Reid Urges Republican Cooperation On Small Business Bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) took the release of Friday’s new unemployment data as an opportunity to hammer his Republican colleagues on the importance of passing a small business bill.

“Republicans must stop putting special interests before working Americans and work with us to pass bipartisan measures that will energize small businesses and the middle class, the engine of America’s economy,” Reid said in a statement on July’s jobs report. “I hope that every senator will return to Washington in September ready to pass critical support to boost our nation’s small businesses.”

The Small Business Jobs and Credit Act, which provides a $30 billion fund for community banks to spur lending at the local level, has not yet found 60 supporters in the Senate. 

Kagan Cracks Jokes At White House Reception

President Barack Obama hosted a reception today at the White House celebrating the newest member of the Supreme Court, Elena Kagan.

Kagan was greeted with a standing ovation after President Barack Obama introduced her to a room full of family, friends and colleagues. The incoming Justice lightened the mood, cracking jokes about her “grueling” confirmation process.

“I really enjoyed meeting with 83 Senators,” Kagan joked as members of the audience chuckled. “But, then again, who’s counting.”

She is the fourth woman to ascend to the Supreme Court, making this the first bench in history to seat three women at the same time.

Citing Radiation Concerns, Republicans Request Full-Body Scanner Review

Three Senate Republicans have sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration asking the government entities to review the health effects incurred by the use of full body scanners at airports.

Issued by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Me.) and signed by fellow GOP Senators Tom Coburn (Okla.) and Richard Burr (N.C.), the letter focuses on concerns surrounding the radiation emitted from the machines and its effects on both passengers at TSA workers.

“We have not seen TSA address the issue of airport and airline personnel who work at the airport and therefore could receive multiple doses of radiation every work day,” the letter states.

Treasury Official Notes Continued Gains In Private Sector

Assistant U.S. Treasury Secretary Alan Krueger held a briefing this morning to discuss the July unemployment figures. Krueger trumpted the fact that the private sector added jobs for the seventh straight month.

“We still have a long way to go before the economy is generating all of the jobs we need for the labor force,” he said. “Nonetheless, the fact that private sector employment has expanded for seven months in a row and that weekly work hours are recovering are indications that we are moving in the right direction.

America: 65 Years After Hiroshima

Robert Hune-Kalter - Talk Radio News Service

Today marks the 65th Anniversary the United States dropped “Little Boy” over Hiroshima.  The resulting blast killed an estimated 70,000 people instantly, while another 70,000 were injured. Talk Radio News Service asked John Steinbach, a longtime nuclear weapons activist how far America has since the bomb’s debut.

“The bomb was exploded in 1945, it was estimated it would take many, many years before anyone else built the bomb, it took the Russians about three and a half years,” said Steinbach. “Now, we’re back down to about 20,000 nuclear weapons and 90% of them are possessed by our country and Russia.”

The U.S. has been reducing its nuclear arsenal since the end of the Cold War, but still plans on spending an estimated $180 billion over the next ten years. Steinbach described this as a “Faustian bargain,” referring to the deal the German legend Faust makes with the devil.

“In order to move toward a position of nuclear disarmament, we have to do that through a position of strength,” he said. “Six major nuclear bomb factories are going to be completely rebuilt and, at the same time, we need to modernize our delivery systems.”

He said that the steps to disarmament are very modest and believes greater strides can be made during the Obama administration.

“In order for President Obama to equal his rhetoric, we really need to keep the lines of communication open, we need to keep talking, because I think that much larger reductions in the nuclear arsenals are very possible over the next six years of the Obama administration,” Steinbach said.