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Veterans Push for Legislation to Cut Cost of High-tech Wheelchairs
Veterans groups and the inventor of the Segway scooter urged Congress to pass legislation that would make a high-tech mobilized wheelchair more affordable for wounded veterans and other paralyzed Americans at a May 14 Newsmaker. The iBOT, a mobile powered wheel chair, has gone out of production because Medicare is reimbursing purchases at the same rate as other kinds of wheelchairs. With a price tag of about $22,000, that puts the iBOT out of the reach of most people in the market for the device, they said. One of them of who uses one is Gary Linfoot, a helicopter pilot who provided air…
Type: News
Somalis Tell of Terrorist Groups Recruiting U.S. Immigrants
Representatives of the Minneapolis-based Somali Justice Advocacy Center told a May 20 Newsmaker of some of the methods used by terrorist groups in Somalia to recruit young Somali immigrants in the U.S. to return home where some are assumed to become involved in piracy and terrorist activities. Somalia has been without an effective government for several years, and some observers think the piracy issue results, at least in part, from the lack of law and order in the country and a strong Al Qaeda influence there. Omar Jamal, executive director of the SJAC, and Abdullah Farah of the center…
Type: News
Utility Executive Supports Climate Change Bill
Exelon Corp. Chairman and CEO John W. Rowe, head of the one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, said he supports the carbon cap-and-trade bill written by California Democrat Henry Waxman and Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey that would require a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. At an NPC luncheon May 15, Rowe called on Congress to pass climate change legislation this year. “The road to a low carbon future is a long one,” Rowe said. “We must begin the march now.” Rowe credited Virginia Democratic Rep. Rick Boucher with brokering a compromise that will allow most…
Type: News
Please Welcome 33 New NPC Members
The Board of Governors approved 33 new member applications Monday, bringing to 191 the total so far this year, compared to 155 for the same period last year.The new members are: ActiveLigia Hougland - Terra Networks – Brazil, Correspondent; Hiroshi Ito - The Asahi Shimbun, Political Correspondent; Toshihiko Katsuda - The Asahi Shimbun, Political Correspondent; Bob Keefe - Atlanta Journal Constitution, Washington Correspondent; Hirotsugu Mochizuki - The Asahi Shimbun, Staff Writer; Yusuke Murayama - The Asahi Shimbun, Correspondent; Toshihiko Ogata - The Asahi Shimbun, Political Correspondent…
Type: News
Peterson Institute Director Warns of Trade Imbalances
C. Fred Bergsten, director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, issued a dire warning May 19 that the U.S. trade and deficit imbalances, which he said underpinned the current economic crisis, could contribute to future crises if not corrected. He spoke at Biz Breakfast meeting at the Club. He said that the U.S. trade deficit, financed by inflow of capital from trade surplus countries, laid the groundwork for the crisis by enabling looser monetary policy and lower interest rates than would otherwise have occurred. This condition, he added, not only made it “easy to make…
Type: News
Transportation Sec'y Gives Thumbs-Down to Gas Tax Hike
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's penchant for off-the-cuff bantering with the press shined through at a packed NPC luncheon May 21, eliciting more laughs than customary for a Cabinet official. When asked to comment on the controversy surrounding a recent DOT nomination, he challenged the questioner to reveal himself. "You think I'm going to discuss personnel matters at the National Press Club? Raise your hand if you asked that question." His two-word response to whether raising the vehicle mileage tax was still on the table -- an issue that got him in hot water with President Obama just…
Type: News
Club Members Epstein & Nordland Win Deadline Club Awards
National Press Club members Keith Epstein of BusinessWeek and Rod Nordland of Newsweek.com are among the 2009 winners in the Deadline Club's journalism competition. The New York city-based Deadline Club is one of the larger Society of Professional Journalists chapters in the nation. Epstein shared the business news award with colleagues for "Cyberwar" stories focusing the vulnerability of the nation's computer networks to successful attacks by thieves, spies and terrorists. The stories examined seemingly unrelated online security breaches at several federal agencies that revealed wider…
Type: News
Edwards Gets Strength from Friends, Strangers
Elizabeth Edwards gets her strength from other people, friends and strangers alike, who have been her "safety net,"she said at a discussion Thursday of her book, "Reslience." However, she said, in the end people must "find the strength in yourself" to ovecome the obstacles that life throws in your path. Edwards, the wife of former Democratic presidential contender John Edwards, writes about her husband's infidelity, her battle with cancer and the death of her son Wade. She discussed "Resilience" before a crowd of more than 300. The NPC event was held at the Willard Hotel. She said in the face…
Type: News
Cancer Survivor Offers Cancer Policy Ideas
After navigating a 2,600-mile sailboat journey from Mexico to Alaska in2008 following a successful battle against a lethal form of cancer, DickDrechsler is embarking on a trek that won’t cover as much geographybut could be just as challenging. Drechsler introduced a six-point plan for improving federal cancerpolicy at a May 27 Newsmaker. He is launching a grass-roots campaign togarner support in the Obama administration and on Capitol Hill. He’ll beone of a multitude of advocates trying to grab part of the health carereform spotlight. Ranking behind only heart disease as an annual killer,…
Type: News
Cheney Wants CIA Interrogation Memos Declassified
Refusal to declassify CIA memos about its interrogation practices involving detainee is "foolish ... deeply unfair and sets a dangerous precedent," former Vice President Dick Cheney said at an NPC luncheon Monday.He said President Obama "has the authority to declassify anything he wants to. I hope he will. It needs to be out there (and) would serve a public purpose and enlighten the debate." As he has several times in the past, Cheney attended and spoke at a luncheon to honor the recipients of the Gerald R. Ford annual prizes for distinguished reporting on national defense and the White…
Type: News