2010 September 29 - The Gaea News

WASHINGTON — First lady Michelle Obama’s campaign for healthier school lunches has stalled in Congress after anti-hunger groups and more than 100 Democrats protested the use of food stamp dollars to pay for it.

Congress sends Obama an intelligence authorization bill with stronger oversight of spy ops

WASHINGTON — After months of argument over lawmakers’ access to briefings on top-secret intelligence, Congress on Wednesday sent the first intelligence authorization bill since 2004 to President Barack Obama with language meant to strengthen oversight of sensitive spy operations.

Intelligence bill with stronger oversight of spy operations goes to president

After primary loss, longtime GOP congressman Castle won’t wage write-in Senate bid in Delaware

Indonesia’s president says it’s time to move the dirty, overcrowded capital Jakarta

Koreas hold first military talks in 2 years amid tensions, renewed North Korean threat

Giannoulias plays down bank work to voters, but uses it to claim major tax deduction

Meg Whitman Accused of Employing Illegal Immigrant

NYC mayor sits down for 1st chat with Letterman, says he’s not embarrassed to be a billionaire

Ex-housekeeper for Meg Whitman claims Calif. candidate knew she might be in country illegally

Presidential Memorandum–Aviation Insurance Coverage

SUBJECT: Provision of Aviation Insurance Coverage for Commercial Air Carrier Service in Domestic and International Operations

US Senate set to adjourn without taking up $3.4 billion settlement in Indian trust lawsuit

Presidential Nominations and Withdrawal Sent to the Senate, 9/29/10

Paula Barker Duffy, of Illinois, to be a Member of the National Council on the Humanities for a term expiring January 26, 2016, vice Harvey Klehr, term expired.

Isabel Framer, of Ohio, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the State Justice Institute for a term expiring September 17, 2012, vice Carlos R. Garza, term expired.

Mark Green, of Wisconsin, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Millennium Challenge Corporation for a term of three years, vice William H. Frist, term expiring.

Susan H. Hildreth, of Washington, to be Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, vice Anne-Imelda Radice.

Thomas R. Nides, of the District of Columbia, to be Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, vice Jacob J. Lew.

Alan J. Patricof, of New York, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Millennium Challenge Corporation for a term of two years. (Reappointment)

Jo Ann Rooney, of Massachusetts, to be Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, vice Michael L. Dominguez.

Michael Vickers, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, vice James R. Clapper, Jr.

Martha Wagner Weinberg, of Massachusetts, to be a Member of the National Council on the Humanities for a term expiring January 26, 2016, vice Herman Belz, term expired.

WITHDRAWAL SENT TO THE SENATE:

Teresa Takai, of California, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense, vice John G. Grimes, which was sent to the Senate on April 12, 2010.

President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 9/29/10

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key administration posts:

Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate, 9/29/10

Kenneth F. Bohac, of Illinois, to be United States Marshal for the Central District of Illinois for the term of four years, vice Steven D. Deatherage, term expired.

Mae A. D'Agostino, of New York, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of New York, vice Frederick J. Scullin, Jr., retired.

William Conner Eldridge, of Arkansas, to be United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas for the term of four years, vice Robert Cramer Balfe, III, resigned.

Caitlin Joan Halligan, of New York, to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, vice John G. Roberts, Jr., elevated.

Richard Brooke Jackson, of Colorado, to be United States District Judge for the District of Colorado, vice Phillip S. Figa, deceased.

Jimmie V. Reyna, of Maryland, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Federal Circuit, vice Haldane Robert Mayer, retired.

President Obama Announces Another Key Administration Post, 9/29/10

WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key administration post:

Ambassador Mark Green, Member, Board of Directors of the Millennium Challenge Corporation

Obama attempts to fill vacancy on DC appeals court with NY lawyer, names other nominees

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Wednesday nominated the general counsel for the Manhattan district attorney’s office to a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

UN envoy to Afghanistan says elections show the country starting to assume control

UNITED NATIONS — Afghanistan’s ability to even hold recent legislative elections shows it is starting to take control of its own future, a U.N. special envoy said Wednesday as Security Council members took stock of the war-ravaged country’s most recent attempt at democracy.

Remarks by the President in a Discussion on the Economy in Richmond, Virginia

THE PRESIDENT: Well, everybody have a seat, have a seat. I just want to — first of all, I want to thank Matt and Stephanie for making their backyard available until it got really wet, and Matthew and Lucy, who are our official hosts today. And I’m so appreciative of them.

UN summit ends with Swiss leader’s call for action beyond rhetoric

Summary Box: Workers march in European capitals, strike in Spain and Greece over gov’t cuts

President Obama Names Kenneth F. Bohac to Serve as U.S. Marshal

WASHINGTON- Today, President Obama Nominated Kenneth F. Bohac to serve as a United States Marshal for the Central District of Illinois.

Letterman teases NYC mayor about pedestrian plazas, says Broadway now like ‘petting zoo’

President Obama Names Conner Eldridge to Serve as U.S. Attorney

WASHINGTON- Today, President Obama nominated Conner Eldridge to serve as the United States Attorney for Western District of Arkansas.

House votes on resolution condemning Japan on custody rights of children

WASHINGTON — The House turned up the pressure Wednesday on close ally Japan, strongly urging Tokyo to return immediately half-Japanese children that lawmakers say have been kidnapped from their American parents.

President Obama Names Two to U.S. Circuit Courts

WASHINGTON- Today, President Obama nominated Caitlin Halligan for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Jimmie V. Reyna to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

“At every step of their careers these individuals have performed with excellence and unwavering integrity,” said President Obama. “I am confident they will serve the American people with distinction on the Circuit Court bench.”

Caitlin Halligan: Nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Caitlin Halligan is General Counsel for the New York County District Attorney’s Office. She is a nationally-recognized appellate litigator who has practiced extensively before the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Courts of Appeals, and the appellate courts of the State of New York.

After graduating from law school, Ms. Halligan served as a law clerk to Judge Patricia M. Wald on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit from 1995 to 1996, and subsequently to Justice Stephen G. Breyer during the Supreme Court’s 1997-98 term. She was an associate at the law firm of Wiley, Rein, and Fielding in Washington, D.C., from 1996 to 1997, and at the law firm of Howard, Smith & Levin LLP in New York in 1998. In 1999, Ms. Halligan joined the Office of the New York State Attorney General, where she initially served as the Office’s first Chief of the Internet Bureau, overseeing legal matters regarding privacy, online consumer fraud and securities trading, and other Internet-related issues. In 2001, she became First Deputy Solicitor General of New York, and later that year was appointed Solicitor General of New York State. As Solicitor General through 2006, Ms. Halligan managed a staff more than 40 appellate attorneys representing New York in federal and state appellate courts. Her national peers selected her in each year from 2001 to 2005 to receive the “Best Brief” award from the National Association of Attorneys General. In 2007, Ms. Halligan became a partner at the firm of Weil, Gotshal and Manges, LLP, in New York, where she led the firm’s appellate practice until she returned to public service in her current role in January 2010.

Ms. Halligan has served as adjunct faculty at Columbia Law School since 2005, where she teaches an advanced seminar on federalism and constitutional law. From 2007 to 2009, she served as pro bono counsel to the Board of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the entity that is overseeing the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Ms. Halligan was born in Xenia, Ohio, and grew up in several different states, including Arkansas, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. She received her A.B. with honors from Princeton University in 1988 and her J.D. with high honors in 1995 from Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as managing editor of the Georgetown Law Journal.

Jimmie V. Reyna: Nominee for the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Jimmie Reyna is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm Williams Mullen, PC. He is a renowned international trade lawyer respected for his deep expertise in trade policy, business regulation, and compliance law. He also has a distinguished track record of leadership in the Hispanic legal community.

Reyna joined Williams Mullen as a partner in 1998. Previously, he practiced with the firm of Stewart and Stewart starting as an associate in 1986 and becoming a partner in 1993. His Washington, D.C.-based practice has emphasized work on antidumping and countervailing duty cases, as well as trade policy and trade negotiation matters. Reyna began his legal career in New Mexico as an associate at the insurance defense law firm of Shaffer Butt, Thornton & Baer from 1979-1981, and he had his own law practice in Albuquerque from 1981 to 1986, handling civil rights, domestic relations, immigration, and criminal law matters, in many instances on a pro bono basis.

As a recognized expert in the field of international trade law, Reyna has since 1994 been a U.S. panelist for disputes arising under Chapter 19 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), addressing antidumping and countervailing duty cases. He also has been on the U.S. Indicative List of Non-Governmental Dispute Settlement Panelists for disputes arising under the dispute settlement mechanism of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 1995. He has published two books on international trade, and has a third, International Trade Laws and Customs Regulations of Latin America, slated for publication later this year.

Reyna served as National President of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) in 2006-07, and has held several leadership positions on American Bar Association (ABA) committees and sections. He has served on numerous boards and councils, including those of the Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children, the Advisory Council of the Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, the HNBA Foundation, the U.S.-Mexico Law Institute, the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, and the Hispanic Culture Foundation. He was honored with the HNBA’s Extraordinary Leadership award in 2007, and has been named to the “Super Lawyers” list in Washington, DC (2007, 2009, 2010) and nationally (2009), as well as to the “Best Lawyers in America” list (2010 and 2011).

Reyna was born and raised in New Mexico. He received his B.A. from the University of Rochester in 1975 and his J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1978.

Defense secretary warns most Americans detached from war, feel military is service for others

DURHAM, N.C. — Defense Secretary Robert Gates says most Americans have grown too detached from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and see military service as “something for other people to do.”

Readout of Vice President Biden’s Calls with Iraqi Leaders

Earlier today, the Vice President spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and, separately, with Vice President Adil Abd al-Mahdi. Both conversations addressed the status of Iraqi negotiations on the formation of a new government. The Vice President urged the two leaders to expedite efforts to form an inclusive and legitimate government that is responsive to the needs of the Iraqi people.

Ahead of his own comeback attempt, Musharraf says Pakistan’s military needs political role

Defense secretary says he’s sees a time when women will serve in special ops units

Obama says Republicans have no serious ideas for reducing nation’s mounting deficit

NY Conservatives give GOP governor candidate _ once the enemy _ crucial backing against Cuomo

Del. GOP Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell says online profile with wrong info isn’t hers

AP Source: Obama to attempt to fill vacancy on DC appeals court, a very influential court

AP Interview: Miller acknowledges past government benefits, says irrelevant to Senate race

Alaska’s Miller acknowledges past government benefits, says irrelevant to Senate race debate

NYT/CBS poll shows Ohio Democratic governor gaining ground on GOP challenger

Gujarat Assembly speaker Ashok Bhatt dies

AHMEDABAD - Gujarat Assembly speaker Ashok Bhatt died here Wednesday night following an illness, hospital sources said.

Press Gaggle by Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton aboard Air Force One en route Richmond, Virginia

MR. BURTON: So it does look like we’re heading to the rain site in Richmond, where the President is going to talk about a lot of the issues that you’ve heard him talk about over the course of the last couple of days — the direction that he’s taking this country, what he’s done to do — what he’s done to grow the economy and help create jobs, and the real stark difference between what his plans are and what Republican leaders in Washington want to do as it relates to tax cuts.

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