Push for immigration reform escalates

How likely is it that Congress will tackle immigration reform by the end of the year? Depends who you ask.On Monday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the president would like to see action on immigration reform this year, but “currently where we sit, the math makes that real difficult.”On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters that if the floor time can be found, “we have the floor votes to do it.”And on Wednesday, Sen. Chuck Schumer D-N.Y., chairman of the Judiciary subcommittee that handles immigration, went one step further, saying that “all the fundamental building blocks are in place to pass comprehensive reform this session, and even possibly later this year.”

Can the Republicans Sacrifice the Hispanic Vote?

That the Hispanic vote helped Obama to win electoral votes in such “gringo” territories as Nebraska and Indiana is a reminder that there are Hispanics everywhere now; the presence of a surprisingly large and extremely Democratic-leaning Hispanic vote in New Jersey, for example, is one reason why Republicans are no longer competitive there. Moreover, the growth rate of the Hispanic population tends to be fastest in such nontraditional areas as the South and even the Prairie states. According to the Census Bureau, the state where the age 18+ Hispanic population grew the fastest between 2007 and 2008 was South Carolina +6.6%, followed by a three-way tie between North Carolina, North Dakota and South Dakota each +6.5%.

Still, the most immediate and obvious downside to the Republicans would be in the Southwest. They would sacrifice New Mexico and Nevada, where Obama already won by 15- and 12-point margins respectively, perhaps for the foreseeable future. Although Colorado is not quite in the same category, the Republicans are already suffering from the migration of well-educated and largely white coastal liberal voters into the state; to deliberately sacrifice its Hispanic vote, which represented 13 percent of its electorate in 2008, would render the state all but unwinnable for them. So let’s assume that any manifestation of Operation Gringo cannot rely on votes from Nevada, New Mexico, or Colorado.

‘Empathy’ Is Code for Judicial Activism

Both President Barack Obama and Republicans get something they want from the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor.

Mr. Obama said he wanted to replace Justice David Souter with someone who had “empathy” and who’d temper the court’s decisions with a concern for the downtrodden, the powerless and the voiceless.

“Empathy” is the latest code word for liberal activism, for treating the Constitution as malleable clay to be kneaded and molded in whatever form justices want. It represents an expansive view of the judiciary in which courts create policy that couldn’t pass the legislative branch or, if it did, would generate voter backlash.

Chatty Chavez begins Venezuelan talk-show marathon | International | Reuters

Venezuela’s garrulous President Hugo Chavez on Thursday began a marathon four-day edition of his trademark television show to mark 10 years since the influential and widely watched program first hit the airwaves.

Chavez is a tireless talker who uses frequent television appearances to make policy announcements, berate opponents and even sing during rambling speeches often delivered in the florid vernacular of working class Venezuelans.

Normally transmitted on Sundays from a different corner of the South American oil exporting nation each week, ‘Alo Presidente’ is the boisterous socialist’s favorite forum, with the program once running to eight hours.

AP sources: Obama picks Sotomayor for high court

President Barack Obama tapped federal appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court on Tuesday, officials said, making her the first Hispanic in history picked to wear the robes of a justice.

If confirmed by the Senate, Sotomayor, 54, would succeed retiring Justice David Souter. Two officials described Obama’s decision on condition of anonymity because no formal announcement had been made.

via AP sources: Obama picks Sotomayor for high court.

Puerto Rico reports 1st swine flu case – Americas AP – MiamiHerald.com

Puerto Rico reported its first case of the swine flu on Monday, making it only the second Caribbean island to confirm the virus’s presence.

Lab tests confirmed that a 39-year-old Puerto Rican man had the disease, Gov. Luis Fortuno told a news conference. The man, whom authorities did not identify, apparently became infected during a recent cruise through the Eastern Caribbean.

via Puerto Rico reports 1st swine flu case – Americas AP – MiamiHerald.com.

Israeli document: Venezuela sends uranium to Iran

Venezuela and Bolivia are supplying Iran with uranium for its nuclear program, according to a secret Israeli government report obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

The two South American countries are known to have close ties with Iran, but this is the first allegation that they are involved in the development of Iran’s nuclear program, considered a strategic threat by Israel.

Happy Mother’s Day

U.S. lawmaker sees Cuba embargo gone by late 2010

The U.S. Congress will most likely lift a five-decades-old embargo on Cuba before the end of 2010, a senior Democratic lawmaker said Tuesday.

House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel told reporters he believed the current Congress, which goes through next year, would lift the trade ban.

via U.S. lawmaker sees Cuba embargo gone by late 2010 | Politics | Reuters.

Fidel Castro defends Cuba’s state-controlled press – Americas AP – MiamiHerald.com

Fidel Castro defended Cuba’s government-controlled press Friday, arguing that news coverage is manipulated by those wealthy enough to finance newsgathering even in countries guaranteeing press freedom.

In a column posted on a state Web site, the 82-year-old ex-president wrote that “today, only through gigantic investments can you provide centers that produce the news for the whole planet.”

“And only those who manage them decide what gets reported and how it gets reported,” he said.

In Cuba, all television, radio, newspapers, magazines and publishing houses are state-owned, and severe limits on private ownership and enterprise ban competing with official propaganda.