Senator Sanders  NEWS with Links 

July 31, 2012

Global Warming Sen. Bernie Sanders took on the Senate's biggest global-warming skeptic on Monday in a speech aimed at prodding Congress to stop ignoring the issue, according to theBurlington Free Press, Fox 44, National Journal, theGuardian, The Hill, Tulsa World, Talk Radio News Service, Energy Guardian, and Raw Story. LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, VIDEO

World

India Power Grid Fails About 600 million people lost power in India on Tuesday when the country's northern and eastern electricity grids failed, crippling the country for a second consecutive day, The New York Times reported. LINK

National

Spending Deal Near House and Senate leaders are nearing a temporary spending deal that would keep the federal government running for the first half of the next fiscal year, aides in both parties told The Washington Post. LINK

USPS The U.S. Postal Service is bracing for a first-ever default as Congress deadlocks on ways to stem the red ink. Pay­ments for future postal retirees' health benefits - $5.5 billion due Wednesday, and another $5.6 billion due in September - will be left unpaid, the mail agency said Monday, but post offices will stay open, mail trucks will run, employees will get paid, current retirees will get health benefits, The Associated Press reported.

Judge Blocked Senate Republicans blocked one of President Obama's noncontroversial judicial nominees on Monday - invoking a long-held tradition that no confirmations be approved in the waning months before a presidential election, Politico reported. LINK

Gay Marriage The Democrats appear ready to embrace same-sex marriage as part of their party platform. The New York Times said the move would place the party in line with the beliefs of President Obama, who in May became the first sitting president to declare that gay men and lesbians should be able to marry. LINK