Monday, August 31, 2015

Obama Has Not Finalized Post-Presidential Plans, Despite Columbia Rumor

WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has made no final decisions about what he will do after leaving office, the White House said on Monday, following comments by Columbia University's president that he looked forward to welcoming Obama back to campus in 2017.


"The President has long talked about his respect for Columbia University and his desire to continue working with them," the White House statement said in response to a Reuters query. "However, at this point no decisions have been finalized about his post-Presidency plans."


Obama graduated from the New York school in 1983. Columbia was also among the contenders for Obama's presidential library, which will be built in his hometown of Chicago. 



The Columbia Daily Spectator student newspaper quoted Columbia President Lee Bollinger as telling a school convocation: "We look forward to welcoming back our most famous alumnus, Barack Obama, in 2017."


The comments stirred speculation on social media about Obama's career plans after he leaves the White House in January 2017.


But the university, in a statement issued later on Monday, said Bollinger's comment "only reiterated the May 12 statement by the Barack Obama Foundation that it 'intends to maintain a presence at Columbia University for the purpose of exploring and developing opportunities for a long term association' and reflected no further developments concerning President Obama's plans." (Reporting by Peter Cooney; Editing by Lisa Lambert)

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Watch: Illinois House Dems have major power on union bill vote

Gov. Bruce Rauner has called a union bill passed by the General Assembly the worst piece of legislation in Illinois history and a "direct, frontal assault on the taxpayers of Illinois."

He vetoed Senate Bill 1229 on July 29 and then lobbied fiercely for the Illinois Senate to let his veto stand. On Aug. 19, as he celebrated Governor's Day at the Illinois State Fair, he said a Senate override of his veto would prove that Senate President John Cullerton and his Senate Democrats are "under the thumb" of Rauner's political nemesis, House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The Senate defied Rauner and, with one Republican joining then, overrode Rauner's veto later that day. On Sept. 2, the Illinois House is expected to consider doing the same. We believe Rauner's veto should stand and the General Assembly should let Rauner do what he was elected to do. Whether you agree with us or not, we urge you to use our Sound Off tool to let your state representative know you're watching.

Why all the controversy over this bill? It depends on which side you ask. The bill would prohibit the union from striking or Rauner from locking employees out if an impasse in negotiations is declared. What would happen next under the new law is the source of disagreement.

Rauner says the bill will result in his being swiftly removed from negotiations with AFSCME Council 31, the union that represents 38,000 state employees and whose contract expired June 30. He says the bill would bring in arbitrators who would be allowed only to make a winner-take-all choice between the offers on the table by Rauner and the union. And he says the three-member arbitration panel will be slanted in favor of the union.

Read the rest at Reboot Illinois and check out the video where Reboot Illinois' Matthew Dietrich and Madeleine Doubek discuss the situation:

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As the union vote situation heats up, Chicago Tribune cartoonist Scott Stantis offered his take on the arbitration bill, saying he supports the idea of letting Rauner's original veto stand.

Click to see the full version of the cartoon:

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NEXT ARTICLE: Editorial: Let Rauner do what he was elected to do

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Sbaragli wins 10th Vuelta stage, Dumoulin keeps overall lead

Kristian Sbaragli of Italy wins 10th Spanish Vuelta stage, Tom Dumoulin retains overall lead

      
 
 


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To Restore Trust in Government, Slow Wall Street's Revolving Door

One of our nation's greatest strengths is that we are governed by each other -- what President Lincoln celebrated as "a government of the people, by the people, and for the people."

But increasingly, Americans' trust in government is eroding. And a big reason for that is the so-called revolving door between government and the private sector.

Inviting outside voices into government is often a good thing. When public servants have experience beyond Washington, they bring new ideas, new perspectives, and new knowledge to the work of governing this huge, complicated country of ours. Some of America's most dedicated public servants got their start in technology, business, academia, or other fields. Most of the time, that private-sector experience is an asset, not a liability.

But in some cases, it can affect the public trust -- for example, if a public servant's past and future are tied to the financial industry. That's when people start worrying that the foxes are guarding the hen house.

The American people need to be able to trust that every single person in Washington -- from the President of the United States all the way down to agency employees -- is putting the interests of the people first.

We want to do more to make sure that happens.

Both of us have a track record of supporting stronger ethics rules. One of us -- Tammy -- has introduced legislation in the Senate to help close that revolving door. The other of us -- Hillary -- strongly supports this bill, and as president would crack down on conflicts of interest in government.

Here's what this bill would do.

Right now, some private sector employers offer bonuses to employees when they leave to join the government. This bill would prohibit that. The private sector shouldn't be allowed to "pay to play" with their former employees. If you're working for the government, you're working for the people -- not for an oil company, drug company, or Wall Street bank or money manager.

Right now, government employees entrusted with oversight are required by law to recuse themselves from any cases involving their former employers for one year. That's not long enough. This bill would bump it up to two years. And for people leaving government service, this bill would prevent them from taking a job at a company they oversaw until at least two years have passed.

Right now, loopholes allow former government officials to lobby in practice, even if they aren't officially called lobbyists. They offer regulatory access to private interests as "outside advisors" or "strategic counselors." That means they can avoid legal requirements that lobbyists have to meet. This bill would clamp down on that.

This bill is full of sensible ideas like these. It should become law. Congressman Elijah Cummings is co-sponsoring it in the House, and we hope more Members of Congress join us in supporting it.

We are committed to making sure reforms like these are implemented and enforced, and that they apply to all federal workers -- whether they're elected or appointed.

And we can and should do more -- in particular, to restore people's confidence that the government is holding powerful companies accountable when they commit acts of wrongdoing, whether on Wall Street or anywhere else.

That means ensuring that when corporations pay fines for breaking the law, those fines cut into the bonuses of the highest-paid executives. It means increasing rewards to whistleblowers, so employees of private companies have greater incentive to come forward and report illegal activity. And it means prosecuting individuals, as well as firms, when they commit fraud or other crimes. Right now, in many cases where companies are punished for wrongdoing, no one at the top is prosecuted. We need to do a better job of holding the decision-makers accountable.

At the end of the day, a lot of this is about leadership. There's an old saying in government: "Personnel is policy." Who we hire goes a long way toward determining what we do and how well we do it. We need to make sure those who do the people's work in Washington are actually doing it -- not worrying about former or future bosses at the public's expense.

That's how we'll begin to restore Americans' trust -- and make sure that our government truly is "for the people."

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Running Club Has Helped Bring 1,300 People Out Of Homelessness


Exercise has been shown to improve mental health, decrease stress, boost sleep and even change how you see the world, but can it really help the homeless become more self-sufficient?


The work of one nonprofit seems to suggest as much. Founded in Philadelphia in 2007 by marathoner Anne Mahlum, Back on My Feet is an unusual program that encourages the homeless to take up running as a means to improve their self-confidence and ultimately help connect them with employment opportunities and independent housing. 


It is doing just that. As reported by NationSwell, the results of the program -- which is currently running in 11 chapters nationwide -- are promising. Of some 5,200 homeless individuals reached by the program in eight years, 1,300 have moved into independent housing and more than 1,900 have obtained employment. The organization has logged more than 462,000 miles run since 2009. 


The idea came to Mahlum when she began to form a friendship with a group of homeless men she would encounter along the route of her regular 5:30 a.m. runs. She had picked up running as a means to deal with her father’s gambling problem and thought some of these men might also see their lives improve by upping their physical fitness.


As the Los Angeles reported, critics frequently told Mahlum the homeless “don’t run,” but she pressed on with her vision anyway, forgoing what a Channel One News feature called a "dream job" in the communications field and launching the running club.




A small group of the men, who were living at Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission, eventually joined her running club, with the shelter’s permission, and received a fresh pair of running shoes, running clothing and socks. 


There are certain expectations of the homeless individuals who participate in the Back on My Feet program. They must sign a dedication contract and agree to be present and on time for runs three times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Longer runs on the weekend are optional.


If members meet those requirements and complete 30 days of the routine, they gain access to educational and job training programs and can apply to financial aid to help them find housing and gain independence. They can also continue to be a part of the club as alumni, helping encourage others starting on their own path to self-improvement.


Members of the program have also taken part in big races, including the Chicago Marathon, NYC Marathon and Boston Marathon. But as Mahlum explained to CNN in a 2008 feature, the running at the center of the program is essentially a means to an end, not the end itself.


"Running really is a metaphor for life," Mahlum told CNN. "There is always another mile. You just have to take it one step at a time." 


Alumni members of the program’s New York chapter would probably agree. One, Ryan, featured by NationSwell has already completed a half-marathon since joining the club seven months ago and is now studying to become a substance abuse counselor. Another, Jerry, works as a doorman and has his own apartment.


 


Also on HuffPost:


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Sunday, August 30, 2015

Jake Arrieta Pitches No-Hitter For Chicago Cubs In 2-0 Win Over Los Angeles Dodgers


LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Jake Arrieta pitched the sixth no-hitter in the majors this season and second against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 10 days, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 2-0 victory Sunday night.


Arrieta (17-6) struck out a season-high 12 and became the first 17-game winner in the big leagues by throwing baseball's third no-hitter in less than three weeks.


Astros right-hander Mike Fiers blanked the NL West-leading Dodgers 3-0 on Aug. 21. Los Angeles had never before been no-hit twice in one season.


Arrieta got the benefit of a close call for the official scorer in the third inning, when Kike Hernandez reached on a fielding error by second baseman Starlin Castro.


 





 


Hernandez hit a one-hopper at Castro, who tried to play it on the short hop as the ball bounced off him. The play was ruled an error but probably could have gone either way.


Hernandez was sacrificed to second before Arrieta struck out Jimmy Rollins to end the inning.


Carl Crawford nearly broke up the no-hit bid with two outs in the seventh, but Castro caught Crawford's line drive up the middle with a running effort.


With the Dodger Stadium crowd roaring, Arrieta struck out all three batters in the ninth - including Chase Utley on his 116th pitch to end it. The 29-year-old pitcher was mobbed by teammates near the mound, and they jumped their way in a huddle over to near the Cubs' dugout where they high-fived Arrieta.


Arrieta became the first Cubs pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Carlos Zambrano on Sept. 14, 2008, against Houston in a game that was moved to Miller Park in Milwaukee because of Hurricane Ike.


 





 


Arrieta walked one and helped the Cubs snap a four-game skid on the last night of their six-game West Coast trip. He finished August with a 6-0 record, tying Boston's Joe Kelly as the only pitchers with that many wins in the month.


The right-hander lowered his ERA to 0.43 in August while becoming the first Cubs pitcher with that many wins in the month since Rick Sutcliffe in 1984.


Kris Bryant hit a two-run homer in the first inning off Alex Wood. The Cubs had 13 hits and snapped the Dodgers' five-game winning streak.


Wood (9-9) took the loss, giving up two runs and eight hits in six innings. The left-hander struck out seven and walked one.


Hisashi Iwakuma of the Seattle Mariners pitched a no-hitter on Aug. 12 in a 3-0 win against Baltimore. Cole Hamels of Philadelphia, San Francisco's Chris Heston and Washington's Max Scherzer also have thrown no-hitters this season.


The closest Arrieta came to a no-hitter previously was a one-hit shutout against Cincinnati on Sept. 16, 2014, at Wrigley Feld.


UP NEXT


Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks (6-6, 4.11 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series at Wrigley Field against Cincinnati. He is 1-1 with a 4.13 ERA in five starts this season against the Reds, but has a 1.50 ERA in two starts against them at home.


Dodgers: LHP Brett Anderson (8-8, 3.36) takes the mound for the opener of a crucial three-game series against the second-place Giants. He leads the majors with a 66.9 groundball percentage, inducing 307 grounders this season. His 147 1-3 innings and 25 starts are the second-highest totals of his career.


Also on HuffPost: 


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Dumoulin wins 9th Vuelta stage, takes overall lead

Tom Dumoulin wins 9th stage of Spanish Vuelta, takes overall lead from Chaves

      
 
 


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Boeckmans in stable condition after Vuelta crash

Organizers say Belgian rider Boeckmans in stable condition after crash in Spanish Vuelta

      
 
 


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Saturday, August 29, 2015

Van Garderen knocked out of worlds after Vuelta crash

US star Tejay van Garderen to miss world championships after crashing at Spanish Vuelta

      
 
 


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Riders hurt in Spanish Vuelta crash

Riders hurt in crash on Spanish Vuelta's 8th stage

      
 
 


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