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The Senate voted on Saturday, with a majority of 65 to 31, to repeal the military policy known as “Don’t ask, Don’t tell.” The bill passed the House on December 15th. It now heads to President Obama for a signature this week. Obama has indicated that he will sign it. Eight Senate Republicans crossed the aisle to vote on the stand alone bill with Democrats, ending the controversial 17-year-old act. According to “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” gay men and women were allowed to serve in the military as long as they did not disclose their sexual orientation. The policy was used to discharge 12,500 service members from the military. It could take up to a year to fully implement the repeal. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, while garnering the necessary bipartisan support for the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” was unable to muster enough votes to overcome the Republican filibuster of the DREAM Act on the same day. The legislation, which would have offered a path to citizenship for certain undocumented immigrants, was actually never expected to pass in the Senate, but was introduced nonetheless. With the House of Representatives coming under the control of Republicans next year, immigration advocates have begun to look at battles in states, including California where tuition rates and financial aid for undocumented students are taking shape in the courts.

GUESTS: Clarke Cooper, Executive Director of Log Cabin Republicans, Carlos Amador, student activist working on the DREAM Act

Find out more at www.logcabin.org and www.dreamactivist.org. Find out about DREAM Activists in Los Angeles here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=102226533125&v=wall