News Roundup for Friday

Protestors in Phoenix blocked a jail yesterday and marched to the offices of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio despite a judge’s ruling that blocked the most controversial provisions of Arizona’s SB 1070 from taking effect. Meanwhile the governor of Arizona filed an appeal to the judge’s ruling.

According to the Washington Post,

“Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R), whose fierce criticism of the federal lawsuit has helped her popularity at home, on Thursday appealed Bolton's ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Urging the court to quickly hear the case, she vowed that she ‘will not back down.’ The Justice Department, whose lawsuit against Arizona was a rare federal challenge of a state law, declined to comment.”

Meanwhile, POLITICO reports that Governor Brewer is “not sure” that SB 1070 would work:

“‘Senate Bill 1070 is just another tool in our tool box in regards to trying to address the issues that we're facing here,’” Brewer said during an interview on CNN's ‘John King USA’ of the bill she signed.

“Asked if she actually believes the bill would improve the security situation at the border, Brewer responded: ‘Well, you know, I'm not quite sure about that.’”

In other news, the Washington Post reports that fewer workers are moving to new jobs because of the economy:

“Labor mobility has nearly ground to a halt in the past two years, and policymakers are increasingly worried that the slowdown is not just a symptom of the nation's economic struggles but also a barrier to overcoming them.

“With many people locked in homes by underwater mortgages, only 1.6 percent of Americans moved between states in a one-year period that ended in March 2009 -- a labor stagnation not seen in half a century. Though household mobility has gradually declined for more than two decades, the recent sharp downturn has caused economists to worry that it could harm the already struggling recovery.”

In Nevada, the Las Vegas Sun reports on a new Hispanic voter drive in response to SB 1070:

“Elvira Diaz remembers how frightened she was when she and a dozen other Latinos with signs reading "Immigrants Who Pay Taxes" came face-to-face with hundreds of protesters at a tea party anti-tax rally in Nevada.

“That's why she was so excited Thursday to kick off a voter registration campaign targeting Reno's Hispanic neighborhoods and help organize opposition to any Arizona-style immigration measures that may surface in the Nevada Legislature in the coming year.

“‘We are going to build power one neighborhood at a time,’ said Diaz, a volunteer for the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada who is leading the campaign ‘Tu Voto Cuenta: Your Vote Counts!’”

“‘This is like the sleeping giant is waking up. That's what we are,’ she told The Associated Press in an interview.

“PLAN and the Common Roots Collaborative are among those backing the registration effort, trying to capitalize on publicity over the Arizona law that among other things would require officers to check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws.”

And finally, President Obama defends his Race to the Top education initiative. The Los Angeles Times reports,

“Calling the status quo ‘morally inexcusable’ and ‘economically indefensible,’ President Obama defended his administration's sweeping education initiative Thursday before an audience that has been among the most skeptical of the plan — the National Urban League.

“‘Education is an economic issue — if not the economic issue of our time,’ Obama said at the organization's centennial gathering in Washington. ‘We've got an obligation to lift up every child in every school in this country, especially those who are starting out furthest behind.’”

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