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Vanessa Hudgens Loves ‘Sucker Punch’ Co-stars

Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone and Jamie Chung talk about their close-knit friendship on-set at the premiere of their action film ‘Sucker Punch.’ (March 24)

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Vanessa Hudgens Loves ‘Sucker Punch’ Co-stars

Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone and Jamie Chung talk about their close-knit friendship on-set at the premiere of their action film ‘Sucker Punch.’ (March 24)

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There’s no sign of Speaker John Boehner’s promised “jobs, jobs, jobs.” Instead, extremist teabagger Republicans are busily trying to take care of the already-rich, kick people when they’re down, and further weaken the ability of those who do have jobs to strike against employers: All around the country, right-wing legislators are asking middle class Americans to pay for budget deficits caused mainly by a recession caused by Wall Street; they are attacking workers’ collective bargaining rights, which has provoked a huge Main Street Movement to fight back. Now, a group of House Republicans is launching a new stealth attack against union workers. GOP Reps. Jim Jordan (OH), Tim Scott (SC), Scott Garrett (NJ), Dan Burton (IN), and Louie Gohmert (TX) have introduced H.R. 1135, which states that it is designed to “provide information on total spending on means-tested welfare programs, to provide additional work requirements, and to provide an overall spending limit on means-tested welfare programs.” Much of the bill is based upon verifying that those who receive food stamps benefits are meeting the federal requirements for doing so. However, one section buried deep within the bill adds a startling new requirement. The bill, if passed, would actually cut off all food stamp benefits to any family where one adult member is engaging in a strike against an employer. The bill also includes a provision that would exempt households from losing eligibility, “if the household was eligible immediately prior to such strike, however, such family unit shall not receive an increased allotment as the result of a decrease in the income of the striking member or members of the household.” Yet removing entire families from eligibility while a single adult family member is striking would have a chilling effect on workers who are considering going on strike for better wages, benefits, or working conditions — something that is especially alarming in light of the fact that unions are one of the fundamental building blocks of the middle class that allow people to earn wages that keep them off food stamps . But here’s the punchline: Striking workers have been ineligible for food stamps for years . (The only way a striker is eligible right now is if you met the eligibility standards before you went on strike — and if you belong to a union, odds are, you didn’t.) So not only are teabagger Republicans just plain mean and pandering to special interests, they’re stupid to boot! Their bill also rolls back back spending on government assistance programs back to 2007 levels, plus inflation, once unemployment falls below 6.5 percent. (Well, at least we know that won’t be anytime soon!) New Jersey’s Rep. Scott Garrett, a teabagger hero, is also busy trying to slash funding for the SEC – but denies that he’s doing it. (Says the fact that its spending has gone up so much since the market crash proves the agency has plenty of funding, thank you very much!) Oh, and he’s one of the Republicans who voted against extending the budget. He’s also the guy who’s pushing for every bill to show “constitutional authority” for why Congress has the right to pass the bill. Rep. Jim Jordan, the other person who wants to kick voters when they’re down? Was he working on “jobs, jobs, jobs”? Nope. He’s chair of the extremist Republican Study Committee , a caucus that exists to push House Republicans Further. To. The. Right. Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) wasn’t working on “jobs, jobs, jobs,” either. He voted against the budget extension, too. Instead, he introduced a nasty little states-right bill: “Last week, President Obama made an unprecedented decision to declare a Federal law unconstitutional and thereby abdicate his own constitutional responsibility to uphold and defend that law. Activist judges, and now an activist President, have been trying to unilaterally define marriage for too long. This issue should instead be decided once and for all by the American people and the states. “That is why I have introduced the “Marriage Protection Act” which simply states that no Federal Courts will have jurisdiction to hear cases regarding same-sex marriage . Instead, the definition of same-sex unions would be determined by the people through their State legislatures or via referendum. And he also sponsored a bill that would strip President Obama “of his power to waive a law requiring him to move the embassy to Jerusalem.” Rep. Louis Gohmert? He’s from Texas and the author of the famous “terror babies” story. A real American! Last but not least, South Carolina’s Rep. Tim Scott. The poor guy’s really got to prove himself – first, because he voted for the continuing resolution that extended the budget for three weeks, but also because he’s a black Republican. So he’s a member of the Club for Growth, plus he just introduced the Rising Tides Act of 2011. And what does it do, exactly? It cuts the corporate income tax rate by 10% on companies making more than $10 million annually. Where on earth are those jobs, jobs, jobs?

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There’s no sign of Speaker John Boehner’s promised “jobs, jobs, jobs.” Instead, extremist teabagger Republicans are busily trying to take care of the already-rich, kick people when they’re down, and further weaken the ability of those who do have jobs to strike against employers: All around the country, right-wing legislators are asking middle class Americans to pay for budget deficits caused mainly by a recession caused by Wall Street; they are attacking workers’ collective bargaining rights, which has provoked a huge Main Street Movement to fight back. Now, a group of House Republicans is launching a new stealth attack against union workers. GOP Reps. Jim Jordan (OH), Tim Scott (SC), Scott Garrett (NJ), Dan Burton (IN), and Louie Gohmert (TX) have introduced H.R. 1135, which states that it is designed to “provide information on total spending on means-tested welfare programs, to provide additional work requirements, and to provide an overall spending limit on means-tested welfare programs.” Much of the bill is based upon verifying that those who receive food stamps benefits are meeting the federal requirements for doing so. However, one section buried deep within the bill adds a startling new requirement. The bill, if passed, would actually cut off all food stamp benefits to any family where one adult member is engaging in a strike against an employer. The bill also includes a provision that would exempt households from losing eligibility, “if the household was eligible immediately prior to such strike, however, such family unit shall not receive an increased allotment as the result of a decrease in the income of the striking member or members of the household.” Yet removing entire families from eligibility while a single adult family member is striking would have a chilling effect on workers who are considering going on strike for better wages, benefits, or working conditions — something that is especially alarming in light of the fact that unions are one of the fundamental building blocks of the middle class that allow people to earn wages that keep them off food stamps . But here’s the punchline: Striking workers have been ineligible for food stamps for years . (The only way a striker is eligible right now is if you met the eligibility standards before you went on strike — and if you belong to a union, odds are, you didn’t.) So not only are teabagger Republicans just plain mean and pandering to special interests, they’re stupid to boot! Their bill also rolls back back spending on government assistance programs back to 2007 levels, plus inflation, once unemployment falls below 6.5 percent. (Well, at least we know that won’t be anytime soon!) New Jersey’s Rep. Scott Garrett, a teabagger hero, is also busy trying to slash funding for the SEC – but denies that he’s doing it. (Says the fact that its spending has gone up so much since the market crash proves the agency has plenty of funding, thank you very much!) Oh, and he’s one of the Republicans who voted against extending the budget. He’s also the guy who’s pushing for every bill to show “constitutional authority” for why Congress has the right to pass the bill. Rep. Jim Jordan, the other person who wants to kick voters when they’re down? Was he working on “jobs, jobs, jobs”? Nope. He’s chair of the extremist Republican Study Committee , a caucus that exists to push House Republicans Further. To. The. Right. Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) wasn’t working on “jobs, jobs, jobs,” either. He voted against the budget extension, too. Instead, he introduced a nasty little states-right bill: “Last week, President Obama made an unprecedented decision to declare a Federal law unconstitutional and thereby abdicate his own constitutional responsibility to uphold and defend that law. Activist judges, and now an activist President, have been trying to unilaterally define marriage for too long. This issue should instead be decided once and for all by the American people and the states. “That is why I have introduced the “Marriage Protection Act” which simply states that no Federal Courts will have jurisdiction to hear cases regarding same-sex marriage . Instead, the definition of same-sex unions would be determined by the people through their State legislatures or via referendum. And he also sponsored a bill that would strip President Obama “of his power to waive a law requiring him to move the embassy to Jerusalem.” Rep. Louis Gohmert? He’s from Texas and the author of the famous “terror babies” story. A real American! Last but not least, South Carolina’s Rep. Tim Scott. The poor guy’s really got to prove himself – first, because he voted for the continuing resolution that extended the budget for three weeks, but also because he’s a black Republican. So he’s a member of the Club for Growth, plus he just introduced the Rising Tides Act of 2011. And what does it do, exactly? It cuts the corporate income tax rate by 10% on companies making more than $10 million annually. Where on earth are those jobs, jobs, jobs?

Continue reading …

There’s no sign of Speaker John Boehner’s promised “jobs, jobs, jobs.” Instead, extremist teabagger Republicans are busily trying to take care of the already-rich, kick people when they’re down, and further weaken the ability of those who do have jobs to strike against employers: All around the country, right-wing legislators are asking middle class Americans to pay for budget deficits caused mainly by a recession caused by Wall Street; they are attacking workers’ collective bargaining rights, which has provoked a huge Main Street Movement to fight back. Now, a group of House Republicans is launching a new stealth attack against union workers. GOP Reps. Jim Jordan (OH), Tim Scott (SC), Scott Garrett (NJ), Dan Burton (IN), and Louie Gohmert (TX) have introduced H.R. 1135, which states that it is designed to “provide information on total spending on means-tested welfare programs, to provide additional work requirements, and to provide an overall spending limit on means-tested welfare programs.” Much of the bill is based upon verifying that those who receive food stamps benefits are meeting the federal requirements for doing so. However, one section buried deep within the bill adds a startling new requirement. The bill, if passed, would actually cut off all food stamp benefits to any family where one adult member is engaging in a strike against an employer. The bill also includes a provision that would exempt households from losing eligibility, “if the household was eligible immediately prior to such strike, however, such family unit shall not receive an increased allotment as the result of a decrease in the income of the striking member or members of the household.” Yet removing entire families from eligibility while a single adult family member is striking would have a chilling effect on workers who are considering going on strike for better wages, benefits, or working conditions — something that is especially alarming in light of the fact that unions are one of the fundamental building blocks of the middle class that allow people to earn wages that keep them off food stamps . But here’s the punchline: Striking workers have been ineligible for food stamps for years . (The only way a striker is eligible right now is if you met the eligibility standards before you went on strike — and if you belong to a union, odds are, you didn’t.) So not only are teabagger Republicans just plain mean and pandering to special interests, they’re stupid to boot! Their bill also rolls back back spending on government assistance programs back to 2007 levels, plus inflation, once unemployment falls below 6.5 percent. (Well, at least we know that won’t be anytime soon!) New Jersey’s Rep. Scott Garrett, a teabagger hero, is also busy trying to slash funding for the SEC – but denies that he’s doing it. (Says the fact that its spending has gone up so much since the market crash proves the agency has plenty of funding, thank you very much!) Oh, and he’s one of the Republicans who voted against extending the budget. He’s also the guy who’s pushing for every bill to show “constitutional authority” for why Congress has the right to pass the bill. Rep. Jim Jordan, the other person who wants to kick voters when they’re down? Was he working on “jobs, jobs, jobs”? Nope. He’s chair of the extremist Republican Study Committee , a caucus that exists to push House Republicans Further. To. The. Right. Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) wasn’t working on “jobs, jobs, jobs,” either. He voted against the budget extension, too. Instead, he introduced a nasty little states-right bill: “Last week, President Obama made an unprecedented decision to declare a Federal law unconstitutional and thereby abdicate his own constitutional responsibility to uphold and defend that law. Activist judges, and now an activist President, have been trying to unilaterally define marriage for too long. This issue should instead be decided once and for all by the American people and the states. “That is why I have introduced the “Marriage Protection Act” which simply states that no Federal Courts will have jurisdiction to hear cases regarding same-sex marriage . Instead, the definition of same-sex unions would be determined by the people through their State legislatures or via referendum. And he also sponsored a bill that would strip President Obama “of his power to waive a law requiring him to move the embassy to Jerusalem.” Rep. Louis Gohmert? He’s from Texas and the author of the famous “terror babies” story. A real American! Last but not least, South Carolina’s Rep. Tim Scott. The poor guy’s really got to prove himself – first, because he voted for the continuing resolution that extended the budget for three weeks, but also because he’s a black Republican. So he’s a member of the Club for Growth, plus he just introduced the Rising Tides Act of 2011. And what does it do, exactly? It cuts the corporate income tax rate by 10% on companies making more than $10 million annually. Where on earth are those jobs, jobs, jobs?

Continue reading …

When a mutual friend at DFA called me to tell me about a candidate for state Senate in New Jersey running in a Paterson-based district not far from where I once lived, I came away very impressed with his credentials and with the significance of the race beyond just the borders of his north New Jersey district. But I decided to check him out further by calling an old friend of Blue America’s 2010– and hopefully 2012– congressional candidate Ed Potosnak. I asked Ed if he’d ever met Jeff Gardner. His enthusiasm was positively explosive and I asked him to write a few lines for us today: “I am extremely pleased Jeff Gardner is running for NJ State Senate. Jeff is a progressive Democrat, which is sorely needed in our state Legislature, and a strong voice in support of equality and opportunity for all, not just a select few. His opponent, a 30+ year Trenton incumbent, has lost touch with the needs of his constituents, and has failed to deliver for his district. In addition to being a strong advocate for all residents, Jeff is down to earth, able, approachable, and will fight to create jobs and to realign our State’s out of control spending to attract and retain business and stimulate innovation. As a fellow New Jerseyan who cares deeply about our America’s economic recovery, reestablishing trust in government, and ensuring equality, I hope you will join me, and Blue America, in supporting Jeff. When elected he will change how NJ works.” As we explained at DownWithTyranny a couple of days ago, it takes a really exceptional candidate for Blue America to go beyond our mission of electing progressives to the U.S. House. Jeff is just such a worthy exception. And his opponent, John Girgenti, New Jersey Majority Whip, is drowning in a sewer scandal and made a name for himself by loudly and spitefully crossing the aisle in Trenton to vote with the GOP against marriage equality. Please join Jeff in the comments section below and if you like what you hear and can handle it, please consider making a $5 or $10 contribution to his grassroots campaign through our Blue America ActBlue page . Jeff is eager to rid the Democratic Party of a bigoted and corrupt fossil like Girgenti and then to move forward and deal with an even worse problem: Chris Christie. “We need leaders in Trenton,” he told me, “who are looking out for our families, not the politically-connected and the powerful. We can’t balance our budgets on the backs of working families. Our cities and our middle-class have sacrificed enough. I promise to protect vital government services and make sure multi-millionaires and faceless corporations pay their fair share.” And in case you’re discouraged that the power of well-funded corrupt political hacks like Girgenti is too much to overcome, keep in mind that Jeff already beat him once! “He used to be the Democratic municipal chairman in my hometown of Hawthorne. After years of increasingly bad results for Democrats at the local level, I mounted a challenge and won. Against an entrenched incumbent whose support is built on little more than patronage and graft, it seems that hard work and the promise of real representation is quite effective.”

Continue reading …

When a mutual friend at DFA called me to tell me about a candidate for state Senate in New Jersey running in a Paterson-based district not far from where I once lived, I came away very impressed with his credentials and with the significance of the race beyond just the borders of his north New Jersey district. But I decided to check him out further by calling an old friend of Blue America’s 2010– and hopefully 2012– congressional candidate Ed Potosnak. I asked Ed if he’d ever met Jeff Gardner. His enthusiasm was positively explosive and I asked him to write a few lines for us today: “I am extremely pleased Jeff Gardner is running for NJ State Senate. Jeff is a progressive Democrat, which is sorely needed in our state Legislature, and a strong voice in support of equality and opportunity for all, not just a select few. His opponent, a 30+ year Trenton incumbent, has lost touch with the needs of his constituents, and has failed to deliver for his district. In addition to being a strong advocate for all residents, Jeff is down to earth, able, approachable, and will fight to create jobs and to realign our State’s out of control spending to attract and retain business and stimulate innovation. As a fellow New Jerseyan who cares deeply about our America’s economic recovery, reestablishing trust in government, and ensuring equality, I hope you will join me, and Blue America, in supporting Jeff. When elected he will change how NJ works.” As we explained at DownWithTyranny a couple of days ago, it takes a really exceptional candidate for Blue America to go beyond our mission of electing progressives to the U.S. House. Jeff is just such a worthy exception. And his opponent, John Girgenti, New Jersey Majority Whip, is drowning in a sewer scandal and made a name for himself by loudly and spitefully crossing the aisle in Trenton to vote with the GOP against marriage equality. Please join Jeff in the comments section below and if you like what you hear and can handle it, please consider making a $5 or $10 contribution to his grassroots campaign through our Blue America ActBlue page . Jeff is eager to rid the Democratic Party of a bigoted and corrupt fossil like Girgenti and then to move forward and deal with an even worse problem: Chris Christie. “We need leaders in Trenton,” he told me, “who are looking out for our families, not the politically-connected and the powerful. We can’t balance our budgets on the backs of working families. Our cities and our middle-class have sacrificed enough. I promise to protect vital government services and make sure multi-millionaires and faceless corporations pay their fair share.” And in case you’re discouraged that the power of well-funded corrupt political hacks like Girgenti is too much to overcome, keep in mind that Jeff already beat him once! “He used to be the Democratic municipal chairman in my hometown of Hawthorne. After years of increasingly bad results for Democrats at the local level, I mounted a challenge and won. Against an entrenched incumbent whose support is built on little more than patronage and graft, it seems that hard work and the promise of real representation is quite effective.”

Continue reading …

When a mutual friend at DFA called me to tell me about a candidate for state Senate in New Jersey running in a Paterson-based district not far from where I once lived, I came away very impressed with his credentials and with the significance of the race beyond just the borders of his north New Jersey district. But I decided to check him out further by calling an old friend of Blue America’s 2010– and hopefully 2012– congressional candidate Ed Potosnak. I asked Ed if he’d ever met Jeff Gardner. His enthusiasm was positively explosive and I asked him to write a few lines for us today: “I am extremely pleased Jeff Gardner is running for NJ State Senate. Jeff is a progressive Democrat, which is sorely needed in our state Legislature, and a strong voice in support of equality and opportunity for all, not just a select few. His opponent, a 30+ year Trenton incumbent, has lost touch with the needs of his constituents, and has failed to deliver for his district. In addition to being a strong advocate for all residents, Jeff is down to earth, able, approachable, and will fight to create jobs and to realign our State’s out of control spending to attract and retain business and stimulate innovation. As a fellow New Jerseyan who cares deeply about our America’s economic recovery, reestablishing trust in government, and ensuring equality, I hope you will join me, and Blue America, in supporting Jeff. When elected he will change how NJ works.” As we explained at DownWithTyranny a couple of days ago, it takes a really exceptional candidate for Blue America to go beyond our mission of electing progressives to the U.S. House. Jeff is just such a worthy exception. And his opponent, John Girgenti, New Jersey Majority Whip, is drowning in a sewer scandal and made a name for himself by loudly and spitefully crossing the aisle in Trenton to vote with the GOP against marriage equality. Please join Jeff in the comments section below and if you like what you hear and can handle it, please consider making a $5 or $10 contribution to his grassroots campaign through our Blue America ActBlue page . Jeff is eager to rid the Democratic Party of a bigoted and corrupt fossil like Girgenti and then to move forward and deal with an even worse problem: Chris Christie. “We need leaders in Trenton,” he told me, “who are looking out for our families, not the politically-connected and the powerful. We can’t balance our budgets on the backs of working families. Our cities and our middle-class have sacrificed enough. I promise to protect vital government services and make sure multi-millionaires and faceless corporations pay their fair share.” And in case you’re discouraged that the power of well-funded corrupt political hacks like Girgenti is too much to overcome, keep in mind that Jeff already beat him once! “He used to be the Democratic municipal chairman in my hometown of Hawthorne. After years of increasingly bad results for Democrats at the local level, I mounted a challenge and won. Against an entrenched incumbent whose support is built on little more than patronage and graft, it seems that hard work and the promise of real representation is quite effective.”

Continue reading …
Kenyan forces cross Somali border to fight al-Shabab

Kenyan forces have crossed into Somali territory to fight al-Shabab militants, a police source has told the…

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Kenyan forces cross Somali border to fight al-Shabab

Kenyan forces have crossed into Somali territory to fight al-Shabab militants, a police source has told the…

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