Think Progress

IMMIGRATION-- BUSH ADMINISTRATION FORCING HPV VACCCINE ON IMMIGRANTS: In July, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services quietly amended its list of required vaccinations for immigrants applying to become citizens. One of the newest requirements was Gardasil, which vaccinates against the human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted viral infection in the United States. The problem with this regulation is that the HPV vaccine is not mandatory for U.S. citizens. Therefore, U.S. citizens are allowed to weigh the costs and risks associated with Gardasil, but immigrants are forced to pay-out-of-pocket for a vaccine they might not want to take. Without health insurance, the three-shot vaccine can cost $162 per dose, making it the most expensive vaccine on the market. "Given Gardasil’s high cost, and the fact that there does not seem to be a public health justification for this particular mandate, I’m concerned that its real purpose is to create a financial barrier for immigrant women who seek to lawfully enter this country," said Jessica Arons of the Center for American Progress. 
 
CLIMATE -- REGIONAL CAP-AND-TRADE INITIATIVE SET TO BEGIN IN NORTHEAST: Starting on Sept. 25, 10Northeastern states from Maryland to Maine will "undertake the nation's most serious effort yet to tackle climate change, putting limits on carbon dioxide (CO) emissions from utilities and making them pay for each ton of pollutants." The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, will cap emissions for 233 plants by "putting a price on the carbon dioxide they emit" to give "plants a financial incentive to clean themselves up, with the proceeds channeled to energy-saving and renewable energy programs in each state." However, the emissions cap was "based on overestimates of carbon dioxide output." leading to worries that the program may fail to reduce CO2 output substantially. Nevertheless, the program plans to hold "carbon emissions to 188 million tons annually through 2014, and scale them back by 2.5 percent each year through 2018." The cap takes effect Jan. 1, 2009, in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and all six New England states -- Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

KATRINA -- CHENEY TURNED DOWN PRESIDENT'S REQUEST TO OVERSEE KATRINA RECOVERY: Just after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, Vice President Dick Cheney refused President Bush's request to head up a "cabinet-level task force" aimed at speeding the recovery effort, writes the Washington Post's Barton Gellman in a still-embargoed section of his new book, Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency. When asked by Bush if he would "at least go do a fact-finding trip for us," Cheney responded saying, "That'll probably be the extent of it." Gellman writes that former White House counselor Dan Bartlett "came to see Cheney's demurral 'quite frankly as pretty good judgment.' Cheney 'doesn't do touchy-feely,' Bartlett said." Cheney's refusal to lend the weight of his office to the Katrina recovery effort is not surprising, as he has a record of underestimating the seriousness of Katrina's devastation. As the storm hit, Cheney was reluctant to cut his vacation short to return to work. Within weeks of the hurricane, Cheney commented dismissively, "I think we are in fact on our way to getting on top of the whole Katrina exercise." During his fact-finding trip to the affected region, Cheney was famously insulted on live television. Since then, Cheney has reportedly "tried to kill proposals to increase...aid for Hurricane Katrina victims."

The Dow Jones industrial average "dropped 504.48 points, or 4.4 percent, as a record volume of more than 8 billion shares traded hands on the New York Stock Exchange. It was the biggest decline since Sept. 17, 2001 -- the day the index reopened after the 9/11 terrorist attacks -- when it fell 7 percent, or 684.81 points."

The Senate will likely vote Tuesday on an amendment offered by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) "that includes language touting the success of the troop buildup that began last year." Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI) and Jack Reed (D-RI) have offered an alternative "that would offer a more nuanced assessment of the security situation in Iraq."

Former House Majority Leader Richard Armey (R-TX), "who was wavering on giving President Bush the authority to wage war in late 2002, said Vice President Cheney misled him by saying that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had direct personal ties to al-Qaeda terrorists and was making rapid progress toward a suitcase nuclear weapon." There was "no intelligence to support" Cheney's assertions.

Five former secretaries of state -- including Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, and Henry Kissinger -- urged talks with Iran yesterday. "I agree with Madeleine, and I suspect my other colleagues, that we should try to talk to them," Powell said during a forum hosted by The George Washington University.

The House is expected to vote today "on a comprehensive energy package that would open most of the U.S. coastline to offshore drilling." A proposal offered by Democrats "would give states the option to allow drilling between 50 and 100 miles off their shores."

AIG -- the nation's largest insurer -- "faces a cash crunch that grew more severe last night when the major credit-rating agencies warned investors that the company could have greater difficulty in meeting its obligations." New York state is allowing AIG to use “$20 billion from its own insurance subsidiaries" as collateral for loans to "run its day-to-day operations," while the Fed says it will not offer AIG any "direct injection from the government."

The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers -- "the biggest in US history" -- will have repercussions for South Florida. The investment bank controlled "nearly $2 billion in large loans throughout the region." In late August, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) was reportedly hired "as an advisor to its private equity business."

On Monday, a federal judge ruled that "the Bush administration's plan to allow more than 500 snowmobiles a day into Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks not in keeping with the National Park Service’s responsibility to protect the parks."

And finally: Are Americans too addicted to their BlackBerrys? A new poll of 6,500 traveling executives finds that "35 percent of them would choose their PDA over their spouse." One person interviewed responded, "That’s a tough call."Approximately 84 percent said they check their e-mails right before they go to sleep, and another 80 percent said they check them as soon as they wake up.