First up

Explain it to me:

The “Super Committee”

 

The reason it’s been given the nickname of “super committer”, if you will, is many believe that this committee has super powers. They basically can bypass a lot of procedural hurdles that legislation often runs up against as it tries to make its way through the House and Senate. 

 

Why was it created?

The super committee was created during the debt ceiling debacle over the summer. It was created to basically do what Congress could not do during the debt ceiling negotiations, which was find bigger deficit savings in order to help the country stabilize its debt.

 

Who is on the “Super Committee”?

There are 12 members on this committee. 12 lawmakers, evenly split between House and Senate, Democratic and Republican. They were all appointed by the leader of each chamber. They bring a range of experience, a range of background and a range of political motivations if you will. 

 

When are its recommendations due?

The deadline is tight. The committee has until November 23rd right before Thanksgiving to reach agreement. It does not have to be unanimous within the committee. It has to be a majority of the members on the committee that has to reach agreement, and then it is sent to Congress to both chambers, the House and the Senate. And Congress has to vote on it by December 23rd. 

 

Ok, so we’re talking about Congress’ super committee and you heard Kate Bo* say that it has until this Wednesday to recommend a plan to cut more than a trillion dollars over the next 10 years. But the committee members need at least 48 hours to look over any plan before they vote on it. So really the deadline is more like today. And as of Sunday, no deal. Assistants to super committee members were saying that the only announcement the committee would be likely to make was that they failed to reach an agreement. So, what happens if they don’t reach the deadline? Automatic government budget cuts across the board starting in 2013, including cuts to the U.S. military that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said could cause serious problems for America’s military. Something to keep in mind, Congress created these deadline, so Congress can change them too or decide to get rid of them altogether. Right now, that’s what some lawmakers are suggesting that Congress should do. 

 

Today’s first Shoutout goes to Mr. P*and Mr. Water’s homeroom class at Lexington Middle School in Lexington, Nebraska. Where would you find Tahrir Square? You know what to do? Is it in Libya, Egypt, Syria or Yemen? You got three seconds. Go. Tahrir Square is in Egypt’s capital city of Cairo. That’s your answer, and that’s your Shoutout. 

 

Tahrir Square was a rallying point for protesters during Egypt’s political revolution earlier this year. Same thing is going on the there now, more protests. There was an uprising you might remember that happens in the spring, and that drove Egypt’s president from office. They are plans for a new constitution and elections. But some Egyptians are angry about how long all this is taking since initial uprising. They are worried that Egypt’s military which is running the government right now already might have claimed too much power in Egypt’s new government. Protesters were back in Tahrir Square over the weekend fighting with army and police forces. Some people died in the violence. More than a thousand were wounded. Military officials say they want to transfer the government over the civilians. Elections for parliament are scheduled to start next week. 

 

In the neighboring country of Libya, many people are celebrating the arrest of this man. His name is Seif al-Islam Gadhafi. He is the son of former Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi. Seif Gadhafi had been hiding for months. He was captured over the weekend after a gun by battle in the Libyan desert. Seif al-Islam Gadhafi didn’t have a high-level job in his father’s government, but experts say he had the most influence in Moammar Gadhafi’s inner circle, and they thought Seif was the most likely person to take over control after his father. The Gadhafi government has been accused of brutally attacking citizens during Libya’s civil war. The International Criminal Court wants to put Seif Gadhafi on trial for crimes against humanity including murder. But Libyan officials also want to put him on trial in Libya. They want it happen in their court system. So they are, we don’t know yet how this is all going to play out.