Editor's Note:Tuesday’s American Morning viewers zeroed in on today’s Massachusetts’ election to fill the senate seat held by former Senator Ted Kennedy. Independents were said to play a critical role in the election’s outcome, as many former Democrats, disenchanted by President Obama, were moving to the right of the political spectrum. Others believed that abandoning the Democrats at this time was akin to being “traitors to the poor and working class people.”
The Massachusetts’ senate seat is critical in order for the Democrats to hold power in the Senate. What is your desired outcome of this election? Would having less Democratic power actually drive the senators to work together better, or would such a loss endanger any chance of health care and other reform that exists on the president’s agenda?
Thousands of people in Port-au-Prince now fear what's to come as they spend desperate days and nights in tent cities. These makeshift communities now dot the earthquake ravaged city. There is little fresh water and food and safety is now a growing concern. CNN's Jason Carroll reports.
Today voters are deciding who will fill the late Ted Kennedy's senate seat. The outcome could prove critical to health care reform. Tempers are hot in Massachusetts. CNN's Jim Acosta reports on the race that has turned ugly.
Today's election will fill the seat of the late senator Ted Kennedy but in the bluest of blue states, polls show the state's attorney general, Democrat Martha Coakley, trailing her Republican challenger, State Senator Scott brown. A GOP win would mean the Democrats will lose their filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate and jeopardize President Obama's health care reform plan. CNN senior political analyst and former presidential adviser, David Gergen spoke with CNN's John Roberts Tuesday.
The irony in the Massachusetts election is a seat that was occupied for nearly 50 years by Ted Kennedy, the "liberal lion" of the Senate who helped champion health care reform on Capitol Hill, could go to a Republican candidate who's vowing to stop President Obama's plan. CNN political analysts, Jennifer Donahue and John Avlon spoke with CNN's Kiran Chetry Tuesday.
By Dash Harris, CNN
Since the earthquake and devastation hit Haiti last week, online social networks have been hard at work promoting relief efforts. These relief efforts range from established organizations to individuals mobilizing on their own accord. The tragedy in Haiti seemed to affect all Americans and the global online community immediately sprung to action and continue to persevere on the web and through grass roots. Blogs,Twitter and Facebook have been invaluable tools since day one of the tragic events.
Through technology, this week, my agenda is chock full of Haiti events. For those wanting to lend a hand, a simple 'Haiti' search on Facebook garners numerous groups touting 'For every person that joins I will donate 25 cents to help Haiti' or via twitter, 'For every X amount of new followers I have, I will give X amount of money." The myriad of organizations, donation drives, fund raising events and relief efforts dedicated to helping the island nation is vast and accessible with just a click.
Through tweets and retweets, I found out one organization, Charity Water was collecting essential supplies to take to Haiti such as blankets, bandages, soap and bottled water. The plane leaves today. I went to their Soho office and was floored. The turn out was amazing! People dropped off just a little of what they could and the outcome was huge. I felt personally moved.I was completely awe-struck and awe-inspired. This goes to show when we unite for good and pool our resources, indeed we can make a huge difference.
Unfortunately, as I am learning now, the downside to to donating things is it may not get to Haiti for months, if at all. Money is needed more than anything. If you want to give donations, give money to an established charity with a track record in Haiti. Charity Navigator.com and the American Institute for Philanthropy have lists and resources online.
I am sure there are many more stories out there on how a little can go a long way. How are you helping? Please comment and share your stories here.
To learn more about how you can get involved, visit Impact Your World.