National Press Club

Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Congress will ``find a way out'' of legislated, across-the-board budget cuts in January known as sequestration.

Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said at a June 12 Newsmaker that even without sequestration, he expects defense budget cuts of about $10 billion per year over 10 years.

When sequestration is avoided will be as important as whether it is, Levin said. If action comes too late, there could be "severe" effects on the economy, he said, adding that consumers and businesses need to plan.

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Californians heading to the polls in November have an opportunity to signal the rest of the nation that it's OK to tax the wealthy, Rick Jacobs, founder and chairman of the Courage Campaign, said at a National Press Club Newsmaker June 11.

“There is no other ballot measure of which I am aware in the 50 states this time around that actually raises taxes,” Jacobs said.

The Courage Campaign, a 750,000 member grassroots organization based in California, is spearheading efforts to pass a ballot measure in the state that authorizes taxes on people earning more than $250,000 per year.

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Hundreds of runners took to the streets of downtown Washington June 9 for the National Press Club's annual Beat The Deadline 5K to raise money for scholarships that promote diversity in journalism.

Celebrity participants including fitness guru Tony Horton and Washington Nationals mascot President Teddy Roosevelt helped to fire up participants to run hard. President Roosevelt slapped runners' hands as they crossed the finish line, though once again, Teddy didn't win the race.

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Algirdas Paleckis, a Lithuanian politician, diplomat and former investigative journalist, said June 7 his country failed to investigate what he considers a sniper attack on innocent civilians in January of 1991.

"Lithuania broke away from the USSR in late 1991, but earlier, in January 1991, the Soviet troops took over the Vilnius TV center and 14 people died," Paleckis said at a National Press Club Newsmaker. "The Lithuanian government blamed the troops but presented practically no evidence and until now did not bring the investigation to the end."

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A guilty verdict against former Liberia President Charles Taylor shows that “no one is above the law,” Richard Downie, deputy director and fellow of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said at June 5 panel.

Taylor, who received a 50-year sentence May 30, is the first head of state to be convicted by an international court since the Nuremberg Trials following World War II.

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Senator Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. James E. Cartwright, retired vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and David H. Langstaff, president and chief executive officer of TASC Inc., will discuss tough national security budget decisions June 12 at 10 a.m. at the National Press Club.

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The National Press Club will celebrate outstanding journalistic achievement with its annual awards dinner July 24. Come on out and celebrate!

A reception will be held in the Holeman Lounge beginning at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and a program at 7 p.m. in the ballroom.

This year, the competition was heated, with 29 more entries than last year. There were also new categories -- breaking news-print and breaking news-broadcast.

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Washington Post and Virginian-Pilot reporters won Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation awards June 4 that honor journalists for their coverage of national defense and the White House.

The Post's Scott Wilson won the award presented at the National Press Club for distinguished reporting on the presidency. Corinne Reilly of the Virginian-Pilot received the award for national defense reporting for a series of stories on a combat hospital in Kandahar.

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Political TV shows such as “Hardball” are not the reason for a lack of civility in politics, the program's host, Chris Matthews, told a National Press Club luncheon June 4.

Matthews, the featured speaker for the presentation of journalism awards by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, faulted a lack of deal making for the shortage of civility.

“If you don’t negotiate, you will never make a deal, never arrive at any agreed-upon direction for the country,'' he said, adding that the key is listening to opposing viewpoints. “It is like being married.”

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The chief executive officer of the Girl Scouts of America, Anna Maria Chávez, said the century-old organization is working with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to address any concerns.

“We’re working with the Conference of Bishops to answer some questions they have,” Chávez said during a luncheon Wednesday. “We do not take positions on some of these issues that we’re being alleged to take positions on.”

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