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Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryBush preserves big troop level in Iraq
WASHINGTON - President Bush's claim that progress in Iraq justifies preserving a large U.S. military presence there for at least 10 more months was shadowed by discouraging developments on the security and political fronts.
Dems: Bush Withdrawal Plan Is Not Enough
In the Democratic response to President Bush's prime-time Oval office address, Sen. Jack Reed, a former Army Ranger, said the president has failed to provide “either a plan to successfully end the war or a convincing rationale to continue it.” AMERICAblog
The WorldKey anti-al-Qaida sheik slain in Iraq
BAGHDAD - The assassination Thursday of the leader of the Sunni Arab revolt against al-Qaida militants dealt a setback to one of the few success stories in U.S. efforts to stabilize Iraq, but tribesmen in Anbar province vowed not to be deterred in fighting the terror movement.
Iraqi envoy sees long-term U.S. presence
WASHINGTON - U.S. forces probably will not be a visible presence on Iraq's streets five years from now, but the United States will remain a force in the country for years to come, Iraq's ambassador to the U.S. predicted.
White House seeks tougher Iran sanctions
VIENNA, Austria — Leading European nations on Wednesday stopped short of endorsing a United Nations plan to ease tensions over Iran's nuclear program, and the United States called a six-nation meeting next week to discuss imposing tougher U.N. sanctions on Iran's government.
Pakistan: Won't Block Bhutto's Return
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Former premier Benazir Bhutto can return to Pakistan from exile but will have to face corruption cases against her, the government said, as her party prepared to announce her arrival date Friday.
The Malaysian miracle (by Joseph Stiglitz)
At independence, Malaysia was one of the poorest countries in the world… Today, … Malaysia is in the top tier… Moreover, the benefits of the growth have been shared… (Malaysia) invested in education and technology, pushed a high savings rate, enacted a strong and effective affirmative action programme, and adopted sound macroeconomic policies… Malaysia's success thus should be studied both by those looking for economic prosperity and those seeking to understand how our world can live together, not just with toleration, but also with respect, sharing their common humanity and working together to achieve common goals.
Australia prepares for 'Google election'
SYDNEY (AFP) - Google Australia on Friday unveiled what it described as the world's most powerful dedicated election website, capable of exposing inconsistencies in the public pronouncements of political leaders.
Canada compensates for Vietnam-era Agent Orange
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada will compensate people who may have been hurt by U.S. testing of the defoliant Agent Orange at a Canadian military base in New Brunswick during the Vietnam War, the government said on Wednesday.
U.N. declares rights for native peoples
UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. General Assembly adopted a declaration Thursday affirming the rights of native peoples worldwide over objections from the United States and Canada, ending two decades of deliberations.
Australia objects, too.—Caro The NationEdwards: Bush, Congress Fail to End War
WASHINGTON (AP) - White House candidate John Edwards criticized President Bush in a televised response Thursday for failing to pull out of Iraq, but also spread some of the blame to the Democratic-led Congress. Edwards' dual criticisms came in a unique two-minute ad that he paid for on MSNBC and that aired after Bush addressed the nation.
Obama Says Dems Lack Votes for Timetable
MAQUOKETA, Iowa (AP) - Despite the Iraq war's unpopularity, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Thursday that Congress lacks the votes to force a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops and will focus instead on putting a ceiling on the number deployed.
Senator Obama knows very well, however, that it only takes 41 senators to stop any funding of the war UNLESS it’s dependent on a timetable for withdrawal. He thinks we’re stupid, friends.—Caro
Democrats reject general's Iraq plan
WASHINGTON - A day before President Bush's war address, Senate Democrats rejected a four-star general's recommendation to keep some 130,000 troops in Iraq through next summer and sought legislation that would limit the mission of U.S. forces.
Webb Proposal One of a Plethora of Senate Plans Addressing Iraq Situation
As the Senate prepares to resume a full-throated debate on the Iraq War, a measure that some call a “backdoor” troop withdrawal is coming close to the support needed to overcome an expected Republican filibuster, its author said.
We're losing in Afghanistan too (by John Kiriakou and Richard Klein)
Former Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld says in the current edition of GQ magazine that the war in Afghanistan has been "a big success," with people living in freedom and life "improved on the streets."… In reality, Afghanistan -- former Taliban stronghold, Al Qaeda haven and warlord-cum-heroin-smuggler finishing school -- feels more and more like Sept. 10, 2001, than a victory in the U.S. war on terrorism. The country is, plain and simple, a mess.
Number of immigrants hits record 37.5M
WASHINGTON - Nearly one in five people living in the United States speaks a language at home other than English, according to new Census data that illustrate the wide-ranging effects of immigration.
Contractors take on expanded role in drug war
Late last month, the Pentagon tapped five major defense contractors to provide wide-ranging support in global counter-narcotics operations. The contract, worth up to $15 billion over the next five years, illustrates the extent to which the Defense Department is relying on contractors to perform critical missions while combat forces are stretched thin by operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Because contractors have done so well at disappearing money in Iraq and Afghanistan.—Caro
Statisticians boost effort to block children's health-insurance expansion
WASHINGTON — In its effort to stop Congress from expanding a public health-insurance program for low-income children, the Bush administration has hit on a compelling argument: the obscure but inevitable phenomenon known as "crowd out." "Crowd out" happens when parents drop their children's private health insurance to enroll them in cheaper, taxpayer-funded coverage through the State Children's Health Insurance Program.
And that’s EXACTLY the point. Why should we pay for anyone to make a profit, when we don’t have to, especially when it comes to life and death matters?—Caro
Consumers could face higher toy prices
NEW YORK - Someone is going to have to pay all the extra costs of making toys safer. For now, toy makers and retailers are sharing the burden, but that's only expected to last until the holiday season. Next year, American consumers will be facing price increases of up to 10 percent to pay for the industry's increased vigilance.
And isn’t that what the free market is all about?—Caro
Ex-Chiquita Execs Won't Face Bribe Charges
The Justice Department notified Chiquita Brands International yesterday that it will not seek to criminally charge its former top executive and other former high-ranking officers over the company's payment of bribes to a Colombian organization on the State Department's list of terrorist groups. The multibillion-dollar banana company pleaded guilty earlier this year to making $1.7 million in illegal payments to a right-wing Colombian paramilitary group from 1997 to 2004.
Republican contributors, do you think?—Caro MediaPermanent link to MTA daily media news
I will be a guest on Joe Vecchio’s Cup O’Joe Show this morning. Listen to Joe from 11:00 to 12:00 noon ET every weekday on the Head On Radio Network.
AOL/Microsoft-Hotmail Blocking Delivery of Truthout.org (thanks to Thomas Paine’s Corner)
Currently, AOL- and Microsoft-related email providers, including Hotmail, are preventing delivery of a range of Truthout communications to thousands of our subscribers… It is critically important if it does become clear that you are still on our list, and we are sending to you, that you demand your rights… Marc Ash, Executive Director - t r u t h o u t
I’ve had my own problems with AOL. They’ve blocked the MTA Yahoo group several times.—Caro
Yes, Surge, That's My Baby: Press Responds to Bush Speech
By the time President Bush addressed the nation tonight, little suspense about his remarks remained. So the media had plenty of time to figure out how to respond. Here we will carry some of the reactions, starting with Tom Ricks' live-blogging and a report that the Joint Chiefs want more troops out.
A look at the facts behind Bush's speech
WASHINGTON - President Bush pointed to political realignment in Iraq's volatile Anbar province as evidence that Iraq is a fight that the United States is winning.
Click through for the AP’s fact check.—Caro
Edwards buys ad to rebut Bush on Iraq
In the clamor of Democrats assailing President Bush on Iraq, presidential candidate John Edwards has found a way to be heard after Bush addresses the nation Thursday night: He's buying time for a rebuttal.
CNN ignored Boehner's "small price" comment after latching onto Kerry's "botched joke"
On CNN, Rep. John Boehner stated: "(T)he investment that we're making today (in Iraq) will be a small price if we're able to stop Al Qaeda here, if we're able to stabilize the Middle East, it's not only going to be a small price for the near future, but think about the future for our kids and their kids." CNN did not re-air Boehner's comments, or provide any discussion of the controversy that followed them. By contrast, CNN extensively covered John Kerry's October 2006 "botched joke" and the controversy that followed.
Giuliani, others in GOP target New York Times over bill for MoveOn ad
This morning, the New York Post published a story about something that had been percolating for a day or two in the conservative blogosphere: That The New York Times had given a big "discount" to MoveOn.org Political Action for the controversial "General Betray Us" ad that ran in the newspaper on Monday… (Wednesday) afternoon the pro-Bush organization Freedom's Watch posted online a TV advertisement it plans to begin airing that calls MoveOn's ad "despicable" and calls on members of Congress to condemn it.
Click through to watch the Freedom’s Watch ad.—Caro
Katie Couric is the right wing’s new ’sweetheart.’
Last week, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric reported from Iraq, but her stories largely repeated the Bush administration’s talking points. She even admitted that her stories were largely based on “what the U.S. military want(ed)” her to see. The right wing is now embracing her. Roll Call reports that conservative aides on Capitol Hill say that Couric is “our sweetheart.”
The War Party
The media-savvy cartoonist and commentator (Ted Rall) lists examples of how, "rather than set the record straight, the media continues to spread the Democrats-can't-stop-the-Republican-war meme this week"… As FAIR has explained time and again, "Congress does not have to pass legislation to bring an end to the war in Iraq—it simply has to block passage of any bill that would continue to fund the war. This requires not 67 or 60 Senate votes, or even 51, but just 41."
The disgraced ABC consultant and the push for war in Iran (by Will Bunch)
(A) much-used consultant to ABC News (Alexis Debat ) published a phony interview with Barak Obama… Debat -- a former French defense official who now works at the (no, you can't make these things up) Nixon Center -- has also been a leading source in pounding the drumbeat for war in Iran, and directly linked to some bizarre stories -- reported on ABC's widely watched news shows, and nowhere else -- that either ratcheted up fears of terrorism or that could have stoked new tensions between Washington and Tehran... Either Debat is a lone wolf, a deluded self-aggrandizer whose main agenda is promoting himself. Or he is acting in his role at the Nixon Center as a conduit, spreading information and occasional disinformation at the behest of others. Either way, this is unarguably yet another huge black eye for the American media.
Click through to read the entire fascinating story, including the list other public figures who say they were not interviewed by this man, as he claimed.—Caro
There’s Something About Iowa and New Hampshire
Explaining why he thinks it's great that two small, overwhelmingly white states have an enormous impact on the early stages of the U.S. presidential campaign, (The NYT’s Adam) Nagourney sees the voters there as simply smarter about politics… The apparent evidence is that they show up and ask real questions, unlike the dopes elsewhere in the country…: One man is shown to be a political pro because he speaks like a campaign consultant and—wouldn't you know it—can name two of the "three H's" attributed to John Edwards. Yes, that would be house, hedge fund and haircut. Technology & ScienceGoogle launches global privacy crusade
SAN FRANCISCO - Drawing upon its clout as the Internet's most powerful company, Google Inc. is calling on businesses and regulators throughout the world to adopt international standards for protecting consumer privacy online and offline.
Anti-spam law challenged
RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia's law banning the massive distribution of junk e-mail is an unconstitutional barrier to free speech, a lawyer for a former spammer told the state's highest court Wednesday.
Interpol Calls For Global Effort To Battle Cybercrime
Interpol's Secretary General says the private sector needs to become much more involved in law enforcement investigations to give police the edge they need.
Google Founder’s Wife Wants Your DNA
What Illumina does is make DNA chips, or SNPs (pronounced snips) (from) the hundreds of DNA variations for each sample provided. This information can be used to help find ancestral information, or for medical purposes… Jeff Flately, chief exec of Illumina, has saved slides of his own genome on his iPhone, meaning there’s a lot that you’ll be able to do with your DNA very soon.
ER Patients Check in at Computer Kiosks
DALLAS (AP) - An emergency room might be the last place you'd think would have do-it-yourself check-in. But Parkland Memorial Hospital has three self-service computer kiosks, similar to those used by airport passengers and hotel guests. And so do a handful of other hospital ERs, where the long wait in line to register and explain symptoms can be grueling.
Screening Proposed for Childhood Cholesterol Levels
Treatment would reduce risk of genetic condition that can lead to early death
Stomach Virus a Culprit in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Research was spurred by father's concern for son with debilitating condition
Coming Soon: Pain-Free Dentistry
Scientists hard at work on no-drill dental fillings
Novel Cooling Therapy May Have Aided Injured Football Player
Lowering Kevin Everett's body temperature helped protect his spinal cord, doctors say.
Dark matter key to formation of first stars
LONDON (Reuters) - Dark matter may have played a key role in forming the earliest stars, according to researchers who suggest that the mysterious and invisible material may also have been responsible for creating black holes. EnvironmentDirty energy threatens health of 2 billion: study
LONDON (Reuters) - The health of about 2 billion of the world's poor is being damaged because they lack access to clean energy, like electricity, and face exposure to smoke from open fires, scientists said on Thursday.
Panel Faults Emphasis of U.S. Climate Program
A government-wide climate research program started five years ago by the Bush Administration has clarified some scientific questions, an independent scientific panel has found. But in its report released today, the panel said the the program has been plagued by delays, and that it has not devoted enough money or effort to studying the effects of climate change, or to disseminating the findings to those who would be most affected.
Commercial builders get green fever
Sep. 13 - New York City's skyline is slowly turning green as Bank of America and others build environmentally sustainable corporate edifices.
It's Official: Green Cleaning Products for Illinois Schools
CHICAGO, Sept. 14, 2007 -- Illinois is now the second state in the U.S. to make green cleaning rules mandatory for schools. For more headlines, visit MakeThemAccountable.com. |
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