Political Quick Hits: December 14th Edition
Here’s your weekly quick look at few developing stories in the political arena:
- Late last week, the Supreme Court has agreed to take up the issue of marriage equality and they will hear two cases challenging state and federal laws that define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. After this recent election, nine states allow same-sex marriage and recent polls show a majority of Americans are in favor of same-sex marriage. A decision by the Supreme Court is expected by June. (NY Times)
- Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, was once thought to inevitably be the next Secretary of State, but on Thursday, she withdrew her name from consideration. In a letter to President Obama, Rice said, “the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive, and costly to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities. That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country.” Republicans have been critical of Rice’s statements about the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. President Obama acknowledged her withdrawal in a statement which he described her as “an extraordinarily capable, patriotic, and passionate public servant.” (CNN)
- President Obama proposed to Congress $60 billion in federal disaster aid for damage and relief related to Superstorm Sandy. The proposal is not broken down by state, but includes $15 billion for community development block grants, $9.7 billion to pay federal flood insurance claims, $6.2 billion for public transportation repairs, and about $13 billion for mitigation, or projects to reduce risk of future disaster damage. It has to now be drawn up as a law and then voted on in Congress. (Newsday)
- President Obama and Speaker of the House John Boehner met at the White House on Sunday to talk about the fiscal cliff which was the first face-to-face talks in 23 days about the issue.Then they spoke via the phone Tuesday about a counter offer Republicans proposed this week. Finally, they met at the White House Thursday night to continue discussions regarding the fiscal cliff. Many believe the issue of higher taxes, especially on the rich, is the reason a deal has not been reached yet. (CNN)
- Finally. are you sick of your TV commercials being so much louder than the rest of your TV watching? Well, on Thursday, a new rule went into effect that mandates that ads maintain the same volume as TV shows. The FCC, however, will not monitor compliance, but will rely on consumer complaints to assist the commission to enforce the rule. So it’s up to you the viewer to report these issues! Complaints can be filed by using the online complaint form, 2000G, at the FCC website HERE
