National - links
Conservatives worry scandal will hit ‘value voter’ turnout
Republican campaign strategists and conservatives fear former Rep. Mark Foley’s sex scandal will depress turnout among the party’s “value voter” base in November, further complicating Republican efforts to keep control of Congress.
Oct 4, 2006 - topic(s): Citizenship, Legislation, National
Online-Gambling Shares Plunge on Passage of U.S. Crackdown Law
By ERIC PFANNER, International Herald Tribune
Published: October 3, 2006
LONDON, Oct. 2 — On a Black Monday for the online-gambling industry, companies that operate Internet betting sites and payment systems lost billions of dollars in market value after the United States government moved to criminalize the processing of online wagers.
Oct 3, 2006 - topic(s): Family, Addictions, Gambling, Citizenship, Christian Citizenship, Legislation, National, Issues
Online Gaming in Crisis Over U.S. Ban
Online gambling firms faced their biggest-ever crisis on Monday after U.S. Congress passed legislation to end Internet gaming there, threatening jobs and wiping 3.5 billion pounds ($6.5 billion) off company values.
Oct 2, 2006 - topic(s): Family, Addictions, Gambling, Citizenship, Legislation, National
Senate Passes Bill on Building Border Fence
The Senate on Friday approved the building of 700 miles of fence along the nation’s southwestern border, fulfilling a demand by conservative Republicans to take steps to slow the flow of illegal immigrants before exploring broader changes to immigration law.
Oct 2, 2006 - topic(s): Citizenship, Legislation, National
Roberts Court May Be Defined in Second Term
If Year 1 was the transition for the new Roberts court, Year 2 is likely to be the test. During the first term under the leadership of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the justices were able to find common ground with some regularity by agreeing not to decide much.
Oct 2, 2006 - topic(s): Citizenship, Christian Citizenship, National
‘Fertility gap’ helps explain political divide
By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY
September 27, 2006
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic mother of five from San Francisco, has fewer children in her district than any other member of Congress: 87,727.
Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, a Mormon father of eight, represents the most children: 278,398.
These two extremes reflect a stark demographic divide between the congressional districts controlled by the major political parties.
Republican House members overwhelmingly come from districts that have high percentages of married people and lots of children, according to a USA TODAY analysis of 2005 Census Bureau data released last month.
Sep 28, 2006 - topic(s): Family, Marriage, Parenting, Citizenship, Christian Citizenship, National, Social Issues
Danforth Warns of Christian Right but Says Tide Will Turn
The potency of the Christian right in the Republican Party is limited, former senator John C. Danforth of Missouri is telling audiences this month. A lifelong Republican moderate disturbed by his party’s direction, he contends that the political center has a future.
Sep 28, 2006 - topic(s): Faith, Citizenship, National, Social Issues
Christian Conservatives Look to Re-energize Base
Openly anxious about grass-roots disaffection from the Republican Party, conservative Christian organizers are reaching for ways to turn out voters this November, including arguing that recognizing same-sex marriage could also limit religious freedom.
Sep 25, 2006 - topic(s): Citizenship, Christian Citizenship, National
Abortion foes’ new rallying point - Contraception
By Judith Graham
Chicago Tribune staff reporter
Published September 24, 2006
Emboldened by the anti-abortion movement’s success in restricting access to abortion, an increasingly vocal group of Christian conservatives is arguing that it’s time to mount a concerted attack on contraception.
Sep 24, 2006 - topic(s): Family, Marriage, Parenting, Sexual Purity, Abstinence, Life, Citizenship, National
Senate panel delays action on most judicial nominees
The effort to confirm President Bush’s judicial nominees made little progress Sept. 21. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted out only one of six federal appeals court selections and four of 10 district court choices on the agenda.
Sep 22, 2006 - topic(s): Citizenship, Legislation, National