More Jobs? Thanks, President Obama

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Josh Zumbrun: Job Openings At 14-Year High As Hiring Returns To Pre-Recession Levels

For the first time since January 2001, the U.S. had more than five million job openings at the end of December, a sign of a labor environment shifting in favor of workers. December was also the best month for hiring since before the recession struck more than seven years ago. More than 5.1 million people were hired in December, the most since November 2007, according to the Labor Department‘s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, known as JOLTS.

The report adds to signs that the labor market is strengthening considerably. The Labor Department’s main jobs report, released on February 6, showed that November, December and January comprised the best three-month stretch of hiring since 1997, raising hope that the U.S economy will start delivering stronger wage growth for a wider swath of Americans after more than five years of sluggish recovery from a deep recession.

More here

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Job openings are at a 14-year high as hiring returns to pre-recession levels on.wsj.com/1ILN5uq http://t.co/mUNJ7glTG1

—
Real Time Economics (@WSJecon) February 10, 2015

Janet Yellen: Federal Reserve Chair

President Barack Obama announces his nomination of economist Janet Yellen as Federal Reserve chairman as current chairman Ben Bernanke listens in the State Dining Room of the White House

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President Barack Obama listens as Janet Yellen, vice chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, speaks

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President Barack Obama stands with outgoing Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen, vice chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

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Pres. Obama nominates Janet Yellen as Chair of the Federal Reserve. First woman ever and the first Democrat (since Paul Volcker) in 30 years

—
Nerdy Wonka (@NerdyWonka) October 09, 2013

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President Barack Obama announces his nomination of Janet Yellen to head the Federal Reserve at the White House

Rise and Shine

President Barack Obama talks with will.i.am, following an event The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 9, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Presidential Daily Schedule (All Times Eastern)

10:15AM: Pres. Obama and VP Biden receive the Presidential Daily Briefing

12:30PM: Pres. Obama and VP Biden meet for lunch

12:30PM: Press Sec. Jay Carney briefs the press

2PM: Pres. Obama conducts regional television interviews

3PM: Pres. Obama nominates Janet Yellen for Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Ben Bernanke will be in attendance

4:30PM: Pres. Obama meets with House Democrats at the White House

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NY State Of Health: NY State Of Health Announces Exchange Has Signed Up Tens Of Thousands Of New Yorkers For Low Cost Health Insurance

The NY State of Health (NYSOH), the official health plan marketplace, today announced that over 40,000 New Yorkers have signed up for quality, low-cost health insurance in just a little over one week, more than any other state reporting thus far. These 40,000 New Yorkers completed the full application process and were found eligible for health insurance plans allowing them to now choose the low-cost health care plans they applied for. The exchange was launched on October 1 marking the beginning of a six-month enrollment period offering individuals and small businesses across the state access to quality, low-cost health plans.

In addition, the State’s customer service center operators have provided assistance to more than 26,000 callers. The rates for the health plans on NYSOH represent a 53 percent reduction compared to the previous year’s individual rates. In addition to this cost-savings, it is estimated that nearly three-quarters of individual enrollees will qualify for financial assistance.

More here

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President Barack Obama attends a briefing on Afghanistan in the Situation Room of the White House, Oct. 9, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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TPM: Obama Invites House Dems To The White House

President Barack Obama is having House Democrats to the White House as a showdown over the budget extends into its ninth day. The White House says the private meeting is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday. The White House added that the president intends to invite Republicans and senators in the coming days.

More here

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President Barack Obama attends a meeting on regulatory reform in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Oct. 9, 2009. (Official White Photo by Pete Souza)

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The Atlantic Wire: Obama Will Nominate Janet Yellen For Fed Chair On Wednesday

The President will nominate Federal Reserve Vice Chairwoman Janet Yellen for her boss Ben Bernanke’s job, according to the Wall Street Journal. That announcement, based on multiple reports, will happen on Wednesday. Bernanke is expected to leave the Fed Chairmanship in January at the end of his term.  Of course, Yellen’s nomination is subject to Senate confirmation, and Congress is a bit preoccupied with the current government shutdown and impending debt limit deadline. In other words, it’s not clear when her confirmation would make it to the top of the Senate’s to-do list.

More here

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President Barack Obama meets with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in the Oval Office, Oct. 9, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Catherine Thompson: White House Denies Suspending ‘All’ Military Aid To Egypt

The White House released a statement Tuesday night denying reports that the United States would suspend “all” military aid to Egypt. “The reports that we are halting all military assistance to Egypt are false,” National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement. CNN on Tuesday cited an unnamed U.S. official who said that an “accumulation of events” led to the U.S.’ decision on a “full suspension” of military aid to Egypt, according to Reuters.

More here

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President Barack Obama makes a statement on winning the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize in the Rose Garden of the White House, Oct. 9, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

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Greg Sargent: GOP Shutdown Shenanigans Giving Dems A Big Recruiting Boost?

Rep. Steve Israel, who is in charge of winning House races for Democrats, told Dem lawmakers at a closed door meeting today that GOP shutdown shenanigans were giving Dems a big recruiting boost, by prompting reluctant Dem candidates to express renewed interest in running in very tough GOP-held districts.

Israel, the chair of the DCCC, also said that if the 2012 House elections had been held today, with polls showing what they are now showing, Dems would have taken back the House, according to several sources present. Israel cited a Quinnipiac poll showing Dems up by nine points in the generic House ballot matchup and a Public Policy Polling survey, commissioned by MoveOn, showing that GOP incumbents in 17 districts are trailing generic Dem challengers,  and concluding that Republicans are in “grave danger of losing control of the House of Representatives.

More here

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Senior Advisors David Axelrod, left, and Valerie Jarrett along with other staff, watch from the Colonnade as President Barack Obama makes a statement on winning the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize in the Rose Garden of the White House, Oct. 9, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

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Brian Beutler: How To End The Shutdown Mess: Introducing The Beutler Plan

It’s fair to say that the House GOP’s “strategy” in merging the government shutdown and debt limit fights is to deploy one gimmick after another in the hope that one of them effectively changes the game. Today’s is no different, but it could point the way to a mutually agreeable stand down if House Republicans agree to a simple swap.

The swap I’m proposing is this: The Senate accepts the working group plan if the House accepts the temporary funding bill and a year-long debt limit increase. That removes the threat of default for a considerable time, and reopens the government long enough for the two parties to have the negotiation Republicans now claim to want. If taxes aren’t part of the discussions, fine. That just assures they won’t go very far.

The working group plan stipulates that members “shall meet on each calendar day thereafter unless both co-chairs jointly determine that there is good cause to dispense with such meeting.” After five weeks, if Democrats won’t submit to a cuts-only approach, and Republicans won’t agree to new revenues, the group can disband, and the only threat would be another government shutdown. One that could be averted by a narrow appropriations agreement, subject to sequestration.

More here

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President Barack Obama reads over his remarks regarding the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize with Senior Advisor David Axelrod and staff in the Outer Oval Office, Oct. 9, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Greg Miller: CIA To Call Back Thousands Of Furloughed Employees

The CIA plans to begin calling thousands of furloughed employees back to work Wednesday, U.S. officials said, in an effort to contain the cumulative toll of a government shutdown stretching into its second week.

In a statement issued Tuesday to the CIA’s workforce, Director John Brennan cited concern about the “potential adverse cumulative and unseen impact on our national security” of furloughs that had forced employees across almost every category of the agency’s workforce to leave their jobs.

U.S. officials said that other intelligence agencies were taking similar steps but declined to disclose specifics on how many or which categories of employees would be summoned back to their jobs, citing the classified nature of their work.

More here

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President Barack Obama attends an economic meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Oct. 9, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Reid Wilson: Arizona Law May Restrict Voting In Local Elections

Arizona residents who registered to vote using forms provided by the federal government will not be allowed to vote in state and local elections next year, according to an opinion issued by the state’s attorney general, setting up the possibility of a two-track electoral system that will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and impact just a small handful of voters.

In a legal opinion presented to Secretary of State Ken Bennett (R), Attorney General Tom Horne (R) said voters who registered using a federal registration form but failed to provide a document proving their citizenship are eligible to vote in federal elections, but not in state and local elections.

Horne also held that voters who registered using the federal form won’t be eligible to sign petitions for candidates or ballot initiatives. The opinion means Arizona counties will have to print two separate ballots: One set that will allow voters who used the state form to register to vote in federal, state and local elections, and one that will allow voters who used the federal form to register to vote only on federal elections.

More here

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Congressional approval now at 5%, lowest ever, beneath Ebola virus Somali pirates and Athlete's foot. Project GOP rebrand going swimmingly.

—
David Plouffe (@davidplouffe) October 09, 2013

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Bryce Covert: The Government Shutdown Has Cost $1.6 Billion So Far

The government shutdown that started last Tuesday has already cost $1.6 billion in lost economic output, according to market research firm IHS Inc. Should the shutdown last through October 9, the total will come to $2 billion. That’s equivalent to the cost so far of the “biblical” flooding that has ravaged Colorado. If it lasts three to four weeks, Moody’s has estimated that the total cost to the economy could come to $55 billion. The shutdown could reduce economic output by 1.4 percent.

More here

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A U.S. Secret Service agent prepares to open the door to the Oval Office for President Barack Obama following his statement on winning the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize in the Rose Garden of the White House, Oct. 9, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Josh Israel: Federal Courts Expected To Run Out Of Funding Next Week If Shutdown Continues

 if the federal government shutdown continues for another week, the entire federal judiciary system could run out of funding and cease normal function. According to the New York Times, once the courts’ funds are depleted, the impact — especially on lower courts — could be “disastrous,” including “extensive furloughing of staff, and reductions in probation, pretrial and courthouse security services.”

The U.S. Department of Justice, also partially paralyzed by the shutdown, has been forced to ask for delays in a wide array of civil cases. A major Federal Trade Commission anti-trust case, at least one Commodity Futures Trading Commission anti-competitive policy case, and a case brought by an injured citizen against a U.S. Postal Service driver have all been put on hold until the shutdown ends.

More here

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President Barack Obama makes a statement about the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize in the Rose Garden of the White House, Oct. 9, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

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Steve Benen: Default Deniers Complicate GOP Extortion Plan

Over the last two years, however, as the radicalism of extremist Republican politics has intensified, the argument has gone mainstream. Both the New York Times and Politico have lengthy reports this morning on the growing number of GOP lawmakers — some in the House, some in the Senate, some new to Congress, some who’ve had lengthy congressional careers — who genuinely seem to believe the crisis they’re creating on purpose won’t be “that bad.”

The evidence is overwhelming that their argument is, among other things, dangerously insane. What they’re suggesting — the Treasury can simply “prioritize” expenditures to prevent default on our debts — is illegal and literally impossible. We are, at the risk of sounding impolite, talking about a group of ignorant radicals, with an uninterrupted track record of failed predictions, who have the fate of the global economy in their hands. Good luck to us all.

More here

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On This Day:

First Lady Michelle Obama greets a young girl during an autumn picnic for the U.S. Secret Service Presidential Protective Division on the South Lawn of the White House, Oct. 9, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)

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President Barack Obama and Annie Glenn, wife of former Senator John Glenn, greet each other following an event at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 9, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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rise and shine

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10:50: PBO meets with the 2012 Intel Science Talent Search finalists.

11:10: PBO will deliver a statement in the Rose Garden about a new effort to enforce U.S. trade rights with China.

1:00: Jay Carney briefs the press.

4:15: Michelle Obama hosts a mini-Olympics competition in celebration of the 2012 London Summer Olympics.

4:20: PBO and Prime Minister Cameron leave the W.H. for Andrews Air Force Base.

4:35: PBO and Cameron depart for Dayton, Ohio.

5:55: PBO and Cameron attend an NCAA Tournament game (live on truTV)

9:00: PBO and Cameron depart Ohio for D.C.

10:35: PBO and Cameron arrive back at the White House.

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Sign up here to get a link to the livestream of the film which will be shown on Thursday

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Bloomberg: The U.S. public’s economic outlook is turning from fear to hope with the presidential election campaign under way. More than twice as many Americans view the economy’s prospects as brightening as see them darkening, a reversal from nine months ago, when more people expected deterioration ahead, according to a Bloomberg National Poll conducted March 8-11.

“It’s starting to get better,” says survey respondent Kelsey Simeon ….. “Strip malls that were empty are starting to fill up. Everyone’s going out to eat more. People are spending more money on non-necessities…. ”

More Americans now say they are personally better off since President Barack Obama took office than worse off, the first favorable reading for the president on that question since Bloomberg began asking in December 2010.

More here

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TPM

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Washington Post: How much does the president have to do with the price of gasoline?

A lot, say American voters. According to oil experts and economists, not so much – at least in the short term.

Today’s oil prices are the product of years and decades of exploration, automobile design and ingrained consumer habits combined with political events in places such as Sudan and Libya, anxiety about possible conflict with Iran, and the energy aftershocks of last year’s earthquake in Japan.

“This notion that a politician can wave a magic wand and impact the 90-million-barrel-a-day global oil market is preposterous,” said Paul Bledsoe, strategic adviser to the Bipartisan Policy Center and a former Clinton administration official.

More here

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See the full infographic here

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Link (Thanks Meta)

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Steve Benen: Mitt Romney called in to a popular sports talk show in Alabama yesterday, a day ahead of the state’s Republican presidential primary. As interviews go, this seemed like a fairly easy one…. it’s not like Romney would go on the show, repeat his mistake from two weeks ago, and talk about being friends with millionaire team owners again, right? Wrong:

At one point, Mr. Finebaum asked Mr. Romney, as a New England Patriots fan, where he thought Peyton Manning should go as a free agent, and the candidate highlighted his friendship with football team owners – echoing comments in which he explained his affinity for Nascar by noting he knew the owners of Nascar teams.

“I’m surprised to hear that Denver’s thinking about him,” Mr. Romney said. “I don’t want him in our neck of the woods, let’s put it that way. I’ve got a lot of good friends, the owner of the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets, both owners are friends of mine,” he added. “But let’s keep him away from New England.”

Romney really is approaching self-parody here….

More here

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Cagle

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Morning everyone 😉

evening all

The Week

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Charles Pierce: …. my fellow Papists … if you all would be so kind, please shut the fk up about birth control, abortion, and this neverending madness about what ladies do with their lady parts without the pope’s permission.

….. please stop going on my television set and telling me what “the Catholic position” is on the fact that the president has told various Catholic institutions – and told them quite gently, too – that, yes, if they want all those nice juicy tax advantages, they must abide by the federal law and, in their capacities as employers, make contraceptives available to their employees under the new Affordable Care Act.

There is no “Catholic position” on this issue. There are the opinions of the clerical bureaucrats and the members of the Clan of The Red Beanie, and then there is the opinion of the overwhelming majority of Catholic laypeople, who stopped listening to anything the Vatican said on the matter of birth control back in 1965.

…. For that matter, there is no real “Catholic vote” out there to be mined, either. A breakdown of how American Catholics vote on one particular issue or another pretty much tracks with how the country in general breaks down … Catholics made up their mind on this issue long ago. They stopped listening to Rome, and to the Chancery, and most of them are much better off.

Full post here

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Kevin Drum: …. I guess I’m tired of religious groups operating secular enterprises (hospitals, schools), hiring people of multiple faiths, serving the general public, taking taxpayer dollars – and then claiming that deeply held religious beliefs should exempt them from public policy …. I imagine the “religious community” in the United States would be a wee bit more understanding if the Obama administration refused to condone the practice.

…. if Catholic hospitals don’t want to follow reasonable, 21st century secular rules, they need to make themselves into truly religious enterprises. In particular, they need to stop taking secular taxpayer money. As long as they do, though, they should follow the same rules as anyone else.

More here

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Josh Kraushaar (National Journal): If President Obama wins re-election, he’ll point to the last couple of weeks as a turning point. He’s sharpened his economic message, emphasized fairness for the middle class, and most importantly, he’s benefited from an economy that’s showing some signs of improvement.

But the most underplayed development are signs that the president’s approval rating is ticking upwards with the group most resistant to him, non-college educated, working-class whites. Over the last week, several surveys have suggested that Obama is gaining some ground with this group, in both national and statewide polling. If these gains stick, it’s something that should be very concerning to the Romney campaign, which is dependent on winning overwhelming support from blue-collar white voters as part of a winning GOP coalition.

…. As Buffalo Springfield once sang: “There’s something happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear.” Pay very close attention to Obama’s numbers with the white working-class. The assumption was that they were hardened against the president.  But there’s some fresh evidence that could be changing.

Full post here

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Bloomberg: President Barack Obama nominated Air Force Lieutenant General Janet Wolfenbarger to be the service’s first female four-star general and the military’s second woman to reach the highest rank.

Wolfenbarger, the Air Force’s top uniformed official for weapons development, was also nominated as commander of the Air Force’s Materiel Command, according to a Defense Department statement today. The positions are subject to Senate confirmation.

The first woman with four stars in the U.S. military, Army General Ann Dunwoody, was confirmed in 2008 and is commanding general of that service’s Materiel Command.

More here

Thanks Jovie

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Obama Foodorama: Expect some hilarious Let’s Move! hijinks on Tuesday night when First Lady Michelle Obama cameos in a video segment on NBC talk show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The comic visited Mrs. Obama last week at the White House to film the outing, which will air as part of this week’s celebration of the second anniversary of the Let’s Move! campaign. Among other fitness activities, the First Lady had Fallon running up and down the historic White House stairs, he said when he announced the upcoming cameo…..

More here

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Haven’t posted this in a while, love it:

the latest

President Obama speaks about damage done by Hurricane Irene next to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate in the Rose Garden of the White House, August 28

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President Barack Obama meets to discuss the aftermath of Hurricane Irene with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, and Chief of Staff Bill Daley in the Oval Office, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

nclr

NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguia greets President Obama during the National Council of La Raza annual conference luncheon at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, July 25

The audience applauded when President Obama said some people want him to bypass Congress and sign an executive order on immigration. “And believe me, right now, dealing with Congress …. the idea,” he smiled as the crowd started chanting, “Yes, you can.”

“Believe me, the idea of doing things on my own is very tempting,” he repeated as the crowd laughed.

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Will post video later

accidents will, eh, happen

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who has a broken ankle, uses crutches as she arrives at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on February 25, 2010

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leave the Oval Office after a meeting on June 22, 2009. Secretary Clinton broke her elbow the week before.

Sonia Sotomayor (then Supreme Court nominee) walks with crutches on her way to Capitol Hill June 8, 2009 in Washington, DC. Sotomayor fractured her ankle that morning.