Minnesota Independent

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell ruled unconstitutional

By Andy Birkey | 09.10.10 | 6:29 am

The military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy — which bars openly gay men and women from serving in the military — was ruled unconstitutional by a judge in Riverside, Calif., Thursday evening. The suit, brought by the Log Cabin Republicans, argued that the policy violated the First and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and the judge agreed, ordering a permanent injunction against the policy. The Department of Justice has seven days to appeal the ruling.

Pawlenty, Bachmann speak out on Quran burning

By Andy Birkey | 09.09.10 | 1:32 pm

Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Rep. Michele Bachmann spoke out on the planned Quran-burning by Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida on Sept. 11. Pawlenty stopped short of saying the burning shouldn’t happen, deferring to…

Dems dodge a budget vote, take reconciliation off the table

By Annie Lowrey | 07.15.10 | 9:12 am

The Treasury Department announced Tuesday that the country’s deficit had hit the $1 trillion mark just nine months into the fiscal year. Fear of the deficit had already led Congress to kill or delay an administration-backed jobs bill, a federal extension of unemployment benefits, a war funding bill and federal funding for Medicaid. Now, the 13-digit monster has claimed its latest victim: a full budget for the coming fiscal year.

European rejection of Obama’s call for stimulus threatens U.S. economy

By David Dagan | 07.06.10 | 8:10 am

President Obama’s push for additional economic stimulus is not just hitting a wall in Congress. The president has also been rebuffed by the largest European countries — with potentially profound consequences for the U.S. economy and Obama’s national agenda.

Franken to travel to Vietnam, Laos

By Andy Birkey | 07.01.10 | 8:27 am

Sen. Al Franken will head to Vietnam during Congress’ summer break along with Democratic Sens. Tom Harkin of Iowa and Jeff Merkley of Oregon and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders. Franken will also continue on to Laos.

Amid GOP opposition, even a limited climate bill is an uphill battle

By Aaron Wiener | 06.30.10 | 11:38 am

A meeting Tuesday between President Obama and key senators produced few answers on the path forward for energy legislation. But a consensus may be forming around a price on carbon for the utilities sector only.

Ellison to travel to Africa for summer recess

By Andy Birkey | 06.30.10 | 8:55 am

Rep. Keith Ellison will be traveling to Africa in July with a delegation of five Democrats and three Republicans as part of the House Democracy Partnership. According to the Star Tribune, Ellison will visit Senegal, Liberia, Kenya and Tanzania…

Poll shows growing Muslim antipathy to Obama foreign policy

By Spencer Ackerman | 06.18.10 | 9:08 am

“Many Arabs and Muslims are disappointed that Obama has not lived up to his promises, especially on the Arab-Israeli conflict,” said Marc Lynch, a George Washington University professor and the co-author of a recent study of Obama’s global engagement efforts.

Tea party vocal on domestic issues, lacks foreign policy platform

By Alexander Zaitchik | 06.09.10 | 8:30 am

While FreedomWorks’ website repeatedly mentions ways to “Take America Back,” the organization most often credited with organizing the Tea Party movement studiously avoids mention of the country’s two wars, its ballooning defense budget, arms control or the tangle of legal controversy that has outlived the previous administration’s “war on terror.” In short, the site doesn’t mention foreign policy because the Tea Party movement doesn’t appear to have a platform dedicated to it.

Obama backs lifting $75 million liability cap for BP

By Annie Lowrey | 06.08.10 | 8:10 am

Sam Stein at the Huffington Post reports that President Obama has come out in support of lifting the $75 million liability cap for oil spillers. Congress had hoped to raise the liability cap to $10 billion, but

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