President Barack Obama has lunch with former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on the patio outside the Oval Office, July 29, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
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Elon James White: Tim Allen’s N-Word ‘Explanation’ Is So Wrong It’s Funny
Welcome to Whitesplaining Palooza: a magical time where white folks will explain issues dealing with people of color so that finally everyone can understand! The latest magical Whitesplainer: Tim Allen.
You may remember Tim Allen as the lovable dad on the ’90s TV show Home Improvement. You may remember him as a co-star with Martin Lawrence in the 2007 movie Wild Hogs. Or you may not remember him at all, but Tim Allen wants to explain to you about how to deal with the word “ni**er” Tim Allen explaining how to deal with the word ni**er is hilarious. Not because he’s a comedian, but because he has no understanding of how racism works.
Racism doesn’t come with a barcode scanner that checks each person for their actual feelings when they use problematic language. Another thing that perhaps Allen didn’t know: you can participate in racism without taking on the mantle of “racist.” Racism doesn’t come in only one flavor. Poorly executed but well-meaning acts can still add to the problem.
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Roll Call: ObamaCare Defunding Fight Could Threaten Boehner Leverage, Message
The effort by conservatives in the House and Senate to threaten a government shutdown over Obamacare could force Speaker John A. Boehner into the arms of House Democrats.
With 60 Republicans already pushing Boehner to defund Obamacare in any spending bill, the speaker may not be able to cobble together a House majority on a bill that President Barack Obama would sign without Democratic votes. And he’s not likely to get those votes for free.
But senior aides from both sides of the aisle say the threat would surely backfire on Republicans if they carry it out. For one thing, most of Obama’s new health care program is mandatory spending that is not affected by appropriations bills, so it would continue to receive funding in any event. “Even if you shut down the government, Obamacare will continue to be funded, and all you will have accomplished in that scenario is a government shutdown,” a senior Republican appropriations aide said.
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WSJ: Regulator Outlines J.P. Morgan Electricity – Market Violations
Federal energy regulators laid out their first formal accusations that traders at J.P. Morgan Chase JPM -0.64% & Co. manipulated electricity markets, providing new details of their case against the bank ahead of an expected settlement.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said that between September 2010 and June 2011, J.P. Morgan engaged in “eight manipulative bidding strategies” that were designed to improperly obtain excessive payments from electricity-system operators in California and the Midwest.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the commission and J.P. Morgan are expected to settle the case for roughly $410 million in a deal that would also include the bank relinquishing roughly $200 million in unpaid claims from electricity buyers in California. That settlement could come as early as Tuesday.
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The Grio: Obama, Holder Meet With Activists On Voting Rights Act
President Barack Obama is promising not to let one election go by without protecting minority voting rights. The president met privately Monday with more than a dozen civil rights leaders to talk about strengthening the Voting Rights Act. Last month the Supreme Court struck down the most powerful provision of the 48-year-old law.
The participants told reporters afterward that they are pleased with the administration’s response so far. Attorney General Eric Holder, who was also at the White House meeting, announced support last week for a lawsuit asking for advance court approval for voting changes in Texas.
Participants said the president and Holder promised more action to protect the right to vote. The attendees stressed than any legislative response to the Supreme Court ruling must have broad bipartisan support.
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USA TODAY: Health Care Costs Rise At Slowest Rate In 50 Years
Personal health care costs rose last year at the slowest rate in the last 50 years, the White House announced Monday, citing statistics aimed at bolstering the case for the 2010 health care law.
The 1.1% increase in personal consumption spending over the 12 months ending in May was due to decreases in hospital and nursing home services, according to a statement from Alan Krueger, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Hospital readmissions rates dropped from an average of 19% to 17.9% for Medicare patients since the passage of the 2010 health care law, Krueger said.
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ThinkProgress: Governor Accepted Gifts From Individuals Who Later Landed Lucrative State Contracts
Gov. Tom Corbett (R-PA) campaigned for his office pledging to prohibit gifts to government officials from those seeking state contracts. But his own financial disclosures show he accepted thousands of dollars worth of gifts from friends who could benefit from his position.
Last week, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) apologized for bringingembarrassment to Virginia as a result of tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts and loans he and his family took from a tobacco executive. Like McDonnell and others, Corbett received gifts from several benefactors in recent years
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https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/361978379982995456
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OPB: Health Reform Will Bring Insurance To Oregon’s Homeless
When the Affordable Care Act goes into effect in January, most of Oregon’s homeless people will have health insurance. That means they’ll have access to drug and alcohol treatment, regular doctor visits and counseling.
Traci Manning, the director of the Portland Housing Bureau, says that will change things dramatically. “Having health insurance will prevent some people from becoming homeless in the first place,” Manning says. “Because if you don’t have insurance and you have a serious health care crisis, and perhaps are already struggling to make ends meet, you suddenly have a lot of bills, maybe you start missing a lot of rent. You run through your savings and for some people right now, that may be the cause of their homelessness.”
Manning says that fact that homeless people will have insurance could also free up money for other things. “There is the opportunity for services that are currently provided directly by the public to be paid for directly through Medicaid.
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@VJ44: Today POTUS met with civil rights leaders & elected officials to ensure every eligible American has the right to vote
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The Obama Diary 
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