Wales' new First Minister Carwyn Jones has unveiled his debut cabinet, with two new faces at the top table.His Labour leadership campaign manager, Leighton Andrews, joins the cabinet at education, and Carl Sargeant takes on social justice and local government.Defeated Labour leadership candidate Edwina Hart remains health minister and Huw Lewis, who also ran for the job, becomes deputy minister f
In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano reiterated the Obama Administration's plan to push for Comprehensive Immigration Reform legislation early next year.In her opening statement, Napolitano said: Finally, we look forward to working with you on immigration reform. The President is committed to that. He is committed to reform that
Some first thoughts on Obama's acceptance speech.For instance, this passage: Evil does exist in the world.A nonviolent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies.Negotiations cannot convince al-Qaida's leaders to lay down their arms.To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism -- it is a recognition of history, the imperfections of man and the limits of reason. Am I wro
After a long summer of committee debates and discussions with constituents, health care reform is finally out in the open on the Senate floor -- but it doesn't include much of anything to lower drug prices.And the big drug companies are pulling out all the stops to keep it that way. I've offered a bipartisan amendment that would give the American people the freedom to purchase prescription drugs
COPENHAGEN - With the announcement that a delegation from the Congressional Republican Flat Earth Caucus will show up to embarrass President Obama in Copenhagen next week, we hope the White House finally decides to man-up on climate change. What manning up means in the present context is that the Obama Administration must get serious about using its regulatory authority to cut U.S greenhouse gas
Savings of £23m recommended by Aberdeen City Council officials have been accepted, which would see a reduction in staffing of 447.Among the proposals accepted include cutting the number of the authority's teachers by 84.However, plans to close primary schools have been deferred.The council administration accepted the savings of just over £23m, but this has still to be approved by the
By sending 30,000 additional U.S troops to Afghanistan, President Obama has made a tragic mistake that could define, and undermine, his entire presidency.But this mistake, which promises to prolong an impossible mission and take countless more Afghan and American lives, is only the most recent error in a war of choice that has from the beginning been not only impractical but also unjust. If we a
Cross-posted with TomDispatch.com. In his Afghan “surge” speech at West Point last week, President Obama offered Americans some specifics to back up his new “way forward in Afghanistan.” He spoke of the “additional 30,000 U.S troops” he was sending into that country over the next six months. He brought up the “roughly $30 billion” it wou