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4/22/08
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U.S.: Iran "Hell-Bent" On Acquiring Nuclear Weapons
U.S. Defense
Secretary Robert Gates said on Monday that Iran is "hell bent" on acquiring
nuclear weapons, but he strongly warned of the consequences of going to war over
that issue. Delivering a speech to the Corps of Cadets at the U.S. Military
Academy at West Point,
New York,
Gates said, "Another war in the Middle East is the last thing we need and, in
fact, I believe it would be disastrous on a number of levels."
U.S. Is Hell-Bet on War
with Iran.
Happy Earth Day!
Pablo on Politics
The World
Female suicide bomber kills four in Iraq
A female suicide
bomber in northern Iraq killed three pro-American Sunni fighters and a civilian
Monday, and fighting in east Baghdad left at least nine suspected Shiite
fighters dead. The bomber set off her explosives in Baqubah outside the offices
of the Sons of Iraq, Sunni Muslim paramilitary groups allied with the U.S. Army,
said a Sons of Iraq commander in Diyala province.
Shiite party denies mortar strike on HQ
A senior official
at the Baghdad
headquarters of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council has denied that a missile or
mortar struck the compound. The Council is the biggest Shiite group in the
government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Earlier, a party official said a
rocket struck the compound in the central Karrada neighbourhood, hurting no one.
Hamas readies final response to truce deal with Israel
GAZA (Reuters) -
Hamas plans to give Egyptian mediators its final response on Thursday to a
proposed truce with Israel, a Hamas official said on Tuesday.
Al-Qaida No. 2 says group still targeting the West
CAIRO, Egypt -
Osama bin Laden's chief deputy warns that al-Qaida still has plans to target
Western countries involved in the Iraq war in a new audiotape released Tuesday
to answer questions posed by followers.
Al-Qaida No. 2 says 9/11 theory propagated by Iran
CAIRO, Egypt -
Osama bin Laden's chief deputy on Tuesday denied a theory that Israel carried
out the Sept. 11 attacks and blamed Iran and Shiite Hezbollah for spreading the
idea to discredit the Sunni al-Qaida's strike against the U.S.
Italy joins EU drive for more Iran sanctions
Italy
is expected to join a European Union consensus on Iran's nuclear program, after
dropping earlier objections last week, possibly paving the way for new
sanctions, a government official in
Jerusalem
said.
Pakistan resumes forcing Afghan refugees to return home
PESHAWAR,
Pakistan — Pakistani authorities have resumed sending tens of thousands of
Afghan refugees, many of whom have lived for decades in camps near the
Afghanistan-Pakistan border, back to Afghanistan.
EU advises Pakistan against talks with al Qaeda
ISLAMABAD
(Reuters) - The European Union's foreign policy chief said Pakistan should
resist talking with al Qaeda in its efforts to quell militancy in tribal areas
bordering Afghanistan.
Judges issue won't break Pakistan coalition: Sharif
ISLAMABAD
(Reuters) - Leaders of Pakistan's ruling coalition vowed on Tuesday to honor a
commitment to reinstate judges dismissed by President Pervez Musharraf and said
any differences over the issue would not break their alliance.
US team crosses border for NKorea nuclear talks
SEOUL (AFP) - A
team of US experts crossed the heavily fortified inter-Korean border into North
Korea on Tuesday to discuss Pyongyang's promised declaration of its nuclear
activities, officials said.
UN move expands Australia's territory: minister
SYDNEY (AFP) -
Australia's territory has expanded by an area five times the size of France
after the UN agreed to its jurisdiction over a massive amount of seabed,
Resources Minister Martin Ferguson said Monday.
Colombia: Rebels tried to kill Uribe
BOGOTA, Colombia
- Leftist rebels tried to kill President Alvaro Uribe several times while he was
running for office, including with a bomb that badly battered his armored car,
according to documents the government released Monday.
Paraguay's president-elect calls for alliance between business and the state
ASUNCION,
Paraguay — After his historic presidential win on Sunday, which ended six
decades of one-party rule in Paraguay, former Roman Catholic Bishop Fernando
Lugo said Monday that he wants to build an alliance between private enterprise
and the state.
Amnesty unveils shock 'waterboarding' film
An American
expert in torture techniques has denounced his government for allowing
"waterboarding" to be practised against terror suspects, just as a graphic
advertisement showing the brutal reality of the technique is unveiled to British
cinema-goers. Malcolm Nance, who trained hundreds of US servicemen and women to
resist interrogation by putting them through "waterboarding" exercises, demanded
an immediate end to the practice by all
US
personnel.
Russia: Georgia drone flight breached U.N. rules
MOSCOW (Reuters)
- Russia said on Tuesday that a Georgian unmanned reconnaissance flight over the
Georgian rebel region of Abkhazia had violated United Nations ceasefire
agreements.
Zimbabwe bristles at criticism of arms shipment
HARARE, Zimbabwe
- Zimbabwe's government on Tuesday bristled at criticism it was receiving arms
from China, as pressure mounted for neighboring African countries to keep the
weapons from reaching their destination.
Mozambique needs to grow more food to avoid deficit: WFP
MAPUTO (AFP) -
Mozambique, which imports hundreds of thousands tons of wheat and rice, needs to
develop its own agricultural sector to prevent a food deficit, the World Food
Programme (WFP) said Tuesday.
The Nation
Bush Approval Remains at Record Low
(Political Wire)
President Bush's approval rating is just 22%, according to the latest American
Research Group survey. Key finding: "A total of 54% of Americans say their
personal financial situations are getting worse, up from 46% in March and up
from 31% a year ago."
Bush gets backing from Canada, Mexico on trade push
NEW ORLEANS -
Showing off chummy relations with his North American neighbors, President Bush
shared green onion omelets, grits and sides of Canadian bacon Tuesday morning to
open the last day of a summit showing solidarity on cross-border trade.
Pentagon chief urges Air Force to embrace change
In unusually
blunt terms, Defense Secretary Robert Gates challenged the Air Force, whose
leaders are under fire on several fronts, to contribute more to immediate
wartime needs and to promote new thinking. Gates singled out the use of
pilotless surveillance planes, in growing demand by commanders in Iraq and
Afghanistan, as an example of how the Air Force and other services must act more
aggressively.
General: Army needs 'stop-loss' until late 2009
It will be more
than a year before the Army can end the unpopular practice of forcing soldiers
to stay in the service beyond their retirement or re-enlistment dates, a top
official said Monday. Lt. Gen. James D. Thurman, deputy chief of staff for
operations, also said that as officials continue to increase the size of the
Army, it could be possible by the fall of 2011 for troops to be home two years
for every year they are deployed.
Double number of ex-cons join the US army
The US army
doubled its use of "moral waivers" for enlisted soldiers last year to cope with
the demands of the Iraq war, allowing sex offenders, people convicted of making
terrorist threats, and child abusers into the military, new records released
yesterday showed. The army gave out 511 moral waivers to soldiers with felony
convictions last year. Criminals got 249 army waivers in 2006, a sign that the
demand for US forces in Iraq has forced a sharp increase in the number of
criminals allowed on the battlefield
Alphonso Jackson’s lavish farewell extravaganza.
(Think Progress)
Alphonso Jackson resigned as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
under a cloud of ethics allegations and investigations. Despite his disastrous
record, TPMmuckraker reports that Jackson received a royal farewell party,
including a program with four images of Jackson on the cover… This may have been
Jackson’s last homage to himself at HUD. The giant photo exhibitions of Jackson
are being removed from HUD’s lobbies, and the oil portrait Jackson commissioned
of himself is still in the agency’s basement.
Click through to
see a graphic of the program cover.
No Child Left Behind faces changes
WASHINGTON -
Unable to push education fixes through Congress, the Bush administration is
taking its own pen to the No Child Left Behind law.
Government upgrades investigation of 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty
WASHINGTON - The
government has upgraded an investigation into Chrysler LLC's Jeep Liberty
following reports of drivers losing control of their sport-utility vehicles.
Paper ballot funding bill goes down in House after White House intervenes
A bill that would
have helped states pay to switch to paper-election balloting systems and for
random audits after elections died out of a House committee this week, but its
prime sponsor said he is not giving up the fight. U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.)
said the bill he sponsored, House Bill 5036, the Emergency Assistance for Secure
Elections Act, would help make the nation's elections more accurate and secure
by helping states move to paper ballots over touch-screen electronic machines.
Few Clear Wins in U.S. Anti-Terror Cases
When seven ragtag
men in a Miami religious sect were indicted in 2006 for their role in a bizarre
plot to blow up the FBI Miami office and Chicago's Sears Tower, then- Attorney
General Alberto R. Gonzales said the case represented "a new bra
Former Justice Official Accused of Exchanging Favors With Abramoff
A federal
prosecutor in
Maryland has accused
a Justice Department official who became the former deputy chief of staff of the
criminal division of helping Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff in exchange for a
"stream of things of value," according to criminal papers filed yesterday.
UGA faculty incensed at choice of Clarence Thomas as graduation speaker.
(Think Progress)
University
of Georgia
faculty are “concerned” that having Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as
this year’s graduation speaker “sends the wrong message after a year of sexual
harassment scandals on campus.” The announcement of Thomas as the speaker
“setting off rounds of angry and frustrated e-mails between faculty members”:
“‘What a slap in the face this is to everyone who has been working to bring to
light the realities of sexual harassment, and to establish appropriate methods
and offices for addressing this significant problem on our campus,’ Chris Cuomo,
director of UGA’s Institute for Women’s Studies, told The Red & Black student
newspaper.”
Pa. voters weigh in on hard-edged Democratic contest
PHILADELPHIA - A
six-week, increasingly hard-edged
Pennsylvania
primary contest between Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama
culminated Tuesday as voters registered their choice — a decision that could
save or sink Clinton's flagging candidacy.
Clinton on Iran Attack: 'Obliterate Them'
In an ad that began airing in Pennsylvania Monday morning, Sen. Hillary Clinton,
D-N.Y., implies she is tougher than Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. Clinton further
displayed tough talk in an interview airing on "Good Morning America" Tuesday.
ABC News asked
Clinton what she would do if Iran attacked Israel with nuclear weapons. "I want
the Iranians to know that if I'm the president, we will attack Iran," Clinton
said. "In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider
launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them."
McCain says rust belt towns can be economically resurrected
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Republican John McCain said the hard-hit steel towns of
Ohio
can rebound like his own presidential campaign did last year.
S. Carolina considers special prisons, funded by Homeland Security
South Carolina
sheriffs back a plan to build three regional prisons in the state to hold
illegal immigrants as they await deportation. The current plan calls for the
three prisons to hold up to 400 inmates each. State prison officials will run
the facilities, which will be paid for through a program with the federal
Department of Homeland Security.
Economy & Finance
Equal Pay Day
(American Constitution Society)
Tuesday is "Equal Pay Day": the day when an average woman’s wages finally catch
up to the wages earned the year before by the average man. Earlier this month,
Fatima Goss Graves, senior counsel at the National Women's
Law Center, shared her wish
for Equal Pay Day.
Stocks edge lower on profit concerns
NEW YORK
(Reuters) - Stocks fell on Tuesday, after disappointing outlooks from microchip
maker Texas Instruments Inc and health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc heightened
concerns about the health of the economy.
With gas hitting record highs, drivers feeling squeezed
NEW YORK
- Cabbies here complain their take-home pay is thinner than it used to be.
Trucking companies across the country are making drivers slow down to conserve
fuel. Filling station owners plead that really, really, the skyrocketing prices
aren't their fault.
Oil prices surge to new record of $118 a barrel on weak dollar
LONDON (AFP) -
The price of New York crude oil surged past 118 dollars per barrel for the first
time on Tuesday, lifted by unrest in key producer Nigeria and the weak dollar,
traders said.
Exxon Mobil ranked as #1 most profitable company for fifth year straight.
(Think Progress)
Oil giant Exxon Mobil takes second place on the new Fortune 500 list, with first
place going to Wal-Mart. Exxon Mobil, however, was the most profitable company
for the fifth year in a row, “raking in a record-breaking $40 billion in 2007
earnings.”
Existing home sales decline
WASHINGTON
- Sales of existing homes fell in March while the median home price declined, as
a severe slump in housing showed no signs of abating.
Fed auctions another $50 billion to banks
WASHINGTON -
Battling to relieve stressed credit markets, the Federal Reserve has provided a
total of $360 billion in short-term loans to squeezed banks since December to
help them overcome credit problems.
Struggling homeowners could get new government-backed loans
WASHINGTON
- Homeowners staggering under mounting mortgage debt and facing foreclosure
could get cheaper, government-backed loans under Democrats' housing rescue plan.
Activism by Shareholders Picks Up Steam Online
Some campaigns aim to unseat board members. The CtW Investment Group, which is
affiliated with a coalition of labor unions, wants board members at six
financial firms, including Citigroup and Merrill Lynch, to explain what they did
to manage subprime-loan risks. Says CtW’s Mike Garland: “Absent compelling
explanations, we’ll recommend that shareholders vote against reelection.”
Media
Permanent link to MTA daily media news
I guess they couldn’t
get the audio of a scream.
Feministe
Jill: This is really beyond the pale. And really, if the “What election sexism?” Democrats can’t see how over-the-top this is, I don’t really know what to say. Progressives should be better than this. I haven’t been a Clinton supporter, but the misogynist crap she’s gotten throughout the election has made me a whole lot more sympathetic towards her. There are a lot of questions to raise and a lot of skepticism to be had about both Democratic candidates — we can do that without resorting to sexist and racist crutches. And we can cut the whole “She’s tearing the party apart!” nonsense. You know what tears the party apart? Insulting and attacking the party’s base by launching racist and sexist attacks… Contact the TNR editors (letters@tnr.com) and tell them to stick to the issues — not sexist caricatures.
The seeds of the new progressive blogosphere
(by Violet Socks at Hillary’s Voice)
A list is taking shape of those political bloggers who are either pro-Hillary or
at least fair in their coverage of the candidates — in other words, bloggers who
aren’t raving Clinton-hating Obamabots. Versions of this emerging blogroll are
popping up here and there… Why does this list matter? It’s not merely a question
of knowing where to go for misogyny-free political commentary. These are the
seeds of a new progressive blogosphere in the making. The Obamabots are
poisoning the original netroots, transforming what used to be an arena for
progressive politics into nothing more than a rabid, mindless He-Man
Woman-Haters club.
Click through for
a list of Clinton friendly websites.
Cutting Through the Nonsense: 10 Reasons to Vote for Hillary
(by D. Cupples at Buck Naked Politics)
This morning, I thought again about why I support Hillary -- reasons beyond the
intelligence, warmth and wit that would make her a great Happy Hour partner. I
thought about what she will bring to the White House and how our nation will
benefit in practical ways from her knowledge, skills and perspective. Ten of my
reasons are below.
1. Hillary grasps economic concepts: knowledge a president will need in January
-- given our nation's debt, job loss, credit crunch, recession....
2. Hillary has a plan to get us out of Iraq, a plan that the 34 flag rank
military officers who endorsed Hillary also find impressive.
3. Hillary has a health care plan that offers broad coverage for Americans.
4. Hillary's Senate committee assignments encompass a wide array of issues --
including veterans affairs, education, military issues, labor, health, and the
environment -- which give her a solid foundation from which to help shape
public policy.
5. Hillary understands foreign policy and has dealt with officials from dozens
of other nations…
6. Hillary has broad support among American voters… Hillary's in a good position
to compete with John McCain.
7. Hillary has demonstrated concern for fellow Americans -- starting with her
civil rights activities during college and her work during the seven years after
college, which she devoted to public service (instead of taking her Yale law
degree straight to lucrative arenas).
8. Hillary has broad life experience…
9. Hillary has learned how to get things done in Washington…
10. Hillary is strong, resilient, and tenacious. She has faced more scrutiny
and ugly attacks than most politicians, yet she's still standing. Better than
that, she's still fighting. That's the spirit a president needs in order to
solve the many grave problems our nation faces.
She Changes - People's - Lives
(by alegre at MyDD)
After finishing law school at Yale, she could have written her own ticket - gone
to work for any big name law firm in the nation but instead she chose to go to
work with Marion Wright Edelman at the Children's Defense Fund (CDF). She
knocked on doors to find out why children weren't enrolled in our public schools
and she found that kids with disabilities the blind, the deaf or even kids with
a mild learning disability weren't being taught in our schools. There weren't
even teachers who could help kids with mild dyslexia back then. So she took her
findings to Congress and they passed a nationwide law that required our public
schools to accommodate kids with special needs. Kids like my sweet son… Hillary
didn't stop there guys - she went on to help pass other laws too.
RonK to Goldy’s Sister: If that’s not betrayal, what is?
(by ronkseattle at The Confluence)
[To an Obama supporter:] You are endorsing “I’m Barack Obama, running for
President and I approve this message. … Hillary Clinton will say anything to get
elected.”
You are endorsing the candidate who claims the middle class lost ground during the Clinton years.
You are endorsing the candidate who successfully framed the Clintons on accusations of race-baiting, through an elaborately orchestrated race-baiting campaign of his own.
You are endorsing the candidate who later claimed in passive voice that racial tensions just “bubbled up” between the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries … and who preposterously asserted that America can’t make any progress on jobs, health or education without his admittedly incremental contribution to America’s admittedly residual racial divide … who frames his campaign in grossly counterfeit histories of the civil rights movement of the 60’s, the Reagan years of the 80’s and the Clinton/Gingrich years of the 90’s … who inspired you with a speech that claims a Clinton presidency would leave us in racial “stalemate” analogous to the slave state versus free state stalemate at the Constitutional Convention.
You are endorsing the
candidate who gave Hillary the finger last week in Raleigh NC.
Click through for
more.
Brain reacts to fairness as it does to money and chocolate
(UCLA)
The human brain responds to being treated fairly the same way it responds to
winning money and eating chocolate, UCLA scientists report. Being treated fairly
turns on the brain's reward circuitry. "We may be hard-wired to treat fairness
as a reward," said study co-author Matthew D. Lieberman, UCLA associate
professor of psychology and a founder of social cognitive neuroscience.
And conversely,
unfairness makes us uneasy and unhappy. Which explains my disgust for the Obama
campaign and all its acolytes.
Zogby Poll: Clinton Pushes Into Clear Lead in Pennylvania
(Political Wire)
The last Zogby tracking poll before the Pennsylvania primary shows Sen. Hillary
Clinton continues to pull away from Sen. Barack Obama and now leads, 51% to 41%,
pushing her beyond the poll's margin of error. Said pollster John Zogby: "Sounds
like a radio station's call letters, but remember WECM - white, ethnic,
Catholic, men. That is what put Clinton into her double digit lead here in
Pennsylvania."
Well, that PROVES
she’s a racist.
For Clinton: A victory, is a victory is a victory
(by John: south of Melrose at Liberal Rapture)
Obama is up to something in PA. The Obamites and MSM (surrogate Obamites) are
setting up an expectation game that Clinton must be sure to counter. The
important thing to remember: if Clinton wins she should stay in. There is no
"margin" that means she won but really "lost". That is "in the tank for Obama"
media bullshit. With the Obamamedia it's always over "if- she doesn't win by
this much or that much. I am sure if she wins PA the media say "she won, BUT if
Clinton can't win Guam's Primary.... and so on and so forth. Besides Obama out
spent her by millions. It should be close given how much money he's spent in PA.
So Hillary: A victory is a victory is a victory.
Justice Dept. to monitor Pa. primary
PHILADELPHIA, April
21 (UPI) -- The U.S. Justice Department says it will monitor voting in
Philadelphia during Pennsylvania's presidential primary election Tuesday. The
federal monitors will be deployed to try to ensure compliance with federal
voting rights laws, the Justice Department said in a news release Monday.
Our thoroughly
POLITICIZED Justice Department? It’s a relief that THEY’ll be on the job.
Obama avoids media in final days of PA
BLUE BELL,
Pennsylvania (CNN) – It's now been ten days since Democrat Barack Obama has made
himself available for questions from his traveling press corps, and it appears
as though that number could rise even higher… And at a diner Thursday morning, a
reporter slipped in a question about former President Jimmy Carter's meeting
with Hamas, but Obama responded by saying he just wanted to eat his waffle.
Later that afternoon while taping an interview for "The Daily Show," a reporter
tried to ask Obama about a new Clinton ad and the Obama ad that came as a
response. According to a pooled report, the White House hopeful asked the
reporter if she was "supposed to be" asking a question then. He added that he
would consider answering but that it would depend "on how well behaved you are."
In the end, he did not take the question.
Periodically,
Senator Obama gets testy. Oh, and how does he stay so thin if he’s eating
waffles for breakfast?
No debate for Couric
(Politico)
The North Carolina Democratic Party has dropped plans for an April 27 debate,
which would have been moderated by CBS's Katie Couric. Clinton had agreed to the
debate; Obama did not, and the party said in a statement that the clock had run
out to organize a debate. The party also cited worries about "party unity,"
after last week's combative debate in
Philadelphia,
a focused grilling of Senator Barack Obama on topics he would have preferred to
avoid.
I still say that
Obama has no idea what he’ll face if he’s the Democratic nominee.
Scared Of An Image Of bin Laden?
(by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft)
I am with Kevin Drum on the Obama campaign's overwrought reaction to the latest
Clinton ad: “Are the pro-Obama forces seriously trying to get their troops
outraged over this latest ad from Hillary Clinton? Just because it contains a
ten-second sequence of presidential crises (Depression, Pearl Harbor, gas
crisis, Katrina, etc.) and flashes a half-second clip of Osama bin Laden as part
of it? Spare me. Are Democratic political ads no longer even allowed to mention
the fact that the next president is going to have to deal with the war on
terror?” The reaction is overwrought and I think politically obtuse. It makes it
seem like Obama really is afraid to discuss the war on terror.
See No Evil, Hear No Evil
(by myiq2xu at Corrente)
It does appear that his history of community organizing is central to Obama’s
identity, seemingly even more important to him than his work as a legislator.
The mystery is how with all this community activity, Obama managed to remain
ignorant of the fact that his benefactor, Antoin Rezko, wasn’t paying utility
bills for his tenents, many of whom lived in Obama’s IL state senate district…
Obama claims he knew nothing. His close relationship with Rezko continued until
after Obama was elected to the US Senate. In fact, the deal with Rezko involving
Obama’s home took place after Obama was a Senator, as did the alleged meeting
with Nadhmi Auchi. Obama says he never heard any of Rev. Wright’s controversial
statements either, despite attending Trinity UCC for 20 years. See a pattern?
Part III: Obama Adviser David L. Boren re: Foreign (inc. Energy) Policy
(by GRL at InsightAnalytical)
In Part I I provided extensive information courtesy of Sourcewatch.org, A
Project of the Center for Media and Democacy, on former chair of the Senate
Intelligence Committee David L. Boren’s right wing ties, and his close
relationship to Robert Gates, former CIA director and current Secretary of
Defense. In this post I will add a few more bits of information, including a
rather surprising story about how Boren was involved in the outing of a CIA
agent, and discuss some of Boren’s books and legislation involving foreign
policy… and energy policy.
Two Years Too Late
(by Larry Johnson at No Quarter)
The Pentagon did not control all military analysts. Some of us were offering an
analysis at odds with the Administration’s happy talk and sunny scenarios. I
don’t blame the Pentagon for trying to get away with these shenanigans. That’s
like blaming a dog for sniffing another dog’s ass. But I do fault the media for
not doing their job. They surrendered their critical thinking skills. And as
we have seen in the Barack Obama campaign, they are doing the same thing again.
So if Barack Obama manages to nab the nomination and get elected, don’t be
surprised to find the New York Times reporting in three years that the failed
Presidency of Barack could have been anticipated but that the media was
“scammed”.
Obama’s good
friend Deval Patrick, whose words of hope and change he supposedly borrowed, is
having a tough time delivering on those promises of hope and change as
governor of Massachusetts. See, skillful political strategists like Karl Rove
and David Axelrod can often get a candidate elected, but then there’s that “The
Candidate” moment when they actually have to start thinking about GOVERNING.
'Bittergate' storm shows how blogs have spread panic in US journalism
(by Edward Helmore, The Guardian, U.K.)
If Obama is beaten in Pennsylvania's primary vote on Tuesday then his comment
that small-town voters bitter over their economic circumstances 'cling to guns
or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them' may come to be seen as
pivotal to his campaign. For the media, the episode shows how the internet is
changing the reporting of politics. The event was closed to journalists; [event
recorder and reporter Mayhill] Fowler was only invited because she had given
generously to Obama. 'We had a fundamental misunderstanding of my priorities,'
she told the New York Times. 'Mine were as a reporter, not as a supporter. They
thought I would put the role of supporter first.'… Michael Wolff, the Vanity
Fair media columnist, says this question is moot. 'It doesn't matter whose
employ she was in or what function she was fulfilling. He said something and was
duly recorded. [That's] the new reality [it's] useless to ignore. Everybody is
going to know what you say. We're going through a transformation process. There
is no privacy. You cannot hide.'
In Politics, the Gaffe Goes Viral
Political gaffes
have now entered a supercharged ecosystem of cable, bloggers and digitally
enabled mainstream media outlets. Indeed nothing is more viral than a screw-up.
Despite Promise To Abolish Earmarks, McCain Uses Earmark-Funded Ferry As
Campaign Trail Backdrop
(Think Progress)
This week, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is embarking on what he calls the “It’s Time
for Action Tour,” which he says will spotlight “forgotten Americans.” “We will
travel to areas of this country that in many ways have been forgotten and left
behind,” McCain senior adviser Steve Schmidt told USA Today. As part of the
tour, McCain will visit “the remote town of Gee’s Bend” in Alabama in order “to
ride a ferry across the Alabama River from Camden“… But McCain’s appearance at
the ferry conflicts with his contention that he will abolish earmarks from the
federal budget, considering that the Gee’s Bend ferry was funded by a federal
earmark in the 2005 Transportation/Treasury Appropriations Act.
Addington, Gonzales Witnessed Gitmo Interrogations In 2002; Approved Of
‘Whatever Needs To Be Done’
(Think Progress)
Last month, ABC News revealed that President Bush’s most senior advisers
approved the use of harsh interrogation tactics. Days later, Bush confirmed to
ABC he “approved” of the tactics. In a forthcoming book, British international
law professor Phillippe Sands further documents how the most extreme
interrogation techniques — including stress, hooding, noise, nudity, and “dogs”
— came directly from the White House and Pentagon.
Tortured Explanations
(Center for American Progress)
Philippe Sands' new book shows that those who drew up the United States'
post-9/11 policy on interrogation were woefully inexperienced and badly advised.
McClatchy’s Leila Fadel Cuts Through the BS on Iraq and Iran
(by Bill W. at Crooks and Liars)
Last week Bill Moyers sat down with Leila Fadel while she was stateside to
receive a George Polk Award for Foreign Reporting. In this interview she bluntly
lays bare all the spin on Iraq and Iran in a way that is all too rare these
days. I can’t say enough good things about this brave woman… McClatchy, one of
the few sane voices on Iraq since before the invasion (when they were still
known as Knight-Ridder) continues to impress.
Click through to
watch the video.
Tony Snow Joins CNN as Political Contributor
Former White House press secretary Tony Snow will join CNN as a conservative
commentator beginning today, it was announced by Jon Klein, president of
CNN/U.S. A well-known and respected observer of politics with a longstanding
news background, Snow will contribute to CNN as the network continues to
broadcast winning political coverage.
EXPELLED....
(by Kevin Drum at Political Animal, the Washington Monthly)
I went out today and saw Expelled, Ben Stein's documentary that posits a vast,
worldwide conspiracy of Darwinists who are shutting down legitimate scientific
inquiry into Intelligent Design. The official debunking is here if you're
interested, but I went mostly because I was curious about how good a film it is
purely from an agit-prop standpoint. Answer: not very good. Stein's basic
problem is that during the first half hour or so he keeps his film sounding
fairly reasonable. Maybe ID proponents really are getting the shaft! But it's
also deadly dull. After 30 minutes I was wondering how long he could possibly
stretch this stuff out. Then it picked up. Unfortunately for Stein and the IDers,
it did so only by becoming increasingly unhinged.
Mythbuster:
Study: Costs of cutting greenhouse gases are actually small
(McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — Americans won't pay huge new electricity and heating bills,
unemployment won't skyrocket and the U.S. economy won't be damaged in the
decades ahead if Congress passes legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
according to a study released Monday.
Post's Clarifying Efforts on Global Warming Don't Clarify
(by Dean Baker)
In its Sunday Outlook section, the Washington Post sought to clarify some of the
competing claims about the costs of curbing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions… [T]he
paper quoted John Engler, who is currently president of the National Association
of Manufacturers, on one of the leading bills to curb GHG emissions: "it would
be like every month having a press conference announcing that you were closing
another 1,000-person plant." That is intended to sound very scary. However, in
normal times the economy will create close to 170,000 jobs a month. The threat
of a 1000 jobs lost every month is equivalent to the number of jobs the economy
typically creates in 4 hours. That is not altogether trivial, but this sort of
economic impact would usually not be seen as grounds for obstructing policies
that would otherwise be viewed as important. (The job loss because of the Iraq
War was far greater.)
Rebuilding Loan Loss Reserves Hurts Bank Profits
(by Dean Baker)
This is another one in the "who could have known?" category. The WSJ reports
that stock analysts were apparently surprised that the profits of Bank of
America and other banks would be hurt by the need to replenish loan loss
reserves. If the stock analysts were really surprised on this one, then you have
to wonder what these folks do for a living.
Media Matters for America headlines
• NPR analyst Cokie Roberts apparently unaware that McCain said he is "glad to have" Hagee endorsement
EU to Criminalize Internet-Based Incitement to Terrorism
European Union
justice ministers have agreed that using the Internet to publish bomb recipes or
call for acts of terrorism to be committed should count as a criminal offence.
The 27 member states agreed on Friday, April 18, to introduce as new offences
"public provocation to commit a terrorist offence, recruitment, and training for
terrorism" which would be punishable "also when committed through the Internet."
The commission's proposal would also allow EU law-enforcement agencies to demand
cooperation from Internet providers in order to identify the people making such
calls and to ensure that the offending material is taken off-line.
Israeli troops may have targeted Gaza newsman: watchdog
A Palestinian
cameraman killed by tank fire in the Gaza Strip along with five other civilians
this week may have been deliberately targeted by Israeli forces, Human Rights
Watch said on Sunday. The group said its on-site investigation of Wednesday's
death of Fadel Shana, 23, indicated an Israeli tank crew fired "recklessly or
deliberately" at the Reuters news agency cameraman and his soundman.
NJ court requires subpoena for Internet subscriber records
NEWARK, N.J. -
Internet service providers must not release personal information about users in
New Jersey without a valid subpoena, even to police, the state's highest court
ruled Monday.
"McCaw" is the scariest film involving journalists since "Zodiac"
John Diaz says
"Citizen McCaw," a new documentary film, "is a cautionary tale, not only about
the perils of a newspaper owner run amok, but of what can happen when one very
wealthy and vindictive individual decides to use the legal system to inflict a
living hell on mortals of lesser means."
Media Generals: Editors Respond to 'NYT' Revelations
(Editor & Publisher)
Times Editorial Page Editor Andrew Rosenthal defended the past publication of
Op-Ed's by nine former generals who had ties to the secret Pentagon propaganda
program: "They are either critical of the administration, not writing about
Iraq, or writing about specific issues. In no case is there someone offering an
assessment."
Exclusive: Top 30 Newspaper Sites for March
The Wall Street
Journal online and the Web site of The Dallas Morning News made big gains in
March with unique traffic. Both sites saw their traffic rise at least 90%
compared to the same period a year ago. The data is the latest from Nielsen
Online, which ranks the top 30 newspaper Web sites by monthly unique traffic.
NYPost.com Homepage Takeover; Even More Of A Tabloid For GossipGirl
(by Rafat Ali at Paid Content)
Among the most garish takeovers of a homepage of a major news site ever, and it
has to be seen to be believed. This NYPost.com takeover by Gossip Girl comes on
the same day as sister paper Wall Street Journal did its own editorial
makeover. Somewhere, a little bit of WSJ soul died today.
Click through to
see a graphic of the front page.
Chicago Tribune: We're staying silent on Wrigley Field issue
Should the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority buy Wrigley Field from Tribune?
The Chicago Tribune editorial board says it wants what's best for the city, the
Cubs and Tribune. "That self-interest diminishes whatever credibility we would
bring to this important discussion. So we must recuse ourselves."
Tribune Nears Sale Of Newsday To News Corp: Report
(by Staci D. Kramer at Paid Content)
Looks like Rupert Murdoch may be on his way to some kind of odd New York
trifecta ... WSJ is reporting that parent News Corp is close to a $580 million
deal with Tribune Co. to acquire Newsday. Citing sources "familiar with the
situation," WSJ says the terms would put the Long Island paper in a JV with the
NY Post and some non-newspaper assets; News Corp would own most with Tribune
holding less than 5 percent. Even if the two companies come to terms, the deal
likely would face some opposition and would have to be approved by federal
regulators given News Corp's other area holdings.
For political news, cable is now king
(by Glenn Garvin, Miami Herald)
WASHINGTON -- When the polls close in Pennsylvania Tuesday night, network
television viewers will have a choice: They can watch Kristi Yamaguchi flash
some cunning new moves on ABC's Dancing With The Stars, see if Sharon or Sheila
gets kicked out of the house on CBS' Big Brother, or stare at old Saturday Night
Live skits on NBC. But if they want to find out who won the Democratic primary
between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, they'll have to tune in to a cable
news channel. In an election year that features the most dramatic and
hard-fought campaign in 40 years, TV's broadcast networks have all but ceded
coverage of politics to their upstart cable competitors.
Science confirms 'The Colbert Bump'
Democrats who
appeared on "The Colbert Report" raised about 44 percent more money after their
appearance than they did before. Republicans, on the other hand, didn't fare as
well after their Colbert appearance.
Couric "is my anchor today, tomorrow and in the future"
That's what CBS chief Les Moonves told CBS News staffers on Friday. He said he
was "proud" of Katie Couric and that CBS was lucky to have her. Top network
execs tell Howard Kurtz the public display doesn't change the reality that
Couric is likely to give up the anchor chair after the election.
How to Create Killer Niche Web Sites Without Hiring
(by Steve Outing at Editor & Publisher)
The trick to succeeding in the future will include adding on to the traditional
news-gathering function, most likely serving new niches with deep coverage. How
the heck are you going to do that?
More Bells, Whistles and Packets of All Sorts
With so much of
the publishing industry shifting to the Web, magazine executives are trying to
use their print products as a tactical advantage with advertisers.
Overhaul for Web Site of Essence Magazine
Essence will be the latest magazine to try to refashion itself online for a
daily, rather than a monthly, audience.
Disney Looks to Nature, and Creates a Film Division to Capture It
Betting that
audiences are hungry for nature documentaries, the Walt Disney Company has
created a new production banner to deliver two nature films a year starting in
2009.
The Demise of the 'Chick Flick'
(by Sarah Seltzer, RH Reality Check, posted at AlterNet)
Studio heads are bewildered that big-budget chick flicks are bombing. Maybe they
should stop making movies about rich, thin, white women.
French Supermarket Giant Carrefour Plans Movie Download Store
(Paid Content)
Latest to launch a movie download store - and the latest amongst the
supermarkets to try their hand - is France's Carrefour. The world's second
largest retail group after Wal-Mart is to offer download-to-own and
download-to-rent films and TV shows in France, Spain, Belgium and Italy.
President Christophe Geoffroy (via THR): "It's very important for Carrefour to
have more than one point of sale. We have to be in contact with the consumer in
their homes as well as in-store. We know full well that the market forecast for
VOD is low at the moment, but we are convinced that it will develop over the
coming years and we want to provide a legal solution for customers to see the
best possible content."
What Do Christian Fundamentalists Listen to on Their iPods?
(by Alexander Zaitchik, AlterNet)
Daniel Radosh takes readers on a trip to the parallel universe of Christian pop
culture -- be prepared for a very weird, tame ride.
Video of 41-hour elevator ordeal is Net hit
A time-lapse
video of a man trapped in an elevator for 41 hours has become something of an
Internet sensation after surveillance camera footage emerged after nearly a
decade.
We have lost our
minds.
Technology & Science
Mobile banking gaining traction among younger customers
NEW YORK
(AP) - Most Americans are still hesitant about banking with their cell phones
and PDAs, but young people are increasingly coming around to the idea of mobile
banking, according to a new survey
Britain fires warning on rise of cyber-hackers
LONDON (AFP) -
More than one in 10 big British businesses has detected computer hackers on
their IT networks, a government report said Tuesday, warning of a rampant rise
in such activity.
Virtual reality aids children with autism
A playmate named
Sam, a talking dog named Buddy and an Israeli street leading to a Toys"R"Us
store all have starring roles in a new generation of virtual reality games
designed to teach basic safety and social skills to children with autism.
From DNA of Family, a Tool to Make Arrests
Privacy Advocates
Say the Emerging Practice Turns Relatives Into Genetic Informants. Investigators
obtained a court order without the daughter's knowledge for a Pap smear specimen
she had given five years earlier at a university medical clinic in
Treating PTSD Helps Kids Deal With Loss
Camp-based
therapy proved more beneficial than individual grief counseling, study finds
Heart Disease Risks Hit Boys in Teens
Girls protected
by hormones during adolescence, study suggests
FDA: Contaminated Heparin Found in 11 Countries
And 'biological
mechanism' that leads to adverse reactions identified, officials add.
Chemotherapy Causes Delayed Severe Neural Damage, Study Shows
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 22, 2008) — Cancer treatment with chemotherapeutic agents is often
associated with delayed adverse neurological consequences - an occurrence often
referred to as "chemobrain" - that may compromise the quality of life of a
proportion of cancer survivors. Now, new research demonstrates that treatment
with a single chemotherapeutic agent, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), by itself is
sufficient to cause a syndrome of delayed degeneration in the central nervous
system.
Using Anti-cholinergic Drugs May Increase Cognitive Decline In Older People
ScienceDaily (Apr. 22, 2008) — Anticholinergic drugs, such as medicines for
stomach cramps, ulcers, motion sickness, and urinary incontinence, may cause
older people to experience greater decline in their thinking skills than people
not taking the drugs, according to new research.
Mammograms Still a Good Idea for Elderly Women
Study finds it
reduces risk of being diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer
Life expectancy falls in poorer U.S. counties: study
WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - Life expectancy may have reached an all-time high for the United
States, but it is declining in many poor counties, especially among women,
researchers reported on Monday.
Ancient Buddhist Paintings From Bamiyan Were Made Of Oil, Hundreds Of Years
Before Technique Was 'Invented' In Europe
ScienceDaily (Apr.
22, 2008) — The world was in shock when in 2001 the Talibans destroyed two
ancient colossal Buddha statues in the Afghan region of Bamiyan. Behind those
statues, there are caves decorated with precious paintings from 5th to 9th
century A.D. The caves also suffered from Taliban destruction, as well as from a
severe natural environment, but today they have become the source of a major
discovery. Scientists have proved, thanks to experiments performed at the
European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), that the paintings were made of
oil, hundreds of years before the technique was "invented" in
Europe.
Midwest quakes remain a mystery
Scientists say
they know far too little about Midwestern seismic zones like the one that
rumbled to life under southern
Illinois
Friday morning, but some of what they do know is unnerving.
Ancient supernova leaves an echo 400 years later
Astronomers
recently captured a supernova's blinding flash "echoing" off dust 400
light-years from the detonation site in the Large Magellanic Cloud which means
Earthly observers may have seen the original blast 400 years ago.
Environment
UN gives Monaco prince, New Zealand PM green award
SINGAPORE
(Reuters) - The United Nations honored Monaco's Prince Albert II and New
Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark on Tuesday for driving policies to tackle
climate change. The pair were among the seven winners in the annual U.N.
Champions of the Earth awards.
Larger Pacific Climate Event Helps Current La Nina Linger
ScienceDaily
(Apr. 22, 2008) — Boosted by the influence of a larger climate event in the
Pacific, one of the strongest La Niñas in many years is slowly weakening but
continues to blanket the Pacific Ocean near the equator, as shown by new
sea-level height data collected by the U.S.-French Jason oceanographic
satellite.
10 Ways You Can Improve Earth's Health
The scientific
and political arguments surrounding the health of our planet can make the whole
topic seem beyond the grasp of the individual. How fast is the climate changing?
Exactly what effect to humans have? And what will the government do about it?
8 Ways to Green Your Technology
Technology is a
HUGE part of our daily lives. We carry around cell phones and media players,
work all day on a computer and come home to watch television. But electronic
devices make up 70 percent of the toxic waste in our landfills. Here’s eight
ways to make sure your need for information doesn’t compromise the environment.
Business urged to speed up solutions to greener corporate practices
Singapore
- Business leaders were urged on Tuesday to speed up practical and creative
solutions to greener corporate practices that make sense environmentally and are
a source of competitive advantage.
Green funerals make for eco-exits
LONDON - It's no
longer enough to live a greener life — now people are being encouraged to be
environmentally friendly when they leave the Earth too.
Rubber company sees opportunities in renewable energy
Hanover, Germany
- Contitech, one of Germany's main makers of industrial drive belts and hoses,
said Tuesday at the Hanover Fair in Germany it saw business opportunities in
renewable energy.
Questioning Nuclear Power's Ability To Forestall Global Warming
Rising energy and
environmental costs may prevent nuclear power from being a sustainable
alternative energy source in the fight against global warming, according to a
new study. In the article, Gavin M. Mudd and Mark Diesendorf investigate the
"eco-efficiency" of mining and milling uranium for use as fuel in nuclear power
plants.
Energy industry says more plant construction needed
Environmentalists
argue more energy efficiency could greatly reduce the need fora huge new wave of
power plants and transmission lines. In two studies out Monday, the power
industry gives its terse response: Don't count on it.
A new twist for light bulbs that conserve energy
Starting Tuesday,
all three of the world's top bulb manufacturers plan to roll out CFLs this year
that look and perform more like traditional incandescent bulbs.
Bolivia's Morales says biofuels serious problem to poor
UNITED NATIONS
(Reuters) - Bolivian President Evo Morales on Monday criticized "some South
American presidents" for supporting the use of biofuels, which he said are
responsible for high food prices and global hunger.
Animal activists offer million dollars for test-tube meat
Steaks out of a
test-tube? The animal rights group PETA is putting up a million dollar reward
for anyone who by 2012 can grow in-vitro meat that looks and tastes like the
real thing.
EU wary on artificial food colors, no ban seen yet
BRUSSELS
(Reuters) - The European Union is unlikely anytime soon to ban six artificial
food colorings that some scientists believe may influence children's behavior,
officials said on Tuesday.
