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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Apr 17, 2013
April 17, 2013
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The biggest overhaul of American immigration laws in decades was filed yesterday, though the bipartisan group of eight senators who crafted it canceled a scheduled press conference because of the Boston Marathon bombing. That should happen today.
The bill provides a 13-year path to U-S citizenship for 11 million immigrants in the country illegally, but only after steps have been taken to boost border security. The NY Times notes that this part of the legislation is certain to spark months of intense debate.
The pathway to citizenship lies at the heart of the bill, but it also includes:
--Guest worker programs for low-income jobs and farm labor
--New verification measures for companies hiring new workers
--Measures to clear the huge backlog of people who have applied to come to the U-S legally (Maiman)Digital dimension:
A survey conducted by CreditDonkey in March found that 51 percent of men said they use social media while drunk, compared to 41 percent of women. (Kaye)
On, off and way-off Broadway:
The Broadway musical "Chicago" seems to just go on and on, filling the theater every night. That's because special guests move in and out of the cast. The latest celebrity to join the show is talk show host WENDY WILLIAMS. She'll make her Broadway debut in "Chicago" as Matron Mama Morton from June 25th to August 11th. Wendy said (quote), "I'm going to show you how I sing, dance, and shimmy. How you doin', Broadway?" (Marino)
BROOKE SHIELDS, director?
Playbill says Brooke --who appeared in the Broadway and London productions of the musical, "Chicago," will direct the show this summer at the Hollywood Bowl on Jul 26-28.Designer Update:
JADEN SMITH --WILL SMITH's 14-year-old son-- is designing clothes now. The actor/rapper and chip-off-the-over-achieving-block told WonderlandMagazine.com that his new line of skate-inspired street wear will be called MSFtS (pronounced "Misfits). It comes out this spring. (Bartha)
So far, Korean pop star PSY has racked up more than 20 million hits for his new song, "Gentleman," in just the first 24 hours after its release on Saturday night. That's actually better than the mere eight million views for JUSTIN BIEBER's "Boyfriend" in its first 24 hours. The song shows Psy playing tricks on women, such as splashing coffee in their faces and untying a bikini top.
Psy later tweeted, "51 million views in 40 hours!!My God!!" -
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