Dr. Margaret Hamburg
Good news! Dr. Margaret Hamburg has been nominated to be the head of the Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Hamburg was one of the youngest people ever elected to the Institute of Medicine (an affiliate of the National Academy of Sciences) and is a highly regarded expert in community health and bio-defense, including preparedness for nuclear, biological, and chemical threats. She is a leading advocate for changes in the nation’s public health policies and infrastructure, from local health departments to the highest levels of government.
Dr. Hamburg has had …

It was quite a surprise to learn that U2’s video for their new single, “Get on Your Boots,” is, ostensibly, a feminist endeavor. Or, as guitarist The Edge put it, the video is “based around the idea that men have f***ed things up so badly, politically, economically and socially… Its really time that we handed things over to women.”
Not so fast, says Anna Pickard, The Guardian’s expert translator of the language of music videos. Ms. Pickard writes an occasional column, Pickard of the Pops, that examines the gap between what an artists …

In a 7 – 2 ruling, the Supreme Court rejected a challenge that would have made it easier for people convicted of domestic violence to own firearms.

For many years a broad coalition of groups has worked together to advocate for tougher laws against hate crimes – all hate crimes. One of the primary goals of this coalition is to expand the legal definition of hate crimes to include those who are victimized not only because of race, religion, or national origin, but actual or perceived gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability. Current federal law does not provide authority for involvement in these four categories of cases at all.
The coalition of groups is a “dream …

Here are a few stories that caught my eye this week…
The First Couple stepped away from the White House pressure cooker for a short visit with Washington D.C. schoolchildren. Among the topics addressed was the perennial favorite “what do you want to be when you grow up?”  According to “The Swamp” (the outlet for the Chicago Tribune’s Washington Bureau), one little boy informed Mr. Obama he would like to be the President of the United States.  The future former President responded encouragingly: “I think you might make it.”  One …

Editor’s note: This is Part Three of a three-part series on the links between the religious right, President Obama’s “AIDS czar” Mark Dybul, and the faith-based programs that are killing women and girls around the world. Parts One and Two were published earlier this week.
Rick Warren at Saddleback's 2007 Global Summit on AIDS and the Church
The New Partners Initiative
When Mark Dybul took over from Randall Tobias at PEPFAR, he continued the agency’s support for religion-based programs, despite his duty to promote the most effective, science-based strategies for the …

Editor’s note: This is Part Two of a three-part series on the links between the religious right, President Obama’s “AIDS czar” Mark Dybul, and the faith-based programs that are killing women and girls around the world. Part One was published yesterday, and Part Three will conclude the series on Friday.
Rick Warren on the giant screen at his Saddleback megachurch.
God Hates Divorce
Rick Warren enjoys his reputation as a mainstream, compassionate champion in the fight against AIDS. But a close examination of his Saddleback Family website reveals a …

Editor’s note: This is Part One of a three-part series on the links between the religious right, President Obama’s “AIDS czar” Mark Dybul, and the faith-based programs that are killing women and girls around the world. Part Two will be published tomorrow, with Part Three concluding the series on Friday.
Earlier this month, many of Barack Obama’s most stalwart supporters were shocked to learn that he had asked Rick Warren, the entrepreneur behind the “The Purpose-Driven Life” products and founder of Saddleback Ministries, to give the Inaugural …

Wives do not have a “right” to divorce abusive husbands, according to Rick Warren.
Warren, President-elect Barack Obama’s choice to deliver the Inaugural Invocation, instructs his parishioners that the Bible says physical abuse is no excuse for getting a divorce.
Warren explains:
Having been involved as a pastor in situations of abuse, there’s something in me that wishes there were a Bible verse that says if they abuse you in such kind of way, then you have a right to leave them.
“God,” Warren says, “hates divorce.”

The New Agenda had a seat at the table when the nation’s largest women’s organizations met in Washington on Monday to discuss nominations for positions in the Obama administration.
The groups — which included Business and Professional Women (BPW), Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW), the American Association of University Women (AAUW), and the National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC) — met in Washington, D.C., to determine a process to put forward the names of highly qualified women for top level roles throughout every federal agency and policy-making body.
The constellation of organizations that …