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4/28/08
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US would pursue Bin Laden through other countries
United States
Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte has said that if Washington has
explicit proof of Osama Bin Laden's 'presence' in Pakistan's border regions, it
will categorically pursue him. Negroponte said that as far as Osama bin Laden
was concerned,
Washington would
pursue him regardless of any permission from
Pakistan
to conduct a military operation within its borders.
I thought Bush
doesn’t care any more about bin Laden. For that statement and many other stupid
things said by the man who occupies the Oval Office, visit
The Real George Bush.
TBH
The World
Iraqi political leaders protest U.S. siege of Sadr City
BAGHDAD, Iraq —
About 50 leaders representing a variety of Iraqi political blocs took to
Baghdad's Sadr City on Sunday, a stronghold of fiery religious leader Muqtada al
Sadr, to protest the U.S.-led siege of that area.
American, Iraqi troops kill 38 militants in Baghdad
BAGHDAD -
American and Iraqi troops killed 38 militants in the fiercest clashes with
militants in weeks in Baghdad, including 22 who attacked a military checkpoint
in a Shiite militia stronghold, the U.S. military said Monday.
Baghdad Green Zone blasted under cover of storm
Militants
bombarded Baghdad's Green Zone with rockets on Sunday, taking advantage of the
cover of a blinding dust storm to launch the heavy strike. Reuters
correspondents heard the missiles whistling overhead and exploding inside the
heavily fortified government and diplomatic compound on the west side of the
Tigris
River. Iraqi police said eight missiles or mortars had hit the Green Zone and
another 14 fell in other parts of the Iraqi capital, killing two people and
wounding 20.
Mosul hit by multiple suicide bombs
Three suicide
bombers and a car bomb have struck the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, killing at
least nine people and wounding 31 others, police said.
Iraqi museum celebrates return of stolen artifacts
BAGHDAD, Iraq —
The Iraqi National Museum on Sunday celebrated the return of some 700 artifacts
that were looted following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 and surfaced recently
in neighboring Syria.
Israeli strike kills 7 Palestinians
GAZA CITY, Gaza
Strip - An Israeli tank shell slammed into a tiny Gaza Strip home Monday during
a skirmish with gunmen, killing a Palestinian woman and four of her children as
they prepared to sit down for breakfast, officials and relatives said.
'Worried' Egypt PM appeals for help to ease price hikes
CAIRO (AFP) -
Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif has urged anyone who can resolve the
nationwide problem of price rises to come forward with ideas, the official MENA
news agency reported on Monday.
Syria: CIA fabricated 'reactor' pictures
Syria's ambassador to the United States said Friday that the CIA fabricated
pictures allegedly taken inside a secret Syrian nuclear reactor and predicted
that in coming weeks the US story about the site would "implode from within."
"The photos presented to me yesterday were ludicrous, laughable," Ambassador
Imad Moustapha told reporters at his Washington residence.
Iran demands Russian nuclear shipment
TEHRAN, Iran -
Iran demanded Sunday that Azerbaijan deliver a Russian shipment of nuclear
equipment blocked at its border with Iran for the past three weeks.
Iran discusses package of nuclear proposals with Russia
TEHRAN, Iran -
Iran and Russia on Monday discussed the outlines of "serious proposals" aimed at
assuring the international community that
Tehran's
nuclear program is peaceful, state media reported.
Iran says Iraq situation makes U.S. attack unlikely
Iran
said on Sunday a "disastrous situation" facing the United States in Iraq and
Afghanistan coupled with Washington's domestic issues made any U.S. attack on
the Islamic Republic unlikely.
Karzai survives assassination attempt during military parade
President Hamid
Karzai survived an assassination attempt yesterday when Taliban militants fired
gunshots and rockets at a military parade in central Kabul. Three people,
including an MP, were killed. Cabinet ministers, generals and foreign diplomats
ducked for cover after shots rang out at the heavily guarded ceremony near the
presidential palace. Bodyguards bundled Karzai into one of a convoy of vehicles
that sped away.
China says Dalai Lama manipulating foreign opinion
BEIJING (Reuters)
- China lashed out at the Dalai Lama again on Monday, accusing Tibet's exiled
spiritual leader of manipulating opinion and governments in the West, just days
after offering talks with his aides.
Vietnam to end adoption program with US after report
HANOI, Vietnam -
Vietnam is ending a child adoption agreement with the United States after being
accused of allowing baby-selling and corruption, officials said Monday.
East Timor rebel leader preparing to surrender: U.N.
DILI (Reuters) -
The leader of a group of East Timor rebels accused of trying to assassinate
President Jose Ramos-Horta in February is preparing to surrender and may give
himself up early this week, a U.N. spokeswoman said on Sunday.
Did Colombia's president help plan '97 massacre?
MIAMI - A jailed
paramilitary fighter claims Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and his brother
helped plan a 1997 massacre in a village suspected of harboring leftist
guerrillas, according to sworn testimony given to the nation's prosecutor
general and obtained by El Nuevo Herald.
Chavez confirms he will work for release of US hostages
CARACAS,
Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez said Sunday he will try to facilitate the
release of three Americans held captive by Colombia's largest rebel group — even
though he has lost contact with the guerrillas.
Indicted PR governor will seek 2nd term
SAN JUAN, Puerto
Rico - Puerto Rico Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila's party swiftly approved his
candidacy for re-election on Sunday despite a federal indictment on charges of
illegally raising money to pay off campaign debts.
Zimbabwe defies Western pressure over election results
HARARE (AFP) -
Lawyers in Zimbabwe
appealed for the release of some 200 jailed opposition activists on Monday as
officials defied pressure from the West to release the results of last month's
presidential election.
Zimbabwe lawyers bid to free opposition activists
HARARE (AFP) -
Lawyers for Zimbabwe's
opposition were to launch an appeal in the high court Monday for the release of
around 200 activists rounded up in a raid on the party's offices in Harare.
The New Economics of Hunger
A brutal
convergence of events has hit an unprepared global market, and grain prices are
sky high. The world's poor suffer most.
Food crisis: UN to reveal battle plan
GENEVA (AFP) -
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was set Monday to lead a concerted
effort by 27 key UN agencies to tackle the growing crisis caused by a worldwide
sharp rise in basic foodstuff prices.
The Nation
Bush Administration Re-Asserts Right to Torture
(by Jonathan Turley)
The Bush Administration is continuing to claim that it can torture prisoners in
violation of international law despite the so-called “torture bill” and pledge
of the President to comply with international rules. Congress, which has
protected the president from any criminal investigation, is again professing
shock and outrage in the longest institutional imitation of Claude Rains in
history. In a series of letters, the Justice Department has informed Congress
that it continues to believe that torture can be ordered to fight terrorism.
Investigators: Millions in Iraq contracts never finished
WASHINGTON -
Millions of dollars of lucrative Iraq reconstruction contracts were never
finished because of excessive delays, poor performance or other factors,
including failed projects that are being falsely described by the U.S.
government as complete, federal investigators say.
Oh, who cares?
The objective was never to complete projects. It was to funnel money from the
treasury to Republican contributors. At that, the Bush administration has
succeeded extremely well.
Atheist soldier files suit against military
By JOHN MILBURN
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. -- Like hundreds of young men joining the Army in recent
years, Jeremy Hall professes a desire to serve his country while it fights
terrorism. But the soft-spoken specialist and Iraq war veteran is at the center
of a legal controversy. He has filed a lawsuit alleging that he's been harassed
and his constitutional rights have been violated because he doesn't believe in
God.
Combat veterans face hurdles as college students
RALEIGH, N.C. -
Spc. Natasha McKinnon survived losing part of her left leg to an improvised bomb
in Iraq. Now that she's back, she's trying to find her balance in college life.
Sometimes she can't recall a professor's name. She loses track of test dates.
Occasionally, she forgets she has pulled off her prosthetic leg to rest her
stump during a long lecture, only to tilt off balance when she tries to stand.
Time to stock up on Forever stamps
WASHINGTON
- With a postal rate increase just two weeks away, Americans are buying 30
million Forever stamps a day.
Negotiators reach tentative farm bill deal
WASHINGTON
- Congressional negotiators reached a tentative agreement Friday on a
multibillion-dollar farm bill that includes a hefty increase for nutrition
programs at a time of rising food prices.
Supreme Court upholds photo ID law for voters in Indiana
WASHINGTON - The
Supreme Court ruled Monday that states can require voters to produce photo
identification without violating their constitutional rights, validating
Republican-inspired voter ID laws.
Poll: Clinton has better chance than Obama of beating McCain
WASHINGTON -
Hillary Rodham Clinton has a better chance than Barack Obama of beating
Republican John McCain, according to a new Associated Press-Ipsos poll that
bolsters her argument that she is more electable in the fall than her rival for
the Democratic nomination.
Wright says criticism is attack on black church
WASHINGTON - The
Rev. Jeremiah Wright says criticism surrounding his fiery sermons is an attack
on the black church.
Stop digging,
Rev. Wright. Really, stop digging.
Obama, Clinton clash over gas tax as Indiana looms
ANDERSON/SOUTH
BEND, Indiana (Reuters) - Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton touted
their economic agendas and sparred over fuel taxes on Saturday as they
crisscrossed Indiana
ahead of its must-win presidential nominating contest in May.
Clinton: Afghanistan needs more US attention
WILMINGTON, N.C.
- Hillary Rodham Clinton said the assassination attempt Sunday on the Afghan
president shows that the U.S. has failed to give proper attention to
Afghanistan.
McCain calls Obama insensitive to poor people
CORAL GABLES,
Fla. - Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Sunday called Democratic
rival Barack Obama insensitive to poor people and out of touch on economic
issues.
McCain's poverty tour filled with contradictions
GEE'S BEND, Ala.
— For John McCain, it was either the perfect political photo op that reflected
an image he's worked years to polish or a moment of striking, and potentially
damaging, political dissonance.
McCain focuses on lower costs on health-care tour
MIAMI (Reuters) -
Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Monday will argue the way to
improve U.S. health-care coverage lies in lowering costs and increasing
competition rather than the "big-government" schemes he says the Democrats
advocate.
Yeah, but how?
HOW will you lower costs, Senator McCain?
Mccain Vs. Mccain
(by Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek)
On March 26, McCain gave a speech on foreign policy in Los Angeles that was
billed as his most comprehensive statement on the subject. It contained within
it the most radical idea put forward by a major candidate for the presidency in
25 years. Yet almost no one noticed… What McCain has announced is momentous—that
the United States should adopt a policy of active exclusion and hostility toward
two major global powers. It would reverse a decades-old bipartisan American
policy of integrating these two countries into the global order, a policy that
began under Richard Nixon (with Beijing) and continued under Ronald Reagan (with
Moscow).
It is a policy that would alienate many countries in
Europe and Asia who would
see it as an attempt by Washington to begin a new cold war.
Romney pushes McCain’s endorsed-by-Hamas line.
(Think Progress)
On Friday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), referring to Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), told
conservative bloggers that “it’s very clear who Hamas wants to be the next
president of the
United States.” Now
one of McCain’s top surrogates, former
Massachusetts
governor Mitt Romney, has picked up on the line of attack, telling the Reno
Gazette-Journal that “the recent endorsement by Hamas” was “revealing”.
Romney REALLY
REALLY REALLY wants to be McCain’s vice presidential candidate.
Few states let overseas troops vote by e-mail
WASHINGTON
- U.S. forces in Iraq
and Afghanistan can speak to their families by Web camera and fight insurgents
using sophisticated electronic warfare. Yet when it comes to voting, most troops
are stuck in the past.
Florida moves to ban fake testicles on vehicles
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
(Reuters) - Senate lawmakers in Florida have voted to ban the fake bull
testicles that dangle from the trailer hitches of many trucks and cars
throughout the state. Republican Sen. Cary Baker, a gun shop owner from Eustis,
Florida, called the adornments offensive and proposed the ban. Motorists would
be fined $60 for displaying the novelty items, which are known by brand names
like "Truck Nutz" and resemble the south end of a bull moving north.
Because there’s
nothing more important facing the Florida legislature right now.
Election Day in Florida May Look Familiar
Eight years after
the debacle of "hanging chads", Florida once again seems to be courting
electoral trouble. 'Election' Day may end up looking oddly familiar. According
to independent elections experts, it is now harder to vote here than in nearly
every other state in the nation. Some critics predict that tens of thousands of
potential voters will be kept off the rolls -- many of them poor, black or
Hispanic. Election lawyers say Florida's Republican-controlled government has
introduced more restrictions on the voting process than other states since 2000
and has fought harder to keep them.
Daley: Chicago police to get assault rifles
Mayor Richard
Daley said Saturday Chicago police officers will he armed with high-powered
assault rifles when they're on the streets fighting gangs and 'other criminals.'
The city's police officers carry pistols, and Daley suggested they will start
carrying "M4 rifles."
Economy & Finance
Tax rebates start showing up in bank accounts Monday
WASHINGTON
- The government started depositing thousands of rebate checks in taxpayers'
bank accounts on Monday, earlier than originally scheduled, with the Bush
administration hoping the payments will give a jump-start to a weak economy.
Stocks flat as financials offset M&A
NEW YORK
(Reuters) - Stocks were little changed on Monday as financial shares fell on
fears of more dividend cuts and weak profits, but optimism about a proposed $23
billion takeover in the confection sector cushioned the market.
Gas hits $3.60 a gallon, crude nears $120 on supply outages
NEW YORK
- Gas prices hit $3.60 a gallon and oil futures rose to their own new record
near $120 a barrel on Monday as labor actions overseas threatened crude
supplies. Oil prices later retreated to alternate between gains and losses as
the dollar stabilized against foreign currencies.
White House: No short-term fix to high fuel prices
WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - The White House said on Monday there was no short-term fix to
record-high gasoline prices and the United States should try to increase
domestic production and seek alternative fuel sources.
U.S. slims down after bloated credit: Pimco
NEW YORK
(Reuters) - Consumers, banks and financial companies are "slimming down" after a
bloated era of easy credit, but face an extended period of fixing their
finances, Pacific Investment Management Co said in a new report.
Buffett says recession may be worse than feared
NEW YORK
(Reuters) - Warren Buffett, the world's richest person, said on Monday the U.S.
economy is in a recession that will be more severe than most people expect.
Greenspan, Bush to blame for U.S. crisis: Stiglitz
Former Federal
Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and the government of President [sic] George W.
Bush were to blame for the U.S. financial crisis, Nobel laureate economist
Joseph Stiglitz said in a magazine interview.
MORE ON RATINGS....
(by Kevin Drum at Political Animal, the Washington Monthly)
Speaking of rating agencies, I want to highlight a single passage from the Roger
Lowenstein article that I blogged about below. It's about how investment bankers
create complex financial instruments that receive high ratings: “…The challenge
to investment banks is to design securities that just meet the rating agencies'
tests....” Go ahead and call me a rube, but is this for real? The rating
agencies just hand over their models to the Wall Street rocket scientists so
they can probe for every weakness and tweak every loophole in order to put
together a package that — just barely! — meets the agency's parameters for a
high rating? Does this sound like a recipe for disaster to you? It does to me.
Media
Permanent link to MTA daily media news
Oh My, Darling
(by Anglachel)
With Hillary currently showing herself to be highly competitive with McCain in
battle ground states and wiping the floor with him in blue states, while Obama
is losing ground in recent polls and showing himself to be less than appealing
to many voting constituencies, it becomes harder and harder to sustain the
argument that she is too divisive and polarizing to win. She is doing so quite
handily in large state primaries while running a shoestring campaign, being
outsepnt 4 and 5 to 1, and being pummeled unmercifully by the press and Blogger
Boyz. As Hillary supporters have patiently told her detractors on the left since
Day One, her negatives will not go up, they will only come down. Those record
turnouts in the primaries have been just as much for her as for Obama… In short,
the claim that Hillary can't win is being overturned by the fact that she is
winning big and is fully competitive in one of the biggest, most energized, most
expensive, most engaging primaries ever held. Ten million viewers on the last
debate! A primary turn out in
Pennsylvania that rivaled
the Democratic turn out in the last gneral election! This is not the campaign of
someone who is hated by voters, no matter what WKJM would like to argue.
Rise Hillary, Rise!
(by garychapelhill at The Confluence)
I wanted to start with some pictures I took at an event I attended last week at
Wake
Forest University
with Hillary and Maya Angelou… This event was really a great chance to get
beyond the stump speech of a campaign rally as the two women sat down and had a
conversation. It lasted almost two hours and both of them were radiant
throughout. Anyway, thinking about Angelou’s book [I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings] I kept thinking to myself, “I know why Hillary is running”. She’s doing
it , like the caged bird, because she has to. She’s doing it because this
country needs her. She’s doing it because the alternatives are shockingly
inadequate for a country as great as this one. Rise Hillary, Rise!
Click through to
see the photos. I received a message recently from a doofus who told me that NO
ONE is supporting Hillary Clinton any more. I told him he should
get out more.
Media Conventional Wisdom Shifting Towards Belief Clinton Could Defeat Obama?
(by Joe Gandelman, The Moderate Voice)
There are signs of what could be a shift in the news media conventional wisdom:
for the first time in months, some key pundits are hinting and even saying that
Senator Barack Obama could lose the Democratic nomination to what has long been
described as a seemingly-impossibly behind Senator Hillary Clinton. These kinds
of cracks in the conventional wisdom often signal the beginning of a major
shift, totally negating what earlier conventional wisdom steadfastly suggested
“had” to be true. The catalyst: Clinton’s win over Obama in Pennsylvania. Even
though it was expected, the recent bad publicity surrounding Obama on several
fronts, his campaign being on the defensive, the unrelenting push by Clinton on
several fronts, and the realities of how American politics works in the 21st
century have started to change some media thinking.
Even MoDo sees the change:
Desperately Seeking Street Cred
(by Maureen Dowd)
[T]here’s something eerie going on in this race. Hillary grows more and more
glowy as Obama grows more and more wan. Is she draining him of his precious
bodily fluids? Leeching his magic? Siphoning off his aura? It used to be that he
was incandescent and she was merely inveterate. Now she’s bristling with life
force, and he looks like he wants to run away somewhere for three months by
himself and smoke. Hillary is not getting much sleep or exercise, and doesn’t,
like the ascetic Obama, abstain from junk food and coffee and get up at dawn to
work out on the road. She’s still a long shot and she’s 14 years older than her
rival. Yet she’s the one who is more energetic and focused and beaming, and he’s
the one who seems uneven and gauzy, often fatigued and unable to disguise being
fed up with the slog. Even his speeches don’t have the same pizazz.
When the Obamas
revealed that this is his only run for president, I understood that Barack is
not a real fighter. When everything is going his way, he does well. But when
push comes to shove, he just doesn’t have the moxie for politics. He wants it
to be handed to him.
He's Back
(Wall Street Journal)
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. -- Bill Clinton, who called himself the "comeback kid" during
his first presidential run, is pulling out all the stops for Hillary Clinton's
comeback… The Clinton campaign says Mr. Clinton is helping Sen. Clinton far more
than he hurts. "He's making the best case for his wife and converting hundreds
of people at each stop," says press secretary Jay Carson. "A lot of politics is
being played about the former president here. The other campaign wants to
diminish the importance of our best campaigner."… As evidence of Mr. Clinton's
impact, the campaign cites the Pennsylvania primary… Campaign data show that
Sen. Clinton won by huge margins in several rural counties that her husband
visited: 44 percentage points in Armstrong County, 44 points in Cambria County,
48 points in Carbon County and 50 points in Greene County. This compares with an
edge of 26 points for Hillary among rural voters statewide.
Ex-Obama pastor tells NAACP he's descriptive, not divisive
DETROIT - The
former pastor of Barack Obama whose words have rallied many but offended others
told an audience of 10,000 that his critics get it wrong when they call him
divisive and polarizing.
Obama Sinks in National Poll
(Political Wire)
After his most difficult month of the presidential campaign, Sen. Barack Obama's
double-digit lead over Sen. Hillary Clinton has dropped to 7 points, 48% to 41%,
in the latest Newsweek Poll. Just a week ago, Obama led Clinton by 19 points.
Key finding: "One of the more problematic results for Obama was that four in 10
of registered voters (including Republicans and independents) now have an
unfavorable opinion of him -- and the same number said there is "no chance" they
will vote for Obama if he becomes the nominee."… Meanwhile, the latest
Gallup
tracking poll shows Obama and Clinton tied at 47%.
Obama TANKING with Independents, Losing Moderate Voters
(by Paul_Lukasiak at Corrente)
In the last six weeks, Barack Obama has been losing support in virtually every
key demographic category when matched against John McCain, while Hillary Clinton
has gained support. Perhaps most disturbing is Obama’s decline among Independent
voters… But Independents are not the only category that Obama is doing poorly
in. In February, when matched against McCain, Obama was doing better among
Moderates and Liberals. In mid-April, Clinton was doing better. And Clinton has
increased her relative advantage over Obama among Democrats.
Obama has difficulty wooing seniors
Barack Obama's
difficulty attracting older voters now far exceeds Hillary Rodham Clinton's own
weaknesses with youth.
Obama stars in Mississippi attack ad
(Politico)
The Republican candidate in a special election to fill an unexpectedly contested
seat in a conservative
Mississippi congressional
district is using recent controversies surrounding Senator Barack Obama to tar
his Democratic rival. A television ad from Southaven Mayor Greg Davis tells
viewers that his Democratic rival, Travis Childers, a realtor and Prentiss
County official, has accepted the endorsement of "liberal Barack Obama." Then,
with Childers' face beside footage of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, it says, "When
Obama's pastor cursed
America,
blaming us for 9/11, Childers said nothing." Then: "When Obama ridiculed rural
folks for clinging to guns and religion, Childers said nothing." "He took
Obama's endorsement over our conservative values. Conservatives just can't trust
Travis Childers," the ad concludes.
Hey, he wasn’t
supposed to have coattails for the OTHER side!
Gravity Takes Bite Out of "Obama Wind"
(by Steve Clemons
at the Washington Note)
Barack Obama for the most part articulates a vision of American engagement in
global problems that jumps out of the dangerous incrementalism that Bush,
McCain, and even Hillary Clinton seem driven by. But my enthusiasm wanes for
Obama when I note that when one scratches the surface, his proposals are far
less inspiring in detail than rhetorically. One case in point is [Obama’s
proposal for] opening up family-related travel between Cuban-Americans and
relatives in Cuba and increasing the financial amount that these relatives could
send into Cuba. The problem with this gesture by Obama is that it lacks the
principles he himself speaks to so frequently… This kind of triangulation is
frustrating to many -- because it plants doubts with people like me as to the
seriousness and depth of Obama's positions on many issues… Gravity has set in on
Obama -- and there are six months left until November.
Electoral map favors a Democrat, has McCain playing defense
WASHINGTON - The
electoral road to the White House favors Democrats this fall — either Barack
Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton — and has Republican John McCain playing defense
to thwart a presidential power shift.
But this is an
average. Clinton beats McCain in the Electoral College, and Obama doesn’t.
Florida's back in thick of Demo mess
(Miami Herald)
Florida's status in picking the Democratic presidential nominee remains in
question and the Pennsylvania contest did little to change that. A spokesman for
Clinton said the
campaign is waiting for the Democratic National Committee to take up an appeal,
filed on the state's behalf by committee member Jon Ausman, who argues that
national party rules require at least half of the state's delegates to be
seated... Other Florida Democrats -- led by Hillary Clinton supporters -- are
turning to public protests to keep the pressure on the national party… ''This
has to do with our civil rights,'' said Millie Herrera, a potential
Clinton
convention delegate and the president of the Hispanic Democratic Caucus of
Florida. ``No one has the right to invalidate our votes.''
Delegate challenges concerning Florida, Michigan to be heard
WASHINGTON
- A plan to award half-delegates for the disputed
Michigan and Florida
Democratic presidential primaries will get a hearing before party leaders.
Meet The Press: Dean On Healing The Party
(by Nicole Belle at Crooks and Liars)
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean appeared on Meet The Press to
address the issues of party unity and whether we will go to the convention
without a nominee decided. Dean has been vocal that he wants the issue resolved
by June before, but as the thread yesterday over a possible way to resolve
seating Michigan’s delegates proves, it’s a highly fractious issue that will
leave many Democrats upset, no matter how it’s handled. Therefore, Dean
charges that the key to healing the party will be the actions of the person who
does not get the nomination, not him.
Click through to
watch the video. I have no doubt that Clinton will rally her supporters to
still vote Democratic if Obama ends up as the nominee. But I’m not so sure
about the other side. See below.
“There will be blood” if Obama doesn’t get the Democratic nomination - Donna Brazile, on This Week 4/27/08 (video, at 10:53)
Limbaugh gets pwnd by caller over Operation Chaos and his wishing for a ‘Riot’
over Dem nomination. Calls her a ‘mush head.’
(by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
Limbaugh went off the racist/violent rails again when he discussed his
“Operation Chaos” plan and sang a little tune about it. “The dream end of this
is that this keeps up to the convention and we have a replay of Chicago 1968
with burning cars, protests, fires, literal riots, and all of that. That’s
that’s the objective here.”… Responding to this lunacy [Wednesday]—Rush Limbaugh
had to cut off the phone on caller Lisa after she slammed him over his racist
and hateful comments that he made about hoping for “riots” in America.
Click through to
listen to the audio.
Bowling 1, Health Care 0
(by Elizabeth Edwards)
FOR the last month, news media attention was focused on Pennsylvania and its
Democratic primary. Given the gargantuan effort, what did we learn? Well, the
rancor of the campaign was covered. The amount of money spent was covered. But
in Pennsylvania, as in the rest of the country this political season, the
information about the candidates’ priorities, policies and principles —
information that voters will need to choose the next president — too often did
not make the cut… Watching the campaign unfold, I saw how the press gravitated
toward a narrative template for the campaign, searching out characters as if for
a novel…
News is different from other
programming on television or other content in print. It is essential to an
informed electorate. And an informed electorate is essential to freedom itself.
But as long as corporations to which news gathering is not the primary source of
income or expertise get to decide what information about the candidates “sells,”
we are not functioning as well as we could if we had the engaged, skeptical
press we deserve… If voters want a vibrant, vigorous press, apparently we will
have to demand it. Not by screaming out our windows as in the movie “Network”
but by talking calmly, repeatedly, constantly in the ears of those in whom we
have entrusted this enormous responsibility. Do your job, so we can — as voters
— do ours.
Nevertheless, a
new study says that people somehow obtain the information they need. See below.
Why Are American Presidential Election Campaign Polls So Variable When Votes Are
So Predictable?
(Columbia University)
We show that responses to pollsters during the campaign are not generally
informed or even, in a sense we describe, 'rational'. In contrast, voters
decide, based on their enlightened preferences, as formed by the information
they have learned during the campaign, as well as basic political cues such as
ideology and party identification, which candidate to support eventually. We
cannot prove this conclusion, but we do show that it is consistent with the
aggregate forecasts and individual-level opinion poll responses. Based on the
enlightened preferences hypothesis, we conclude that the news media have an
important effect on the outcome of presidential elections - not through
misleading advertisements, sound bites, or spin doctors, but rather by conveying
candidates' positions on important issues.
Is it possible
that the public has learned to sift through the bullshit?
Obama throws Kos under the bus
(by lambert at Corrente)
Haw: “WALLACE: John Roberts, Supreme Court. OBAMA: John Roberts nomination,
although I voted against him, I strongly defended some of my colleagues who had
voted for him on the Daily Kos, and was fiercely attacked [clutches pearls] as
somebody who is, you know, caving in to Republicans on these fights.” God. What
an asshole. Kos purges his whole site of [not Obama] supporters and trashes his
brand for the sake of The Precious, and this is the thanks he gets? And I’m
playing the world’s smallest violin, too. Don’t say you weren’t warned, kidz.
That Obama would throw anybody under the bus was shown, long ago, when his
campaign destroyed another online community on MySpace.
Obama Doesn't "Take Fox On," After All
(by Greg Sargent at TPM Election Central)
The Fox News Sunday interview is over. And Obama didn't take on Fox at all in
any meaningful sense. On Friday, a senior Obama adviser responded to criticism
of his decision to go on Fox with a bunch of tough talk, saying that Obama knew
full well that Fox has been at the forefront of spreading "the most specious of
rumors" (i.e., lies) about Obama and vowing that he would "take Fox on." Well,
it didn't happen. Obama definitely pushed back hard on some of Chris Wallace's
questions, but at no point did he draw attention to Fox's spreading of lies
about him or critique the network in a general sense.
Unlike Bill
Clinton, if you’ll remember, who took Wallace and Fox News to task for their
lies.
Obama on Fox transcript
(by
Jerome Armstrong at MyDD)
The transcript of Obama on Fox is up. As I mentioned, Obama is trying to
separate himself from the most strident parts of his base, and he does this
pretty effectively throughout the interview... A shorter Obama: The far left?
That's over there, and I'm willing to take them on.
Obama tells Fox that Rev. Wright controversy raised a 'legitimate issue'
(On Politics,
USA
Today)
Wallace addressed the issue of Obama's controversial former pastor, Rev.
Jeremiah Wright. Has Wright been unfairly demonized? "People were legitimately
offended by some of the comments he had made in the past," Obama said. And, "the
fact that he is my former pastor ... makes it a legitimate issue" in the
presidential campaign. Still, Obama said, Wright has been "simplified and
caricatured ... in a fairly deliberate way." Obama repeated that he has
"strongly denounced" the controversial words of his former pastor.
Badge Of Honor
(by Turkana at The Left Coaster)
In his interview on Faux News, Barack Obama wanted to prove he's a safe choice
for that network's demographic. Here was one example: “John Roberts nomination,
although I voted against him, I strongly defended some of my colleagues who had
voted for him on the Daily Kos, and was fiercely attacked as somebody who is,
you know, caving in to Republicans on these fights.” Imagine the reaction had
Hillary Clinton said that.
And we
constituents had to twist his arm to vote against Roberts. We tried to get him
to filibuster Alito, which he finally said he would. But then he destroyed all
chance of a filibuster working as a threat by telling the media the Democrats
didn’t have enough votes. I’d love to play high-stakes poker with this guy!
Feet Of Clay
(by Big Tent Democrat at TalkLeft)
When I discuss the Left Blogs' reaction to everything Barack Obama, I am past
the point of pointing what I perceive as aspects of his political style that I
find lacking. I am no longer pointing out Obama's feet of clay. I am pointing to
the feet of clay of the Left blogs. Now Matt Stoller writes about Obama on Fox:
“I think lost in all this nonsense is just how weakened we [the Left blogs] have
become in all this. When we accept lies from our leaders and openly dismissive
knocks from them, it destroys our core argument that Democrats need to have
integrity and to stand up for themselves. No they don't. We don't stand up for
ourselves and we let them lie to us without consequence.” Indeed.
You got a problem with that?
(by Lynne in Lakeland at Liberal Rapture)
When Senator Obama made his comments about "bitter" voters it wasn't elitist. It
was obnoxious. You don't reach people by talking down to them. Which is why both
Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan (who I still abhor) were so good at what they
did. Bill Clinton was always the smartest person in the room but he never made
anyone feel stupid. That's a tough thing to pull off… Interestingly enough, I
think voters are voting for their economic best interest when they vote for
Senator Clinton. The Recession hand writing is on the wall. Obama offers
platitudes of hope with no substance. Senator Clinton is wonkish to the extreme
and people pulled the lever for her in states hard hit by the economic bust. I
don't know if she can pull us out of the mess we're in, but I do not believe
that anyone else could do better.
All the Wrong Moves
(by Tom Watson)
Lately, … the Obama campaign has been making the wrong moves and it's troubling
to a Democrat who wants his second choice to run strong against McCain come
November's chill. Senator Obama allowed his supporters in Michigan to oppose a
revote he might easily have won, and in doing so, removed one of Clinton's best
arguments for going on the Denver. He's thrown away his massive lead in the
media primary by refusing to meet regularly with the press, and acting as the
most aloof of the three remaining candidates for President. And now, he's
refusing to debate Hillary in Indiana or North Carolina. This is almost
indescribably stupid. For one, running and hiding from Hillary looks, well, like
running and hiding from Hillary. It cements that growing perception in the press
that she's tougher, and that he's a brittle political actor - all smiles when
the polls are moving upward, quite another story in stormy seas. When you're
running against a beloved American war hero and the Republican attack machine,
this is never a good posture.
Jaws V: Starring Barack Obama
(by Pat Racimora at No Quarter)
I confess: I’m a Rezko trial junkie. You can’t make this stuff up — this parade
of colorful, shady characters who promoted Obama on his rise to national
prominence, gliding him along like a wave on a sunny day. (I feel a cartoon
coming on…) Chicago
investigative reporters have done a good job tracking a spider web of corruption
and backroom deals. Obama’s name is attached to many of them. Evie Pringle has
formed rather solid opinions of Obama after looking deeply into “Operation Board
Games”:
Read her work. Meanwhile, the mainstream media mostly ignores the unfolding
story. But, it has to hit the national news sometime. And it should be a bad
bite. (Ah, now I see the whole thing …)
Lou Dobbs: I don’t understand why “the Republicans aren’t doing everything they
can to get this man the nomination”
(by SusanUnPC at No Quarter)
From CNN’s Lou Dobbs This Week, aired April 26, 2008, with guests Diana West,
Hank Sheinkopf, and Errol Louis: “DOBBS: I have to say that what I don’t
understand. … With the antipathy towards Senator Obama that has built up over
the last few weeks, for the life of me, I don’t understand why the … Republicans
aren’t doing everything they can to get this man the nomination.”
Click through to
watch the video.
Why is Obama Hiding the Truth About William Ayers? Follow the Money
(by Larry Johnson at No Quarter)
Barack Obama is not telling the truth about his relationship with [unrepentant
60s terrorist] Bill Ayers… Barack … was essentially an employee of Bill Ayers
for eight years. In 1995, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge was created to raise
funds to help reform the
Chicago
public schools. One of the architects of the Challenge was none other than
Professor Bill Ayers. Ayers co-wrote the initial grant proposal and proudly
lists himself on his own website as the co-founder of the Challenge. And who did
William Ayers, co-creator of the Challenge, help select as the new director of
the board for this program? Barack Obama.
Late Night: Johnny Can't Read
(by Jeralyn at TalkLeft)
The Annenberg challenge was "Ayers' baby" in the sense he was in charge and
Obama was picked to head the Board of Directors. And Michelle Obama and Ayers'
wife, Bernadine Dorhn, were law associates at the same firm back then, Sidley
Austin, a firm with ties to Bill Ayers' father Tom... Obama seems to be
minimizing his legitimate ties to Ayers for some reason… He also, according to
many articles I've read that appeared in mainstream and professional
publications, didn't do much for education while he served on them. With No
Child Left Behind being an issue in the campaign, Obama should be asked some
more questions about what he did for this $50 million board?
ABC Ignores Obama's Misleading Message about Lobbyists' Money
(by D. Cupples at Buck Naked Politics)
I don't care about politicians' jewelry. I do care about mainstream media's
repeated failure to cover the more substantive misleading statements that Sen.
Obama has made: chiefly, those about where he gets his campaign
funding. [Sunday], ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos presented a prime
opportunity to spotlight this important issue, but George and his guests chose
not to. George shared a video clip of an Obama campaign TV ad running in
Indiana, in which Sen. Obama states that he does not take money from lobbyists.
Technically, that may be true, but it's a highly misleading statement.
Click through for
the evidence.
Obama donor received a state grant
(Los Angeles Times)
WASHINGTON -- After an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2000,
Illinois state Sen. Barack
Obama faced serious financial pressure: numerous debts, limited cash and a law
practice he had neglected for a year. Help arrived in early 2001 from a
significant new legal client -- a longtime political supporter.
Chicago entrepreneur Robert Blackwell Jr. paid Obama an $8,000-a-month retainer to give legal advice to his growing technology firm, Electronic Knowledge Interchange. It allowed Obama to supplement his $58,000 part-time state Senate salary for over a year with regular payments from Blackwell's firm that eventually totaled $112,000.
A few months after receiving his final payment from EKI, Obama sent a request on state Senate letterhead urging Illinois officials to provide a $50,000 tourism promotion grant to another Blackwell company, Killerspin.
Killerspin specializes in table tennis, running tournaments nationwide and selling its own line of equipment and apparel and DVD recordings of the competitions. With support from Obama, other state officials and an Obama aide who went to work part time for Killerspin, the company eventually obtained $320,000 in state grants between 2002 and 2004 to subsidize its tournaments.
Bush, Media Condemn Carter; Black Out Hamas' Overtures Towards Peace
(by Ira Chernus, AlterNet)
If the U.S.
or Israel were to accept Hamas' willingness to negotiate, they would tacitly
acknowledge that Hamas is a player in the game.
Obama also
criticized Carter. Like Bush, Obama can criticize people but they still love
him. Clinton helps people and they diss her.
You're a racist!
(by vastleft at Corrente)
You’re not really a racist, are you? But how about if I convince millions of
people that you and your spouse are, attempting to cheat you out of a job by
creating a deafening whisper campaign that says you are? If you fight back, I’ll
create another whisper campaign saying — with the cruelest of irony — that
you’ll stop at nothing to destroy all that’s good and decent. Why, you may ask,
would anyone ever look me in the eye again after I did such a thing? Because
fabricating dehumanizing, reputation-destroying, hate-fueling lies is hopeful,
transcendent, and unity-building change you can believe in!
I don’t normally
link to Democratic Underground, but there’s an excellent post there on how the
Obama campaign has engendered racial divisiveness among Democrats: “Putting
All The Race Cards on the Table: ‘The Race Memo’” by McCamy Taylor.
Blowback Ahead
(by Anglachel)
The Obama campaign has turned itself into a one-note wonder - If you don't vote
for me, you are a stupid white racist. No more Hope and Change. No more Unity
Ponies for everyone. Just a direct, crude, defamatory accusation at millions of
loyal Democrats… Why won't the campaign drop something this incendiary and
divisive, particularly as it appears to be costing him votes? Probably because
everyone from the boss on down really, truly believes it. Obama's statements
about working class whites was in response to a question about why couldn't he
get their votes. His answer was they are bitter - superstitious, violent, racist
and xenophobic - and so they fail to vote for me. It is their fault, their
failing, their lack that is costing me votes. It can't be his fault that he's
losing, because all the Very Serious People agree that Obama simply must be
President…
The Obama campaign response to losing New Hampshire was to instantly accuse working class residents of being closet racists and this toxic and grievously insulting charge continues to this day. The more his campaign trumpets this accusation, the greater the resistance to his campaign, which then pumps up its rhetoric, which offends more people, etc… There will be a long-term political price to pay for insisting that working class voters don't have concrete interests, but are only voting out of bigotry. Obama will pay his part of that price soon, whether in the primaries or in the general. The party will be paying for years.
THE BUBBA GAP....
(by Kevin Drum at Political Animal, the Washington Monthly)
Apparently this week's issue of Newsweek was guest edited by Mark Penn. The
cover story is blurbed like this: "Barack Obama is a Niebuhr-reading ESPN
watcher. The origins of his troubles with the 'other' tag." And the cover photo
dramatizes this as arugula vs. beer. Cute! And on the off chance that you don't
quite get the message, the issue also includes pieces by Karl Rove ("President
Bush's former senior adviser offers advice for fighting the 'elistist' label");
Jonathan Alter ("Hillary wants to cast Obama as a 'Brother From Another
Planet'"); Ellis Cose ("No matter what Obama does or what issue he takes, many
voters may vote purely on demographic and racial terms"); and Raina Kelley
("With Barack Obama, it's about much more than just race"). That's an impressive
package. I'd say they hit pretty much every latte-sipping talking point in the
book. Nice work.
CHASING THE BIRDS:
(by Bob Somerby at the Daily Howler)
Wednesday evening saw Keith [Olbermann] enjoying a rare bit of personal
pleasure. Comedian Paul Mecurio had been asked to help kill the program’s final
segment. Keith asked about the guys in those Abercrombie/Fitch tee-shirts—the
ones who were visible as Obama spoke Tuesday night. Soon, Keith was running with
Paul in the fields, very much as he used to: “MECURIO: … I don’t believe the
campaign. I think it was a plant. Remember when Barbara Bush said Hillary
rhymes with ‘witch?’ Well, Obama is sending a message to the world that she
rhymes with ‘Fitch.’” Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Actually, Barbara Bush
said that Geraldine Ferraro “rhymed with rich,” way back in 1984. But so
what? A minor change in a famous fact let the gentlemen gambol and play. Back to
the fun: “You’re saying it was to get everybody to think that Hillary Clinton
was rich,” Keith playfully countered. “Don`t want to get the network in
any more trouble.”
Bush Made Permanent
(by Paul Krugman)
As the designated political heir of a deeply unpopular president — according to
Gallup, President Bush has the highest disapproval rating recorded in 70 years
of polling — John McCain should have little hope of winning in November. In
fact, however, current polls show him roughly tied with either Democrat. In part
this may reflect the Democrats’ problems. For the most part, however, it
probably reflects the perception, eagerly propagated by Mr. McCain’s many
admirers in the news media, that he’s very different from Mr. Bush — a
responsible guy, a straight talker. But is this perception at all true? During
the 2000 campaign people said much the same thing about Mr. Bush; those of us
who looked hard at his policy proposals, especially on taxes, saw the shape of
things to come. And a look at what Mr. McCain says about taxes shows the same
combination of irresponsibility and double-talk that, back in 2000, foreshadowed
the character of the Bush administration.
Hagee Retracts Katrina Comment: ‘I Should Not Have Suggested’ I Knew God’s
Intent (Think
Progress)
Earlier this week, ThinkProgress reported that controversial Pastor John Hagee
had reiterated his long-held contention that Hurricane Katrina was God’s
punishment to New Orleans for hosting a gay pride parade. Yesterday, Sen. John
McCain (R-AZ) — who had recently said he was “glad” to have Hagee’s endorsement
— distanced himself from Hagee’s comments, calling them “nonsense” nine times.
Now, Hagee has put out a statement saying that he “should not have suggested”
that he knew “the mind of God concerning Hurricane Katrina”:
McCain frequently used wife’s jet for little cost.
(Think Progress)
Last year, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) backed legislation requiring presidential
candidates to pay the actual cost of flying on corporate jets. He also promised
not to use his wife’s personal wealth for his presidential nomination. Yet The
New York Times is reporting that McCain repeatedly used Cindy McCain’s corporate
jet at very little cost to his campaign:
Judicial Watch Calls on FEC to Investigate McCain Presidential Fundraising
Luncheon Held in London
Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes
government corruption, announced today that it filed a formal complaint, dated
April 22, 2008, with the Federal Election Commission related to a fundraising
luncheon held at London's Spencer House to benefit Senator John McCain's
presidential campaign.
Bush tweaks candidates at correspondents' dinner
WASHINGTON
- President Bush poked fun at his potential successors Saturday night,
expressing surprise that none of them were in the audience at the White House
Correspondents' Association annual dinner.
Blowing Off the Media: Video Shows the Perils of Covering Dick Cheney
(by Jonathan Turley)
This
video shows that even Vice President Dick Cheney’s plane blows off media on
occasion. The plane returned a few second later to strafe the tarmac for
survivors.
It is SO funny.
Isikoff: Drudge is ‘much less of a factor than he was five years ago.’
(Think Progress)
In their book, The Way To Win, Mark Halperin and John Harris praised right-wing
internet gossip Matt Drudge’s influence on the media, saying, “Matt Drudge rules
our world.” But yesterday, Newsweek’s Michael Isikoff — whose Monica Lewinsky
reporting was famously leaked to Drudge — declared at “Q & A Café” that Drudge
is “is much less of a factor than he was five years ago.” “I think he has lost a
little bit of his edge,” said Isikoff.
We can certainly
be grateful for that!
Pentagon Propaganda: So Much Worse Than We Thought
(by John Stauber, Sheldon Rampton, PR Watch)
The Bush Administration has spent millions on deceptive PR to sell the war, as
recently documented in the New York Times. Where's the fallout?
Pentagon suspends media propaganda campaign.
(Think Progress)
Responding to The New York Times’s explosive report exposing the Bush
administration’s secret campaign to use analysts in order to “generate favorable
news coverage,” the Pentagon has “temporarily stopped feeding information to
retired military officers pending a review of the issue.” A department official
said that a timeline for the investigation had not been set, but that they would
“take the time to do it right.”
Public Turning Even More Negative on Iraq (Public Opinion by Ruy Teixeira, Center for American Progress) Recent polls show a record high proportion of the U.S. public now believes Iraq was a mistake.
Feith: ‘We Took An Extremely Strong Pro-Geneva Convention Position In The
Pentagon’
(Think Progress)
Since writing his new book, Iraq war architect Doug Feith has consistently tried
to rewrite the history of Bush administration foreign policy, blaming its
failures on others. Feith continued these gross distortions yesterday, in a
three-hour interview with right-wing radio talker Hugh Hewitt. It is well-known
that the administration’s torture program violates the Geneva conventions, which
even conservatives admit. Feith told Hewitt the administration was “strongly
pro-Geneva convention,” and so was he.
Click through to
listen to the audio.
Justice Scalia on "60 Minutes"
(by Jeralyn at TalkLeft)
"60 Minutes" featured Justice Anton Scalia [Sunday night]. He's a very
personable fellow. Among the highlights and lowlights…: • torture is not
punishment when you are trying to get information out of someone • Fetuses are
not persons within the meaning of the Equal Protection Clause. Persons means
people who can walk around. Pregnant women shouldn't be counted twice. • He has
9 kids and 28 grandkids. He was an only child. Why? They practiced their version
of "Vatican Roulette."
Today's single payer post; Charlie Crystle explains why we shouldn't settle for
less (by
DCblogger at Corrente)
Single-payer is good for business[:] “My growing software company’s
health-insurance premiums have more than doubled over the past four years. This
is not sustainable and the governor’s bill would do nothing to change it;
rather, it would preserve the status quo of the failed “market” system, which
actually provides more of a monopoly than a competitive market. SB 300, in
contrast, would ensure full coverage for all
Pennsylvania residents,
regardless of their employment or social status.” Say it with me, health
insurance is not healthcare.
Did Robert Rubin Jeopardize Financial Stability to Protect Goldman Sachs?
(by Dean Baker)
That is what he claims, according to the NYT. The NYT reports that Rubin claims
that he was considering imposing stricter margin requirements on futures trading
when he was leaving Goldman Sachs to take a top position in the Clinton
administration. According to the article, Rubin claims he abandoned the plans
when the Chicago Board of Trade told him “we will make sure Goldman Sachs never
trades another future on the C.B.O.T. if this went ahead.”… If such a threat was
actually made, then it should have been reported to the F.B.I. and some people
connected with the C.B.O.T. should be sitting in jail right now… The fact that
Robert Rubin would have no qualms claiming to the NYT that he dropped a
regulatory proposal to protect Goldman Sachs, suggests that such behavior is
common.
Media Matters for America headlines
• Today, Early Show covered Wright interview, but didn't ask McCain about Hagee
• Matthews' obsession with Obama's ability to "walk[] into a dinette [sic]" continues
Saudi Arabia releases popular blogger
RIYADH, Saudi
Arabia - A friend of Saudi Arabia's most popular blogger says authorities have
released the writer months after arresting him without charge.
Thomson Reuters' Ethics Code: Blogging's OK, Just Don't Talk To Competitors
(Paid Content)
Staff of the new Thomson-Reuters are forbidden from using blogs for internal
communications and for liaising with co-workers. The merged news agency produced
a new a code of ethics late last week - a fairly standard piece of corporate
housekeeping that says "it's OK to mention Thomson Reuters in a personal blog"
but which bars employees from blogging about confidential info and company
clients. "Further, personal blogs should never be used for internal
communications among fellow employees and you should not use a personal blog to
air any differences with co-workers, Thomson Reuters or people or companies that
we do business with." The code also bars staff from taking gifts and includes a
litany of suggestions for ensuring nearby people can't see their laptop screen.
Reluctantly, a Daily Stops Its Presses, Living Online
On Saturday, The
Capital Times, the fabled 90-year-old daily newspaper of Madison, Wis., stopped
printing to devote itself to publishing its daily report on the Web.
The Newspaper Death Watch
Tumultuous Week Highlights Industry's Many Challenges
The End of Network News as We Know It?
Decreases in Ads
and Viewers Mean Change Is in the Air for Big Three
The WSJ’s Little Committee That Failed…
(by Dean Starkman, Columbia Journalism Review)
To protect the paper’s editorial independence
Murdoch’s ‘Head of Content’
Robert Thomson,
the new de-facto editor at The Wall Street Journal, is charged with executing
the vision of its owner, Rupert Murdoch.
Zuckerman Bids $580 Million For Newsday; Matches Murdoch
(Paid Content)
Mort Zuckerman, the owner of the New York Daily News and U.S. News and World
Report, has offered $580 million to acquire Newsday from Tribune, matching a bid
earlier this week by News Corp. As NYT points out, Zuckerman is expected to make
the argument to executives at the Tribune that his bid is more attractive
because it can be completed faster and does not have the potential to fall into
regulatory limbo. News Corp. owns New York Post, WSJ and two New York City-area
local TV stations.
Public Radio Tries to Reignite Its Public
PUBLIC radio is
drawing its largest audience ever, some 28 million listeners nationwide each
week. But if it’s a golden era, you wouldn’t know it from the frenetic activity
to remake the genre… Public radio “had an enormous surge in listening over about
a 10-year period from the mid ’90s up through about 2003, principally driven by
a huge response to public radio’s news and information programming,” said Tom
Thomas, co-chief executive officer of the Station Resource Group, a public radio
consortium. But since 2003 “the audience has essentially been flat,” he said. To
address this, the consortium recently received a Corporation for Public
Broadcasting grant to identify ways to get the audience growing again, and
“Everything is on the table,” Mr. Thomas said.
They would do
well to stop trying to turn themselves into a right-wing medium.
Microsoft in quandary over Yahoo bid as key deadline looms
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Microsoft Corp. is no closer to buying Yahoo Inc. than when
it made its $44.6 billion bid nearly three months ago, leaving the software
maker in a quandary over whether the deal is still worth pursuing.
Yahoo plans makeover with elements of social network
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Yahoo Inc. plans to make its Web site a social hub by
hosting applications from other online services, part of the Internet pioneer's
effort to spawn more advertising opportunities. "We are going to rewire the
entire experience at Yahoo to make it social in every dimension."
Bunker Mentality: YouTube Bars Account of Leading Scientology Critic
(by Jonathan Turley)
YouTube has pulled the account of popular anti-scientology channel “Xenutv1″ run
by Mark Bunker — just before it aired a long-anticipated three-hour interview
with Jason Beghe - a film and television actor who recently came out against his
former Scientology church. The church as been aggressively pursuing and
threatening such sites under copyright laws to prevent the disclosure of
material on the church. In the meantime, hackers have “declared war” on the
Church, which they denounce as a dangerous cult. Bunker insists that the
interview has no copyrighted material and that an earlier warning was heeded
about the presence of such material. Critics of Scientology see the hand of the
Church, though YouTube has been pretty draconian with other controversial
subjects.
Golden Years of Television Find New Life on the Web
Television
distributors have recently made thousands of episodes of programs like “The
Twilight Zone” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” available free online.
Cartoons of a Racist Past Lurk on YouTube
Among the
millions of clips on the video-sharing Web site YouTube are 11 racially
offensive Warner Brothers cartoons that have not been shown in an authorized
release since 1968.
Revealing Photo Threatens a Major Disney Franchise
A picture of
Disney star Miley Cyrus posing in satin sheets in Vanity Fair has sparked
outrage from parents.
Adults Say OMG As Teen Slang Spreads
It's nothing to
LOL about: Despite best efforts to keep school writing assignments formal,
two-thirds of teens admit in a survey that emoticons and other informal styles
have crept in.
Dear Spam, Happy 30th Birthday. P.S., You Suck. (by Sean P. Aune at
Mashable)
May 1978 may not seem like an important time to you, but to the multi-
billion-dollar spam industry, it’s the equivalent to the beginning of time. Kurt
Kleiner of NewScientistTech reminds us that it was Gary Thuerk who sent the
first spam to the 393 users of ARPANET, the original version of the Internet.
Either on May 2nd or 3rd (sources vary on the specific day; a Wikipedia entry
says 5/2), Mr. Thuerk sent a marketing pitch for a new computer model from his
employer, Digital Equipment Corporation. And then as now, people were rather
annoyed by the concept of getting such an email. Yet, it apparently resulted in
some sales. Thus Internet spamming was born.
Take a Picture of an Ad, Earn a Reward
The magazines
Rolling Stone and Men’s Health are testing programs in which readers can take
cameraphone pictures of icons on ads to receive more information or an offer
from the advertiser.
Presenting a Post-2.0 Way to Think About Media Measurology
(by Simon Dumenco, Advertising Age)
Traffic Stats From Competing Metrics Firms Just Don't Add Up. Could It Be We're
Counting the Wrong Stuff?
A Google Prototype for a Precision Image Search
The company
presented a new algorithm for blending image-recognition software methods with
techniques for weighting and ranking images that look most similar.
Technology & Science
Kids In Indiana Helping Feed Uganda
How's one school
in Indiana helping kids 8,000 miles away get a hearty lunch? They're playing
word games online, at FreeRice.com. Allen Pizzey visits one Ugandan school
benefitting from American kids playing games.
One Laptop Per Child Controversy Centers on Windows
The One Laptop
Per Child (OLPC) initiative wants more kinds of Sugar, and some developers are
not sweet on that idea. Sugar is the user interface created for the low-cost
laptop developed by a team headed by MIT Media Lab co-founder Nicholas
Negroponte. The XO laptop, originally intended for a price point of $100 and
incorporating an open-source Linux operating system, is designed for use by
children in third-world countries.
