Kids Head to the Polls in the 14th Weekly Reader Presidential Election

Nation's Best-Known, Uncannily Accurate Classroom Poll Enables Students to State Their Choices. PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y., /PRNewswire/ -- Want to know who will be the next president of the United States? Ask a kid!

Over the past 52 years, students voting in the Weekly Reader Presidential Election poll have predicted the winner of the election 12 out of 13 times. On Monday, September 22, the 14th Weekly Reader poll opens in thousands of classrooms across the nation -- and kids from kindergarten through high school once again will make their opinions heard.

Since 1956, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower ran for re-election against Adlai Stevenson, more than eight million students have voted in the Weekly Reader poll. This year, as in 2000 and 2004, the student election is being conducted in conjunction with the noted polling organization, Zogby International.

"Weekly Reader's results have been consistently on target in telling the American people who our next president will be, and we anticipate that this year will be no different," said Neal Goff, President of Weekly Reader. "Even though they are too young to vote, America's children know that this election is important to their future. We're proud of our extensive educational program about elections, and we know that our presidential poll gives kids a terrific sense of participation and understanding."

Will this year's students choose John McCain or Barack Obama? Find out on October 29, when the Weekly Reader results are announced!

Here are some of the Weekly Reader Presidential Election Poll's remarkable results over the past 52 years:

-- The poll's been right more than 90 percent of the time. The eligible candidate that kids named as their choice for president has won 12 out of 13 times -- and in eight out of the last nine elections.

-- Weekly Reader voters often have been on target about the Electoral College. In 1972, the poll predicted that Richard Nixon would win 49 states, and that George McGovern would take only Massachusetts and Washington, D.C -- mirroring the actual results precisely. In 1980, kids predicted the huge sweep by Ronald Reagan.

-- The Weekly Reader survey has, on occasion, been more precise than major pollsters. For example, most polling organizations said the race between President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan was too close to call. But Weekly Reader kids voted for Reagan by a large margin -- exactly what happened in the general election. In fact, the kids' results exactly matched the fraction of votes (41 percent) that Carter received.

-- This student survey has been widely acknowledged as a key indicator of who will win. In 1984, U.S. News and World Report asked, "Where do experts differ on the contest for president? Which will come closest?" It put together a chart that listed eight top pollsters, including Gallup and Harris, and listed Weekly Reader prominently.

The student election survey is one of many ways in which Weekly Reader informs and involves the next generation of citizens. Throughout this presidential election season, Weekly Reader delivers cutting-edge, up-to-the-minute multimedia materials to schools -- all of it designed to make learning about the election relevant and fun.

The award-winning Weekly Reader website features a continuously updated Election 2008 area, www.weeklyreader.com/election, which provides topical, targeted coverage of the election, specifics about the candidates and issues, fascinating election anecdotes, and instructive interactive games for students in elementary, middle, and high schools. Teachers can download exclusive lesson plans outlining the political process. Post-election coverage will continue online and in Weekly Reader's acclaimed classroom magazines through the inauguration and first 100 days the new president spends in office.

About Weekly Reader Publishing

For more than 100 years, Weekly Reader has been a leading publisher of supplemental educational products to schools and libraries, dedicated to making learning come alive by creating engaging materials that connect what children learn to the world around them. Through its flagship product line.

-- Weekly Reader classroom magazines -- Weekly Reader reaches an audience of almost 8 million educators, students, and their parents annually. The Weekly Reader Publishing Group (WRPG) also includes Weekly Reader Curriculum Publishing and Custom Publishing; Weekly Reader Research; Gareth Stevens Publishing; World Almanac Education Library Services; Facts for Learning and Funk & Wagnall's. WRPG is part of The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. For more information, visit www.weeklyreader.com.

About Zogby International

Zogby International is a public opinion, research, and business solutions firm with experience working in more than 70 countries around the globe. Founded and led by John Zogby since 1984, Zogby International ranks as one of the industry's leaders thanks to its reputation for superior accuracy and reliability. Zogby specializes in telephone, Internet, and face-to-face survey research and analysis for political, corporate, non-profit, and governmental clients. The firm is headquartered in Utica, New York, with offices in Washington D.C., and Miami.

Stay informed. Visit Weekly Reader Election 2008 at www.weeklyreader.com/election.

Freedom Calendar 10/11/08 - 10/18/08

October 11, 1972, Horacio Rivero, first Hispanic four-star Admiral, appointed by President Richard Nixon as U.S. Ambassador to Spain.

October 12, 1813, Birth of Senator Lyman Trumbull (R-IL), author of Republican Party’s 13th Amendment banning slavery, and of Civil Rights Act of 1866 granting full citizenship to African-Americans.

October 13, 1858, During Lincoln-Douglas debates, U.S. Senator Stephen Douglas (D-IL) states: “I do not regard the Negro as my equal, and positively deny that he is my brother, or any kin to me whatever”; Douglas became Democratic Party’s 1860 presidential nominee.

October 14, 1890, Birth of Dwight Eisenhower, who as President spearheaded Republican civil rights initiatives including 1957 and 1960 Civil Rights Acts; used federal troops, marshals, and Justice Dept. officials to force Democrat governors to desegregate public schools.

October 15, 1914, African-American Republican James Weldon Johnson, celebrated poet of Harlem Renaissance movement, becomes editor of leading black journal, New York Age; served as Theodore Roosevelt’s Consul in Venezuela and Nicaragua.

October 16, 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt invites Booker T. Washington to dine at White House, sparking protests by Democrats across the country.

October 17, 1989, Appointed by President George H. W. Bush, Antonia Novello becomes first woman and first Hispanic to be U.S. Surgeon General.

October 18, 1871, After violence against Republicans in South Carolina, President Ulysses Grant deploys U.S. troops to combat Democrat terrorists who formed the Ku Klux Klan.

“We should reach each and every one in the State, so they would all register and vote for the Republican candidates.”

Mary Terrell, African-American Republican and co-founder of the NAACP

Technorati Tags: President Bush and Freedom Calendar or Booker T. Washington and Republicans or African-Americans and Brown v. Board of Education or Ronald Reagan and Earl Warren or Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass or 40 acres and a mule or Martin Luther King and Voting Rights Act of 1965 or Dred Scott

Bush radio address 10/11/08 PODCAST TEXT TRANSCRIPT

DOWNLOAD THE MP3 FILE HERE

bush radio address 10/11/08 full audio, text transcript. President's Radio Address In Focus: Economy

Subscribe to Our Podcast feed or online podnova Podcast Channel and receive the weekly Presidential Radio Address in English and Spanish with select State Department Briefings. Featuring real audio and full text transcripts, More content Sources added often so stay tuned.

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Over the past few days, we have witnessed a startling drop in the stock market -- much of it driven by uncertainty and fear. Many Americans have serious concerns about their economic well-being.

Here's what the American people need to know: The United States government is acting -- and will continue to act -- to resolve this crisis and restore stability to our markets. The Federal government has a comprehensive strategy and the tools necessary to address the challenges in our economy.

Here are the problems we face and the steps we are taking: First, key markets are not functioning because there is a lack of liquidity. So the Federal Reserve has injected hundreds of billions of dollars into the system. The Fed has joined with central banks around the world to coordinate a cut in interest rates -- a step that should help free up credit. The Fed has also announced a new program to provide support for a vital tool that many American businesses use to finance their day-to-day operations -- the commercial paper market, which is freezing up. As this program kicks in over the next week or so, it will help revive a key source of short-term financing for businesses and financial institutions.

Second, some Americans are concerned about whether their money is safe. So the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the National Credit Union Administration have significantly expanded the amount of money insured in savings accounts and checking accounts and certificates of deposit. That means that if you have up to $250,000 in one of these insured accounts, every penny of that money is safe. The Treasury Department has also acted to restore confidence in a key element of America's financial system by offering government insurance for money market mutual funds.

Third, we are concerned that some investors could take advantage of the crisis to illegally manipulate the stock market. So the Securities and Exchange Commission is launching rigorous enforcement actions to detect fraud and manipulation in the market.

Fourth, the decline in the housing market has left many Americans concerned about losing their homes. My Administration launched the HOPE NOW Alliance, which brings together homeowners and lenders and mortgage servicers and others to find ways to prevent foreclosure. We're also making it easier for responsible homeowners to refinance into affordable mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration. Americans listening today can know that if you're struggling to meet your mortgage there are ways you can get help.

These actions are helping to address a key problem in the housing market: The supply of homes now exceeds demand. And as a result, home values have declined. Once supply and demand balance out, our housing market will be able to recover -- and that will help our broader economy begin to grow.

Fifth, we have seen that problems in the financial system are not isolated to the United States. So we're working closely with partners around the world to ensure that our actions are coordinated and effective. Today, I'm meeting with the finance ministers from our partners in the G-7 and the heads of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. And Treasury Secretary Paulson is also hosting finance ministers from the world's 20 leading economies.

Finally, American businesses and consumers are struggling to obtain credit. So my Administration worked with Congress to pass a $700 billion financial rescue package. This new law authorizes the Treasury Department to use a variety of measures to help banks rebuild capital -- including buying or insuring troubled assets and purchasing the equity of financial institutions. The Department will implement measures that have maximum impact as quickly as possible. Seven hundred billion dollars is a significant amount of money, and as we act, we will do it in an effective way.

In the short term, we'll continue to face challenges. But in the long run, Americans have reason to be confident. We have the strongest and most resilient economy in the world. When we have faced difficult tests in the past, the American people have always risen to meet them. And that is exactly what we're going to do again.

Thank you for listening. # # #

For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary October 11, 2008

Tags: President Bush and White House radio address

Discurso Radial del Presidente a la Nación 10/11/08

Descargar el archivo MP3 aquí

forre el audio de la dirección de radio 10/11/08 por completo, transcripción del texto. (nota de los redactores: ninguna lengua española mp3 lanzó esta semana, apesadumbrada) PODCAST

Suscribir a nuestro canal de Podcast de Odeo o del podnova y recibir la dirección de radio presidencial semanal en inglés y español con informes selectos del departamento del estado. Ofreciendo transcripciones audio y con texto completo verdaderas, más fuentes contentas agregaron a menudo así que la estancia templó.

Buenos Días.

En los últimos días hemos sido testigos de una caída alarmante en el mercado de valores - en gran parte impulsada por la incertidumbre y el miedo. Muchos estadounidenses tienen serias inquietudes sobre su bienestar económico.

El pueblo estadounidense necesita saber que Estados Unidos está actuando - y seguirá actuando - para resolver esta crisis y reestablecer la estabilidad a nuestros mercados. El gobierno federal tiene una estrategia integral y las herramientas necesarias para enfrentar los desafíos de nuestra economía. Los problemas que enfrentamos y las medidas que estamos tomando son los siguientes:

Primero, los mercados claves no están funcionando por falta de liquidez. Por lo tanto la Reserva Federal ha inyectado miles de millones de dólares al sistema. El Fed se ha unido con bancos centrales alrededor del mundo para coordinar un corte en las tasas de interés - un paso que deberá ayudar a liberar el crédito. El Fed también anunció un nuevo programa para apoyar una herramienta vital que muchos negocios estadounidenses usan para financiar sus operaciones cotidianas - el mercado de valores comerciales que se está congelando. Al entrar en vigor este programa la semana entrante más o menos, ayudará a revivir una fuente clave de financiamiento a corto plazo para los negocios y las instituciones financieras.

Segundo, a algunos estadounidenses les preocupa saber si su dinero está seguro. Por lo tanto la Corporación Federal de Seguro de Depósitos y la Administración Nacional de Cooperativas de Ahorro y Crédito han extendido considerablemente el monto de dinero asegurado en cuentas de ahorros y cuentas corrientes y certificados de depósito. Eso significa que si usted tiene hasta 250,000 dólares en una de estas cuentas aseguradas, cada centavo de su dinero está seguro. El Departamento del Tesoro también actuó para restablecer la confianza en un elemento clave del sistema financiero estadounidense, ofreciendo seguro del gobierno para fondos mutuos del mercado monetario.

Tercero, nos preocupa que algunos inversionistas pudieran aprovecharse de la crisis para ilegalmente manipular el mercado de valores.

Por lo tanto, la Comisión de Valores está lanzando acciones rigurosas de cumplimiento para detectar fraude y manipulación en el mercado.

Cuarto, la baja en el mercado de la vivienda ha dejado a muchos estadounidenses preocupados de perder sus casas. Mi administración lanzó la alianza Hope Now - Esperanza Ahora - que junta a dueños de casa, prestamistas, administradores hipotecarios y otros para buscar formas de evitar ejecución de hipotecas. También estamos haciendo más fácil para dueños de casa responsables poder refinanciar a hipotecas económicas aseguradas por la Administración Federal de la Vivienda. Los estadounidenses que escuchan hoy pueden saber que si están luchando por pagar su hipoteca, hay maneras de obtener ayuda.

Estas acciones están ayudando a enfocar un problema clave en el mercado de la vivienda. La oferta de casas actualmente excede la demanda, y como resultado los valores de las casas han bajado. Una vez que la oferta y la demanda se equilibren, nuestro mercado de la vivienda podrá recuperarse - y eso ayudará a crecer a nuestra economía en su conjunto.

Quinto, hemos visto que los problemas del sistema financiero no están aislados en los Estados Unidos. Por lo tanto estamos trabajando de cerca con aliados en todo el mundo para asegurar que nuestras acciones sean coordinadas y eficaces. Hoy me estoy reuniendo con los ministros de finanzas de nuestros aliados en el G-7 y los líderes del Banco Mundial y el Fondo Monetario Internacional. Y el Secretario del Tesoro Paulson también está recibiendo a los ministros de finanzas de las 20 principales economías del mundo.

Por último, los negocios y los consumidores están luchando por obtener crédito. Por lo cual mi Administración trabajó con el Congreso para aprobar un paquete de rescate financiero de 700 mil millones de dólares. Esta nueva ley autoriza al Departamento del Tesoro a usar una variedad de medidas para ayudar a los bancos a reconstruir el capital - incluso comprando o asegurando los valores en dificultad y comprando el capital de instituciones financieras. El Departamento implementará medidas que tengan un impacto máximo lo más pronto posible. Setecientos mil millones de dólares es una cantidad de dinero considerable y al actuar, lo haremos de manera efectiva.

A corto plazo, seguiremos enfrentando desafíos. Pero a largo plazo, los estadounidenses tienen motivos por estar confiados. Tenemos la economía más fuerte y de mayor capacidad de recuperación en el mundo. Cuando hemos tenido pruebas difíciles en el pasado, el pueblo de Estados Unidos siempre las ha sabido enfrentar y eso es exactamente lo que vamos a volver a hacer.

Gracias por escuchar.

Para su publicación inmediata Oficina del Secretario de Prensa 11 de octubre de 2008

Etiquetas De Technorati: Discurso Radial del Presidente a la Nación, y Presidente Bush

McCain Palin Web Ad: ACORN VIDEO

ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, McCain-Palin 2008 released its latest web ad, entitled "ACORN." The ad highlights Barack Obama's involvement with ACORN, a group now accused of widespread voter fraud across the country and accused of advocating for the very type of home loans that have led to today's financial crisis. For ACORN, Barack Obama was a critical organizer, and this year, client to the tune of $800,000. As the spotlight turns to ACORN's efforts to defraud our electoral process, Barack Obama owes the American people the truth about his involvement in this group.

Script For "ACORN" (WEB :90)

JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

ANNCR: Who is Barack Obama?

A man with "a political baptism performed at warp speed."

Vast ambition.

After college, he moved to Chicago.

Became a community organizer.

There, Obama met Madeleine Talbot, part of the Chicago branch of ACORN.

He was so impressive that he was asked to train the ACORN staff.

What did ACORN in Chicago engage in?

Bullying banks.

Intimidation tactics.

Disruption of business.

ACORN forced banks to issue risky home loans.

The same types of loans that caused the financial crisis we're in today.

No wonder Obama's campaign is trying to distance him from the group, saying, "Barack Obama Never Organized with ACORN."

But Obama's ties to ACORN run long and deep.

He taught classes for ACORN.

They even endorsed him for President.

But now ACORN is in trouble.

REPORTER: There are at least 11 investigations across the country involving thousands of potentially fraudulent ACORN forms.

ANNCR: Massive voter fraud.

And the Obama campaign paid more than $800,000 to an ACORN front for get out the vote efforts.

Pressuring banks to issue risky loans.

Nationwide voter fraud.

Barack Obama.

Bad judgment. Blind ambition.

Too risky for America.

AD FACTS: Script For "ACORN" (WEB :90)

JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message. ANNCR: Who is Barack Obama? A man with "a political baptism performed at warp speed." Vast ambition.

* Barack Obama Has Had "A Political Baptism Performed At Warp Speed." "Obama declined to be interviewed for this article, but conversations with more than a dozen friends and colleagues portray his time in Springfield as a political baptism performed at warp speed, engineered by Obama's vast self-confidence and ambition." (Eli Saslow, "From Outsider To Politician," The Washington Post, 10/9/08)

ANNCR: After college, he moved to Chicago. Became a community organizer. There, Obama met Madeleine Talbot, part of the Chicago branch of ACORN. He was so impressive that he was asked to train the ACORN staff.

* Barack Obama Was Invited By Madeleine Talbot To Help Train Her Staff At ACORN. "Several community organizers and Altgeld Gardens tenants confirmed Johnson was working on asbestos but said Obama organized residents to act. 'He got people to vote with their feet' on the issue, organizer Madeleine Talbot said. At the time, Talbot worked at the social action group ACORN and initially considered Obama a competitor. But she became so impressed with his work that she invited him to help train her staff." (Letta Tayler And Keith Herbert, "Chicago's Streets Obama's Teacher," Newsday, 3/2/08)

* In 1992, Barack Obama Was Hired By ACORN To Run A Voter Registration Effort. "Indeed, Mr. Obama has extensive connections with the granddaddy of activist groups, Acorn (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), which has gotten millions in government grants for its low-income housing programs. In 1992, Acorn hired Mr. Obama to run a voter registration effort. He later became a trainer for the group, as well as its lawyer in election law cases. Acorn's political arm has endorsed Mr. Obama while its 'voter education' arm has pledged to spend $35 million to register people this fall -- despite a history of vote fraud scandals that have led to guilty pleas by many Acorn employees." (John Fund, "Obama's Liberal Shock Troops," The Wall Street Journal, 7/12/08)

ANNCR: What did ACORN in Chicago engage in? Bullying banks. Intimidation tactics. Disruption of business. ACORN forced banks to issue risky home loans. The same types of loans that caused the financial crisis we're in today.

* ACORN Led Protests At Banks To Force Them To Issue Risky Home Loans. "Various ACORN chapters across the country, led by folks like Chicago's Madeline Talbott, staged in-your-face protests in bank lobbies and filed complaints meant to hold up mergers sought by targeted banking firms. Talbott & Co. generally wanted them to ease down-payment requirements and ignore weak credit histories. And their intimidating tactics often necessitated police action, as at a '97 protest at Pulaski Bank & Trust in Arkansas, where activists blocked drive-through lanes." (Editorial, "The Meltdown's Acorn," New York Post, 9/29/08)

* ACORN Forced Banks To Issue Shaky Loans By Pressuring The Banks. "ACORN recognized very early the opportunity presented by the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) of 1977. As Stanley Kurtz has reported, ACORN proudly touted 'affirmative action' lending and pressured banks to make subprime loans. Madeline Talbott, a Chicago ACORN leader, boasted of 'dragging banks kicking and screaming' into dubious loans. And, as Sol Stern reported in City Journal, ACORN also found a remunerative niche as an 'advisor' to banks seeking regulatory approval." (Mona Charen, "Guilty Party: ACORN, Obama, and the mortgage mess," National Review Online, 9/30/08)

ANNCR: No wonder Obama's campaign is trying to distance him from the group, saying, "Barack Obama Never Organized with ACORN."

* The Obama Campaign: "Barack Obama Never Organized With ACORN" (Barack Obama For President Website, http://fightthesmears.com/articles/20/acornrumor, Accessed 10/4/08)

ANNCR: But Obama's ties to ACORN run long and deep. He taught classes for ACORN.

* Obama Directed Project Vote And Later Taught Classes For "Future Leaders Identified By ACORN And The Centers For New Horizons." "He [Obama] says he is drawn to politics, despite its superficialities, as a means to advance his real passion and calling: community organization. ... In 1992 Obama took time off to direct Project Vote, the most successful grass-roots voter-registration campaign in recent city history. Credited with helping elect Carol Moseley-Braun to the U.S. Senate, the registration drive, aimed primarily at African-Americans, added an estimated 125,000 voters to the voter rolls--even more than were registered during Harold Washington's mayoral campaigns. 'It's a power thing,' said the brochures and radio commercials. ... Obama continues his organizing work largely through classes for future leaders identified by ACORN and the Centers for New Horizons on the south side." (Hank De Zutter, Op-Ed, "What Makes Obama Run?" Chicago Reader, 12/8/95)

ANNCR: They even endorsed him for President.

* ACORN's Political Action Committee Endorsed Obama. "[A]CORN's political action committee endorsed Barack Obama for President. ... The endorsement reflects a belief that Obama -- who worked as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago -- understands that change must come from the ground-up, as part of a working coalition, rather than from position papers." (Katrina Vanden Heuvel, Op-Ed, "ACORN: Obama Gets It," The Nation, 2/23/08)

ANNCR: But now ACORN is in trouble. REPORTER: There are at least 11 investigations across the country involving thousands of potentially fraudulent ACORN forms. ANNCR: Massive voter fraud.

* FOX News' Eric Shawn: "But There Are At Least 11 Investigations Across The Country Involving Thousands Of Potentially Fraudulent ACORN Forms." (FOX News' "Special Report," 10/8/08)

ANNCR: And the Obama campaign paid more than $800,000 to an ACORN front for get out the vote efforts. Pressuring banks to issue risky loans. Nationwide voter fraud. Barack Obama. Bad judgment. Blind ambition. Too risky for America.

* Obama's Campaign "Paid More Than $800,000" To ACORN For Get-Out-The Vote Efforts; The Campaign Originally "Misrepresented" The Group's Work To The FEC. "U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign paid more than $800,000 to an offshoot of the liberal Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now for services the Democrat's campaign says it mistakenly misrepresented in federal reports. An Obama spokesman said Federal Election Commission reports would be amended to show Citizens Services Inc. -- a subsidiary of ACORN -- worked in 'get-out-the-vote' projects, instead of activities such as polling, advance work and staging major events as stated in FEC finance reports filed during the primary." (David M. Brown, "Obama To Amend Report On $800,000 In Spending," Pittsburgh Tribune Review, 8/22/08)

Tags: Barack Obama or John McCain and Sarah Palin

McCain Palin Web Ad:Ayers VIDEO

ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, McCain-Palin 2008 released its latest web ad, entitled "Ayers." The ad highlights Barack Obama's long-standing relationship with unrepentant domestic terrorist Bill Ayers. From his political introduction at Bill Ayers' house in 1995 to their service together on two boards, Barack Obama has long known Bill Ayers but has not been straightforward with the American people. This is an issue of judgment and candor and Barack Obama has not told the American people the truth.

Transcript For "Ayers" (WEB :90)

ANNCR: Barack Obama and domestic terrorist Bill Ayers. Friends. They've worked together for years.

But Obama tries to hide it. Why?

Obama launched his political career in Ayers' living room.

Ayers and Obama ran a radical "education" foundation, together.

They wrote the foundation's by-laws, together.

Obama was the foundation's first chairman.

Reports say they, "distributed more than $100 million to ideological allies with no discernible improvement in education."

When their relationship became an issue, Obama just responded, "This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood."

That's it?

We know Bill Ayers ran the "violent left wing activist group" called Weather Underground.

We know Ayers' wife was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list.

We know they bombed the Capitol. The Pentagon. A judge's home.

We know Ayers said, "I don't regret setting bombs. .... I feel we didn't do enough."

But Obama's friendship with terrorist Ayers isn't the issue.

The issue is Barack Obama's judgment and candor.

When Obama just says, "This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood."

Americans say, "Where's the truth, Barack?"

Barack Obama. Too risky for America.

JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

AD FACTS: Script For "Ayers" (WEB :90)

ANNCR: Barack Obama and domestic terrorist Bill Ayers. Friends. They've worked together for years. But Obama tries to hide it. Why? Obama launched his political career in Ayers' living room.

Barack Obama's Relationship With Ayers "Went Much Deeper, Ran Much Longer And Was Much More Political Than Obama Said." CNN'S DREW GRIFFIN: "Barack Obama confirmed during a primary debate that he knew Ayers and when pressed, said they served on a charitable foundation board together. And Obama condemned Ayers support of violence. But the relationship between Obama and Ayers went much deeper, ran much longer, and was much more political than Obama said." (CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," 10/6/08)

Barack Obama First Met William Ayers In 1995 During His First State Senate Campaign, When Obama Held Event At Home Of Ayers And Wife Bernardine Dohrn, Which One Attendee Said Was Aimed At "Launching Him" In First Campaign For State Senate. "In 1995, State Senator Alice Palmer introduced her chosen successor, Barack Obama, to a few of the district's influential liberals at the home of two well known figures on the local left: William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn. While Ayers and Dohrn may be thought of in Hyde Park as local activists, they're better known nationally as two of the most notorious -- and unrepentant -- figures from the violent fringe of the 1960s anti-war movement. ... 'I can remember being one of a small group of people who came to Bill Ayers' house to learn that Alice Palmer was stepping down from the senate and running for Congress,' said Dr. Quentin Young, a prominent Chicago physician and advocate for single-payer health care, of the informal gathering at the home of Ayers and his wife, Dohrn. '[Palmer] identified [Obama] as her successor.' ... Dr. Young and another guest, Maria Warren, described it similarly: as an introduction to Hyde Park liberals of the handpicked successor to Palmer, a well-regarded figure on the left. 'When I first met Barack Obama, he was giving a standard, innocuous little talk in the living room of those two legends-in-their-own-minds, Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn,' Warren wrote on her blog in 2005. 'They were launching him -- introducing him to the Hyde Park community as the best thing since sliced bread.'" (Ben Smith, "Obama Once Visited '60s Radicals," The Politico, 1/22/08)

CNN: The Meeting Was Widely Considered As "Barack Obama's Political Coming Out Party And It Was Hosted By Bill Ayers." CNN'S DREW GRIFFIN: "Anderson, this meeting at Bill Ayers home has been classified in many different ways. What I can tell you from the two people who were actually there, is number one, former Senator Alice Palmer says she, in no way organized this meeting and she was invited and attended it briefly. And Doctor Quentin Young, a retired doctor, told us this indeed was Barack Obama's political coming out party and it was hosted by Bill Ayers." (CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," 10/6/08)

ANNCR: Ayers and Obama ran a radical "education" foundation, together.

Barack Obama Led Education Foundation That "Poured More Than $100 Million Into The Hands Of Community Organizers And Radical Education Activists" And "Translated Mr. Ayers's Radicalism Into Practice." "Despite having authored two autobiographies, Barack Obama has never written about his most important executive experience. From 1995 to 1999, he led an education foundation called the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC), and remained on the board until 2001. The group poured more than $100 million into the hands of community organizers and radical education activists. ... The CAC's agenda flowed from Mr. Ayers's educational philosophy, which called for infusing students and their parents with a radical political commitment, and which downplayed achievement tests in favor of activism. In the mid-1960s, Mr. Ayers taught at a radical alternative school, and served as a community organizer in Cleveland's ghetto. ... CAC translated Mr . Ayers's radicalism into practice. Instead of funding schools directly, it required schools to affiliate with 'external partners,' which actually got the money. Proposals from groups focused on math/science achievement were turned down. Instead CAC disbursed money through various far-left community organizers, such as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (or Acorn)." (Stanley Kurtz, Op-Ed, "Obama and Ayers Pushed Radicalism On Schools," The Wall Street Journal, 9/23/08)

From March Of 1995 Until September Of 1997, Barack Obama And Ayers Attended At Least Seven Meetings Together Relating To The Chicago Annenberg Challenge. (Chicago Annenberg Challenge, Board Of Directors Meeting, Minutes Of The Board, 3/15/95, 3/31/95, 4/13/95, 6/5/95, 9/30/97; National Annenberg Challenge Evaluation Meeting, List Of Participants, 5/24/95; Chicago Annenberg Challenge, Chicago School Reform Collaborative Meeting, Minutes, 10/23/96)

CNN: The Paths Of Barack Obama And Ayers "Repeatedly Crossed" At The Annenberg Challenge. CNN'S DREW GRIFFIN: "One place their paths repeatedly crossed, according to a CNN review of board minutes and other records, was Chicago's Annenberg Challenge project where a $50 million grant from the Annenberg Foundation matched locally raised funds to improve schools. According to participants and project records, Bill Ayers fought to bring the Annenberg grant to Chicago, Barack Obama was recruited as its chair. For seven years, Bill Ayers and Obama among many others, worked on funding for education projects, including some experiments supported by Ayers." (CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," 10/6/08)

ANNCR: They wrote the foundation's by-laws, together.

Barack Obama "Served On The Board's Governance Committee With Mr. Obama, And Worked With Him To Craft CAC Bylaws." "The Daley documents show that Mr. Ayers sat as an ex-officio member of the board Mr. Obama chaired through CAC's first year. He also served on the board's governance committee with Mr. Obama, and worked with him to craft CAC bylaws. Mr. Ayers made presentations to board meetings chaired by Mr. Obama. Mr. Ayers spoke for the Collaborative before the board. Likewise, Mr. Obama periodically spoke for the board at meetings of the Collaborative." (Stanley Kurtz, Op-Ed, "Obama and Ayers Pushed Radicalism On Schools," The Wall Street Journal, 9/23/08)

Bill Ayers Was Asked To Help Barack Obama Formulate The Chicago Annenberg Challenge By-Laws. (Chicago Annenberg Challenge Board Of Directors Minutes, 3/15/95)

ANNCR: Obama was the foundation's first chairman.

Barack Obama "Was The First Chairman Of The Chicago Annenberg Challenge." "In the 1990s, Ayers was instrumental in starting the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, which was awarded nearly $50 million by a foundation to help reform Chicago schools. Obama was the first chairman of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge and Republicans have been highlighting his ties to Ayers through the group." (Pete Yost, "University Won't Open Obama-Related Records Now," The Associated Press, 8/19/08)

ANNCR: Reports say they, "distributed more than $100 million to ideological allies with no discernible improvement in education."

Chicago Annenberg Challenge: "Distributed More Than $100 Million To Ideological Allies With No Discernible Improvement In Public Education." "With Ayers directing the project's operational arm and Obama overseeing its financial affairs until 1999, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge distributed more than $100 million to ideological allies with no discernible improvement in public education." (Editorial, "Obama's Friend, America's Enemy," National Review, 8/27/08)

ANNCR: When their relationship became an issue, Obama just responded, "This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood." That's it?

Barack Obama On Ayers At Democratic Debate: "This Is A Guy Who Lives In My Neighborhood." "This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English in Chicago, who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He's not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis." (Sen. Barack Obama, ABC Democratic Presidential Debate, Philadelphia, PA, 4/16/08)

ANNCR: We know Bill Ayers ran the "violent left wing activist group" called Weather Underground.

Bill Ayers Was A Leader Of "The Violent Left-Wing Activist Group The Weather Underground." "Senator Obama's ties to a former leader of the violent left-wing activist group the Weather Underground are drawing new scrutiny as he battles Senator Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination." (Russell Berman, "Obama's Ties to Left Come Under Scrutiny," The New York Sun, 2/19/08)

ANNCR: We know Ayers' wife was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list.

Bill Ayers' Wife, Weather Underground Leader Bernardine Dohrn, Appeared On FBI's "Most Wanted" List. "Bernardine Dohrn, the former leader of the militant Weather Underground who turned herself in after 11 years on the run, says she looks forward to spending time with family and friends and intends to continue a rebellion against 'the system.' ... 'I remain committed to the struggle ahead,' Ms. Dohrn told reporters Wednesday after a court appearance. 'Given the system which perpetuates ... harsh oppression and suffering, rebellion is inevitable and continuous.' Ms. Dohrn, 38, pleaded innocent to nine charges -- seven stemming from the 1969 'Days of Rage' anti-war demonstration in Chicago and two more for jumping bail. She was released on $25,000 bond and a hearing was set for Jan. 13. Ms. Dohrn, who once appeared on the FBI's most-wanted list, arrived in court with a lawyer and William Ayers, another ex-radical who said he lived with Ms. Dohrn in New York and is the father of her two children." (James Litke, "Fugitive Leader Surrenders With No Regrets," The Associated Press, 12/4/80)

ANNCR: We know they bombed the Capitol. The Pentagon. A judge's home.

In The 1970s, Weather Underground Bombed The Capitol And The Pentagon. "As an Illinois state senator in 2001, Mr. Obama accepted a $200 contribution from William Ayers, a founding member of the group that bombed the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon during the 1970s." (Russell Berman, "Obama's Ties to Left Come Under Scrutiny," The New York Sun, 2/19/08)

New York State Supreme Court Justice's House Was Bombed By Weather Underground. "In February 1970, my father, a New York State Supreme Court justice, was presiding over the trial of the so-called "Panther 21," members of the Black Panther Party indicted in a plot to bomb New York landmarks and department stores. Early on the morning of February 21, as my family slept, three gasoline-filled firebombs exploded at our home on the northern tip of Manhattan, two at the front door and the third tucked neatly under the gas tank of the family car. (Today, of course, we'd call that a car bomb.) A neighbor heard the first two blasts and, with the remains of a snowman I had built a few days earlier, managed to douse the flames beneath the car. That was an act whose courage I fully appreciated only as an adult, an act that doubtless saved multiple lives that night. ... Though no one was ever caught or tried for the attempt on my family's life , there was never any doubt who was behind it. Only a few weeks after the attack, the New York contingent of the Weathermen blew themselves up making more bombs in a Greenwich Village townhouse. The same cell had bombed my house, writes Ron Jacobs in The Way the Wind Blew: A History of the Weather Underground. And in late November that year, a letter to the Associated Press signed by Bernardine Dohrn, Ayers's wife, promised more bombings." (John M. Murtagh, "Fire In The Night," City Journal, 4/30/08)

In His Book, Bill Ayers Writes About Participating In The Bombings Of The Capitol And Pentagon. "Now he has written a book, 'Fugitive Days' (Beacon Press, September). Mr. Ayers, who is 56, calls it a memoir, somewhat coyly perhaps, since he also says some of it is fiction. He writes that he participated in the bombings of New York City Police Headquarters in 1970, of the Capitol building in 1971, the Pentagon in 1972." (Dinitia Smith, "No Regrets For A Love Of Explosives," The New York Times, 9/11/01)

ANNCR: We know Ayers said, "I don't regret setting bombs. . I feel we didn't do enough."

In The September 11, 2001 New York Times, Ayers Was Quoted Saying "I Don't Regret Setting Bombs ... I Feel We Didn't Do Enough." "'I don't regret setting bombs,' Bill Ayers said. 'I feel we didn't do enough.' Mr. Ayers, who spent the 1970's as a fugitive in the Weather Underground, was sitting in the kitchen of his big turn-of-the-19th-century stone house in the Hyde Park district of Chicago." (Dinitia Smith, "No Regrets For A Love Of Explosives," The New York Times, 9/11/01)

ANNCR: But Obama's friendship with terrorist Ayers isn't the issue. The issue is Barack Obama's judgment and candor. When Obama just says, "This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood." Americans say, "Where's the truth, Barack?" Barack Obama. Too risky for America. JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

Barack Obama On Ayers At Democratic Debate: "This Is A Guy Who Lives In My Neighborhood." "This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English in Chicago, who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He's not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis." (Sen. Barack Obama, ABC Democratic Presidential Debate, Philadelphia, PA, 4/16/08)

Tags: Barack Obama or John McCain and Sarah Palin

PRESIDENTIAL QUESTIONS 10/09/08 ON THE CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC

Tonight's questions to Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama:

1. What do you think is the best and worst thing that has ever happened to this country? 2. Who are the three people who are alive you would most like to have dinner with?

Following is the transcript from tonight's broadcast.

COURIC: What do you think is the best and worst thing that has ever happened to this country?

MCCAIN: Obviously our founding was the best thing that ever happened to our country, because that was a unique collection of the most wise, informed and incredible individuals who joined together to found our nation and create a document that is still a model to the rest of the world. Maybe the worst thing that happened to America, in modern times is the great depression. It affected probably more, a greater percentage of our population than any other economic or other impact that we experienced. And literally, half the population, or 40 percent. Whatever it was, huge numbers that are incomprehensible were out of work. And people literally starved in America. And that, we can't ever repeat.

OBAMA: Look, I--the best thing that ever happened to this country was the founding fathers and the starting premise of America. You know, we hold these truths as self evident that all men are created equal endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights, among these, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That idea just kept pushing through --throughout centuries, through a civil war, through civil rights, through women's rights. It became the North Star for people, not just in America but around the world. The worst probably would have to be slavery in this country. Although the treatment of native Americans often times was--showed great cruelty. You know --but slavery was a stain on this country. Fortunately, we had people like Abraham Lincoln and Harriet Tubman and Dr. King and you know--so many were able to battle through that legacy. And we're still wrestling with it. But it's one where I feel more optimistic about the direction of this country.

COURIC: Who are the three people who are alive you would most like to have dinner with?

OBAMA: I would love to have dinner with Nelson Mandela before he passes away. Obviously he's getting on in years. The last time I saw him he was very sharp. But he was very hearing problems and he's getting frail. You know, sitting down with him would be something I enjoy doing. Somebody I always love having a conversation with is warren Buffet, who I talk to frequently. We've become good friends. He's an economic advisor of mine. And whenever I'm with him, I'm always struck by is how much he enjoys what he's doing. And how unaffected he's been by his success. He's just a plain spoken, you know, funny, he's like your favorite uncle. Except worth 56 billion and really smart. So he's somebody I enjoy spending time with. The third person I'd like to spend time with, my grandmother, who I've only seen once in the last 19 months. She's been the rock of my family. She worked very hard all of her life. And made a lot of sacrifices on my behalf. And now she can't travel. She's got osteoporosis that's very bad. She's as sharp as they come. She explained to me the other day, she said you know the problem with getting old is that you're the same person, just your body is falling apart, and it's very frustrating. And that's how she feels. And you know, spending time with her is something that's going to be a priority after the election is over.

MCCAIN: David Petraeus. General David Petraeus is one of them. I have appreciated his leadership and his ability to inspire the young Americans -- men and women who serve under him. I find him a fascinating individual. Obviously, I think that Meg Whitman who I admire enormously, started out with five employees twelve years ago. Now a million and a half people are living off EBay. She understands the American dream for young women in America, as well as all Americans. And of course, being a big sports nut, I would consider it a great, great pleasure to have dinner with any major league football or baseball player. You know, right now springs to mind Michael Phelps. You know, our Olympic champion. He's inspired America and a lot of young Americans to do what he's done. But any of our Olympians, I would consider it a great honor. There's a young man who grew up in Arizona and moved to New Mexico. He just won a gold medal in wrestling in the Olympics for the first time in 16 years, and his name is Henry Suhato, a young man, child of illegal immigrants who became an Olympic champion. I'd love to have dinner with him. By the way, I'd also like to have dinner with our 400 meter relay team --who dropped the baton to tell them that we still love them.

Courtesy: CBS EVENING NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC

rncnyc2004blogspot editor's note: our attempts to thank the provider at CBS for this story were bounced by the CBS mail server as spam. We tried with our web based server, Gmail and our account based mail at Road Runner. We regret this bounce and take this opportunity to credit and thank Eric J. Kuhn, CBS News.

Hello Mr. Kuhn, thank you for the heads-up, and the transcript of tonight's CBS Evening News With Katie Couric broadcast. We appreciate any resources that provide our visitors with insight to both candidates in the upcoming presidential election. You may view our post here:

PRESIDENTIAL QUESTIONS 10/09/08

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Tags: John McCain and Barack Obama or cbs news

Statement by Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. on Financial Markets VIDEO

Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. and Under Secretary for International Affairs David H. McCormick, October 8, 2008 Pre-G7 Press Conference View in Real Player Format or View in Windows Media For the hearing impaired, view with captioning: View in Real Player format or View in Windows Media

Washington, DC October 8, 2008 hp1189 -- Good afternoon. Last Friday Congress finalized and President Bush signed into law the bipartisan Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. The EESA provides the Treasury, the Federal Reserve and the FDIC with important new authorities to complement existing ones. We will continue to coordinate with other federal regulators to use these tools to implement our strategy to address the four key challenges in our financial markets today - confidence, capital, systemic risk and liquidity. Although we are facing particularly difficult circumstances, I remain confident that we will work through this challenge, as we have always successfully worked through every economic challenge in the history of the United States. We are a strong and wealthy nation, with the resources to address the needs we face. I am confident that, with the right public policy response, time and effort, we will conquer these challenges as well.

U.S. and global financial markets continue to be severely strained. A chain of events caused by the ongoing housing correction has reverberated through U.S. banks and financial institutions, and has seriously impacted the underlying economy, reaching American households and businesses. A root cause of this situation is the housing correction and a lack of confidence in mortgage assets, as well as a lack of confidence in many of the financial institutions that hold these assets. Because of this widespread uncertainty, investors are hesitant to commit capital to financial institutions. Investor confidence is critical to restore liquidity and enhance the stability of our financial system.

This financial market turmoil is now directly affecting more families and businesses. When banks can not finance at reasonable levels, and can not or are not willing to lend, everyone in our economy who depends on credit suffers. The capital markets are the pipes through which money flows to finance student loans, car loans, home loans and small businesses' payroll and inventory. And uncertainty and a lack of confidence have clogged our basic financial plumbing. While our actions have been aimed at restoring financial markets and institutions, our purpose is to prevent financial market difficulties from further impacting businesses and families across the country.

New Authorities Needed to Address Challenges

Over the last six months, the U.S. Government has addressed a number of significant problems on a case by case basis. In my judgment, these actions, a number of which were quite significant, were necessary but not sufficient. By September, uncertainty had led to a credit market freeze and it became clear that we needed to take a systemic approach on a significant scale, to get at the underlying cause of much of this turmoil.

We went to Congress and asked for broad new authorities to address the current troubles affecting our financial markets, including the root cause of the financial system freeze --- the illiquid mortgage assets weighing on bank balance sheets. And Congress met the very difficult challenge of providing these authorities by passing the EESA.

Specifically, the EESA empowers Treasury to use up to $700 billion to inject capital into financial institutions, to purchase or insure mortgage assets, and to purchase any other troubled assets that the Treasury and the Federal Reserve deem necessary to promote financial market stability. The new law also gives the Federal Reserve the authority to pay interest on reserves, and temporarily increases FDIC and NCUA deposit insurance from $100,000 up to $250,000.

Two days ago the members of the President's Working Group on Financial Markets, the PWG, made clear that we will coordinate the use of our existing and new authorities to restore market confidence by strengthening financial institutions, preventing systemic impact from bank failures, increasing liquidity to financial markets and keeping mortgage credit available and affordable.

Strengthening Financial Institutions

The Treasury Department is moving rapidly to implement the EESA to help strengthen financial institutions while also protecting taxpayer interests. As I have said before, the ultimate taxpayer protection will be a stable financial system that supports normal economic activity.

Towards that goal, the EESA adds broad, flexible authorities for Treasury to buy or insure troubled assets, provide guarantees, and inject capital. We will use all of the tools we've been given to maximum effectiveness, including strengthening the capitalization of financial institutions of every size. We will design programs that encourage healthy institutions to participate. Much attention has focused on the use of auctions to purchase troubled assets from financial institutions. We are moving as quickly as possible to organize and implement the most effective process possible. We expect it will be several weeks before our first purchase.

Consistent with EESA, I have appointed an interim Assistant Secretary to manage the program and begin its rapid implementation. I am currently working with the President to identify a leader to submit for confirmation, as called for in the legislation, to manage the program and help ensure its long-term success. I will also consult with congressional leaders and Senator McCain and Senator Obama during this process. It is our intent to have an appointee confirmed by the Senate as soon as possible, and I look forward to working with the Senate when they return in November, to ensure we maintain strong leadership and continuity for this unprecedented effort.

We have also identified and retained other very experienced interim leaders for the office, including an interim Chief Financial Officer. We have published guidelines on our procurement and conflict management processes. We have already sent out several essential Requests for Proposals that require 48 hour turnaround so we can contract with private sector experts --- some even as early as later this week --- who will bring complementary skills and expertise to the Treasury team.

We have several policy teams designing detailed programs to purchase mortgage-backed securities, whole loans, and equity-related instruments. In addition, we have begun work on compliance, executive compensation guidelines, foreclosure mitigation, and oversight. Our teams have already been working with Treasury's Inspector General and are scheduled to meet with the General Accounting Office. Yesterday, we held our first meeting of the program's Oversight Board and we are committed to transparency in all aspects of the program.

We will implement our new authorities with one simple goal – to restore capital flows to the consumers and businesses that form the core of our economy.

Prevent Systemic Impact from Bank Failures

One thing we must recognize – even with the new Treasury authorities, some financial institutions will fail. The EESA doesn't exist to save every financial institution for its own sake.

Therefore, a second prong in our strategy is designed to mitigate financial market disruption when a bank fails. In addition to insuring deposits up to the new, temporary level of $250,000, the FDIC has the ability to use its insurance fund and its substantial lines of credit with the Treasury to address systemic financial risk that may be posed by a bank failure.

It is the policy of our federal government to use all resources at its disposal to make our financial system stronger. In light of current conditions, the FDIC, with the full support of the Fed and the Treasury, will use its authority and resources, as appropriate to mitigate systemic risk, by, as appropriate, protecting depositors, protecting unsecured claims, guaranteeing liabilities and adopting other measures to support the banking system.

Increasing Liquidity to Financial Markets

As we address issues of capital and financial strength in our banks, we must also address the liquidity of our markets. The Federal Reserve has introduced innovative facilities and policies to enhance the liquidity that is vital to market stability, and has frequently done so in coordination with the European Central Bank. Today's announcement of a coordinated rate cut, including Europe, China and other large economies, is a welcome sign that central banks around the world are prepared to take the necessary steps to support the global economy during this difficult time. The EESA granted the Fed permanent authority to pay interest on depository institutions' required and excess reserve balances held at the Federal Reserve. This will allow the Fed to expand its balance sheet to support financial stability while maintaining its monetary policy priorities.

In recent weeks, the commercial paper market has suffered severe stress and illiquidity. Businesses ranging from financial institutions to industrial companies rely on the commercial paper market every day to fund their business activities. In particular, financial institutions sell commercial paper, and use the funds to lend to millions of consumers and businesses across the nation. In the wake of the uncertainty surrounding financial institution balance sheets, many investors are reluctant to buy commercial paper from financial institutions – in essence, unwilling to hold this unsecured debt for any significant length of time, even when the particular institution is healthy, because of the fear of not having access to liquid markets.

Yesterday, the Federal Reserve announced a new facility to provide a liquidity backstop to U.S. issuers of commercial paper. Through a special purpose vehicle the Fed will purchase three-month unsecured and asset-backed commercial paper directly from eligible issuers. I expect this initiative to significantly improve the availability of funding for financial institutions and corporations that depend on the commercial paper market. Until those that depend on commercial paper can issue it again in significant maturities, funding pressures will continue to ripple through our economy, dramatically shrinking the availability of credit to support families and businesses.

Mortgage Credit Availability and Affordability

As I have long said, the housing correction is the root cause of the current financial market turmoil. We must continue to keep mortgage credit available and support the housing market, so that we can more quickly turn the corner on the housing correction.

To provide critical additional funding to our mortgage markets, FHFA has directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to increase their purchases of agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS). Supporting the availability of mortgage finance is the mission of the GSEs. There is headroom of over $150 billion between the current GSE portfolios and their regulatory limit. FHFA will supervise the growth in these portfolios, under its expanded authorities to monitor GSE risk-management. We also expect Fannie and Freddie to increase direct support to the mortgage market through their ongoing securitization activities.

To further support the availability of mortgage credit, Treasury also has established a program to purchase agency MBS directly. The program began in September. This will complement the capital provided by the GSEs and help facilitate mortgage availability and affordability.

Stabilizing Fannie and Freddie to support mortgage availability has been constructive. As the rest of our markets experienced increased turmoil the interest rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage has come down from its peak of 6.6 percent earlier this year to as low as 5.9 percent this week – a decrease that helps American households reduce monthly mortgage payments and increases the potential for more homeowners to refinance mortgages at lower rates. As Treasury and the GSEs increase their purchases, mortgage affordability should improve for Americans. If we were not actively engaged at the GSEs, we would have expected that rate to increase and further slow the progress of the housing correction.

International Coordination

We see evidence every day that world economies and financial markets are more connected and interdependent than at any time in history. Economic momentum has slowed substantially across the industrialized countries as a consequence of the ongoing financial turmoil, the acute stresses facing our financial institutions, continuing housing markets adjustments in the United States and other countries, and volatile – albeit moderating – commodity prices. Emerging markets are also beginning to show signs of slowing. We see evidence that the freezing of credit markets is having a tangible impact on the everyday lives of citizens all around the world.

Addressing these challenges requires the dramatic steps we are taking here in the United States and it requires strong international partnerships. Governments have and must continue to take individual and collective actions to provide much-needed liquidity, strengthen financial institutions through the provision of capital and the disposition of troubled assets, prevent markets abuse, and protect the savings of our citizens.

We must also take care to ensure that our actions are closely coordinated and communicated so that the action of one country does not come at the expense of others or the stability of the system as a whole.

Over the past twelve months President Bush and I have been in regular contact with our international counterparts, and we have collaborated in a variety of ways. This weekend I will be meeting with my G-7 colleagues to discuss the steps that each of us are taking to confront this crisis and ways to further enhance our collective efforts. In addition, in consultation with Brazil, the G-20 President, I am calling for a special meeting of the G20 that will include senior finance officials, central bankers, and regulators from key emerging economies to discuss how we might coordinate to lessen the effects of global market turmoil and the economic slowdown on all of our countries.

Although the tasks are not easy, I am regularly heartened as I work with my international colleagues who are also committed to securing stability and growth in their domestic economies, and to promoting the orderly functioning of the international financial system.

The Road Ahead

While most Americans understand that economic cycles occur, we are experiencing some extraordinary and difficult challenges at home and abroad – challenges that make it clear Congress was correct to take swift and bold action, and that we have no time to waste implementing the new law. We also know that getting it right is as important as getting it done quickly. We can and will do both. The Presidents Working Group on Financial Markets and all financial regulators are working together to achieve our necessary goal of restoring stability and orderliness to our financial markets. Every effort will require careful analysis, deliberation and transparency, and some measure of patience from the American people as we create the most effective process possible.

We have already taken a number of extraordinary bold actions on the liquidity front that I am convinced have been exactly the right policy steps, including the emergency action to provide a guarantee to our money market funds, actions to stabilize the GSEs and drive down mortgage rates, and the Fed's new program to provide 90-day liquidity to commercial paper issuers.

It is the policy of the federal government to use all resources at its disposal to make our financial system stronger, to safeguard depositors and savers, to help ensure an adequate flow of credit, and to minimize systemic risk. The Congress has recently provided the Treasury with broad powers to acquire financial assets, to make capital available, and to strengthen the balance sheets of individual institutions. The Federal Reserve has also been given new authority to ensure that the system has sufficient liquidity. The FDIC has the authority and the access to resources necessary to protect the banking system. The Treasury, the Federal Reserve and the FDIC will use all their authorities to promote the process of repair and recovery and to contain risks to the financial system that might arise from problems at individual institutions.

But patience is also needed because the turmoil will not end quickly and significant challenges remain ahead. Neither passage of this new law nor the implementation of these initiatives will bring an immediate end to current difficulties. It will take time and bipartisan leadership, cooperation and collaboration, as well as well-conceived and executed policies to overcome the challenges our nation is facing. And we will overcome them. Despite our problems, the U.S. economy is the largest and wealthiest in the world. We will, as we have in the past, emerge stronger and better able to provide new opportunities for our workers and increased prosperity for our families. Thank you.

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Second Presidential Candidates Debate McCain Obama LIVE STREAMING VIDEO TEXT TRANSCRIPT PODCAST

FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT - Official transcript from the Commission on Presidential Debates, PODCAST Streaming MP3 and PODCAST Download MP3 Second Presidential Debate From Nashville, Tennessee (October 7, 2008) FULL STREAMING VIDEO from CSPAN

October 7, 2008 09:00 PM EDT. Running Time 1:30 LIVE Presidential Candidates Debate at Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee CNN - Windows Media. and C-SPAN - Windows Media. - FULL STREAMING VIDEO LIVE Commission on Presidential Debates, John S. McCain III, R, Arizona, Barack Obama (D-IL), moderated by Tom Brokaw, NBC.

2008 TOWN HALL PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE TALKING POINTS.

• On November 19, 2007, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that Belmont University will host the Town Hall Presidential Debate on October 7, 2008.

• Belmont was one of 16 sites nationwide under consideration to host one of three presidential, or one vice presidential, debates.

• Tennessee has been home to three former United States Presidents – Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson and James K. Polk – but this will be the first time a presidential debate has been held in Tennessee.

• The Presidential Debate at Belmont will be held in the Curb Event Center, home of the NCAA Division-I Belmont Bruins basketball and volleyball teams and host site of the live CMT Music Awards show three years in a row.

• The debate is expected to attract more than 2,500 members of the media to Nashville, along with the candidates’ campaigns and supporters, and will be viewed by millions worldwide.

• Former Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, Congressman Jim Cooper, Ralph Schulz, CEO of Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and Butch Spyridon, President Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau all wrote letters in support of Belmont and bringing one of the debates to Tennessee.

• Award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and historian, New York Times bestselling author and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough will appear on campus as special guests during the 2008-09 academic year.

• Burns will speak on Sept. 30, 2008, and McCullough will follow up in the spring semester on March 19, 2009.

• Belmont launched a new Web site specifically for the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate, located at www.belmontdebate08.com.

• The site features news, programming information and campus updates for the Belmont community, neighbors and more than 2,500 media expected on campus for the debate.

• A task force of faculty and staff from Belmont, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee State University, Volunteer State Community College and Nashville state Technical Community College has formed to create several opportunities for city-wide learning centered on Belmont’s role as Town Hall Presidential Debate host site.

• The Key Issues Speaker Series will bring an array of experts to campus to discuss issues of importance to voters in this election year: energy, the environment, entrepreneurship, health care, media and religion. Check www.belmontdebate08.com for these programs.

• The Office of Spiritual Development has put together a comprehensive schedule of events that focus on spirituality’s place in the world of American politics.

• The College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) has prepared a lineup of art exhibits, plays and concerts that center on the American experience and the freedom of expression enjoyed by American citizens.

• Belmont is planning several opportunities for students to actively participate in the democratic process, such as voter registration drives, viewing parties for the series of presidential and vice presidential debates and a post-debate mock election on campus.

• In May Belmont announced the formation of the Honorary Host Committee for the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate composed of distinguished individuals with national, state and local stature.

• Marty Dickens, chairman of the Belmont Board of Trustees and retired president of AT&T serves as chair of the honorary host committee and Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and president of Curb Records Mike Curb are the committee’s honorary chairs.

• Members of the committee include former and current Tennessee and United States Senators and Congressmen, business leaders, music industry executives, recording artists and philanthropists.

• The Honorary Host Committee reflects Belmont’s commitment to ensuring the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate is memorable for Belmont students, as well as residents of Nashville and the state of Tennessee.

• The only media allowed in the Debate Hall itself on October 7 will be members of the five networks that are part of the White House media pool and C-SPAN.

• Tom Brokaw, current host of "Meet the Press" and a special correspondent for NBC News, will moderate the 2008 Town Hall Presidential Debate. The Gallup Organization will choose the audience participants in the town hall meeting from undecided voters from the Nashville, Tenn., standard metropolitan statistical area. While the participants will pose the questions, Brokaw will facilitate the discussion between the audience and the candidates.

• For the first time in the history of general election debates, the moderator can choose to use questions submitted via the Internet.

McCain Palin TV Ad:Tax Cutter VIDEO

McCain-Palin 2008 Launches New TV Ad: "Tax Cutter" For Immediate Release October 4, 2008 Contact: Press Office 703-650-5550

ARLINGTON, VA -- McCain-Palin 2008 released its latest television ad, entitled "Tax Cutter." The ad highlights the Obama campaign's tax record real and imagined. The ad will air in key states.

Tags: Barack Obama or John McCain and Sarah Palin

McCain Palin TV Ad:Dangerous VIDEO

McCain-Palin 2008 Launches New TV Ad: "Dangerous" For Immediate Release October 4, 2008 Contact: Press Office 703-650-5550

ARLINGTON, VA -- McCain-Palin 2008 released its latest television ad, entitled "Dangerous." The ad highlights the Obama campaign's Non support and criticism of american troops in the field. The ad will air in key states.

Tags: Barack Obama or John McCain and Sarah Palin

Bullying of teenagers online is common, UCLA psychologists report

Jaana Juvonen, Professor Area: Developmental Psychology, Contact Information Office: 2291C FH. Phone: (310) 825-8293. Email: juvonen@psych.ucla.edu Research: I study young adolescents relationship's with their peers and how these relationships are related to the development and adaptive functioning of youth. The main topics that I have investigated over the years include the study of social motivational analyses of perceived deviance and peer rejection, development of self-presentation strategies, perceived peer group norms and public behavior of young teens, and bullying or peer harassment in school. WEB: UCLA Psychology

Nearly three in four teenagers say they were bullied online at least once during a recent 12-month period, and only one in 10 reported such cyber-bullying to parents or other adults, according to a new study by UCLA psychologists. Of those who were bullied online, 85 percent also have been bullied at school, the psychologists found. The probability of getting bullied online was substantially higher for those who have been the victims of school bullying. "Bullying affects millions of students and is not limited to school grounds," said lead study author Jaana Juvonen, a professor of psychology and chair of UCLA's developmental psychology program. "Bullying on the Internet looks similar to what kids do face-to-face in school. The Internet is not functioning as a separate environment but is connected with the social lives of kids in school. Our findings suggest that especially among heavy users of the Internet, cyber-bullying is a common experience, and the forms of online and in-school bullying are more alike than different." The research is based on an anonymous Web-based survey of 1,454 participants between the ages of 12 and 17, who were recruited through a nationally popular teen website from August through October 2005. The psychologists' findings appear in the September issue of the Journal of School Health. Forty-one percent of the teenagers surveyed reported between one and three online bullying incidents over the course of a year, 13 percent reported four to six incidents and 19 percent reported seven or more incidents, Juvonen said.

Many teenagers do not realize how many of their peers are being bullied online and think cyber-bullying happens much more to them than to others, she said.

"When kids start thinking, 'It's just happening to me,' they likely blame themselves, and once they do that, it increases their risk of depression," Juvonen said. "Kids don't know how common cyber-bullying is, even among their best friends. Cyber-bulling is not a plight of a few problematic children but a shared experience."

Why do so few teenagers tell their parents about being bullied online?

The most common reason for not telling an adult, cited by half the bullied participants, was that teens believe they "need to learn to deal with it." In addition, 31 percent reported that they do not tell because they are concerned their parents might restrict their Internet access. This concern was especially common among girls between the ages of 12 and 14, with 46 percent fearing restrictions, compared with 27 percent of boys in the same age group. One-third of 12-to-14-year-olds reported that they didn't tell an adult out of fear that they could get into trouble with their parents.

Many parents have little understanding of their children's Internet use.

"Many parents do not understand how vital the Internet is to their social lives," Juvonen said. "Parents can take detrimental action with good intentions, such as trying to protect their children by not letting them use the Internet at all. That is not likely to help parent-teen relationships or the social lives of their children."

Most children are using the Internet mainly to connect with friends, not to meet new people, previous research has shown.

"Kids are mainly using the Internet to maintain relationships like we used to in the old days when we called a friend or walked to someone's house," Juvonen said. "It's a way for kids to maintain connections with their friends."

Seventy-three percent of the participants who reported being cyber-bullied said they knew, or were pretty sure they knew, who was doing the bullying.

"This finding is counter to the prevalent myth that cyber-bullying is anonymous," Juvonen said.

The research does not support the assumption that the Internet is dramatically changing the nature of bullying.

Of those participants who experienced bullying, 51 percent said the bullying was done by schoolmates, 43 percent said they were bullied by someone they knew only online and 20 percent said they were bullied by someone they knew, but who was not from school.

The most prevalent forms of bullying online and in school involved name-calling or insults. Password theft was the next most common cyber-bullying tactic. Bullying also includes threats, sending embarrassing pictures, sharing private information without permission and spreading nasty rumors.

Both in-school and online bullying experiences were independently associated with increased social anxiety, said UCLA psychology research fellow Elisheva Gross, co-author of the study and co-president of Barnraising Inc., a new media and art education and youth-development company.

Electronic communication devices are not the cause of problem behavior among teenagers but are tools that can be used to interact with peers in both antisocial and healthy ways, Juvonen said.

Parents and other adults may overestimate the risk of bullying online and downplay the risk of bullying in school, said Juvonen, who recommends that schools try to reduce both. Schools are getting better at taking action to reduce bullying — including teaching students strategies for coping with and responding to bullying — and some of them address cyber-bullying as well, she said.

"There is no reason why cyber-bullying should be 'beyond' the school's responsibility to address," Juvonen said. "Rather, it seems that schools need to enforce intolerance of any intimidation among students, regardless of whether it takes place on or beyond the school grounds."

Many children are using the Internet in the privacy of their bedrooms, which Juvonen does not consider a good idea, because it makes it harder for parents to monitor.

While name-calling and spreading rumors may look rather benign, children often find them hurtful, Juvonen and Gross said.

In research from 2005 by Juvonen and Adrienne Nishina, an assistant professor of human development at the University of California, Davis, nearly half the sixth graders at two Los Angeles-area public schools said they were bullied by classmates during a five-day period.

"Bullying is a problem that large numbers of kids confront on a daily basis at school; it's not just an issue for the few unfortunate ones," Juvonen said.

The earlier research by Juvonen and Nishina showed that children are emotionally affected on the days they get picked on. The students who were beat up and those who were called names were equally bothered.

"Students reported feeling humiliated, anxious or disliking school on days when they reported incidents, which shows there is no such thing as 'harmless' name-calling or an 'innocent' punch," Juvonen said.

Bullying occurs across ethnic groups and income brackets, said Gross, who has received funding from the UCLA Children's Digital Media Center.

In another 2005 study, Nishina and Juvonen reported that middle school students who are bullied in school are likely to feel depressed, lonely and miserable, which in turn makes them more vulnerable to further bullying incidents. Harassment at school interferes with the ability to learn and makes many students want to withdraw, Juvonen said.

Children who are embarrassed or humiliated about being bullied in school are unlikely to discuss it with their parents or teacher, Juvonen and Nishina found. Instead, they are more likely to suffer in silence and dislike school.

Juvonen advises parents to talk with their children about bullying before it ever happens, pay attention to changes in their children's behavior and take their concerns seriously.

Students who get bullied often have headaches, colds and other physical illnesses, as well as psychological problems.

Of the 1,454 participants in the recent survey, 75 percent were female, 66 percent were Caucasian, 12 percent were African American, 9 percent were Latino/Hispanic and 5 percent were Asian American. All 50 states were represented. ###

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Contact: Stuart Wolpert swolpert@support.ucla.edu 310-206-0511 University of California - Los Angeles

Freedom Calendar 10/04/08 - 10/11/08

October 4, 1954, Birth of Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen, advocate for legal services to the poor; her nomination by President George W. Bush to U.S. Court of Appeals was blocked by Democrats in Senate. October 5, 1861, Death of Michigan anti-slavery activist Kinsley Bingham, elected in 1854 as nation’s first Republican Governor.

October 6, 1914, Birth of women’s rights advocate Mary Louise Smith, elected Chair of the Republican National Committee in 1974.

October 7, 1868, Republicans denounce Democratic Party’s national campaign theme: “This is a white man’s country: Let white men rule”

October 8, 1898 Republican Joseph Simon (R-OR) elected as first Jewish U.S. Senator outside the former Confederacy.

October 9, 1886, Death of Rep. Benjamin Arnett (R-OH), first African-American to represent a majority white constituency in a state legislature 10 Columbus Day.

October 10, 1871, Following warnings by Philadelphia Democrats against black voting, African-American Republican civil rights activist Octavius Catto murdered by Democratic Party operative; his military funeral was attended by thousands.

October 11, 1972, Horacio Rivero, first Hispanic four-star Admiral, appointed by President Richard Nixon as U.S. Ambassador to Spain.

“We should reach each and every one in the State, so they would all register and vote for the Republican candidates.”

Mary Terrell, African-American Republican and co-founder of the NAACP

Technorati Tags: President Bush and Freedom Calendar or Booker T. Washington and Republicans or African-Americans and Brown v. Board of Education or Ronald Reagan and Earl Warren or Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass or 40 acres and a mule or Martin Luther King and Voting Rights Act of 1965 or Dred Scott