WASHINGTON — Rep. Jim Himes and his wife, Mary, have been invited to rub elbows Tuesday evening with movie stars and other celebrities at President Obama’s last state dinner, in honor of Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
Barack Obama
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal, Murphy, DeLauro seek to override Obama veto of terrorism lawsuit bill
Updated at 8:20 p.m.
WASHINGTON — Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Rep. Rosa DeLauro are at the forefront of an effort to override President Obama’s veto of a bill that would help the families of the victims of the September 11th attacks sue Saudi Arabia.
Posted inEducation, Politics
Charter school advocates playing in General Assembly primaries
Change Course CT, a political action committee associated with Democrats for Education Reform, a national group Gov. Dannel P. Malloy addressed during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week, has polled voters on two primaries in Bridgeport and one in New London. A second charter group is paying for promotional literature and T-shirts.
Posted inHealth
CT Zika-fighting efforts could feel pinch if Congress doesn’t act
WASHINGTON — Connecticut has received nearly $1 million this week from the federal government to combat the Zika virus – enough for now, state officials say, but not if the crisis worsens. Meanwhile, the blame game continues in Washington over who is responsible for holding up more than $1 billion that could bolster states’ efforts to fight the disease.
Posted inPolitics
Obama says election a choice ‘about who we are as a people’
PHILADELPHIA — Led by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic National Convention shook off shook off two nights of intra-party dissent Wednesday to deliver a relentless assault on the character and temperament of Republican Donald J. Trump and his dark view of an America in decline.
Posted inHealth, Politics
CT Dems take stand on opioid funding – and lose
WASHINGTON — Despite protests and high drama over the level of money the federal government will spend fighting heroin addiction and prescription pain pill abuse, Democrats lost their battle this week to increase federal funds by nearly $1 billion to pay for additional treatment for addicts.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Obama: ‘We will not give in to fear or turn against each other’
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy ordered flags lowered to half-staff Sunday as Connecticut joined President Obama and the nation in mourning the murders of 50 people in an Orlando, Fla., nightclub, an act of terror and the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Some Democrats quickly called for Congress to strengthen measures aimed at preventing gun violence.
Posted inPolitics
Congress fighting over Zika funding that could aid CT pharmaceuticals
WASHINGTON — Congress is tied in a partisan knot over funding U.S. response to the outbreak of the Zika virus, money that could help several Connecticut pharmaceutical companies continue their work toward a vaccine.
Posted inEducation
Obama says he’ll miss Huskies, Auriemma
WASHINGTON – For the fourth time in four years, President Obama on Tuesday praised the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team for winning the NCAA championship. “So there’s an old saying, you can’t win all the time, except this team wants to consistently bust that cliché,” Obama said.
Posted inNews
Obama calls to congratulate Huskies on latest championship
It’s happening so often President Obama should put Geno Auriemma on speed dial or his cell phone favorites list.
Posted inPolitics
CT lawmakers seek more funds for gun background check system
WASHINGTON — All five members of Connecticut’s U.S. House delegation joined dozens of other lawmakers – many of them but not all fellow Democrats – to ask for more money for the federal gun purchaser background check system.
Posted inPolitics
CT senators say Supreme Court nominee Garland has a chance
WASHINGTON — Despite a huge Republican wall of resistance to having President Obama fill the Supreme Court seat of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, Connecticut’s Democratic senators say there’s a chance of confirmation.
Posted inPolitics
DeLauro to join Obama on Cuba trip
WASHINGTON — Rep. Rosa DeLauro will be among about 20 other lawmakers, most of them Democrats, to visit Cuba with President Obama, when he makes his historic trip to the island next week.
Posted inPolitics
Pentagon chiefs ask Congress for another round of base closings
WASHINGTON – Citing a need to reduce waste and improve efficiency, Pentagon officials said Thursday they want to a round of military base closings like one that threatened Naval Submarine Base New London in 2005.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Governors ask for money, share strategies to combat opioid crisis
WASHINGTON — The nation’s governors have pressed the federal government for money to help them combat the opioid abuse and heroin addiction that has resulted in a spike of overdoses and strained state public health systems. They also shared with the Obama administration and each other policies they’ve implemented to confront the crisis.