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4/5/08
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Democratic Donors Pull Funds Over Florida, Michigan
(Political Wire)
A Democratic source tells The Hotline that the DNC "is returning as much as
$175K to donors dismayed with the party's handling of the Florida and Michigan
primaries. My source says the exact amount will be reported in the April 20 FEC
filing."
The World
Bomber kills 15 at Iraq funeral
A suicide bomber
killed 15 mourners when he blew himself up at a funeral in Iraq yesterday. The
attacker detonated his explosives at the funeral of a Sunni policeman shot dead
earlier in the week.
Iraq: U.S. air attacks kill 6, wound 15
U.S.
military forces called in helicopter strikes during a battle in Hilla, Iraq,
that left six dead and 15 wounded, officials said. Air attacks hit Basra and
Hilla Friday amid fighting between Iraqi soldiers and the Mehdi Army militia,
al-Sumaria reported Friday. U.S. forces said they took a Mehdi Army militia
member into custody.
Al-Sadr militia prep for U.S., Iraqi fighting
Militiamen loyal
to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are positioning explosives to defend the
major routes into
Baghdad's Sadr City
neighborhood in anticipation of a major battle with
U.S.
and Iraqi government forces, residents said yesterday.
Iraqi soldiers and police mutiny, surrender weapons and vehicles to Mahdi
militia
Iraq's
prime minister on Friday ordered a nationwide freeze on raids against suspected
Shiite militants after the leader of the biggest militia complained that arrests
were continuing even after he ordered fighters off the streets. Also Friday,
military and police officials in
Basra
said a number of Iraqi soldiers and police were reported to have mutinied or
refused to engage al-Sadr's militants during last week's fighting.
Analysis: Iraqi PM wins rare support
BAGHDAD - Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki's faltering crackdown on Shiite militants has won the
backing of Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties that fear both the powerful sectarian
militias and the effects of failure on
Iraq's
fragile government.
Iran installs more nuclear equipment
UN Security
Council members have been made aware that Iran has begun installing advanced
centrifuges in its main uranium enrichment plant, accelerating activity that
could give it the means to make atom bombs.
Putin mocks notion that Iran poses threat to America
Russian President
Vladimir Putin challenged US policy toward Iran Friday, arguing that the Islamic
Republic should be helped to emerge from isolation, instead of being threatened.
"No one can seriously think that Iran would dare attack the United States," a
source in the Russian.
Officials confirm Iran's role in truce
TEHRAN, Iran -
Officials in Iran confirmed for the first time Saturday that the country played
an important role in brokering a recent truce between the Iraqi government and
anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
British fear US commander is beating the drum for Iran strikes
British officials
gave warning yesterday that America's commander in Iraq will declare that Iran
is waging war against the US-backed Baghdad government. A strong statement from
General David Petraeus about Iran's intervention in Iraq could set the stage for
a US attack on Iranian military facilities, according to a
Whitehall
assessment.
UN group clears 350,000 mines in Afghanistan
According to the
UN Mine Action Program in Afghanistan, more than 600 Afghans were killed by
landmines and explosives last year. Mine initiatives had cleared more than one
billion square metres of land across Afghanistan, one of the most heavily mined
countries in the world.
IEDs go beyond Iraq, Afghanistan
Makeshift bomb
attacks by insurgents — common in Iraq and Afghanistan — are on the rise in
other countries, prompting concerns by military experts that the tactic is
becoming the weapon of choice by terror groups worldwide.
Chinese police kill eight after opening fire on monks and Tibet protesters
Chinese
paramilitary police have killed eight people after opening fire on several
hundred Tibetan monks and villagers in bloody violence that will fuel human
rights protests as
London prepares to
host its leg of the Olympic torch relay this weekend.
China to beef up 'patriotic' education
BEIJING - China
vowed Saturday to ramp up a campaign requiring Tibetan Buddhist monks to
denounce the Dalai Lama and declare their loyalty to
Beijing.
Oh, Lord! Here
we go with re-education camps again.
Human rights group blasts Cuba for abuses
WASHINGTON — The
human rights arm of the Organization of American States on Friday condemned Cuba
for multiple violations, drawing an angry response from its allies Venezuela and
Nicaragua, which argued that Havana had been unable to defend itself.
Communist Cuban solution: private farms
GUIRA DE MELENA,
Cuba - In a country where almost everyone works for the communist state, dairy
farmer Jesus Diaz is his own boss. He likes it that way — and so does the
government.
Questions in Portugal About CIA Flights to Guantánamo
Portuguese Prime
Minister José Sócrates and his predecessor José Manuel Barroso should answer
"clearly and transparently" questions about secret CIA flights transporting
prisoners to Guantánamo, says British lawyer and activist Clive Stafford Smith.
Speaking to the press in Lisbon on Thursday, Stafford Smith, the head of the
British human rights group Reprieve, said the Portuguese government may be sued
if it fails to cooperate voluntarily in the search for the truth.
Tsvangirai says Mugabe preparing violence
HARARE (Reuters)
- Zimbabwe's opposition accused President Robert Mugabe on Saturday of deploying
loyal forces and liberation war veterans for a "war on the people" to reverse
the result of last weekend's election.
G-8 ministers want to boost Africa aid
TOKYO - Japan's
foreign minister urged the Group of Eight industrialized nations to step up
assistance to Africa and other impoverished regions as talks on development aid
opened Saturday amid a worldwide economic downturn.
The Nation
Bush in Russia for missile talks with Putin
President George
W. Bush arrived in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi Saturday hoping to
soften Russian President Vladimir Putin's opposition to US missile defence
plans, but the White House downplayed talk of a breakthrough.
Bush-Putin meeting unlikely to boost U.S.-Russia relations
SOCHI, Russia —
President Bush may be hoping he can reduce U.S.-Russian frictions when he meets
Russian President Vladimir Putin at this Black Sea resort Sunday, but senior
analysts and officials on both sides say relations are likely to remain at their
worst since the end of the Cold War.
Sen. Biden declares troop buildup in Iraq is failure, peace is far off
A leading
Democrat on Saturday declared last year's troop buildup in Iraq a failure. Sen.
Joe Biden (DE), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the
military push didn't succeed because U.S. troops remain committed there in large
numbers and political reconciliation has not been achieved.
Army Worried by Rising Stress of Return Tours to Iraq
Army leaders are
expressing increased alarm about the mental health of soldiers who would be sent
back to the front again and again under plans that call for troop numbers to be
sustained at high levels in Iraq for this year and beyond.
U.S. will send more troops to Afghanistan regardless of Iraq situation: Gates
The United States
intends to send many more combat forces to Afghanistan next year regardless of
whether troop levels in
Iraq
are cut further this year, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Friday. It
is the first time the U.S. administration has made such a commitment for 2009.
Pentagon's Debt Collectors Accused of Ripping Off Soldiers
U.S.
soldiers and veterans have been illegally hit up by Pentagon debt collectors for
millions of dollars in payments over military credit card debt, according to the
consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. Public Citizen and consumer lawyers have
filed a class-action lawsuit against the Army and Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES),
which issues credit cards to U.S. service members to buy goods at military
stores.
U.S. Extends Blackwater Contract While Shooting Probe Continues
Amid
investigations into fatal shootings of civilians and allegations of tax
violations, Blackwater's multimillion-dollar contract to protect diplomats in
Baghdad has been renewed, the State Department said Friday. A final decision
about whether the private security company will keep the job is pending, the
department said. Moyock, N.C.-based Blackwater is one of the largest private
military contractors, receiving nearly $1.25 billion in federal business since
2000, according to a House committee estimate.
McConnell pushes new intelligence plan
A plan to remove
barriers to communication and increase information sharing has been announced by
the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Officials say the new
U.S. Intelligence Community Information Sharing Strategy calls for the removal
of institutional and technical barriers to information sharing that have slowed
the process of effective decision making.
TSA deploys airport behavior screeners
To the untrained
eye, the man looked like any other traveler as he waited in line at Kennedy
Airport. But something about the way he was acting caught the attention of two
security screeners… [I]t's the type of scene that has been unfolding on a
regular basis over the past four years at the nation's major airports under a
rapidly expanding "behavior detection" program set up by the Transportation
Security Administration to spot terrorists or other dangerous air travelers by
way of subtle clues in the way they act.
Battle building in Congress over oxygen's cost to Medicare
WASHINGTON — If
you have respiratory problems, Medicare allows you to rent oxygen equipment,
which costs $7,215 for three years. But here's the kicker: If you bought the
equipment, it would cost $587.
US defends detention of Chinese Muslim
WASHINGTON
- The Bush administration argued Friday that when Congress authorized military
action against the
Sept. 11, 2001 terrorists, it also gave the president the power to detain people
who never took up arms against the U.S.
ACLU taps top legal talent to defend accused 9-11 plotters
The American
Civil Liberties Union, which for years has scorned Pentagon military commissions
as "kangaroo courts,'' announced Friday that it will try to provide top civilian
defense attorneys for alleged terrorists facing trial at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba —
including the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
DC Madam case opens Mon., Diaper Dave to take the 5th!
(by DCblogger at Corrente)
Just when we needed some comic relief from the primary! “Vitter might take the
Fifth; D.C. Madam trial set to kick off Monday…” I am looking forward to having
a good hearty laugh.
Feds Probing Va. Tech Copycat Case
A 20-year-old
with a weapons cache that included AK-47s was arrested Friday in South Florida
on federal charges of threatening to re-enact the Virginia Tech massacre, the
U.S. attorney's office said. Local authorities had arrested Calin Chi Wong at
his home last week after finding 13 firearms and more than 5,000 rounds of
ammunition, some that could pierce armor, and bullets that could take down
aircraft or military machinery. But the suspect's brother told The Associated
Press that Wong "doesn't even know how to use a gun."
Animal vets can't use execution drug
WASHINGTON
- Nearly all lethal injection executions have occurred in states where
veterinarians are not allowed to use the same method to euthanize animals,
according to a new study.
Economy & Finance
Market largely flat as bank fears cool optimism
NEW YORK
(Reuters) - U.S.
stocks were little changed on Friday as nagging fears about more bank losses and
the biggest monthly decline in the job market in five years overshadowed earlier
optimism that the credit crisis may be easing.
Gas prices hit record on low supplies
NEW YORK
- Retail gas prices surged to a new record above $3.30 a gallon Friday and
appear poised to rise further in coming weeks as gasoline supplies tighten.
Oil gains over 2 percent as dollar slips
Oil prices rose more than 2 percent on Friday as weakness in the U.S. dollar
following a batch of soft jobs data outweighed fears of a demand slowdown in the
world's biggest energy consumer. News of a fire at an Exxon Mobil refinery in
Los Angeles [!]
supported the gains, sparking fears over gasoline supply heading into the summer
driving season.
Energy Dept. sets aside more oil
WASHINGTON - The
Energy Department said Friday it would continue putting oil into the Strategic
Petroleum Reserve even as crude oil prices remain above $100 a barrel.
Lawmaker urges SEC to broaden short sale probe
WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee on
Friday urged the Securities and Exchange Commission to broaden its probe of
questionable trading in Bear Stearns' shares to include trading activity in
shares of all the large investment banks.
Oh, yeah, what
about those short sales on 9/11 that have never been investigated?
What's so horrible about thwarting financial innovation?
(by Justin Fox at The Curious Capitalist, Time Magazine)
[T]he simple truth is that innovation leads to financial crises. That's because
the risks of new financial products are so easily glossed over--until that
fateful day when they can't be anymore and markets respond by freezing up with
distrust and fear. That's what happened with subprime mortgages and the
securities built out of them.
At Last, Buffett’s Key to Success
Warren Buffett, the super-investor and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, is
patient and does his research — like most female investors, an editor at The
Motley Fool writes.
Media
Permanent link to MTA daily media news
Clinton ramps up call to count Fla, Mich
HILLSBORO, Oregon
- Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton Saturday strengthened her pitch to allow
disputed primaries in Michigan and Florida to be counted in the nominating
contest, noting the vote totals had been officially recognized in each state.
Obama Proposes 50/50 Michigan Split: Just Say No (by Jeralyn at TalkLeft)
Clintons report $109.2M for 7 years
WASHINGTON - Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Clinton reported $20.4 million in
income for 2007 and more than $109 million since 2000 as they gave the public
the most detailed look at their finances in eight years… The Democratic
presidential candidate and her husband paid $33.8 million in taxes from 2000
through 2007. They listed $10.25 million in charitable contributions during that
period.
That’s almost 10%
of their income that they have given to charity. And it doesn’t even begin to
address the money the Clintons have raised directly for charities (see below).
The Obamas, by contrast, have given
less than 1% of their income to charity.
From the Washington Post in February of 2007: “Beyond the millions he has earned personally, the former president has given dozens more speeches that result in payments to the William J. Clinton Foundation, his nonprofit charity in New York. His associates say those have yielded millions to help cover the $60 million annual budget the foundation spends to fund his charitable work on AIDS and world hunger.”
From The New York Times in April of 2007:
“It was January 1999, President Clinton’s impeachment trial was just beginning
in the Senate and Hillary Clinton was scheduled to speak at [a] fund-raiser [for
Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE), run by Susan Axelrod, wife of
Obama chief political consultant David Axelrod] in Chicago. Despite all the fuss
back in Washington,
Clinton kept the appointment. She spent hours that day in the epilepsy ward at
Rush Presbyterian hospital, visiting children hooked up to machines by
electrodes so that doctors might diagram their seizure activity and decide which
portion of the brain to remove. At the hospital, a local reporter pressed her
about the trial in Washington, asked her about that woman. At the organization’s
reception at the Drake Hotel that evening, Clinton stood backstage looking over
her remarks, figuring out where to insert anecdotes about the kids. ‘She
couldn’t stop talking about what she had seen,’ Susan Axelrod recalled. Later,
at Hillary Clinton’s behest, the National Institutes of Health convened a
conference on finding a cure for epilepsy. Susan Axelrod told me it was ‘one of
the most important things anyone has done for epilepsy.’ And this is how
politics works: David Axelrod is now dedicated to derailing [Hillary Clinton’s]
career.”
And since that
time, some progress has been made in understanding epilepsy, which could help
ameliorate, or even cure, the disease. Some recent headlines: “Drug
Prevents Abnormalities That Lead To Seizures, Mouse Study Shows”, “New
Method To Identify Mutated Genes In Human Diseases”, “Epilepsy
Marked By Neural 'Hub' Network”.
If anyone knows of other good works by the Clintons, please let me know. They don’t advertise their work for charity, except for the Clinton Foundation, so the instances have to be rooted out.
In Memphis, Clinton Calls for Cabinet Post on Poverty
(New York Times)
MEMPHIS — Hillary Rodham Clinton called for a cabinet-level poverty czar … on
Friday for the 40th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination. From the Memphis
church where King delivered his last sermon on the evening before he was gunned
down by James Earl Ray, Mrs. Clinton gave her support to an idea long advocated
by the King family, a cabinet position that she said would be “solely and fully
devoted to ending poverty as we know it, that will focus the attention of our
nation on this issue and never let it go.” Mrs. Clinton added: “No more excuses,
no more whining, but instead a concerted effort.”
Hillary Clinton
has long been involved in fighting poverty. She was one of the first people in
the U.S. to try to
bring microcredit to poverty-ridden Arkansas.
The Content of HER Character
(by Fleaflicker at No Quarter)
As Hillary spoke [Friday] at the 40th anniversary of Dr. King’s death she paid
tribute not only to the man she once met but to the dream he literally gave his
life for…: “Dr. King taught us everything we needed to know about his legacy and
how to carry it forward, but in the end it is up to each of us to walk that
path. It is not an easy path. It was hard for him. It is hard for us. Sometimes
we take steps backwards so maybe then we can figure out a new way forward. But I
have abiding confidence, and yes, faith that we can make our way to higher
ground. Whether or not we make it to the mountain top, whether we make it to the
Promised Land is not for us to know, but I believe with all my heart it is for
us to try. And when we get tired and when our faith starts to waiver, we can of
course remember Dr. King’s faith in us.”
Click through to
watch the video.
MLK’s speech on Vietnam sounds a lot like Iraq
(by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
Digby excerpts part of MLK’s not very well known speech on Vietnam, you know the
war that Bush says Iraq isn’t: “Somehow this madness must cease. We must stop
now. I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of
Vietnam.
I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being
destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor of America who
are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home and death and corruption in
Vietnam. I speak as a citizen of the world, for the world as it stands aghast at
the path we have taken. I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation.
The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be
ours.”
Now What About McCain's Tax Returns?
The Democratic National Committee releases this statement: "While both
Democratic candidates for president have released several years worth of full
federal tax returns, John McCain has not. As a self-professed champion of
disclosure and ethics, John McCain should explain why for the past 26 years he
has not seen fit to provide this important financial information to voters..." A
McCain spokesman tells MSNBC that the Arizona senator will release his tax
returns after they're filed, the week of April 15.
Hagel: McCain too busy campaigning to deal with GI Bill.
(Think Progress)
Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) is leading the charge on a new “21st Century GI Bill” that
will dramatically expand the scope of education assistance provided to returning
veterans who served after Sept. 11. While Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has said he is
“obviously committed” to “quality education” for GIs, his support for Webb’s
bill has thus far been AWOL… Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Hillary Clinton
(D-NY) have both co-sponsored Webb’s bill even though they also have been
“involved in other pursuits.”
Candidates to press Petraeus on Iraq war
WASHINGTON - When
Army Gen. David Petraeus delivers his assessment of the Iraq war next week, the
next commander in chief will weigh in as well.
Clinton-Backer Nutter: Media Covers Race With "Double Standard"
(by Sam Stein at the Huffington Post)
A key Pennsylvania
surrogate to Sen. Hillary Clinton accused the media on Thursday of having a
"double standard" in the way it has reported the issue of race in the 2008
Democratic primary. Speaking at an event in
Washington D.C.,
Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter said that the press had willfully ignored the
historical significance of Clinton's attempt to be the first women president,
while still playing up Sen. Barack Obama's own ground-breaking run. "Both of
these candidate represent historic opportunities," Nutter told The Huffington
Post… The mayor expected a Clinton victory in Pennsylvania and rejected the idea
that, in order to show her long-term viability, her win had to be of the
double-digit variety: "When you win a Super Bowl it doesn't matter how many
points you win by."
Gov. Rendell: There's 50% About Barack Obama We Don't Know Yet
(by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News)
[Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell] said that Clinton will be able to beat Sen.
John McCain, R-Ariz., in states such as Florida, Michigan, Ohio and
Pennsylvania, and "she's been really well vetted, all the bad stuff is by and
large out there, and there are no surprises. With Sen. Obama I think the right
now he may run, a little stronger in some areas -- not the key states -- but in
some areas against Sen McCain, but understand that he hasn't been vetted."
Dear Mr. Dean: We’ve Been Hoodwinked!! by Xyndau
Mr. Dean, it is
abundantly clear that the MSM has “hoodwinked” us. The MSM has created a Barack
Obama that in all probability does not exist. Rather, what exists is the MSM’s
artificial, glossy, notion of what a “post-racial” presidential candidate should
be… I bring this grievance to you, because you are the Chairman of our party and
it is your obligation to assure that our party is not torn asunder by a
candidate that is not properly vetted. I encourage you to discuss with all
automatic delegates the very real likelihood that John McCain, and the RNC, will
do this fall what the MSM has so far failed to do. If our party fails to
properly vet Obama until the RNC does it this fall, it likely will be too late
for our party this election cycle.
Click through for
a discussion of how the media have promoted hatred for Hillary Clinton and
provided excuse after excuse for Barack Obama.
Barack Obama's Finance Chairwoman And The Seized Superior Bank
(by Uppity Woman at No Quarter)
Barack Obama’s Finance Chairperson [is] Penny Pritzker… The Pritzkers are one of
the nation’s wealthiest families and heirs to the fortune created by the Hyatt
hotels… Among their other endeavors, the Pritzkers were the owners of Superior
Bank in Hinsdale,
Illinois
when it was seized. Yes, I did say seized. Here’s a Press Release from the
Office of Thrift Supervision, Bureau of the US Treasury: “…Superior Bank
suffered as a result of its former high-risk business strategy, which was
focused on the generation of significant volumes of subprime mortgage and
automobile loans for securitization and sale in the secondary market. OTS found
that the bank also suffered from poor lending practices, improper record keeping
and accounting, and ineffective board and management supervision.
Superior
became critically undercapitalized largely due to incorrect accounting treatment
and aggressive assumptions for valuing residual assets.”
Pritzker was no
innocent investor.
She was the chairman of the bank. Click through to listen to the audio of
an interview with one of the victims of this fraud.
Barack Obama - Operation Board Games For Slumlords
(by Evelyn Pringle at OpEd News)
Barack Obama has a long history of working with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and
governors of Illinois, including the current Governor Rod Blagojevich, in doling
government funding for housing development in Chicago. His history is hardly a
model of success, except for the hundred of millions in profits made by the
chosen few slumlords… "The spigot of loans, grants and tax credits should have
been cut off when the first of 30 taxpayer-supported Rezko buildings in
Chicago
fell into disrepair, [some Chicago] aldermen said"… Instead, … a "Sun-Times
investigation showed that the city, state and federal governments kept the gravy
train rolling -- to the tune of $100 million between 1989 and 1998." The lending
continued, the Times noted, even as the city repeatedly sued Rezko's development
company, Rezmar, "for such basics as no heat."
A number of these
buildings were
in Obama’s Illinois senatorial district, but he claims no on told him that
the people had no heat.
I think we can tell pretty easily from the two articles excerpted above what an Obama presidential program against poverty would consist of—helping both corrupt Illinois Democratic machines become even more corrupt.
A Chance for Good Judgement: Randi on BO.com
(by Pacific John at MyDD)
New information uncovered by Tennessee Guerrilla Woman indicates that Randi
Rhodes' Green960 Imus/Limbaugh imitation was not just a radio station event, but
was promoted on Barack Obama's website… While the event is not tied directly to
Obama's staff, Obama supporters publicized the event on the campaign website. A
number of Obama supporters from his website were there to inappropriately cheer
Rhodes.
Simply, Sen. Obama should renounce Randi Rhodes and chastise Obama supporters in
the SF audience who acted inappropriately. He should also take the opportunity
to correct the tone set by many of his supporters online who continue to approve
of Rhodes' message.
Click through for
a link to a screen capture of the Obama campaign’s promotion of the event.
Randi’s supporters are waging a campaign to get her back. If you think her rant
is as bad as Don Imus’ misstep, which wasn’t even planned,
write to AAR management and tell them what you think.
Re-runs (by
Avedon Carol at The Sideshow)
Maybe I'm more sensitive to this because I never loved the Clintons all that
much, but I could see what the conservatives/Republicans were doing to the
Clintons in the '90s, and I knew which side of that I was on. The fact that the
same falsehoods about the
Clintons
are now showing up in the supposedly-progressive threads of
supposedly-progressive blogs/sites isn't making me feel good. Of course
Clinton's supporters are horrified by it - as a non-Clinton supporter, I'm
horrified by it, too. Destroying the Clintons does not help the party, and will
do it serious harm in November. If Obama can't get his campaign to discourage
this crap, we will lose in November, and won't be the Clintons' fault.
Obama’s Support Softens in Poll, Suggesting a Peak Has Passed
(New York Times)
WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama’s support among Democrats nationally has
softened over the last month, particularly among men and upper-income voters, as
voters have taken a slightly less positive view of him than they did after his
burst of victories in February, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News
poll. The survey suggests that Mr. Obama, Democrat of Illinois, may have been at
something of a peak in February, propelled by a string of primary and caucus
victories over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, and that perceptions
of him are settling down.
The more
Americans get to know about Senator Obama, the less they like him.
Clinton Leads in 4 of 5 Upcoming Primaries
(by steve468 at MyDD)
Clinton is leading in
4 of the 5 upcoming primaries scheduled for between April 22 and May 20th.
Depending on which poll you wish to wager on and the polling numbers you confide
in, her lead appears to be consistent so far in the 4 states in which she is
ahead. Note that polling has changed often in these contests and should be
considered with a grain of salt. However, it does look good at this time for
Hillary in those states. IN PA: Clinton is ahead by an average of 9.5%... IN
INDIANA: Clinton is ahead by an average of 6%... IN WEST VIRGINIA: Clinton is
ahead by 28%... IN KENTUCKY: Clinton is ahead by 29%.
Superdelegates fret over blowback
As senior
Democratic Party officials call on superdelegates to announce their presidential
candidate preferences, one group remains stubbornly resistant to their pleas:
junior members of Congress.
Some superdelegates more super than rest
WASHINGTON - Some
of those presidential superdelegates Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham
Clinton are pursuing are more super than others. One delegate, one vote doesn't
apply to them. These prominent Democrats can name additional superdelegates,
giving them control over multiple convention votes, and that could be the
difference in a race that may not be decided until the August convention.
Reid Says Nomination Fight Isn't Harming Democrats
April 4
(Bloomberg) -- The protracted battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton
for the Democratic presidential nomination is doing ``zero damage'' to the party
and instead is helping it prepare for the November election, Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid said.
Colombia fires top Clinton aide's firm
WASHINGTON
- The Colombian government said Saturday it has fired Mark Penn's public
relations firm after the chief campaign strategist for Democrat Hillary Rodham
Clinton apologized for meeting with Colombian officials pushing a trade deal
with the U.S.
Hillary Clinton’s Campaign Starts with the Geo-Targeting
(by Mark 'Rizzn' Hopkins at Mashable)
Patrick Ruffini yesterday noticed something strange when he happened to log into
Hillary Clinton’s campaign site from an in-store WiFi location (yes, stranger
than a Republican pundit and strategist frequenting Hillary’s campaign website
while at a commercial WiFi hotspot). When he logged in he noticed, curiously,
that the prominent images and headlines on the site implored him to “Help
Hillary Win Indiana,” which was curious since he was in a suburban Virginia
location at the time. He verified later, though, that most residents of Indiana
locales were seeing the appropriate regional version of the website, while folks
elsewhere were seeing a version of the site promoting the idea that Michigan and
Florida ought to have their votes count in the Democratic Primary… For those of
us following closely the campaign coverage, though, this marks the first time
that a campaign website has engaged in such advanced marketing tactics with
their targeting.
Clinton campaign lets supporters 'buy' a yard sign
(On Politics, USA Today)
The presidential campaigns are always looking for ways to make supporters feel
involved. Today, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's team opened a "My Pennsylvania"
webpage where contributors can direct their cash toward any of six different
things the campaign needs to buy -- from TV ad time to yard signs.
Media Matters for America headlines
• O'Reilly on transgender man's pregnancy: "[I]magine a poor kid getting born into that family"
• O'Reilly apparently still not relaxing "on all this gay stuff"
• Fox News' Kelly repeated false claim that Dean criticized McCain for citing his military service
• CNN finally covers prep school student's question producing McCain's "awkward moment"
China promotes website attacking Western media
BEIJING (AFP) -
More than a million people have "signed up" to a website petition being promoted
by one of China's biggest Internet portals to criticise Western media "bias" in
covering the Tibetan unrest.
Canada aims to end censorship flap
OTTAWA (Hollywood
Reporter) - The Canadian government has extended an olive branch to local
filmmakers who furiously oppose its plan to deny subsidies to projects it deems
offensive.
Bush officials mount campaign against media shield bill
The Bush regime
is campaigning against legislation that would allow reporters to protect the
identities of confidential sources who provide sensitive, sometimes embarrassing
information about the government. Attorney General Michael Mukasey and other
administration officials say the "Free Flow of Information Act" could harm
national security and would encourage more leaks of classified information.
Pentagon employee erases mention of homosexuality on dead soldier’s Wikipedia
page. (Think
Progress)
The Washington Blade reports that a computer with a Pentagon-registered IP
address removed references of Maj. Alan Rogers’ sexual orientation… On March 30,
Washington Post Ombudsman Deborah Howell said the paper erred when it excluded
references to Rogers’s
homosexuality in its original report, noting that “the story would have been
richer for it.” Andrew Sullivan wrote: “I can see why outing someone who is
alive and closeted is unethical; inning someone who is dead and was out is a
function of utterly misplaced sensitivity, rooted in well-intentioned but
incontrovertible homophobia.”
Government-funded website blocks searches on abortion.
The search
database Popline dubs itself a “connection to the world’s reproductive health
literature.” But the government-funded site, run by Johns Hopkins University,
has recently begun blocking searches on the word abortion, “concealing nearly
25,000 search results” — censorship a
University
of California
at San Francisco librarian noticed this week.
Hopkins
is investigating.
Abstinence education in FL leads teens to think smoking pot will prevent
pregnancy.
The state of
Florida has a strict policy of abstinence-only sex education. A recent survey,
however, shows that this program may be failing, leading teens to believe
dangerous myths about pregnancy and and sexually-transmitted diseases: A recent
survey that found some Florida teens believe drinking a cap of bleach will
prevent HIV and a shot of Mountain Dew will stop pregnancy has prompted
lawmakers to push for an overhaul of sex education in the state.
Couple Sues Google for Posting House Pix
PITTSBURGH (AP) -
A western
Pennsylvania couple
has sued Google Inc., saying pictures of their home on its Web site violate
their privacy and devalued their property.
Newspaper outs pair who anonymously gave $10M to village
A brother and sister, 86 and 84, gave $10 million to
Mount Pleasant, Wis. for a
new village hall and other buildings. They wanted their gift to be anonymous,
but revealed their names after the Racine Journal Times filed a request to view
the contract under the Wisconsin Public Records Law. Editor Steve Lovejoy says:
"While this donation appears to be a benign and civic-minded gesture from two
longtime village residents, the next donation might come from someone with other
motivations." PLUS: Readers scold the paper in the comments section.
Why don't newspaper websites link to competitors' stories?
Jack Shafer
complains that a recent Washingtonpost.com story cited an Nytimes.com story, but
linked to a generic page about the Times. "The Nytimes.com does no better,
citing a news-breaking Washington Post story in a recent article but not linking
to it," he writes. Shafer also hates when he's told to "click here, here, here,
and here for more."
Tribune Could Default In '09: Analyst
(Paid Content)
The massive debt load carried by Sam Zell-owned Tribune guarantees a paper-thin
margin for error in its operations. Credit analyst David Novosel estimates that
the company has $4 billion in debt and interest payments to make in 2009,
practically requiring major asset sales, reports Reuters. This is the context
behind the planned sale of the Chicago Cubs, as well as
Long Island paper Newsday.
Microsoft-Yahoo: Two Months Later
(Mashable)
It was on a Friday just over two months ago that Microsoft announced its $44.6
unsolicited bid to acquire Yahoo. A week later, Yahoo publicly rejected that
offer, and in turn, Microsoft announced it would “pursue all necessary steps“ to
complete the deal. The latest, according to Marketwatch, has the two sides once
again holding “informal talks,” with no deal appearing to be imminent.
Microsoft Previews Digital Programming Slate For Advertisers
(by David Kaplan at Paid Content)
Microsoft's programming preview looks like any other upfront presentation, but
there was at least one important difference. The shows that broadcasters
highlight to advertisers at their upfront events are pretty much set in stone.
Microsoft told advertisers directly that they would be willing to work with them
on "tweaking" the shows depending on their needs. As an example, Gayle Troberman,
MSN's head of branded entertainment, said that its comedic home improvement show
In Need of Repair could tone down the humor and be made to seem more "service
oriented."
Barry Diller To Back Tina Brown News Site
Former New Yorker and Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown is teaming with Barry Diller
on the creation of a non-partisan news aggregation site, Radar reports.
Hearst Interactive Backing Kindle-Like E-Book Reader Startup FirstPaper
(by Rafat Ali at Paid Content)
Hearst Interactive, the digital media investment arm of Hearst Corp, is
incubating a Kindle-like e-book reader, paidContent.org has learned, and the
separate venture is called FirstPaper… Hearst has also invested in E-Ink, the
electronic display technology firm, so there might be some synergies involved.
E-Ink supplies its technology to Sony Reader, Sony's critically acclaimed e-book
reader… A story in Crosscut, a Seattle news site, back in July last year
mentioned that Hearst is planning to test-market a wireless online newspaper
within the next two years, using E-Ink technology. But unlike Kindle's small,
hardback reader, Hearst plans to employ the technology on a flexible screen
almost as big as a tabloid paper. The e-paper can be updated by simply touching
the screen. That was quickly denied by Hearst back then, though again, not sure
if FirstPaper is related to this.
Listen to a mentalist's music - Charles Manson's 'One Mind' available under
Creative Commons
Here's news for any budding psychopaths out there. Multiple murderer, cult
leader, convict and all round good guy Charles Manson has released another
album… Download it if you must but don't blame me when the subliminal messages
wind you up in a cell with no friends left. Let's face it, you probably will
have eaten them anyway.
Courts Disagree on Legality of Uploading
BOSTON (AP) -
Leaving a copyrighted song where others can get at it with peer-to-peer software
doesn't constitute a copyright violation until someone downloads it, a federal
judge said in a record industry lawsuit against college students.
Google Marks Five Years Of Ad Grants For Non-Profits
(Mashable)
Google Grants, an organization managed by a team of Google employees spread
throughout the globe, including some 1,000 part-time volunteers, is celebrating
its fifth anniversary as a group devoted to providing non-profits in some 16
countries with free AdWords advertising. Cynthia of the Google Grants
collaborative wrote on the division’s blog that “the combined value of the
clicks accrued by grantee advertisers on Google is approximately $273.3
million.”
Comcast/Starcom Study: Trying Prove That Ad Targeting Works
(Paid Content)
It stands to reason that someone considering the purchase of a new car would
likely be more receptive to an auto ad than someone who isn't. After 16 months
of considering some obvious examples like that, Comcast Spotlight, the cable
operator's advertising unit, and Publicis Groupe media agency Starcom say they
are able to quantify just how effective targeted ads are: households that
received "addressable ads" were 56 percent more "efficient" that ads that
weren't targeted. Also, the study found that the targeted households it sampled
changed the channel 38 percent less than those watching traditional ads.
Google On Spectrum Auction: We Bluffed
(Mashable)
The title pretty much sums up Google’s story on their secretive (they had to
keep quiet until now because of FCC’s anti-collusion rules) C Block bid which
ended up in Verizon’s hands in the end. By their own admission, they were aware
that the chances of them actually winning the bid were slim, but they had to
push it to $4.6 billion, since this price would “trigger the important “open
applications” and “open handsets” license conditions.”
