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Edited on Mon Feb-05-07 09:04 AM by Caro
Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoriesAnalysis: Bush's Iran stance echoes Iraq
WASHINGTON - President Bush's tough new stance on Iran and his military buildup in the Persian Gulf recall some of the drumbeats that preceded the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
U.S. can't prove Iran link to Iraq strife
WASHINGTON — Bush administration officials acknowledged Friday that they had yet to compile evidence strong enough to back up publicly their claims that Iran is fomenting violence against U.S. troops in Iraq. Administration officials have long complained that Iran was supplying Shiite Muslim militants with lethal explosives and other materiel used to kill U.S. military personnel. But despite several pledges to make the evidence public, the administration has twice postponed the release. Humor Ink
The WorldIraqi general to take control of Baghdad military security operations Monday
The general who will lead Iraqi forces in the coming security crackdown in Baghdad takes charge on Monday, and the much-vaunted joint operation with American forces to curb sectarian bloodshed will start "very soon thereafter," a senior U.S. military adviser said.
Arab diplomat resigns after Iraq mission
CAIRO, Egypt - The Arab League sent Mokhtar Lamani to Iraq to persuade its bitterly divided Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders to make peace. He failed, and has now resigned, disillusioned and nearly drained of hope.
Gaza rivals pull back, free some hostages
GAZA (Reuters) - Gunmen began withdrawing from Gaza's streets, some hostages were released and many shops reopened on Sunday as a shaky ceasefire appeared to be taking hold in factional fighting between Hamas and Fatah, residents said.
Israel razes houses built illegally
JERUSALEM - The one-story house Amer Abu Diab built on a steep east Jerusalem hillside last year had a low fence, two bedrooms, a living room and an asphalt driveway, so the paraplegic 40-year-old could easily drive up to the door. The house had everything he needed — except a building permit.
India's foreign minister calls for weapon-free space
NEW DELHI (AFP) - New Delhi's space programme is aimed at peaceful research, India's foreign minister has insisted, after rival China conducted an satellite-killing missile test last month.
Police Shoot, Kill 3 Protesters in Nepal
KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Police opened fire on protesters in two southern Nepalese towns on Sunday, killing at least three people and wounding several more, police and a news report said, bringing the death toll from recent demonstrations to at least 19.
Optimism as North Korea readies for nuclear talks
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea heads into talks with the region's main powers this week with signs the impoverished state may be ready to agree to an initial deal over demands it stop building a nuclear arsenal in exchange for aid.
China editor makes bold call for democracy
BEIJING (Reuters) - China must pursue democratic reforms to defuse economic and social imbalances threatening the country's stability, a former editor of the People's Daily said in a rare open call for political reform.
Canada does not see greenhouse gas cuts soon
OTTAWA (Reuters) - It is unlikely that Canada will be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at all in the next few years, let alone achieve the major cuts needed to meet its Kyoto targets, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Friday.
Venezuelans mark failed coup anniversary
CARACAS, Venezuela - Thousands of Venezuelans marched to celebrate the anniversary of the failed coup that catapulted Hugo Chavez to fame 15 years ago Sunday, dancing to anti-American tunes and pulling a 40-foot balloon of the leftist president through the streets.
Chavez takes up energy conservation
CARACAS, Venezuela - His ambitious social programs are built on Venezuela's petroleum wealth, but President Hugo Chavez is increasingly talking up environmental causes and urging the world to cut back on oil use to fight global warming.
African Union delegation visits Somalia
MOGADISHU, Somalia - An African Union military delegation has arrived in Somalia for a three-day mission to assess security before the planned deployment of a peacekeeping force, an official said Sunday. The NationBush plan seeks billions more for Iraq
WASHINGTON - President Bush is sending Congress a $2.9 trillion budget that would provide billions of dollars for the war in Iraq, make his first-term tax cuts permanent and achieve a budget surplus three years after he leaves office.
Vietnam vets to vote on Iraq troop surge
WASHINGTON - Four senators who will vote this week on putting more troops in Iraq bear the scars of another war in another time, in a place called Vietnam. Three will vote against sending more troops. One will vote the other way.
McCain condemns anti-surge resolution
WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain sought to weaken support for a resolution opposing President Bush's Iraq war strategy Sunday, saying proponents are intellectually dishonest.
Gov't balks at phone privacy provision
WASHINGTON - Federal regulators working on rules to secure the calling records and other private information of telephone customers are running into resistance from phone companies and law enforcement agencies.
Global Warming Debate Shifts To Who Pays
An international report giving greater certainty to global warming will shift the debate in Congress from what's causing climate change to the economics of who will pay to confront it, and who will be the winners and losers.
Here’s a radical idea. How about making the polluters bear the cost? If people don’t want to pay the price for a product that includes either the cost of not polluting or the cost of cleaning up after themselves, is that a product we really need? Let the market determine this, “free market” fundamentalists. —Caro
Democrats Seek Unpaid Taxes, Setting Up Clash
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 — Congressional Democrats, hoping to finance an ambitious agenda without raising taxes, are on a collision course with the Bush administration about pursuing the potentially vast amount of money that people hide from the Internal Revenue Service.
Why are Republicans against this? Are they in favor of people breaking the law? —Caro
Judges Pose Questions on Bush Detainee Policy
RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 1 — In a series of probing and sometimes testy exchanges with a government lawyer, two of three judges on a federal appeals court panel here indicated Thursday that they might not be prepared to accept the Bush administration’s claim that it has the unilateral power to detain people it calls enemy combatants.
Judge to hear arguments on Libby tapes Monday
Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's right to a fair trial might be jeopardized if tapes of his grand jury testimony are released to the public, his attorneys say.
It might be too prejudicial for the jury that will judge whether he lied or not to hear his lies. Too funny! —Caro
U.S. Set to Begin a Vast Expansion of DNA Sampling
The Justice Department is completing rules to allow the collection of DNA from most people arrested or detained by federal authorities, a vast expansion of DNA gathering that will include hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, by far the largest group affected. The new forensic DNA sampling was authorized by Congress in a little-noticed amendment to a January 2006 renewal of the Violence Against Women Act.
This is fine with me. I don’t see any difference between taking a DNA sample and recording a person’s fingerprints. —Caro
Orlando: Please Do Not Feed The Homeless
At Lake Eola park, there is much beauty to behold: robust palms, beds of cheery begonias, a cascading lake fountain, clusters of friendly egrets and swans, an amphitheater named in honor of Walt Disney. Then there are the signs. DO NOT LIE OR OTHERWISE BE IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION ON A PARK BENCH ... DO NOT SLEEP OR REMAIN IN ANY BUSHES, SHRUBS OR FOLIAGE.
We are the only industrialized nation that hasn’t solved the problem of homelessness. —Caro Economy & BusinessDow eases as jobs data suggest no Fed cut yet
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue-chips eased on Friday after data showing moderate job creation in January suggested the Federal Reserve will not cut interest rates yet, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq edged higher.
Jobs growth modest in January
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy added a modest 111,000 jobs in January, but the job picture was much brighter than first estimated in the final quarter of last year, a government report showed on Friday.
Carlyle Changes Its Stripes
In the two decades since private equity firms first stormed the business world, they've been called a lot of things, from raiders to barbarians. But only one firm has been tagged in the popular imagination with warmongering, treason, and acting as cold-eyed architects of government conspiracies.
Or at least Carlyle wants us to THINK its changing its stripes. In the PR nation, it’s hard to tell whether its actually, but at least they now care what we think. That’s an improvement, as far as I’m concerned. —Caro MediaStudent press group blasts Seattle Times' "naive" editorial
The Seattle Times has a problem with a bill before the Washington legislature that would provide free press protections to student journalists. "The daily life of a journalist and editor is one of give and take," notes its editorial. "The best journalists become so by a constant head-butting collaboration with editors. Student journalists would be well-served by learning to collaborate with superiors rather than bypassing them."
But when those editors are charged with enforcing the political views of their corporate masters, the reporting may win awards but still be faulty. See below for a few examples. —Caro
Wash. Post headline, lede on Libby's alleged falsehoods: "Libby Left Out Some Facts"
A February 2 Washington Post article on the trial of former vice presidential chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby bore the headline, "Libby Left Out Some Facts In Interviews, FBI Agent Says," referring to FBI agent Deborah S. Bond's testimony the previous day. According to the Post's lead paragraph, Bond testified that Libby "did not acknowledge disclosing the identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame to reporters" during interviews with Bond in 2003. However, it was not until much later in the article that the Post noted that Bond testified that Libby actually denied having leaked Plame's identity or having had any knowledge of Plame -- not that he simply "left out" or "did not acknowledge" that fact.
For True Libby Trial Junkies: Go Here for All the Exhibits
NEW YORK If you are hooked on the Libby/Plame/CIA leak trial, there's a place to go to really dive into the personal notes, transcripts, and other key bits of firsthand evidence introduced at the trial so far. The Associated Press has links to all at: http://wid.ap.org/documents/libbytrial/index.html
USA Today hailed Giuliani as "hero of 9/11," omitted Kerik controversy
A USA Today article referred to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani as a "hero of 9/11." But, while mentioning a leaked memo in which Giuliani's campaign staff set out potential areas of vulnerability, the USA Today article did not note the memo's reference to a particular scandal relating to terrorism preparedness.
BARBERSHOP II–NOT THE MOVIE
It isn’t surprising that there’s a “man-in-the-street” who believes a string of things which are false. What’s remarkable here is Swarns herself (and her editor), not that blathering barber. Remarkably, Swarns prints those counter-factual statements above the fold on page one of the Times, without making the slightest attempt to tell readers that the statements are factually false. Obama wasn’t born and raised in America! And: Obama is from another nationality! And: Obama isn’t an American! These implied statements are all false, but Swarns makes no effort to let readers know that. And yes–this is how bogus claims get spread. In this case, the bogus claims are getting spread above the fold on page one of the Times.
Bush Seizes Powers While Media Fixates on Chavez
For asking his legislative branch to bestow more executive powers on him, Chavez was demonized and lambasted in the US and international corporate press, over and over again, and the lashing continues unabated to this day. For claiming powers for himself, Bush was given a pass. FAIR.>
46 nations back body to protect planet
PARIS - Forty-five nations answered France's call Saturday for a new environmental body to slow inevitable global warming and protect the planet, perhaps with policing powers to punish violators.
Excuse me, AP, but what makes you think global warming is “inevitable”? What makes you think there are no measures we can take to stop it? —Caro
Hatfill suit tossed because columns were "cautiously worded"
A federal judge says he dismissed Steven Hatfill's lawsuit against the New York Times because Nicholas Kristof's columns asserted that the former Army scientist could be innocent in the 2001 anthrax attacks. Kristof didn't act with malice, says U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton. || Hatfill's lawyer says: "We will appeal, and we expect to prevail."
Don’t forget how the NYT treated Wen Ho Lee. Hatfill’s case is very similar. At least the government and the media settled with Lee. —Caro
Conservatives continue to use Fox's 24 to support hawkish policies
Cal Thomas is the latest conservative figure to use the TV show 24 to forecast a nuclear attack on the United States. Conservatives have also looked to the TV series for justification of aggressive interrogation procedures.
Fox On Top, But MSNBC Surges
When it comes to cable news, the Fox News Channel is still the ratings leader over chief rival CNN. MSNBC has traditionally finished a distant third in these audience wars. But the January ratings numbers reveal that a shift that began last year is beginning gain real momentum.
Viacom asks YouTube to remove 100K clips
NEW YORK - Media company Viacom Inc., which owns the cable networks MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon and the Paramount Pictures movie studio, asked YouTube on Friday to remove more than 100,000 unauthorized clips from its hugely popular video-sharing site. Technology & ScienceWireless Internet for All, Without the Towers
THESE still are early days for the Internet, globally speaking. One billion people online; five billion to go. The next billion to be connected are living in homes that are physically close to an Internet gateway. They await a solution to the famous “last mile” problem: extending affordable broadband service to each person’s doorstep.
Adoption of Microsoft Vista's TV/PC Tech an X-Factor
While software-geek society greeted the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft's much-hyped new PC software mostly with bored skepticism (CNET called it "warmed-over Windows XP"), the new souped-up operating system could have major implications for the digital media business.
The king of alter egos is surprisingly humble guy
SAN FRANCISCO - Philip Rosedale didn't create Second Life to be a game or a toy. He thinks he is remaking the Internet - taking it on a giant leap forward, much like the invention of the Mosaic browser or World Wide Web.
I’m sorry, I just don’t see any socially redeeming value to this website. Tell me if I’m wrong. —Caro
Teen exposure to online pornography common
CHICAGO (Reuters) - About four in every 10 U.S. youngsters age 10 to 17 report they've seen pornography while on the Internet, two-thirds of them saying it was uninvited, according to a study published on Monday.
Swiss boat claims first solar-powered Atlantic crossing
GENEVA (AFP) - A Swiss-made catamaran has become the first solar-powered boat to cross the Atlantic after reaching the French Caribbean island of Martinique, the boat's owners said.
Texas requires anti-cancer vaccine
Merck & Co. stands to make billions of dollars should other states follow Texas' lead and require girls to receive its new anti-cancer vaccine. Supporters of the mandate say it would be a small price to pay to eradicate a dangerous sexually transmitted disease.
Good for Governor Goodhair, as Molly Ivins would have said. Even if he’s doing it for the wrong reasons. —Caro
Lab disaster may lead to new cancer drug
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Her carefully cultured cells were dead and Katherine Schaefer was annoyed, but just a few minutes later, the researcher realized she had stumbled onto a potential new cancer treatment. |
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