Think Progress

CONGRESS -- HOUSE PASSES ETHICS REFORMS: Yesterday, the House overwhelmingly passed the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 in a vote of 396 to 22. The bill proposes new rules that require campaigns to disclose "'bundled' campaign contributions that lobbyists collect and pass on to lawmakers' campaigns," accelerate the financial reporting cycle from semi-annually to quarterly, and "for the first time lobbyists, not just lawmakers, would be liable for infractions." Open-government watchdog groups like Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and Common Cause welcomed the bill's passage but also argued that lawmakers will "not be held accountable" without "independent, outside ethics enforcement." The New York Times described the bill as "closer to reform" but noted the failure of the House to include a measure to "slow the revolving door" by requiring, as the Senate has proposed, a two-year waiting period before lawmakers can become lobbyists themselves. One lobbyist explained another key failing of the bill, noting that while President Bush has disclosed perhaps the "best public list of major Republican bundlers," fewer than half of the them are "registered federal lobbyists" and are not governed by the new disclosure requirements. The President of Common Cause, Bob Edgar, said in a press release, "[T]here's still a lot of work to do to prove that this Congress is serious about cleaning up Washington."

DARFUR -- NBA ALL-STAR LEBRON JAMES REFUSES TO 'BE A WITNESS' AGAINST DARFUR GENOCIDE: The Cleveland Cavaliers' Ira Newble recently wrote an open letter criticizing China's role in the Darfur genocide, urging fellow basketball players to pressure China to change its policy ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympics. "China cannot be a legitimate host to the premier international event in the sporting world -- the Summer Olympic Games -- while it remains complicit in the terrible suffering and destruction that continues to this day," the letter stated. Only two of Newble's teammates refused to sign onto his letter: Damon Jones and LeBron James. James, one of the NBA's most recognizable faces, is a perennial all-star and was named a tri-captain of the 2006 USA World Championship Team. In a Christian Science Monitor op-ed yesterday, New York University history professor Jonathan Zimmerman explained, "James said he didn't have enough information about the issue to take a stand. Mr. Jones wouldn't comment." But he also noted, "Jones has an endorsement contract with an up-and-coming Chinese shoe and apparel company. James has a $90 million deal with Nike, which has huge business interests in China." China is Sudan's largest trading partner. Brookings Institution scholar Roberta Cohen wrote, "Were China to use even a small part of its leverage to call Sudan to account, it would go a long way toward saving lives in Sudan." In July 2005, the Center for American Progress Action Fund teamed up with the Genocide Intervention Fund to call citizens to "be a witness" of the genocide and ask major television networks to report on the massacre. James now appears in Nike advertisements calling others to be a witness...of his basketball stardom.

ETHICS -- SECRET HOLD BLOCKS OPEN-GOVERNMENT LEGISLATION FROM REACHING SENATE FLOOR: On April 12, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed the OPEN Government Act, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). The bill, which has garnered support from more than 100 organizations, would improve the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by reducing "delays in releasing government records requested under FOIA by creating incentives for public officials to comply with the law." The House passed a similar measure earlier this year but the bill was blocked from reaching the Senate floor for a vote yesterday. A "Republican senator called the Minority Leader's office and objected to a vote on the bill, but asked for anonymity and did not publicly state the reason for the hold." "It is both unfortunate and ironic that this bipartisan bill, which promotes sunshine and openness in our government, is being hindered by a secret and anonymous hold," said Leahy in a statement. This is not the first time a secret hold has been used to block open government legislation from reaching the floor. In Aug. 2006, Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) put a hold on a bill to create a searchable public database of all federal grants and contracts. Steven's role was revealed only after online public advocates and journalists forced senators to go on the record about whether they placed the hold or not.

19: Number of times President Bush referenced al Qaeda during his hour-long press conference yesterday. "There was no evidence that Osama bin Laden was responsible" for the bird droppings that landed on Bush, but "just about everything else that came up during the hour-long news conference was traced to bin Laden's terrorist network."

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) "voted at least three times Thursday in the Senate after missing more than a month of votes to campaign for a presidential bid." The only Senator to miss more votes than McCain "is Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), who's recovering from a brain hemorrhage."

"The system for delivering badly needed gear to Marines in Iraq" has failed to meet over 90 percent of the "urgent requests for equipment from troops in the field." Among the items held up "were a mine resistant vehicle and a hand-held laser system."

Under pressure from watchdog groups, the Air Force and Army "partially distanced themselves yesterday from a three-day evangelical Christian event this weekend at a Georgia theme park." The group sponsoring the event bills its purpose as "sharing the fullness of life in Jesus Christ with all US military, military veterans, and families."

"Farmers in southern Iraq have started to grow opium poppies in their fields for the first time, sparking fears that Iraq might become a serious drugs producer along the lines of Afghanistan."

A NYT/CBS poll finds "broad support among Americans -- Democrats, Republicans and independents alike -- for the major provisions" in the new immigration legislation, including giving undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship and the creation of a guest worker program.

"Sallie Mae executives met with Bush administration budget officials in December, less than two months before the company chairman sold $18.3 million of Sallie Mae stock. Three days after the sale, President Bush unveiled a budget that included unexpectedly large cuts to lending subsidies, after which the company’s shares plummeted."

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has put forth a new proposal focused on reigning in health care costs, putting the emphasis on prevention -- "keeping people well rather than spending more later on treatment when they are sick." In Oct. 2006, the Center for American Progress released a detailed plan to create a "Wellness Trust" that would "prioritize prevention in the U.S. health system."

Iraqi cleric Moktada al-Sadr "has quietly returned to southern Iraq after a four-month sojourn in Iran," possibly to "strengthen his position in anticipation that provincial elections may be held next year."

Lower-income consumers are hit the hardest by rising fuel prices, according to a new report by the Center for American Progress. "They cut vacations, gifts, dinners out, and savings -- or, more likely, run up bigger credit card balances, say the authors."

And finally: Colorado jury agrees that "doggie doo can be free speech." A political activist faced a "misdemeanor charge of criminal use of a noxious substance" after leaving "a campaign flyer filled with dog poop" at the office of a politician. But the jury agreed that her statement -- the politician's positions "stink" -- was covered by free speech.