NATIONAL — Barney Frank announces plan to retire
Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) has announced that he will retire from the House of Representatives after serving 16 terms in office. Frank has said that as a result of new redistricting laws, it has become too hard to campaign. Frank was first elected in 1980 and was the first openly gay Congressman. “As the first openly gay member of Congress, Barney defied stereotypes and kicked doors open for LGBT Americans,” said Joe Solmonese, outgoing president of Human Rights Campaign and a former campaign staffer for Frank. “Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act would never have happened without his leadership.”
INTERNATIONAL —
The White House spoke out on Tuesday against a raid on the British Embassy in Iran, which caused damage and six people to be taken hostage before the incident was resolved. The incident was prompted by backlash against sanctions put forth against Iran by the British government. “The United States condemns in the strongest terms the storming of the British Embassy in Tehran,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a press conference. “Iran has a responsibility to protect the diplomatic missions present in its country and the personnel stationed at them. We urge Iran to fully respect its international obligations, to condemn the incident, to prosecute the offenders and to ensure that no further such incidents take place either at the British Embassy or any other mission in Iran.”
