www.adpub.info: 06/30/13

When the Senate votes this week on legislation that would revamp the nation's immigration laws, perhaps the most watched vote will be the one cast by Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida and a prominent Hispanic voice in his party.

On Wednesday, Mr. Rubio, an author of the bipartisan bill being debated, took to the Senate floor to explain - and at times defend - his involvement in the largest immigration overhaul in decades.

Mr. Rubio, who was elected to the Senate in 2010 on a Tea Party wave, began by acknowledging all of the phone calls and e-mail messages - not always happy ones, he noted - that he had received in recent weeks from conservatives and Tea Party activists from around the country. These constituents, he said, were â€œpatriotsâ€ - not â€œanti-immigrantâ€ or â€œclose-mindedâ€ people, as some pro-immigration advocates have called them.

Then, Mr. Rubio turned to the current immigration system.

â€œW e have a badly broken legal immigration system,â€ he said. â€œAnd we have 11 million people living in this country illegally in de facto amnesty.â€

Mr. Rubio has been closely watched throughout the entire process, and he has explained (and re-explained) his legislation to conservative television and radio hosts, not to mention his colleagues in both the Senate and the House. On Wednesday he offered further explanation as to why he chose to get involved with a bill to overhaul the nation's immigration laws.

â€œThis isn't about becoming a Washington dealmaker,â€ he said. â€œTruthfully, it would have been a lot easier to just sit back, vote against any proposal and give speeches about how I would have done it differently.â€

â€œAnd finally,â€ he added, â€œthis certainly isn't about gaining support for future office. Many commentators and leaders, people who I deeply respect and with whom I agree on virtually every other issue, are disappointed about my inv olvment in this debate.â€

Indeed, in addition to frustrating many conservatives and Tea Party activists, Mr. Rubio split with his mentor - former Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, who is now leading the charge against Mr. Rubio's bill from his perch at the Heritage Foundation - on the topic of immigration.

â€œI got involved in this issue for one simple reason,â€ Mr. Rubio said. â€œI ran for office to try and fix things that are hurting this special country, and in the end, that's what this is about for me - trying to fix a serious problem that faces America.â€

The Early Word: Approved

In Today's Times:

Harnessing support from both sides of the aisle, the Senate passed the most significant overhaul of the immigration system in a generation on Thursday, Ashley Parker and Jonathan Martin report. But the bill's next roadblock is the House, which Republican leaders say will not take up the Senate measure, looking instead at narrower legislation.

While the recently expired Supreme Court term had elements of modesty, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has been playing a long game, persuading the more liberal justices to join compromise opinions as he patiently sways the court to the right, Adam Liptak writes.

President Obama had been hoping his trip to Africa would offer an opportunity for his first face-to-face meeting as president with Nelson Mandela, of whom Mr. Obama has long been an admirer. But Mr. Mandela's illness has ended the chances of a meeting between the two men, both of whom made history as the first black presidents of countries with deep racial divides, Michael D. Shear reports.

Federal Reserve officials worked Thursday to quell fears of a quick, early end to its stimulus campaign, saying that while they were increasingly optimistic about economic growth, the Fed would continue its effort to reduce borrowing costs as long as necessary, Binyamin Appelbaum reports.

Washington Happenings:

Continuing his Africa tour in Senegal on Friday, Mr. Obama will attend an event focused on food security for We st African farmers. Later, he and his family will travel to South Africa, where he will visit the United States Consulate in Johannesburg.

Representative Zoe Lofgren, Democrat of California, and Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, Republican of Florida, will talk about what could stand in the way of Congress passing comprehensive immigration overhaul at Bloomberg Government on Friday.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is scheduled to consider a resolution on Lois Lerner, the former head of the Internal Revenue Service's division on exempt organizations, and her potential waiver of her right not to incriminate herself at a hearing in May.

On Nuclear Waste Bill, Senators Look to Public for Help

After the Obama administration abandoned plans in 2009 to bury nuclear waste at a repository in Nevada's Yucca Mountain, a spot chosen by leading senators more than 20 years earlier, a study commission recommended that a new location be picked through â€œa consent-based process.â€

On Thursday, a group of senators introduced a bill, the Nuclear Waste Administration Act, that would establish such a process, based in part on public comments solicited online by the bill's sponsors - a practice generally reserved for rules proposed by federal agencies. Call it consent-based legislation.

â€œThe Senate did something highly unusual,â€ said Per F. Peterson, a professor of nuclear engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and a public policy expert. He said the way the l egislation was developed resembled the process used by the study commission, which held hearings around the country. Taking public comment â€œestablishes a strong foundation for the legislation to be successful if passed by the Senate and then by the House,'' he said.

Others are not so optimistic. In the House, there is still strong support for trying to revive the Yucca plan, first proposed in 1987. That effort would depend on the outcome of a lawsuit heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in May 2012. The three judges have not yet ruled.

But the Congressional process thus far has been stunning compared with the process in 1987. At that time, senators from other states that had potential sites, including Texas, Louisiana and Washington, cut a deal to choose Nevada, which was unabl e to fight it off. After Senator Harry Reid of Nevada became the Democratic leader, though, he cut off funding and the consensus fell apart.

Under the new bill, a new federal agency would be empowered to cut a deal with a state and local governments, subject to approval by Congress.Â It does not define the elements of such a deal, but the expectation is that the government would offer what amounted to a handsome dowry for an ugly bride: money for roads, universities or other goodies.

In the interim, the bill would allow above-ground storage of nuclear waste in a central location, a temporary resolution to a problem that has arisen as reactors retire and the waste is orphaned.

The bill was introduced by Senators Di anne Feinstein, Democrat of California and chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development; Lamar Alexander of Tennessee,Â the subcommittee's ranking Republican; Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon and chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee; and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the ranking Republican member.

Congress leaves town for the Fourth of July recess on Friday, but the Senate could take up the measure later this year.

The Weekend Word: Covered

In Today's Times

The Obama administration is moving forward with a rule requiring most employers to provide free insurance coverage for women's contraceptives, in spite of strong resistance from religious groups, Robert Pear writes. The decision has touched off a legal and political battle that figured prominently in last year's elections and is likely to rage for another year.

While supporters of an immigration overhaul are hardly confident, they say House Republicans will discover a crucial difference this year from failed immigration efforts of the past: The coalition behind the bill is far more energized and committed than in previous fights. The movement's diversity gives advocates a variety of pressure points for approaching reluctant House Republicans, Julia Preston reports.

Whether at the White House or the grand presidential palace in Senegal, President Obama has made a point in recent weeks of reassuring Americans that he is not spying on them, Peter Baker writes. His statements reflect the sensitivity of a president elected after assailing counterterrorism policies that he ultimately adopted in some form after taking office.

Thousands of couples, married in one state but living in another, are caught in a confusing web of laws and regulations when moving from one part of the country to another, Sheryl Gay Stolberg reports. The Obama administration is now trying to grapple with how t o extend federal rights and benefits to same-sex couples when states, not the federal government, dictate who is married.

Weekly Address

President Obama used this week's address to talk about his latest plan to combat climate change and the string of severe weather events that battered parts of the country. â€œThe cost of these events can be measured in lost lives and livelihoods, lost homes and businesses, and hundreds of billions of dollars in emergency services and disaster relief,â€ he said. â€œThe question is not whether we need to act. The question is whether we will have the courage to act before it's too late.â€ He discussed a plan that would cut carbon pollution, provide more resilient infrastructure for homes and businesses, and enable the country to lead global efforts to use cleaner energy sources. â€œThis is the fight America can and will lead in the 21 st century,â€ he said. â€œBut it will require all of us, as citizens, to do our part.â€

Happenings in Washington

Teams from each branch of the military will compete in â€œGrill of Honor,â€ a Fourth of July grilling contest judged by the celebrity guests Carson Daly and Brooklyn Decker.

Sunday Breakfast Menu, June 30

Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

With the exact whereabouts of Edward J. Snowden unknown,Â Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, will join ABC's â€œThis Weekâ€ on Sunday to discuss how his antisecrecy group has helped Mr. Snowden in the wake of his disclosures about the National Security Agency.

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decisions on the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8, the Sunday shows will feature figures on both sides of the debate over same-sex marriage. On CBS's â€œFace the Nation,â€ Theodore B. Olson, the conservative lawyer who challenged Proposition 8, and Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council and an opponent of same-sex marriage, will discuss the outcomes. Mr. Olson's co-counsel, David Boies, will appear on CNN's â€œState of the Unionâ€ to weigh in on the case.

In addition to Mr. Assange, ABC will have interviews with Chad Griffin, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, and Brian S. Brown, the president of the National Organization for Marriage. And Representative Tim Huelskamp, the Kansas Republican who says he will introduce a constitutional amendment to restore the Defense of Marriage Act, will be on NBC's â€œMeet the Press.â€

Last week also saw the Senate approve a significant overhaul of the nation's immigration system. As lawmakers look ahead to the challenge of getting the legislation through the House, â€œFox News Sundayâ€ will talk to Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, and Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, who helped usher the bill through the Senate. Also on the program will be Representative Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, chairman of an immigration subcommittee, and Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, Republican of Florida and a member of the House group working on immigration reform.

Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the House Democratic leader, will join NBC to discuss the bill's prospects in the House, as well as the Supreme Court's decisions on same-sex marriage.

Representative Robert W. Goodlatte of Virginia, chairman of the House Judiciary Commi ttee, and Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, Democrat of Illinois and chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus's task force on immigration, are scheduled to appear on CNN to talk about immigration.

Mr. Goodlatte will also join Bloomberg's â€œCapitol Gainsâ€ at noon Eastern.

State Senator Wendy Davis of Texas, who made headlines last week for staging an 11-hour filibuster to fight a bill restricting abortion rights, will tour the shows on Sunday, visiting the programs on ABC, CBS and NBC.

Also on CBS: Gen. Michael V. Hayden, who served as director of the N.S.A. under George W. Bush.

Telemundo's â€œEnfoque,â€ which airs at noon Eastern, will have a packed program on immigration with Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida and a key player in getting the bill through the Senate; Senator Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey a nd another member of the group that worked on immigration; Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Republican of Florida and chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Mr. Gutierrez; and Cecilia MuÃ±oz, President Obama's chief domestic policy adviser.

Mr. Menendez will also appear on Univision's â€œAl Puntoâ€ at 10 a.m. Eastern.

In addition to Fox, Mr. Diaz-Balart appeared on Bloomberg's â€œPolitical Capitalâ€ on Friday along with Ms. MuÃ±oz. Repeats of the program air throughout the weekend.

RepresentativeÂ Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas and the chairman of theÂ Homeland SecurityÂ Committee, will join C-Span's â€œNewsmakersâ€ to talk about topics including border security and the N.S.A.

Q&A: Scanning a Signature for Digital Documents

What's the easiest way to digitize my handwritten signature for use in signing electronic documents?

If you have access to a scanner, writing your name solidly in dark ink in on white paper and scanning the page is one way to go. Once you save the image file of your signature, you can insert it into Word documents, PDF files or as an image in your e-mail program's signature area. (When saving the scanned file, choosing the black-and-white bitmap or PNG formats may result in a crisper signature, but the JPG format is more common.)

Image-editing programs like Adobe Photoshop have tools for cleaning up and enhancing your scanned signature, as demonstrated in this tutorial. Adobe TV has a video that shows how to use its Adobe Acrobat software to do the same thing. If you have a Mac with a built-in Webcam and at least OS X 10.7 (Lion), you can also use the Preview app to create a digital signature file you can use to sign documents.

If you do not have a scanner - but have a smartphone - a free or inexpensive document-scanning app can capture an image of your signature; many of these can also convert photos of documents into PDF files or images. Some apps can also directly digitize your signature, so you may want to browse around your phone's online store to see what solution works best for you.

Q&A: Reorganizing the Video Library in iTunes 11

I have several home-ripped and downloaded old television shows in my collection, but iTunes 11 has put these into the Movies section under Home Videos. Can I move those files to the TV Shows section?

While iTunes 11 automatically sorts movies and television shows purchased from the iTunes Store into the correct content library, new videos imported from other sources often get filed automatically in the Home Videos area because the program needs more information about the clips. To move those home-ripped files into the TV Shows library, you just need to edit each file's information field.

Start by clicking on a video you want to move. Go to the iTunes File menu and select Get Info. (If you prefer keyboard shortcuts to menus, click on the video and press Control and I keys on a Windows PC - or the Mac's Command and I keys - at the same time.)

When the video's information box appears, click the Options tab. Use the drop-down menu next to â€œMedia Kind:â€ to change Home Video to TV Show. If you want to add additional information about the video, like the proper name of the show, a short description of the episode or the season number, click the Video tab and type in the details. Click the Info tab to edit the name iTunes displays for the video. Click the OK button when you have finished and the video should now appear in the TV Shows library under the name you have given it.

To-Do Lists, File Sharing and Other Home Worker Needs

This week's App Smart column was all about apps for smartphones and tablets that can help home workers make the most of their time and the quiet environment. This is a handy trick because for some people, like your columnist, many out-of-office working tasks can actually be carried out on a tablet or phone - no PC required.

Keeping on top of your different tasks is an important part of working from home, and Microsoft's One Note is great for this. It's free on iOS, and Android. The app comes with all of Microsoft's office software expertise and it can sync with task list data you create on your computer. But mainly, it's great for working on the move or at home. The idea behind the app is that you can make annotated lists to remind you what tasks you've got to tackle and then check them off when you're done. One issue is that you can only create 500 notes with the app, and then you have to pay - it's $5. You also have to sign up for a Windows Live ID, but that is fre e.

The Bento app on iOS is a great alternative for keeping track of different tasks you're working on at home. It lets you build lists so you can keep on top of all your projects and even plan events and file all the relevant contacts you'll need for a particular task. But it costs $5, and you may find it just a little too complicated if you're only an occasional home worker.

Besides keeping to-do lists, you also may have to remotely access your Mac or PC. This can be a helpful if you're working on a tablet from a coffee shop or other venue and your main computer is at home. The popular iOS app LogMeIn is great for this purpose. It connects over the Internet to a companion app that's running on your computer, and lets you directly control that machine as if you were sitting at it. LogMeIn is free, but to access a few extra features like high definition video and audio streaming to your mobile device, you'll have to buy a subscription that costs $20 for three mon ths.

Working from home can mean spending a lot of time on the phone to keep in touch with colleagues or customers. To manage all these contacts' business cards, check out Business Card Reader Pro - a $7 iOS app. You use the app to snap an image of the business card, and then it performs optical character recognition to convert the text in the image into data your phone can recognize and then stores as a contact. The $10 Android app ABBYY Business Card Reader is similar in function, and promises to work in 20 languages.

Home working often means that you have to share files with co-workers or your boss who are located elsewhere. The free Box app on iOS and Android is great for simple and straightforward file sharing. It's a cloud-based app and even gives you 5GB of storage space free. It's simple to use, and you can even encrypt the files with a pass code so only the people you really want to read the file's content can do so. The app i s an alternative to the well-known DropBox and you may find you prefer its interface.

Finally don't forget that working from home can be a slightly isolating experience, so why not get your colleagues or customers to use a video calling app like Skype from time to time?

Quick Call

We're all used to sharing photos and video via our phones, but new iOS app Muzio has an unusual twist to the trick: It lets you share albums of photos, video and text as one neat package. The user gets a simple Web link and can then browse the content online. It's free.

Total Pageviews