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Morning Constitutional – Monday, 2 August 2010

Good morning, everybody. After 14 days, Lindsay\’s finally out of jail. Now, your morning constitutional: Rescuers having trouble reaching 27,000 people still stranded after Pakistan suffers some of the worst flooding it has experienced in decades. The floods are already responsible for over 1,100 deaths. An ongoing famine in Niger threatens millions of people who already suffer from food insecurity. A rocket that was likely aimed at an Israeli resort actually hits a nearby Jordanian resort, killing one and injuring four Jordanians. On the leaked Afghanistan documents and \”war crimes.\” According to a new national poll, Wyoming...

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Morning Constitutional – Friday, 30 July 2010

Good morning, everybody. Ellen\’s leaving American Idol, and Diddy wants in. Now, your morning constitutional: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia are meeting in Beirut to work together to help stabilize Lebanon if a UN tribunal indicts members of the Hezbollah movement for the killing of Rafik Hariri. Republicans succeeded in filibustering a Senate bill that would create a $30B fund for small business lending. July has been the deadliest month for American troops since the beginning of the war nine years ago. Economic growth in the U.S. slowed to 2.4% in the...

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Morning Constitutional – Friday, 30 July 2010

Good morning, everybody. Ellen\’s leaving American Idol, and Diddy wants in. Now, your morning constitutional: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia are meeting in Beirut to work together to help stabilize Lebanon if a UN tribunal indicts members of the Hezbollah movement for the killing of Rafik Hariri. Republicans succeeded in filibustering a Senate bill that would create a $30B fund for small business lending. July has been the deadliest month for American troops since the beginning of the war nine years ago. Economic growth in the U.S. slowed to 2.4% in the...

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Morning Constitutional – Thursday, 29 July 2010

Good morning, folks. Kanye performed at Facebook HQ and got a Twitter account. Now, your morning constitutional: U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton has blocked some of the more controversial measures in Arizona\’s new immigration law from going into effect while the federal lawsuit goes forward. The Pima County morgue in Arizona is getting crowded as the number of immigrants found dead in the desert surrounding Tucson has soared. Republicans who served with Elizabeth Warren on the TARP oversight panel offer praise for her work. Elizabeth Warren is widely rumored to be a potential nominee to head...

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Morning Constitutional – Wednesday, 28 July 2010

Good morning, folks. Spain\’s finally getting their own version of The Golden Girls. Now, your morning constitutional: No matter who wins, whether it be Republican U.S. Representative Mary Fallin or Democratic Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins, Oklahoma is virtually assured of electing its first woman governor in November. Interestingly enough, Oklahoma ranks 49th in percentage of women in their state legislature; South Carolina, which ranks 50th, may also elect its first woman governor (Nikki Haley). The oil spill in the Gulf seems to be clearing faster than anticipated, but of course, concerns about unseen effects remain. A study...

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Morning Constitutional – Tuesday, 27 July 2010

Good morning, folks. Amanda Bynes is apparently not so retired after all. Now, your morning constitutional: BP posted a loss of $16.9B for the three months from April to June, the largest ever for a British company. Meanwhile, CEO Tony Hayward is resigning and will be replaced by Robert Dudley, the executive who led the spill response. Dudley will be the first American to run the company. During a trip to Turkey, British PM David Cameron said Turkey must join the European Union. He also said that the Israeli blockade has turned Gaza into a \”prison camp.\”...

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Morning Constitutional – Monday, 26 July 2010

Good morning, everybody. The Kansas City Wizards beat Manchester United in a pointless friendly, but we\’ll take what we can get. Now, your morning constitutional: Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, a former Khmer Rouge prison chief, has been found guilty of crimes against humanity by a UN-backed Cambodian war crimes tribunal and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Who were the Khmer Rouge? The website WikiLeaks.org on Sunday published around 90,000 military and diplomatic documents relating to the war in Afghanistan. Many suggest that Pakistan is aiding Afghan rebels. The documents also show a much dimmer...

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Morning Constitutional – Friday, 23 July 2010

Good morning, everybody. Joss Whedon is going to direct The Avengers. Now, your morning constitutional: President Obama signed a bill yesterday finally extending benefits for those unemployed for longer than six months. Finding a total lack of votes, the Senate has given up trying to pass a comprehensive climate and energy bill this term. Long-time Representative Charles Rangel will face a public trial before the House ethics committee after a House investigative panel found substantial reason to believe that he violated House ethics rules. He will be the first member to face a public trial since the...

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Morning Constitutional – Thursday, 22 July 2010

Good morning, folks. Lindsay\’s in jail but getting special treatment. Now, your morning constitutional: President Obama will sign into law today the Improper Payment Elimination Act, a bill designed to cut fraudulent spending and wasteful programs. The International Court of Justice will issue its verdict today on whether Kosovo\’s declaration of independence from Serbia was legal. Budget cuts in Newark force mayor Cory Booker to order the city to stop buying toilet paper. The president yesterday signed the financial reform bill into law. What\’s in it, and how does it work? William Saletan: The Lynching of Shirley...

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Morning Constitutional – Wednesday, 21 July 2010

Good morning, folks. Sarah\’s not going to Bristol\’s wedding. Now, your morning constitutional: USDA employee Shirley Sherrod resigned yesterday after it was revealed that she gave a racist speech to the NAACP. Oh, wait: turns out it was a speech about overcoming racism. This morning, President Obama will sign the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act into law. The U.S. has announced new sanctions against North Korea targeting the sale and purchase of arms and import of luxury goods. The Senate broke a Republican filibuster yesterday on a bill that would extend unemployment benefits to those...

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