(1) October 23, 2001 from Assistant Attorney General John Yoo, which asserted that the President had sufficient power to allow the NSA to monitor the communications of U.S. citizens on U.S. soil without a warrant because the fourth amendment does not apply.
(2) March 1, 2002 memo signed by Assistant Attorney General Jay S. Bybee, which asserted the President’s power to transfer prisoners captured in war is not restricted by Torture Convention, and that Al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners are not entitled to POW status
All nine memorandums may be referenced at the United States Department of Justice website.
March 3rd/Tuesday: The President spoke at the United States Department of Transportation about the Stimulus, jobs and transportation infrastructure. “Over the next few weeks, we will launch over 200 construction projects across this country, ” the President said. The President later spoke at the Department of the Interior.
The President nominated:
(1) John Berry for Director of the Office of Personnel Management
(2) Julius Genachowski for Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission
(3) Seth David Harris for Deputy Secretary of Labor. He is a professor and the director of employment law programs at New York Law School. He previously served in the Clinton Administration in the Department of Labor.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced from Jerusalem the United States will reopen talks with Syria. Two envoys will be sent to Damascus in a push for peace in the Middle East. She met with Israeli Prime Minister Designate Benjamin Netanyahu. Clinton reiterated the two-state solution to the Israeli/Palestinian problem.
The President met with Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who hoped to persuade the President to join efforts to revamp the global financial system. The President hoped to convince Brown to beef up Britain’s troop numbers in Afghanistan.
March 4th/Wednesday: The President announced his plan to reform program no-bid government contracts, primary in the defense industry. “in Iraq, too much money’s been paid out for services that were never performed, buildings that were never completed; companies that skimmed off the top,” the President said. The President plans to stop the outsourcing of work that can be done by government agencies. The President predicted savings of $40 billion a year by reining in the outsourcing. Transcript
The President launched his mortgage foreclosure rescue. The program has two parts:
(1) $75 billion dollars in incentives to lenders and homeowners to modify mortgages. This is intended to help three to four million nearing foreclosure. Eligible will be homeowner who can no longer afford their monthly payments because their interest rate has increased, have suffered reduced income due to job loss or other factors or are experiencing a hardship such as high medical bills.
(2) Financialstability.gov has been set up for those who believe they may qualify under the above guidelines to apply for the assistance. Four to five million homeowners who have their mortgages with FreddyMac or FannieMae may qualify refinancing of their mortgage rates.
The President nominated Republican Craig Fugate to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
March 5th/Thursday: The President convened his Health Reform Forum populated by both Democratic and Republican members of Congress, doctors and nurses, business and labor and insurance and hospital associations. Text of the President's opening remarks
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