The wire for 05/23/08

Space bill passes
posted by Tammy Lytle on May 20, 2008 11:33:06 AM Orlando Sentinel
A bill opening the way for more international cooperation in the manned space program and increasing NASA spending passed the House Science Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics this morning.
The bill would put $20.12 billion into NASA - about $2.6 billion more than President Bush has proposed. Even supporters of the bill aren't too optimistic about coming up with that increase as the bill moves through the full committee, House and Senate
Read more at http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2008/05/space-bill-pass.html


Lobbying price in Tally: At least $30 million
posted by Aaron Deslatte on May 20, 2008 5:37:38 PM Orlando Sentinel
Even in bad economic times, one sector of Florida's economy immune from budget cuts is the lobbying corps, which banked at least $30 million over the first three months of this year.
That total for the period spanning from January through the end of March has remained roughly constant since Florida began forcing lobbying firms to disclose their pay ranges in 2006.
Read More at http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2008/05/lobbying-price.html

Fear and Loathing in Prime Time
Immigration Myths and Cable News
Media Matters 21May 2008
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
There are many problems facing the United States today: a faltering economy, a health-care crisis, and the continuing war in Iraq, to name a few. But viewers of some of the most prominent cable news programs are presented a different reality, one in which one issue stands above all others: illegal immigration.
Media Matters Action Network undertook this study in order to document the rhetoric surrounding immigration that is heard on cable news. When it comes to this issue, cable news overflows not just with vitriol, but also with a series of myths that feed viewers' resentment and fears, seemingly geared toward creating anti-immigrant hysteria
Read more at http://mediamattersaction.org/reports/fearandloathing/online_version

Hunger Striker Hospitalized, Others Rally on Capitol Hill
by Mike Hall, May 21, 2008 AFL-CIO
This morning, Christopher Glory, in the eighth day of a water-only hunger strike to demand the U.S. government put an end to the abuses in a visa program that workers’ rights advocates liken to human trafficking, was rushed to a Washington, D.C., hospital for strike-related health problems
Read more at http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/05/21/hunger-striker-hospitalized-others-rally-on-capitol-hill/

Greer Says Sasso's Re-election, Not in the Cards
posted by John Kennedy on May 21, 2008 11:30:54 AM Orlando Sentinel
Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer offered some not-so-subtle advice for Democratic Rep. Tony Sasso of Cocoa Beach, holder of a decidedly Republican-tilting Central Florida seat.
"I wouldn't buy another box of business cards if I was Sasso," Greer said Wednesday morning, in handicapping a number of legislative races the party was eyeing.
Read more at http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2008/05/greer-says-sass.html

Florida Senate Republicans start raising coin
posted by Aaron Deslatte on May 20, 2008 4:04:11 PM Orlando Sentinel
Sensing some tough fights this fall, a group of Republicans in the Florida Senate have banded together to start raising coin to defend their 26-14 majority in the chamber.
We told you last week that Sens. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, and Alex Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, had launched a new political committee called the Alliance for a Strong Economy.
Turns out, Sens. Mike Haridopolos, R-Indialantic, J.D. Alexander, R-Winter Haven, and Senate President Ken Pruitt have also signed on to raise money for the group.
Read more at http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2008/05/florida-senate.html

Machinists' union presses for Florida delegates
posted by Tammy Lytle on May 20, 2008 4:07:01 PM Orlando Sentinel
The machinists are the latest to lobby the Democratic National Committee to count Florida and Michigan delegates at this summer's presidential nominating convention. The Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee is expected to decide on May 31 whether to count any of the delegates from those two states, which had their primary votes earlier than party rules allow
Read more at http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2008/05/machinists-unio.html

Senate Ignores Bush Veto Threat, Approves Extended Jobless Aid
by Mike Hall, May 22, 2008 AFL-CIO
The more than 200,000 workers a month who run out of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits before finding new jobs may get a helping hand. Today, the U.S. Senate, by a surprising 75-22 veto-proof vote, approved a measure to extend UI benefits for the long-term jobless.
Read more at http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/05/22/senate-ignores-bush-veto-threat-approves-extended-jobless-aid/