tagged w/ senator harry reid
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The widespread Internet blackout Wednesday, in which sites such as Wikipedia and Reddit went dark to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA), seems to have influenced members of the U.S. Congress.
PIPA co-sponsor Florida Sen. Marco Rubio pulled his name from the bill Wednesday and SOPA co-sponsor Arizona Rep. Ben Quayle pulled his name Tuesday.
Rubio communicated his withdrawal via a Facebook post, titled “A Better Way to Fight the Online Theft of American Ideas and Jobs,” in which he argues congress should avoid rushing to pass the bill that could have unintended consequences.
“As a senator from Florida, a state with a large presence of artists, creators and businesses connected to the creation of intellectual property, I have a strong interest in stopping online piracy that costs Florida jobs.
However, we must do this while simultaneously promoting an open, dynamic Internet environment that is ripe for innovation and promotes new technologies.”
The Florida Senator encouraged his co-sponsor Nevada Sen. Harry Reid to follow his lead and abandon the bill in order to “take more time to address the concerns raised by all sides, and come up with new legislation that addresses Internet piracy while protecting free and open access to the Internet.”
SEE ALSO: Why SOPA Is Dangerous
Following the PIPA co-sponsor’s withdrawal, Texas Sen. John Cornyn followed suit, posting a statement of abandonment on Facebook Wednesday morning. Similarly, a spokesperson for Nebraska Rep. Lee Terry said the Congressman is unable to support SOPA as it’s written and plans to withdraw his support as well, the Omaha World-Herald reports.
We will update this story throughout the day should more members of congress change their course.
Do you think the widespread website blackouts, such as Wikipedia’s, are to credit for the bills’ supporter drain?The widespread Internet blackout Wednesday, in which sites such as Wikipedia and... more
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Rep. John Boehner, speaking live, just announced that a budget deal has been reached.
-- Please add news as you see or hear it breaking --Rep. John Boehner, speaking live, just announced that a budget deal has been reached.... more
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Senate leader Reid's family hurt in car wreck
March 11, 2010 9:51 p.m. EST
Washington (CNN) -- The wife and daughter of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were injured Thursday in a highway accident, a spokesman for the Democratic senator from Nevada said. The injuries aren't considered life-threatening.
Reid's wife, Landra, broke her neck, her back and her nose, and their adult daughter, Lana Reid Barringer of McLean, Virginia, suffered a neck injury and facial lacerations, spokesman Jon Summers said.
Landra Reid, 69, was in serious condition and scheduled to stay overnight in the hospital, though she was not expected to require surgery; daughter Lana Barringer, 49, was to be released Thursday night, Summers said.
The two women were conscious and able to feel their extremities, said Summers.
The wreck occurred in the northbound lanes of Interstate 95 in Fairfax County at 1:10 p.m., when the 2005 Honda Odyssey driven by Barringer began braking in stop-and-go traffic and was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer, according to a Virginia State Police report.
"The impact forced the Honda Odyssey to rear-end the vehicle in front of it, a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee," it said. "The Jeep Grand Cherokee was then forced into the next lane over where it struck a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt."
The drivers of the Jeep and the Chevrolet were also taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening.
The driver of the truck, Alan W. Snader, 59, of Ohio, was charged with reckless driving, the police report said. He was not injured in the crash. The tractor-trailer was carrying rolls of plastic.
The two northbound lanes of I-95 were re-opened about 3 p.m.
The 70-year-old senator visited his wife and daughter shortly after hearing of the accident at 2:15 p.m., then returned to his office in the Capitol to work on health care legislation, said Reid spokesman Jim Manley.
Asked whether Reid had considered skipping the meeting and staying at the hospital, Manley responded, "Let's be clear, for those who may know, he loves that woman more than life itself. But she's in good hands at the hospital and [he] felt the need to come back and work on this piece of legislation and he'll be heading back to the hospital as quickly as possible. I just spoke to him, and he's looking forward to getting back to the hospital."
President Obama called Reid about 5 p.m. to check on his wife and daughter and, shortly after 7 p.m., Reid was headed back to the hospital, spokesman Manley said.
Reid met his future wife at Basic High School in Henderson, Nevada, during the mid-1950s. They married in 1959 and had their first child, Lana, two years later. Three boys followed. The couple has 16 grandchildren.
CNN Congressional Producer Ted Barrett and Brianna Keilar contributed to this report.Senate leader Reid's family hurt in car wreck
March 11, 2010 9:51 p.m. EST... more
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When Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic leader, heard a few weeks ago that the House took less than an hour to unanimously approve an unemployment bill that had languished for a month in the Senate, aides said he did not know whether to laugh or cry.
In the polarized Senate, even popular bills and generally acceptable executive branch nominees that eventually win easy approval first have to crawl though time-consuming procedural thickets.
Now it is hard to see how Congress will make up for the lost time. While the Senate hopes to devote most of December to a landmark debate on health care, time is running out on a number of other difficult and significant issues that must be resolved by the end of the year.
What follows the Thanksgiving recess may be a headlong rush into a legislative train wreck. Among the obstacles on the track is raising the national debt limit, always a wrenching vote for lawmakers trying to avoid looking like out-of-control spenders.
Congress must also either finish seven more spending bills or pass another stop-gap measure to keep the government operating past mid-December. Provisions of the Patriot Act are set to expire. Highway construction and unemployment programs need an extension. The federal estate tax will temporarily lapse without Congressional intervention.
To top it off, lawmakers also await President Obama’s decision on how to proceed with the war in Afghanistan, and they must decide how to pay for any increase in troops.
As they brace for the frantic finale, Democrats blame Republicans for all of it, saying the minority party in the Senate has slowed almost everything Democrats have sought to do, filibustering even routine matters.
“It has been a very difficult year on the Democratic side,” Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat, said Friday. “We have faced, again, this onslaught of filibusters and delaying tactics by the Republicans. That it would take four weeks for us to extend unemployment benefits in the worst recession since our Great Depression is an indication of the extremes that the Republican Senate leadership has gone to.”
Republicans do not see it that way. They say Democrats have caused some of the delays by feuding among themselves, failing to use their 60-seat majority to full advantage. They say that in the debates on the unemployment bill and other issues, Democrats refused to let them offer amendments out of a desire to avoid politically treacherous votes. If they delayed, Republicans say, it was only in an attempt to be heard.
And now the Republicans say that if they want to clear the calendar, Democrats ought to scrap the health care legislation and focus on the more pressing issues of the moment, like the spending bills and the Patriot Act.
“That’s what we ought to be doing,” Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, said Friday. “It would probably take from now until Christmas to do all of these measures that we should be dealing with. Instead, we’re spending time trying to do something the American people clearly don’t want.”
And when Republicans see something that they think the public does not want — or that they themselves do not want — they do not consider it their obligation to help Democrats advance what they view as flawed policy.
“It is true that we have not helped them do bad things,” said Don Stewart, a spokesman for Mr. McConnell.
While Republicans dispute that they are pure obstructionists, there is evidence to suggest that they are using their procedural power to slow even legislation and nominations that they know they have no chance of blocking. And in some cases, many Republicans do not truly expect to prevail.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/22/us/politics/22cong.htmlWhen Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic leader, heard a few weeks ago that the House... more
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Senator Harry Reid hosted US Attorney General Eric Holder at the Las Vegas Fusion Counterterrorism Center Friday taking a tour of the facilities and viewing some of the equipment that officers use.Senator Harry Reid hosted US Attorney General Eric Holder at the Las Vegas Fusion... more
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Las Vegas Nevada continues to be a leading potential target for terrorists. Now the Fusion Center will pool expertise from a wide variety of counter-terrorist authorities.Las Vegas Nevada continues to be a leading potential target for terrorists. Now the... more
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Two million Americans are facing a termination of unemployment benefits by the end of the year and the US Senate Democrats are racing to get a proposal done to extended benefits before the clock strikes midnight.Two million Americans are facing a termination of unemployment benefits by the end of... more
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In late July U.S. Senator Harry Reid sent a letter to federal government agencies expressing concerns over speculation that some agencies had placed travel restrictions to Las Vegas and Reno.In late July U.S. Senator Harry Reid sent a letter to federal government agencies... more
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Wednesday, Senator Harry Reid invited some of Nevada's Clergy and some members of the press to join him on a phone conference to speak on the health care issue.Wednesday, Senator Harry Reid invited some of Nevada's Clergy and some members of... more
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Senator Harry Reid releases a passionate statement about his father who committed suicide in 1972 to Digital Journal focusing the public on National Suicide Prevention Week.Senator Harry Reid releases a passionate statement about his father who committed... more
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has released a statement via email to Digital Journal on the passing of Ted Kennedy today.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has released a statement via email to... more
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The worlds largest and most comprehensive shooting range opens in North Las Vegas. The massive range and support facilities cost 60 million dollars to construct.The worlds largest and most comprehensive shooting range opens in North Las Vegas. The... more
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Nevada Senator Harry Reid has issued a statement concerning the re-nomination of Ben Bernanke to chair the Federal Reserve by President Barack Obama.Nevada Senator Harry Reid has issued a statement concerning the re-nomination of Ben... more
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Las Vegas is taking another gamble, but with an ace up their sleeve. The sun. Solar energy is abundant with 320 days of sunshine in the Mohave Desert. Senator Harry Reid leads a group tour to show off his stacked deck.Las Vegas is taking another gamble, but with an ace up their sleeve. The sun. Solar... more
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