Press Briefing

May 14, 2010

Gender-Based Violence Must Be Addressed in Fight Against HIV/AIDS
http://blogs.state.gov/sgwi/index.php/site/entry/gbv_aids

The Wrong Kind of Toyotathon, by Ronald Bailey
http://reason.com/archives/2010/05/14/the-wrong-kind-of-toyotathon
The unintended consequences of an unintended acceleration panic

Remarks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in a Moderated Conversation
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/05/141825.htm

New START Will Require Diligent Senate Consideration
http://rpc.senate.gov/public/_files/EvalProcessNewStartFINAL_Public.pdf

The European Rescue Plan: Opportunities and Limitations. By Domenico Lombardi, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development
The Brookings Institution, May 13, 2010
http://www.brookings.edu/interviews/2010/0513_euro_lombardi.aspx

Congress’ Historic Decision to Ignore Its Basic Duty
http://blog.heritage.org/2010/05/14/morning-bell-congress-historic-decision-to-ignore-its-basic-duty

Hello Supply Side, by Alan Reynolds
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=11808
On Kevin D. Williamson's Goodbye Supply Side

Can We Revoke Faisal Shahzad's Citizenship? - The challenge of terrorists with U.S. passports is serious. We are not powerless to deal with it.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704250104575238754192957856.html

Joint Statement By The Delegations Of The Russian Federation And The US On New Start Treaty
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/05/141827.htm

In Defense of Over-the-Counter Derivatives - Swaps grew out of the banking system because writing risky, custom contracts is a lot like making loans
http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2010/05/in-defense-of-over-counter-derivatives.html

The David and Nick Show - Call it the audacity of hope. [On David Cameron and Nick Clegg]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704635204575242080717711608.html

Still Segregating Voters - Texas defies racial gerrymandering. WSJ Editorial
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704250104575238392761660272.html
WSJ, May 14, 2010

The courts and the U.S. Congress continue to insist that racially gerrymandered voting districts are necessary to elect minority candidates, but election returns tell another story.

On Saturday, Irving, Texas held its first city council elections under a new system imposed by a federal court last year. Hispanic activists had sued the city, which is more than 40% Latino, arguing that Irving's at-large system was discriminatory because no Hispanic had ever won a council seat. As part of the settlement, Irving created six single-member voting districts—including one that was drawn specifically to ensure the election of an Hispanic—and two at-large districts. So what happened?

The newly created "Hispanic district" was won by Mike Gallaway, a black candidate who easily beat Trini Gonzalez, an Hispanic. And Roy Santoscoy, another Hispanic, defeated a white incumbent for one of the open at-large seats that was supposedly out of reach to Hispanics due to Irving's allegedly racist voting system.

Texas is hardly an outlier when it comes to upending the notion that racial gerrymandering is necessary because whites vote in lock step against minority candidates. U.S. Representatives Keith Ellison of Minnesota and Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri are black Democrats who represent districts that are more than 60% white. In 2008 President Obama did better among white voters in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and Texas than either John Kerry or Al Gore had done.

"The irony is that the American voter has moved on," says Edward Blum, an expert on the Voting Rights Act at the American Enterprise Institute. "He's willing to take race and ethnicity out of the election equation, yet the liberal advocacy groups and the courts refuse to accept this reality."


The Credit Raters Brawl - Al Franken wants a cartel and a trial lawyer payday. George LeMieux rides to the rescue
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704635204575242381255759008.html

Hypothetical, Preemptive Alarmism on Replacements for BPA
http://www.acsh.org/factsfears/newsID.1431/news_detail.asp

Is Free-Range Meat Making Us Sick?
http://www.acsh.org/factsfears/newsID.1430/news_detail.asp
http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2010/05/is-free-range-meat-making-us-sick/56333/

US-China Ten-Year Framework for Cooperation on Energy and Environment
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/05/141822.htm

U.S. Alliances in East Asia: Internal Challenges and External Threats
http://www.bipartisanalliance.com/2010/05/us-alliances-in-east-asia-internal.html

Joint Statement on US-Russian Consultations on Adoption
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/05/141820.htm

Eating soybeans increases soybean-specific IgG antibodies
http://academicsreview.org/reviewed-content/genetic-roulette/section-1/1-15-roundup-ready-soy-is-safe-6/

Incentives vs. Government Waste - What if bureaucrats could benefit financially from finding cost savings?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703915204575104113794207730.html

Kagan and the 'Public Safety Exception' - Does the nominee share Justice Stevens's view on Miranda warnings?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704635204575242013817367060.html

U.S. Satellite Shootdown: The Inside Story
http://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/satellites/us-satellite-shootdown-the-inside-story