Wendy Davis receives praise in the thank you letter signed by 31 Democratic senators

Texas State Senator Wendy Davis (D) drew attention to the national on Tuesday for their filibuster of 12 hours against a draft law against restrictive abortion, backed by the Republican party. They tuned in even senators in Washington, D.C., said Wednesday in a letter to Davis de los senadores Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (DN.Y.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Patty Murray (D - Washington) and Jeanne Shaheen (DN.H.) on behalf of 26 of his democratic colleagues.

"Thank you for your courage and determination in the defeat of S.B. 5, a bill that would have severely limited reproductive choices of women in Texas," read the letter. "His firmness sets an example a person's voice and commitment can make a difference. As senators, we were frightened as we watched a stand in the Senate of the Texas legislature for hours in front of ideological attempts on the basis to pass legislation that would jeopardize the health of the woman. Thanks to their dedication, Texas and the rest of the country rethink efforts to enact similar laws. We are proud to provide you with an ally and a friend."

This is the list of other senators, whose names were attached to the letter:

United States Senators Charles Schumer (DN.Y.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Barbara Mikulski (D - Maryland), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Dick Durbin (D-ill.), Amy Klobuchar (D - Minn.), Bernie Sanders (D - VT), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Tammy Baldwin (D - Wis.), Chris Coons (D-.), Tim Kaine (D - va), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Debbie Stabenow (D - Michigan), Sheldon Whitehouse (d-r.(I.), Mark Udall (D - Col.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Claire McCaskill (D - Mo), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Michael Bennet (D - Col.), Robert Menendez (DN.J.), Jeff Merkley (D - Oregon), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Al Franken (D - Minn.).

Although support Davis temporarily managed to kill 5 SB, which threatened to close all less five clinics in Texas and prohibit abortion abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, Governor Rick Perry (r-Texas) called a second extraordinary session of Wednesday, to finish work on that project and others.

Also in HuffPost:

Get alerts

Doctor Who lent $50,000 to Bob McDonnell signed was offered to the medical board appointment

A radiologist Virginia Beach lent $50,000 to a corporation of real estate owned by Governor Robert f.. McDonnell and his sister in 2010 - the same year the doctor offered an appointment to the State Medical Board.

Read the full story in the Washington Post

Eric Holder Signed Off On Decision To Subpoena Fox News Telephone Records

* Fox News phone records sought in North Korea leak probe

* Holder's approval of phone subpoena not disclosed earlier (Adds Justice Department confirmation, quote)

By Mark Hosenball

WASHINGTON, May 28 (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder personally approved a decision to subpoena Fox News telephone records as the Justice Department investigated an unauthorized leak regarding North Korea, officials said on Tuesday.

The Justice Department did not mention the subpoena when it issued a statement on Friday describing how Holder had vetted a decision to seek a search warrant for the contents of an email account used by Fox News reporter James Rosen.

The revelation that Holder approved subpoenas that sought Fox News phone records shows that his involvement was broader than the Justice Department had earlier acknowledged publicly, as details continue to emerge in the controversy.

Rosen reported in June 2009 that U.S. intelligence officials believed North Korea would conduct more nuclear tests in response to U.N. sanctions.

Stephen Kim, a former State Department analyst who was Rosen's alleged source, is scheduled to go on trial as soon as next year on charges that he violated an anti-espionage law. Rosen has not been charged.

"In the investigation that led to the indictment of Stephen Kim, the government issued subpoenas, with approval from the attorney general as required by Justice Department guidelines, for toll records for five phone numbers associated with the media over a two-day period," a Justice Department official said.

The Obama administration has also been under fire for a separate subpoena of Associated Press phone records as part of a different investigation of an alleged unauthorized leak.

Both incidents have sparked an outcry from journalists, but the Fox News case has proved more concerning to some because investigators described Rosen as a suspected "co-conspirator" in the leak of secret government information.

ACCUSED OF INTIMIDATION

Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes said in a statement on Thursday that the Obama administration was attempting to intimidate Fox News and its employees.

A law enforcement official said that subpoenas issued for Fox News covered telephone records for two days during 2009. The official said that a certified letter and fax notifying the general counsel of News Corp, parent of Fox News, about the subpoenas was sent on Aug. 27, 2010, the day Kim was indicted.

Authorities emailed Rosen at his work address with a similar notification, the official said. News Corp has said that it has found no record of such notifications, though it is not disputing government officials' accounts.

Mark Corallo, a Justice Department spokesman between 2002 and 2005, said that during his tenure, any request from any part of the Justice Department for the issuing of subpoenas against a news organization had to be submitted to his office for approval.

Corallo said that of "dozens" of requests from prosecutors for subpoenas directed against news organizations, he approved only one during his tenure.

President Barack Obama said last week that Holder would begin a review of Justice Department procedures related to media records. Holder, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, said he hopes to meet this week with media organizations about the review.

"We're going to have a real frank, good conversation about this," Holder said. "And I think we're going to make some changes. I'm not satisfied with where we are." (Reporting By Mark Hosenball; Additional reporting by David Ingram; Editing by Karey Van Hall and Eric Beech)

Also on HuffPost:

Get Alerts