The News Crawler

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Last Update: Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Headlines	Click here for Yesterdays Edition
Click here for Updates from Iran Update June 23 12am From Iran: Video Below: Paramilitaries Conduct Terrifying Home Invasions At Night... Injured Arrested At Hospitals... Rafsanjani's Daughter In Custody... More Deaths Reported... Obama To Demonstrators: "We Are Bearing Witness" Chavez: Venezuela hopes to sell oil at $100 President Hugo Chavez says he's asking for Russia's cooperation and hopes to sell oil at $100 a barrel. One person was shot dead during demonstrations supporting former president Jean Bertrand Aristide in Haiti... Agents say DEA is forcing them illegally to work in Afghanistan As the Obama administration ramps up the Drug Enforcement Administration's presence in Afghanistan, some special-agent pilots contend that they're being illegally forced to go to a combat zone, while others who've volunteered say they're not being properly equipped. » read more Confidential memo reveals US plan to provoke an invasion of Iraq The memo, written on 31 January 2003, almost two months before the invasion and seen by the Observer, confirms that as the two men became increasingly aware UN inspectors would fail to find weapons of mass destruction (WMD) they had to contemplate alternative scenarios that might trigger a second resolution legitimising military action. Cash For Clunkers': Obama To Sign $4,500 New Car Credit Study:19 Ambassador Nominees Bundled $4.8 Million for Obama's Campaign, Inauguration NSA analysts routinely spied on their own wives and girlfriends Ron Paul Is Sole "No" Vote On Iran Resolution Paul said in his floor speech that he was in "reluctant opposition" to the resolution -- that he of course condemns violence by governments against their citizens. On the other hand, he also doesn't think the American government should act as a judge of every country overseas, and pointed out that we don't condemn countries like Saudi Arabia or Egypt that don't even have real elections. Daschle Urges Obama To Drop Public Health Care Plan	Peru revokes Amazon mining laws Peru's Congress voted Thursday to revoke two laws enacted last year to open the Amazon to mining, oil and timber development, measures that enraged many indigenous groups and led to a bloody confrontation this month. China tells Google to end foreign site access Beijing has ordered Google to stop users of its Chinese-language service accessing overseas websites in the biggest blow to the world's leading search engine in China since it started operating there Fighter jets hit militants in Pakistan's Waziristan The War Against the 'War on Drugs' Economic necessity and shifting mores are changing the nation's approach to incarceration Supreme Court: Convicts Have No Right To Test DNA AIR FORCE fighting NV solar plant. On a vacant piece of land near Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, the promise of solar energy has collided into the demands of military training. And a solar project that would have featured a vast field of mirrors, a molten-salt storage facility and a 600-foot "power tower" appears to be heading for defeat. ACLU Sues Over "Secretly Created" Federal Prison Unit Holding Muslims Study: Death penalty doesn't deter murder Majority of experts ques- tioned say they agree death does not act as a deterrent. People On Terrorist Watch List Allowed To Buy Guns, Explosives Alcoholism doubles among US troops: report Passenger says TSA agents harassed him Steve Bierfeldt says the Transportation Security Administration pulled him aside for extra questioning in March. He was carrying a pocket edition of the U.S. Constitution and an iPhone capable of making audio recordings. And he used them Sotomayor quits all-women's club after GOP criticism McCain Makes Fun Of Barbara Boxer For Wanting To Be Called "Senator" Conflict Of Interest? Daschle Firm And Group Have Deep Ties To Health Care Industry
Connecticut
Bill protects doctors who treat Lyme disease as 'chronic' Advocates of a controversial form of treatment for Lyme disease are celebrating a recent bill passed by the state legislature. Meanwhile, local infectious-disease physicians are crying foul and say public health will be compromised. Rell criticized for state budget problems With no state budget deal in sight in Connecticut, various groups are lining up to try to pin the blame on Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell. State Was Warned Before Chimp's Rampage Neighbors, primate experts wrote officials about chimp danger; state didn't act. Government asks to dismiss Geronimo lawsuit The U.S. Justice Department is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by descendants of the Apache Geronimo, whose remains were purported to be stolen by members of a secret society at Yale University.	Conn unemployment rate reaches 8 percentJury rules against Minn. woman in download case ($80,000 per song = $1.92 million) Cigarette Taxes Will Increase Under Democratic Budget Plan That's the minimum amount in the latest tax package from the Democrats who control the General Assembly. The tax-writing finance committee had voted in April for a 50-cent increase, and the latest plan - that was still being cobbled together Friday - could be higher. Proposed budget raises tax for wealthy Democrats at the State Capitol say they are ready to approve a state budget plan to pull the state out of a budget crisis before the end of the budget year on June 30. But it's a plan the governor will never go for Conn. to get $69M for buses, lots
United States
A Brief History of Juneteenth Many argue that national recognition for a holiday marking the end of slavery is long overdue. But so was the June 19 mass emancipation it commemorates Security Issues Alcoholism doubles among US troops: report Holocaust museum shooting suspect had child porn Nestle Cookie Dough Recalled US shores up missile defense in Hawaii in response to N. Korea threat People On Terrorist Watch List Allowed To Buy Guns, Explosives About 800 Geese Near NYC Airports Euthanized About 800 Canada geese around New York City's two airports have been trapped and euthanized, part of an effort to reduce bird strikes. Passenger says TSA agents harassed him Steve Bierfeldt says the Transportation Security Administration pulled him aside for extra questioning in March. He was carrying a pocket edition of the U.S. Constitution and an iPhone capable of making audio recordings. And he used them Police Detroit police routinely underreport homicides - Actual '08 total gives city worst rate in nation Cop pulls gun after food takes too long 1968 Chicago riot cops set to ‘celebrate’ mass beatingsMembers of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) who participated in what an official report later described as a “police riot” during the 1968 Democratic National Convention are planning to get together next week to reminisce about the good times and set the record straight on “what really happened.” Courts Judge orders Scrushy to pay $2.8B to shareholders A state judge on Thursday ordered former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy to pay about $2.8 billion to shareholders who sued over accounting fraud at the rehabilitation chain. Supreme Court: Convicts Have No Right To Test DNA Supreme Court makes it harder to prove age discrimination 'Insane' file-sharing verdict could mean 'RIAA's downfall' Texas supreme court affirms special rights for religion Voter Registration Fraud CA GOP Voter Registration Firm Head Pleads Guilty to Voter Registration FraudAnd what they didn't bother to mention in that story?...Amongst other things, the fact that Jacoby and Young Political Majors were hired by the California Republican Party to head up their voter registration efforts in the state. Jacoby had been arrested for Voter Registration Fraud last October, smack dab during the media's orgasmic heights of last year's phony GOP ACORN "Voter Fraud" hoax, even as Fox "News" (and the other news outlets who similarly fell for the scam) were going wall-to-wall with their unsupported insinuations about voter fraud by ACORN, Democrats and Obama.	Greed Texas billionaire Stanford arrested in U.S. Stanford, accused of a $9.2 billion fraud by U.S. regulators, denied all wrongdoing in a tearful interview in April during which he threatened to punch his questioner in the mouth. Scope of Madoff's fraud still unknown Federal prosecutors say a judge should sentence disgraced financier Bernard Madoff in ten days even though they haven't determined how much money investors lost in his multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. Ex-AIG CEO: I flew company stock to Bermuda on private jet Nonprofit says disabled vet hid home ownership A veteran who lost three limbs in Iraq will not get the keys to a new home, after a nonprofit group said the family concealed that they already own two homes. Death Penalty Study: Death penalty doesn't deter murder Majority of experts ques- tioned say they agree death does not act as a deterrent. In Georgia, justice is still black and white The eyewitnesses’ recanting of their testimony in this case is crucial, because Davis’ trial “was actually entirely witness testimony based. There was no forensic evidence, no security camera footage and no murder weapon (which has never been recovered),” wrote Davis’ sister, Martina Davis-Correia, in the UK’s Guardian last month. Civil Rights ACLU Sues Over "Secretly Created" Federal Prison Unit Holding Muslims Why the Gay Rights Movement Has No National Leader Yet the gay rights movement, which is about to enter its fifth decade, has never had a such a leader despite making remarkable strides in a relatively short period of time. Workers Rights Survey: Employees Can’t Quantify 401(k) Fees Paid Energy AIR FORCE fighting NV solar plant. On a vacant piece of land near Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, the promise of solar energy has collided into the demands of military training. And a solar project that would have featured a vast field of mirrors, a molten-salt storage facility and a 600-foot "power tower" appears to be heading for defeat. Drug War The War Against the 'War on Drugs' Economic necessity and shifting mores are changing the nation's approach to incarceration Designated immigration agents authorized to participate in drug enforcement In an effort to plug a hole in U.S.-Mexico drug enforcement, the U.S. departments of Justice and Homeland Security announced an agreement Thursday that will give designated immigration agents expanded powers to pursue drug investigations.

Science
Could life be twelve billion years old? Team of astronomers look- ing for potential origins of life using stellar models. Scientists create 'sonic black hole' Using Bose-Einstein condensates, the scientists created a black hole for sound. The new research could help scientists learn more about true black holes and help confirm the existence of as-yet to be discovered Hawking radiation. Farmers Try to Make Cows Burp Green By changing cows' diets, they reduce burps, a major source of greenhouse gas.	Why Some People Are Gay: Notes (and Clues) from the Animal Kingdom Two researchers at UC Riverside have assembled an exhaustive overview of same-sex behavior in animals. But does it shed any light on human sexuality? Honeybees overcome negative buzz, win White House welcome At the White House, two types of parasite-resistant honeybees developed by U.S. scientists will be delivered to the first family's new garden next month.
Politics
Senate McCain Makes Fun Of Barbara Boxer For Wanting To Be Called "Senator" No charge for Obama seat senator Illinois Senator Roland Burris, appointed to fill President Barack Obama's vacant seat, will not be charged with perjury. U.S. Senate passes slavery apology Senate apologizes for slavery, but disclaimer troubles some The Senate passed a resolution Thursday apologizing for slavery and segregation. However, some black lawmakers think that a disclaimer the resolution includes is an attempt to stave off reparations claims from the descendants of slaves. House Dennis Kucinich: How Do We Support The Troops? House impeaches federal judge from Texas The House on Friday impeached a federal judge imprisoned for lying about sexual assaults of two women Congress Considering Banning Some TARP Execs From Public Companies Issues Dems dodge ban on $$ from lobbyists Organizers of the Democratic fundraising dinner find a way around Obama's lobbyist contribution ban. 'Card Check' Compromise Getting Closer Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) indicated Friday that a group of Senators is closing in on a compromise on the long-stalled Employee Free Choice Act, a top priority for labor unions this year. Ron Paul Is Sole "No" Vote On Iran Resolution Paul said in his floor speech that he was in "reluctant opposition" to the resolution -- that he of course condemns violence by governments against their citizens. On the other hand, he also doesn't think the American government should act as a judge of every country overseas, and pointed out that we don't condemn countries like Saudi Arabia or Egypt that don't even have real elections. Taxes Switzerland agrees to US tax deal Switzerland agrees a new bilateral framework on divulging personal tax details with the US, as it eases banking secrecy.	Supreme Court Pick Sotomayor quits all-women's club after GOP criticism GOP Hires Far-Right Reagan Lawyer To Attack Sotomayor Up to 95 pct. eligible for gov't. healthcare plan, Dems say Health Insurance Daschle Urges Obama To Drop Public Health Care Plan Conflict Of Interest? Daschle Firm And Group Have Deep Ties To Health Care Industry $80B Drug Benefit Deal Reached Drug companies would pay for some Medicare prescriptions under $80 billion deal. When We Talk About Health Care, We're Forgetting One Important Group: The Already Insured The suffering fostered by our system isn't limited to those who can't afford access to it. And their voices should be part of the debate, too. Blue Dog Dem Who Killed Clinton's Health Care Plan Turns Against Public Option Poll: Most Back Public Health Care Option GITMO/Abu Ghraib/Bahgram Bermuda Premier Escapes Censure Over Uighurs A motion of no confidence in Ewart F. Brown for accepting former Guantánamo prisoners failed after a long parliamentary debate on Saturday. Wiretaps NSA analysts routinely spied on their own wives and girlfriends Federal Reserve Treasury Dispute with Bailout Watchdog Stems from AIG Bonus Audit Goldman's huge bonus payout This year's bonuses to be largest in company's 140-year history.
Obama
Clinton Labor Secretary: Obama's Wall Street Plan "Does Not Measure Up" Study:19 Ambassador Nominees Bundled $4.8 Million for Obama's Campaign, Inauguration Cash For Clunkers': Obama To Sign $4,500 New Car Credit Newsweek: Obama Closes Doors On Transparency If It’s Too Big to Fail, Is It Too Big to Exist? President Obama wants more oversight. But critics want smaller banks.	Obama lawyers try to protect Cheney from Daily Show.....Judge: Cheney does not need protection from Jon Stewart Obama's Doctor Knocks Health Care Plan ... Does Obama Have a Double Standard on Earmarks? If the Administration is serious about curbing pet projects, why are there 9,000 of them in the new spending bill passed by the House?
Economy	NEW Click for Economic Statistics
No cash for some jobless - 34% of out-of-work Michiganders can't collect assistance Worse than subprime? Other mortgages imploding slowly Call it son of subprime. Experts warn that a new wave of mortgage foreclosures may be coming soon and could rival the default rates for subprime mortgages and slow efforts to find bottom in a prolonged national housing slump. Dollar Falls Most Against Yen in Month on Outlook for Fed Interest Rates The dollar dropped the most versus the yen in a month as traders pared bets that the Federal Reserve will increase its target lending rate, making U.S. assets less attractive.	Unemployment rates jump in May U.S. regulators close two more small banks Chavez: Venezuela hopes to sell oil at $100 President Hugo Chavez says he's asking for Russia's cooperation and hopes to sell oil at $100 a barrel. Bankrupt GM begins slashing jobs Out of 123,000 GM workers left in North America, 20,000 are scheduled to lose their jobs. Despite Relatively Low Demand, Oil Prices Spike India created 300,000 jobs in US

Iraq	Map of Iraq
DynCorp gets Blackwater's service contracts for U.S. diplomats in Iraq Thursday: 7 Iraqis Killed, 13 Wounded...Friday: 7 Iraqis Killed, 11 Wounded...Saturday: 86 Iraqis Killed, 216 Wounded...Sunday: 27 Iraqis Killed, 41 Wounded Iraq arrests mastermind of MP assassination Foreign workers for U.S. are casualties twice over Contract employees injured in the conflict zones of Iraq and Afghanistan and families of those killed there are covered by American taxpayer-funded insurance, but it often fails to deliver. Coach of Iraqi Karate Team Is Shot Dead Confidential memo reveals US plan to provoke an invasion of Iraq The memo, written on 31 January 2003, almost two months before the invasion and seen by the Observer, confirms that as the two men became increasingly aware UN inspectors would fail to find weapons of mass destruction (WMD) they had to contemplate alternative scenarios that might trigger a second resolution legitimising military action.	(Iraq) Oil minister accused of mother of all sellouts Furious protests threaten to undermine the Iraqi Government's plan to give international oil companies a stake in its giant oilfields in a desperate effort to reverse a steady decline in oil production and revenue. In less than two weeks, on June 29 and 30, Oil Minister Hussain Shahristani will award service contracts to the world's largest oil companies Truck Bomb Kills At Least 55 In Northern Iraq Iraq Declares Victory as U.S. Troops Leave Cities. . US military hands over Sadr City Iraq bodies feared to be British hostages Iraq war inquiry could reveal secrets, lies and the rush to war When Tony Blair told the Commons that he hoped conflict with Iraq could be averted, he already knew the White House had picked 1,500 targets for its bombers. Gaby Hinsliff, Paul Harris and Jamie Doward report on the gaps between what the public were told and what politicians were discussing in private, as the government prepares for a closed inquiry
Middle East
Israel/Palestine Israeli Border Police Abuses Hit YouTube, Filed Under 'Comedy' Half the population won't allow the mentally retarded 'in their backyard' Study also finds more than half don't want their children to have contact with mentally disabled kids Lawsuit brings murky West Bank land deals to light It reads like a standard real estate contract between a Zionist institution and an Israeli couple. But it offers a rare glimpse into the bureaucratic smoke screen that helps ensure a strong Jewish presence on lands claimed by the Palestinians for a future state.	Iran Video Below: Paramilitaries Conduct Terrifying Home Invasions At Night... Injured Arrested At Hospitals... Rafsanjani's Daughter In Custody... More Deaths Reported... Obama To Demonstrators: "We Are Bearing Witness" Click for Entire Log of events since Iranian Election President of Iran admits gays do exist in his country Austria probes Ahmadinejad link to 1989 murder
Afghanistan	Map of Afghanistan
US Airbase In Kyrgyzstan May Stay Open... US Pressures Israel Over Gaza 2 US Troops Killed By Roadside Bomb In Afghanistan 'No US charges' over Afghan raid No one likely to face charges over raid which killed civilians, US commander says. Kidnapped NY Times Reporter Escapes From Taliban After 7 Months Taliban gains money, al-Qaida finances recovering Bagram base attack kills US troops Six Americans wounded in addition to two fatalities in shelling claimed by Taliban. U.S. admits Afghan airstrike may have killed 86 civilians....U.S. airstrikes likely killed 26 Afghan civilians	New Film Chronicles Civilian Slaughter In Afghanistan (GRAPHIC) The U.S. military says airstrikes by a U.S. bomber in Afghanistan last month didn’t follow strict rules and probably caused civilian casualties. Afghan opposition candidate seeks debate with Karzai A leading opposition candidate invited Afghan President Hamid Karzai to a public debate on Sunday ahead of the August 20 presidential election. Agents say DEA is forcing them illegally to work in Afghanistan As the Obama administration ramps up the Drug Enforcement Administration's presence in Afghanistan, some special-agent pilots contend that they're being illegally forced to go to a combat zone, while others who've volunteered say they're not being properly equipped. » read more
Pakistan	Map of Pakistan
Pakistan's offensive opens new forum for militants: refugee camps Religious charities with extremist ties or sympathies are winning favor among displaced people for their speedy aid work. Fighter jets hit militants in Pakistan's Waziristan New crisis in Swat valley as residents run out of food	Kashmir Kashmir shuts down over deaths A shutdown to protest against the alleged murder of two young women has once again hit Indian-administered Kashmir. Obama refuses mediation on Kashmir Ruling out any American mediation on Kashmir issue, US President Barack Obama has said dialogue is the best way to reduce tension between India and Pakistan. "
Asia
China tells Google to end foreign site access Beijing has ordered Google to stop users of its Chinese-language service accessing overseas websites in the biggest blow to the world's leading search engine in China since it started operating there India Cracks Down On Maoist Insurgents Indian police die in landmine blast Maoist rebels blamed for deadly attack in eastern state of Orissa. NKorea may fire missile toward Hawaii	US Warship follows NK Ship believed to be carrying illicit weapons or technology After its second nuclear experiment challenging the US recommendations and after UN Security Council tightened sanctions against Pyongyang Travelers to China risk 'random' quarantine Travelers to China who display flu-like symptoms may be randomly quarantined over concerns of the swine flu virus, the U.S. State Department warned. Indian police killed by 'Maoists' At least 11 Indian police officers are killed in a landmine attack by suspected Maoist rebels, police say.
Europe
Tony Blair knew of secret policy on terror interrogations France may dissolve Church of Scientology Medvedev: Russia Ready For Deep Nuclear Arms Cuts	Police officer killed as car bomb rocks Spain’s Basque country A powerful car bomb exploded Friday near the Basque city of Bilbao, killing a policeman in an attack blamed on the separatist group ETA.
Africa
SHOCKING STUDY: 1 In 4 South African Men Admit Rape Al-Qaeda-Linked Militants Kill 21 Police In Algeria Militants 'blow up Nigeria pipe' Militants in Nigeria's oil region say they have blown up a major pipeline but this has not been confirmed. Oil pipelines in Nigeria attacked, company says Ethiopia troops 'return to Somalia' Neighbours reportedly send in troops after Somali government asks for assistance	Suicide Bombing At Somali Hotel Kills 20 Including High Profile Minister Somali MP 'executed' in Mogadishu Government supporter killed as opposition fighters battle police in the capital. Guns, children and cattle are the new currency of war in Southern Sudan Japan 'can fire' on Somali pirates
The Americas
Colombian army 'killed civilians' UN investigator says "cold-blooded murders" were passed off as attacks on rebels. Peru revokes Amazon mining laws Peru's Congress voted Thursday to revoke two laws enacted last year to open the Amazon to mining, oil and timber development, measures that enraged many indigenous groups and led to a bloody confrontation this month. Cuban spies' shortwave radios go undetected A retired State Department officer and his wife who are accused of spying for Cuba appear to have avoided capture for 30 years because their communications with the Caribbean island were too low-tech to be detected by sophisticated U.S. monitors. Guns from America fuel Jamaica's gang wars	One person was shot dead during demonstrations supporting former president Jean Bertrand Aristide in Haiti... Peru Congress revokes land lawsPeru's Congress has overturned two controversial land ownership laws that sparked deadly clashes between police and Amazon tribal groups. At least 34 people were killed in the clashes Drug trade grows in Bolivia, Peru: U.N. Cocaine production is growing fastest in Bolivia while Peru is on its way to matching output from Colombia, the top global producer of the drug, U.N. officials said on Friday. Haitian TV airs footage of confrontation with UN A Haitian television station broadcast video Friday that provided new details on a deadly confrontation between U.N. peacekeepers and mourners for a popular priest allied with former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Bagram base attack kills US troops Six Americans wounded in addition to two fatalities in shelling claimed by Taliban.

Pakistan's offensive opens new forum for militants: refugee camps Religious charities with extremist ties or sympathies are winning favor among displaced people for their speedy aid work.