it can be to juggle all the demands of work with getting the kids ready for school and making it home in time for family dinner.

That's why I'm so thankful for the strong female role models in my life who showed me that it was possible to have a demanding career and a family.

For women today, I can't think of a better example than First Lady Michelle Obama who shows that it is possible to make a real difference in the lives of millions of Americans -- while still remaining 100-percent committed to your family.

You and thousands of others have added your name to this Mother's Day card for the First Lady. There's still time to share it with your friends and family so they can add theirs.
Link: https://my.democrats.org/page/share/MothersDayShare?firstname=First+Name&lastname=Last+Name&email=ktanter%40radio-one.com&zip=20706&utm_medium=email&utm_source=obama&utm_content=1+-+You+and+thousands+of+others+have+added+y&utm_campaign=em13_20130512_dnc_ps&source=em13_20130512_dnc_ps

The First Lady does incredible work with veterans and their families -- and she's also leading the charge against childhood obesity with the Let's Move! campaign. But she also makes time to sit down with her family for dinner every night, go to Sasha and Malia's recitals and basketball games, and be there for her husband.

She's a true inspiration to millions of women across this nation -- and I'd love it if you'd join me in telling her that.

Invite your friends and family to add their names to this Mother's Day card for the First Lady, and we'll make sure she gets all of our messages of support:

http://my.democrats.org/Mothers-Day

All the best,

Claire

Senator Claire McCaskill
Missouri

P.S. -- Don't forget to wish your own mom a happy Mother's Day today!

President Obama's Weekly Address: Growing the Housing Market and Supporting Our Homeowners

President Obama discusses the housing market, and urges Congress to confirm Mel Watt to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency and take action to give every responsible homeowner the chance to refinance and save money on their mortgage.

Sign Mothers Day Card for the First Lady Michele Obama

Kirk --

Thanks for wishing the First Lady a happy Mother's Day.

Now, invite your friends and family to join you. Share the card on Facebook:

http://my.democrats.org/MothersDay-fbshare

And Twitter:

http://my.democrats.org/MothersDay-twshare

Or copy and paste the text below into an email.

Thanks!

Ali

Ali Rozell
Democratic National Committee

-------------FORWARD THIS----------------

Hey -- I just signed a card wishing First Lady Michelle Obama a happy Mother's Day.

She deserves to know that people like you and me appreciate her. Will you join me in signing her card?

http://my.democrats.org/MothersDay-ems

Thanks!

Hero Charles Ramsey rescues the 3 Cleveland girls kidnapped for 10 years

Cleveland's local ABC affiliate caught an interview with Charles Ramsey, the man who found Amanda Berry & Gina DeJesus.

No Second Class Families

Ben Jealous (photo by NAACP)

Commentary by NAACP President Ben Jealous

African Americans have spent much of our history fighting for equal treatment. Just two generations ago, our parents and our grandparents were banned from eating at certain restaurants, attending certain schools, and working in certain professions.

So it is not difficult to empathize with the struggle of immigrants in our country. Like our ancestors who migrated from the former slave states of the Deep South, millions of undocumented immigrants move to the United States each year to find work and a decent education for their children. But when they arrive, they are confronted with blatant discrimination and racial profiling - with hardly any legal recourse and little public outrage.

As people of color, we have a responsibility to stand up for social justice whenever it is violated. That is why the NAACP has joined other civil rights and human rights organizations, including the Rights Working Group and the Leadership Conference of Civil and Human Rights, to support comprehensive immigration reform.

Across the country, an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants live in a permanent second-class status. Many immigrants come to the U.S. to find a better life, but find themselves living in the shadows, in constant fear of arrest and deportation. This segregation has a cost.

Undocumented workers are exploited on a regular basis. Many business owners pay low wages and provide dangerous working conditions for their undocumented workers, with little fear of retaliation. They know that their employees have too much at stake to risk contacting the proper authorities.

Undocumented immigrants are also targeted by police. Racial profiling has been legalized in states like Alabama and Arizona under the guise of immigration enforcement. Our national immigration laws, in conjunction with these state laws, encourage local police to stop people of color, whether they are undocumented or not.

Right now Congress is debating a comprehensive immigration bill that will offer a roadmap to citizenship and also deal directly with workplace discrimination and racial profiling. One proposed provision allows undocumented immigrants to have the full protection of American labor laws. Another one explicitly prohibits racial profiling by Homeland Security agents - which would make it the first federal law to do so.

The bill in its draft form is not perfect. The racial profiling provision needs adjustments that are being debated at the time of this writing. The draft bill also contains provisions that would eliminate the diversity visa program - which helps many African and Caribbean immigrants come to America - and dramatically expand the guest worker program. The NAACP and our allies will continue to make our voice heard as Congress debates the bill.

In August 1963 a sea of diverse activists stormed the National Mall to demand social justice and an end to segregation. In April 2013 a similarly diverse wave of legal immigrants, undocumented immigrants, and activists of all backgrounds gathered at the United States Capitol to call an end to second-class citizenship. The March on Washington pressured Congress to pass the Civil Rights Acts. This year, we need to show Congress again that American of all stripes care about progressive reform.

As Dr. King said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. African Americans have spent much of our history fighting for fair treatment and equal opportunity. We must also offer support to our immigrant brothers and sisters. If we want to escape the sins of our past, we must ensure there are no second class families today.

Ben Jealous is president/CEO of the NAACP.
Contact: Ben Wrobel 917-846-0658 bwrobel@naacpnet.org @NAACPPress

What President Obama Said to the New Graduates at Ohio State

President Barack Obama delivers the commencement address during The Ohio State University commencement at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, May 5, 2013. (White House Photo by Pete Souza).

The Ohio State University is an institution that dedicates itself to “Education for Citizenship” -- the Buckeye motto emblazoned on the school seal.

So when President Obama spoke to the Class of 2013 at the school's graduation, citizenship was his theme.

"As citizens, we understand that it’s not about what America can do for us," he said. "It’s about what can be done by us, together, through the hard and frustrating but absolutely necessary work of self-government. And, Class of 2013, you have to be involved in that process."

The President made a pitch for civic connection -- for participation in public life, for engagement in national debates, for community service. He pointed to those who stand up in moments of crisis -- running toward the damage inflicted by the bombs in Boston to care for survivors, helping neighbors dig out from Hurricane Sandy last fall -- as examples.

"We've seen courage and compassion, a sense of civic duty, and a recognition we are not a collection of strangers; we are bound to one another by a set of ideals and laws and commitments, and a deep devotion to this country that we love," he said. "And that's what citizenship is."

Above all, he urged survivors to break through the cycle of cynicism that too often cripples progress in this country.

"Only you can make sure the democracy you inherit is as good as we know it can be," President Obama told the graduates. "But it requires your dedicated, and informed, and engaged citizenship. And that citizenship is a harder, higher road to take, but it leads to a better place."

Bulls close game with 10-0 run to stun Heat in Game 1

Story by AP

MIAMI -- Nate Robinson was spitting blood in the first half, then delivered the deepest cuts of the night in the final moments. And the Chicago Bulls reminded the Miami Heat that no one in the NBA plays them any tougher.

Yes, the streakbusters struck again.

Robinson scored 27 points, Jimmy Butler added 21 points and a career-high-tying 14 rebounds, and the Bulls beat Miami 93-86 on Monday night in Game 1 of the teams' Eastern Conference semifinal series. The team that snapped Miami's 27-game winning streak in the regular season -- the second-longest in NBA history -- found a way to topple the champs again, this time ending a run of 12 straight Heat victories overall.

"I've played on some tough teams," Robinson said. "But this one, there's something a little different, something special about this group."

A seven-point deficit midway through the fourth wasn't enough to doom the Bulls, who finished the game on a 10-0 run in the final 1:59. And to think, the Bulls weren't anywhere near full strength. Kirk Hinrich was out again with a calf injury. Luol Deng isn't even expected to rejoin the team until Tuesday, after dealing with an illness apparently so severe that a spinal tap -- and other tests since -- were needed to rule out things like meningitis.

"So proud of my team man, this bed might be good luck after all," Deng wrote on Twitter after the game, with a photo of him in a hospital bed.

Oh, and Derrick Rose remains sidelined, as he's been since April 2012.

No problem. The Heat are 41-3 in their last 44 games -- with two of those losses to the Bulls, who are now 3-2 against Miami this season.

"I think when you're facing adversity, you have to be mentally tough," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "But this is just one game. We have to play a lot better in our next one."

LeBron James got his MVP trophy from Commissioner David Stern before the game, then struggled to a two-point first half before finishing with 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Miami. Dwyane Wade added 14 for the Heat, who had no one else in double figures, finished shooting 40 percent from the floor and were outrebounded 46-32.

"I'm not stunned," James said. "This is what the playoffs is all about. We're going against a really good team."

Miami was outscored 35-24 in the fourth, something that drew the ire of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra afterward.

"There's no excuses," said Spoelstra, whose team had not played in more than a week. "We're not making any excuses for time off or anything else."

LeBron James wins Most Valuable Player honors from the NBA

LeBron James accepts his fourth MVP award with his sons by his side. Only Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have won 4 MVP awards in the history of the NBA before LeBron James (Video by AP)

President Obama's Weekly Address: Fixing our Immigration System and Expanding Trade in Latin America

President Obama describes the incredible opportunities to create middle-class jobs in America by deepening our economic ties and expanding trade in Latin America and discusses a recent Senate bill that takes commonsense steps to fix our broken immigration system.

"No Guns Allowed" Video

President Obama's Trip to Mexico & Costa Rica

President Obama travels to Mexico and Costa Rica to reinforce the deep cultural, familial, and economic ties that so many Americans share with Mexico and Central America.

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Trip Schedule

THURSDAY
•On Thursday morning, President Obama will depart Washington, DC for Mexico City, Mexico.
•In the afternoon, President Obama will participate in a bilateral meeting with Mexican President Peña Nieto at Palacio Nacional in Mexico City.
•President Obama will hold a press conference at Palacio National in Mexico City.
Watch Live at 5:15PM E.T.
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FRIDAY
•President Obama will deliver a speech at the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City, Mexico.
Watch Live at 10:30AM E.T.
•In the afternoon, President Obama will travel to San Jose, Costa Rica.
•President Obama will participate in a bilateral meeting with Costa Rican President Laura Chincilla at Casa Amarilla.
•In the evening, President Obama will hold a press a conference in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Watch Live at 6:30PM E.T.
•President Obama will participate in a working dinner.
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SATURDAY
•On Saturday, President Obama will attend the Central America Forum on Sustainable Economic Development, where he will deliver remarks and take questions from the press.
•In the evening, President Obama will return to Washington, DC.

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Announcing New Hiring Commitments for Veterans and Military Spouses

As part of the Joining Forces initiative, the President, Vice President, First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden make a significant employment announcement for veterans and military spouses.

CLYBURN STATEMENT ON THE NOMINATION OF U.S. REPRESENTATIVE MELVIN L. WATT (D-NC) TO HEAD THE FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE AGENCY

WASHINGTON— Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn released the following statement on the nomination of U.S. Representative Melvin L. Watt (D-NC) to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency:

“President Barack Obama's nomination of Mel Watt to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency is an outstanding choice.

“In his 20-plus years of service in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Watt has achieved an impressive record as a champion for working families. As the former Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressman Watt has provided exemplary leadership in making sure federal policies effectively serve all communities of our diverse country. His status as a senior member of both the Judiciary Committee and the Financial Services Committee make him uniquely qualified to head an agency that plays a vital role in making sure that all people who are willing to work hard can have an equal shot at the American Dream.

“On a personal note, Emily and I want to thank our dear friends Mel and Eulada Paysour Watt for their many years of friendship. Throughout many trials, tribulations, and triumphs, Mel and Eulada’s steadfast companionship has been a source of great strength and inspiration for us. Though we will miss his daily presence in the House, we are thrilled to see this committed and dedicated public servant advance to his new post and next chapter in his storied career of public service.”

The President and First Lady Share a Moment

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama talk in the Green Room of the White House before being introduced at a Joining Forces initiative employment announcement for veterans and military spouses, April 30, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Judy Gaynor, Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Richard P. Herman, Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Robert Langer, Member, President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science
Wendy Wanderman, Member, Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Thomas E. Wheeler, Member, President’s Intelligence Advisory Board

President Obama announced his intent to appoint the following individuals to key Administration posts:

Judy Gaynor, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Judy Gaynor is currently a co-founding Member of the Chicago Committee of Human Rights Watch and a Member of the Advisory Committee of the Children’s Rights Division. Ms. Gaynor was previously a consultant for Senators Adlai Stevenson and Paul Simon. From 1997 to 2003, she was Executive Director of the Chicago International Film Festival. Ms. Gaynor has served on the boards of Business and Professional People for the Public Interest and the Illinois Arts Alliance. In addition, she served on committees for the American Civil Liberties Union, the Chicago Foundation for Women, Facing History and Ourselves, and the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. Earlier in her career, Ms. Gaynor was a schoolteacher in Chicago. She holds a B.A. from the National College of Education.

Richard P. Herman, Appointee for Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Richard P. Herman is currently an educational consultant. Mr. Herman recently retired, following nearly 50 years as a founding Director of Windsor Mountain International (formerly Interlocken International Camp & Educational Travel), an organization that hosts local and international youth in experiential educational, residential, and travel programs with a focus on Community Service Learning. He also founded and directed the Educational Opportunities Fund of New Hampshire which provides scholarships for deserving youth. Mr. Herman served on the boards of the New Hampshire Children's Alliance, the American Camping Association and Bard/Simon's Rock Early College. He holds a B.A. in History from the University of Massachusetts and an M.A. in Education and Counseling from Northeastern University.

Robert Langer, Appointee for Member, President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science
Robert Langer is the David H. Koch Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has written more than 1,100 peer reviewed articles, has approximately 800 issued and pending patents worldwide, and is one of the most cited engineers in history. Dr. Langer is the recipient of the 2006 National Medal of Science, the 2002 Charles Stark Draper Prize, and the 2008 Millennium Prize. In 1998, he received the Lemelson-MIT prize, the world’s largest prize for invention, for being “one of history’s most prolific inventors in medicine.” Dr. Langer received his Bachelor’s Degree from Cornell University in 1970 and his Sc.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1974, both in Chemical Engineering.

Wendy Wanderman, Appointee for Member, Advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Wendy Wanderman is an entertainment professional who has specialized in the production and marketing of motion pictures. She currently serves as the Associate Program Director for The Commonwealth Club of California, the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum, where she is responsible for the organization’s programming in San Francisco. She was the executive producer of the Bill Couturie documentary, "Into the Fire" for the History Channel and the executive producer of the 2001 Warner Brothers release, "Sweet November." Ms. Wanderman received her M.B.A. from Columbia University and her B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Thomas E. Wheeler, Appointee for Member, President’s Intelligence Advisory Board
Tom Wheeler is a Managing Director at Core Capital Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in companies focused on information technology, communications, digital media, and technology-enabled services. Before joining Core Capital in 2005, Mr. Wheeler was CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association and previously served as President of the National Cable Television Association. As an entrepreneur, Mr. Wheeler has founded multiple companies offering cable, wireless, and video communications services. He is the only person inducted into both the Cable Television Hall of Fame and the Wireless Industry Hall of Fame. Mr. Wheeler is currently Chairman of the U.S. State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy and Chairman of the FCC’s Technology Advisory Council. He is a former Chairman of the Foundation for the National Archives and a former Trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, to which he was appointed by Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Mr. Wheeler holds a B.S. in Business Administration from The Ohio State University and is a recipient of the University’s Alumni Medal for national and international career achievement.