New York Senator Charles Schumer said today that he and a small bipartisan group of senators — including John McCain and a few of his compadres from the failed McCain-Kennedy bill of 2007 — have come up with an immigration reform proposal that can pass by summer.
** NEW COLUMN COMING UP … THE STATE OF JERRY BROWN’S STATUS: AFTER THE STATE OF THE STATE.
** QUICK HITS. One of three remaining lawsuits attempting to block California’s high-speed rail project in the Central Valley has been settled. The project is to begin construction this year. More to follow. … A group of legislative liberals proposed a package of bills designed to expand California’s gun controls, already among the nation’s most expansive. The package would include adding new restrictions on buying ammunition similar to those on buying guns, ending permits allowing corporations and other organizations to equip personnel with assault weapons, add a new tax on ammunition, and force the state’s public pension funds to divest from any manufacturers of firearms. …
** NEW SURVEY: ALLOWING WOMEN IN COMBAT PROVES POPULAR. One of veteran California political figure Leon Panetta’s last major moves as US defense secretary, opening up combat billets in the US Armed Forces to women, is gaining widespread approval according to a new Gallup Poll survey.
Men and women are about equally likely to favor the move.
Democrats and independents are more in favor than Republicans, but a majority of Republicans is in favor as well.
This won’t mean you’ll be seeing women in the Navy SEALs and other elite ground force combat units any time soon, however, if ever. Elite women athletes can more than hold their own with most men, but they are in a small minority, which is what makes them elite.
Women will have to meet physical requirements, which in some cases are very demanding and restrictive, for a number of the front-line roles. Physical strength, speed, and stamina are major aspects of that.
The flip side of this is that there are already successful female fighter pilots, whose intelligence, reflexes, spatial awareness, and disciplined aggressiveness has made them a match for the best male aviators.
Nearly three-quarters of Americans say that, given the opportunity, they would vote “for” allowing women to serve in combat roles. These results are from a Gallup survey conducted just after U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced that the Pentagon is lifting the ban on women serving in direct combat. …
There are modest partisan differences. Democrats, including independents who lean Democratic, are more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to support allowing women to serve in combat — 83% vs. 70% — although clear majorities from both parties favor it.
Those who are younger are more likely to favor the policy than are those who are older. Among those aged 18 to 49, 84% favor the policy, compared with 63% of those aged 50 and older — a difference of 21 percentage points. …
The large majority of Americans support the Pentagon’s new policy allowing women to serve in combat roles. Both men and women favor this policy change. Democrats and those under age 50 are the most likely to support it, although there is clear majority support in all subgroups. …
President Barack Obama met this morning with law enforcement officials to discuss his gun control proposals.
** NEW COLUMN COMING UP … THE STATE OF JERRY BROWN’S STATUS: AFTER THE STATE OF THE STATE.
** OBAMA TODAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington.
Obama and Vice President Joe Biden received the intelligence and economic briefings in the Oval Office.
They then met with representatives from the Major Cities Chiefs Association and Major County Sheriffs Association to discuss gun control, in the Roosevelt Room.
At 9:30 AM Pacific, Obama and Biden meet for lunch in the Private Dining Room.
At 10:40 AM Pacific, Obama welcomes the NBA Champion Miami Heat to the White House in an event in the East Room.
On Tuesday, Obama will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada to discuss immigration reform.
The Silver State, like much of the West, has a fast-growing Latino population, and Democratic prospects are strengthening in the region. As has occasionally been discussed on New West Notes.
(Incidentally, there are a number of reasons behind the name of NWN, including civilizational reasons, but the obvious regional one is one such reason.)
Obama is monitoring several geopolitical crises involving Mali and Algeria, the Arab Awakening, Iran and Israel, Syria, Iraq, AfPak, and the South China Sea.
Military Crisis Zone Times: Mali is eight hours ahead of Pacific time, the Persian/Arabian Gulf is ten hours ahead of Pacific time, and Afghanistan is eleven and a half hours ahead of Pacific time. The time in Manila, on the South China Sea, is fifteen hours ahead of Pacific time.
The San Francisco 49ers arrived Sunday night in New Orleans for the Super Bowl. With the San Francisco Giants having won the World Series for the second time in the past three seasons, Governor Jerry Brown’s home town is on the verge of a rare feat for a single city.
** FROM THE JERRY FILES. Governor Jerry Brown is in Northern California.
He has no scheduled public events as of this morning.
Click here for my compendium of articles laying out the re-emergence of Jerry Brown as governor of California.
Click here for my compendium of articles providing a narrative of his governorship.
** OBAMA’S CLEAR YET MUTED TRUMPET: HOPE’S AUDACITY MEETS LOWERED EXPECTATIONS. … From my January 23rd essay.
** HOW NOT TO STAGE MANAGE THE WORLD. … From my January 18th column.
** POWELL POSITIONS THE DEBATE OVER CHUCK HAGEL. … From my January 14th essay.
** JERRY BROWN’S NEW BUDGET FOR POST-CRISIS CALIFORNIA: DISCIPLINE BEGETS OPPORTUNITY. … From my January 11th essay.
** WHY THE HAGEL BATTLE MADE MORE SENSE FOR OBAMA THAN THE RICE BATTLE. … From my January 9th essay.
** CALIFORNIA’S FUTURIST AGENDA: A TALE OF THREE GOVERNORS. … From my January 4th essay.
Iran says it has launched a monkey into space, part of its quest for a manned space program, and returned it safely to earth. This would place its program in much the same place as the US space program, circa 1960. No word on precisely when this happened
** FROM GOVERNATOR TO MOONBEAM. … From my January 3rd, 2011 feature.
** OBAMA: RIDING WITH HISTORY. (NOTE: As Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States, this column was the featured column on the top of the front page of the Huffington Post.) … From my January 19th, 2009 Huffington Post column.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM AL JAZEERA. With the US entangled in major military operations in the region, and the Arab awakening underway, it’s valuable to keep up with news and perspectives from the leading Middle Eastern-based TV news network. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer. The NWN live link to AJ does not constitute an endorsement of the channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM RUSSIA TODAY. Russia has re-emerged as one of the world’s great powers. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer from the Russia Today channel. The NWN live link to RT does not constitute an endorsement of the state-run channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** TRACK GLOBAL AND NATIONAL ENERGY PRICES IN NEAR REAL TIME VIA BLOOMBERG ENERGY MARKET WATCH. Having crashed over $147 for yet another record on July 11th, 2008, crude oil is trading around $96 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
This is up about $62 from the low of $34 per barrel prior to enactment of the Obama economic recovery program, reflecting a low point in global economic activity, and down about $18 per barrel from the price at the time of the Osama bin Laden raid.
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| Comments (19) |
Good news video of President Obama talking gun control to police chiefs.
The Iranian space program report sounds weird.
The 49ers are very large guys.
Barack and Biden are going to make something good for gun control happen.
Jonas says:
January 28, 2013 at 9:55 am
Good news video of President Obama talking gun control to police chiefs.
We should attack them now…
lol
Jonas says:
January 28, 2013 at 9:58 am
The Iranian space program report sounds weird.
HAHah! They sure are. Next Sunday is going to be a great day for the Niners, the Bay Area and California.
Jonas says:
January 28, 2013 at 10:01 am
The 49ers are very large guys.
More, please…
BB:(Incidentally, there are a number of reasons behind the name of NWN, including civilizational reasons, but the obvious regional one is one such reason.)
I have a sad feeling that progress on gun control and immigration reform is far off, irregardless of what a few Republican Senators say about Immigration today.
Mali crisis video today?
What crisis? The French won it already, right??
I will believe it like you, when I see it…
Requiem says:
January 28, 2013 at 11:30 am
I have a sad feeling that progress on gun control and immigration reform is far off, irregardless of what a few Republican Senators say about Immigration today.
No sale.
Jonas says:
January 28, 2013 at 9:58 am
The Iranian space program report sounds weird.
Until they come back in body bags or stuck in chairs the rest of their lives.
** NEW SURVEY: ALLOWING WOMEN IN COMBAT PROVES POPULAR.
Good video of Sen. Schumer talking which he is good at.
Some good, some not so good…
… A group of legislative liberals proposed a package of bills designed to expand California’s gun controls, already among the nation’s most expansive. The package would include adding new restrictions on buying ammunition similar to those on buying guns, ending permits allowing corporations and other organizations to equip personnel with assault weapons, add a new tax on ammunition, and force the state’s public pension funds to divest from any manufacturers of firearms. …
YES! JB, getting it done.
** QUICK HITS. One of three remaining lawsuits attempting to block California’s high-speed rail project in the Central Valley has been settled. The project is to begin construction this year. More to follow. …
There is more than football holliganism to Egypt riots.
Now it is to be hundreds of UK troops as trainers for the Mali mission. Fingers decidedly crossed.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/29/uk-troops-sent-mali-confirms
Any Mali crisis video today?