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Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryIraq Plan Draws Criticism, Mockery On Hill
President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq drew scathing challenges from both Democrats and Republicans. Robert Gates and Condoleezza Rice raced to defend the program, which has been called everything from a "blunder" to a "Hail Maliki pass." Mike Keefe, Denver Post
The WorldIn Baghdad, Bush Policy Is Met With Resentment
Iraqs tepid response to the U.S. proposal raised questions about whether it would make a good-faith effort to prosecute the new war plan.
Iran, Syria denounce Bush's Iraq plan
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran and Syria on Thursday denounced President Bush's new Iraq strategy that blames them for fueling violence in the war-torn country, and they said the plan to send more U.S. troops would only increase bloodshed. Bush's speech Wednesday night underlined his staunch rejection of recommendations that Washington reach out to Syria and Iran in an attempt to calm Iraq.
Britain Signals Plans to Reduce, Not Increase, Troop Levels in Iraq
Britain said that it would proceed with plans to hand over security responsibilities to Iraqi forces in the south.
Australian foreign minister backs Bush
SYDNEY, Australia - Australia's foreign minister said Friday the government will support any moves by President Bush to isolate Iran and Syria as part of a new strategy to win the war in Iraq.
Afghan insurgent leader says his fighters helped bin Laden escape
Afghan insurgent leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar said in a television interview that his fighters helped al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden escape intense U.S. bombing in the Tora Bora mountains in 2001.
State of emergency in Bangladesh, polls postponed
DHAKA (AFP) - Bangladesh scrambled to form a new government after its president postponed general elections and declared a state of emergency, bowing to opposition demands following months of street protests.
Ecuador, Colombia OK deal on fumigation
QUITO, Ecuador - Ecuador's president-elect said Thursday a diplomatic spat over Colombia's fumigation of coca has been resolved, a disagreement that had spurred debate over the U.S. drug policy and prompted Ecuador to withdraw its ambassador.
Close Guantanamo, bring Hicks home, protesters say
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Protesters demanded on Thursday that Australia's only Guantanamo Bay detainee be brought home immediately as human rights groups called for the camp on Cuba to be shut down on the fifth anniversary of its opening.
Blast at U.S. embassy called 'terrorism'
ATHENS, Greece - An anti-tank shell was fired at the U.S. Embassy early Friday, striking the front of the building but causing no injuries. A senior police official said the blast was an act of terrorism, raising fears of a resurgence of far-left Greek militant groups.
U.S. calls for African peacekeepers
NAIROBI, Kenya - The United States on Friday called for the rapid deployment of an African peacekeeping mission to Somalia to prevent a dangerous security vacuum as unrest continued in the Somali capital. The NationBush Puts Hard Sell On His Iraq Plan
One day after announcing his strategy to the nation, President Bush took his new plan to increase U.S. forces in Iraq on the road. The president said the results of sending 21,500 additional troops to Iraq are "going to take a while."
Analysis: Warnings if Iraq plan fails
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Even the most enthusiastic supporters of President Bush's new plan to pacify Baghdad with more U.S. troops were using phrases such as: "If it succeeds" and "If the Iraqi government lives up to promises."
New Strategy Vindicates Ex-Army Chief Shinseki
Gen. Eric K. Shinseki was vilified and then marginalized by the Bush administration after he called for a greater troop presence early in the war.
Bush's approval rating hits new low
WASHINGTON - Public approval of Congress has edged up a bit now that Democrats are back in control, but it's still nothing to write home about. Approval for the way Congress is handling its job rose to 32 percent in the latest AP-Ipsos poll, up from a meager 27 percent a month earlier. That puts Congress on par with President Bush, whose 32 percent approval rating represents a new low for him in AP-Ipsos polling.
Stem cell bill sails through House
WASHINGTON - The House voted to expand government-financed embryonic stem cell research Thursday, but for the second time in two years lawmakers were unable to muster enough votes to overcome a promised presidential veto.
That’s okay. Make him veto it. Make him veto it over and over and over again. —Caro
Sen. Johnson transferred out of intensive care
Sen. Tim Johnson has been transferred out of intensive care and has started to speak, his doctor said Thursday, nearly a month after the South Dakota Democrat suffered a brain hemorrhage.
Broadcasting Board head pulls nomination
WASHINGTON - The chairman of the agency that directs U.S. overseas broadcasts has asked President Bush not to renominate him to the position, a move seen as largely a formality since his pending nomination was already stalled in the Senate and was unlikely to fare any better now that Democrats control the chamber.
Pentagon abandons active-duty time limit
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has abandoned its limit on the time a citizen-soldier can be required to serve on active duty, officials said Thursday, a major change that reflects an Army stretched thin by longer-than-expected combat in Iraq. Economy & BusinessOil prices, jobs data lift Dow to record
NEW YORK - Investors regained some of their swagger Thursday, sending stocks higher and the Dow Jones industrials to another record close after oil prices plunged and a drop in jobless claims indicated the economy wasn't slowing too quickly.
Jobless claims drop more than expected
WASHINGTON - The number of newly laid off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to the lowest level in nearly six months.
Rates on 30-year mortgages rise
WASHINGTON - Rates on 30-year mortgages rose this week to the highest level since mid-November after a better-than-expected employment report renewed inflation worries in financial markets.
State Farm loses Katrina claim case
GULFPORT, Miss. - A jury awarded $2.5 million in punitive damages against State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. for a Mississippi couple for denying their Hurricane Katrina claim. The decision could benefit hundreds of other homeowners challenging insurers for refusing to cover billions of dollars in storm damage. MediaSenators Seek Net Neutrality
A bipartisan pair of senators introduced legislation on Tuesday that would limit the control that big cable, phone and other network companies could exert over the Internet....
Greg Gutfeld's Newest HuffPost Venture: It's For the Children
Greg Gutfeld takes the Huffington Post in a direction that was inevitable, really. With every other semi-literate adult already posting for free, there's only one resource left: kids. Called Huffpo Kidz!, the blog will feature offspring whose hyphenated last names only hint at the sensitive political world that accurately mirrors those of their thoughtful parents.
Jon Stewart to Report for WashingtonPost.com?
The Washington Post's Web site is said to be in talks with Comedy Central to team up with "The Daily Show" to cover the 2008 presidential campaign. Host Jon Stewart's brand of irreverence would be expected to draw more readers. Also: The Post aims to collaborate with local bloggers.
Newspapers Set to Jointly Sell Web Ads
Gannett, McClatchy and Tribune are preparing to team up to offer national advertisers a one-stop shop for online ads. "Traditionally print newspaper companies have not worked well together to sell national ads in print," says Jack Williams, president of Gannett Digital. "We intend to sell Internet advertising differently."
Prof proposes who, what, where, when, why and wisdom
NYU j-prof Mitchell Stephens suggests major news organizations become "news-analysis organizations" and have a stable of knowledgeable analysts who are assigned each day to the major stories. They'll operate using the five I's: informed, intelligent, interesting, industrious and insightful.
Well, good luck with that, mainstream media. You haven’t shown much of an inclination to be any of those things in your slavish devotion to the Beltway-approved, so-called common wisdom. —Caro
Brill: I found that sources cooperated after a "bad" story
Steve Brill adds to the discussion of beats: "To offset the conflicts inherent in worrying about not offending sources on a particular beat, I always told my reporters to write as if the story they were doing was their last story -- ie, they should not write today's story worrying about the effect it would have on sources for tomorrow's story," he says. "I always found that sources would still cooperate after a 'bad" story' -- and respect you more -- if you didn’t suck up to them or compromise for them, as long as you also made sure to treat them fairly, which includes giving them a real, explicit shot to rebut anything negative you might be writing."
But he refused to write stories that called the media to task over its coverage of Bill Clinton’s sexual dalliance, and that’s why Brill’s Content failed after only a few years. —Caro
XM, Sirius Exec Comments Spur Merger Speculation
Shares of both XM and Sirius satellite radio jumped Wednesday after comments by execs fueled speculation about a possible combination. "Conceptually, consolidation creates value," hints Sirius boss Mel Karmazin. Analysts expect the companies to attempt a merger this year. Science & TechnologyScientist: Global warming could melt ice caps, eliminate half of Earth's species
The effects of global warming are being felt around the world and unless international efforts are launched within the next 10 years, species will disappear and the Earth will be a vastly less habitable planet by the end of the century, according to NASA scientist James E. Hansen.
Skull Supports Theory of Human Migration
It is the first fossil evidence that the migrants into Europe and Asia from Africa were fully modern humans.
400-year-old seeds found in Jamestown
Seeds and plant remains preserved in a well at America's first permanent English settlement suggest the Jamestown colonists were not just gentlemen with few wilderness survival skills, as they are often portrayed, but tried to live off the land by gathering berries and nuts.
"]Why We Procrastinate
Surfing the Web all night when you should be finishing an assignment that’s due ... yesterday? You’re not alone. About 15 to 20 percent of the general population are procrastinators, with up to 90 percent of college students filling that bill. "Essentially, procrastinators have less confidence in themselves, less expectancy that they can actually complete a task," said lead researcher Piers Steel of the University of Calgary.
Telescope adds perspective to Pillars
A new study suggests that the famous "Pillars of Creation" in the Eagle Nebula might have toppled long ago, and that what the Hubble Space Telescope actually captured was their ghost image.
NYSE plans test of real-time Web quotes: report
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Stock Exchange plans a pilot program later this year that could bring real-time stock quotes to Internet users, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
The Computer With a TV, and a Family's Virtual Bulletin Board
The notion of a computer at the heart of every home gets a little bump with the multitasking Hewlett-Packard's $1,800 TouchSmart PC. |
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