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Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Daily Clips for June 22, 2010

PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Congress can empower small campaign donors through the Fair Elections Now Act

By Mark Ferrulo and David Donnelly

St. Petersburg Times

Instead of protecting the interests of Big Oil and Pharma, it's time we had a government that worked for working Americans, not big corporations and their lobbyists.

FEATURED STORIES

The Outsiders Who Are Roiling Florida's Election

By Tim Padgett

Time Magazine

To their critics, Rick Scott and Jeff Greene are poster boys for two of America's biggest problems: our health care and financial systems.


Memo links shadow group's attacks on Rick Scott to Bill McCollum campaign

By John Frank

St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Attorney General Bill McCollum continues to distance himself from two shadowy political committees attacking his GOP primary opponent, but new evidence is surfacing to connect his campaign to the groups.


Senate candidates Kendrick Meek, Jeff Greene to debate

By Beth Reinhard

Miami Herald

Kendrick Meek repeatedly derides his U.S. Senate rival as a carpetbagging billionaire trying to buy the election. Jeff Greene counters that Meek is a do-nothing career politician.


Oil threatens key Gulf algae and its ecosystem

The Associated Press

Palm Beach Post

Related video: Gulf Fisherman: "It's Heartbreaking"

Related: Florida officials seek out oil skimmers rather than wait for BP

It looks dirty and muddy, a brown mass of weeds with gas-filled berries that allow it to float on the Gulf of Mexico's waters.


Weather favoring Florida oil response

By Bill Cotterell

Tallahassee Democrat

Related: Oil to keep hitting beaches through Wednesday, concentrated at Destin

Related: Big Bend finalizing response plan for oil cleanup

Gov. Charlie Crist and state emergency officials said Monday winds and sea currents should move the Gulf oil spill away from Florida in the next few days.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Tea party movement takes on party that shares its name

By Travis Pillow

Florida Independent

The eclectic mix of conservative groups that make up the tea party movement -- and their universal disdain for the political party that shares its name -- was on display at a rally in downtown Orlando this weekend.

POLITICAL RACES

Will Charlie Crist be Florida's Arlen Specter?

By Marc A. Thiessen

Washington Post

Can Charlie Crist accomplish in Florida what Arlen Specter failed to do in Pennsylvania -- woo Democrats to his cause after bolting the GOP to avoid a tough primary?


Challenge for McCollum, Scott: Cut corporate tax rate - and spending

By John Koenig

Florida Thinks!

Bill McCollum wants to cut state taxes on businesses. Rick Scott does, too.


Greene gets support from Rep. Abruzzo for Democratic nomination in US Senate race

By Michael C. Bender

Palm Beach Post

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Greene, a real estate tycoon trumpeting his status as a political "outsider," announced Monday his first endorsement from an elected official in Florida.


Tea Party fields questionable candidates - and takes flak for it

By Aaron Deslatte

Orlando Sentinel

Christopher Crawford is a 22-year-old from Orlando whose only reported assets are a 1991 Acura Integra worth $2,000 and an IKEA couch.


PACs favor Boyd in District 6

By Tosha Sketo

Panama City News Herald

While incumbent Allen Boyd has raised more than $1 million relying heavily on political action committees, his challengers on both sides of the aisle are shunning the "political machine" in favor of individual contributions.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

Monitoring the Manatee for Oil Ills

By John Leland

New York Times

Related: Cold, Dark and Teeming With Life

To the people who know her best, Bama is a skittish creature: smart, a good traveler, does not mix much with her peers.


Panel Is Unlikely to End Deepwater Drilling Ban Early

By John M. Broder

New York Times

The bipartisan commission named by President Obama in May to study the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the future of American offshore drilling will hold its first formal meeting in mid-July at the earliest, most likely delaying the delivery of its final report into next year, a co-chairman of the panel said in an interview.


Three of Florida's biggest law firms chosen to defend BP, others

By Brett Ader

Florida Independent

As hundreds of lawsuits mount from all over the Gulf Coast against the energy giants involved with the Deepwater Horizon disaster, three of the largest law firms in Florida have been chosen to handle litigation for the biggest players involved in the oil spill.


Florida has 20 oil skimmers, needs 100

By Bruce Ritchie

FloridaEnvironments.com

Florida is asking federal officials and BP for more vessels to skim oil from the Gulf and has hired five of their own to operate in bays, state officials said.


Report undercuts Rubio claims about offshore drilling

By Travis Pillow

Florida Independent

At a forum last week for statewide candidates, Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio reiterated his position in favor of offshore oil drilling, arguing that it will help America achieve energy independence.


Escambia mostly unscathed

By Paul Flemming

Pensacola News Journal

Winds on Monday again favored the Pensacola area, keeping most oil off the beaches and shores.


"Towel Aid" for Oiled Birds in Gulf

By Mark Scheerer

Public News Service Florida

"Towel Aid" is underway for the Gulf Coast. The laundry industry has already collected 10,000 pounds of worn-out towels and linen that will be sent to wildlife centers where birds scrubbed of the oil threatening their lives need to be dried off.


BP And Its Apologists

The Progress Report

Think Progress

Last month, BP CEO Tony Hayward lamented the continuing Gulf oil spill crisis was preventing a return to his privileged life of skiing and sailing.


Rep. Buchanan touts drilling legislation

By Sara Kennedy

Bradenton Herald

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan on Monday announced plans to introduce legislation designed to hold oil companies accountable for spills and to reform the federal government's oversight of offshore drilling.

EDUCATION

Florida's race for education grant puts challenges in focus

By Nancy Detert

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Monday I attended a one-day forum in Washington, D.C., at the request of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Florida rolls the dice with chunk of pension funds

By Kris Hundley

St. Petersburg Times

Chasing bigger investment returns, the agency that manages Florida's $113.8 billion public pension fund wants to make far riskier investment bets.


Legendary astronaut John Glenn pushes to keep space shuttle flying

By Todd Halvorson

Florida Today

Legendary astronaut John Glenn says the nation should keep flying U.S. shuttles rather than paying Russia to launch Americans to the International Space Station.


Cities hope SunRail riders will stop off and shop for a while

By Rachael Jackson

Orlando Sentinel

When SunRail trains start pulling into stations in 2013, cities across Central Florida are hoping riders step off the train to visit their shops and restaurants -- and maybe even move into new pedestrian communities built around rail stops.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

Senate fails to spare doctors from Medicare cuts

The Associated Press

Daytona Beach News-Journal

After a week of partisan wrangling, the Senate on Friday passed legislation to spare doctors a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments looming for months. But the last-ditch effort came too late.

CIVIL RIGHTS, PEACE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

Activists rally against laws that 'deny the legitimacy of immigrants'

By Marcos Restrepo

Florida Independent

The 14th Amendment of the Constitution defines citizenship this way: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Must Gov. Crist fill vacant judge post?

By Louis Cooper

Pensacola News Journal

In May, Crist decided not to replace Escambia County Judge David Ackerman, who stepped down last month, because Ackerman plans to return to work in February.


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