Libya, Afghanistan Top Gates' Agenda
Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/12/134484959/Libya-Topped-Gates-Agenda-This-Week?ft=1&f=1004
Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/12/134484959/Libya-Topped-Gates-Agenda-This-Week?ft=1&f=1004
Wisconsin's state Assembly has approved a bill stripping nearly all of the state's public employees of their right to collective bargaining, giving Gov. Scott Walker a victory in his budget fight.
As we reported earlier, Democratic state senators had fled the state, relying on a rule that required at least 20 legislators be present for a vote on any issue involving the budget. But early Thursday morning, Republican state senators used a procedural rule to put the measure to a vote — by removing the bill's budgetary language.
An observer could be forgiven for not seeing how negotiations between the state and its employees could fail to be a financial issue — especially an observer who had read a release from the governor's office Monday titled "Collective Bargaining is a Fiscal Issue Part 3." But not everyone's cut out to be in politics.
News that the bill had passed led to bedlam at the Capitol, which was then closed to the public after the building was stormed by angry opponents of the measure.
The Wisconsin Capitol may see more excitement Saturday, when it faces a Day of Tractors — or, more accurately, a tractorcade. The event is sponsored by farmers who want to protest Gov. Walker's budget, as well as his move to limit collective bargaining rights in the state.
From Wisconsin Public Radio, Steve Roisum reports for Newscast:
Along with those driving their rigs, there are expected to be tens of thousands of farmers and their supporters on the ground. Western Wisconsin dairy farmer Joel Greeno is among them. He says they're there in part to tell Gov. Walker he's wrong to try to curtail bargaining rights for state employees.
"An attack on workers' collective bargaining rights is the same as an attack on farmers' collective bargaining rights," he said.
Greeno says farmers are also rallying against several less than ag-friendly issues in the governor's proposed two-year budget.
The Wisconsin Farmers Union says that the proposed budget would also make it harder for thousands of farmers to be eligible for a state health insurance program.
Correction at 7:45 a.m. ET, March 11: The tractorcade is planned for Saturday. We've corrected the post, which earlier said the event would be held today.
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Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/11/134429263/revisiting-the-reagan-shooting-in-rawhide-down?ft=1&f=1057
Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/12/134484967/Japan-Nuclear-Plant-Explodes?ft=1&f=1004
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Doctors provided the new details about Giffords' condition Friday, describing several milestones in her recovery in recent weeks. The developments include the removal of her breathing tube and her improving ability to walk with assistance and talk in complete sentences such as "I'm tired and want to go to bed."
Dr. Imoigele Aisiku called the breathing tube removal a "fist-pump" moment.
"I'm very happy to report that she's making leaps and bounds in terms of neurological recovery," Dr. Dong Kim added.
Her memory is also improving, although she does not recall the tragic event in Tucson that wounded her and 12 others and killed six people.
"She has been told both by her husband and by us, and I think she understands," Kim said. However, it's still unclear if Giffords knows if people were killed at the event.
Doctors also said she is showing emotion at times, including smiles when she makes key progress.
"She has a personality that's already showing through," Kim said. "She's very upbeat, focused on getting better. She hasn't shown us depression, and she's just been very forward-looking and even with the speech she's not showing much frustration."
Kim said it's a good possibility Giffords will be able to attend her husband Mark Kelly's space shuttle launch in April. He said doctors expect to reattach a piece of skull at some point in May but she can travel before that happens.
Part of her skull was removed to allow for brain swelling after she was shot in the head; she now wears a helmet to protect her head.
The news of her progress has been welcomed in her hometown of Tucson, where her supporters held a benefit concert on Thursday night to raise money for a fund created by a survivor of the attack. Rockers Alice Cooper and Jackson Browne were among the headline acts.
The suspect, 22-year-old Jared Loughner, has pleaded not guilty in federal court. Authorities described him as a mentally unstable college dropout who became obsessed with carrying out violence against Giffords.
He appeared in court this week in Tucson at a hearing attended by at least three survivors of the attack.
Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/11/134460023/rep-giffords-told-she-was-shot-doctors-say?ft=1&f=1014
Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2011/03/11/keith_ellison039s_weepy_tale_is_bogus_251843.html
Source: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/11/134448300/Earthquake-Science?ft=1&f=1007