His Latest High-Tech Interface With the Public Is a Town Hall. It started with the YouTube presidential debates, Saturday-morning Internet addresses to the nation, and the Barack Obama Facebook page and Twitter feed. On Thursday, the president took another step in embracing the power of technology -- hosting a virtual town hall that elicited more than 104,000 questions and drew 3.6 million votes to determine which the president would answer. In the end, given that the questions were vetted by the White House, it felt about as spontaneous as an infomercial. [continues 769 words]
'Virtual' Town Hall a Spin on Favored Campaign Device WASHINGTON--Bringing a high-tech twist to the familiar forum of the town hall meeting, President Barack Obama on Thursday hosted a "virtual" town hall in the East Room of the White House, answering questions from attendees and from participants online. The event, which was broadcast live by cable news networks, was the latest in a series of aggressive steps Obama has taken recently in an attempt to reach the public without relying on the traditional news media--a tactic he employed with great success during his presidential campaign. [continues 500 words]
WASHINGTON -- When the U.S. Sentencing Commission last week reduced sentences for imprisoned crack cocaine offenders--reversing years of policy that treated crack far differently from powder cocaine--the Justice Department and police groups bitterly criticized the action, warning of a flood of criminals rushing out onto America's streets. The change "will make thousands of dangerous prisoners, many of them violent gang members, eligible for immediate release," said acting Deputy Atty. Gen. Craig Morford. "These offenders are among the most serious and violent offenders in the federal system." [continues 824 words]
