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Diverse Support for Contraception Law
After weeks of uproar from Catholic bishops over the Obama administration’s rule that would require Catholic universities and hospitals to cover contraceptives in their health care plans, on Friday the White House announced an accommodation measure. As originally stipulated by the Affordable Care Act, churches and organizations closely tied to a religious mission are exempt…
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Obama: Foreclosure Settlement Is 'a Start'
On Thursday the Obama administration and state officials announced a $26 billion settlement with five of the nation’s biggest banks over a range of foreclosure fraud abuses. Forty-nine states, all but Oklahoma, signed onto the largest government-industry settlement in more than a decade. The Washington Post reports: The deal aims to help troubled borrowers by…
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Santorum Wins; Doubts About Romney
The Republican primaries have been all about Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich for weeks now, but Tuesday’s contests in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri gave Rick Santorum a big chance to shine. Santorum won all three contests. While the races were nonbinding, with delegates to be allocated later at district and state conventions (and in the…
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Obama: Techies Also Deserve the Spotlight
On Tuesday morning the White House State Dining Room, normally reserved for receptions, luncheons and formal dinners with visiting heads of state, was transformed into a science fair. Traditional table settings made way for displays including a mind-controlled robotic arm, solar panels modeled after tree limbs to more efficiently collect energy, a helmet designed to…
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Obama's Jobs Plan for Vets
Nestled in last week’s jobs report showing that the unemployment rate dropped to 8.3 percent in January (and fell from 15.8 to 13.6 percent for African Americans), there was also hopeful news for veterans. As Think Progress reports, in the past year the unemployment rate for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars fell 6…
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Obama Team Unfazed by Romney's Wins
There was no suspense leading up to the Nevada Republican caucus results. As expected, Mitt Romney won in the state (which he also won in 2008, and which has a significant population of fellow Mormons) with a commanding lead. Newt Gingrich came in second, followed by Ron Paul and Rick Santorum. Romney’s second consecutive victory…
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Michael Steele: Let GOP Voters Speak
On Saturday the Republican presidential race moves on to the Nevada caucuses. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal poll, Mitt Romney is “headed for a blowout victory” in the state, leading Newt Gingrich by 20 points among likely caucus-goers. After his wide margin of victory last month in Florida, some pundits have all but declared…
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Anita Hill: Mortgage Plan a 'Quick Fix'
On Wednesday President Obama unveiled a housing plan to help more pinched homeowners, calling on Congress to make it easier to refinance for “responsible” people who are current on their mortgages. Since earlier refinancing efforts have fallen short of White House expectations, this updated version would allow eligible homeowners to refinance into loans guaranteed by…
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4 Questions With Trade Rep Ron Kirk
The past few months have been bustling for U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk. Last October Congress passed free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, the first to pass since 2007. And in this year’s State of the Union address, President Obama put “places like China” on notice for blocking American exports and announced the…
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'Hanging Out' With the President
On Monday, President Obama took interview questions through a virtual “Hangout” on the social networking site Google+. According to Google, 1.6 million votes were cast on 133,000 questions submitted last week by YouTube users. The president tackled some of the highest-rated questions, with five selected participants on Google+ engaging with him live, and the other…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
