Daily Headlines: January 11, 2013

* Mexico: Eduardo Medina Mora, Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S., expressed his hope that new gun control laws in the U.S. could help reduce violence in Mexico.

* Honduras: Reporters Without Borders called on officials in one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists to protect a reporter facing several threats.

* Colombia: FARC lead negotiator Ivan Marquez said that the guerillas would not extend a unilateral ceasefire beyond a January 20th deadline.

* U.S.: Does the surprise resignation of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis signify a “diversity gap” in President Barack Obama’s cabinet?

Video Source – YouTube via Al Jazeera English

Online Sources- Washington Post, The Guardian, Chicago Tribune, infosurhoy.com

Daily Headlines: March 4, 2009

* U.S.: Labor Secretary Hilda Solis made her first public appearance five days after being confirmed and assured a crowd of Miami union supporters that "there's a new sheriff in town."

* Cuba: Raul Castro sacked Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and vice president Carlos Lage because they were seduced by the “honey of power” according to ex-dictator Fidel Castro.

* Venezuela: State-run oil company PDVSA will slash production costs by 40% partly due to the low price of crude oil.

* Argentina: The nation’s government and farmers reached a deal that may hopefully avoid repeating the crippling strikes of 2008.

Image- miamiherald.com (“Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis spoke at a community meeting Monday evening at Greater Bethel AME Church in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami.
MARICE COHN BAND / MIAMI HERALD.”)
Online Sources- Voice of America, Bloomberg, Reuters, MSNBC, Xinhua

Hilda Solis confirmed by Senate (includes update)

Update:

By an 80-17 vote the Senate confirmed Hilda Solis as the next Labor Secretary. Solis was approved by Senators on both sides of the aisle despite some Republican opposition. (Links via NPR, Bloomberg).

Original Post:

After weeks of delays and wrangling a Senate confirmation vote is expected later today on Labor Secretary-designee Hilda Solis. MSNBC’s First Read says that the vote could come as early as 4:30 this afternoon.

According to an article in the Huffington Post:

Republicans in the Senate just agreed to unanimous consent on the California Democrat's nomination for the labor post, according to a labor source. That means that no cloture vote is needed and Solis will be confirmed should she get more than 50 votes. In short: she will be the next Labor Secretary.

Solis' nomination had been held up in committee and on the Senate floor due to a variety of factors, most recently tax liens her husband had failed to pay on his business. Labor allies, however, contended that the opposition was driven by her support of the Employee Free Choice Act -- a union priority that Republicans in the Senate staunchly oppose. With Solis set to get through the Senate Tuesday afternoon, these same labor allies are now ecstatic.

The Californian of Honduran and Mexican background had been selected over two months ago by President Barack Obama to head the Labor Department and could become the second Latino to be part of Obama’s cabinet.

Critics of Solis contend that she’s a puppet manipulated by major labor unions and this would continue if she becomes Labor Secretary. On the other hand, her supporters argue that her detractors exaggerate her pro-union stance and that she “is a true champion of America's workers”.

Regardless of whether one agrees with her or not, it’s only fair that she can at least face a Senate vote and see if she’s confirmed or rejected.

Image- Pasadena Star-News
Online Sources- Human Events, The Nation, The Latin Americanist, Huffington Post, First Read

Daily Headlines: February 20, 2009

* Canada: U.S. President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper talked about free trade and the slumping economy but not Gitmo detainees during Obama’s state visit north of the border.

* Argentina: Weeks after an Argentine seminary removed Holocaust-denying bishop Richard Williamson the country’s government yesterday ordered him to return to Britain.

* U.S.: Is the Chamber of Commerce behind an ad campaign against Labor Secretary-designate Hilda Solis?

* Brazil: Aircraft manufacturer Embraer will lay off over 4000 employees due to the global economic decline.

Image- AP (“Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper shakes hands with President Barack Obama during a photo opportunity on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Thursday Feb. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Adrian Wyld).”)
Online Sources- Reuters, washingtonpost.com, Mother Jones, BBC News, MSNBC, The Latin Americanist

GOP to block Hilda Solis’ Cabinet bid?

Ken Salazar may have been easily confirmed as the new Interior Secretary but fellow Latino Hilda Solis might not have a smooth road.

Republican Senators might block Solis’ nomination for Labor Secretary though she’s expected to be confirmed. GOP legislators are reportedly upset that the Californian refused to directly answer some questions during her confirmation hearing nearly two weeks ago. For example, Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma said that "if she won't answer the questions, how can you support the nomination?" (Yet as one blogger correctly observes, Coburn “would've been equally displeased had she answered the questions.”)

How could Republicans slow down Solis’ nomination in a Democrat-controlled Senate? As a politico.com article explains:

With several Republicans having indicated that they'll vote for her, and Democrats holding at least 58 seats in the Senate this year, there is little doubt that Solis will get confirmed eventually.

But a hold on her nomination would signal that Solis can expect a contentious relationship with the GOP and would foreshadow the fight ahead over the card-check bill, a top priority for organized labor that would largely abolish secret ballots during votes on whether employees want a union, potentially leading to millions of new union members.

Image- politico.com
Online Sources- Los Angeles Times, politico.com, The Pueblo Chieftain, MarketWatch, Inc.com

Report: Hilda Solis named to Obama cabinet

According to the AP (and picked up by various other sources) Rep. Hilda Solis of California will be Barack Obama's pick for labor secretary. Solis would thus become the third Latino to be chosen for the president-elect’s cabinet behind Bill Richardson and Senator Ken Salazar.

Solis recently won her fifth consecutive term in Congress and is of Honduran and Mexican background. She was the first Latina to serve in California’s legislature and has always been a strong labor advocate:

Solis, in 1994, was the first Latina elected to the California Senate, where she led the battle to increase the state's minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.75 an hour in 1996.

In Congress, she wrote a measure that authorized $125 million for work force training programs in areas such as energy efficiency retrofitting and "green building" construction.

Andy Stern, president of the 1.9-million member Service Employees International Union, the 51-year-old praised Solis for her deep roots in the union movement. He recalled marching with her in Los Angeles — well before she was elected to Congress — to seek higher wages and benefits for janitors.

"We were with her fighting for the rights of people who work from the beginning and we're so proud that she's been chosen to be the labor secretary," Stern said.

Image- Los Angeles Times
Sources- The Latin Americanist, AP, politico.com, CBS News, ABC News, MarketWatch