Militants and security forces in Mumbai continued to clash in gun battles as the violent standoff stretched into its third day. The death toll in the terrorist attacks has grown to at least 148 people, including 5 Americans. Two who were traveling with a Virginia-based, nonsectarian spiritual and educational organization.

Obama\’s Thanksgiving Message on YouTube

Bush\’s Final Thanksgiving Message on YouTube

Friday is the last day to voice your opinion on whether the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) should regulate carbon dioxide pollution, a primary cause of the climate change. 

Special interests, like the oil and coal lobbies, are working overtime to defeat a positive ruling and have already gotten thousands of comments submitted in opposition.

Most people don’t know about this opportunity for public comment, so your voice can make a real difference. And with a new president in the White House, it’s likely that someone will actually be listening. Submit your public comment to the EPA here:

http://www.RepowerAmerica.org/EPA

This is your chance to go on the public record — all the comments will be posted on the EPA’s website.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has said that he plans to use some of the government’s $700 billion bailout money to unveil a new loan facility that will issue credit cards, make student loans and finance car purchases. Meanwhile the government has said that the economy shrank at a 0.5 percent rate in the third quarter, meaning that he nation is almost surely in a recession.

Question: Have you tightened up your spending?

Today President-elect Barack Obama announced the leaders of his economic team and his plan to help turn around an economy that’s been struggling now for months. His team will include Timothy Geithner as secretary of the Treasury, Lawrence Summers as director of the National Economic Council and Christina Romer as chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisors.

This announcement comes on the heals of another government announcement that it must bail out yet another major bank -this time it’s Citigroup that needs the help.

President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday offered an outline of his economic recovery plan and jobs were the top priority. He referred to figures out this week showing that new home purchases in October were the lowest in 50 years, and that 540,000 new unemployment claims had been filed — the highest in 16 years.

American workers will rebuild the nation’s roads and bridges, modernize its schools and create more sources of alternative energy, creating 2.5 million jobs by 2011, Obama said in the weekly Democratic address, posted on his Web site.

“These aren’t just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis,” he said. “These are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long.”

Details of the plan are still being worked out by his economic team, Obama said, but he hopes to implement the plan shortly after taking office January 20.

Have you been affected by the nation’s economic crisis? If so, we want to hear about YOUR story. Please comment on the posting or, share a picture or video.

Tom Daschle Will Be the Next Health and Human Services Secretary. An early supporter of Obama, Daschle endorsed the president-elect in February 2007 and was tapped to oversee Obama’s health transition team.

As Health and Human Services chief, Daschle will be responsible for helping set health care policy. He supports a government-funded insurance program for the nation’s uninsured. 

Daschle has also been the head of the health care working group in the Obama transition team. Democratic officials shied away from a term some are throwing around — “health care czar” — but say Daschle “is likely to play a leading role in the passage of health care reform and the strategy to implement it.”

Other sources lay out substantial work being done by the incoming administration to enable health care reform, all of which indicates Obama does intend to move on this issue in spite of the monumental difficulties, including financial obstacles.

The former South Dakota senator led the Senate Democrats from 1994 until he lost his re-election bid in 2004. He was minority leader for most of that time, serving as majority leader from May 2001 until January 2003, when Democrats returned to the minority after losing seats in the November 2002 midterm elections.

Organizations seeking to expand health coverage were quick to praise the selection.

Besides health reform, the next HHS secretary will deal with the growing budgetary woes of some of the nation’s critical health agencies.

One example: Years of funding that didn’t keep up with inflation means the National Institutes of Health has lost 14 percent of its buying power, said Dr. Harold Varmus, NIH’s former director and a science adviser to Obama’s campaign. That has left promising disease research without money to move forward.

I’m posting tonight to inform readers of an of an upcoming event (that no matter which party you support, can hopefully agree that clean energy is important to all of us).  As Senator Obama said in his victory speech, it’s time to “join in the work of remaking this nation”. But how are we going to move forward as a nation? 

At noon on Tuesday, November 18th, you can join hundreds of people in Upper Senate Park, Washington, D.C. hear the various ideas that are being presented to President-elect Obama. Congressman Chris Van Hollen, a top House leader, Bill McKibben, founder of Step It Up and 350.org, and other inspiring speakers will be presenting to our new leaders and encouraging President-elect Obama to act on his commitment to climate action.

A few more details for those of you in the Greater Washington, D.C. area & interested in attending: 

WHEN: Tuesday, November 18th from 12-1pm
WHERE: Upper Senate Park, Capitol Hill
WHAT: Rally for Climate Action Now, featuring speakers and creative visuals

Speakers: 

Co-Sponsors: 1Sky, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Energy Action Coalition, 350.org, Maryland Student Climate Coalition, Alaska Wilderness League, Pax Christi, USA, Oil Change International, League of American Bicyclists, Carbonfree D.C., Greenpeace, Oxfam America, Unitarian Universalist Association, Center for a New American Dream, Women’s Environment and Development Organization, Green DMV, Hip Hop Caucus, Friends of the Earth, Maryland League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, Sustain US, Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility, International Rivers, Sojourners

5 Green Obama Dreams! - Click to Watch the Video

Lisa Curtis is a Senior Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, focusing on analyzing America’s economic, security, and political relationships with India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. What’s Going on America recently spoke to her regarding U.S. and Pakistani relations. Here’s what she had to say…

Lisa Curtis thinks a new, coalition-based approach to Pakistan should include:

1.) Recognition that events in Pakistan present a threat to global security. The international community wants to assist Pakistan in its battle with extremism and help it achieve political and economic stability.

2.) Support for the newly elected civilian government with the understanding that the democratic transition is an important part of combating extremism and terrorism in Pakistan over the long term. Commitment to bringing stable democracy to Afghanistan, which includes preventing the retrenchment of warlords, scaling back poppy production, and avoiding a return to the Taliban’s repressive, extremist policies in any part of the country. Pakistan must play its part in denying the Taliban safe harbor on its territory by enforcing the rule of law in the tribal areas against any elements supporting terrorism or cross-border operations into Afghanistan.

3.) Support for the appointment of a U.S. presidential envoy dedicated to the task of promoting better relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan that will also coordinate closely with allies. Support for a multilateral balance-of-payments support package that helps stabilize Pakistan’s economy in the short term but is conditioned on Pakistan taking specific steps to address longer-term economic imbalances.

4.) Support for high-level strategic dialogue with Pakistan on regional security. 

QUESTION: Do you agree with Lisa Curtis? What are YOUR feelings about the U.S. relationship with Pakistan?

Here’s a little information on Rahm Emanuel:

Rahm Emanuel, 48, is a leader in Congress committed to addressing the challenges facing families across the nation. Since taking the oath of office in 2003, he has been a strong, effective voice for Chicago in Congress.

At the beginning of his second term, Emanuel received an assignment to serve on the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees taxes, trade, Social Security, and Medicare issues. Additionally, Emanuel was appointed by then House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to serve as Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Under his leadership, the DCCC expanded the Democratic Party’s reach in every region of the country. Democrats gained 30 seats in the House and ushered in a new Democratic majority in the House of Representatives.

In January of 2007, the new majority elected Emanuel to serve as Democratic Caucus Chair, the 4th highest ranking Member of the House Democratic Leadership.

As Chair, Emanuel led the Democratic Caucus in fulfilling its campaign promise to pass legislation reflecting the values and priorities of the American people. In the first 100 legislative hours, Democrats passed sweeping ethics reform, strengthened our national security, increased minimum wage, expanded stem cell research, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, cut interest rates on student loans, and ended the subsidies for the oil industry.

Emanuel began his career with the consumer rights organization Illinois Public Action. He worked on Paul Simon’s 1984 election to the U.S. Senate and in 1989 served as a senior advisor and chief fundraiser for Richard M. Daley. Emanuel served as a senior advisor to President Bill Clinton. After leaving the White House, Emanuel returned to Chicago to serve as a managing director at a leading global investment bank.

Emanuel graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1981, and received a Master’s Degree in Speech and Communication from Northwestern University in 1985. He is a resident of Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood where he and his wife are raising three children.

Thanks to: http://www.house.gov/emanuel/aboutrahm.shtml