The youngest B-52 bomber rolled off the assembly line 50 years ago. Remarkably, it’s still flying. Like many of the aircraft still used by the U.S. military, the B-52 is telltale example of America’s geriatric aviation force. At a time when our military is asked to do more with less, fiscal constraints have hampered its modernization and recapitalization strategy. Heritage is highlighting these challenges as part of Protect America Month and a three-part America at Risk video series. The B-52 might be among the Air Force’s most recognizable planes. Its …
Later this week the U.S. Senate will consider a budget resolution introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) that cuts the size of the federal government in half by 2025 and achieves a balanced budget by 2017. It’s among the boldest plans presented in Congress. Lee’s budget is based on the reforms outlined by The Heritage Foundation in its Saving the American Dream plan. With the Senate nearing a vote on his plan, Lee will visit Heritage for a preview at The Bloggers Briefing today at noon ET. Under the direction …
The U.S. State Department has decided to grant a visa to Mariela Castro Espin, daughter of Raul Castro, the country’s President and Premier, neice of notorious Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, despite laws precluding such visas from officials of the Cuban dictatorship. Castro Espin, who is the director of Cuba’s state-funded National Center for Sex Education, is scheduled to speak at a San Francisco conference held by the Latin American Studies Association starting May 23. A LASA spokesman confirmed that she is scheduled to attend in person. Castro Espin’s organization is …
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) has been among the Senate’s strongest proponents of a robust national defense. In his role as Republican Whip, he is now leading the charge against efforts to shortchange our Defense budget, and warning of potential dire consequences for national security. Kyl spoke at the Heritage Foundation on Thursday as part of its Helms lecture series, where he discussed national security and the launch of Heritage’s Protect America Month. He explained why the federal government’s constitutional obligation to provide for the common defense must remain a bedrock principle of …
Video from 2007 shows then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) claiming that coal power and corn syrup are more deadly than terrorism. The remarks will likely prove a headache for an administration that is trying to distance itself from its anti-coal image. As Scribe reported on Friday, the Obama campaign adjusted its website to promote its work with “clean coal” in the wake of an embarrassing showing in the Democratic primary in coal-intensive West Virginia. Obama lost 41% of the vote there to federal prison inmate – a fact the state’s Democratic …
After coming under fire for its consistent hostility to the coal industry, the Obama campaign quietly adjusted its energy policy website to include “clean coal” among the president’s energy initiatives. The energy policy page of BarackObama.com now includes a section for “clean coal,” claiming the stimulus package “invested substantially in carbon capture and sequestration research.” But until recently, that page made no mention of coal. Its Google cache shows a section for “energy efficiency” where “clean coal” now appears. The change comes mere days after Obama lost 41% of the …
Scribe first reported that former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MI) is now lobbying for corporate and environmental interests on behalf of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, also known as the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST). His lobbying efforts stand in stark contrast to his position while in the Senate, when he warned that LOST would create a “U.N. on steroids.” Ratification of LOST, he warned in 2007, would “cede our national sovereignty – both militarily and economically” by subjecting maritime disputes to U.N. authority. …
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a division of the Interior Department, is considering loosening regulations on the killing of bald eagles, the national bird of the United States, to accommodate the development of wind energy sources. A draft regulation first filed in April would allow businesses to apply for 30-year permits allowing them to kill bald eagles in the course of other legal activities. The length of those permits would be a six-fold increase over the five-year window allowed under current law. The USFWS explains at FederalRegister.gov: We have reviewed applications …
House leaders have reportedly struck a deal to vote on reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank next week despite strident opposition from conservatives. Heritage’s Bryan Riley has called it the “Fannie Mae for exporters.” The Export-Import Bank provides taxpayer-subsidized loans to U.S. exporters. The bank’s charter will expire at the end of May. President Obama supports a four-year extension and, further, wants to increase the bank’s $100 billion loan limit by an additional $40 billion. Speaking last week at Heritage, Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) said the bank should be completely abolished. …
