The Obama administration will appeal a court decision that required the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make the controversial contraceptive known as Plan B available to women of all ages.
The Justice Department (DOJ) filed its appeal with the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday — just 24 hours after the FDA relaxed its restrictions on Plan B.
A federal judge ruled last month that the FDA had no scientific basis for a policy that said Plan B could only be sold without a prescription to women 17 and older.
The agency lowered the age to 15 on Tuesday — a move that women’s health groups called constructive, but said still lacked a solid scientific foundation.
The agency said its decision was not a response to the court’s ruling striking down age limits. And the Justice Department will defend the agency’s authority to impose age limits as it appeals the ruling.
Justice also asked the appeals court to block the lower court’s ruling from taking effect until the appeal is decided.
The Center for Reproductive Rights, which filed the lawsuit challenging the FDA’s age restrictions, slammed the appeal.
“We are deeply disappointed that just days after President Obama proclaimed his commitment to women’s reproductive rights, his administration has decided once again to deprive women of their right to obtain emergency contraception without unjustified and burdensome restrictions,” the group said in a statement
Creators of the History channel’s “The Bible” today rejected suggestions that the character of Satan in the popular mini-series resembles President Obama.
“This is utter nonsense,” producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett said in a statement. “The actor who played Satan, Mehdi Ouazanni, is a highly acclaimed Moroccan actor. He has previously played parts in several Biblical epics — including Satanic characters long before Barack Obama was elected as our president.”
The History channel said any claims of a resemblance are “false.”
“HISTORY channel has the highest respect for President Obama. The series was produced with an international and diverse cast of respected actors. It’s unfortunate that anyone made this false connection,” the channel said.
The 10-hour series, produced by Downey and Burnett, who also produced “Survivor,” began airing March 3 and will conclude on March 31. The series has been pulling in strong ratings, with the premiere viewed by 13.1 million.
Sunday night’s reveal of Satan led many viewers to take to social media to express their surprise with the casting choice.
“Anyone else think the Devil in #TheBible Sunday on History Channel looks exactly like That Guy?” conservative commentator Glenn Beck tweeted.
“Did you catch #TheBible last night? Obama made an appearance,” Twitter user Chris Forewit wrote.
The White House did not immediately respond to ABC News when reached for comment.
The casting decision recalls the uproar when it was revealed that the creators of “Game of Thrones” used a faux severed replica of former President George W. Bush’s head mounted on a stake in a number of scenes in the hit series. HBO quickly released an apology over its inclusion.
Word is out that VP Joe Biden is looking to throw his hat into the ring for president in 2016. Not for nothing, but if I were to go with the present mood of the country, I’d have to say that Hillary Rodham Clinton (Stop! We all know she’s running lol!) stands a better chance of becoming the Democratic nominee than the beloved Joe. And it won’t be because Mrs. Clinton is the better politician, or the more experienced legislator or even better liked than Biden. It’s what she isn’t that’s more likely than not going to give her a clearer shot as successor of the Obama Administration.
I don’t think the country has experienced this much diversity since John Fitzgerald Kennedy became the first Irish Catholic American to hold court in the Oval Office. That major feat seems like small potatoes compared to the election of a Barack Hussein Obama to the White house.
Thirteen years into the 21st century and America is slowly showing signs of embracing its diversity, the main reason why its so attractive to others born outside its perceived borders. Whichever way you may wish to see it, for better or for worse, President Obama and his Administration have successfully ushered in The New Vanguard in American politics.
THE ERA OF THE ‘NEW VANGUARD’ IN AMERICAN POLITICS
In the 2009 appointment of his Cabinet members, Obama’s choice of seven women (including Hillary as his Secretary of State), nine racial and ethnic minorities and only eight white men among its 21 members–whose overall age averaged 54 years–made his the most diverse Cabinet in history according to political analysts. It’s predicted that his new Cabinet selections, once completed, will also reflect more accurately what America looks like today.
As it should.
It doesn’t help the resistance to this change, that Americans–particularly the young voters who came of voting age within the last ten years or so–have witnessed the slow, embarrassing decay and deterioration of an antiquated Republican Party. It offers such a clear juxtaposition of how we no longer want our politics to look and act as opposed to what we do want.
Virtually unknown, seemingly untainted and un-corrupted by Big Money lobbyists, grass-rooted, youthful, innovative, broad-minded, humanist, energized and unafraid…these are the adjectives being applied to NewPolitician_5.0!
And just to be fair, Clinton and her people should not consider her a shoe-in for the candidacy in four years (remember how that worked out in ’08? Not so good.) There are quite a few politically aspirant stars out there who have cut their teeth on this new political vibe and are looking to go supernova in the American political galaxy. Gays and Lesbians, Latinos, Asians, young white and black men and women, the secular, the handicapped, Little People and even Mormons!…anyone can step up to the plate at any inning and upset her whole game, hoping for the opportunity to represent America, as seen through their eyes. Whether they’ll be the political trailblazers that these difficult times call for, well–only time will tell.
I was watching a program on MSNBC today and saw a clip from Republican House Speaker, John Boehner. Apparently, it is the Speaker’s belief that President Obama is out to get the Republican party. Mr. Boehner thinks that the President is out to “annihilate the Republican Party.”
“Given what we heard yesterday about the president’s vision for his second term, it’s pretty clear to me that he knows he can’t do any of that as long as the House is controlled by Republicans,” Boehner said in a speech Tuesday to The Ripon Society. “So we’re expecting over the next 22 months to be the focus of this administration as they attempt to annihilate the Republican Party.
“And let me just tell you, I do believe that is their goal — to just shove us into the dustbin of history.”
Brief hi-lights from my trip to Washington DC to be a part of the 2nd Inauguration of President Obama! The most monumental (and exhausting!), historically noteworthy day in my life!
God Bless & Keep The President of The United States, Barack Hussein Obama!
Monumental and historic! Scratch this one off the bucket list!
January 20, 2013 ( WASHINGTON) — Vice President Joe Biden has been sworn in to a second term.
The 70-year-old Biden took the oath of office from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotamayor during a private ceremony Sunday at the U.S. Naval Observatory, the vice president’s residence.
Biden and President Barack Obama will take the oath of office again on Monday during a public ceremony at the Capitol.
I was here
I lived, I loved
I was here
I did, I’ve done, everything that I wanted
And it was more than I thought it would be
I will leave my mark so everyone will know
I was here
Stayed tuned to Ezkool.com for exclusive photos, videos and commentary from my road trip to the nation’s capital to witness the swearing in ceremonies of our President, Barack Obama!
Malik Obama, the step-brother of U.S. President Barack Obama, said he will run for governor of the western Kenyan county of Siaya, where he may face a sibling of Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Obama, 54, will compete as an independent candidate during the March 4 national elections, he told a public gathering yesterday in Kogelo, about 310 kilometers (193 miles) west of the capital, Nairobi. Obama, who shares the same father as the U.S. president, said he will use his relationship with his half- brother to address issues such as poverty and unemployment.
“Siaya county is facing a lot of problems from poor infrastructure to poverty due to bad leadership,” he said. “I will change this if elected.”
Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham says President Barack Obama is a “small ball guy” but it’s time for him to start “manning up” on cuts to earned benefits like Medicare and Social Security.
Speaking to Fox News host Martha MacCallum on Monday, Graham suggested that Republicans should not agree to tax rate hikes on the rich and should hold a debt ceiling increase hostage until Democrats agreed to “entitlement reform.”
“Here’s where the president is going to have a rude awakening,” the senior senator from South Carolina opined. “In February or March, you have to raise the debt ceiling and I can tell you this, there’s a hardening on the Republican side. We’re not going to raise the debt ceiling, we’re not going to let Obama borrow any more money or any American Congress borrow any more money until we fix this country from becoming Greece. And that requires significant entitlement reform to save Social Security and Medicare from bankruptcy.”
MacCallum noted that Obama told business leaders last week that he would not “play that game” with Republicans because “we’ve got to break that habit” of allowing them to use the debt ceiling in budget negotiations.
“Yes, we will play that game, Mr. President, because this is not a game,” Graham insisted. “The game you’re playing is small ball. You’re talking about raising rates on the top 2 percent that would run the government for 11 days. You just got re-elected. How about doing something big that’s not liberal? How about doing something big that really is bipartisan? Every big idea he has is a liberal idea that drowns us in debt.”
“How about manning up here, Mr. President, and use your mandate to bring this country together to stop us from becoming Greece?” he continued. “So when it comes debt ceiling time, Mr. President, you’re going to have a Republican Party that’s going to make sure we save Medicare and Social Security from bankruptcy and we save this country from becoming Greece.”
Graham concluded: “He’s a small ball guy. He’s afraid of his own party.”
Papa John’s Pizza founder and CEO John Schnatter has been making headlines this year with his one-man crusade against his customers, and now his employees, over his restaurant chain’s new responsibilities under President Obama‘s Affordable Care Act.
Schnatter has earned extra-large, stuffed-crust bad PR for his trouble, as photos of his extravagant Louisville estate have gone viral, and his company’s stock price has taken a 9% dive since his latest remarks. For all of his bitching about President Obama and support for Mitt Romney, though, Schnatter’s stock price was at $51.90 per share on Election Day, more than triple the $16.58 it closed with when President Obama was inaugurated.
On the other hand, during the eight years of the Bush administration, Papa John’s stock price leapt from $11.97 per share to $16.58, an improvement of $4.68.
Since Election Day, though, Schnatter one-upped his promise to jack the price of his ‘za up by a whopping 11 cents to cover his employees’ health care by explaining that his franchisees will probably cut those employees’ hours to avoid that “crippling” expense. Since Schnatter opened his yap this last time, Papa John’s stock has dropped $4.68, as of 2pm Thursday. That’s eight years worth of Republican presidenting, gone in a matter of days.
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