Fwd: U.S. Spent $410,624 on Project to Teach Chinese Meditation to Cocaine Addicts

Today's Headlines Tuesday, July 13, 2010

U.S. Spent $410,624 on Project to Teach Chinese Meditation to Cocaine Addicts (CNSNews.com) - The U.S. government has spent $410,625 to study the effects of teaching Chinese meditation to cocaine addicts. "Our clinical experience and pilot studies suggest that Integrative Meditation from Chinese medicine may help clients engage in treatment, reduce cravings/withdrawal symptoms, and increase treatment retention, which appear missed by a typical behavior therapy," says the official description of the project published by the National Institutes of Health. Senate Committee That Failed to Hold Confirmation Hearing for Obama's Medicare Czar Held Only 12 Hearings of Any Kind Between Obama's Nomination and Recess Appointment (CNSNews.com) – The Democrat-controlled Senate Finance Committee, which had oversight for the confirmation of Dr. Donald Berwick to be the director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, held only 12 hearings between the day that President Barack Obama sent Berwick's nomination to the Senate and the day Obama gave Berwick a recess appointment. The 12 hearings the Finance Committee held during the time Berwick's nomination was pending dealt with such matters as trade restrictions under the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act, America's trade relationship with China and the confirmation of lower-level executive branch appointments. White House: GOP Would Have 'Dragged' Recess-Appointee Berwick's Confirmation 'On and On' (CNSNews.com) - White House senior adviser David Axelrod said it was "very clear" that President Barack Obama's nomination of Dr. Donald Berwick to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was going to be "dragged on and on" by Republicans, and with the "challenges" facing America's health care system, it was "vitally important that we fill this position" without a Senate confirmation hearing. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Democrat whose party controls the Senate, did not schedule a hearing for Berwick although he was nominated by Obama on Apr. 19. Experts to Obama: You Can't Ignore the Islamic Ideology Behind Terrorism (CNSNews.com) – The Obama administration's reluctance to acknowledge and confront the religious motivation behind Islamist terrorism is not helping the counter-terror effort, leading experts warn in a new report. The administration's recently released National Security Strategy defines the enemy as "al-Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates," but the Washington Institute for Near East Policy argues that the enemy is a bigger one – "the extremist ideology that fuels and supports Islamist violence." Obama Administration Uses New 'Restore the Gulf' Web Site to Spin Its 'Quick' Response to the Oil Spill (CNSNews.com) – The Obama administration has launched a new, informational Web site that puts a positive spin on its handling of the Gulf oil spill. The restorethegulf.gov Web site, launched last week, describes itself as "a one-stop repository for news, data and operational updates..." But the Web site also touts the administration's "quick" response to the disaster, stating that it has been on the scene "since the moments after the oil rig explosion" and "from the very beginning." Contrary to NASA Administrator's Claim, White House Says Muslim Outreach 'Not the Task of NASA' Washington (CNSNews.com) – Although NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said that President Obama charged him as a NASA official "to reach out to the Muslim world" to help Muslims "feel good about their historic contribution to science," the White House said Monday that outreach to Muslims is not the task of NASA. Gibbs said he did not know whether Obama had spoken with Bolden about the issue. Stimulus Funds for Education Spent on Movies, Trip to Water Park, GAO Found (CNSNews.com) – The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, found that some of the stimulus money given to North Carolina schools was spent on movie tickets and a water park trip – "a potentially unallowable use of these funds," the GAO said in a recent report. The GAO also found that two North Carolina school districts failed to obtain multiple bids or price quotes for purchases made with stimulus money, as required for purchases exceeding $5,000. Independents Oppose Justice Department Lawsuit against Arizona Immigration Law by More Than Two-to-One, Says Gallup Poll (CNSNews.com) - By a margin of more than two to one, according to a new Gallup poll, Independents oppose the Obama administration's lawsuit against the new Arizona immigration law that requires local law enforcement officers to determine the immigration status of someone they have stopped if there is reason to suspect the person might be in the United States illegally. The Justice Department contends the Arizona law usurps federal authority to regulate immigration. CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO Census 'Successfully Completed' Work to Date Despite 'Shaky' Computer Problems, Census Director Says (CNSNews.com) - The director of the U.S. Census Bureau, Dr. Robert Groves, told CNSNews.com there's no evidence that the IT problems had a "quality impact" on the accuracy of the population count, but he encouraged people to wait for a final report from the Commerce Department's inspector general to "see what he has to say." Gibbs Dodges Question of Whether Obama Agrees That Health-Care System Must Redistribute Wealth OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES Afghan Soldier Attacks, Kills Three British Troops French Parliament Set to Approve Ban on Muslim Veils Obama HIV/AIDS Plan Calls for Reducing Infections U.S. Fails to Punish Sudan, Despite Threatened Clampdown Fidel Castro Suddenly Reappears, Going Public on Cuban TV Log Cabin Republicans Challenge U.S. Policy on Homosexuals in the Military Obama Administration Issues A Revised Moratorium on Deep-Water Offshore Drilling Two New England Republican Senators Say They'll Support Financial Regulations Bill Republican Senator Says He Backs 'Birther' Lawsuits Newt Gingrich Once Again Considering A Presidential Run Donate Today! Please help CNSNews.com keep bringing you 'The Right News - Right Now!' Make a contribution to CNSNews.com today. It's fast, simple and secure. Help CNSNews.com and Donate Today!  NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP Confidence in Obama reaches new low, Washington Post-ABC News poll finds High-risk health insurance pools off to slow start Small-business lending drops in June after federal program runs out of money N.J. commercial fishermen are caught in tightening net of government restrictions An estimated 6,300 safety hazards lurk on Capitol Hill, new report says NAACP considers condemning Tea Party for 'racism' Michelle Obama addresses NAACP, pushing her 'Let's Move' campaign Michele Bachmann sees a 'nation of slaves' Chicago police supt. on gun law: 'We want to know who has weapons' Backlash grows against full-body scanners in airports Democrats and AARP want to make IRA enrollment automatic Army Navy Country Club members sue club's leaders over bike path GOP poised to grab control at state levels N.J. Gov. Chris Christie plans to sign 2 percent tax cap into law Influx of illegal immigrants spurs resentment in Massachusetts town Felons voting illegally may have put Al Franken in Senate, study finds N.J. Supreme Court side with non-English speaking drivers stopped for DUI Democrat Dianne Feinstein backs effort to defeat marijuana legalization Taxpayers spend $1 million a year in settlements to abused congressional employees Baltimore Gas & Electric tries again on 'smart meter' technology COMMENTARY The War on Arizona By Patrick J. Buchanan Not since President Eisenhower sent troops to Little Rock and JFK sent U.S. marshals to the University of Alabama has the federal government seemed so much at war with a state of the union. Arkansas and Alabama were defying U.S. court orders to desegregate. But Barack Obama's war on Arizona is not a war of necessity. It is a war of choice—an unprovoked war, undertaken not to defend constitutional or civil rights, but to pander to his party's left and Hispanic voters. Uncle Sam: Generous to a Fault By Ed Feulner Americans deserve a federal government that's efficient and effective. Reforming the way it pays civil servants would be a good first step.