House To Vote on Tax Cuts Before Election?

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House may vote next week on extending Bush-era tax cuts for most Americans in a pre-election showdown with Republicans over rates that expire at year’s end. “We will retain the right to proceed as we choose,” Pelosi said today to reporters following the decision by Senate to wait.

Texas School Books Anti-Jesus?

Social conservatives are seeking to curtail references to Islam in Texas textbooks, warning of what they describe as a creeping Middle Eastern influence in the U.S. publishing industry.

The resolution cites world history books no longer used in Texas schools that it says devoted more lines of text to Islamic beliefs and practices than Christian beliefs and practices.

"Diverse reviewers have repeatedly documented gross pro-Islamic, anti-Christian distortions in social studies texts," reads a preliminary draft of the resolution. "Diverse reviewers have repeatedly documented gross pro-Islamic, anti-Christian distortions in social studies texts," reads a preliminary draft of the resolution.

Got Mail?

A Philadelphia postal carrier has been sentenced to probation after admitting he stored more than 12,000 pieces of undelivered mail in his garage. According to court documents, he began stashing the mail in 1997 and added to the pile whenever he found himself unable to keep up. Authorities say Blauser's wife discovered the 12,808 pieces of undelivered mail in April and reported it to the postal service.

"This is America. I don't want a tomato picked by a Mexican. I want it picked by an American.
Then sliced by Guatemalan and served by a Venezuelan in a spa where a Chilean gives me a Brazilian."

I Do Not Think Grassroots Means What Huma Khan Thinks It Means

by Huma Khan, ABC
Sept. 20, 2010
"Congress must sit down with a blank slate and have an honest and open process to improve America's health care system by empowering patients and their doctors," said Heritage Action for America's chief executive Michael A. Needham, who heads grassroots efforts to push for repeal. "

Two Gitmo Detainees To Germany

The government has announced the transfer of two detainees from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the government of Germany.

174 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.

Jobless Claims in U.S. Unexpectedly Fall to 450,000

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week to the lowest level in two months, a sign the labor market is improving.

But.....

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News this month forecast unemployment will hold above 9 percent through next year, a sign it will take years to recover the more than 8 million jobs lost in the recession.

It's Hard Out There For a Pope

Pope picks rap song as anthem for UK visit
By Jerome Taylor
Tuesday, 7 September 2010

He is a strict traditionalist who is known to favour the Latin Mass with all its ancient trimmings. But when it comes to finding a song that will appeal to young worshippers, the Pope has opted for rap. The committee overseeing Pope Benedict's itinerary in Britain this month says it has chosen a hip-hop track to be the official "youth anthem" for his three-day visit. "Heart's Cry", by the Catholic trio Ooberfuse, opens with extracts of a speech by the Pope on evil.