Good Morning! - Morning Headlines

[Caro]

Morning headlines brought to you by

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com

Top Stories

Blair to announce Iraq withdrawal plan
LONDON - Prime Minister Tony Blair will announce on Wednesday a new timetable for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, with 1,500 to return home in several weeks, British media reported.

Cheney: U.S. Won't Relent in Iraq War
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney reaffirmed the Bush administration's commitment to the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq during a visit to a U.S. aircraft carrier Wednesday, saying "the American people will not support a policy of retreat."

Judge’s Opinion

The World

Suicide car bomber kills 8 in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide car bomber struck a police checkpoint near a market Wednesday in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, killing at least eight people and wounding 43, police and hospital officials said.

9 Dead In Tanker Attack North Of Baghdad
A hidden bomb ripped through a tanker carrying chlorine gas, killing nine people and filling hospital beds with more than 150 wheezing and frightened villagers after noxious plumes covered homes and schools north of Baghdad.

Israel sees talks curbed by Palestinians
JERUSALEM - Israel on Tuesday ruled out holding Mideast peace talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas once he forms a coalition with Hamas militants, saying the new unity government must give in to international demands to recognize Israel's right to exist.

Iran sets condition to halt nuke program
VIENNA, Austria - Iran's chief nuclear envoy said Tuesday his country wants to negotiate over its uranium enrichment program, on the eve of a U.N. Security Council deadline that carries the threat of harsher sanctions. But the country's hard-line president said Iran will halt enrichment only if Western nations do the same.

India, Pakistan sign nuclear pact
Indian and Pakistani officials signed an agreement Wednesday to avert the risk of accidentally triggering a nuclear war between the South Asian rivals.

Sri Lanka asks India to crack down on cross border gun-running
COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lanka on Wednesday asked neighbouring India to intensify a crackdown on suspected Tamil rebel gun-running across the narrow strip of sea dividing the two South Asian countries.

Australia tells Bush to speed up Guantanamo trial
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister John Howard expressed concerns about Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks directly to President Bush on Tuesday, urging the President to push for a speedy trial.

Mexico to lobby for immigration reform
MEXICO CITY - Mexico plans to begin an aggressive lobbying effort in the United States to secure an immigration reform agreement, the country's new ambassador in Washington said Tuesday.

2 Leaders Rebuff Russia’s Nuclear Threats
Officials in the Czech Republic and Poland vowed that they would not be intimidated by Russia, a day after a general in Moscow declared that nuclear weapons could be aimed at their countries.

23 combatants die in Congo clashes
KINSHASA, Congo - Days of clashes between the army and Rwandan and Congolese militias in eastern Congo have killed at least 23 combatants and forced thousands to flee, the army and U.N. officials said Tuesday.

U.N.: Sending peacekeepers to Chad risky
UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned the Security Council on Tuesday that sending U.N. peacekeepers to Chad carries "serious risks" because of the volatile situation in the central African nation and possible attacks by rebel groups.

Sudanese refugees slowly make the long trip home
KHARTOUM (AFP) - On the northwest edge of Khartoum stretches a vast, makeshift suburb of huge white tents, streaked red by sandstorms and filled with Sudanese refugees who are finally on their way home.

UN authorizes AU deployment in Somalia
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN Security Council has unanimously approved the deployment of an African Union peacekeeping force to Somalia, which could be followed in six months by a UN force.

The Nation

Sen. Reid discusses Iraq troop strategy
CARSON CITY, Nev. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid questioned Tuesday whether word of a possible British troop withdrawal from Iraq would pressure President Bush into changing his war strategy, and said Senate Democrats will move ahead with their own efforts to limit the president's authority.

Iraq casts long shadow over Republicans' White House hopes
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Presidential hopefuls from President George W. Bush's Republican Party have an uphill battle ahead of the 2008 elections, stung by their support for the unpopular Iraq war and outshone by Democratic star power.

U.S. orders review into treatment of wounded troops
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration ordered a review on Tuesday of the care of wounded U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan after reports that many face neglect in the Army's medical system.
It only took a major exposé by the Washington Post. —Caro

Justice Dept. Statistics On Terrorism Faulted
Most of the Justice Department's major statistics on terrorism cases are highly inaccurate, and federal prosecutors routinely count cases involving drug trafficking, marriage fraud and other unrelated crimes as part of anti-terrorism efforts, according to an audit released yesterday.

Tougher Tactics Deter Migrants at U.S. Border
More agents, increased patrols and new walls and fences are beginning to slow the flow of illegal immigrants across the border with Mexico.
And that press release was brought to you by the Department of Homeland Security. —Caro

Sen. Johnson moved to private rehab facility
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota, whose brain surgery in December raised speculation that the Democratic majority in Congress could be in jeopardy, has been discharged from a hospital to a private rehabilitation facility, his office said on Tuesday.

Court: Detainees can't challenge cases
WASHINGTON - In a victory for President Bush, a divided federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Guantanamo Bay detainees cannot use the U.S. court system to challenge their indefinite imprisonment. A Supreme Court appeal was promised.

US Supreme Court rejects 79.5 million dollar tobacco award
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Supreme Court threw out an order for tobacco giant Philip Morris to pay 79.5 million dollars to the widow of a US smoker, in a victory for businesses favoring limits on massive financial awards.

CIA Leak Case To Go To Jury
In closing arguments in the CIA leak case, prosecutors said ex-White House aide Lewis Libby's defense was "ludicrous," while defense lawyers said it would be unfair to convict Libby in a case with so many memory lapses.

The Libby-Cheney Connection
If Scooter Libby is found guilty in his CIA leak trial, investigators are likely to probe further to determine if Libby devised what they consider a cover story in an effort to shield Dick Cheney.

GOP donor hit with terror charges
WASHINGTON - A New York man accused of trying to help terrorists in Afghanistan has donated some $15,000 to the House Republicans' campaign committee over three years.

Democrats turn Nevada into political boomtown
Nevada is experiencing a crush of attention with its new Jan. 19 slot on the Democratic primary calendar between the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Democrats are leaning on Nevada for political success in Western states.

Clinton Seeks Aid for Minority Students
MIAMI (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday criticized President Bush's education policy as doing little to help minorities and acknowledged that she is still searching for ways to raise minority student test scores.

Economy & Business

Indexes rise on M&A
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday as a drop in oil futures and a flurry of mergers, including one between Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio , helped rekindle interest in recently battered tech shares.

Pension gap divides public and private workers
As the first wave of 79 million baby boomers heads to retirement, the nation is dividing into two classes of workers: those who have government benefits and those who don't. The gap is accelerating in every way — pensions, medical benefits, retirement ages. Supporters of government pensions say the decline in private pensions is the problem, not the generosity of public retirement plans.

Quinn: A nest egg for low earners
An idea has come along that's a start. It's called an 'automatic IRA,' designed for those with no ready access to retirement savings plans.

Merck Suspends Lobbying For Vaccine
Merck & Co., bowing to pressure from parents and medical groups, is immediately suspending its lobbying campaign to persuade state legislatures to mandate that adolescent girls get the company's new vaccine against cervical cancer as a requirement for school attendance.

European ministers uphold Hungary's right to ban GMO crop
BRUSSELS (AFP) - European environment ministers have upheld Hungary's right to ban a genetically modified product (GMOs), dealing a policy defeat to the EU's executive arm which wanted the measure to be lifted.

Media

Press's Awkward Treatment of Diverse Prez Field Begins
With the 2008 campaign under way, the press's attempts to shoehorn the candidates into simplistic narrative frameworks have begun, too.

THE GENTLE SPIN OF CILLIZZA AND HEALY
It’s amazing to watch the Post’s Chris Cillizza decide how much news you’re permitted to hear. In today’s paper, Cillizza “reports” on Hillary Clinton’s trip to South Carolina. "’I believe this presidential campaign is about breaking barriers,’ Clinton said at a town hall meeting in the state's capital. ‘This is the campaign, and I am the candidate.’" Healy actually told us what Clinton had actually said: ''’I believe this presidential election is about breaking barriers—and this is the campaign, and I am the candidate with the experience to break the barriers,’'' Mrs. Clinton said.

Debunking the Myths About 'Cutting Funding' for the War
Demolishing the common media-relayed "Republican charge that Democrats are threatening the safety of American forces" when discussing restrictions on funding for the Iraq war. Even in the unlikely event lawmakers were to authorize no more funds at all, "enough money has already been appropriated to cover an orderly withdrawal. And if more money were needed to cover an orderly withdrawal, Congress would approve it in a heartbeat."

Fox News reporter relayed dubious Justice Department assertion that recent U.S. attorney firings all based on "performance-related issues"
Catherine Herridge uncritically repeated an assertion by Justice Department officials that seven U.S. attorneys were fired recently because of "performance-related issues." But in testimony before a Senate committee, Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty conceded that performance played no role in at least one of those cases. Moreover, at least five reportedly received positive job reviews before being fired.

Gaffney Fakes Out Lincoln -- Again
The Washington Times columnist who featured a bogus Abraham Lincoln quote last week returns today -- and advocates harsh punishment for critics of the Iraq war who are giving "aid and comfort to the enemy."

GOP Rep. Who Pushed Pelosi Plane Story Admits He Didn't Know -- Or Care -- If It Was True
Today's Tampa Tribue is carrying a profile of one of the key drivers of : Florida GOP Rep. Adam Putnam. As chairman of the House Republican conference committee, Putnam plays a key role in pushing the GOP's message in the media, and he aggressively pushed the plane story from the start. But now he's cheerfully admitted to the Tribune that not only did he have no idea whether the plane story was true, he didn't particularly care, either.

Where's the Accountability? - Broder Speaks
Say what you will about Washington Post reporter and columnist David S. Broder, but he is the dean of the Washington press corps and his columns are often an accurate reflection of the temperament of Washington's top political reporters. In his column today, Broder writes: "It may seem perverse to suggest that, at the very moment the House of Representatives is repudiating his policy in Iraq, President Bush is poised for a political comeback. But don't be astonished if that is the case." The White House press office was so delighted with Broder's column that it sent it out to the entire White House press corps this morning at 6:44 a.m., under the heading: "In Case You Missed It."

Ex-newsman: Here's a question WH reporters aren't asking
What is Jesus telling George W. Bush to do about Iran? "This is not flippant or facetious," says Michael Graham. "Bush told Bob Woodward he gets his counsel from a 'Higher Father.'" || Linda Douglass: "There's a lot of reasons to be skeptical . But I wonder if reporters this time might go overboard being too skeptical."

Cartoonist's Unpublished Drawings Get a Blog of Their Own
NEW YORK When The Kansas City Star asked Lee Judge to do something for its Web site, the staff editorial cartoonist suggested an idea he was sure would be turned down: Put his rejected and unpublished drawings on the site. "To my surprise, they decided to do it," said Judge -- and the "Judge's Opinion" daily blog was born. "On Valentine's Day, oddly enough," he told E&P today.

Biz people shouldn't underestimate the ability of the press
"A lot of managers say very derogatory things about the press -- they think that they're not very bright; yet we can see that they dig stuff up and deal with highly technical information," says Harvard Business School prof Gregory Miller, who has studied the press. "In my course and in some of my other work I spend a lot of time on relationships with the press, and I would say, 'Think about the fact that the press is going to be there whether you like it or not.' So you might as well develop a good relationship. That means don't try to spin things to them, don't try to use them; rather be honest with them."
Would that politicians would follow this advice, too. Problem is, the spin works so well. As we’ve seen above, journalists employ it themselves. —Caro

Fire the Wire -- And Hire Locally
Wire service copy has become a commodity that is sent around the globe via the Internet at blistering speed. By the time your valued local newspaper reader gets a copy of your paper, the news could be a day old. Is this really serving your readers? Don't you want to give them something they truly cannot get anywhere else?

Viacom in Deal With YouTube Rival
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Viacom Inc., engaged in a public battle with top Internet online video service YouTube, said on Tuesday it had agreed to offer its videos to Joost, the Internet video service created by the founders of Skype. Hundreds of hours of programming from Viacom's MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures movies studio and BET Networks will be available to Joost users for free. The deal comes amid a public quarrel between Viacom and Google Inc.'s YouTube over protecting copyright owners material.

Raketu Tries Combining IPTV, Social Networking
A new application from Raketu Communications Inc. aims to integrate IPTV (Internet Protocol television) with social networking, two of the Internet's hip technologies.
Music Companies Targeting Colleges
WASHINGTON (AP) - Cracking down on college students, the music industry is sending thousands more complaints to top universities this school year than it did last year as it targets music illegally downloaded over campus computer networks.

Future of Net phone firm Vonage hangs in balance
NEW YORK - Verizon and Vonage on Wednesday will present opening statements in a patent-infringement case that could have a big impact on consumers and the nascent Internet telephone industry. Most immediately at risk is the future of Vonage.

EU wants former mobile spectrum opened up
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission renewed its efforts on Tuesday to free up radio frequencies used by broadcasters, mobile phone operators and navigation businesses.

Africa's Inexpensive Laptops
African countries are bracing themselves for this month's rollout of US$150, Linux-based laptops for school children under the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative.

Technology & Science

States seek laws to curb online bullying
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Ryan Patrick Halligan was bullied for months online. Classmates sent the 13-year-old Essex Junction, Vt., boy instant messages calling him gay. He was threatened, taunted and insulted incessantly by so-called cyberbullies.

How to avoid spam avalanche
The tech quandary for many small businesses isn't about building a better website or when to buy Microsoft's new Vista operating system. It's an old problem managers thought they'd already licked: spam.

Twelve-step program aims to cure e-mail addiction
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Alcoholics have one, and so do drug abusers. Now people addicted to e-mail also have a 12-step program designed to tackle their obsession.

Wireless doorbell rings you in
San Francisco (IDGNS) - For those of you who spend lots of time away from home, there's now a device to answer the doorbell from nearly anywhere in the world with your mobile phone.

Robots could soon be calling the shots
Someday you could be taking orders from a robot ... but in a nice way. For example, they could show you how to improve your golf swing or plant your garden. Those are just some of the possibilities for the next decade.

One Man's Garbage, Another Man's Cash Crop
Cranberries - eaten in the Americas for centuries, and loaded with vitamin C and potassium - are being promoted as good for something else: growing flowers. It's great news for farmers, if the method catches on.

Japanese scientists grow teeth from single cells
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Japanese researchers said on Sunday they had grown normal-looking teeth from single cells in lab dishes, and transplanted them into mice. They used primitive cells, not quite as early as stem cells, and injected them into a framework of collagen, the material that holds the body together. After growing them, they found their structures had matured into the components that make teeth, including dentin, enamel, dental pulp, blood vessels, and periodontal ligaments.

3,000-year-old tombs unveiled in Egypt
SAQQARA, Egypt - Archaeologists unveiled the tombs Tuesday of a pharaonic butler and a scribe that have been buried for more than 3,000 years — proof, they say, that Egypt's sands still have secrets to reveal.

Environment

Is U.S. near a tipping point on global warming?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. policy on global warming seems headed for a tipping point, with politicians, business leaders and economists joining environmentalists to call for new laws to limit greenhouse gases that spur climate change. So far, the Bush administration has rejected these calls.

EU backs target to cut CO2 emissions
BRUSSELS, Belgium - European Union environment ministers said Tuesday they would cut overall carbon dioxide emissions 20 percent from 1990 levels by the year 2020, adding that they were ready to go to 30 percent if other industrialized nations matched their efforts.

Cleaner Coal Is Attracting Some Doubts
Power companies are planning to build about 150 coal plants in the next few years. Almost none of them will be built to capture carbon dioxide.