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Today’s headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryIsrael warns of Iranian missile peril for Europe
A senior Israeli cabinet minister has told The Sunday Telegraph that his government is convinced Iran is intent on becoming the first Muslim superpower, with weapons capable of striking not only at Israel but also Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia as well as Greece and other parts of south-eastern Europe.
Israel to brief George Bush on options for Iran strike
Israeli security officials are to brief President George W Bush on their latest intelligence about Iran’s nuclear programme - and how it could be destroyed - when he begins a tour of the Middle East in Jerusalem this week. Ehud Barak, the defence minister, is said to want to convince him that an Israeli military strike against uranium enrichment facilities in Iran would be feasible if diplomatic efforts failed to halt nuclear operations. A range of military options has been prepared.
Bush: We would defend Israel against Iran
An Iranian attack on Israel isn't imminent, but the U.S. would defend its ally in such an event, United States President George Bush told Channel 2 television just days before he begins a Mideast visit. If Iran were to strike Israel, Bush said, "We will defend our ally, no ands, ifs or buts."
Is that an invitation?—Caro Project for the Old American Century
The World2 bombings kill at least 7 in Baghdad
BAGHDAD - A double bombing killed at least seven people and wounded 25 Monday outside the Baghdad office of a government agency that cares for Sunni mosques and shrines, witnesses and a hospital official said. A police officer, however, put the death toll as high as 14.
Al-Qaida's American seeks Bush attacks
CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida's American spokesman urged fighters to meet President Bush with bombs when he visits the Middle East, according to a new video posted on the Internet Sunday.
Bomber kills 11 at Iraqi army festival
BAGHDAD - Three Iraqi soldiers threw themselves on a suicide attacker wearing an explosives vest at an Army Day celebration Sunday — an act of heroism the U.S. said likely prevented many more deaths. Iraqi police said at least 11 people were killed in the blast, the deadliest in a series of bombings in Baghdad.
Secret U.S. detention center at Bagram is expanding
An American detention center, established at the Bagram military base after the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, is now teeming with some 630 prisoners -- more than twice the 275 being held at Guantánamo... The Red Cross said the prisoners were kept from its inspectors and sometimes subjected to cruel treatment in violation of the Geneva Conventions, … officials said.
Iran says Bush's Middle East trip aimed at "interfering"
Iran said on Sunday that U.S. President George W. Bush's planned trip to the Middle East was aimed at interfering in relations among regional states. "We consider such a trip as interference in the relations of the countries in the region and propaganda," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini told reporters during his weekly briefing.
Pakistan: Militants kill 8 tribal elders
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Suspected Islamic militants fatally shot eight tribal leaders involved in efforts to broker a cease-fire between security forces and insurgents in Pakistan's volatile northwest, authorities said Monday.
US military not welcome in Pakistan: army, foreign ministry
Pakistan reacted angrily Sunday to reports that US President George W. Bush is considering covert military operations in the country's volatile tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. "It is not up to the US administration, it is Pakistan's government who is responsible for this country," chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP.
Envoy urges patience on North Korea deadline
TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea's failure to meet a deadline to declare its nuclear activities needs to be confronted with patience and perseverance, a senior U.S. envoy said on Monday.
Georgia vote gives Saakashvili new term
TBILISI, Georgia - Mikhail Saakashvili was narrowly re-elected as Georgia's president, election officials said Sunday, announcing preliminary results that threatened to inflame tensions in this former Soviet republic but appeared to avoid a runoff for the pro-Western leader.
Kenya opposition leader cancels rallies
NAIROBI, Kenya - Kenya's opposition leader on Monday canceled planned nationwide protest rallies amid fears of new bloodshed, saying he wanted to give mediation a chance to resolve the election dispute that sparked the violence that has killed nearly 500 people. The NationBush heads to Mideast amid low expectations
From the Israeli prime minister's modest house in Jerusalem to the palace of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Bush can expect a polite welcome during the nine-day trip. But with the U.S. presidential campaign under way, governments in the region already appear to be looking past Bush to his successor. They're expecting no major breakthroughs.
For sale: West’s deadly nuclear secrets
A WHISTLEBLOWER has made a series of extraordinary claims about how corrupt government officials allowed Pakistan and other states to steal nuclear weapons secrets. Sibel Edmonds, a 37-year-old former Turkish language translator for the FBI, listened into hundreds of sensitive intercepted conversations while based at the agency’s Washington field office… Among the hours of covert tape recordings, she says she heard evidence that one well-known senior official in the US State Department was being paid by Turkish agents in Washington who were selling the information on to black market buyers, including Pakistan.
A Scramble At the CIA to Lawyer Up
Attorney general Michael Mukasey's decision to launch a full-scale FBI probe into the destruction of CIA interrogation tapes has sent several alarmed agency employees scrambling to find lawyers.
Why I Believe Bush Must Go (by George McGovern, writing at the Washington Post)
Bush and Cheney are clearly guilty of numerous impeachable offenses. They have repeatedly violated the Constitution. They have transgressed national and international law. They have lied to the American people time after time. Their conduct and their barbaric policies have reduced our beloved country to a historic low in the eyes of people around the world. These are truly "high crimes and misdemeanors," to use the constitutional standard.
U.S. Rep. Frank to scrutinize housing and credit cards
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee will this year scrutinize the mortgage lending industry and draft new consumer protections for credit card holders, he said on Friday.
US Supreme Court to review legality of lethal injection
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Supreme Court will on Monday take up the thorny issue of lethal injections in a bid to determine if this method of executing death-row inmates conforms with the constitution, which forbids cruel and unusual punishment.
Sperm Donor Not Required to Pay Child Support
In a case of first impression, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that a sperm donor who gave up his parental rights in an oral contract with the mother of twins can't be required to pay child support. Justice Max Baer, writing for the majority, said that a contrary decision would undermine alternative means of reproduction in a modern age that allow women who are in established relationships or who are single -- but who can't conceive a child on their own -- to enter contracts with male sperm donors who are not required to support the progeny sired from their sperm donations and who lose their parental rights to the children.
New Poll Shows Major Shakeup For Presidential Race
There has been a major shake-up in Campaign 08. The latest poll tonight shows Barack Obama pulling ahead of Hillary Clinton, and John McCain in front of Mitt Romney.
Can You Count on Voting Machines?
Introduced after the 2000 hanging-chad debacle, the machines were originally intended to add clarity to election results. But in hundreds of instances, the result has been precisely the opposite: they fail unpredictably, and in extremely strange ways; voters report that their choices “flip” from one candidate to another before their eyes; machines crash or begin to count backward; votes simply vanish.
Trade and wages (by Dani Rodrik, Professor of International Political Economy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University – thanks to Economist’s View)
Rob Feenstra and Gordon Hanson … are among the very best empirical trade economists today (and Feenstra is the author of the most widely used graduate-level textbook in trade). In a series of papers, they have argued that outsourcing and global production sharing act just like skill-biased technological change, and they have played an important role in shaping wage inequality. Their empirical work is careful and driven by a compelling theoretical model of within-industry specialization… Importantly, their framework helps explain how globalization contributes to inequality in both developed and developing countries. MediaPermanent link to MTA daily media news
SAM GREENFIELD’s new show starts today!
6 AM – 8 AM CT weekdays on WVNJ, covering northern New Jersey, Rockland and Westchester Counties as well as parts of New York City, Long Island, and Connecticut.
Click here for more Unconservative Listening.—Caro
Two parties' presidential candidates hold very different debates
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Democratic presidential candidates sparred, sometimes intensely, over who among them was the true change agent, while their Republican counterparts held a virtual tea party Saturday night, as both groups held back-to-back debates just days before New Hampshire's Tuesday primary.
Weekend Poll Summary (Political Wire)
Here's a quick snapshot of the latest New Hampshire primary polls:
CNN/WMUR: Obama +10, McCain +6
USA Today/Gallup: Obama +13, McCain +4
Strategic Vision: Obama +9, McCain +8
Rasmussen: Obama +12, McCain +2
7NEWS/Suffolk: Obama +2, Romney +3
McClatchy/MSNBC: Obama +2, McCain +8
Reuters/Zogby: Obama +1, Romney +1
Concord Monitor/Research 2000: Obama +1, McCain +6
American Research Group: Obama +12, McCain +14
THE PACK.... (by Kevin Drum at Political Animal, the Washington Monthly)
(A)pparently the flinty-eyed independents of New Hampshire aren't quite as flinty-eyed as they'd like you to believe. After a solid year of town halls, coffee klatsches, and early morning doorbell ringing — because, you know, New Hampshirites take their electoral responsibilities so much more seriously than the rest of us — all it took was a few thousand Iowans to flip them from one side to the other in less than 24 hours.
Hardball: Elizabeth Edwards Asks What’s It Going To Take To Mention John Edwards (by Nicole Belle at Crooks and Liars)
Elizabeth Edwards appeared on Hardball Friday to give Chris Matthews a hard time about his continual ignoring of her husband’s campaign for the Democratic nod.
Click through to watch the video.—Caro
Rasmussen Surprise!! Edwards Up 6% (to 20%) Nationally Since 12/29
According to the latest Rasmussen Reports numbers, the anticipated Obama national bounce seems, instead, to be pointing John Edwards's way. The latest Rasmussen Daily Democratic Presidential tracking polls show that as of 1/5/2008, John Edwards has increased his percentage of likely US voters by +6 percentage points from 14% to 20%. This compares to Hillary Clinton's loss of -5 percentage points in the same period from 43% to 38% and Barack Obama's +1 point increase during the same period from 24% to 25%.
Clinton Machine Shaken by Setback (by Karen Tumulty, Time)
The scope of Barack Obama's victory in Iowa has shaken the Clinton machine… (I)nternally, a round of recriminations is being aimed at her chief strategist, Mark Penn, as the representative of everything about her pseudo-incumbent campaign that has been too cautious, too arrogant, too conventional and too clueless as to how much the political landscape has shifted since the last Clinton reign. One adviser summed up the biggest challenge that faces the campaign in two words: "Fresh thinking."
Good. I’d like to see the Mark Penn types bite the dust.—Caro
Obama's High Crimes and Misdemeanor (by Ana Marie Cox at Swampland, Time)
Sen. Barack Obama is closing his New Hampshire campaign with a robocall that accuses Hillary Clinton of "last minute smears” and appears to violate NH law… 1. The Obama campaign delivered this robocall to people on the do-not-call list. It is illegal under NH state law to send prerecorded political messages to those on the do-not-call list… 2. The call does not identify its sponsor -- the Obama campaign -- for 38 seconds. State law requires the sponsor to be named within 30 seconds. The robocall implies that it is sponsored by Planned Parenthood Northern New England.
Click through to read the transcript and to listen to the audio of the call.—Caro
Iowa's Histrionic Hucksters (by George F. Will)
Barack Obama, who might be mercifully closing the Clinton parenthesis in presidential history, is refreshingly cerebral amid this recrudescence of the paranoid style in American politics. He is the un-Edwards and un-Huckabee -- an adult aiming to reform the real world rather than an adolescent fantasizing mock-heroic "fights" against fictitious villains in a left-wing cartoon version of this country.
Why would George Will like Barack Obama? Does he, as I do, suspect a corporatist in hope’s clothing?—Caro
From Hype to Fear (by Paul Krugman)
Barack Obama won his impressive victory in Iowa with a sunny, upbeat message of change. But there’s a powerful political faction in this country that understands very well that any real change will create losers as well as winners. In particular, any serious progressive reform of health care, let alone a broader attempt to reduce middle-class insecurity and inequality, will have to mean higher taxes on the affluent. And members of that faction will do whatever it takes to scare people into believing that change means disaster for the economy. I don’t think they’ll succeed. But it would be a big mistake to assume that they won’t.
Make It So (by digby)
Here's Candy Crowley from a couple of days ago in Iowa: “… if you get out here with these Republicans and, in fact, the Independents and the Democrats, … the first thing that comes out of their mouth is not I really wish everybody would get along. It's I want this war stopped, I want the economy to be better, we need better jobs.” When people say they want change it's not because they are tired of "partisan bickering" (which basically consists of derisive Republican laughter.) They're sick of a government that does exactly the opposite of what they want it to do. And they aren't picky about how it gets done. If it can be done with gentle persuasion, that's great. But if it takes a fight, they're all right with that too.
The government has been doing the exact opposite of what I want it to do for the entire almost 64 years of my existence. That’s why I finally decided to get involved in politics, in 2000. Crooks and Liars has a video of a JFK campaign speech. HE brought a message of hope and of change, but he understood that you have to fight the Dick Nixons of the world to bring about that change.—Caro
The Best Way To End "Partisan Gridlock" Is To Further Weaken The GOP -- Part Two (by Greg Sargent at TPM Horse’s Mouth)
Mike Bloomberg, for all his complaints about the two parties, is in almost unanimous agreement with the policy goals and platform, broadly defined, of one party -- the Democrats. He is in almost unanimous disagreement with the policy goals of the other -- the GOP… Therefore, if Bloomberg were serious about ending "partisan gridlock" in the service of the very same policy goals he himself espouses, he would devote his efforts and fortune not to the equal demonization of both parties, but to the further weakening of the Republicans.
And who does Bloomberg have at his side? One of the Democrats who sold out Bill Clinton. See below.—Caro
Fox's Bill O'Reilly in confrontation with Obama staffer at rally
NASHUA, N.H.-- Fox News host Bill O'Reilly got into a confrontation with an Obama aide after O'Reilly started screaming at him as he tried to get Barack Obama's attention following a rally here. O'Reilly eventually did chat briefly with Obama and asked him to be a guest on his show. The incident was triggered when O'Reilly--with a Fox News crew shooting--was screaming at Obama National Trip Director Marvin Nicholson "Move" so he could get Obama's attention, according to several eyewitnesses… Secret Service agents who were nearby flanked O 'Reilly after he pushed Nicholson. They told O'Reilly he needed to calm down and get behind the fence-like barricade that contained the press.
The Huffington Post has photos and video.—Caro
Robertson: ‘I’m Not Sure I Heard From The Lord,’ ‘If I Did, I Hope I Heard Wrong’ (Think Progress)
Earlier this week, Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson said God told him who will win the 2008 presidential election. “He told me some things about the election, but I’m not going to say,” he said. (Friday) night, Robertson appeared on Hannity and Colmes. When asked by Alan Colmes whether God had spoken to him about the election outcome, Robertson said he was “a little shaky on it” and was “not sure.” But Robertson then implied God told him a Democrat would win the White House: “… But I’m a little shaky on it and I didn’t want to say anything about it publicly. I’m not sure I heard from the Lord. And if I did, I hope I heard wrong.” Technology & ScienceIntel Out Of One Laptop Per Child Program
Intel Corp. cited "philosophical impasse," as to why it is abandoning the One Laptop Per Child program, a blow to the project seeking to bring millions of low-cost laptops to children in developing countries.
After criticism, Sears plugs Web site's privacy hole
San Francisco - Sears Holdings has taken part of its Managemyhome.com Web site offline following revelations that the site was making customers' purchasing histories publicly available.
Sony to sell super-thin OLED TV in U.S.
Sony Corp. on Sunday said it is introducing to the U.S. market a high-quality organic LED television only as thick as three stacked credit cards.
GM envisions driverless cars on horizon
DETROIT - Cars that drive themselves — even parking at their destination — could be ready for sale within a decade, General Motors Corp. executives say.
Scientists move toward helping paralysis patients
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists have figured out how mice can regain some ability to walk after spinal cord injuries, and hope this insight can lead to a new approach to restoring function in people paralyzed by similar damage.
Healing Value Of Magnets Demonstrated In Biomedical Engineering Study
ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2008) — A recent study demonstrates that the use of an acute, localized static magnetic field of moderate strength can result in significant reduction of swelling when applied immediately after an inflammatory injury. Magnets have been touted for their healing properties since ancient Greece. Magnetic therapy is still widely used today as an alternative method for treating a number of conditions, from arthritis to depression, but there hasn’t been scientific proof that magnets can heal.
Big Pharma Spends More On Advertising Than Research And Development, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2008) — A new study by two York University researchers estimates the U.S. pharmaceutical industry spends almost twice as much on promotion as it does on research and development, contrary to the industry’s claim.
Fitness Begins at Home
Tips on getting healthy without heading to the gym
Heart Patients Find Education Programs Lead To Better Health
ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2008) — Older women heart patients benefit from educational programs as a supplement to clinical care to help significantly lower cardiac symptoms, lose weight and increase physical activity, a new study shows.
Male monkeys caught 'paying' for sex
Selling sex is said to be humankind's oldest profession, but it may also have deep evolutionary roots. A new study into our primate cousins has found that male macaque monkeys pay for intercourse by using grooming as a currency.
But humans evolved a different strategy—see below.—Caro
Why We Gossip: Because Grooming Takes Too Long
Many other primates, such as baboons, live in big groups and they use grooming as a social tool to make, keep or break social connections. But during our evolutionary history, (primatologist Robin) Dunbar explains, human groups became way too large and no one had the time to groom everyone they needed. Gossip, or talk about each other, then replaced grooming as a social glue among humans.
Plate Tectonics May Grind To A Halt, Then Start Again
ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2008) — Plate tectonics, the geologic process responsible for creating the Earth's continents, mountain ranges, and ocean basins, may be an on-again, off-again affair. Scientists have assumed that the shifting of crustal plates has been slow but continuous over most of the Earth's history, but a new study from researchers at the Carnegie Institution suggests that plate tectonics may have ground to a halt at least once in our planet's history--and may do so again. EnvironmentAustralians battle fires and floods
CANBERRA, Australia - Australians battled both fires and some of the worst flooding in decades Monday that stranded residents in several communities after days of intense summer heat and storms.
From drought to floods.—Caro
Baby Mammoth Could Shed Light on Warming
TOKYO (AP) - Frozen in much the state it died some 37,500 years ago, a Siberian baby mammoth undergoing tests in Japan could finally explain why the beasts were driven to extinction - and shed light on climate change, scientists said Friday.
North Atlantic Warming Tied To Natural Variability
This striking pattern can be explained largely by the influence of a natural and cyclical wind circulation pattern called the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), wrote authors of a study published Jan. 3, in Science Express, the online edition of the journal Science.
21 Things You Didn't Know You Can Recycle
Garbage. Americans produce more and more of it every year, when we need to be producing less. Even the most waste-conscious among us can feel overwhelmed by the amount of household waste that goes beyond what municipal recyclers and compost bins can handle. That’s why our editors spent the summer of 2007 investigating the state of waste management in our country, putting this list togther for you, explaining how we can get serious about the three R’s — reducing, reusing, and recycling — and divert more waste away from landfills.
CleanTech Investing: The Green Gold Rush
Venture capitalists are increasingly investing large sums of money into the clean technology market and into businesses promoting renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency. As positive a development as this is, gold rushes are temporary phenomena, and many are concerned that this green bubble might burst just like the dotcom or housing bubbles of recent years.
Concrete Goes Green (video)
MIT's nanotechnology reduces CO2 emission when building with cement.
Sharp, Panasonic and Toshiba Launch Electronics Recycling Company
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2008 -- Panasonic Corp. of North America, Sharp Electronics Corp. and Toshiba America Consumer Products have launched a new electronics recycling company servicing Minnesota, and eventually, beyond.
Austin Wants a Zero-Waste Plan
AUSTIN, Tx., Jan. 7, 2008 -- The city of Austin wants to follow in the footsteps of San Francisco and Seattle by creating a zero-waste plan that will eradicate the garbage it sends to landfills.
Fuel Cell That Uses Bacteria To Generate Electricity
ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2008) — Researchers at the Biodesign Institute are using the tiniest organisms on the planet 'bacteria' as a viable option to make electricity. In a new study featured in the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering, lead author Andrew Kato Marcus and colleagues Cesar Torres and Bruce Rittmann have gained critical insights that may lead to commercialization of a promising microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology.
Saving Plants That Save Lives
ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2008) — Poor or non-existent collection controls are threatening the survival of many of the plant species used in traditional and modern medicines. Some estimates indicate that 15,000 of the 50,000 – 70,000 plant species used for medicinal purposes and mostly collected from the wild may be threatened, many as a direct result of unsustainable collection practices. For more headlines, visit MakeThemAccountable.com.
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