Catholic Media Report

Local Activists Hope to Mobilize Catholic Voters

jcussen — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:25:16 -0500

Thirty local activists who want to mobilize Catholic voters around the full range of Catholic social issues met yesterday to raise awareness.

"We are trying to influence the Catholic vote for the common good," said Lois Campbell, the local field organizer for Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, which sponsored the meeting.

The group plans to run phone banks to urge Catholics to vote with many issues in mind.

Jobless Claims Surge Above 400,000

jcussen — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:22:26 -0500

The number of newly laid off people filing claims for unemployment benefits bolted past 400,000 last week as companies trimmed their workforces to cope with a slowing economy.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of new applications filed for these benefits rose by a seasonally adjusted 34,000 to 406,000 for the week ending July 19.

That matched the level seen in late March. The last time claims were higher was after the devastation of the Gulf Coast hurricanes in mid-September 2005. Then, they spiked to 425,000.

Immigration Raids Ohio Restaurants, Arrests 58

jcussen — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:20:25 -0500

U.S. immigration agents raided eight Mexican restaurants in northern Ohio on Wednesday and arrested 58 employees as part of a criminal operation against illegal immigrants, federal authorities said.

All those arrested were citizens of Mexico and working at Casa Fiesta, a chain of Mexican restaurants in Ashland, Fremont, Norwalk, Oberlin, Oregon, Sandusky, Vermillion and Youngstown, Ohio, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement.

It said the raid was the culmination of more than a yearlong investigation.

Western Governors Offer Greenhouse Emissions Plan

jcussen — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:18:22 -0500

Seven Western states are joining four Canadian provinces to propose a plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions through use of a "cap and trade" system.

The draft plan, made public Wednesday by Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski's office, is aimed at gradually reducing carbon emissions across Oregon, Arizona, California, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Washington.

The plan, which also would extend to British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec in Canada, is keyed to a cap and trade system on utilities and industries that are major sources of greenhouse gases.

Antiwar Activists Split Over Obama's Afghan Buildup Plans

jcussen — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:16:11 -0500

Barack Obama's plan to build up U.S. forces in Afghanistan while keeping perhaps 50,000 troops in Iraq has triggered a deep rift among antiwar activists, a reminder of the difficult tasking facing the presumptive Democratic nominee as he tries to broaden his appeal.

The Illinois senator wrapped up three days of tours and talks in the war-ravaged nations Tuesday, stressing in a news conference that the "situation in Afghanistan is perilous and urgent" and that "we should not wait any longer" to provide additional troops.

Church Leaders Cautiously Hopeful Over Zimbabwe Power-Sharing Deal

jcussen — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:12:50 -0500

Church leaders expressed cautious hope over a deal signed by Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai that lays the framework for negotiations aimed at forming a power-sharing government.

"The immediate expectation is that it will bring an end to the violence," said Father Frederick Chiromba, secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference, in a July 22 telephone interview from the capital, Harare.

Potential Impact of Federal Housing Package

jcussen — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:10:23 -0500

The House approved on Wednesday and President Bush dropped his opposition to a far-reaching housing package designed to reinvigorate the real estate market and economy, shore up mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and assist struggling property owners. The bill could become law as early as next week. Among its provisions:

The bill would: Allow the Federal Housing Administration to insure up to $300 billion in refinanced mortgages.

Richest Americans See Their Income Grow

jcussen — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:59:21 -0500

In a new sign of increasing inequality in the U.S., the richest 1% of Americans in 2006 garnered the highest share of the nation's adjusted gross income for two decades, and possibly the highest since 1929, according to Internal Revenue Service data.

Meanwhile, the average tax rate of the wealthiest 1% fell to its lowest level in at least 18 years. The group's share of the tax burden has risen, though not as quickly as its share of income.

As Economic Woes Mount, Homeless Plan to Vote

jcussen — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:56:12 -0500

Single mother Mary White worked as a sales clerk until the bank foreclosed on the home she rented.

Tossed out on the street with her six boys, she lost her deposit and her job. Now she is revved up to vote in November. "My situation is going to make me want to vote even more," she said.

"I want to say that this should not be happening to people in America, and I am very angry and upset about it."

White, 42, is among many homeless people eager to cast a vote in an election year dominated by the shaky U.S. economy and a deepening housing crisis.

Lieberman Affirms Pastor, Uses Religious Platform To Discuss Security

jcussen — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:53:16 -0500

On Tuesday night, Sen. Joseph Lieberman spoke again to Christians United for Israel — with the tone and biblical references of a sermon — telling Pastor John Hagee's group, "We Americans have real enemies; we do not need to make enemies of each other."