Preview: Congress This Week (Oct. 22-26, 2007)
Here are the committee hearings scheduled for this week in Congress:
Hearings Schedules:
U.S. Government
Newspaper Used as Slush Fund for Pentagon PR?
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
The U.S. Defense Department Inspector General's review of the "America Supports You" (ASY) program has widened to include the U.S. military newspaper Stars and Stripes.
No
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Time To Pay for Payola Pundit Armstrong Williams
Perhaps, in the case of Armstrong Williams, the third time will be the charm.
The first two official investigations failed to hold anyone accountable for what can only be described as a textbook case of government propaganda. The results of the third investigation, by the Federal Communications Commission, were announced recently (PDF file). The FCC found Williams and two media companies to be at fault, issuing a citation against Williams and proposing fines of $40,000 against Sonshine Family Television and $36,000 against Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Bush, Congress, Iraq Still Unpopular
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
Two new opinion polls show deepening public dissatisfaction with U.S. politicians. According to a Reuters/Zogby poll, "The number of Americans who believe the country is on the wrong track jumped four points to 66 percent. Bush's job approval rating fell to 24 percent from last month's record low for a Zogby poll of 29 percent.
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Topics:
Gas Guzzlers Group Burns Cash
Submitted by Bob Burton on
The Sport Utility Vehicle Owners of America (SUVOA) industry front group paid the PR firm Stratacomm $440,000 in the first half of 2007 to lobby the U.S. government. Stratacomm boasts a range of auto industry clients. Later this year, the U.S.
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Retail Research Is Hurting Science
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"The biggest threat to science," writes Jennifer Washburn, is "the decline of government support ... and the growing dominance of private spending over American research." In 1965, the U.S. government funded more than 60 percent of research, while in 2006, 65 percent of research was privately funded.
No
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U.S. Does Democracy Demotion in Iran
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"The United States has begun a $75-million program to promote democracy by supporting Iranian NGO's [non-governmental organizations]," write Haleh Esfandiari and Robert Litwak. "That program, coupled with loose talk about regime change ...
No
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New Participatory Project: Nuclear Companies Head for the Trough
Submitted by Bob Burton on
With billions of dollars in subsides on offer from the U.S. government, some utilities are lining up to submit applications with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for new nuclear power plants. As a first step to helping citizens and journalists track what's happening we will be building a page listing what is known about the new nuclear power station proposals.
Yes
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More U.S. Lobbyists Talking Turkey
Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
As the U.S. House of Representatives considers a controversial resolution "recognizing as 'genocide' the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians in the former Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago," the Turkish government is increasing its Washington DC lobbying.
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Catching Up With al Qaeda
Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on
"America should hire al-Qaeda's PR Agent," argues Matt Armstrong. Iraq, he says, has become "a stage" for "a new public diplomacy that insurgents understand, and the U.S. State Department doesn't. ...
No
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