Pacific NW Portal

Refreshed at 1:52 AM Pacific on Saturday, May 19th, 2012

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  • Welcome to Pacific NW Portal, an NPI project that simplifies the task of staying up to date with news that matters to you. Pacific NW Portal does the hard work of keeping tabs on hundreds of different media sources at once, giving you a bird's eye view of what's going on. To see more of the front page, just scroll down. Use the links above to narrow your focus to a particular state, check weather and traffic, or simply see what's breaking now.
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  • Did you know? This version of Pacific NW Portal — Version 5.0 (Newport) — is the result of more than half a decade of development and reader feedback. Almost all of the new features were suggested by readers like you. If you've got a complaint or an idea for a future version, we want to hear from you! You're also welcome to submit your blog to our Regional Blogs Directory if you're progressive and you blog about politics from the Northwest.
In Depth: The Advocate

Baumgartner comes to WWU, response is lukewarm

Michael Baumgartner, current State Senator (6th-R) and opponent to Maria Cantwell, came to Western Washington University today to talk to students with slightly grammatically incorr... (read more)

In Brief

Quotation

In Dimon’s reality distortion field, JPMorgan’s enormous bets weren’t anything like prop trading. The bank’s Chief Investment Office in London was just hedging—namely, trying to reduce the firm’s risk by putting on one position to neutralize an opposite position elsewhere in the portfolio. Hedging is permitted under the Volcker Rule. This hedge, Dimon says, just happened to go bad. JPMorgan’s own words and actions belie that explanation.

— An excerpt from Peter Coy’s The Hubris of Jamie Dimon

# (Thursday, May 17, 2012)

Recommended Link

Wealthy Republican billionaire plotting to launch smear campaign against President Obama during Democratic National Convention

A group of experienced Republican operatives is collaborating with a right wing billionaire (who happens to own the Chicago Cubs) on an advertising campaign intended to destroy President Obama’s chances for reelection by attempting to link him with Jeremiah Wright.

# (Thursday, May 17, 2012)

Recommended Link

Let’s just say it: The Republicans are the problem.

Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein write: We have been studying Washington politics and Congress for more than 40 years, and never have we seen them this dysfunctional. In our past writings, we have criticized both parties when we believed it was warranted. Today, however, we have no choice but to acknowledge that the core of the problem lies with the Republican Party.

# (Wednesday, May 16, 2012)

Quotation

I want to renegotiate what was accepted at a certain stage to give it the dimension of growth.

— France’s newly inaugurated President, Francois Hollande, at a news conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

# (Tuesday, May 15, 2012)

Recommended Link

Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper see soda sales fall

The nation’s big three beverage makers continue to push back against attempts by public health officials to wean Americans off of unhealthy, sugary sodas, even as sales fall and the companies themselves raise prices on their products.

# (Tuesday, May 15, 2012)

Recommended Link

Chase CEO Jaime Dimon has `zero’ credit in D.C., analyst says

Simon Johnson, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a former economist at the International Monetary Fund, talks about the outlook for JPMorgan Chase following the disclosure the company suffered a $2 billion trading loss.

# (Monday, May 14, 2012)

Photo

Photo from In Brief

A park (Pascal Campion)

# (Monday, May 14, 2012)

Recommended Link

Republicans launch new SuperPAC targeting young voters

Kevin Bondelli of FutureMajority writes: I know that the initial reaction from many from the left is to laugh this effort off, but that would be a mistake. The right has already been trouncing the left for years when it comes to grooming their young talent, and if conservatives are serious about investing resources in youth outreach they could certainly do some damage. Democrats, liberals, and progressives need to realize that despite a pretty major head start, the Millennial generation can not be taken for granted. If we want to see large turnout with high Dem advantage from young voters, we need to invest in youth outreach. That funding and outreach can be the difference between election years like 2006/2008 and 2010.

# (Monday, May 14, 2012)

Recommended Link

New York Times: Cutbacks hurt Washington State’s response to whooping cough

In Skagit County, which has been hit the hardest by the latest whooping cough outbreak, the local Public Health Department has half the staff it did in 2008. Preventive care programs, intended to keep people healthy, are mostly gone, the New York Times reports.

# (Saturday, May 12, 2012)

Federal, State, and Local Levels

Coast to Coast Firehose

Northwest Kos

New York Times

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Idaho

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Campaign Buzz

Entries from campaign blogs belonging to candidates seeking federal, state, or major local office in the Pacific Northwest

  • amprog: 12 maps of the world from 1955 until n...
    (Obama for America) — amprog : 12 maps of the world from 1955 until now show extreme temperature anomalies. So why are people still denying climate change? (Source: theatlantic...
  • Organizing tip of the week: Voter registration ...
    (Obama 2012 Blog) — Voter registration drives , like the ones we’ll be holding across the country this weekend, are a great reminder of why I do this: to help people become m...
  • Romney economics: State by state
    (Obama 2012 Blog) — A new interactive map on romneyeconomics.com shows how Mitt Romney’s business decisions impacted communities across the country. In Colorado alone: Denver...
  • Friday Facts: Holding Wall Street accountable
    (Obama 2012 Blog) — President Obama took office in the midst one of the worst financial crises in our history, brought on in large part by the bad bets made by Wall Street ba...
  • Romney economics: A letter from Cindy
    (Obama 2012 Blog) — In a letter to the editor of The Miami Herald yesterday, Cindy Hewitt explained how Romney economics has affected her: From May 1996 to July 1998, I worke...
  • Weekend of action: Get involved
    (Obama 2012 Blog) — "I can't think of a better way to spend my Saturday than making sure that everyone gets the chance to participate and be counted in the 2012 election." —E...
  • "I don’t know whether Barack Obama was born in ...
    (Obama for America) — “I don’t know whether Barack Obama was born in the United States of America. But I do know this, that in his heart, he’s not an American. He’s just not an ...
  • “My place, June 14th”
    (Obama 2012 Blog) — Sarah Jessica Parker is inviting fellow supporters to spend time with her, President Obama, and the First Lady at her home in New York City: It's my honor...
  • Week in the field—May 18th, 2012
    (Obama 2012 Blog) — It’s been a busy week: Supporters helped open field offices in Michigan and Colorado, attended Women for Obama meetings in Iowa and North Carolina, and re...
  • All the cool kids are doing it. 
    (Obama for America) — All the cool kids are doing it . 
  • Stop the JP Morgan Loophole
    (Jeff Merkley for U.S. Senate, Oregon) — Fill out my online form . var q7x3a1;(function(d, t) { var s = d.createElement(t), options = { 'userName':'jeffmerkley', 'formHash':'q7x3a1', 'autoResize'...
  • Press Release: McKeon's Cemex Excuses are not C...
    (Lee Rogers for Congress 2012) — For Immediate Release May 18, 2012 Contact: Eric Hogensen, 323-761-9514 (Simi Valley) – Officials from the City of Santa Clarita and the Chamber of Commerc...
  • GottaVote.org
    (Obama 2012 Blog) — Today we’re launching GottaVote.org , a new site with all the information you need to vote this November. How to register, important deadlines, and a chec...
Occupy Radar

Occupy Radar tracks the latest dispatches from the Occupy Movement in cities across the Pacific Northwest. We are the 99%!

  • Ga Minutes (5/15/12) (Occupy Salem Oregon) — GA Minutes 5/15/12 IKE BOX 7 PM Outside Facilitator : Laurie                                                                                             ...
  • Can Your Help The Occutour? (Occupy Portland) — From Alex Pio of the Occutour Occunauts brokedown on the side of the road in Utah on their way to Chicago, after visiting amazing encampment at Occupy Sa...
  • Occupy Privilege And Racism Workshop (Occupy Eugene) — Where: Network Charter School, 2550 Portland Street, Eugene, OR 97405 When: May 19, 2012  -  10:00 am to 3:00 pm Who’s included in the 99%?    Are all vo...
  • Fabulous May Day Pdx Video (Occupy Portland) — This hour-long video from David Love commemorates labor history in Portland and all the actions from Mayday this year. Worth the watch!
  • Occupy Inter-Faith Eugene (Occupy Eugene) — Strategy meeting and Health Care for All HOUSEPARTY training. All are welcome. Please join us. May 20th, 1:30-4:00pm Church of the Resurrection 3925 Hily...
  • Join And Organize - Occupy Caravan Cross ... (OccupySeattle) — ONE MONTH FROM TODAY The Occupy Caravan departs from Seattle and two other West Coast cities -- S.F. and L.A. -- on a 20-day route east. We're looki...
  • May Newsletter Now Available (Occupy Eugene) — The May issue of The Eugene Occupier is now out. You can read it here: http://occupyeugenemedia.org/newsletter/may-newsletter/ Paper copies are available...
  • 7pm Friday Night Movie – The Seventh... (Occupy Portland) — If you don't know  where you've been, how will you ever figure out where you're going? http://geekportland.com/show_ event.php?id=625&o=2&c=1&m=05& a=10&...
  • Oe Activists Occupy Courtyard Of Old Feder... (Occupy Eugene) — A group of Occupy Eugene activists spontaneously began occupying the old Federal Building courtyard at 7th and Pearl streets on the evening of May 1. The...
  • General Assembly Goes Downtown (Occupy Vancouver USA) — We voted at the 5/8 GA to move the GA to Esther Short Park. We want to enjoy the central location until winter returns (about 3 weeks, right?). See you th...
  • 3pm Today May 10th – Rally @ Water B... (Occupy Portland) — In solidarity with the Portland Liberation Organizing Council Thanks to community support from all over Portland, Alicia Jackson is back in her home and ...
  • Activism: By Social Media (Occupy Boise) —
  • Ga Minutes (5/8/12) (Occupy Salem Oregon) — GA Minutes 5/8/12 IKE BOX 7 PM Facilitator : Greg/Peter                                                                                                  ...
PNW Topic Hotlist

The PNW Topic Hotlist curates blog posts from local blogs based on current events. Posts categorized under the top three topics of the moment are shown below.

  • Redistricting
    • blatherWatch: Weekend Open Thread - [Image] Trending on the radio waves today: Facebook went public today on the NYStockmarket. The stock opened at 11:30 a.m. at $42.05, but soon dipped to $38.01. It briefly traded as high as $45 and by noon was at $40.40. It fluttered throughout the afternoon and hugged the $38 mark for much of the final hour, before ... May 18 at 20:28 Pacific Time
    • Politics Northwest: Dennis Kucinich says he won't run in Washington state - Ending more than a year of on and off speculation, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich has announced he will not run for Congress in Washington state. In an email announcement, Kucinich thanked his supporters who had urged him to move here and run. He said he'd "given a great deal of time and much thought" to the idea. But, ... May 16 at 13:40 Pacific Time
    • Seattle Transit Blog: House Continues Assault on Cities by Defunding ACS - [Image] Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 232-190 to defund the American Community Survey (ACS), one of the Census Bureau’s most significant demographic data-collection programs in addition to the decennial census. The ACS, conducted annually, effectively replaced the long-form of the census and ... May 16 at 10:32 Pacific Time
  • Mitt Romney
    • blatherWatch: One man's religion is another man's cult - [Image] A Super-Pac supporting Mitt Romney for President is contemplating a new attack ad on President Obama, one again tossing out the name of the controversial Reverend Jeremiah Wright.  Republican strategists, including Fred Davis who worked for MCain in 2008, want to "do exactly what John McCain would not ... May 17 at 9:20 Pacific Time
    • HorsesAss.org: Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza! - Thom: Can Romney win by lying? Obama on protecting a woman’s right to choose. Newsy: Catholic church is investigating girl scouts. Thom with The Good, the Bad, and the Very, Very Ugly. Mitt Romney: Hot problems: [Vimeo Video] Actual Audio: Mitt Romney on his high school prank. Sam Seder: DOJ says it is your ... May 18 at 23:52 Pacific Time
    • The Stranger Blog: Which Political Ad Is Better? - Here's the first Mitt Romney presidential ad: Here's an ad for (shudder) Congressional candidate Joe the Plumber: [ Comment on this story ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ] May 18 at 15:23 Pacific Time
  • Jay Inslee
    • blatherWatch: President Obama says LGBT should be able to marry - [Image] Today, President Obama completely wiped out Romney's primary news cycle. Again. In a historic and gutsy move, he announced that his personal opinion is that same sex couples should be allowed to get married.  In a sit-down interview with ABC's Robin Roberts, Obama completed what has been a markedly ... May 9 at 18:16 Pacific Time
    • Majority Rules Blog: Washington Conservation Voters Make First Round of Endorsements for 2012. - The Washington Conservation Voters has released their first round of endorsements for the 2012 elections. The Primary Election is August 7, 2012. The General Election is Nov. 6, 2012. Here is their list of endorsed candidates: Statewide Jay Inslee, Governor   Legislative Senate Candidates Andy Billig (3rd-Spokane) ... May 11 at 13:35 Pacific Time
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