Necessary News
1) GOP MINDSET
A new Rasmussen poll released Thursday found that GOP voters would rather have a record-setting deficit if it means they could get more tax cuts. Those polled were asked “Would [they] rather see a balanced budget with higher taxes or a budget deficit with tax cuts?” Forty-one percent say they would rather have budget deficit with tax cuts, with 36 percent calling for higher taxes and a balanced budget.[TPMDC]
2) THE NEED FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM
Today in ‘why we need health care reform’: According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 17 cents of every U.S. dollar were spent on health care, the largest one-year increase since the federal government started tracking the number in 1960. Even worse: By 2019, health care spending will represent 19.3% of the nation’s total economic output, according to the report. [USA T]
3) EQUALITY FOR ALL
At the National Prayer Breakfast yesterday, both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Obama condemned Uganda’s anti-homosexuality bill. The bill would force life imprisonment or the death penalty for homosexual acts; require people to report every LGBT individual they know, and criminalize renting property to gay men and women. Said Obama at the breakfast: “We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are, whether it’s here in the United States or ...more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda.” [TP]
4) WOE IS THE JOB MARKET
Unexpectedly, the number of newly laid-off workers filing initial claims for jobless benefits rose last week, evidence that layoffs are continuing. According to the Labor Department, new claims for unemployment insurance rose by 8,000 to an adjusted 480,000. Wall Street economists had expected a drop to 460,000. The rise is the fourth in the past five weeks. [AP]
5) FREE TEXTING FOR PREGNANT WOMEN
On Thursday, the White House announced a new cell phone program for expectant American mothers, designed to curb premature births. The new cell phone tool, known as the text4baby campaign, would send pregnancy tips directly to their cell phones. How it works: “Mothers-to-be who text ‘BABY’ to 511411 will receive weekly text messages, timed to their due date or their baby’s birth date. The messages deal with nutrition, immunization and birth defect prevention, among other topics.” The program is the first free, health education program in the U.S. to tie together the reach of mobile phones. [CBS News]
Watercooler Sensation
1) SAY WHAT?
“I think that Barack Hussein Obama should be put in jail. It is clear that Barack Hussein Obama is a communist. Mao Tse Tung lives and his name is Barack Hussein Obama. This country should be ashamed. I wanna throw up."— Rock star Ted Nugent, in an interview with Royal Flush magazine. We couldn’t make this stuff up. [Political Wire]
2) GO FOR THE (RECYCLED) GOLD!
This year’s Winter Olympic games are warming the hearts of conservationists everywhere. The gold, silver, and bronze medals Olympians will receive at the games will be made from recycled metals from end-of-life electronics! Canadian mining company Teck Resources was able to harvest the gold, silver, and bronze from the circuit boards of old computers and have it melted down into the Olympic medals. Awesome![ Mother Board]
3) SUPERBOWL DIVIDED BY PARTISAN LINES
It seems there’s even a partisan divide when it comes to who Americans favor in the Superbowl, airing this weekend. A new Public Policy Polling survey finds that Democrats prefer the Saints by a 36-21 margin while Republicans say they want the Colts to be victorious by a closer 26-25 spread. [Public Policy Polling]
4) BOOZE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
When it comes to being the most inebriated city in America, no one comes close to Fresno, California, which was deemed the “drunkest” city by Men’s Health magazine. The criteria the magazine used when drawing up the list included the death rates from alcoholic liver disease, booze-fueled car crashes, frequency of binge-drinking in the past month, number of DUI arrests, and severity of DUI penalties. For the rest of the list, click here. [USA T]
5) WALKING THE CATWALK FOR HAITI
Naomi Campbell is doing her part for the Haiti relief effort by holding a charity catwalk show at New York Fashion Week. Although the event is still coming together, Campbell has already called upon her friends Christy Turlington and the Duchess of York, asking them to participate. Celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe and designer Marc Jacobs are also set to participate. [AP]
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