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  • Never Been Married? In Philadelphia, You’re Not Alone

    Marriage in Philadelphia

    Although Philadelphia’s percentage of adults who never married stands out among the most populous cities, it is very much in keeping with those of other high-poverty cities. © The Pew Charitable Trusts

    The percentage of adults in Philadelphia who have never been married is the highest among the nation’s 10 largest cities — and has been rising steadily during the past decade.

    In 2015, the last year for which census data were available, nearly 52 percent of adults in Philadelphia reported having never been married, up from 43 percent in 2005. Some of the other largest cities were not even close. (See Figure 1.) For instance, in San Jose, California, 35 percent of adults had never married, and in San Antonio it was 38 percent; the national figure is even lower, at just below 34 percent. 

    Marriage in Philadelphia

    In each of these cities, and throughout the nation, the never-married percentages have been higher for men than for women in recent years. In Philadelphia, 54 percent of men and 49 percent of women had never married. That 5 percentage-point gap was lower than the gap in some of the other cities; nationally, it was only about 3 points. All of the largest cities saw the percentage of never-married adults grow during the 10-year period, which also happened in the nation as a whole — although the national numbers have stabilized in the last few years. (See Figure 2.)

    Marriage in Philadelphia

    Although Philadelphia’s percentage of adults who never married stands out among the most populous cities, it is very much in keeping with those of other high-poverty cities. Among the 10 cities with the highest poverty rates and populations of at least 350,000, Philadelphia’s share of never-married adults was fourth highest, behind Detroit, Baltimore, and Milwaukee. (See Figure 3.) Social scientists have long noted that marriage rates vary according to income, with lower-income adults less likely to be married than those with higher incomes.

    Marriage in Philadelphia

    Experts say the growth in the number of never married individuals stems from a variety of factors, including the rising share of young adults across the nation — particularly in a number of cities, including Philadelphia — and the tendency of those young adults to marry later in life than their age group once did. According to the Census Bureau, the median age of individuals in first marriages nationally increased from 26.2 in 2005 to 28.7 in 2015, following a decades-long trend. In addition, census data show that more adults are living together and/or having children without getting married.

    There is little evidence to suggest these trends are about to change. Projections by the Pew Research Center indicate that a quarter of today’s young adults will still fall in the never-married column when they reach ages 45 to 54. That would be a record.

    Larry Eichel directs The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Philadelphia research initiative and Katie Martin is a senior associate on the team.

    The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today’s most challenging problems. Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and invigorate civic life. 

  • Scout Report: Romantic Circles, Ice and Sky Science, Easter Uprising, Locating Forests and Learning Piano Online

    Lady and Dandy

    ICE AND SKY SCIENCE
    http://education.iceandsky.com/

    Ice and Sky is an interactive website about the history of glaciological research in Antarctica. Since the International Geophysical Year (July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958), scientists have uncovered important details about the Earth’s climate by examining the properties of Antarctica’s ice. On this website, created by French documentarian Luc Jacquet and the non-profit media organization Wild Touch, visitors can learn about this history through a six-part video. Within each video chapter, educators will also find a number of related resources. These resources include recorded interviews with key scientists, detailed PowerPoint presentations, educational booklets, and short videos. While some of resources are embedded on the site, others can be downloaded through a link on the right side of the browser. Educators may also create their own classroom websites that feature specific resources of their choice. Worth noting: Ice and Sky earned a 2016 Webby nomination as an outstanding educational website

    Illustration at website, Romantic Circle: The English Lady’s Dandy Toy, 1818 print caricature by Isaac Robert Cruikshank, a doll-faced woman holds a puppet styled as a dandy

    LETTERS OF 1916: A YEAR IN THE LIFE SOCIAL STUDIES; http://letters1916.maynoothuniversity.ie/

    On Easter Monday of 1916, a group of Irish nationalists launched an armed rebellion against the occupying British government. While the event, now known as the Easter Rising, was quickly suppressed, it helped propel Ireland to independence and is remembered as a crucial moment in modern Irish history. Researchers at Trinity College Dublin and Maynooth University, led by Dr. Susan Scriebman, have worked to preserve and document life in Ireland during the months before and after the Easter Rising. The result of their efforts is Letters of 1916, a crowd-sourced public history project that offers readers a glimpse at thousands of letters donated by individuals, colleges, museums, and archives from around the world. Visitors may want to start by checking out the Featured Letters, located in the Learn section of the website. Here, project staff and collaborators have contextualized specific letters by providing biographical and historical background information. For instance, one featured letter is from American lawyer John Quinn to Irish lawyer Gaven Duffy. Through their correspondence, the two discuss Roger Casement, who was executed for treason for his attempt to get German military support for the Rising. For more letters, readers should check out the Explore section of the website, where digitized and transcribed letters are browsable by month or by category (e.g. Battle of the Somme, Easter Rising Ireland, Love Letters).

    ROMANTIC CIRCLES
     www.rc.umd.edu

    Romantic Circles, a scholarly website published by the University of Maryland, is “devoted to the study of Romantic-period literature and culture.” Originally featured in the Scout Report shortly after its inception in 1996, Romantic Circles continues to publish literary scholarship, teaching resources, and digitized Romantic-period texts and images. As explained in the About RC section (a good place to start for newcomers), these resources may be explored via eight main sections. In the Praxis Series section, readers will find engaging essays that highlight select subjects, historical figures, or theoretical approaches. For instance, of the two issues published in December 2016, one centered on German Romanticism while the other explored English Romanticism in East Asia. Romantic Circles also offers Pedagogies, collections of essays dedicated to teaching the Romantics. The most recent collection features six essays, authored by American and Canadian academics, on the topic of Teaching Romanticism and Literary Theory. The Electronic Editions (under the Editions tabs) are another great resource. Here visitors will find a rich assortment of digitized items, from William Wordsmith’s A Guide through the District of the Lakes in the North of England to the collected letters of poet Robert Southey.

    DISCOVER THE FOREST
    www.discovertheforest.org
    The US Forest Service has created this helpful tool for locating state and national forests, parks, and wildlife refuges across the country. On the homepage, visitors simply enter ZIP codes to find local sites of interest. Users can filter results by Activity (e.g. Hiking, Camping, Winter Sports, Fishing) or by Type of Site (e.g. National Forest, State Forest or Park, Park or Playground, Museum or Educational). Visitors can then explore nearby sites of interest on a Google Map. Discover the Forest also features advice for planning a trip to a forest or park and information about forests in the United States. Users are encouraged to share their own photographs or explore those snapped by other forest lovers via the Share the Forest Feature. This allows users to share images via Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr using the hashtags #DiscovertheForest and #ForestFriday.

    HORSETHIEF BOOKS 
    https://www.horsethiefbooks.com
    Horsethief  is a digital magazine from Horsethief Books, a publisher of poetry books “from a diverse group of both emerging and established voices.” This magazine is specifically designed to be easily read on a either a laptop or a touchscreen device, as readers can browse pages by either clicking on arrows or by swiping left or right. While preserving the tactile experience of reading poetry in book form, this simple and attractive design also makes the monthly digital magazine remarkably easy to read. As of this writing, there are ten issues of Horsethief available for free on this website; each issue consists of poetry, and poetry alone. After exploring and reflecting on poems of interest, readers may also browse the short biographies of all current and past contributors as a way to spur further reading.

    MHEALTH LAB
     http://labblog.uofmhealth.org 
    Michigan Medicine’s MHealth Lab blog highlights research related to personal health, public health, and medical care. Authored by University of Michigan staff, posts cover developments from the University of Michigan along with significant research and findings from other institutions and organizations. Readers may browse for articles and videos by topic, including Body Work (research relating to specific health conditions), Health Tech (which examines new healthcare technology and potential health technology), and Industry DX (news about health care policy and public health issues). Articles are also tagged by subject for easy browsing. Recently published articles include an explanation of research from the University of Michigan and the University of California, San Francisco about pancreatic cancer; an exploration of medical schools that offer minors in subjects like health policy or ethics; and a consideration of sleep apnea treatment for children. Interested readers can subscribe to receive a weekly email digest by selecting a link on the website. 

  • The Earlier Wave of Immigration, Washington Park Tavern, One-Armed Wally and the Chocolate Bars

    By Sonya ZalubowskiHershey Bars

    Photo by SpooSpa, Wikimedia Commons

    These days, something like one third the growth in our population in the United States is due to immigration. A statistic that startles some folk, but really, not surprising considering our roots. We now have the largest immigration since the waves that brought my own family here back in the early 1900s.   Talk now here and all over Europe roils about what to do about these huge movements of people.  I found reassurance in thinking about my own family and how they lived and worked after coming here in the early 1900s.  I share with you this little vignette I wrote in the voice of a ten-year-old in my memoir about growing up in the 1950s in Kenosha, Wisconisn, the grandchild of immigrants from Poland who through their hard work carved out their new lives in this country.

    Washington Park Tavern. That was the name of Grandma and Grandpa’s bar, named for the park across the street with acres of rolling hills, grass and trees. The park started blocks and blocks away, over near Grandma’s house. In the middle, it dipped down to the spring that fed into the well and a creek that ran through the whole park.  There was also a ‘bowl’ down there at the bottom of the park, a big oval track where in the summer bicycle races were held on Friday nights. The park didn’t climb back up to the street level until way over on the other side where the Italians lived. Tons of stuff was named after that park, including the road that ran in front of the tavern. Washington Park Road.

    The tavern, it was old, like a big box made out of dirty cream colored bricks with a flat tar roof. The building took up the whole corner, sticking out funny on one side into Washington Park Road. That’s where the street had to make a sharp right turn so cars wouldn’t crash into the tavern. That corner sticking out  had glass block windows instead of regular windows like the rest of the place. Dad said that was to protect the tavern in case someone did plough into it. No one ever did. Even so, Dad would always tell Mom that someday the government would buy that tavern, buy it so they could take it down and it wouldn’t be a traffic hazard anymore. Then they could move back to Seattle, where her folks still lived, like she wanted.

    Mom and Dad got to the tavern every single day by 8 a.m. Seven days a week. Dad said they had to get there early, so things would be clean and ready when the first customers showed up. Mom only had to work in the mornings. Grandpa did all the other bartending shifts to help dad out, like when it got really busy, they held the bike races, or when Dad wanted to come home for something to eat.

    Volume, that’s what Dad said made his business.  He was proud that they had some of the lowest prices in town. He liked to brag about his deal with Dortmunder, that his order made up a third of the total beer the German company sent to Kenosha. These big kegs came by ship all the way through the Great Lakes to our harbor. Big barrels of it down in the basement.

    On school days, we kids rode to the tavern with Mom and Dad. We walked the three blocks from there to school.  Last I’d see was Dad running this raggedy mop all over the light green linoleum floor. Mom rubbing a soft cloth down that long mahogany bar.  The smell of wood polish, old beer and cigarette smoke all mixed in with the Pine-Sol.

  • Breaking News!!! SHOCKING, JAW DROPPING or ASTONISHING Notifications

    by Rose Madeline MulaKelly and Michael

    Finally! The real reason behind the Kelly Ripa/Michael Strahan split!  It seems Kelly was dividing her time between the show and her real passion — developing a revolutionary new skin care line. And Michael was tired of picking up her slack and feeling overwhelmed. Well, who could blame him!  Kelly, on the other hand, says she can now continue to dedicate more of her time to her ‘wildly popular’ skin care line, which is highly praised by no other than the respected (well, he used to be) Dr. Oz. Without worrying about Michael’s input, Kelly says she can now enjoy her time on the set stress-free and wrinkle-free.   

    I know this is all true, because I read it on the Internet — along with dozens of heart-rending stories of other celebrities developing their own skin care products — so many, in fact, that I can’t help but wonder how they can all survive.  I mean even with an exponentially increasing elder population, there aren’t enough wrinkles in the world, including mine, to absorb all those miracle creams.  

    Here are just a few of the famous entrepreneurs featured on the Internet — all introduced with teaser links promising SHOCKING, JAW DROPPING or ASTONISHING breaking news notifications that pop up wherever you are on the Net.  For example, yesterday when I was Googling instructions on how to boil an egg (don’t laugh, it’s a lot more complicated than you think — check it out), the narrative was interrupted by a headline link that screamed, KATE INFURIATES THE QUEEN!  Trouble at the palace?  OMG!  Of course I clicked on it and learned that Kate was neglecting her royal duties to tout her revolutionary skin care line, also highly recommended by Dr. Oz.  What are the odds? As this bombshell was sinking in, a related headline assaulted my eyes, WILLIAM TELLS KATE, “WE’RE OVER.”   Has the fairy tale ended? No, thank God!  Clicking on the link revealed that William is actually very proud of Kate’s business acumen.  There was no mention of the incendiary headline whatsoever.

    I also was devastated to read MEGYN KELLY GONE AT 45:  AMERICA’S FAVORITE NEWS REPORTER LEFT US TOO SOON. Such a tragedy! But through my tears, I read on and learned that Megyn hadn’t left ‘us.’ She left Fox News  in order to develop — you guessed it — her own skin care products, to which she credits her youthful appearance and which — SURPRISE! — Dr. Oz highly praises.

    But wait! There’s more!  While still trying to find out how to boil an egg, my search was interrupted by still another ASTONISHING breaking story:                  

    INSIDER SECRET BEHIND DIANE SAWYER’S RESIGNATION!  Well, who could resist clicking on that! Not me. So I did, only learn that Diane spilled her secret while interviewing Caitlyn (nee Bruce) Jenner; and it was so controversial that it angered the celebrated Kardashian Klan! 

  • Jo Freeman Writes An open letter to Donald Trump about the Women’s March on Washington

    Suffragette on horseback

    Inez Milholland Boissevain, a lawyer, wearing white cape, seated on white horse at the National American Woman Suffrage Association parade, March 3, 1913, Washington, DC. Library of Congress

     
    Dear Mr. Trump:
     
    I just returned from the Million Women’s March on Washington, one of 673 that took place around the world today.  I want to thank you for making this possible.  It was your ‘locker room talk’ that gave us the kick in the pants we needed to get off our asses.  Women and the men who support us have been complacent far too long.  Thanks to you, we now know that was a mistake.
     
    Saturday’s march was an amazing event.  I’ve seen nothing like it in 50 years of going to marches all over the country.  When it was first announced I was skeptical that anything big could be organized quickly.  I was wrong.  Since Nov.10, women have been turning out for meetings all over the country in greater numbers than before.  Going to a march gave them a way to focus their dismay at what has happened to their country and what it portends for the future.  The many women I spoke to today came not just for themselves but for their children and grandchildren. 
     
    I left early to walk the two miles to the gathering point, thinking I would get a good camera spot from which to photograph the speakers on the stage.  Almost immediately I saw women with march signs, some with pink pussy hats, walking the same route.  That’s when I knew it would be big.  By the time I got to 7th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue the crowd was so thick that it looked like it was the march, not one of the feeder routes to the rally.
     
    I nudged my way down 7th Street as the crowds thickened until I could barely move.  While I saw many signs, the only group I recognized was Food not Bombs, which was dispensing free coffee and soup to anyone who wanted a cup.  I had planned on walking to Independence Avenue and from there to the 3rd St. stage but it soon became clear that I couldn’t do that.  The crowd was packed and wasn’t moving.
    Food Not Bombs SF
     San Francisco Food Not Bombs
     
    Instead I turned west on Jefferson Dr. hoping to find a jumbotron to watch.  Fences were everywhere, making it even harder to move around.  I sometimes had to walk a hundred yards just to reach the end of a fence and make a u-turn to the other side.  I spent hours walking around or hanging out at the old Smithsonian Castle and surrounding buildings. 
     
    I saw a lot of signs.  They were mostly home-made.  There hadn’t been time to produce a plethora of professionally printed signs as is normal at large marches, but there were stations where cardboard and marking pens were provided for people to produce their own.  The sentiments and the printing was so diverse that most people must have brought their signs with them.
     
    The museums were open for business.  I was impressed with the courtesy and efficiency with which the guards and bag searchers handled an enormous flow of people, coming inside mostly to find bathrooms and food.  At least one museum guard opened the men’s room to women to relieve some of the congestion.  I haven’t used a men’s room in decades.
     
    I never did find a spot from which I could see the speakers on a jumbotron, but there were a few places where I could hear bits and pieces.  Mostly I made my way through crowds and crowds of people, while reading their signs and taking photographs.  Other people walked around as well, signs held high.  They couldn’t see the proceedings, but they could be seen by others.  They were marching, even if they didn’t know where they were marching.  Those who weren’t walking were standing on everything, straining to see something.

  • Executive Order – – – Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal

    THE WHITE HOUSEwhitehouse image

    Office of the Press Secretary; For Immediate Release January 20, 2017

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

    Section 1. It is the policy of my Administration to seek the prompt repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148), as amended (the “Act”). In the meantime, pending such repeal, it is imperative for the executive branch to ensure that the law is being efficiently implemented, take all actions consistent with law to minimize the unwarranted economic and regulatory burdens of the Act, and prepare to afford the States more flexibility and control to create a more free and open healthcare market.

    Sec. 2. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) and the heads of all other executive departments and agencies (agencies) with authorities and responsibilities under the Act shall exercise all authority and discretion available to them to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation of any provision or requirement of the Act that would impose a fiscal burden on any State or a cost, fee, tax, penalty, or regulatory burden on individuals, families, healthcare providers, health insurers, patients, recipients of healthcare services, purchasers of health insurance, or makers of medical devices, products, or medications.

    Sec. 3. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Secretary and the heads of all other executive departments and agencies with authorities and responsibilities under the Act, shall exercise all authority and discretion available to them to provide greater flexibility to States and cooperate with them in implementing healthcare programs.

    Sec. 4. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the head of each department or agency with responsibilities relating to healthcare or health insurance shall encourage the development of a free and open market in interstate commerce for the offering of healthcare services and health insurance, with the goal of achieving and preserving maximum options for patients and consumers.

    Sec. 5. To the extent that carrying out the directives in this order would require revision of regulations issued through notice-and-comment rulemaking, the heads of agencies shall comply with the Administrative Procedure Act and other 2 applicable statutes in considering or promulgating such regulatory revisions.

    Sec. 6. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                 (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

                (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. 

    DONALD J. TRUMP THE WHITE HOUSE, January 20, 2017.

    The White House · 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW · Washington DC 20500 · 202-456-1111

    Editor’s Note: Insurance Effect; What Does Executive Order against the Health Law Actually Do?

  • Jo Freeman: Protesting An Inaugural

    Resisters

     “We disrupted Trump to send a message that We the People will not let this stand,” said Kai Newkirk of Democracy Spring, one of six activists escorted out of Friday’s inauguration ceremony. “We will put our bodies and freedom on the line to defend democracy.” (Photo: Democracy Spring)

     
    Protesting the inauguration of a President has become a tradition. While those who shouted “not my President” and other things as Donald Trump ascended to the highest office in the land clearly did not like him, most of them would have demonstrated had it been Hillary Clinton who took the oath.
     
    The inauguration, like the nominating conventions the summer before, is a soapbox because it attracts press looking for stories. This gives protesters an opportunity for a national voice for their issues that they usually don’t have. Unfortunately, these issues are often obscured when a small number choose to destroy property. 
     
    That’s what happened in DC on January 20 late in the day while the inaugural parade was proceeding up Pennsylvania Ave. A small group broke windows, threw bricks, and burned a limousine on K Street, well outside the security zone. These incidents received most of the press’s attention, pushing other issues out of the headlines and to the bottom of the coverage.
     
     I didn’t see any of this, but I certainly heard about it at every place I went later in the day. Every protest I personally observed was non-violent, even when it was disruptive. 
     
    The day began with a smoke-in in front of a bank at Massachusetts Avenue and 20th Street where DCMJ was handing out joints made from legally grown cannabis. This is legal in the District under certain conditions. DCMJ wants to make legalization national. I saw about 200 people gathered at that location, at which a couple dozen were standing in line to show their IDs and receive a joint.  Three people in a cage made to look like a jail were handing them out with a sign aimed at Attorney General-to-be Jeff Sessions who wants to keep it a crime. They planned to march to the National Mall at 10:00 but I didn’t hang around to watch them do it. The Mall is federal territory where they were subject to arrest, but I didn’t hear what had happened. 
     
    Next stop was McPherson Square, where Occupy camped out for several months four years ago.  DisruptJ20 has been running training sessions at two local churches all week.  There was a Medic tent on one corner of the square, and another large tent for different groups to set up tables and promote their own issues out of the impending rain.  Seeds of Peace  and Food not Bombs were passing out free food..  Trainers were telling different small groups that the primary action would be to blockade the lines at the security checkpoints where crowds would be trying to get to the parade.

  • Protesting the Inaugural: The Day Before

    Protests at the 45th inaugural began the day before when CodePink, the women-led anti-war group congregated at the line to the inaugural concert to display their signs.  Holding a banner that said “Kiss Me, I’m Peaceful” about a dozen pink Ladies of Liberty promoted several issues.  Currently these have more to do with immigration than war. Signs said “no human is illegal” and “refugees welcome.”
     
    Multiple protests by several different groups will be going on during inaugural day, despite forecasts of rain. Training for participants has been going on all week at two local churches. The primary one by DisruptJ20 will be a Festival of Resistance in front of Union Station. ANSWER is putting up a stage right on the parade route where it will have an all day anti-Trump concert along with speakers and chanting.  It will disperse after the Presidential limousine goes by, before the parade actually begins.
     
    The CodePinkers weren’t anti-Trump so much as in favor of positions he opposes, and opposed to positions he favors. Several people wearing Trump scarves and red ‘Make America Great Again’ hats posed for photos with them.
     
    After about an hour of standing in front of the concert line they walked down the street, attracting even more attention and press interviews. They passed out pink pussy hats for women to wear at the Women’s March on Washington on Jan. 21 to the many women who said they were supporters. Knitted by women all over the country, CodePink has 5,000 to pass out. Inside each one is a little note identifying the maker. Mine was made by Pam in Sturgeon Bay Wisc. The hats are a way of protesting Trump’s comments about “grab ’em  by the pussy.”Code Pink organizer
     
    It seemed that most were in a light mood.  Vendors were selling bags, buttons, and hats.  There were signs carried that warned everyone to “Repent” and “Beware of False Prophets.”  Police were present but in small numbers. Their biggest problem was getting people to stay out of the street.
     
     
    Women’s March in Washington on January 21st schedule:

  • How you can keep following the President Obama, First Lady Michelle, and others; White House Shareables

     Michelle and Barack

    President Barack Obama presents the First Lady with a Valentine’s Day card on the State Floor of the White House

    President Obama

    After January 20, 2017, President Obama will use the following accounts:

    First Lady Michelle Obama
    You can follow First Lady Michelle Obama after January 20, 2017 at the following accounts:

    Vice President Biden
    You can follow Vice President Biden after January 20, 2017 at the following accounts:

    Dr. Jill Biden
    You can follow Dr. Jill Biden after January 20, 2017 at the following accounts:

    White House Shareables

    https://www.whitehouse.gov/share/all

    SPEAK OUT

    Over the past eight years, the President, the First Lady, and the Obama White House have used social media and technology to engage with people around the country and the world on the most important issues of our time. From the very beginning, our mission has been to reach people on the channels and platforms where they already spend their time. This work began before President Obama took office in 2009, and, now, this work will continue. 

    As this Administration draws to a close, we wanted to share how you can continue to follow and engage with President Obama, the First Lady, and other Obama White House officials, as well as how you can find content posted over the past eight years after January 20, 2017. Moving forward, the President and First Lady can be followed on familiar handles: @BarackObama and @MichelleObama. 

    In October, we laid out plans to preserve and pass on the digital legacy of the Obama administration and have been working to ensure this unprecedented digital transition meets three key goals. First, we are preserving the material we’ve created with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Second, we are working to ensure these materials continue to be accessible on the platforms where they were created, allowing for continued access to the content posted over the past eight years. Finally, we are working to ensure that the next White House and future administrations can continue to use and develop the digital channels we have created to connect directly with the people they serve. 

    We are grateful to the people around the country and the world who have engaged with us online over the past eight years. We listened to you, we learned from you, and we strove to create opportunities for you to play an active role in your government by fulfilling the most important role in our government: the role of citizen.

  • Update: Senate Hearings on Nominees for Cabinet Posts Continue; Senator Al Franken Spars With Rick Perry

    Dirksen Office Building

    Dirksen Office Building, Washington, DC

    EPA Administrator Confirmation Hearing, Part 1, January 18th, 2017:  Scott Pruitt testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on his nomination to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the Trump administration. https://www.c-span.org/video/?421719-1/epa-nominee-scott-pruitt-testifies-confirmation-hearing: 

    Health and Human Services Secretary Confirmation Hearing Representative Tom Price (R-GA) testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on his nomination to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration. He was introduced by Senator Isakson (R-GA).

    Education Secretary Confirmation Hearing on January 17, 2017:  Betsy DeVos testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on her nomination by President-elect Trump to become his secretary of education. She answered questions about her plans for and thoughts on a wide range of issues including the nation’s public education system, charter schools, school choice and vouchers, post-secondary education, student loan debt, special education programs and funding, and her financial holdings and potential conflicts on interest.

    Committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) limited the committee members to one round of questions despite several appeals from Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) and the Democrats for a second round. 

     

    Coming Up Thursday, Jan 19 2017

    Nomination hearing of the Honorable Rick Perry for Secretary to be Energy; 366 Dirksen Building, 09:30 AM

    Editor’s Note: Al Franken and Rick Perry spar at the beginning of his response to Franken’s questions: https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4649383/franken-welcomes-perry

    The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will hold a hearing on Thursday, January 19, 2017 at 9:30 a.m. EST in Room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. The purpose of the hearing is to consider the nomination of the Honorable Rick Perry to be the Secretary of Energy. The nomination hearing will be webcast live on the committee’s website. Witness testimony will be available online immediately before the start of the hearing.   
    Hearing to Consider the Anticipated Nomination of The Honorable Tom Price to be Secretary of Health and Human Services
    215 Dirksen Senate Office Building
    01/24/17 10:00AM

     

    Hearing to Consider the Anticipated Nomination of Steven Terner Mnuchin to be Secretary of the Treasury 
    215 Dirksen Senate Office Building
    01/19/17 10:00AM
     
    C-Span’s schedule of coverage

    Editor’s Note: Look to C-Span for simultaneous recordings of the hearings.