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Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top Story Hill Democrats Critical Of Bush's Budget Plan
Administration officials dispatched to Capitol Hill to defend President Bush's budget received a frosty reception yesterday from congressional Democrats, who argued that the president's proposal to target health care, education and other Democratic priorities suggests a White House more interested in scoring political points than in genuine compromise. All Hat No Cattle
The WorldU.S. military: Iraqi lawmaker is U.S. Embassy bomber
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A man sentenced to death in Kuwait for the 1983 bombings of the U.S. and French embassies now sits in Iraq's parliament as a member of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's ruling coalition, according to U.S. military intelligence. Jamal Jafaar Mohammed's seat in parliament gives him immunity from prosecution. Washington says he supports Shiite insurgents and acts as an Iranian agent in Iraq.
Iraq PM urges start to Baghdad crackdown
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki complained Tuesday the long-awaited Baghdad security operation was off to a slow start and warned that insurgents are taking advantage of the delay to kill as many people as possible.
U.S. denies hand in Iran envoy's capture
BAGHDAD, Iraq - It was just past sunset when a car carrying an Iranian diplomat was cruising through the streets of a leafy Shiite neighborhood. Suddenly, two cars filled with uniformed men blocked the way, forced him into a vehicle and sped off.
Iran s ambassador on Iraq violence
Iran s ambassador to Baghdad responds to charges that Tehran is fostering sectarian violence and helping insurgents in Iraq.
Wounded Hamas, Fatah brothers recovering
JEBALIYA REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip - The two al-Ottol brothers are recovering in separate rooms of their house, wounded in the latest round of fighting between rival Hamas and Fatah militias — one on each side of the conflict.
Locals flee as Taliban digs in for battles
More than 1,000 villagers have fled a southern Afghan town as Taliban fighters dig in to repel NATO efforts to drive them out, residents and officials said on Wednesday.
Indonesia May Sell, Not Give, Bird Flu Virus to Scientists
Indonesia has stopped sending samples of the virus to the World Health Organization, apparently because it is negotiating a contract with an American vaccine company.
Venezuela: Nation doesn't need U.S. aid
CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's foreign minister on Tuesday dismissed the U.S. government's decision to cut anti-drug aid to the South American nation, saying it does not need money from "the devil."
Church names 1st female bishop in Cuba
HAVANA - The Episcopal Church has named a woman as bishop in Cuba, the first such appointment by the church in the developing world, church officials said Tuesday.
Uganda rebels threaten war without new talks venue
KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army rebels vowed on Tuesday to resume an offensive against the government unless Kampala agrees to move faltering peace talks to a new venue outside south Sudan.
Sudan leader frustrates Security Council
UNITED NATIONS - Security Council members expressed frustration and skepticism Tuesday at Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's failure to give a green light to a joint United Nations-African Union force to help bring peace to conflict-wracked Darfur. The NationHouse Dems pledge to start debate on non-binding Iraq resolution
With the Senate's debate on an Iraq resolution stalled by partisan division, House Democratic leaders pledged today to begin debate next week in their chamber on a similar nonbinding resolution opposing President Bush's decision to send more American troops into the war.
There’s more than one way to skin a Republican. —Caro
Democrats seek tougher action on Iraq
WASHINGTON - Tired of waiting for an opportunity to try to stop the war in Iraq, some Democrats say they want to use legislation approving billions of dollars in war spending to insist that President Bush not send more troops.
US Senate panel clears McConnell for top spy job
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has unanimously backed the nomination of retired vice admiral Michael McConnell as Director of National Intelligence.
Waxman Raps Ex-Iraq Chief Over Aid Funds
WASHINGTON (AP) - House Democrats, taking charge of investigations now that they control Congress, grilled the former U.S. occupation chief in Iraq on Tuesday about the way he doled out up to $12 billion of Iraqi dollars without accounting for the money.
U.S. sent pallets of cash to Baghdad
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Reserve sent record payouts of more than $4 billion in cash to Baghdad on giant pallets aboard military planes shortly before the United States gave control back to Iraqis, lawmakers said on Tuesday.
Democrats rip EPA chief over reforms
WASHINGTON - The head of the Environmental Protection Agency faced down hostile critics Tuesday in his first committee appearance before the Democratic-led Congress, denying accusations that agency decisions last year rolled back environmental safeguards.
Pelosi settles battle over climate panel
WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has agreed to a compromise that ends a three-week turf battle with one of her most powerful and senior committee chairmen over a special panel on climate change.
GAO criticizes Homeland Security lawyers
WASHINGTON - Government lawyers have hampered investigations into waste and fraud at the Homeland Security Department, officials told Congress on Tuesday.
Military Wants More Civilians to Help in Iraq
The complaints reflect fresh tensions between the Pentagon and the State Department over personnel demands that have fallen most heavily on the military.
U.S. Declines to Join Accord on Secret Detentions
PARIS, Feb. 6 -- Representatives from 57 countries on Tuesday signed a long-negotiated treaty prohibiting governments from holding people in secret detention. The United States declined to endorse the document, saying its text did not meet U.S. expectations.
FBI agent awarded $565K for retaliation
A jury awarded more than $500,000 in damages Monday to a former FBI agent who said she was retaliated against for filing a sex-discrimination complaint against her supervisor.
Prosecutor fired so ex-Rove aide could get his job
The Justice Department acknowledged Tuesday that it fired the U.S. government's chief prosecutor in Little Rock for no reason except to replace him with a lawyer who had been an aide to Karl Rove, the Bush administration's chief political strategist.
Cheney testimony uncertain in leak case
WASHINGTON - Attorneys for former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby are backtracking on their plans to call Vice President Dick Cheney and Libby himself to testify in the CIA leak trial.
Candidates starting earlier, spending more
The financial reports that presidential candidates are filing are starting to document the underpinnings of a drive for dollars that is expected to make 2008 the nation's first billion-dollar campaign.
Democrat Edwards offers universal health care plan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards on Monday proposed spending up to $120 billion a year to fix a "dysfunctional" health care system by requiring health insurance for all Americans and helping to make it more affordable.
Crawford, Texas, sees tourism slowdown
The Washington professionals have their polls, their focus groups and their newspaper editorials. But Crawford, Texas, the 700-person town where President Bush s ranch is located, has its trinket stores, and they have fallen on hard times, in what some say reflects the president s sinking popularity over the war in Iraq and a daunting influx of anti-war protesters. Economy & BusinessU.S. STOCKS-Indexes gain as oil ends off high, Cisco jumps late
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended marginally higher on Tuesday after oil prices pulled back from a session high near $60 a barrel, offsetting a sell-off in the tech sector after National Semiconductor Corp. lowered its outlook.
Study shows immigrants 'a real engine' for growth
The growing number of immigrant entrepreneurs in major U.S. cities is giving a huge lift to urban economies and even outpacing self-employed native-born Americans, according to a report Tuesday.
There’s no mention of illegal immigration in this article, so let’s not assume that all immigration is wonderful. I’m very much in favor of controlled, legal immigration, as it was immigrants who built this country. But I don’t think we should allow the free flow of cheap labor, which succeeds in lowering pay for all of us. —Caro
Bernanke warns of growing income inequality in US
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said the US economy faces a growing rich-poor gap that is "a major challenge for economists and policymakers," and urged more training and education for the those in the lowest ranks.
Far-flung exurbs hard hit by housing downturn
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - While the housing downturn has depressed once-thriving real estate markets around the nation, far-flung suburbs of major cities have suffered the most abrupt market correction. MediaWhere News Consumption Is Heading
I quizzed an assortment of people who I think have a good handle on where media and news habits are heading. I hope that folks running newspaper companies right now will listen to them, because they're telling you what sorts of things you should be investing in to survive as viable media companies.
Libby Trial Principals Should “Stop Hurting America”
Whatever else the confusing, calamitous and corrosive perjury and obstruction of justice felony trial of Scooter Libby may be about –- war, power, death, destruction, lies, manipulation, you-name-it –- it’s first and foremost a trial of the media, by the media and for the media…or to be more precise, the mainstream media in the world’s most powerful democracy. And what the trial has told us thus far about America’s big-time media is that it’s hopelessly, helplessly broken –perhaps even beyond repair.
Murdoch’s Senior Moment In Davos
The rapid Internet circulation of his disclosure of Fox mogul Rupert Murdoch's recent admission that "we tried" to shape the agenda of the Iraq War is accompanied by Howard's warning that the Web is "a public forum over which the message controllers have not yet imposed their domination. I emphasize 'not yet.'"
Media that run questionable items as real are "info-pimps"
"I just invented that word. I like the sound of it," writes Charles Madigan. "Fox News and the Washington Times' Insight Magazine online edition are my two great candidates for info-pimp status in the wake of the Obama story." Rupert Murdoch, says Madigan, might be the king of the info-pimps.
FACT CHECK: Washington Times Publishes False Report On Pelosi’s Use Of Military Aircraft
On February 1, the Washington Times published a story titled “Speaker pursues military flights,” which claimed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had been “pressing the Bush administration for routine access to military aircraft for domestic flights, such as trips back to her San Francisco district.” Former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) also used military aircraft to travel to his district. However, the Times reported, Pelosi is “demanding permanent access to a large military jet for herself, her staff, other Members and supporters.” In fact, the central claims of the Washington Times piece are both false.
IN WHICH IT’S FINALLY REVEALED! Fifteen years of liberal silence is finally explained by Josh Marshall
Josh was doing superlative work, … explaining the nature of the press corps’ latest fake tale . And then, good grief—Josh said “Many consider it poor form to point out these small-ante falsehoods.“ So we’ll all understand recent life on the planet, “these small-ante falsehoods” have been the principal language of our political discourse for the past fifteen years. For example, twenty months’ worth of such “small-ante falsehoods” decided the outcome of Campaign 2000; the U.S. army is in Iraq today because of those small-ante falsehoods. (Al Gore said he invented the Internet! And: Naomi Wolf told Al Gore to wear earth tones! And: Al Gore said he inspired Love Story! And: Al Gore wants to eliminate the automobile as we know it!) The RNC has slavishly cultivated such small-ante tales—and yes, the RNC has devoted itself to such tales because they have been so effective.
The Evilosity Of The RightWing Noise Machine
Michelle Malkin and friends have been up to their old tricks again. You can read all about it at … Media Channel, but the short version: a bullshit insinuation. My friend, a highly-respected journalist (and rightly so), was gulled into questioning Logan's integrity. here is so much garbage like this being put out every day - Obama the Manchurian Candidate, Clinton the gossip-monger to name a recent set of whoppers - that it is impossible for anyone who is (rightly) skeptical of all public figures and celebrities to separate the truth from ALL the nonsense the rightwing puts out without serious digging. And that's the objective of slime like Malkin and Co., to pollute the discourse so it cannot be trusted, even when it's telling the truth.
Broder: Democrats have little "sympathy for" the military
Washington Post columnist David Broder wrote that retired Gen. Wesley Clark was "ne of the losers" among the potential Democratic presidential candidates who spoke before the DNC on February 2 because he forgot "that few in this particular audience have much experience with, or sympathy for, the military." Broder's assertion reflects the assumption, widely expressed among the media, that Iraq war supporters are "pro-military," and conversely that those opposed to the Iraq war must be anti-military.
How to Turn a Priest Into a Cannibal
An examination of one Haiti correspondent's contributions to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Newsday finds a "perfect example of framing techniques used by the press to create acquiescence towards the coup, or at least to confuse the public." Barahona finds clues as to how a supposedly independent press so often manages to report on foreign affairs from the point of view of the State Department.
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/47707/">The Quiet Plan to Kill Medicare
The press has failed to notice that the President's proposed 2008 budget includes a plan to do away with Medicare.
Bloggers Can Make Money, But Keep Day Jobs
The rise of what's known as contextual advertising has created a 21st-century version of royalties that's reaching deep into the ranks of amateurs and hobbyists ? especially those who blog.
Inquirer signs pundit who "says stupid things every day"
Conservative Philadelphia radio talker Michael Smerconish, who has a Philadelphia Daily News column, will now be published in Sunday's Inquirer, too. "The invitation for me to come aboard suggests that the Inquirer truly wishes to broaden the blend of opinion offered in its pages, which I think can only serve the readership well," says Smerconish. "I did not seek this affiliation, but I am looking forward to it." Smerconish told Media Matters last month that "I say stupid things every day."
Snickers ad pulled after complaints
HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. - A commercial for Snickers candy bars launched in the Super Bowl broadcast was benched after its maker got complaints that it was homophobic.
Nielsen Launches Arianna
Nielsen Media Research announced Monday it would begin releasing a software application to help stations, agencies and advertisers analyze all the local market TV ratings data generated daily. Although Nielsen provides ratings data daily through its Navigator Galaxy product, Arianna provides added analysis capabilities. Technology & ScienceJoost Hopes To Change How You View TV
Joost is a new - and free - global TV distribution company that combines aspects of file-sharing software and regular broadcast television. Its creators hope it will change the way you watch TV. Joost is a revolutionary venture from the same guys who angered the record companies with their music downloading software and then turned the Internet into a popular way to make cheap phone calls.
Digital content coming to TVs
TiVo and Amazon will unveil Wednesday a service that lets customers buy and download movies and TV shows to their TiVo DVR for viewing on their TVs one-upping rivals offering such downloads only to computers. The companies say they will test "Amazon Unbox on TiVo" in a few hundred homes for an undisclosed period. Then they will offer it to any of the 600,000 TiVo subscribers who have their DVR connected to a broadband home network..
Steve Jobs urges record companies to set online music free
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Steve Jobs posted an open message to record studios, asking them to abolish security software that prevents music bought online from playing on different types of MP3 players.
How will anybody ever get paid for anything? —Caro
Facebook moves into TV with Comcast's Ziddio
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Facebook.com, the social networking Web site, said on Tuesday it is moving into television by teaming up with cable operator Comcast's online video site Ziddio to produce a new series from users' clips called 'Facebook Diaries'.
MySpace in talks to team up with eBay: paper
NEW YORK (Reuters) - News Corp.'s Web network MySpace has been in talks for several months with online auction company eBay Inc. about a partnership, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Superfast Wi-Fi Standard Solidifies
Most original draft-802.11n products should be firmware upgradable to the second draft, expected to be formally approved this week; interoperability should be vastly improved.
Hackers Slow Internet Root Servers With Attack
Online attackers have briefly disrupted service on at least two of the 13 "root" servers that are used to direct traffic on the Internet.
Companies mine growth of MP3 homework
Students are using MP3 players more to listen to downloaded books, textbook study guides and language labs on-the-go. The percentages are still small, according to a recent study, but the actual numbers are growing, and companies that make educational materials are banking on them climbing higher.
Sydney university stem cell ban sparks academic row
SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian university has agreed not to conduct stem cell research in a new medical center to be built on land bought from a Catholic college, sparking criticism the deal undermines the freedom of academic research. |
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