Sanders Unfiltered: America's Class
Crisis Vermont Senator Bernie
Sanders calls for a "new type of
Wall Street, a Wall Street that is
not interested in bubble economics,"
in this first in a series of videos.
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Last Update: Saturday, August 22, 2009 |
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World Headlines
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Japan stocks at 10-month high after eurozone data Japan's Nikkei
share average rose to a 10-month high on Friday after upbeat
eurozone growth data and positive earnings from the world's largest
retailer helped offset gloomy U.S. retail and jobs data, factors
which brought down the dollar.
Somali Connection: A Terrorism Crackdown in Australia A huge
operation leads to the arrest of four suspects with connections to
combatants in east Africa and perhaps sympathizers in Minnesota
China said Thursday it might appeal a World Trade Organization ruling that it improperly restricts distribution of foreign movies, music and books and insisted it does not impede imports.
Islamist leader dies in Gaza battle At least 24 people killed as Hamas forces battle group inspired by bin Laden Iran detains four Sunni rebels Iran has arrested four members of a Sunni Islamic rebel group in southeastern of the country, the official IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday. Hezbollah issues Israeli warning Hezbollah secretary-general claims group is capable of hitting any Israeli city. Iranian group asks US to take control of Iraq camp An exiled Iranian opposition group urged the international community on Tuesday to assume control of a camp housing some of its members outside Baghdad, after an Iraqi raid last month killed at least six of its residents. Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party loyalists engage with US over Iraq The prospect of mediated talks between the two sides has provoked fury in Baghdad, where the new government is dominated by parties that were ruthlessly repressed under Saddam's dictatorship. Yemeni military battles rebels Government sets conditions to end offensive against Shia fighters in the country's north. |
Militant commander resurfaces to rebut official claims of his death
A senior Taliban commander who the Pakistani government believed was
dead suddenly resurfaced today, sowing further confusion about the
leadership of the Pakistani Taliban, days after Baitullah Mehsud's
apparent assassination. Click here Updates from Honduras Row over Afghan wife-starving law The original bill caused outrage earlier this year, forcing Afghan President Hamid Karzai to withdraw it. The original version obliged Shia women to have sex with their husbands every four days at a minimum Inside the Taliban In the first of a series of exclusive reports in the run-up to next week's Afghan elections, award-winning correspondent Ghaith Abdul-Ahad meets a group of Taliban in their mountain stronghold Afghan campaign workers kidnappedTaliban Commander: We Will Cut Off Any Finger Stained By Voting Ink Pattern of fraud seen before Afghan vote Claim: Karzai buying election UK Times: Afghan pres. allied with US offering money to voters. Captain Removed After Slamming Afghan War A British Army captain who anonymously wrote a scathing attack about the Afghan war has been removed from his unit Iraq contractor KBR cited by oversight commission An independent panel examining waste and fraud in wartime spending accused contracting giant KBR Inc. on Tuesday of resisting government oversight and failing to cut costs on support work in Iraq. Maliki slams accordance democracy Iraq Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki said that it is possible to ally with Liberal parties. However, Maliki reiterated that he refuses the principle of accordance democracy stressing that this concept was imposed by the urgent conditions and that it destroyed the political process. |
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US Headlines |
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Goldman facing compensation, derivative inquiries Fed ends controversial debt-buying program The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it gradually will end an experimental program of purchasing U.S. Treasury securities in an effort to lower long-term interest rates -- its first step to withdraw some of the trillions of dollars it has flooded into financial markets in the last year. Bill requires doubling nuke use To satisfy House Democrats' low-cost solution to global warming, Americans would have to double their reliance on nuclear energy by 2030 U.S. says ready to pay off U.N. peacekeeping debt thee United States is ready to hand over more than $2 billion in new and old contributions it owes the U.N. peacekeeping department, Washington's U.N. ambassador, Susan Rice, said on Wednesday The Wealthy Elites Play the Racists for Pawns at a Town Hall Meeting in Maryland An eyewitness account of the racism and vitriol on display at a town hall protest. Obama sends stimulus aid to foreign firms Nearly half of the $2.4 billion in federal grant money awarded Wednesday to stimulate the U.S. economy and boost the production of hybrid and electric vehicles went to six companies with ties to places as far away as Russia, China, South Korea and France. Senators Dodd, Conrad cleared of ethics charges A U.S. Senate panel dismissed ethics charges against two powerful Democrats Friday but said the lawmakers should have exercised greater care in their personal dealings with Countrywide Financial Corp.Lieberman Urges Holder Against Investigating Interrogation Techniques Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.) on Wednesday discouraged Attorney General Eric Holder from initiating any investigation of how suspected terrorists were treated at the hands of American intelligence agents and contractors. Russian general defends nuclear submarine patrols off US east coast The submarine patrols coincided with angry words from Moscow about US military assistance to Georgia a year after the Russian-Georgian war, which drove US-Russian relations to a post-cold war low. Barack Obama has sought to overcome the strain and improve ties but US officials said that they have not ruled out providing defensive weapon systems for Georgia despite warnings by Russia. American man convicted of supporting terrorism An American man was found guilty on Wednesday by a federal jury in Atlanta of supporting terrorism as part of a small militant cell based in the southern U.S. city. Real Time on health care debate: 'What the f**k?' Computer scientists reveal new voting machine hack successfully changed votes NYT: Climate Change Seen as Threat to U.S. Security Intelligence analysts say that we'll need our military to deal with the effects of violent storms, drought, mass migration and pandemics. World oil demand to increase this year International Energy Agency expects world oil demand to rise less than previously thought next year, due to the increasing consumption in Asia. However, it will decrease by 2.7% in comparison with last year. July foreclosure filings up across U.S.Bankruptcy Filings Spike 35 Percent Over Previous Year U.S. food stamp list tops 34 million for first time Details of secret CIA prisons released Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, a senior CIA officer who is currently in jail for corruption has told The New York Times how he oversaw the construction of three identical prisons from his base in Frankfurt where he ran the spy agency's main European supply base. |
TOP SENATOR
ENDORSES "DEATH PANEL" FALSEHOOD
Government Could "Pull
The Plug On Grandma" one even
Caught Red-Handed: Grassley Voted For So-Called "Death Panel" In
2003 Palin Was For "Death Panels" Before She Was Against Them HR676 - The Single Payer Solution, Part 1 of 4 Doctors protest exclusion of single-payer at Senate Finance Committee Lou Dobbs Tours Single-Payer Systems Abroad and Realizes, Holy Crap They're Good Has CNN's government-out-of-my-face bloviator actually had a change of heart when it comes to Obama's health plan? Noam Chomsky on Health Care--Why has reform taken so LONG Government Study Shows Cap-and-Trade Will Raise Energy Prices Democrats sought proof that the energy legislation would work. They might regret it. College publisher will rent textbooks to students D.C. Prepares to Offer STD Tests to All High School Students Students will have the option to take the test without their parents' consent. Texas judge posts flier suggesting criminals support Obama Feds zero in on wealthy US clients of banking giant UBS....Exposed! Names Of Americans Using Swiss Bank Accounts To Evade Taxes To Be Released Judge Shoots Down White House Effort to Curb Mountaintop Mining A federal judge today blocked the Obama administration’s efforts overturn a Bush administration rule allowing coal companies to dump their mining waste in mountain streams. The ruling is a victory for Appalachian mountaintop removal operations, where the peaks of mountains are literally lopped off with dynamite and the rock and soil pushed into adjacent valleys, many of which contain small streams that represent the headwaters of larger bodies of water below. A 1983 law prevents mining — or disposing of mine debris — within 100 feet of streams if the activity is shown to harm water quality. But in December, the Bush White House finalized an industry-friendly rule that effectively scrapped the so-called “stream buffer zone rule.” Mom wants twin fetuses recognized as children A Vermont woman whose 6-month-old twin fetuses died after a car crashed into the family van wants them to be legally recognized as children, which is not the case under current state law. Busts of corrupt US border police rise Corruption along the U.S.-Mexican border takes many forms. It can start as simply as a smuggler's $50 gift to the child of a reluctant federal agent, quickly escalating to out-and-out bribes. "Everyone does it," the agent, now in prison, recalls telling himself. Other times, county sheriffs greedily grab thousands from drug dealers. In a few instances, traffickers even place members in the applicant pool for sensitive border protection jobs. Study shows: Income Inequality At An All-Time High Income inequality in the United States is at an all-time high, surpassing even levels seen during the Great Depression, according to a recently updated paper by University of California, Berkeley Professor Emmanuel Saez. The paper, which covers data through 2007, points to a staggering, unprecedented disparity in American incomes. On his blog, Nobel prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman called the numbers "truly amazing." |
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Connecticut |
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West Haven PD: shooting injures two
West Haven Police said a shooting
resulted in a person being shot in the
shoulder and another victim being shot
in the knee a few blocks away. Terrorist allegedly trained in CT An alleged terrorist ringleader trained at a terrorist training camp in Connecticut in the 1980's, according to testimony from an FBI agent.
Senators Dodd, Conrad cleared of ethics
charges A U.S. Senate panel
dismissed ethics charges against two
powerful Democrats Friday but said the
lawmakers should have exercised greater
care in their personal dealings with
Countrywide Financial Corp.
Lieberman Urges Holder Against Investigating Interrogation Techniques Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.) on Wednesday discouraged Attorney General Eric Holder from initiating any investigation of how suspected terrorists were treated at the hands of American intelligence agents and contractors. CT Drug WarDrug dealer sent to prison for 26 years A Connecticut-based drug dealer who distributed large quantities of crack cocaine in Fairfield County and outfitted his crew with guns and body armor has been sentenced to more than 26 years in prison.
Hotel: Conn.
rape victim was
careless
Lawyers for a
Connecticut
hotel where a
woman was raped
at gunpoint in
front of her
children is
putting some
blame on the
victim, saying
in court
documents that
she was careless
and negligent.
State reducing oil dependency Connecticut ranked No. 5 among the Top 10 states that are doing the most to promote clean energy technologies and reduce dependence on foreign oil, an international nonprofit environmental organization said Tuesday. |
Account of Rep. Joe Courtney's (D-CT2) Town
Hall Meeting The chair also had the first 2 rows reserved
for Courtney’s staff, Nancy Wyman, CT’s
State Comptroller, and Woodstock DTC
members. As the meeting got under way,
Courtney had a 6 row buffer zone between him
and the first row of “Teabaggers”.
Woodstock’s chair also told his helpers not
to relinquish control of the portable
microphones to anyone.
Ex-trooper fined, trash conspiracy case A former state trooper has escaped prison time for his role in a massive garbage industry price-fixing conspiracy. Pequot trades raised many warnings: report Pequot Capital Management Inc, once a prominent hedge fund firm, has been named dozens of times in private reports that alerted U.S. financial regulators to possible insider trading or other misconduct, according to Bloomberg News. Journal Register emerges from Ch. 11 protection Journal Register Co., publisher of the New Haven (Conn.) Register and other newspapers, said it has emerged from bankruptcy protection and secured new financing from its lenders, six months after making its Chapter 11 filing. Beehives plagued by infection Connecticut scientists say nearly half the state's 2,600 registered beehives are infected with bacteria that cause a disease that kills honeybee larvae. State banking regulators take aim at major mortgage lender The state Department of Banking ordered Wednesday that a major nationwide lender stop writing new mortgages in Connecticut and threatened to pull the firm's licenses. Rash of robberies in Branford Police in Branford are investigating five burglaries that happened this past weekend |
| United States | |
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Security Issues NYT: Climate Change Seen as Threat to U.S. Security Intelligence analysts say that we'll need our military to deal with the effects of violent storms, drought, mass migration and pandemics. WATCH: Roy Sekoff Discusses The Increase In Right-Wing Militias On MSNBC's "Ed Show" Report: NASA Can't Keep Up With Killer Asteroids NASA is charged with seeking out nearly all the asteroids that threaten Earth but doesn't have the money to do the job, a federal report says Computer scientists reveal new voting machine hack successfully changed votes Airlines To Begin Asking Passengers For More Information Busts of corrupt US border police rise Corruption along the U.S.-Mexican border takes many forms. It can start as simply as a smuggler's $50 gift to the child of a reluctant federal agent, quickly escalating to out-and-out bribes. "Everyone does it," the agent, now in prison, recalls telling himself. Other times, county sheriffs greedily grab thousands from drug dealers. In a few instances, traffickers even place members in the applicant pool for sensitive border protection jobs. American man convicted of supporting terrorism An American man was found guilty on Wednesday by a federal jury in Atlanta of supporting terrorism as part of a small militant cell based in the southern U.S. city. WHO sees swine flu vaccination from next month The first vaccines to combat H1N1 swine flu should be approved and ready for use in some countries from September, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. Mullen says Russian subs not alarming EXCLUSIVE: America's top military officer said Wednesday that he does not consider two Russian nuclear submarines patrolling off the East Coast a sign of resurgence of the Cold War Russian general defends nuclear submarine patrols off US east coast The submarine patrols coincided with angry words from Moscow about US military assistance to Georgia a year after the Russian-Georgian war, which drove US-Russian relations to a post-cold war low. Barack Obama has sought to overcome the strain and improve ties but US officials said that they have not ruled out providing defensive weapon systems for Georgia despite warnings by Russia. Courts Texas judge posts flier suggesting criminals support Obama U.S. judge wary of BofA bonus settlement with SEC A federal judge criticized on Monday a proposed settlement between the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Bank of America Corp over the payment of bonuses to Merrill Lynch & Co executives. Microsoft ordered to stop selling MS Word Judge rules in Palin e-mail case A judge ruled Wednesday that the Alaska governor's office can use private e-mail accounts to conduct state business, as former Gov. Sarah Palin sometimes did. Gun Rights Don't Apply In Domestic Violence Cases, Appeals Court Rules
Texas Judge Sharon Keller on Trial After Man's Execution Judge
Sharon Keller allegedly slammed the door on the last-minute appeal
of a man on death row. Now she's at risk of being removed from the
bench Education College publisher will rent textbooks to students D.C. Prepares to Offer STD Tests to All High School Students Students will have the option to take the test without their parents' consent. Shelton couple debuts autism iPhone app Dan and Carey Tedesco have found a way to use their iPhones to help their son with autism. The married couple from Shelton in May launched iPrompts, an application that allows parents and caregivers to communicate tasks to an autistic child through images. |
Greed US carpenters' union fires 3 in NY corruption case Feds zero in on wealthy US clients of banking giant UBS....Exposed! Names Of Americans Using Swiss Bank Accounts To Evade Taxes To Be Released Media Leaked Email: CNBC Went To Tea Partiers Looking for Angry Protests Tyler Perry's Gender Problem Filmmaker Tyler Perry may see himself as creating modern-day fairy tales for black women, but he's actually reinforcing some seriously conservative gender politics. Publisher bans images of Muhammad in new book Yale University Press has decided against reprinting the Danish cartoons of the prophet Muhammad in a book examining the controversy, after being advised by Islam and counterterrorism experts that doing so could incite violence. Real Time on health care debate: 'What the f**k?'
Police
Ex-Clinton aide named in prison smuggling case Police/Prison Prisons propose inmates pay fees Watch: Mom tased in front of own kids during routine traffic stop Citizens have the right to talk back to the police Civil Rights
Tenn. student's
Confederate flag
suit thrown out
A federal judge
ruled a
Tennessee
school's ban on
Confederate
clothing was a
reasonable
attempt to
prevent
disruptions
because of
previous racial
threats.
Christian Teen
Fears Muslim
Father Will Kill
Her Rifqa
Bary says she
fled her Ohio
home fearing an
honor killing.
Mom wants twin
fetuses
recognized as
children A
Vermont woman
whose
6-month-old twin
fetuses died
after a car
crashed into the
family van wants
them to be
legally
recognized as
children, which
is not the case
under current
state law. Environment Nevada board OKs money for Yucca Mountain lawyers The state Board of Examiners has approved a $10 million, two-year contract to hire outside lawyers to assist in the state's fight against the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump. Judge Shoots Down White House Effort to Curb Mountaintop Mining A federal judge today blocked the Obama administration’s efforts overturn a Bush administration rule allowing coal companies to dump their mining waste in mountain streams. The ruling is a victory for Appalachian mountaintop removal operations, where the peaks of mountains are literally lopped off with dynamite and the rock and soil pushed into adjacent valleys, many of which contain small streams that represent the headwaters of larger bodies of water below. A 1983 law prevents mining — or disposing of mine debris — within 100 feet of streams if the activity is shown to harm water quality. But in December, the Bush White House finalized an industry-friendly rule that effectively scrapped the so-called “stream buffer zone rule.” Drug War
Hemp Advocates
Ask for 'Beer
Summit' With
Capitol Police
Hemp proponents
are calling for
a "beer summit"
with the Capitol
Police after
they say
officers
confiscated
their bags of
hemp seeds and
fiber earlier
this week.
Colombian drug
lord pleads
guilty in U.S.
court
Reforming
Crack-Cocaine
Laws, but
Leaving
Injustice
Intact?
dealing crack
has immense
consequences
compared to
those for
holding powder
cocaine. That
disparity may be
fixed. So why
isn't it likely
to be applied
retroactively?
Feds Raid Two
Los Angeles Pot
Dispensaries
DEA Says Agents
Seized 100
Pounds of
Marijuana, 200
Plants and $100K |
| Science | |
|
NASA Photo Reveals Mystery Object Punching Through Saturn's Rings Humans evolved from tree dwelling apes rather than knuckle draggers The ancient ancestors of humans were tree dwellers, rather than the often depicted knuckle-dragging apes who slowly raised themselves up and evolved into walking humans, claim North American scientists. |
Newfound Planet Orbits Backward Stone Age man used fire to make tools - 50,000 years earlier than scientists thought New planet displays exotic orbit A team of astronomers discover the first planet that orbits in the opposite direction to the spin of its star. |
| Politics | |
|
Palin Was For "Death Panels" Before She Was Against Them Government Study Shows Cap-and-Trade Will Raise Energy Prices Democrats sought proof that the energy legislation would work. They might regret it. Long-Ago Collapse of Hawaiian Monarchy Described As U.S.-Assisted Regime Change The bill would allow Hawaii's indigenous people to establish a "government-to-government relationship with the United States," similar to the relationship that Alaskan natives and American Indian tribes have, Akaka says. But critics say the bill would establish a “race-based” government for native Hawaiians... Senate House GOP Rep. claims Dems may declare martial law Obama Lawmakers slam Obama for embracing Bush tactic President Obama has issued signing statements claiming the authority to bypass dozens of provisions of bills enacted into law since he took office, provoking mounting criticism by lawmakers from both parties. Obama says he's not trying to vilify insurers President Barack Obama says he isn't trying to vilify the insurance companies. He says he's just trying to stop their practices that hurt people. Obama says insurance companies holding US hostage Obama Aide Declares End to War on Terrorism Eight years later, in his first speech since joining the Obama administration, Brennan annulled several key aspects of the so-called war on terrorism — starting with both the name and the idea that the United States was involved in any sort of “global war.” Brennan said Obama will subordinate counterterrorism to “its right and proper place” as a “vital part” of the administration’s national security and foreign policies, but not the lion’s share of them. Saying he was careful not to elevate al-Qaeda to a greater position of importance than it deserved, Brennan linked the rise in support for extremists to problems of global governance, economic crisis and social stratification and said the administration would make a concerted effort to address what he considers those extremist root causes. Baraknaphobia Man arrested at Obama event carried knife, had gun in car Carlos Watson: Why "Socialist" May Be Code For N-Word At GOP Town Halls Video of racist tea bagger ripping up ladies Rosa Parks sign
Rendell: 'Birthers are absolutely nuts' Rendell says the outrage being demonstrated at town halls
across the country comes from birthers.
'Death To Obama' Sign Holder Detained In Maryland Sign outside town hall meeting on healthcare reform also read 'death to Michelle and her two stupid kids' The Wealthy Elites Play the Racists for Pawns at a Town Hall Meeting in Maryland An eyewitness account of the racism and vitriol on display at a town hall protest. Stimulus Stimulus Transparency Watchdog Won't Release Federal Contract Details Obama sends stimulus aid to foreign firms Nearly half of the $2.4 billion in federal grant money awarded Wednesday to stimulate the U.S. economy and boost the production of hybrid and electric vehicles went to six companies with ties to places as far away as Russia, China, South Korea and France. Watchdog rips airport stimulus projects The Obama administration used economic stimulus money to pay for 50 airport projects that didn't meet the grant criteria and approved projects at four airports with a history of mismanaging federal grants, a government watchdog said Monday. Some States Get Share of Stimulus Faster Treasury/Federal Reserve/Bailouts/SEC Fed ends controversial debt-buying program The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it gradually will end an experimental program of purchasing U.S. Treasury securities in an effort to lower long-term interest rates -- its first step to withdraw some of the trillions of dollars it has flooded into financial markets in the last year. TARP lobbying rules being finalized The Treasury Department has yet to establish rules on lobbying for its $700 billion Wall Street bailout, although the head of the program's independent watchdog says he has found no undue outside influence that has affected the program. An audit released Thursday by Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), says the Treasury Department is in the final stages of drafting rules on lobbying for bailout money - more than 10 months into the program. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, when he took office in January, called for new rules to increase transparency Ex-AIG CEO, others to pay $115 million to settle lawsuit: source Former AIG chief executive, Maurice "Hank" Greenberg, and five other defendants, have agreed to pay $115 million to settle a shareholder lawsuit, according to a person familiar with the matter Treasury wants to stay out of credit ratings. Lehman sues AIG for $9 million in CDS payments Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc is suing American International Group for $9 million in payments the bank says it is owed from credit default swap protection it bought from the insurer on companies including General Motors and Washington Mutual. |
Health Insurance HR676 - The Single Payer Solution, Part 1 of 4 Doctors protest exclusion of single-payer at Senate Finance Committee BILL MOYERS JOURNAL | Single Payer Health Insurance | PBS Noam Chomsky on Health Care--Why has reform taken so LONG Fault Lines' Full Interview With Wendell Potter, CIGNA Health Insurance Exec Turned Whistleblower EXCLUSIVE: Panel sees race bias in health care bill Internal Memo Confirms Big Giveaways In White House Deal With Big Pharma A memo obtained by the Huffington Post confirms that the White House and the pharmaceutical lobby secretly agreed to precisely the sort of wide-ranging deal that both parties have been denying over the past week. Dem Senator Says He Won't Vote For Single-payer GOPers Suspicious Of Obama's "Death Panels" Supported Intervention For SchiavoTOP SENATOR ENDORSES "DEATH PANEL" FALSEHOOD Government Could "Pull The Plug On Grandma" Caught Red-Handed: Grassley Voted For So-Called "Death Panel" In 2003 How a GOP senator's proposal gave rise to 'death panels' When U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, a Georgia Republican, takes the floor at a meeting at Vineville United Methodist Church in Macon on Thursday, he's expected to face tough questions about why President Barack Obama credits the Republican lawmaker as the inspiration behind the Democrats; push for end-of-life counseling efforts that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and some fellow conservatives call death panels.
Old-fashioned bartering helps pare medical
bills Cash, check or a cord of wood for
that doctor visit? As health care costs
climb, old-fashioned bartering has seen
brisk growth since the economy soured.
AARP Launches Multimillion-Dollar Ad Campaign AARP, the senior citizens' lobbying group, this week is launching a multimillion-dollar advertising blitz aimed at calming fears and dispelling what it calls "myths" about health care reform that are giving its members jitters. Lou Dobbs Tours Single-Payer Systems Abroad and Realizes, Holy Crap They're Good Has CNN's government-out-of-my-face bloviator actually had a change of heart when it comes to Obama's health plan? Obama: Health Care Overhaul Is 'Not Some Government Takeover'....Obama: Health Care Reform Critics 'Inventing Bogeymen'
Whole Foods CEO's Op-Ed: Bad Taste? Whole Foods CEO John Mackey
angers clientele with health care op-ed. OBAMA ADMIN READY TO ABANDON Single-payer CARE OPTION Dem Senator Conrad: single payer A "Wasted Effort" GIBBS: OBAMA STILL BACKS "public option" Defense Spending Pentagon suppliers to vie for missile defense deal Lockheed Martin Corp and Northrop Grumman Corp said Wednesday they would seek to unseat Boeing Co from running the core U.S. missile defense system, a potential $200 million a year deal. U.S. says ready to pay off U.N. peacekeeping debt thee United States is ready to hand over more than $2 billion in new and old contributions it owes the U.N. peacekeeping department, Washington's U.N. ambassador, Susan Rice, said on Wednesday Firms vie for share of growing unmanned plane market A drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq may slow sales of some unmanned aerial vehicles after years of exponential growth, but demand from civilian agencies and foreign countries will underpin the market for years to come, industry and defense officials said on Tuesday. Lockheed's F-35 may be flying into budget storm The Pentagon may want to consider scaling back Lockheed Martin Corp's multinational F-35 fighter program, the costliest-ever U.S. arms-purchase plan, as part of stepped-up budget belt-tightening, an analysis by an influential research group said. Bill requires doubling nuke use To satisfy House Democrats' low-cost solution to global warming, Americans would have to double their reliance on nuclear energy by 2030 GITMO/Bahgram/Blacksites Details of secret CIA prisons released Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, a senior CIA officer who is currently in jail for corruption has told The New York Times how he oversaw the construction of three identical prisons from his base in Frankfurt where he ran the spy agency's main European supply base. 2 U.S. Architects of Harsh Tactics in 9/11's Wake But they had psychology credentials and an intimate knowledge of a brutal treatment regimen used decades ago by Chinese Communists. For an administration eager to get tough on those who had killed 3,000 Americans, that was enough.
Lobbying
Letter scandal has lobbying on defense A faked grass-roots lobbying effort is spawning yet another congressional inquiry of the industry. Budget and Taxes
US deficit higher than thought in July The federal deficit
climbed higher into record territory in July, hitting $1.27 trillion
with two months remaining in the budget
|
| Economy | Click for Economic Statistics |
|
July foreclosure filings up across U.S. Bankruptcy Filings Spike 35 Percent Over Previous Year U.S. food stamp list tops 34 million for first time Productivity soars as Americans work harder Feds holding back $100 million in drill leases Brian Wixom's company has paid the U.S. government hundreds of thousands of dollars for leases to drill for oil and gas on federal lands over the years, only to never put a rig in the ground.Fight to keep Google Voice app off iPhone catches FCC's eye Who should control wireless applications customers, carriers or handset makers? That is the core question being considered In Illinois, Another Workers' Rebellion Flares Up Against 'Banksters' Greed In Illinois, a dozen union members blocked a road outside Wells Fargo’s local headquarters -- the latest in a wave of direct actions by workers US industrial output on the rise US industrial production rose 0.5% in July, stronger than expected and the first rise in nine months. Citigroup Said to Weigh Giving Up Control of Phibro Citigroup Inc. may give up control of its Westport-based Phibro LLC energy-trading business to outside investors, a person familiar with the matter said, |
About half of U.S. mortgages seen underwater
by 2011 The percentage of U.S.
homeowners who owe more than their house is
worth will nearly double to 48 percent in
2011 from 26 percent at the end of March,
portending another blow to the housing
market, Deutsche Bank said on Wednesday.
Colonial BancGroup becomes biggest bank failure of 2009 (2 failures by 7pm EST) Study shows: Income Inequality At An All-Time High Income inequality in the United States is at an all-time high, surpassing even levels seen during the Great Depression, according to a recently updated paper by University of California, Berkeley Professor Emmanuel Saez. The paper, which covers data through 2007, points to a staggering, unprecedented disparity in American incomes. On his blog, Nobel prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman called the numbers "truly amazing." World oil demand to increase this year International Energy Agency expects world oil demand to rise less than previously thought next year, due to the increasing consumption in Asia. However, it will decrease by 2.7% in comparison with last year. Oil barrel rebounds to $ 70 a barrel Oil prices fall after Opec report Oil prices fall after Opec said it now expected demand for its crude to decline further than first predicted next year. |
| Iraq | Map of Iraq |
|
Major problems cited in Iraq interpreter contract
A company with a $4.6 billion contract to supply U.S. forces in Iraq
with Arabic-speaking translators received a scathing review on
Wednesday from government officials who described tens of millions
of dollars in questionable costs and poor management. Iraq contractor KBR cited by oversight commission An independent panel examining waste and fraud in wartime spending accused contracting giant KBR Inc. on Tuesday of resisting government oversight and failing to cut costs on support work in Iraq. Tuesday: 1 US Soldier, 9 Iraqis Killed; 50 Iraqis Wounded Wednesday: 18 Iraqis Killed, 31 Wounded Thursday: 30 Iraqis Killed, 56 Wounded Friday: 2 Iraqis Killed, 7 Iraqis Wounded Iraqis seized from Denmark church Police clash with protesters trying to prevent arrest of Iraqi asylum seekers. Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party loyalists engage with US over Iraq The prospect of mediated talks between the two sides has provoked fury in Baghdad, where the new government is dominated by parties that were ruthlessly repressed under Saddam's dictatorship. Families of soldiers killed in PKK clashes support gov’t Kurdish plan Families of soldiers slain during clashes with the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been expressing their support for a recent announcement by the government that a new Kurdish initiative will be launched based on further democratization and expanding individual rights and freedoms. |
Iranian group asks
US to take control
of Iraq camp An
exiled Iranian
opposition group
urged the
international
community on Tuesday
to assume control of
a camp housing some
of its members
outside Baghdad,
after an Iraqi raid
last month killed at
least six of its
residents.
35 terrorist networks disbanded in Iraq US to discuss with Syria Iraq infiltration A US security delegation will visit Syria today and discuss Syrian endeavors to stop infiltration into neighboring Iraq and curb insurgents whom Washington believe they operate starting from Syria, Syrian diplomats said. A diplomat affirmed that Americans submitted to Syria the list of main names Maliki slams accordance democracy Iraq Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki said that it is possible to ally with Liberal parties. However, Maliki reiterated that he refuses the principle of accordance democracy stressing that this concept was imposed by the urgent conditions and that it destroyed the political process. Sentences reduced in deaths of 4 Iraqis The Army said Friday it had reduced the sentences of three soldiers convicted of murder in the execution-style slayings of four bound and blindfolded Iraqi detainees. Iraqi Minister calls on foreign companies to invest in construction sector Blackwater Still Armed in Iraq The private security company doesn't have a license to operate in Iraq, but the State Department continues to employ Erik Prince's armed mercenaries |
| Middle East | Map of the Middle East |
|
Click here Updates from Iran
Israel Investigates Possible Abduction of Soldier Netanyahu warns Lebanon over Hezbollah power-share Israel will hold Lebanon responsible for any future Hezbollah attack should the Iranian- and Syrian-backed militia be brought into Beirut's incoming government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday
Graffiti, Hip-Hop, Sk8s: Tehran's Young Rebels Battle the Crackdown
Among the opposition to the regime is a street culture that borrows
much from the West -- and longs for the liberties beyond Iran's
borders Israel Begins Sell-Off of Refugees’ Land Amin Muhammad Ali, a 74-year-old refugee from a destroyed Palestinian village in northern Israel, says he only feels truly at peace when he stands among his ancestors’ graves. The cemetery, surrounded on all sides by Jewish homes and farms, is a small time capsule, Iran admits 4,000 June detentions Iran admits 4,000 people were detained in protests after June's disputed presidential poll - many more than previously stated. Crowley:US does not know Americans location US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said US authorities still don’t know the location of the three Americans who have been detained after they entered Iran from Iraq borders. Islamist leader dies in Gaza battle At least 24 people killed as Hamas forces battle group demanding "Islamic emirate". Hezbollah issues Israeli warning Hezbollah secretary-general claims group is capable of hitting any Israeli city. |
Who profits from
Israeli
occupation?
Boycotted by
activists, the
Israeli company
AHAVA is backed
by one of
Israel's most
powerful
families
Iran opposition says 69 killed in election protests PM Erdoğan lashes out at opposition over Kurdish initiative Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has criticized the two largest opposition parties in Parliament for their leaders' remarks against a Kurdish initiative, which the government announced two weeks ago, promising the extension of freedoms to Kurds. Israelis 'shot dead unarmed civilians' Human Rights Watch says Israel has failed to properly investigate 'white flag' killings during Gaza offensive Mousavi's camp helps "foreign spies": Ahmadinejad's advisor Iran detains four Sunni rebels Iran has arrested four members of a Sunni Islamic rebel group in southeastern of the country, the official IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday. 'Dozens killed' in Yemen fighting Clashes between troops and Shia fighters escalate on second day of offensive. Yemeni military battles rebels Government sets conditions to end offensive against Shia fighters in the country's north. |
| Afghanistan | Map of Afghanistan |
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Afghan campaign workers kidnapped Taliban Commander: We Will Cut Off Any Finger Stained By Voting Ink Karzai leading in Afghan voter survey Adviser: US has 2 more tough years in Afghanistan Captain Removed After Slamming Afghan War A British Army captain who anonymously wrote a scathing attack about the Afghan war has been removed from his unit Taliban waiting for US response on soldier A militant commander who is holding a US soldier abducted in Afghanistan said on Sunday that Taliban leader Mullah Omar's council is waiting for a response to its demands before deciding the American's fate. Afghan opium baron gets 20 years One of Afghanistan's biggest opium barons has become the first of the country's crime kingpins to be captured and convicted after a groundbreaking investigation led by UK police and lawyers. Gun battle kills some 2 dozen insurgents in Afghanistan Taliban claim suicide strike on NATO compound The Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb in front of the heavily fortified headquarters of U.S. and NATO troops in Kabul on Saturday, saying the target was the U.S. embassy nearby. |
Claim: Karzai buying election UK
Times: Afghan pres. allied with US offering money to voters. New Zealand sending commandos to Afghanistan Benchmarks eyed for AfghanistanPattern of fraud seen before Afghan vote Afghan ex-president survives Taliban attack A former Afghan president, Burhanuddin Rabbani, survived a Taliban ambush on Thursday in northern Kunduz province, where militants clashed with police for a second straight night, officials said. Inside the Taliban In the first of a series of exclusive reports in the run-up to next week's Afghan elections, award-winning correspondent Ghaith Abdul-Ahad meets a group of Taliban in their mountain stronghold Afghan Military Translators Risk Low Pay, Death Afghan Banker Who Risked His Life to Save Treasure From the Taliban Finally Gets His Due Row over Afghan wife-starving law The original bill caused outrage earlier this year, forcing Afghan President Hamid Karzai to withdraw it. The original version obliged Shia women to have sex with their husbands every four days at a minimum |
| Pakistan | Map of Pakistan |
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Pakistan pounds Taliban
commander's bases, 12
die
U.S. denies induction of 1,000 marines into Pakistan U.S. embassy in Islamabad is expanded to meet future challenges without induction of 1,000 marines, a senior U.S. diplomat said
|
Militant commander resurfaces to rebut official claims of his death A senior Taliban commander who the Pakistani government believed was dead suddenly resurfaced today, sowing further confusion about the leadership of the Pakistani Taliban, days after Baitullah Mehsud's apparent assassination. |
| Asia | Map of Asia |
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China might appeal WTO ruling on film import
China said Thursday it might appeal a World Trade Organization ruling that it improperly restricts distribution of foreign movies, music and books and insisted it does not impede imports.
New policy keeps heat on deserters in Japan The U.S. military in Japan has been more aggressive in charging and tracking deserters since a fugitive sailor stabbed a taxi driver to death last year, military legal staff and investigators said. Somali Connection: A Terrorism Crackdown in Australia A huge operation leads to the arrest of four suspects with connections to combatants in east Africa and perhaps sympathizers in Minnesota Japan stocks at 10-month high after eurozone data Japan's Nikkei share average <.N225> rose to a 10-month high on Friday after upbeat eurozone growth data and positive earnings from the world's largest retailer helped offset gloomy U.S. retail and jobs data, factors which brought down the dollar. |
Khmer Rouge official wants 'harshest punishment' The former chief of the
Khmer Rouge's main torture center, being tried by a U.N.-backed tribunal on
genocide charges, asked the Cambodian people Wednesday to give him "the harshest
punishment."
China formally arrests 4 Rio Tinto employees China formally arrested four employees of Anglo-American mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd. for infringing trade secrets and bribery, but stopped short of laying politically explosive espionage charges in a case that has strained ties with key trading partner Australia. Over 50 killed in heavy fighting in S Philippines More than 50 combatants were killed as government troops clashed fiercely with Islamic militants near their jungle camps in the restive southern Philippines, officials said on Thursday. |
| Europe | Map of Europe |
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Lockerbie bomber to be freed Libyan
convicted in 1988 Pan Am 103 bombing has prostate cancer German neo-Nazi's Holocaust denial sentence upheld A German federal court on Tuesday upheld the Holocaust denial conviction of a founding member of a left-wing terrorist group turned neo-Nazi, saying he must serve his six-year sentence. British values seem to revolve around the worship of celebrities Five Protesters Climb Rome's Colosseum in Opposition to Layoffs Five private security guards have climbed to the top of the Colosseum in Rome to protest planned layoffs at their company. |
Russian
Navy leads hunt for missing cargo ship (with
updates) An international search
operation was underway Wednesday for a cargo
ship which vanished after being involved in
what is feared to be an unprecedented
incident of piracy in European waters.
GE expects more wind-power projects in Europe S Ossetia closes administrative border with Georgia Leader of Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia announced the closure of the administrative border with Georgia from Tuesday midnight. |
|
Africa |
Map of Africa |
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Clerics killed in Somali Puntland
Missing Ship Found Off Coast Of West Africa Fishermen Haul Captive Pirates to Egypt Egyptian fishermen sail home with captive Somali pirates after taking back control of ships Genocide suspect found in Congo A man accused of planning the massacre of Rwandans during the 1994 genocide has been arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials say. |
Police Report: Spear-Wielding Mob Kills
Famous Geologist In Kenya
6 hostages freed in Somalia arrive in Kenya Four killers of U.S. official could escape death: lawyer Four men convicted of murdering a U.S. aid official and his driver in Khartoum could escape the death penalty if the family of the American victim rescinded its request for execution, the defense lawyer said Monday Sudan intelligence chief replaced |
| The Americas | Map of North America and South America |
|
Click here Updates from Honduras
Mexico court frees prisoners accused in massacre Mexico on Wednesday freed 20 prisoners jailed for more than a decade in connection with a massacre of dozens of indigenous villagers in a case that has become emblematic of failings of the Mexican justice system
State official
chides Venezuelan on
golf comments
The State Department
spokesman, a
once-a-week golfer,
teed off Wednesday
on President Hugo
Chavez of Venezuela
for criticizing the
gentleman's game as
a "bourgeois sport."
Bolivia: 2 envelopes explode, wounding 7 Venezuela changes education system Venezuela steps up control over urban land Venezuela's National Assembly has approved a law that paves the way for the government to take over private buildings and land in urban areas. |
Violent protests hit Honduras
Argentina seizes over 4 tons of meth ingredients
Argentina convicts ex-general in 1976 killing A retired general
and four other members of the military have been convicted and
sentenced to long prison terms in the 1976 killing of a communist
activist.
Extortion complaints ground DUI cops in Mexico State security
officials have banned police from setting up sobriety checkpoints in
the northern Mexican city of Monterrey because they say the officers
routinely use them to extort motorists. |