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Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top Story Iran's leaders arming Iraqis, U.S. says
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. military officials on Sunday accused the highest levels of the Iranian leadership of arming Shiite militants in Iraq with sophisticated armor-piercing roadside bombs that have killed more than 170 troops from the American-led coalition.
Those of us who were paying attention in 2002 knew that the Bush administration’s claims about WMD in Iraq were most likely not true. All we had to do was read the warnings from the CIA, the DIA, and the State Department that were leaked at the time. LynnTheDem has posted a compilation at Democratic Underground. So now we’re supposed to believe the Bush administration’s claims about Iran? —Caro Radio Left
The WorldCar bombing kills dozens in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Thunderous explosions and dense black smoke swirled through the center of Baghdad on Monday when at least one car bomb blew up in an underground parking garage, setting off dozens of secondary explosions and killing at least 46 people, police said. A second bombing nearby killed at least nine.
Israel tests anti-missile system
JERUSALEM - Israel successfully conducted its first nighttime test of the Arrow anti-missile system after sundown Sunday, the Defense Ministry said.
Egypt frees cleric at center of CIA kidnap case
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian authorities have released a Muslim cleric kidnapped in a suspected CIA operation in Italy and handed to Egypt, the cleric's lawyer said on Sunday.
Several Taliban, five policemen killed in Afghan clashes
KABUL (AFP) - Afghan and international troops killed several Taliban fighters in a hunt for a top militant leader as officials reported six more rebels and five policemen died in separate fighting.
Israel tests anti-missile system
JERUSALEM - Israel successfully conducted its first nighttime test of the Arrow anti-missile system after sundown Sunday, the Defense Ministry said.
U.S. In Afghanistan Firing On Pakistan
Asserting a right to self-defense, American forces in eastern Afghanistan launched artillery rounds into Pakistan to strike Taliban fighters who attack remote U.S. outposts, the commander of U.S. forces in the region said Sunday.
Sri Lankan navy destroy and capture Sea Tiger boats
COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lanka's navy destroyed a Tamil Tiger boat and captured another off the eastern coastal town of Trincomalee, the defence ministry said.
SKorea: NKorea nuke talks to be extended
BEIJING - Talks on North Korea's nuclear program were likely to be extended a day in a possible sign of narrowing differences, a South Korean official said Monday, as envoys lay responsibility for resolving the long-running standoff solely on Pyongyang.
Australian PM faces storm over criticism of US candidate
SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian Prime Minister John Howard has found himself at the centre of a political storm after criticising US presidential hopeful Barack Obama over his plans to pull troops from Iraq.
Low Turnout Undercuts Portugal Vote on Abortion
A referendum to liberalize the abortion law was approved, but turnout was too low for the result to be deemed valid.
Zimbabwe public sector crumbles as patience runs out
HARARE (AFP) - Doctors have been on strike for weeks, teachers are boycotting classes and now civil servants are threatening to stay away from their offices in another sign of the general collapse of the Zimbabwean state.
Mortar kills 2 in Somali capital
MOGADISHU, Somalia - A mortar slammed into a home in Somalia's restive capital early Monday, killing a father and his 6-year-old son as they slept and wounding four people, witnesses said. The NationPoll: Public view of Congress improves
WASHINGTON - Three months after a power shifting election, a majority of Americans still disapprove of Congress — a sign of public impatience with the new Democratic majority even among party loyalists.
Dems skeptical of starting row with Iran
WASHINGTON - Skeptical congressional Democrats said Sunday the Bush administration should move cautiously before accusing Iran of fomenting a campaign of violence against U.S. troops in Iraq.
House prepares to debate Iraq resolution
WASHINGTON - As the House prepared to debate a resolution opposing President Bush's troop escalation in Iraq, the GOP House leader acknowledged that a number of Republicans are likely to support it.
GOP Advisers Press Boehner to Be More Aggressive
House Republican advisers, antsy with the go-slow approach by leaders like Minority Leader John Boehner, are urging that the GOP instead follow the pattern of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has aggressively moved on several fronts, including the war in Iraq, taxes, and stem cell research.
Yes, please be more offensive, Republicans. —Caro
Obama challenges Clinton on Iraq
CHICAGO (AFP) - US Senator Barack Obama piled pressure on Hillary Clinton over Iraq, as his frontrunning Democratic presidential rival ran up against mounting scrutiny of her vote to authorize war in 2002.
Voters Seek Clarity on Clinton Iraq Vote
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - After nearly four years of war and more than 3,000 U.S. dead, New Hampshire voters are demanding more than nuance on Iraq from Democratic front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Richardson: U.S. must lead by example
WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson said Thursday the United States must lead the way on global struggles by reducing its nuclear weapons, closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and dramatically cutting energy use.
EPA toughens toxic emissions standards
WASHINGTON - Toxic fumes from cars and gasoline would be cut significantly under new limits on cancer-causing benzene, adopted by the Bush administration under legal pressure from environmental groups.
Libby trial sheds light on White House
WASHINGTON - Sworn testimony in the perjury trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby has shone a spotlight on White House attempts to sell a gone-wrong war in Iraq to the nation and Vice President Dick Cheney's aggressive role in the effort.
Trial for Katrina insurer set to begin
NEW ORLEANS - The first trial for one of the several thousand lawsuits that Louisiana homeowners filed against their insurers in federal court after Hurricane Katrina gets under way this week. Economy & BusinessStocks drop as more home loans go bad; Micron warns
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Friday after Countrywide Financial Corp. became the latest mortgage lender to warn of rising defaults, while chip maker Micron Technology Inc.'s poor forecasts shook the tech sector.
Economy to grow slowly in early 2007: Blue Chip
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy will grow slowly during the first half of the year, but pick up strength as the months pass, a survey of top forecasters showed on Saturday.
Significant cut in gasoline use is decades away: automakers
CHICAGO (AFP) - It will be decades before the world will see a significant cut in global automotive gasoline consumption, automakers and analysts said.
If we slap a tax on gasoline that increases over time, to allow people time to adjust to the price changes, we’ll see tremendous strides in reducing consumption. Is there a politician with the courage to call for that? —Caro
Money rules to marry by
While you're enjoying flowers and chocolate, share a money talk, too. MediaVIDEO COMPILATION: Anna Nicole Smith And Our National Media Embarassment
The death of Anna Nicole Smith yesterday was a feeding frenzy for the national media, and coverage of the war was drowned out: NBC’s Nightly News devoted 14 seconds to Iraq compared to 3 minutes and 13 seconds to Anna Nicole. CNN referenced Anna Nicole 522% more frequently than it did Iraq. MSNBC was even worse — 708% more references to Anna Nicole than Iraq.
Click through to watch the video. Why do they do it? See below. —Caro
Smith's death 'a real feast' for the media
Fox's prime-time viewership on the night of Smith's death jumped to 2,225,000, an increase of at least 400,000 over a typical weeknight, the cable station said. Traffic on entertainment and personality websites leapt 54% compared with the day before Smith's death became public, said Matt Tatham of Hitwise, a firm that tracks Web traffic. More than 14,000 blogs posted information, opinions and rants about her death Thursday, according to another tracking service, Technorati.com.
DEBUNKING THE DIMWITS
Three cheers to Kevin Drum for last evening’s post, called “DIMWITTERY.” In his post, Kevin is “trying to remember all of the dimwit stories about Democratic politicians that have somehow made the jump to mainstream media stardom in the past few weeks. As we’ve said, for years and years—it’s precisely these sorts of “dimwit stories” which have driven our recent electoral politics. It has taken Dems and liberals a very long time to recognize this reality-based fact. By instinct, bright people will often prefer to work on matters which aren’t quite so dumb and dim-witted. But: In ignoring this part of our modern politics, we’ve been allowing the dimwits to win. We’ve failed to warn voters about these tales. As a result, many voters don’t have a skeptical bone in their bodies when the latest such dim tales appear.
Nightline aired GOP claim that Pelosi requested "a luxury jet"
On the February 8 edition of ABC's Nightline, during a report on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) having access to military aircraft, ABC News correspondent David Wright aired a quote by Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), in which Hensarling stated, "According to CNN, the speaker's office has now requested that the military provide her with a luxury jet." In fact, the CNN report that Hensarling touted did not provide any evidence for that assertion other than "the conservative Washington Times through unnamed congressional sources" and was contradicted by other media outlets
NY Times rehashed Pres. Clinton haircut myth
In a February 9 article, The New York Times reported on the uproar over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) access to a military aircraft to fly nonstop between Washington, D.C., and her home district in California, noting the Republican effort to portray Pelosi "as a luxury-loving San Franciscan." The Times asserted that "the dispute illustrates that politicians are acutely aware that a jet-setting image can be dangerous," adding that "President Bill Clinton spent a long time living down the tale of his haircut on Air Force One as flights were delayed at Los Angeles International Airport, even though there is dispute over whether other planes were affected." In fact, there exists no "dispute over whether other planes were affected" -- the claim that Clinton's haircut delayed air traffic at LAX or elsewhere is flatly disproved by Federal Aviation Administration records, as reported more than 15 years ago.
Tucker Carlson on Obama's church: "(I)t's hard to call that Christianity"
During the "Obameter" segment on the February 7 edition of MSNBC's Tucker, host Tucker Carlson criticized Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), a presumptive candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, for being a member of a church that Carlson claimed "sounds separatist to me" and "contradicts the basic tenets of Christianity," a subject Carlson said he was "actually qualified to discuss."
The NYT Reports on Failed Privatization in Britain
Britain privatized its train system under Margaret Thatcher. Tony Blair continued and extended the policy even though it had failed to improve service and lower cost. The New York Times reports today that the train system is still poorly run, but neglects to mention the privatization experiment. Which is perfectly in keeping with the Times' frequently pro-privatization take on the U.S.'s own national rail system.
Journalists should stop being such elitists, says WM's Peters
Washington Monthly founder Charles Peters, who recently turned 80, says rather than grumbling about how hard it is to make ends meet on $100,000 and envying the people who make $1 million, journalists should identify with the American middle class and its struggles. "Good journalism, in the Peters version, is still about making powerful people uncomfortable. And about saving your soul," writes David Ignatius, who worked for Peters in the mid-1970s.
AP Launches Citizen Media Deal
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Associated Press and NowPublic.com said Friday they had agreed to a partnership to let AP to use photographs, video and news from "citizen journalists" in its newsgathering operation. NowPublic.com, a Vancouver, Canada-based startup, posts citizens' images and news accounts on its Web site, along with links to mainstream news organizations. The company is part of a growing citizen-journalism movement, comprised of blogs and news sites that rely on small armies of amateur reporters and eyewitnesses with cell phone cameras to deliver news online.
Cartoon Network boss quits over bomb scare
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The head of Cartoon Network resigned Friday after the network's guerilla marketing scheme for one of its shows went bad last week and led to a bomb scare in Boston - a fiasco that cost its parent company $2 million.
More women turning off morning network news programs
Matea Gold reports this season has seen a significant erosion of the morning shows' demographic sweet spot: 25- to 54-year-old women. A 34-year-old mother of three tells Gold: "Watching morning television for me is the equivalent of reading People magazine in the dentist's office. ... It seems like a lot of fluff. I feel like I can get information faster and cleaner on the Internet." "Today" executive producer Jim Bell says of the trend: "We are certainly aware of it, but not making a lot if it just yet."
Bush Calls for Propaganda Surge, Slashes PBS
The latest twist of Bush's budgetary knife lays bare the White House's information priority: Fake news trumps real reporting. Technology & ScienceLawmakers hold 'tele-town hall meetings'
Technology that can connect thousands of people on a single phone call is letting members of Congress connect with voters like never before. A "tele-town hall meeting" lets lawmakers call up to 35,000 households in their district at random by using a special automated dialing system.
Maybe technology will help us take some of the money out of politics. If candidates can reach voters directly, there may not be such a great need to spend billions of dollars on media advertising. —Caro
Newest Fad In Farming: The Internet
Online forums, message boards and chat rooms are replacing rural coffee shops and feed mills as places for farmers to talk farming and trade tips as more of rural America goes online.
MySpace offers tools to block unauthorized videos
NEW YORK (Reuters) - News Corp.'s online social network MySpace said on Monday it is offering free software tools to let media companies block the uploading of unauthorized video clips, expanding on an earlier program to block unauthorized music.
Online Comeback for a Short-Lived TV Channel
With the introduction of getTrio.com, the short-lived but well-loved cable television channel Trio completes its online comeback.
Mobile carriers to make it easy to send money home
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Mobile communications operators and banks joined forces on Monday to make it easier and cheaper for hundreds of millions of immigrants and migrant workers to send money home by using their mobile phones.
Wireless sensors extend Internet's reach
LOS ANGELES - To the untrained eye, the sleek, airy building constructed atop a decommissioned nuclear reactor at the University of California, Los Angeles could pass for high-tech office space.
MIT team details optics-on-a-chip device
Fiber-optic networks transmit massive amounts of information quickly, but the signals weaken as the data-carrying light travels long distances. Now, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said they've overcome a major obstacle in harnessing the full power and speed of the light waves. The MIT researchers reported in a recent edition of the journal Nature Photonics that they've devised a solution that utilizes the mass-production capabilities of standard silicon chips.
Intel details teraflops-capable chip
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Intel Corp. has designed a computer chip that promises to perform calculations as quickly an entire data center — while consuming as much energy as a light bulb.
Tokyo sets snowless record
TOKYO (AFP) - Tokyo has set a record for its longest snowless winter amid growing worldwide concerns about global warming, according to meteorologists.
Warming threatens double-trouble in Peru
PASTORURI GLACIER, Peru - Peru's "White Mountain Range" may soon have to change its name. The ice atop Cordillera Blanca, the largest glacier chain in the tropics, is melting fast because of rising temperatures, and peaks are turning brown.
In Niger, Trees and Crops Turn Back the Desert
GUIDAN BAKOYE, Niger — In this dust-choked region, long seen as an increasingly barren wasteland decaying into desert, millions of trees are flourishing, thanks in part to poor farmers whose simple methods cost little or nothing at all. Better conservation and improved rainfall have led to at least 7.4 million newly tree-covered acres in Niger, researchers have found, achieved largely without relying on the large-scale planting of trees or other expensive methods often advocated by African politicians and aid groups for halting desertification, the process by which soil loses its fertility. |
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