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Mark Kelly, the Navy captain and astronaut whose wife, Representative Gabrielle Giffords, was gravely wounded in an assassination attempt on Saturday, issued a statement thanking Americans for their support and encouraging charitable donations to a local community food bank in Tucson and to the American Red Cross.

“On behalf of Gabby and our entire family, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the people of Arizona and this great nation for their unbelievable outpouring of support,” Captain Kelly said in the statement. “Gabby was doing what she loved most – hearing from her constituents – when this tragedy occurred.”

Captain Kelly added: “Many of you have offered to help. There is little that we can do but pray for those who are struggling.” But for those wanting “to make a positive gesture,” he suggested making donations to Community Food Bank in Tucson and to the American Red Cross, two organizations that Ms. Giffords has long supported.

Here’s the full statement:

On behalf of Gabby and our entire family, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the people of Arizona and this great nation for their unbelievable outpouring of support. Gabby was doing what she loved most – hearing from her constituents – when this tragedy occurred. Serving Southern Arizonans is her passion, and nothing makes her more proud than representing them in Congress.

Like all Americans, we mourn the loss of Gabe Zimmerman, a fine man and beloved member of Gabby’s team, Judge John M. Roll, Christina Taylor Green, Dorothy Morris, Phyllis Schneck, and Dorwan Stoddard. We must never forget them, and our prayers are with their families. Our hearts go out to everyone injured yesterday; we hope and pray for their quick recovery. We also extend our thanks and appreciation to all of the first responders, medical personnel, law enforcement, and Arizona citizens who acted swiftly yesterday and continue to assist our community through this tragedy. Many stories of heroism are emerging, and they are a source of strength for us during this difficult time. We are forever grateful.

Many of you have offered help. There is little that we can do but pray for those who are struggling. If you are inspired to make a positive gesture, consider two organizations that Gabby has long valued and supported: Tucson’s Community Food Bank and the American Red Cross.

Community Food Bank
3003 S Country Club Rd # 221
Tucson, AZ 85713-4084
(520) 622-0525

American Red Cross, Southern Arizona Chapter
2916 East Broadway Boulevard
Tucson, AZ 85716
(520) 318-6740

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Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska, urged Americans “not to forget Haiti” as she spent the weekend in the earthquake-ravaged country, the Associated Press reported.

The onetime vice-presidential candidate declined to answer questions from reporters at a brief news conference, saying, “We don’t need to be getting political here today, O.K., folks.”

Ms. Palin had joined the evangelist Franklin Graham and his organization, Samaritan’s Purse, in a tour of the devastation. In her brief remarks, the A.P. said she urged a military airlift of supplies.

“I know that there’s been some discussion of U.S. aid perhaps being lifted from this area,” she said. “Again — not to get political — but if some of the politicians would come here and see the conditions, perhaps they would see a need for, say, a military airlift to come bring supplies that are so needed here.”

Most of Ms. Palin’s travels on the island nation were closed to the press. Greta Van Sustern, of Fox News, was given exclusive access to Ms. Palin (who is also a Fox News contributor) during the trip.

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As Congress nears a vote on the tax cut deal reached between President Obama and Republicans, two new polls out today find Americans broadly supportive of the plan, including majorities of Republicans, independents and Democrats alike.

Nearly 7 in 10 Americans in an ABC News/Washington Post poll said they support the package, which the poll noted would include extending the Bush-era tax cuts and unemployment benefits, cutting Social Security payroll taxes by 2 percentage points and increasing the exemption on inheritance taxes. More than two-thirds, 68 percent, of Democrats and independents said they supported it, as did 75 percent of Republicans.

Even when respondents in a separate question were given arguments for both sides of the debate, including that the plan would increase the federal budget deficit by $900 billion, 62 percent said they supported it.

Similarly, 60 percent in a Pew poll released today said they approved of the agreement reached by the president and congressional Republicans to “extend tax cuts and unemployment benefits.” And like in the ABC News/Washington Post poll, that included majorities on both sides of the political aisle.

At the same time, both polls found that while support for the plan is broad, it is not deep. Just 20 percent in the ABC News/Washington Post poll said they supported it strongly, as did just 12 percent in the Pew poll.

The public is less supportive of several individual elements in the deal than it is for the plan taken as a whole, perhaps partly explaining its soft support. While 72 percent in the ABC News/Washington Post poll backed extending unemployment benefits, fewer, 54 percent, said they supported extending the Bush-era tax cuts, 52 percent said they favored increasing the exemption on inheritance taxes and most opposed cutting Social Security payroll taxes.

Each poll was conducted nationwide Dec. 9-12 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. The ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted among 1,001 adults and the Pew Research Center poll was conducted among 1,011 adults.

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As congressional leaders and the White House continue efforts to reach a compromise on issues ranging from the expiration of tax cuts to tweaks in the U.S.-Russia START arms treaty, the House approval of the Claims Settlement Act of 2010 brought praise from President Obama and the Departments of Justice, Interior and Agriculture.In a statement [...]

The starting point for President Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress on what to do about the soon-to-expire Bush-era tax cuts had been to extend them for everyone except high-income families earning over $250,000 a year. But as David Leonhardt writes in Wednesday’s New York Times, that’s no longer much of an option, given the [...]

The Defense Department has said it plans to release its report Tuesday on the impact of repealing the military’s “don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy” regarding gays in the military in hoping of pushing along a Senate vote on the issue during its lame-duck session. A new Pew Research Center survey says a clear majority of Americans continue to [...]