“If you don’t imagine what the person you’re speaking to might be thinking, you can’t anticipate how that person is reacting to you.”
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor talks to Gwen Ifill about her new memoir, “My Beloved World,” her adjustment to “the bench” and the importance of an open mind. More here.
This Week on the Hill: Budgets, Filibusters, Guns and More
Obama is sworn in (twice). And that thing with Beyonce also happened. Just another busy week on Capitol Hill:
- No Budget, No Pay, No Problem: The House got right to work on Wednesday debating and passing the No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013.
- Hill’s on the Hill: On Tuesday, Clinton sat for five hours answering questions about the attacks in Benghazi that left four Americans, including an ambassador, dead.
- CA Lawmakers and Guns Control: Democrats Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced the introduction of a new assault weapons ban and Rep. Mike Thompson chaired the second hearing of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.
- Filibuster Deal Goes Bust: A group of senators decided it was time to bring back the talking filibuster (cue: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) and pushed leadership hard to get it done.
- Dudes for Women: A pair of Senators, Pat Leahy, D-Vt., and Mike Crapo R-Idaho, reintroduced the Violence Against Women Act this week. The 1994 law was up for a third reauthorization last year but it could not make it through the House.
- John Kerry, Subject of a Hearing by the Committee He Is Currently Chairman of: Yes, John Kerry is going to become the next Secretary of State. So, rather unnaturally, he sat before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — of which he is the current chairman — and explained why he would be a good Secretary of State. It was a fairly friendly hearing.
Today marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
Pew Research Center has been asking Americans their opinions on abortion for years. What’s striking is that in four decades, their views have barely changed.
Michael Dimock of Pew said: “The balance of opinion on this issue is very similar across the age groups. But we are seeing less of a focus on abortion among younger folks in this survey — they’re far less likely to describe abortion as a “critical issue” facing the country.”
President Obama delivers his second inaugural address. (Text here)
President Obama’s comprehensive gun control agenda in four points (and highlights)
1. Fixing background check loopholes
2. Banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines
3. Making schools safer
4. Increasing access to mental health services
Full speech here.
Source: White House
With that in mind, NewsHour’s Justin Scuilletti imagined what NewsHour’s logo would look like in the styling of Lew’s penmanship. It’s a beauty, right?
"Even if you argue that the country is obliged to take care of its aging seniors, the recipients of nearly $1.5 trillion in annual benefits through Social Security and Medicare (and by the way, I’m in that age group), it’s also important to ask why there isn’t more focus on America’s next generations. Either because of the government debt that continues to grow — and that will be the burden today’s young people have to address — or because of the fact that at least one in five children in the U.S. today live in poverty."
Super PACS, welders, women, the singing candidate, plutocats and political “movie trailers”: The stars of the six campaign ads we’re more than happy to say goodbye to this year (Good. Riddance.).
If Washington doesn’t reach a deal by Jan., across-the-board trigger cuts could reduce discretionary spending by roughly 8 percent. This could potentially hurt programs such as early childhood development and special education, which serves some of the neediest students in the country.
How concerned are you about the fiscal cliff’s impact on education funding? Do you think education is or should be a priority in fiscal cliff negotiations?
