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Today’s headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryClinton and McCain pull off upsets in NH
CONCORD, N.H. - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton powered to victory in New Hampshire's Democratic primary Tuesday night in a startling upset, defeating Sen. Barack Obama and resurrecting her bid for the White House. Sen. John McCain defeated his Republican rivals to move back into contention for the GOP nomination.
Did George Bush’s saber rattling in anticipation of his Middle East trip influence this result? Just asking.—Caro Humor Ink
The WorldRockets hit Israel before Bush arrival
JERUSALEM - Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip bombarded southern Israel with rocket and mortar fire on Wednesday, striking a house in the border town of Sderot shortly before President Bush arrived on a visit aimed partly at building momentum for stalled Mideast peace talks.
Bush visits Israel to push for peace
JERUSALEM - President Bush sought new footing Wednesday to pull Israel and the Palestinians toward serious negotiations that would crown his final year as president, as revived peace talks stumbled over land squabbles and fear of violence.
Iraqi Awakening Council members kidnapped, killed
Insurgents have kidnapped eight Awakening Council members and killed 14 other people in Baghdad attacks, said an Iraqi Interior Ministry official on Tuesday.
Iranian TV: Pentagon video, audio fake
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran on Wednesday called video and audio released by the Pentagon showing Iranian Revolutionary Guards boats confronting U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz "fabricated," a state-run television station reported.
Bhutto's death stokes regional rivalry
KARACHI, Pakistan - When vast crowds paid their last respects to Benazir Bhutto before her burial, angry mourners from her native Sindh province chanted separatist slogans: "We don't want to be part of Pakistan!"
Islamic parties lose support in Pakistan
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan — As Pakistan confronts an uncertain future after former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's slaying, one thing is clear: Islamic parties sympathetic to al Qaida and the Taliban have lost a great deal of support since they won their greatest political victory in the country's history five years ago.
Japan may protect G8 site with missiles: report
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan may position missile interceptors around the site of the Group of Eight summit of industrialized nations, to be held on the northern island of Hokkaido in July, a newspaper said on Wednesday.
Why don’t they start having these meetings by teleconference?—Caro
Canada tightens rules governing organ donations
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada has imposed sweeping restrictions on who can donate organs for transplant -- including a ban on gay men who have been sexually active in the past five years -- and a leading doctor said on Tuesday he feared the move could deter potential donors.
We need to be more sensible about these things. My blood isn’t wanted because I’ve had radiation treatments, so I assume they don’t want my organs, either. But what if another 63-year-old needed a new heart? If that person wants to take the chance of getting a heart that may impart IDS or that has gone through radiation, shouldn’t the patient have the choice?—Caro
Four Algerian troops killed in anti-Islamist operation: press
ALGIERS (AFP) - A army commander and three members of the Algerian security forces were killed during an operation aimed at flushing out an Islamist group in scrubland in the north of the country, the Algerian press reported Wednesday.
Forget Oil, the New Global Crisis is Food
A new crisis is emerging, a global food catastrophe that will reach further and be more crippling than anything the world has ever seen. The credit crunch and the reverberations of soaring oil prices around the world will pale in comparison to what is about to transpire, Donald Coxe, global portfolio strategist at BMO Financial Group said at the Empire Club's 14th annual investment outlook in Toronto on Thursday. "It's not a matter of if, but when," he warned investors. "It's going to hit this year hard." The NationBush Castigates Iran, Calling Naval Confrontation 'Provocative Act'
President Bush chastised Iran on Tuesday for committing a "provocative act" by confronting United States Navy warships in the Persian Gulf over the weekend. The Pentagon released video showing Iranian speedboats maneuvering around the American convoy.
Bush OKs gun limits for mentally ill
President Bush signed legislation on Tuesday aimed at preventing the severely mentally ill from buying guns, in a rare bipartisan agreement with the Democratic-led Congress after the bloody Virginia Tech shooting.
White House told to provide e-mail info
A federal magistrate ordered the White House on Tuesday to reveal whether copies of possibly millions of missing e-mails are stored on computer backup tapes. The order by U.S. Magistrate Judge John Facciola comes amid an effort by the White House to scuttle two lawsuits that could force the Executive Office of the President to recover any e-mail that has disappeared from computer servers where electronic documents are automatically archived. Two federal laws require the White House to preserve all records including e-mail.
Ex-Marine: Civilians died unnecessarily in Afghanistan shooting
A former Marine Corps intelligence sergeant testified Tuesday that up to 19 Afghan civilians died unnecessarily as his special operations unit responded to a car bomb attack on its convoy. "I really felt there were a lot of people who died who didn't need to," Nathanial Travers said. "They were just driving their cars."
Pentagon Won't Probe KBR Rape Charges
The Defense Department's top watchdog has declined to investigate allegations that an American woman working under an Army contract in Iraq was raped by her co-workers… An ABC News investigation revealed how an earlier investigation into Jones' alleged gang-rape in 2005 had not resulted in any prosecution, and that neither Jones nor Democratic and Republican lawmakers have been able to get answers from the Bush administration on the state of her case.
U.S. wants life in prison for 3 in terrorism case
MIAMI, Jan 8 (Reuters) - U.S. former "enemy combatant" Jose Padilla and two other men convicted last year of conspiring to aid terrorists abroad returned to a Miami court on Tuesday for a hearing to decide whether they will spend the rest of their lives behind bars… Padilla never was charged in any bomb plot. He was implicated by two suspected al Qaeda operatives now held without charge at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. One claimed he falsely implicated Padilla under torture at a Moroccan prison.
Diplomats Give Rice Low Marks
Only 18 percent of the U.S. Foreign Service think Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is doing a good job protecting their profession, according to a recent survey conducted by the service's union. Forty-four percent rated her performance "poor" or "very poor," the same percentage of respondents who said that "developments of the last few years" had made it less likely they would complete their careers in the Foreign Service.
Sen. Mary Landrieu Accused of Trading Earmarks for Campaign Contributions (by Jonathan Turley)
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) has been accused of trading a $2 million earmark in exchange for $30,000 in campaign contributions from Voyager Expanded Learning. Landrieu denies the allegations. However, at a minimum, the scandal should refocus attention on the utter failure of the Democrats to keep their pledge to clean up Congress. Regardless of the merits of these allegations, one obvious question should be why senators are forcing such contracts on the D.C. government or any governmental agency.
Court imposes strict deadline in lawsuit
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Tuesday imposed a six-year deadline for suing the federal government in property disputes.
Justices divided over lethal injections
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court appeared divided Monday over whether the drugs commonly injected to execute prisoners risk causing excruciating pain in violation of the Constitution.
GOP, Democratic races wide open
WASHINGTON - Presidential contenders turned their attention Wednesday to the grueling primaries ahead, with Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican John McCain seeking to capitalize on the themes that powered their comebacks in New Hampshire. "Nothing quite as invigorating as a win," McCain said.
Women aid Clinton, moderates help McCain
It was almost as if the candidates were running for president of two different countries. Exit polls showed that rather than reaffirming Iowa's results from five days earlier, New Hampshire voters had their own thoughts about the contenders and the issues.
Bush convenes Plunge Protection Team
Bears beware. The New Deal of 2008 is in the works. The US Treasury is about to shower households with rebate cheques to head off a full-blown slump, and save the Bush presidency. On Friday, Mr Bush convened the so-called Plunge Protection Team for its first known meeting in the Oval Office. The black arts unit - officially the President's Working Group on Financial Markets - was created after the 1987 crash. It appears to have powers to support the markets in a crisis with a host of instruments, mostly by through buying futures contracts on the stock indexes (DOW, S&P 500, NASDAQ and Russell) and key credit levers. And it has the means to fry "short" traders in the hottest of oils.
Or maybe their job is just running a PR campaign. See below.—Caro
In Professor’s Model, Diversity = Productivity
In the long-running debate on affirmative action, Scott E. Page, a professor at the University of Michigan, is a fresh voice. His recently published book, “The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools and Societies” (Princeton University Press), uses mathematical modeling and case studies to show how variety in staffing produces organizational strength. MediaPermanent link to MTA daily media news
It's time for... change!
The voters of New Hampshire have made their decision, and the big winner is: Change. Here's the final vote tally:
Change -- 43 percent
Hope -- 28 percent
Hope For Change -- 17 percent
Hair -- 9 percent
Experience -- 2 percent
Dennis Kucinich -- 1 percent
Report reveals Vietnam War hoaxes, faked attacks
The author of the report "demonstrates that not only is it not true, as (then US) secretary of defense Robert McNamara told Congress, that the evidence of an attack (on Americans in the Gulf of Tonkin) was 'unimpeachable,' but that to the contrary, a review of the classified signals intelligence proves that 'no attack happened that night".
The Gulf of Tonkin was the first big government lie of my personal experience. Next came Nixon’s “secret plan” to end the Vietnam War, which turned out to be a secret lie to keep the war going. Then came Iran/Contra, the HUD scandals, the savings and loan crisis, the Gulf War, ignoring warnings that 9/11 was going to happen, and the Iraq War. And those are only the biggest and most outrageous lies and betrayals. A friend recently called me cynical about politics, but I disagree with that. I’m skeptical, yes, I certainly am. With good reason. I’ve been lied to, time and time and time again.—Caro
Even Conservative Media Chorus Sings Obama's Praises (by Howard Kurtz, the Washington Post)
Barack Obama, now the media's odds-on favorite to win the White House, is drawing effusive praise from the chattering classes.
And if you’re an Obama fan, you’d best be wondering why that is. Andrew Sullivan was on the Colbert Report Monday night singing his praises. George Will loves him. It’s because Obama is basically a DLC Democrat who tries to make himself look progressive. You’d know that if you had followed his senatorial campaign as closely as I did, and as did Glen Ford of the Black Agenda Report. And if you knew more about the tactics and affiliations of Obama’s main strategist, David Axelrod, you’d have even more questions. Trust me when I tell you that the Republican oppo research teams are storing up this information, preparing to drop it on the nation if Obama is the Democratic nominee. As to those who talk about Hillary’s negative ratings, you should take a look at Obama’s negatives. I’m all for change, and I’m all for hope. But I’m for realism, as well. Let’s not lean on a weak reed. Again. And be disappointed. Again.—Caro
I … Love Rachel Maddow (by dday at Hullabaloo)
Rachel Maddow just relayed to Chris Matthews' face that many in the blogosphere (she cited Talking Points Memo specifically) are blaming HIM and his misogyny as the reason undecideds broke late for Clinton. Matthews laughed it off, but there was some real bitterness there. This is glorious. If the media can understand that their catty, elitist, high school Heathers-like mentality will ultimately backfire, maybe they'll shut their mouths for a second and rethink their job description.
But there’s always another point of view. See below.—Caro
TPM Reader AL pipes up ... (Talking Points Memo)
I'm a woman (Obama supporter) who has no particular issues with Hillary -- liked the Clinton administration, think she's competent, etc. I'd vote for her in the general. But the idea that people would vote for her simply because they're "outraged" over media coverage these last few days is incomprehensible to me… (I)f they are, and that's how they're making their voting decisions, then they're idiots. Voting to disprove a media narrative has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Truly.
Keith Spanks Matthews For His Delay Crush (by Nicole Belle at Crooks and Liars)
Keith Olbermann … couldn’t resist a little playful poke at the juxtaposition between Chris Matthews excoriation of the Clintons’ political machine and his arms-open-wide intro and fawning interview of Tom Delay, who for whatever reason was asked to give his opinions on the primary (Tuesday night).
Click through to watch the video.—Caro
Mythbuster: Bad Bet (by Daniel Gross, Slate Moneybox)
So, I've been watching the action in one of the political futures markets this evening, Intrade. And the action in this prediction market has reinforced my opinion that these are less futures markets than immediate-past markets… At 6 p.m., this market had written Hillary Clinton's entire presidential campaign off. At 9:30 p.m., it was calling a dead heat. What caused investors to change their minds so drastically in the space of a couple of hours? A few data points that went against the day's prevailing conventional wisdom and polls.
Call me skeptical on this, too: Bush Castigates Iran, Calling Naval Confrontation 'Provocative Act'
President Bush chastised Iran on Tuesday for committing a "provocative act" by confronting United States Navy warships in the Persian Gulf over the weekend. The Pentagon released video showing Iranian speedboats maneuvering around the American convoy.
Amazing timing, don’t you think? With Bush about to go to Israel and hear from the Israelis how to attack Iran?—Caro
Top White House aides to write Middle East blog
Senior White House aides are planning to record notes from President Bush’s trip to the Middle East in what White House spokeswoman Dana Perino called “just a little bit of a blog.”
Kristolnicht: The Decline of The New York Times (by Ernest Partridge at The Crisis Papers)
During my career I have refereed hundreds of submissions to scholarly journals. These journals insist that the referees set high standards, since only a very few submissions are accepted for publication. None of these journals allow what (editor Andrew) Rosenthal would have us believe is the NYT Op-Ed standard: “It is my job to give readers (as) broad a spectrum of views to read as we can manage.” No, Mr. Rosenthal, it is your job to give your readers intelligent, informed, cogent commentary, from columnists with a proven record of factual accuracy, foresight and integrity. William Kristol fails on all counts.
Click through to read the entire essay. Dr. Partridge documents the list of errors reported by the Times as fact in the last 20 years, and the major omissions to their reporting. So if their reporting is that bad, why should we expect their opining to be any better?—Caro
Medicare's Excess Drug Payments (by Dean Baker)
The Washington Post reported on the increase in nationwide drug spending in 2006 which was associated with the Medicare drug benefit… It compares the 6 percent discount from retail prices negotiated by insurers in the program with the 18 percent discount obtained by Medicaid. It would have been useful to include a comparison with the Veteran's Administration, which average close to 40 percent. The implied savings for Medicare and its beneficiaries from such discounts would be almost $40 billion a year.
$40 billion here, $40 billion there, pretty soon you’re talking real money.—Caro
Mythbuster: France best, U.S. worst in preventable death ranking
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - France, Japan and Australia rated best and the United States worst in new rankings focusing on preventable deaths due to treatable conditions in 19 leading industrialized nations, researchers said on Tuesday. Technology & ScienceMicrosoft Patches Flaw That Could Trigger Worm Attack
Microsoft fixes a critical flaw in the Windows operating system that could be used by criminals to create a self-copying PC worm attack.
Researchers Bend Light Through Waveguides In Colloidal Crystals
ScienceDaily (Jan. 9, 2008) — Researchers at the University of Illinois are the first to achieve optical waveguiding of near-infrared light through features embedded in self-assembled, three-dimensional photonic crystals. Applications for the optically active crystals include low-loss waveguides, low-threshold lasers and on-chip optical circuitry.
Green pig gives birth to glowing piglets
China hails results as sign that gene transfer technique is "mature."
Stem cell treatment could work in decade: scientist
TOKYO (AFP) - Stem cell technologies could be used to cure diseases and heal injuries within 10 years, a Japanese scientist who recently broke new ground in the field said Wednesday.
Lowering Co-Pays on Some Drugs Help Fight Chronic Diseases
Study found patients started using preventive medicines more often
Staying Active And Drinking Moderately Is The Key To A Long Life, Study Suggests
ScienceDaily (Jan. 9, 2008) — People who drink moderate amounts of alcohol and are physically active have a lower risk of death from heart disease and other causes than people who don't drink at all, according to new research. People who neither drink alcohol nor exercise have a 30-49 per cent higher risk of heart disease than those who either drink, exercise or both.
Oatmeal's Health Claims Reaffirmed, Study Suggests
ScienceDaily (Jan. 9, 2008) — A new scientific review of the most current research shows the link between eating oatmeal and cholesterol reduction to be stronger than when the FDA initially approved the health claim's appearance on food labels in 1997.
Strength Training Of Neck Muscles Relieves Chronic Pain
A new study on women with neck pain found that specific strength training exercises led to significant prolonged relief of neck muscle pain, while general fitness training resulted in only a small amount of pain reduction.
Smoking in Movies Linked to Kids Lighting Up
(HealthDay News) -- Young people who start smoking may be influenced to do so by movies they saw in early childhood, new research suggests. What's more, the study found that almost 80 percent of the exposure to smoking scenes in movies came through films rated "G," "PG" and "PG-13."
Ancient Roman road gets virtual life
A museum on Tuesday unveiled a virtual reconstruction of one of the bustling arteries that led into ancient Rome, allowing visitors to wander through rebuilt monuments.
Ancient Yucatán Soils Point to Maya Market, and Market Economy
New findings are some of the first strong evidence that the ancient Maya civilization had a market economy similar in some respects to societies today.
Baby Versions of Milky Way Spotted
Astronomers have spotted small galaxies near the beginning of time that resemble ancestors of our own galactic home. The tiny galaxies are about one-tenth to one-twentieth the size of the Milky Way and have 40 times fewer stars. Light from the ancient clusters was emitted about 2 billion years after the Big Bang, the theoretical beginning to the universe that occurred about 13.7 billion years ago. So the galaxies are seen as they existed in a very young universe. EnvironmentNo Offshore Drilling in Polar Bear Habitat (Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund)
Sign our petition to urge Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to delay the planned February 6th sale of oil and gas drilling rights in the Chukchi Sea until the impact on the area's polar bears can be adequately determined.
F.T.C. Asks if Carbon-Offset Money Is Well Spent
Corporations and shoppers in the United States spent more than $54 million in 2007 on carbon offset credits, but where exactly is that money going?
Study looks at transportation's effects on global warming
A new study released Monday reports that 15% of the manmade carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere comes from cars, trucks, airplanes, trains, and ships. This is the first study to specifically measure the impact of transportation on global greenhouse gas emissions.
Renewables supply 14 pct of German power: industry
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Renewable energy made up more than 14 percent of Germany's power consumption in 2007, up from almost 12 percent in 2006, with wind as the main contributor, the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) said on Tuesday. Energy derived from wind, solar, water, biomass and thermal heat accounted for 9 percent of Germany's total primary energy consumption last year, reducing the country's CO2 emissions by 115 million tones, the association said.
Study: Prairie Grass Can Produce Ethanol
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - New research shows that prairie grasses grown using only moderate amounts of fertilizer on marginal land can produce significant amounts of ethanol. The five-year study of switch grass (was) done by the University of Nebraska.
UK builds recyclable hotel
LONDON (Reuters) - A British hotel chain is building what is says is the first recyclable hotel constructed from pre-built, container-like crates imported from China, stacked on each other and bolted together. Budget hotel operator Travelodge said on Tuesday the steel modules could be dismantled if necessary at the end of the 120-room hotel's life and moved elsewhere -- and that the model could ultimately be used to build temporary hotels for sporting events or festivals.
Insurers paying to rebuild greener homes
Two major insurers are launching "green" insurance programs that will let homeowners reconstruct their property with more environmentally friendly building materials, appliances and landscaping, even if it costs more than the replacement value stated in the policy.
Defending Against Two Cotton Pest, Naturally
Entomologist Patricia Glynn Tillman … and entomologist Ted Cottrell … are exploring use of trap crops in combination with pheromone traps to control two troublesome … stink bugs… Trap crops are small plots specially planted to attract various pests away from cash crops or to concentrate the pests in a small area for more efficient disposal.
The more natural the pest control, the better.—Caro For more headlines, visit MakeThemAccountable.com.
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