Morning Browse: Confederate Pride Month, Closed Web, Haiti Schools

By Kai Wright Apr 07, 2010

There went the Internet. The U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. ruled yesterday that the FCC lacked the authority to fine Comcast for selectively blocking traffic on its broadband network in 2007. Netroots activists have argued that such regulation is crucial to maintain the web as an equal-access publishing space for advocates, artists and community-based sites – like RaceWire. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican, has declared April "Confederate History Month." It’s a celebration begun under former Gov. George "Macaca" Allen, but which the past two Democratic governors had ended. The South rides again. Oklahoma GOP Sen. Tom Coburn tells The Hill that he "absolutely" plans to expand his blockade on extending unemployment insurance benefits. He says he’ll block any spending bill that’s not offset with funding cuts elsewhere. While Kansas Republican Sen. Sam Brownback plans to introduce legislation to exempt auto dealers from any new consumer financial protection bureau’s oversight. Critics have noted auto dealers originate a huge share of consumer loans, and for Black borrowers in particular. A beleaguered Vatican has appointed Mexican-American Archbishop Joseph Gomez to lead the archdiocese of Los Angles, the nation’s largest. The NYT says the appointment is "an acknowledgment that the church’s future in America depends on the growing numbers of Hispanic faithful." Haiti’s schools officially reopened this week, though the vast majority did so in name alone.

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