Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 11, 2014.  Remarks as prepared for delivery: It was 8:46 a.m. on the morning of September 11th, 2001, when the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City was struck by an aircraft commandeered by al-Qa’ida terrorists. Seventeen minutes later, the clear blue skies over[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 11, 2014 – 11:30 A.M. EST THE PRESIDENT:  Well, good morning, everybody.  I just want to offer a few thoughts before you return to the meeting.  Obviously we’ve seen some significant economic progress here in the United States over the last year.  Our businesses have added almost 11[Read More…]

Congressional Leaders Agree that Legislative Intent of DC Rider in Spending Bill Allows Initiative 71 to Move Forward; Tax and Regulate Legislation Blocked By Congress WASHINGTON, DC –(ENEWSPF)—December 11, 2014. Republicans were successful in including language in the “cromnibus” federal spending bill that interferes with the right of Washington, D.C. to[Read More…]

“If the US tortures, why can’t we do it?” Mr. Juan Mendez, Special Rapporteur on Torture, Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas GENEVA–(ENEWSPF)–11 December 2014 – The United States’ use of torture when interrogating prisoners captured in its “War on Terror” has damaged the country’s moral[Read More…]

WASHINGTON, DC –(ENEWSPF)—December 11, 2014. United States Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke on the Senate floor yesterday afternoon to urge the House of Representatives to remove from the government funding bill a reckless provision that would repeal important financial protections in Dodd-Frank. The text of Senator Warren’s remarks as prepared for[Read More…]

Life-Saving Rescue Helicopters Had Been Scheduled for Removal by Dec. 15 Washington, D.C. –(ENEWSPF)–December 11, 2014.  Following their repeated calls to ensure the safety of residents in coastal areas, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Representatives Peter DeFazio, Kurt Schrader, Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici yesterday announced the Congress[Read More…]

CFPB to Require Credit Reporting Agencies to Regularly Report on Consumer Disputes WASHINGTON, D.C. —(ENEWSPF)—December 11, 2014. Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a report that found medical debt has a significant impact on consumer credit, as 43 million Americans have overdue medical debt on their credit reports.[Read More…]

Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—December 11, 2014. SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending December 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 294,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week’s unrevised level of 297,000. The 4-week moving average was 299,250, an increase of 250 from the previous week’s unrevised[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 10, 2014 – 11:08 A.M. EST MR. EARNEST:  Good morning, everybody.  Nice to see you all. Appreciate you accommodating the schedule today.  So we’ll just experiment with the time a little bit and try to get ahead of the President’s remarks that are slated for 11:50 a.m. or[Read More…]

Opportunity to Restore Communities Most Harmed By War on Drugs in Jeopardy Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—December 9, 2014. In a dramatic turn of events, media reports suggest that Congress is still negotiating whether to overturn D.C.’s historic marijuana legalization initiative. Currently, sources are reporting that Congress is considering allowing Initiative 71, approved[Read More…]