In today’s news we provide links to the White House social secretary’s departure, health care and the stock market.
NATIONAL NEWS
White House social secretary Rogers leaving: aide
Rogers is personally close to first lady Michelle Obama and is part of a group of Chicagoans who came to Washington with President Barack Obama.
The official had no further details on Rogers’ departure.
HEALTHCARE
Race to Pin Blame For Health Costs
A battle over who to blame for rising health-care costs is escalating, as groups seek to pin the problem on each other and say none of the health-care legislation under consideration does enough to solve it.
U.S. spending on health care reached $2.5 trillion in 2009, according to federal estimates. It is expected to jump to $4.5 trillion in 10 years.
Obama Shows Testy Side at Health Care Summit
Of all the hats President Obama tried on at Thursday’s seven-and-a-half-hour health care summit, it appeared the one he was most comfortable wearing was that of the prickly professor.
In between playing the roles of moderator and deal-maker, the president took several opportunities to dress down his classroom of Republican critics. Through a series of awkward clashes between him and the Republicans, the summit may have served more to portray Republicans as intransigents intent on stonewalling a bill no matter what, than it served to pave the way for a compromise.
US STOCK MARKET
US HOT STOCKS: CKE Restaurants, AIG, Gap, Athenahealth, DTS
U.S. stocks rose Friday, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 10 points to 10331, the Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 1.5 points to 1104 and the Nasdaq Composite Index increased 3.3 points to 2237. Among the companies whose shares are actively trading are CKE Restaurants Inc. (CKR), American International Group Inc. (AIG) and Gap Inc. (GPS).
Private-equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners has agreed to take private CKE Restaurants (CKR, $11.13, +$2.22, +24.92%) for about $619 million, but the company will have six weeks to find a higher offer. The deal comes as the parent of the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s fast-food chains has struggled, especially with Carl’s Jr. In the four weeks ended Jan. 25, same-store sales at Carl’s Jr. slid 9%. CKE has been averse to the deep discounting that some rivals have been doing to prevent sales declines. Rival restaurant owners Jack in the Box Inc. (JACK, $21.13, +$0.80, +3.94%) and Sonic Corp. (SONC, $8.49, +$0.15, +1.80%) also rose.
In today’s news update we look at new health care plan links and into the situation of the spy cams at a US high school.
Republican Doctors Offer to Make White House Call for Health Care Summit
A Republican congressman who serves as co-chairman of the House Doctors Caucus is requesting President Obama include representative doctors at his health care summit on Thursday.
Though the guest list for Thursday’s event won’t be finalized until Wednesday, Pennsylvania Rep. Tim Murphy, who is also a psychologist, has asked Obama to request participation from the 20-plus members of Congress with health care experience.
Obama Details Plan to Expand Health Care to Uninsured
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Monday laid out for the first time a detailed legislative proposal for overhauling health care, largely sticking with the approach passed by the Senate with unified Democratic support in December but making concessions to the House version as well.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is opening a probe into allegations that a US high school used laptop cameras to monitor students.
The investigation is the result of a class action suit filed last week against Lower Merion School District.
School student Blake Robbins was told last November he had been accused of “improper behavior in his home” – and the evidence for this behaviour was a photograph of him in his bedroom taken via his laptop’s camera.
In today’s news update, we provide links to headlines regarding Bill Clinton’s release from the hospital, online retail sales, and China and Dalai Lama.
Bill Clinton released from hospital
New York (CNN) — Former President Clinton left a New York hospital early Friday, less than a day after doctors performed a procedure to restore blood flow in one of his coronary arteries.
Terry McAuliffe, a Clinton confidant and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, confirmed Clinton had left New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s Columbia campus.
Retail sales get a boost online
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Retail sales rose in January, driven by strength in discount retailers and online merchants, according to a government report Friday.
The Commerce Department said total retail sales edged up 0.5% to $355.8 billion last month, compared with December’s revised decline of 0.1%. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had anticipated that January sales would grow 0.3%.
China Urges Obama to Cancel Planned Dalai Lama Meeting
China is urging the US government to cancel plans for President Barack Obama to meet next week with Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu issued a statement Friday, urging the United States to, in his words, “immediately withdraw” plans for a meeting between President Obama and the Dalai Lama.
The McCuistion Program premieres in Las Vegas starting February 7th, with the series Twenty Years of McCuistion – Part One: Education and Our Children.
Time and Channel: 4:00 PM PST – Vegas PBS Rewind, Cox Cable, Channel 110
If you’re in Vegas, tune in and let your Vegas friends and colleagues know. This is one time that “what happens in Vegas should not stay in Vegas”.
For the last several years we’ve attended Freedom Fest- Las Vegas and interviewed key thought leaders at the PBS studio including: Steve Forbes, Steve Moore, Daniel Mitchell, David Boaz and Richard Rahn, Charles Murray (author of The Bell Curve), Michelle Muccio (Acton Institute), Mark Skousen, and numerous others. So, it is with great pride and pleasure that we are now available on the Las Vegas PBS station.
Vegas PBS is southern Nevada’s local PBS affiliate. The company also programs 13 additional television and cable public service media channels and produces over 700 hours a year of local programming. The mission of Vegas PBS is to use telecommunications technology and local outreach activities to support the educational, cultural, health, safety and civic needs of Southern Nevada by creating and acquiring content that informs, entertains, and improves people’s lives.
Vegas PBS also offers multimedia products and educational services directly to classrooms, homes and businesses, along with extensive local outreach efforts targeted at literacy and health. The company serves 1 million a month with its TV and cable channels, records over 12 million classroom student viewings of downloaded digital media every year, enrolls over 7,000 people a year in “for-credit” classes, and receives over 6 million web page visits a year.
In 2010, Vegas PBS will dedicate a new 108,000 square foot Educational Technology Campus which will allow low cost production and storage of digital media on multiple distribution platforms. The goal is to meet the public safety, public education, public health, workforce development and cultural access needs and aspirations of southern Nevada. The facility has been designed to incorporate a large number of sustainable building features, furnishings and equipment standards as established by national certification organizations making it the “greenest” television station in North America.
We welcome your questions and comments. I can be reached at (214) 750-5157.
As always thanks for watching as we talk about things that matter… with people who care.
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Niki Nicastro McCuistion
Executive Producer/Producer
In today’s news update we feature links to the job rate, Obama’s meeting with the Dalai Lama, and Toyota’s apologies for the recalls.
Jobless Rate Falls to 9.7%; U.S. Sheds 20,000 Job
The U.S. unemployment rate unexpectedly declined in January, but the economy continued to shed jobs and revisions painted a bleaker picture for 2009, casting doubt over the labor market’s strength.
The unemployment rate, calculated using a household survey, fell to 9.7% last month from an unrevised 10% in December, the Labor Department said Friday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast the jobless rate would edge higher to 10.1%.
Toyota’s Chief Steps Forward to Apologize for Problems
NAGOYA, JAPAN — The president of Toyota apologized at a hastily arranged news conference Friday night for the quality problems that led to the recall of more than nine million cars worldwide.
Analysis: Obama-Dalai Lama meeting only option
WASHINGTON — Just a week after enraging China with an arms sale package for rival Taiwan, President Barack Obama risks more damage to this crucial relationship by agreeing to meet with the Dalai Lama in two weeks.
