FPL Daily News Reel: July 25, 2012
The FPL News Reel is a daily round-up of the top faith and politics stories in the news. You can sign up for the email version of the News Reel here, subscribe to the RSS feed here, and follow it on twitter at @FPLNewsreel.
After Colorado shooting, Democrats reluctant to talk gun control
By Paul Kane — Washington Post
“The silence is deafening,” Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) told reporters Tuesday, outraged at the lack of a gun-control debate.
Battle lines drawn on Bush-era tax cuts
By Brian Montopoli — CBS News
Here’s one thing most Republicans and Democrats can agree on: Congress should act to keep taxes from going up for the average American when the Bush-era tax cuts expire at the end of the year.
Health care law now cheaper, won’t cover as many people
By Jonathan Allen and Matt Dobias — Politico
…the Supreme Court’s June ruling on the law allowed states to opt out of a costly Medicaid expansion, and in a new report released Tuesday, CBO anticipates that some of them will do just that. As a result, about 3 million more people will remain uninsured, Capitol Hill’s official bean counters said.
Baltimore puts out welcome mat for immigrants, hoping to stop population decline
By Carol Morello and Luz Lazo — Washington Post
After decades of seeing the city’s population slide with every census count, Baltimore officials are trying to turn things around. One key strategy is embracing immigrants, in the hope they will encourage friends and family to join them.
Arpaio’s words used against him at racial-profiling case
By JJ Hensley — Arizona Republic
…as testimony Tuesday in U.S. District Court revealed, there are two Joe Arpaios — the politician and the policy maker — and there are questions as to which Arpaio is responsible for setting priorities for illegal-immigration enforcement.
California Faith Group Helps Move $750,000 In Customer Funds From Wall Street Banks
By Travis Waldron — Think Progress
Faith In Community, an interdenominational group, joined with Occupy Fresno and other groups to protest predatory actions at five big banks, and thus far, their efforts have led to the removal of $750,000 from Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs.
Jimmy Carter: Prison reform issue of race
By Bob Allen — Associated Baptist Press
“When the black Baptist leaders speak out and say what do Baptists need to do, the main issue they have brought out is we need to do something about the abuse of people in prison who happen to be African-American or other minorities or mentally ill,” Carter said in an article published July 24 on the website EthicsDaily.com.
Republicans Make Big Push for Jewish Voters
By Alicia Mundy — Wall Street Journal
The RJC campaign comes down to four numbers: 11, 16, 19, and 24. That is the percentage of Jewish voters who went Republican in presidential elections between 1992 and 2004, Mr. Fleischer said, noting the upward trend. The backward slide to roughly 21 % in 2008 can be attributed to factors such as the popularity of Mr. Obama.
Catholic Relief Services becomes latest victim of attacks from within the church
By Scott Alessi — US Catholic
On the heels of the lengthy attack from Catholics against the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and its anti-poverty grants, church watchdogs have now turned their attention to another organization aimed at helping the poorest and most vulnerable members of society.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Stephen Colbert to star in Catholic comedy slam
By David Gibson — Religion News Service
It’s a tough call for anyone who has followed either man’s impressive record of rim shots, but we may finally get an answer to that urgent question when the cardinal and the comedian team up for a panel on faith and humor this September at Fordham University in the Bronx, N.Y.
Greenland Ice Melt, Measured By NASA Satellites, Reaches Unprecedented Level
By Joanna Zelman — Huffington Post
According to a NASA press release, about half of Greenland’s surface ice sheet naturally melts during an average summer. But the data from three independent satellites this July…showed that in less than a week, the amount of thawed ice sheet surface skyrocketed from 40 percent to 97 percent.
Young Evangelicals Stepping Up on Climate Action
By Ben Lowe — Sojourners, God’s Politics
After months of careful preparation, a new national advocacy initiative called Young Evangelicals for Climate Action (Y.E.C.A.) has just gone live.
