20081211
Auto
- 
Makers
- 
Emergency
- 
Money
- 
Politics
- 
Workers
- 
Environmental
- 
Laws
- 
Fuel
- 
Technology
- 
Emissions
- 
Government
- 
Michigan
- 
California
"Murky
future for auto rescue amid GOP opposition." ...
"A House-passed bill to speed $14 billion in loans to Detroit's [Michigan]
automakers stands on shaky ground in a bailout-weary Congress, undermined
by Republican opposition that could derail the emergency aid in the Senate."
... "Republicans are challenging lame-duck [Republican] President George
W. Bush on the proposal, arguing that any support for the domestic auto
industry should carry significant concessions from autoworkers and creditors
and reject tougher environmental rules imposed by House Democrats." ...
"The automakers initially asked Congress for $25 billion, then returned
two weeks later to plead for as much as $34 billion. But with the {Republican
President Bush] White House refusing to dole out new spending for the Big
Three [Automakers], congressional Democrats agreed to use an existing program
that was to help carmakers retool their factories to make more fuel-efficient
cars." ... "That fund yielded only $15 billion in emergency loans, and
when negotiators agreed to leave some money in the environmental program,
the amount fell to $14 billion." ... "Democrats agreed to scrap language
— which the White House had declared a deal-breaker — that would have forced
the carmakers to drop lawsuits challenging tough emissions limits in California
and other states. But they kept a provision to force the automakers to
abide by those states' limits — a kind of consolation prize for environmentalists,
who already were livid at the raid of the fuel-efficiency program." -By
Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Ken Thomas -AP
via -Yahoo
People
- Economic
- 
History
"Jobless
claims at 26-year high: Number of people filing for
initial unemployment insurance surges to 573,000 in latest week." ... "The
number of Americans filing new unemployment insurance claims jumped last
week to a 26-year high, surpassing the number of filings economists had
predicted." ... "The Labor Department reported Thursday that initial filings
for state jobless benefits surged to 573,000 for the week ended Dec. 6.
That was an increase of 58,000 from a revised 515,000 claims in the previous
week." ... "It was the highest number of jobless claims since Nov. 27,
1982 when initial filings hit 612,000." ... "The number of people continuing
to collect unemployment rose to 4,429,000 in the week ended Nov. 29, the
most recent week available, which was also a 26-year high." ... "The last
time continuing claims was at such an elevated level was Dec. 4, 1982,
when continuing claims hit 4,509,000." ... "So far this year, the economy
has lost 1.9 million jobs." -CNN
Torture
-Prisons
- War
Crimes - Secret
- 
Military
- Government
- 
Intelligence
- Law
- 
Investigation
- Human
Rights - Politics
- History
- 
McCain
- 
Ariz
- Mich
- 
US
- Guantanamo
- 
Cuba
- 
Iraq
- 
Afghanistan
- 
China
- 
Korea
"Bipartisan
Report: Rumsfeld Responsible for Detainee Abuse:
Senate Committee Finds Officials Made Decisions That Led to Offenses Against
Prisoners." ... "A bipartisan panel of senators has concluded that [Republican
President Bush's] former defense secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and other
top Bush administration officials bear direct responsibility for the harsh
treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay [Cuba], and that their decisions
led to more serious abuses in Iraq and elsewhere." ... "In the most comprehensive
critique by Congress of the military's interrogation practices, the Senate
Armed Services Committee issued a report yesterday that accuses Rumsfeld
and his deputies of being the authors and chief promoters of harsh interrogation
policies that disgraced the nation and undermined U.S. security. The report,
released by Sens. [ Senators] Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.[ Democratic-Michigan])
and John McCain (R-Ariz.[ Republican Arizona]), contends that Pentagon
officials later tried to create a false impression that the policies were
unrelated to acts of detainee abuse committed by members of the military."
... ""The abuse of detainees in U.S. [United States] custody cannot simply
be attributed to the actions of 'a few bad apples' acting on their own,"
the report states. "The fact is that senior officials in the United States
government solicited information on how to use aggressive techniques, redefined
the law to create the appearance of their legality, and authorized their
use against detainees."" ... "The report is the most direct refutation
to date of the administration's rationale for using aggressive interrogation
tactics -- that inflicting humiliation and pain on detainees was legal
and effective, and helped protect the country. The 25-member panel, without
one dissent among the 12 Republican members, declared the opposite to be
true." ... "The [Republican President Bush's] administration's policies
and the resulting controversies, the panel concluded, "damaged our ability
to collect accurate intelligence that could save lives, strengthened the
hand of our enemies, and compromised our moral authority."" ... "A Defense
Department spokesman noted that the Pentagon cooperated extensively with
the Senate investigation and has taken numerous steps in recent years to
ensure the humane treatment of detainees." ... "The panel's investigation
focused on the Defense Department's employment of controversial interrogation
practices, including forced nudity, painful stress positions, sleep deprivation,
extreme temperatures and the use of dogs. The practices, some of which
had already been adopted by the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] at its
secret prisons, were adapted for interrogations at the detention center
at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and later migrated to U.S. detention camps in
Afghanistan and Iraq, including the infamous Abu Ghraib prison." ... "The
true genesis of the decision to use coercive techniques, the report said,
was a memo signed by [Republican] President Bush on [February] Feb. 7,
2002, declaring that the Geneva Convention's standards for humane treatment
did not apply to captured al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. As early as that
spring, the panel said, top administration officials, including National
Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, participated in meetings in which the
use of coercive measures was discussed. The panel drew on a written statement
by Rice, released earlier this year, to support that conclusion." ... "In
July 2002, Rumseld's senior staff began compiling information about techniques
used in military survival schools to simulate conditions that U.S. airmen
might face if captured by an enemy that did not follow the Geneva conditions.
Those techniques -- borrowed from a training program known as Survival,
Evasion, Resistance and Escape, or SERE -- included waterboarding, or simulated
drowning, and were loosely based on methods adopted by Chinese communists
to coerce propaganda confessions from captured U.S. soldiers during the
Korean war." ... "The SERE program became the template for interrogation
methods that were ultimately approved by Rumsfeld himself, the report says."
-By Joby Warrick and Karen DeYoung -WashingtonPost
[PDF]
"Senate
Armed Services Committee Inquiry Into The Treatment of Detainees In U.S.
Custody." ... “What sets us apart from our enemies
in this fight… is how we behave. In everything we do, we must observe the
standards and values that dictate that we treat noncombatants and detainees
with dignity and respect. While we are warriors, we are also all human
beings” -- General David Petraeus via -WashingtonPost
Animals
- Federal
- Law
- Enforcement
- Science
- Politics
- History
- 
Global
- 
Climate
- 
Ice
- Oil
- Emissions
- 
Construction
- Money
"Environmentalists:
New rule guts Endangered Species Act." ... "In a
move environmental groups says strikes at the heart of the Endangered Species
Act, the [Republican President] Bush administration on Thursday announced
a new rule that would let federal agencies decide on their own whether
their projects harm endangered species, instead of requiring them in many
cases to get a second opinion from federal wildlife experts." ... "Opponents
said the move destroys the checks and balances that have helped the gove
rnment save hundreds of species from extinction under the 1973 law." ...
"[Republican President Bush's] Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said
the reason for the rule change was linked to global warming." ... "Kempthorne
listed the polar bear as a threatened species in May but said that the
Endangered Species Act could not be used to try to halt global warming.
The new regulation specifies that there is no need for consultations when
the harm to endangered or threatened species is a result from a global
process that's too broad to measure." ... "Kempthorne said it's impossible
to pinpoint the death of any single animal from emissions from any single
polluter. In fact, emissions of heat-trapping gases disperse evenly in
the atmosphere around the globe and remain there for centuries. The resulting
warming and melting of polar ice have put the polar bear at risk of extinction
by mid-century, scientists have said." ... "The rule changes also go further
and specify that federal agencies are not required to consult with the
biologists of the two agencies that enforce the act — the Fish and Wildlife
Service and the National Marine Fisheries Services — if they think a project
such as a timber sale or construction of a power plant won't harm or kill
a threatened or endangered species. The changes do not rule out voluntary
consultations." ... "The Interior Department on Thursday also finalized
a rule implementing another section of the Endangered Species Act to clarify
that it will not protect polar bears from oil and gas development or greenhouse
gas emissions." -By
Renee
Schoof -McClatchyDC.com
Auto
- Manufacturing
- Politics
- Jobs
- Economic
- History
- 
Christmas
- Consumer
- US
- China
"Senate
Republicans Determined to Cause a Depression by Destroying Big 3."
... "Looks like the Senate Republicans are serious about killing the auto
deal. Here's the bottom line, if GM [General Motors] goes down, it
will take Ford and Chrysler with it, because the three of them share suppliers.
Losing GM's business will put most of them into the red. 80%
of American consumers will not buy a car from a company in bankruptcy,
so the idea that going bankrupt is the solution to the auto companies woes
is nonsense." ... "What comes out of any bankruptcy, even if they have
the names GM, Ford and Chrysler, will be a shadow of what went into bankruptcy—assuming
anything comes out at all. More likely would be that big chunks would
be gobbled up by foreign car companies, especially by the Chinese, who
want expertise, but not to make cars in the US [United States]." ... "We
can expect, then, to lose most o f the three million jobs related to the
auto industry if the Big 2 1/2 go under. To put this in perspective,
in the last year the US has lost 2.7 million jobs. This would be
more than the job losses for an entire (lousy) year. The
US lost half a million jobs last month, and almost every economic forecaster
expects the US to lose even more jobs in January, when retailers go fish-belly
up due to an abysmal Christmas retail season." ... "Economic contractions
of this sort are self-reinforcing. The more people who lose their
jobs, the less consumer spending there is. The less consumer spending
there is, the less money businesses make. The less money businesses
make, the more they have to lay off people. The more people who lose
their jobs, the less consumer spending there is. The less... but
why go on, you get the point." ... "The cascading financial and economic
effect will make the oncoming economic storm far, far worse. If 700
billion was ok to use to save Wall Street, whose business model was probably
even worse than Detroit's (add up their losses and most of Wall Street
didn't actually make any money for the last ten years), then 15 or 25 billion
to save Detroit is peanuts." ... "Or we can make sure this turns into a
Depression. Guess the Republicans playing Scrooge this Christmas
prefer that." -By Ian
Welsh -FireDogLake.com
David
Vitter - 
Mitch
McConnell - 
Bob
Corker - Foreign
- Money
- Politicians
- Auto
- Manufacturing
- Work
- 
Louisiana
- 
Kentucky
- 
Tennessee
- 
Pennsylvania
- US
- 
Japan
- 
Germany
"My
Foreign Investor, Right Or Wrong." ... "A bunch of
Southern-state Republicans (including, amazingly, ... [Louisiana Republican
Senator] David
Vitter), from right-to-work states, want to push GM [General Motors]
and Chrysler into bankruptcy to bolster the foreign auto presence in their
home states. Kentucky has a Ford factory but they also have a [Japanese]
Toyota plant in Georgetown [Kentucky], so [Kentucky Republican Senator
Mitch] McConnell's on board." ... "Last week, Jane Hamsher explained
the conflict of interest for [Tennessee Republican Senator] Bob Corker
in Tennessee:"
"He
hasn't mentioned the subsidies his own state of Tennessee has given to
,
making it harder for the Big 2 1/2 to compete:"
"Tennessee
offered its richest incentive package — and perhaps the most government
assistance and tax breaks ever for an American automobile plant — to lure
[German auto manufacturer] Volkswagen to Chattanooga [Tennessee]."
"But
the state’s chief business recruiter said Wednesday that the benefits from
VW’s $1 billion assembly plant far will exceed what could top $500 million
in government assistance and tax breaks for the project."
"“The
Volkswagen investment in this community is going to have a tremendous economic
gain for the entire region,” said Matt Kisber, Tennessee’s commissioner
for economic and community development. “I’m confident we’re going to have
a very reasonable incentive package when you look at the initial costs
of what is being offered compared with a much bigger long-term return.”"
"Yes,
that's the logic -- these incentives will bring more money to the region
than they cost. But it doesn't always work out that way. As David Cay Johnston
noted
in Free Lunch, these kinds of subsidies frequently wind up costing
communities much more than they ever make back:"
"Johnson
writes: "The tribute Cabela's demanded from Hamburg [Pennsylvania] amounted
to roughly $8,000 for each man, woman, and child in town." Johnson points
out that between 2004 and 2006, Cabela's earned $223.4 million. During
those years, it collected at least $293.7 million in subsidies, more than
its reported profits. Meanwhile a family business selling fishing and hunting
gear was driven out of business in Hamburg."
"Funny
nobody is mentioning this."
The
GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] does a lot of chest-thumping about
"Country First" and patriotism. It's fun to watch them destroy American
manufacturing so they can keep Japanese and German corporate executives
happy. OK, maybe not so fun." -By D-Day
via Hullabaloo
John
Boehner
- 
Don
Young - 
Doc
Hastings - 
Jack
Abramoff - 
Tom
DeLay - 
Jerry
Lewis - 
Ken
Calvert - 
John
Doolittle - 
Ohio
- 
AK
- 
WA
- 
Texas
- CA
- 
Florida
- Money
- Politics
- US
Attorney - Law
- Federal
- Investigation
"House
GOP [Republicans] Gives Scandal-Ridden Don Young’s Committee Seat To Scandal-Ridden
Doc Hastings." ... " ... [Ohio Republican Representative
and House Minority Leader John Boehner told Alaska Republican Representative]
Rep. Don Young (R-AK [Republican-Alaska]) that he could no longer support
him as ranking Republican on the Natural Resources Committee, leading to
Young’s resignation from the post." ... "The AP reports
that a panel of top House leaders picked [Washington state Republican Representative]
Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA [Republican-Washington]) today to lead the committee.
“The recommendation by the GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] Steering
Committee is final under a rule change adopted Wednesday.”" ... "Recall,
Jack Abramoff once boasted of having an “excellent
relationship” with Hastings, who received $14,000
[*]
from Abramoff’s firm, Preston Gates — including $1,000 from Abramoff himself.
After taking control of the Ethics Committee, Hastings reportedly fired
two staff lawyers involved in unanimous decisions to admonish
[Texas Republican] Tom DeLay for improper fundraising. Hastings also
contacted fired [United States] U.S. Attorney John McKay and attempted
to pressure
him in an ongoing investigation." ... "As ThinkProgress has documented,
Boehner has a history of playing musical chairs with committee assignments
for corrupt members:"
"[California
Republican Representative] Rep. Jerry Lewis: Boehner ruled that
Rep. Jerry Lewis of California could continue as the ranking member on
the Appropriations Committee while under federal
investigation on ethics charges."
"[California
Republican Representative] Rep. Ken Calvert: The GOP Steering Committee
appointed Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA[ Republican-California]) to [California
Republican Representative] Rep. Jon Doolittle’s (R-CA[ Republican-California])
Appropriations seat, after Doolittle was the subject of an FBI [Federal
Bureau of Investigation] investigation for his ties to Abramoff. Calvert
has profited
from legislation he supported and was caught
in the act with a prostitute."
"[Florida
Republican Representative] Rep. Tom Feeney: Feeney, who was questioned
by the FBI over his relationship with Abramoff took over as GOP [Republican]
leader on the space subcommittee for Calvert."
"Despite
Boehner’s ethics pledge
after ethics pledge,
the culture of corruption still rules at the end of the day." -By
Satyam
Khanna -ThinkProgress.org
20081210
Homeless
- 
Families
- Poverty
- Crisis
- Politics
- Law
- Police
- Florida
"Homeless
turn foreclosures into shelters." ... "For Max Rameau,
a vacant, boarded-up home is more than just a symbol of the national housing
crisis. It's an opportunity to house the homeless." ... "Rameau, a homeless
advocate, runs a controversial program in Miami [Florida] that helps families
squat in homes vacated because of bank foreclosures. Using Internet listings
and a team of volunteers, Rameau and his Take Back the Land foundation
matches homeless families with empty homes." ... "Rameau, 39, says his
efforts are creative solutions for two of America's biggest problems: rising
numbers of vacant homes and a growing homeless population. He has moved
in six families since January. The authorities so far haven't stopped him."
... ""It's morally indefensible to have vacant homes sitting there, potentially
for years, while you have human beings on the street," Rameau says." ...
"Kelly Penton, a city of Miami spokeswoman, says police don't have the
manpower to scour neighborhoods looking for squatters. Police only act
on a complaint by a property owner, which so far hasn't happened, she says."
... ""People need to obey the law, obviously," Penton says. "But it has
to be something that's reported to the city."" ... "With 44% of the nation's
744,000 homeless unsheltered, it's not surprising that people want to take
over homes, says Michael Stoops, executive director of the National Coalition
for the Homeless." -By Rick Jervis
-USATODAY
Barack
Obama - 
Michael
Mukasey - Secret
-Intelligence
- Politics
- 
Spying
- Torture
- Prisons
"Obama
Transition Team Pushing for Secret Legal Memos."
... "A senior Justice Department official said Tuesday that "99.8 percent"
of the department's work with [Democratic] President-elect Barack Obama's
transition team has gone smoothly. The 0.2 percent snag: The department
has reservations about granting the team's request to review classified
legal opinions related to secret CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] and
National Security Agency programs." ... "In a roundtable discussion with
reporters last week, [Republican President Bush's] Attorney General Michael
Mukasey declined to discuss specific requests made by transition staff
regarding opinions issued by the Office of Legal Counsel, the arm of the
Justice Department that provides legal advice to the president and all
other executive branch agencies." ... "The Justice official said the dispute
over access to the NSA [National Security Agency] and CIA opinions has
made its way up to Williams & Connolly's Gregory Craig, who earlier
this month was named to be Obama's White House counsel. Craig was expected
to meet with current [Republican President Bush's] White House counsel
Fred Fielding to discuss the issue, the official said." ... "The opinions,
some of which have been released to Congress in redacted form, contain
the legal rationale of the NSA's warrantless spying program and the CIA's
detention and interrogation policies, among other intelligence initiatives."
-By Joe Palazzolo -LegalTimes.com
via -Law.com
Illinois
- Law
- Enforcement
-
Nevada
"All
50 Dem Senators Call On Blagojevich To Step Down."
... "Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean issued a statement
calling for Blagojevich's resignation:"
"The
arrest of and complaint against [Illinois Democratic Governor] Gov. Blagojevich
raises serious concerns about his ability to effectively represent the
people of Illinois. The conduct alleged represents a disgraceful abuse
of the public trust. In the interest of the people of Illinois and all
Americans, he should resign immediately. If he does not, I hope the Illinois
legislature will take action."
"All
fifty members of the Democratic Senate caucus have signed [Nevada Democratic
Senator and] Majority Leader Harry Reid's letter calling on Gov. Rod Blagojevich
to step down from his post and refrain from appointing anyone to the vacated
Illinois Senate seat, a source confirms." ... "It is also the first public
indication that the Senate will take constitutional provisions to untangle
any political appointment made by the embattled governor -- a legal maneuver
that various scholars have said is well within the body's rights." ...
"Here is the complete letter."
"Dear
Governor Blagojevich:"
"We
write to insist that you step down as Governor of Illinois and under no
circumstance make an appointment to fill the vacant Illinois Senate seat.
In light of your arrest yesterday on alleged federal corruption charges
related to that Senate seat, any appointment by you would raise serious
questions."
"It
is within the authority of the Illinois legislature to remove your power
to make this appointment by providing for a special election. But a decision
by you to resign or to step aside under Article V of the Illinois Constitution
would be the most expeditious way for a new Senator to be chosen and seated
in a manner that would earn the confidence of the people of Illinois and
all Americans. We consider it imperative that a new senator be seated as
soon as possible so that Illinois is fully represented in the Senate as
the important work of the 111th Congress moves forward."
"Please
understand that should you decide to ignore the request of the Senate Democratic
Caucus and make an appointment we would be forced to exercise our Constitutional
authority under Article I, Section 5, to determine whether such a person
should be seated."
"We
do not prejudge the outcome of the criminal charges against you or question
your constitutional right to contest those charges. But for the good of
the Senate and our nation, we implore you refrain from making an appointment
to the Senate."
"
-By
Sam
Stein -HuffingtonPost.com
US
- Government
- Debt
- Money
- 
Safety
- Politics
- History
- Global
"Investors
buy U.S. debt at zero yield." ... "In the market
equivalent of shoveling cash under the mattress, hordes of buyers were
so eager on Tuesday to park money in the world's safest investment, United
States government debt, that they agreed to accept a zero percent rate
of return." ... "The news sent a sobering signal: in these troubled economic
times, when people have lost vast amounts on stocks, bonds and real estate,
making an investment that offers security but no gain is tantamount to
coming out ahead. This extremely cautious approach reflects concerns that
a global recession could deepen next year, and continue to jeopardize all
types of investments." ... "While this will lower the cost of borrowing
for the United States government, economists worry that a widespread hunkering-down
could have broader implications that could slow an economic recovery. If
investors remain reluctant to put money into stocks and corporate bonds,
that could choke off funds that businesses need to keep financing their
day-to-day operations." ... "Investors accepted the zero percent rate in
the government's auction Tuesday of $30 billion worth of short-term securities
that mature in four weeks. Demand was so great even for no return that
the government could have sold four times as much." ... "In addition, for
a brief moment, investors were willing to take a small loss for holding
another ultra-safe security, the already-issued three-month Treasury bill."
... "In these times, it seems, the abnormal has now become acceptable.
As America's debt and deficit spiral from a parade of billion dollar bailouts
and stimulus packages, fund managers, foreign governments and big retail
investors reckon they will get more peace of mind by stashing their cash,
rather than putting it toward any of the higher-yielding risk that is entailed
in stocks, corporate bonds and consumer debt." ... "The rapid decline in
Treasury yields — which since summer have headed toward lows not seen since
the end of the World War II — also renders the Federal Reserve less effective,
as investors and banks stuff the money that the central bank is pumping
into the financial system into Treasuries, rather than fanning it out across
the broader economy." ... ""The last time this happened was the Great Depression,
when people are willing to accept no return on their money, or possibly
even a negative return," said Edward Yardeni, an independent analyst. "If
people are so busy during the day just protecting the cash they have, it's
not a good sign."" (1,
2)
-By Vikas
Bajaj and Michael M. Grynbaum -IHT.com
China
- Free
Speech - Human
Rights - Law
- Politics
- 
United
Nations - History
"China
arrests a signer of a freedom charter: Literary critic
Liu Xiaobo had joined more than 300 in endorsing the 'Charter 08' document."
... "China has arrested at least one prominent dissident and has questioned
and possibly detained others who were among more than 300 signatories to
a declaration demanding more freedoms." ... "Liu Xiaobo, a prolific literary
critic who spent 20 months in prison for joining students in the 1989 Tiananmen
Square protests, was arrested Monday night at his home in Beijing [China's
capital]. Human rights organizations said the 53-year-old Liu was being
detained on suspicion of "inciting subversion of state power," a charge
often used against government critics." ... "The arrest came in the run-up
to today's 60th anniversary of the United Nations' adoption of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, a landmark document credited with inspiring
the modern human rights movement." ... "The Chinese activists are using
the anniversary as a peg to release what they are calling "Charter 08,"
a petition with recommendations for constitutional reforms that would make
the ruling Communist Party more accountable." -By
Barbara Demick -LAtimes
Animals
- Seas
-Global
- Climate
- Science
- Emissions
- Economy
-
- 
Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment
"Fifth
of world's coral reefs dead, say marine scientists:
Climate change linked to warmer and more acidic seas pose biggest threat
to coral survival, says report." ... "A fifth of the world's coral reefs
have died or been destroyed and the remainder are increasingly vulnerable
to the effects of climate change, a new study says." ... "The Global Coral
Reef Monitoring Network says many surviving reefs could be lost over the
coming decades as CO2 emissions continue to increase." ... "Corals are
crucial to the livelihoods of millions of coastal dwellers around the world.
The UN's Millennium Ecosystem Assessment says reefs are worth about $30bn
annually to the global economy through tourism, fisheries and coastal protection."
-By David
Adam-Guardian.co.uk
Global
Coral Reef Monitoring Network - www.GCRMN.org
US_Debt
- Politics
- Corporation
- Law
- History
"Fed
Weighs Debt Sales of Its Own: Move Presents Challenges:
'Very Close Cousins to Existing Treasury Bills'." ... "The Federal Reserve
is considering issuing its own debt for the first time, a move that would
give the central bank additional flexibility as it tries to stabilize rocky
financial markets." ... "Government debt issuance is largely the province
of the Treasury Department, and the Fed already can print as much money
as it wants. But as the credit crisis drags on and the economy suffers
from recession, Fed officials are looking broadly for new financial tools."
... "Fed officials have approached Congress about the concept, which could
include issuing bills or some other form of debt, according to people familiar
with the matter." ... "It isn't known whether these preliminary discussions
will result in a formal proposal or Fed action. One hurdle: The Federal
Reserve Act doesn't explicitly permit the Fed to issue notes beyond currency."
... "At the core of the deliberations is the Fed's balance sheet, which
has grown from less than $900 billion to more than $2 trillion since August
as it backstops new markets like commercial paper, money-market funds,
mortgage-backed securities and ailing companies such as American International
Group Inc." ... "... [T]he Fed has funded programs by flooding the financial
system with money it created itself -- known in central-banking circles
as bank reserves -- and has used the money to make loans and purchase assets."
-By Jon Hilsenrath and Damian Paletta
-WSJ.com
Poverty
- Emergency
- People
- 
Health
- 
Wisconsin
"From
canned goods to fresh, food banks adapt." ... "Vanessa
Rosales comes to the St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry here [in Madison, Wisconsin's
capital] rather than others for one reason: She can choose what food she
brings home, rather than being handed a bag filled with random groceries."
... "The pantry, which looks like a small grocery store, is indicative
of broad changes going on at the nation's food banks and food pantries."
... "No longer simply the domain of canned corn and peanut butter, food
banks are preparing ready-to-eat meals, opening their own farms and partnering
with institutions as varied as local supermarkets and state prisons to
help gather and process food. They are also handling much more fresh produce,
which requires overhauling the way they store and distribute food." ...
"Pantries, which distribute the food donated to food banks, are also acting
as social service clearinghouses. Many are handing out information about
screenings for breast and cervical cancer and sending volunteers out to
sign up people for food stamps." ... "And as demand continues to rise,
food banks are trying to feed more people with less food." ... ""I keep
hearing that demand is up and up and up," said Ross Fraser, a spokesman
for Feeding America, which provides more than two billion pounds of food
annually to food banks around the country. "I heard one person saying they're
feeding schoolteachers. The needle is moving higher up the socioeconomic
class, and people making more money are needing emergency food assistance.""
(1, 2)
-By Katie
Zezima -IHT.com
Barack
Obama - Illinois
- Money
- Legislation
- 
Media
- Politics
"Obama's
support of ethics reform is good news for the GOP [GOP=Republican Party]...."
... "Seriously, I'm trying to get my arms around this
new story on the Blagojevich scandal that the New York Times [by Mike McIntire
and Jeff Zeleny] has put out there. The lede of the article is tantalizing:"
"In
a sequence of events that neatly captures the contradictions of [Democratic
President Elect] Barack Obama’s rise through Illinois politics, a phone
call he made three months ago to urge passage of a state ethics bill indirectly
contributed to the downfall of a fellow Democrat he twice supported, [Illinois
Democratic Governor] Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich."
"Mr.
Obama placed the call to his political mentor, Emil Jones Jr., president
of the Illinois Senate. Mr. Jones was a critic of the legislation, which
sought to curb the influence of money in politics, as was Mr. Blagojevich,
who had vetoed it. But after the call from Mr. Obama, the Senate overrode
the veto, prompting the governor to press state contractors for campaign
contributions before the law’s restrictions could take effect on Jan. 1,
prosecutors say."
"OK,
so what I'm getting from that is that Barack Obama supports ethics in government,
that he doesn't think state contractors should be making large campaign
contributions. Hey, that's a good thing, right?" ... "Right?" ... "Uh,
according to the New York Times, not necessarily:"
"Beyond
the irony of its outcome, Mr. Obama’s unusual decision to inject himself
into a statewide issue during the height of his presidential campaign was
a reminder that despite his historic ascendancy to the White House, he
has never quite escaped the murky and insular world of Illinois politics.
It is a world he has long navigated, to the consternation of his critics,
by engaging in a kind of realpolitik, Chicago-style, which allowed him
to draw strength from his relationships with important players without
becoming compromised by their many weaknesses."
""Beyond
the irony of its outcome..."? Huh? How about...beyond the irony of the
fact that an Obama phone call for an ethics reform bill -- strongly opposed
by none other than Rod Blagojevich -- is an excuse to somehow tie him to
the "murky" world of Chicago politics. Look (as Obama himself might say),
there's some interesting new information in this Times article, but their
basic perspective is all upside-down wrong." ... "Did it occur to them
that maybe Obama was elected 44th president of the United States exactly
because he HAS escaped "the murky and insular world of Illinois politics"?
When people ask why would someone like Obama involve himself in Chicago
politics, the bottom line is Chicago is where he lived -- he moved there
to organize laid-off steelworkers, got a job there and then even married
a Windy City native." -Philly.com
-By
Will Bunch
Terrorism
- Criminal
- Political
- History
- Corporate
- Religion
- Prison
- 
Pat
Robertson - Abortion
- Gay
- Rights
- Law
- California
- Texas
- US
- Iraq
- Military
"Bush
Awards Presidential Citizen Medal To Watergate Crook Chuck Colson."
... "Established in 1969, the Presidential Citizens Medal is the second
highest honor for a civilian, recognizing Americans “who have performed
exemplary
deeds of service for the nation.”" ... "Today, [Republican] President
Bush honored 24 recipients of this year’s award, including actor Gary Sinise
and Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp. Also included in that mix was
Chuck Colson, “the first member of the [Republican President] Nixon administration
to serve
prison time for Watergate-related offenses.” Colson was President Nixon’s
counsel from 1969-1973 and pleaded guilty in 1974 to obstruction of justice.
Colson received a one to three year sentence, but served just seven months.
David Plotz at Slate described Colson’s role in the Nixon administration:"
"As
special counsel to the president, he [Chuck Colson] was [Republican President]
Richard Nixon’s hard man, the “evil genius” of an evil administration.
According to Watergate historian Stanley Kutler, Colson sought to hire
Teamsters thugs to beat up anti-war demonstrators, and he plotted to raid
or firebomb the Brookings Institution. He eventually pleaded guilty to
scheming to defame Daniel Ellsberg and interfering with his trial."
"Since
that time, Colson has become an evangelical prison reformer, running the
nonprofit Prison Fellowship, which advocates for “privately run prisons
and the delivery of all social services by faith-based groups.” However,
according to author Allan Lichtman in “White Protestant Nation,” Colson
has also remained involved in conservative politics:"
"Colson
brought together politically conservative Catholics and Protestands for
a statement of common beliefs, advised conservative politicians including
Texas [Republican] governor George W. Bush, and worked with Christian right
leaders Pat Robertson and James Dobson on the development of political
strategy. He disseminated conservative messages on sex roles, abortion,
homosexuality, pornography, gay rights, and separation of church and state
in his radio broadcasts and columns, reaching millions of Americans."
"On
October 3, 2002, Colson was also one of the co-signers of a letter
from prominent evangelical leaders supporting an invasion of Iraq. More
recently he has spoken out in favor of California’s Prop. 8, accusing the
LGBT community of “anti-religious bigotry.”" -By Amanda
Terkel -ThinkProgress.org
20081209
Military
- Inpector
- Safer
- Vehicles
- Technology
- Politics
- MRAPS
- US
- Iraq
"Pentagon
ignored danger of roadside bombs, report finds."
... "The military ignored steps before the invasion of Iraq that could
have prevented the staggering number of casualties from roadside bombs,
the Pentagon's acting inspector general charged Tuesday." ... "The IG's
[Inspector General's] report says that the military knew years before the
war that mines and homemade bombs, which the military calls "improvised
explosive devices," would be a "threat . . . in low-intensity conflicts"
and that "mine-resistant vehicles" were available." ... ""Yet the military
did not develop requirements for, fund or acquire" safer vehicles, the
report says. The military invaded Iraq in 2003 "without having taken available
steps to acquire technology to mitigate the known mine and IED [Improvised
Explosive Device] risk to soldiers and Marines."" ... "Even after the war
was under way, as the devices began taking a deadly toll and field commanders
pressed for vehicles that were better protected from roadside bombs, the
Pentagon was slow to act, the report says." ... "The IG's office is headed
by Acting Inspector General Gordon Heddell." ... "Explosive devices, including
roadside bombs and mines, have caused nearly 25,000 deaths and injuries,
according to the Pentagon, the top cause of death for U.S. [United States]
service members in Iraq." ... "The IG report says that the military "stopped
processing" a 2005 request for 1,169 MRAPS [Mine Resistant Ambush Protected
vehicles] from commanders in the field. " -By David
Goldstein -McClatchyDC.com
US
- Government
- Debt
- Money
- Safety
- History
"Treasury
Bills Trade at Negative Rates as Haven Demand Surges."
... "Treasuries rose, pushing rates on the three-month bill negative for
the first time, as investors gravitate toward the safety of U.S. government
debt amid the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression." ... "The
Treasury sold $27 billion of three-month bills yesterday at a discount
rate of 0.005 percent, the lowest since it starting auctioning the securities
in 1929. The U.S. also sold $30 billion of four-week bills today at zero
percent for the first time since it began selling the debt in 2001." ...
"If you invested $1 million in three-month bills at today’s negative discount
rate of 0.01 percent, for a price of 100.002556, at maturity you would
receive the par value for a loss of $25.56." ... "The world’s biggest financial
companies incurred almost $1 trillion in writedowns and credit losses since
the start of last year, helping push the major economies into recession."
-By Daniel Kruger and Cordell Eddings
-Bloomberg
Kevin
Martin -Corporate
- Government
- Politics
- 
Telecommunications
- 
Accounting
- Investigation
- Consumers
- 
Video
- Media
"Congressional
report: FCC chair abused power." ... "[Republican
President Bush's] Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin
ignored his responsibilities as head of the regulatory body and abused
his power, according to a congressional report released Tuesday." ... "Over
the course of his tenure, Martin manipulated and withheld information from
the other FCC [Federal Communications Commission] commissioners and from
Congress, neglected his statutory responsibilities to produce certain information
to Congress, and ignored evidence that certain national communications
programs were being grossly mismanaged, according to the report issued
by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, titled "Deception
and Distrust: The Federal Communications Commission Under Chairman Kevin
J. Martin." (PDF)" ... "The committee launched a bipartisan investigation
in January after hearing allegations of mismanagement from current and
former FCC employees, telecommunications industry representatives, and
other FCC commissioners." ... "Typically, a congressional committee would
hold hearings to investigate such matters, but the report was issued in
lieu of hearings because, the report says, "due to the climate of fear
that pervades the FCC...we found that key witnesses were unwilling to testify
or even to have their names become known."" ... "The chairman's office,
the report says, ignored evidence consumers were overcharged and providers
were overcompensated by as much as $100 million a year. The neglect of
that information led to a windfall of millions of dollars for the largest
TRS [Telecommunications Relay Service] provider, Sorenson, which covers
about 80 percent of the video relay services market." ... "The report also
recommends the Government Accountability Office audit the entire TRS program,
including the FCC's efforts to protect the integrity of the fund." ...
"The report also says Martin manipulated information given to his fellow
commissioners and Congress. For instance, upon becoming chair in 2005,
the report says, Martin ordered FCC staff to reverse the findings of a
study, which initially said that "a la carte" cable programming would not
benefit consumers. He also demoted the Media Bureau chief, who had been
in charge of the study." ... "The reversal led to suspicion inside and
out of the FCC that the study sent to Congress was not based on objective
analysis, the committee report says." -By Stephanie
Condon -CNET
/News
Global
- Climate
- Floods
- Oil
- Companies
- Human
- Environmental
- Emissions
- Litigation
- Politics
- 
UK
- US
"Science
paves way for climate lawsuits." ... "People affected
by worsening storms, heatwaves and floods could soon be able to sue the
oil and power companies they blame for global warming, a leading climate
expert has said." ... "Myles Allen, a physicist at Oxford University, said
a breakthrough that allows scientists to judge the role man-made climate
change played in extreme weather events could see a rush to the courts
over the next decade." ... "He said: "We are starting to get to the point
that when an adverse weather event occurs we can quantify how much more
likely it was made by human activity. And people adversely affected by
climate change today are in a position to document and quantify their losses.
This is going to be hugely important."" ... "Allen's team has used the
new technique to work out whether global warming worsened the UK [United
Kingdom] floods in autumn 2000, which inundated 10,000 properties, disrupted
power supplies and led to train services being cancelled, motorways closed
and 11,000 people evacuated from their homes - at a total cost of £1bn."
... "There may also be grounds for a case on the basis that firms have
tried to misinform the public - as in US [United States] cases against
tobacco firms - about the effects of their business." ... "Owen Lomas,
head of environmental law at City firm Allen & Overy, said: "If you
look at the extent to which certain major companies in the US are accused
of having funded disinformation to cast doubt on the link between man-made
emissions and global warming, that could open the way to litigation.""
-By David
Adam and Afua
Hirsch -Guardian.co.uk
Blackwater
- Investigation
- Corporate
- Military
- California
- 
North
Carolina - US
- Iraq
- International
- Politics
"Plea
by Blackwater guard helps indict 5 others." ... "In
the first public airing of an investigation that remains a source of international
outrage, the Justice Department unsealed its case against five private
security guards, built largely around the chilling testimony of a sixth
guard about the 2007 shootings that left 17 unsuspecting Iraqi civilians
dead at a busy Baghdad [Iraq's capital] traffic circle." ... "In pleading
guilty to manslaughter, the sixth security guard, Jeremy Ridgeway of California,
described how he and the other guards used automatic rifles and grenade
launchers to fire on cars, houses, a traffic officer and a girls' school.
In addition to those killed, at least 20 people were wounded." ... "The
six guards were employed by Blackwater Worldwide, the largest security
contractor in Iraq; the company, based in North Carolina, has not been
charged in the case." ... "Ridgeway said in the court documents unsealed
Monday that the episode in Nisour Square on Sept. 16, 2007, started when
the guards opened fire on a white Kia sedan "that posed no threat to the
convoy."" ... "The case remained a sore point during the [Republican President]
Bush administration's negotiations with Iraq for an agreement setting new
rules for the continuing presence of U.S. [United States] troops. Ultimately,
a major provision of the agreement ended immunity for private contractors
working in Iraq." (1, 2)
-By Ginger
Thompson -IHT.com
Plants
-Animals
- 
Food
- Water
- 
Soil
- Global
- Climate
- Science
- Government
- US
- 
Canada
"Tree's
rapid decline sounds alarm on global warming." ...
"The whitebark pine, a tree found in the high elevations of the western
U.S. [United States] and Canada, is being killed as a consequence of global
warming and should be protected as an endangered species, an environmental
group formally told the Interior Department Tuesday." ... "If the federal
government accepts the scientific arguments in a petition by the Natural
Resources Defense Council, it would be the first time a wide-ranging tree
has been added to the list. The NRDC [Natural Resources Defense Council]
also sees an endangered designation as a warning about worsening climate
change." ... "The whitebark pine has declined dramatically due to a triple
threat — a disease called the white pine blister rust; the mountain pine
beetle, which thrives in the warmer high-altitude conditions produced by
the burning of fossil fuels, and forest management practices that have
allowed other trees to crowd it out, the NRDC's petition said." ... "Warming
also will limit the range of the whitebark pine, the petition said. Many
live more than 500 years." ... "The whitebark pine stabilizes the soil
and shades the snow, providing water over longer periods for other plants.
Grizzly bears, smaller mammals and birds eat its seeds, and elk, grouse
and other mountain animals find shelter beneath it." -By
Renee
Schoof -McClatchyDC.com
Gov Reference: "Whitebark
Pine Communities"
Adolescents
- Emergency
- 
Mental
-Privacy
"Adolescents,
Failed by U.S. Health Care, Go to Emergency Rooms."
... "Adolescents rely on hospital emergency rooms for routine treatment
more than any other age group, according to a report that found the U.S.
[United States] health-care system often fails those ages 10 to 19." ...
"Many youths lack access to specialty services for mental health, substance
abuse and sexual and reproductive health, according to the report today
by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine." ... "“Even
when services are accessible, many adolescents may not find them acceptable
because of concerns that confidentiality is not fully ensured, especially
in such sensitive domains as substance use or sexual and reproductive health,”
according to the report." -By Justin Blum
-Bloomberg
REPORT:
"Adolescent
Health Services: Missing Opportunities." -Institute
of Medicine
Washington
- Political
- Financing
- Accounting
- Investigation
- Realtors
"Realtor
group's account of expenses disputed: [Washington
state's Public Disclosure Commission] PDC's complaints include over-the-limit
contributions to [Washington state's Republican Governor Candidate Dino]
Rossi." ... "State regulators have filed their second campaign-finance
complaint of the year against the Washington Association of Realtors, this
time alleging that the association improperly reported its spending on
Republicans in races for governor and attorney general." ... "The executive
director of the Public Disclosure Commission, Vicki Rippie, filed her complaint
last week, and the agency is launching a full investigation, spokesmen
said this week." ... "The complaint also named the GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican]
campaigns of Attorney General Rob McKenna and gubernatorial hopeful Dino
Rossi." ... "The Realtors PAC and [Realtors'] Quality of Life PAC
both, in effect, made over-limit contributions to Rossi of $497,806. Rossi
allegedly gave fundraising help to R-PAC before it sponsored its ads."
... "The PDC allegations do go so far as to suggest that the Realtors,
Rossi or McKenna conspired to get around rules that forbid coordination
between campaigns and independent groups. But they do say that actions
the Realtors and Mc Kenna campaign took made the PACs ineligible for independent
expenditures on behalf of Mc Kenna." ... "Realtors paid $80,000 in fines
earlier in the year to settle an earlier complaint over failing to fully
report $953,000 in transactions during 2004-07 — including $310,000 in
independent expenditures during 2004. Another $50,000 of fines were suspended
on condition the group did not have further wrongdoing." (1, 2)
-By Brad Shannon -TheOlympian.com
Barack
Obama - 
Poll
- History
"Poll:
79% approve of way Obama is handling transition."
... "Seventy-nine percent approve of [Democratic President-Elect Barack]
Obama's performance so far during transition, with 18 percent disapproving."
... "Obama's approval rating is 14 points higher than the approval rating
for [Republican] President-elect George Bush in 2001 and 17 points higher
than [Democratic] President-elect Clinton's rating in 1992, CNN Polling
Director Keating Holland said." ... "Obama's current approval rating is
also more than 50 points higher than President Bush's current approval
rating, which now stands at 28 percent --- with 71 percent disapproving
of the way Bush is handling his job as president." ... ""An Obama job approval
rating of 79 percent -- that's the sort of rating you see when the public
rallies around a leader after a national disaster," said Bill Schneider,
CNN's senior political analyst. "To many Americans, the Bush administration
was a national disaster."" -By Paul Steinhauser
-CNN
AIG
- Employees
- Politics
- Federal
- Lawmakers
- 
Maryland
- 
New
York
"AIG
Says More Managers Get Retention Payouts Topping $4 Million."
... "American
International Group Inc. [Incorporated], the insurer whose bonuses
and perks are under fire from U.S. [United States] lawmakers, offered cash
awards to another 38 executives in a retention program with payments of
as much as $4 million." ... "The incentives range from $92,500 to $4 million
for employees earning salaries between $160,000 and $1 million, Chief Executive
Officer Edward Liddy said in a letter dated [2008 December] Dec. 5 to [Maryland
Democratic] Representative Elijah Cummings. The New York-based insurer
had previously disclosed that 130 managers would get the awards and that
one executive would get $3 million." ... "“I remain concerned, as do many
American taxpayers, that these retention payments are simply bonuses by
another name,” Cummings said in letter responding to Liddy." ... "AIG [American
International Group], which received a U.S. rescue package of more than
$152 billion, has been criticized for saying it will eliminate bonuses
for senior executives while still planning to hand out “cash awards” that
double or triple the salaries of some managers." ... "AIG’s managers have
overseen a record $37.6 billion in net losses so far this year." -By
Hugh Son -Bloomberg
Illinois
- Factory
- Company
- Politics
- Federal
- Law
"Workers
win a big round in Chicago factory sit-in." ... "The
creditor of a Chicago [Illinois] plant where laid-off employees are conducting
a sit-in to demand severance pay said Tuesday it would extend limited loans
to the factory so it could resolve the dispute, but the workers declared
their protest unfinished." ... "The Republic Windows and Doors factory
closed last week after Bank of America canceled its financing." ... "Bank
of America has been criticized for cutting off the plant's credit after
taking federal bailout money itself." ... "Workers, who received just three
days' notice before the plant shut down on Friday, argue that the company
violated federal law because employees were not given 60 days' notice that
they were losing their jobs." -By Michael Tarm
-AP via -Yahoo
Larry
Craig - 
Idaho
- Politician
- Saint
Paul - 
Minnesota
- Police
"Court
denies Sen. Craig's effort to withdraw sex-sting plea."
... "The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected U.S. [United States,
Idaho Republican Senator] Sen. Larry Craig's effort to withdraw his guilty
plea to a misdemeanor offense of disorderly conduct in connection with
a sex-sting operation." ... "The Idaho Republican was arrested in the Minneapolis-St.
Paul [Saint Paul, Minnesota's capital] airport in June 2007 after an undercover
police officer accused him of soliciting sex by using hand signals and
tapping his foot in a bathroom stall. Two months after his arrest, and
without consulting a lawyer, Craig pleaded guilty to the charge without
appearing in court." ... "After the incident became public, he attempted
to withdraw his plea, contending that his "wide stance" had been misinterpreted
by the arresting officer and that he had pleaded guilty simply to get the
matter over with." -CNN
Barack
Obama -Illinois
- Politics
- Federal
- Investigation
"Fitzgerald:
No evidence Obama knew of Blagojevich's scheme."
... "Illinois [Democratic Governor] Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday
on charges of trying to trade [Democratic] President-elect Barack Obama’s
vacant Senate seat for a lucrative job in the future Obama administration."
... "Chicago [Illinois, United States] U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald,
the prosecutor who brought the charges, described the allegations against
Blagojevich as a "political corruption crime spree," but emphasized that
he had no evidence Obama was aware of the scheme." ... "Blagojevich was
aware he was already under federal investigation for other pay-to-play
allegations even as he speculated how he could sell the senate seat, the
affidavit said." ... "The 76-page affidavit, which quotes lengthy taped
phone and office conversations, appears to indicate that Obama’s advisers
were not receptive to the scheme. In one passage, Blagojevich allegedly
says he knew Obama wanted an unnamed "Senate Candidate 1" for the seat
but that "they’re not willing to give me anything except appreciation.
F--- them."" -By
Marisa
Taylor -McClatchyDC.com
[PDF]
78-page FBI affidavit via ChicagoTribune
20081208
Mitt
Romney - Money
- Politics
- 2008
Election - 2012
Election - 
Massachusetts
"Romney
paves way for possible '12 run: Bulk of PAC fund
goes for political ambitions." ... "Republican Mitt Romney is laying the
groundwork for a possible White House campaign in 2012, hiring a team of
staff members and consultants with money from a fund-raising committee
he established with the ostensible purpose of supporting other GOP candidates."
... "The former Massachusetts governor has raised $2.1 million for his
Free and Strong America political action committee. But only 12 percent
of the money has been spent distributing checks to Romney's fellow Republicans
around the country." ... "Instead, the largest chunk of the money has gone
to support Romney's political ambitions, paying for salaries and consulting
fees to over a half-dozen of Romney's longtime political aides, according
to a Globe review of expenditures." ... "Romney founded the Free and Strong
America Committee shortly after dropping out of the 2008 presidential primary.
He filled its coffers by telling conservative contributors around the country
that their money would be used to support Republican candidates and causes."
... "According to the Globe analysis, he spent $244,000 on contributions
to congressional and other candidates between April and the November elections.
He has spent more than twice as much on staff salaries and contracts to
hire professional fund-raisers, who are compiling contributor lists that
will serve Romney well in a future presidential campaign." ... "In essence,
Romney is financing a political enterprise that he can use to remain a
national GOP leader and use as a springboard should he decide to launch
another presidential bid for 2012." - By Frank Phillips
-Boston/Globe
John
McCain - Corporate
- Politics
- Arizona
"Merrill
Chief Wants $10-Million Bonus For Presiding Over $11-Billion Loss."
... "Merrill has lost almost $12 billion this year, and is about to be
taken over by Bank of America. Its shares have fallen fom $50 when Thain
took over late last year to $13.04 at close of trading Friday." ... "It
looks like Thain -- who was a major fundraiser for [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] John McCain's campaign
and was described
by USA Today as a member of McCain's "team" -- is a practitioner
of the bargaining strategy in which you begin with a maximalist offer as
a starting point for negotiation:"
"A
few months ago, when the board began seriously considering 2008 bonuses,
a proposal was presented to the compensation committee by Merrill that
Mr. Thain should be paid in excess of $30 million, according to people
familiar with the matter. That number has since come down in recent talks
with various board members and Mr. Thain has recently indicated to committee
members that $5 million to $10 million is more reasonable." [-WSJ]
"
-By Zachary Roth -TPMMuckracker
.TalkingPointsMemo
Stephen
Johnson - Religion
- Science
- Corporate
- Environmental
- Politician
- 
RI
"EPA
Administrator Stephen Johnson: There’s ‘not a clean-cut division’ between
religion and science." ... "A Philadelphia Inquirer
profile
of [Republican President Bush's Environmetnal Protection Agency] EPA Administrator
Stephen
Johnson this weekend reveals that the chief steward of our environmental
protection is unwilling — or unable — to separate religion from science.
The Wonk Room’s Brad Johnson notes that, when questioned by reporters,
Stephen Johnson admitted he does not see a “clean-cut
division” between the two:"
"It’s
not a clean-cut division. If you have studied at all creationism vs.
evolution, there’s theistic or God-controlled evolution and there’s variations
on all those themes."
"Johnson’s
approach at EPA has been marked by putting his faith in corporate polluters.
This past summer, [Rhode Island Democratic Senator] Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse
(D-RI [Democratic-Rhode Island]) called on him to
resign. Read more at the Wonk
Room [Stephen Johnson]." -By Faiz
Shakir -ThinkProgress.org/Wonk
Room
20081207
Barack
Obama - Medical
- Politics
- History
- 
Hawaii
- US
- Japan
- 
Vietnam
- Iraq
"Obama
Selects Shinseki for Veterans Affairs Secretary."
... "On the 67th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, [Democratic] President-elect
Barack Obama Sunday nominated [Retired Army General] Gen. Eric Shinseki
(Ret.), a Japanese-American born in Obama's home state of Hawaii, to become
Secretary of Veterans Affairs." ... "“We owe it to all our veterans to
honor them as we honored our greatest generation, not just with words,
but with deeds,” said Obama, tasking him with a modernization of the Department
so troops get the medical care “far too few” are receiving right now."
... "Obama said Shinseki, the first Asian-American named to his cabinet,
was the right person to cut red tape, boost funding, and bring benefits
to veterans." ... "“There is no one more distinguished, more determined,
or more qualified to build this V.A. [Veterans Affairs] than the leader
I’m announcing as our next Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Gen. Eric Shinseki,”
Obama said." ... "“No one will ever doubt that this former Army chief of
staff has the courage to stand up for our troops and our veterans. No one
will ever question whether he will fight hard enough to make sure they
have the support that they need.”" ... "The former Army Chief of Staff,
criticized years ago by his Pentagon bosses for saying that “several hundred
thousand soldiers” would be needed to wage the Iraq war successfully, today
pledged to reform the Department to give troops a “smooth, error-free,
no-fail, benefits-assured transition into our ranks as veterans.”" ...
"“A word to my fellow veterans: if confirmed, I will work each and every
day to ensure that we are serving you as well as you have served us. We
will pursue a 21st-century V.A. that serves your needs,” promised Shinseki,
who lost part of his foot in Vietnam." ... "“We will open doors, new doors
of opportunity so you can find a good job, support your families when you
return to civilian life. And we will always, we will always honor the sacrifices
of those who have worn the uniform and their loved ones.”" -By
Matt Jaffe -ABCNEWS.com
20081206
US
- Iraq
- Corporate
- Military
- Federal
- Investigation
"Blackwater
Guards Indicted In Deadly Baghdad Shooting: 5 Face
Trial Over Incident That Killed 17 Civilians, Sources Say." ... "Five Blackwater
Worldwide Security guards have been charged in a September 2007 shooting
that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead and raised questions about the U.S. government's
use of security contractors in combat zones, according to two sources familiar
with the case." ... "The guards, all former U.S. military personnel, worked
as security contractors for the State Department, assigned to protect U.S.
diplomats and other nonmilitary officials in Iraq." ... "Federal prosecutors
obtained the indictment Thursday, and it was sealed. Channing Phillips,
a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District, declined to
comment on the investigation. The exact nature of the charges could not
be determined." ... "The sources said the government is bringing the charges
under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, which has been previously
used to prosecute only cases referred to federal prosecutors by the Defense
Department for crimes committed by military personnel overseas." -By
Del Quentin Wilber -WashingtonPost
Auto
- Industry
- Government
- Legislation
- Manufacturing
- Jobs
- Michigan
"Dems,
White House Agree To Auto Bailout." ... "After weeks
of tense discussions with the heads of the U.S. [United States] auto industry,
Democratic Congressional leaders have reached an agreement that may just
clear the way for the Big Three to get the money they need to survive ...
for now." ... "CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier reports that
significant progress came Friday night, when Democrats from both the House
and Senate agreed to bail out the struggling General Motors, Chrysler and
Ford with federal funds." ... "Several officials say the [Republican President
Bush] White House and congressional Democrats have agreed on $15 billion
in loans, which is less than half of what the car chiefs were seeking."
... "As executives from Detroit [Michigan] pleaded with lawmakers for loans
to help them survive, the government reported the
worst single month's job loss in 34 years - 533,000 jobs gone in
November - and an unemployment rate of 6.7%." ... "Officials in both parties
said the legislation would include creation of a trustee or group of industry
overseers to make sure the bailout funds were used to transform General
Motors, Ford and Chrysler into competitive enterprises." ... "Democratic
leaders insist this money is a loan, not a gift. "
-CBSNews
20081205
Unemployment
- Economics
- Accounting
- Politics
"Broader
Unemployment Rate Hits 12.5%." ... "The headline
unemployment rate of 6.7% in November isn’t the only one the Labor Department
reports. [PDF]
They also break the rate down by age, gender, ethnicity, and education.
And in table A-12, on page 19 of the report, they also share their broadest
estimate of the unemployment rate, which includes the total unemployed
(the standard rate) plus “all marginally attached workers, plus total employed
part time for economic reasons… plus all marginally attached workers.”"
... "That rate (called “U-6”) in November? A whopping 12.5%." -By
Kelly Evans -WSJ.com
Employment
- Market
-Housing
- Rebuilding
- 
Roads
- 
Schools
- Energy
- Obama
- Politics
"Employers
cut 533K jobs in Nov., most in 34 years." ... "Skittish
employers slashed 533,000 jobs in November, the most in 34 years, catapulting
the unemployment rate to 6.7 percent, dramatic proof the country is careening
deeper into recession." ... "The new figures, released by the Labor Department
Friday, showed the crucial employment market deteriorating at an alarmingly
rapid clip, and handed Americans some more grim news right before the holidays.
The net loss of more than a half-million jobs was far worse than analysts
expected." ... "The U.S. [United States] tipped into recession last December
[2007], a panel of experts declared earlier this week, confirming what
many Americans already thought." ... "[Republican] President George W.
Bush, who used the word "recession" for the first time to describe the
economy's state, pledged Friday to explore more efforts to ease housing,
credit and financial stresses." ... "[Democratic] President-elect Barack
Obama said the dismal job news underscored the need for forceful action,
even as he warned that the pain could not be quickly relieved." ... ""There
are no quick or easy fixes to this crisis ... and it's likely to get worse
before it gets better," Obama said. "At the same time, this ... provides
us with an opportunity to transform our economy to improve the lives of
ordinary people by rebuilding roads and modernizing schools for our children,
investing in clean energy solutions to break our dependence on imported
oil, and making an early down payment on the long-term reforms that will
grow and strengthen our economy for all Americans for years to come.""
-By Jeannine Aversa -AP
via -Yahoo
Business
- History
"Payrolls
plunge by stunning 533,000 in November: Jobless rate
rises to 15-year high of 6.7%, as recession deepens." ... "U.S. [United
States] nonfarm payrolls plunged by an astonishing 533,000 in November
-- the worst job loss in 34 years -- the Labor Department reported Friday."
... "It was only the fourth time in the past 58 years that payrolls had
fallen by more than 500,000 in a month. Since the recession began 11 months
ago, a total of 1.9 million jobs have been lost. Job losses in September
and October were revised much lower." ... "In addition to the 533,000 lost
jobs, an additional 621,000 workers were pushed into part-time work and
422,000 simply dropped out of the labor force." ... "Over the past three
months, 1.26 million jobs have been lost, a pace of job destruction exceeded
only once since 1945." ... ""The threat of a widespread depression is now
real and present," said Peter Morici, a business professor at the University
of Maryland." -By Rex Nutting
-MarketWatch
John
McCain - 
Sarah
Palin - 
Fashion
- Politics
- 2008
Election - New
York
"RNC
spends $180K on Palin and family." ... "Salons and
spas, including $350 at Escape Skin Care and Day Spa in New York, were
the latest unusual expenses to appear in the Republican National Committee’s
coordinated expenses account with the [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidates John McCain and Sarah Palin] McCain-Palin campaign, according
to November reports released late Thursday." ... "Overall, the RNC has
reported spending a total of about $180,000 for clothes and various accessories
for the family of vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, Federal Election
Commission records show." ... "Dick’s Sporting Goods, The Limited, Foot
Locker, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us and Victoria’s Secret are all listed in between
the expected payments for media buys, direct mail and polling." ... "Thousands
of dollars in payments to Macy’s, Nieman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue —
all major recipients of RNC cash in early September as Palin upgraded her
wardrobe for the campaign — were made in October, too." ... "In addition,
hundreds of dollars were also spent at Brooks Brothers, the Gap, Express
and J.C. Penney on clothes and accessories, apparently for other members
of the vice presidential nominee’s family." -By Jeanne
Cummings -Politico.com
John
McCain - Sarah
Palin - Fashion
- Politics
- 2008
Election - Alaska
- Florida
"G.O.P.
Paid Almost $55,000 for Palin Fashion Stylist." ...
"A woman who appears from campaign finance records to have been [2008 Election
Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of] Alaska Gov. Sarah
Palin’s fashion stylist was paid $54,900 by the Republican National Committee,
according to a new report filed with the Federal Election Commission."
... "The newest report appears to show about $23,000 in additional charges
labeled as “campaign accessories” from a variety of stores, including Saks,
Neiman’s, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret, Brooks Brothers,
Ann Taylor and Target." ... "Interestingly, in the newest charges on campaign
finance records, many of the people who initially footed the charges were
campaign staffers, including Andrew Smith, Ms. Palin’s chief of staff,
Christopher Edwards, who was in charge of advance for Ms. Palin, and Kristi
Pulsfort, a member of the traveling press staff." ... "Mr. Smith apparently
footed the bill for more than $3,000 in charges at Aldo (a shoe store chain),
Bloomingdales and Macy’s, all in Orlando [Florida], as well as Home Optics,
a glasses and contacts store in Chugiak, Alaska, about a half hour from
Ms. Palin’s home in Wasilla [Alaska]." ... "A woman named Jeannie Etchart,
who appears on the McCain campaign’s payroll, picked up the most in charges,
totaling more than $14,000 from places like Banana Republic, Neiman Marcus,
Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom." -By Michael
Luo -NYTimes
John
McCain - Sarah
Palin - Fashion
- Money
- Politics
- 2008
Election
"It's
not cheap to look like a real American." ... "In
just a little over two months, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate]
John McCain's campaign and the Republican National Committee together spent
a total of almost $340,000 on [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential
Candidate] Sarah Palin's appearance, including clothes for her and her
family." ... "The final total comes in the wake of disclosure reports filed
with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday. First, there was the
$150,000 on clothes for the Palin family that sparked the initial interest
and controversy in this spending. On top of that, the disclosures show
that, overall, Palin's makeup artist was paid $68,400, while her hair stylist
got more than $42,000. Her fashion stylist recieved
$54,900. In addition to that, as previously
reported, there are new charges for clothing for the vice-presidential
candidate and her family, which come out to about $23,000." -By
Alex
Koppelman -Salon
20081204
John
McCain - Sarah
Palin - Fashion
- Politics
- 2008
Election - Alaska
"McCain
Campaign Spent $110,000 on Palin’s Stylists." ...
"[2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska Republican
Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin’s traveling makeup artist was paid $68,400 and
her hair stylist received more than $42,000 for roughly two months of work,
according to a new campaign finance report filed with the Federal Election
Commission." ... "Much attention has been paid to the $150,000 the Republican
National Committee spent on outfitting Ms. Palin in September at high-end
department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, as well as
on makeup
services." ... "Republican officials said this week that additional
clothing charges would appear on the Republican National Committee’s
campaign finance report totaling less than $30,000." -By
Michael
Luo -NYTimes
20081203
Dick
Cheney - KBR
- Corporation
- Iraq
- Texas
- 
Indiana
- US
- Military
- Employees
- Health
"Ex-Guardsmen
sue KBR over alleged poisoning." ... "KBR Inc. [KBR
is a former subsidiary of Halliburton, the corporation formerly run by
Republican Vice President Dick Cheney] was sued by ex-members of the Indiana
National Guard and accused of knowingly exposing employees and the soldiers
protecting them to cancer-causing dust at an Iraqi worksite in 2003." ...
"Sixteen soldiers said in a complaint in federal court in Evansville, Ind.
[Indiana], that Houston[Texas]-based KBR and related companies are responsible
for chromium poisoning at Qarmat Ali, Iraq." ... "The plaintiffs, from
the Tell City, Ind., Guard unit, were providing security for KBR during
repairs of a water-treatment plant, according to the complaint. The site
was contaminated for six months by hexavalent chromium, a carcinogen in
powdered compounds used to control corrosion, it said." ... "“The Tell
City Guardsmen were repeatedly told that there was no danger on site, even
after KBR managers knew that blood testing of American civilians exposed
onsite confirmed elevated chromium levels,” the soldiers’ lawyers said
in court papers." ... "Hexavalent chromium on first exposure causes nosebleeds,
respiratory ailments and rashes, which the soldiers said KBR officials
told them was caused by dry desert air or sand allergies, according to
the complaint. Chromium poisoning is irreversible, it said." ... "KBR sought
to conceal the contamination and, once it was discovered, to limit exposed
individuals’ knowledge about the level of poisoning they had suffered,
the soldiers claimed." ... "Ed Blacke, who worked as a medic at Qarmat
Ali, testified that KBR fired him when he discovered the chromium exposure
and tried to warn workers." -Bloomberg
via -Chron
Michael
Mukasey - 
Karl
Rove -
Harriet
Miers - US
Attorney - Politics
- Federal
- Investigation
"Federal
Prosecutor Is Making Inquiries in the Investigation of the Dismissal of
U.S. Attorneys." ... "A prosecutor who is investigating
the dismissals of nine [United States] U.S. attorneys has been meeting
with defense lawyers, dispatching subpoenas and seeking information about
the events, according to legal sources familiar with the case." ... "Attorney
General Michael B. Mukasey appointed prosecutor Nora R. Dannehy two months
ago, after the department's Office of Inspector General and Office of Professional
Responsibility reported that they had hit a roadblock in their lengthy
probe into whether political interference prompted the dismissals. Internal
investigators said they had been stymied by the refusal of key witnesses,
including former [Republican President Bush] presidential adviser Karl
Rove and former White House counsel Harriet E. Miers, to cooperate." ...
"By naming a federal prosecutor to determine whether crimes have been committed,
the attorney general ensured that authorities would have the power to compel
testimony and documents. Dannehy, a longtime assistant U.S. attorney in
Connecticut, in recent weeks has met with lawyers and government officials
involved in the case. A grand jury in the District has issued subpoenas,
the sources said." ... "The requests for documents could provoke another
legal skirmish in a fight over the scope of executive power wielded by
the Bush administration." -By Carrie Johnson -WashingtonPost
Health
Care - Politics
- Economics
- 
Seniors
- Labor
Unions - Lawyers
- Government
"Health-Care
Reform Could Kill the GOP." ... "Can policy be both
wise and aggressively partisan? Ask any Republican worth his salt and the
answer will be an unequivocal yes. Ask a Democrat of the respectable Beltway
variety and he will twist himself into a pretzel denying it." ... "For
decades Republicans have made policy with a higher purpose in mind: to
solidify the GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party= Republican] base or to damage the
institutions and movements aligned with the other side. One of their fondest
slogans is "Defund the Left," and under that banner they have attacked
labor unions and trial lawyers and tried to sever the links between the
lobbying industry and the Democratic Party. Consider as well their long-cherished
dreams of privatizing Social Security, which would make Wall Street, instead
of Washington, the protector of our beloved seniors. Or their larger effort
to demonstrate, by means of egregious misrule, that government is incapable
of delivering the most basic services." ... "That these were all disastrous
policies made no difference: The goal was to use state power to achieve
lasting victory for the ideas of the right." ... "On the other side of
the political fence, strategic moves of this kind are fairly rare. Instead,
for most of my lifetime, prominent Democratic leaders have been chucking
liberalism itself for the sake of immediate tactical gain." ... "Former
[Democratic] President Bill Clinton, who is widely regarded as a political
mastermind, may have sounded like a traditional liberal at the beginning
of his term in office. But what ultimately defined his presidency was his
amazing pliability on matters of principle. His most memorable innovation
was "triangulating" between his own party and the right, his most famous
speech declared and end to "the era of big government," his most consequential
policy move was to cement the consensus on deregulation and free trade,
and many of his boldest stands were taken against his own party." ... "The
results were not pretty, either for the Democrats or for the nation." ...
"Still, conservatives have always dreaded the day that Democrats discover
(or rediscover) that there is a happy political synergy between delivering
liberal economic reforms and building the liberal movement. The classic
statement of this fear is a famous memo that [Republican] Bill Kristol
wrote in 1993, when he had just started out as a political strategist and
the Clinton administration was preparing to propose some version of national
health care." ... ""The plan should not be amended; it should be erased,"
Mr. Kristol advised the GOP. And not merely because Mr. Clinton's scheme
was (in Mr. Kristol's view) bad policy, but because "it will revive the
reputation of the party that spends and regulates, the Democrats, as the
generous protector of middle-class interests."" -By
Thomas
Frank -HuffingtonPost.com
20081202
Dick
Cheney - KBR
- Corporation
- Military
- Laborers
- Human
Rights - Texas
-US
- Iraq
- 
India
- 
Nepal
- 
Sri
Lanka - 
Bangladesh
"Military
contractor in Iraq holds foreign workers in warehouses."
... "About 1,000 Asian men who were hired by a Kuwaiti subcontractor to
the U.S. [United States] military have been confined for as long as three
months in windowless warehouses near the Baghdad [Iraq's capital] airport
without money or a place to work." ... "Najlaa International Catering Services,
a subcontractor to KBR [formerly a Halliburton subsidiary, the corporation
formerly run by Republican Vice President Dick Cheney], an engineering,
construction and services company, hired the men, who're from India, Nepal,
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. On Tuesday, they staged a march outside their
compound to protest their living conditions." ... "The laborers said they
paid middlemen more than $2,000 to get to Iraq for jobs that they were
told would earn them $600 to $800 a month." ... "The conditions in which
the men have been held appear to violate guidelines the U.S. military handed
down in 2006 that urged contractors to deter human trafficking to the war
zone by shunning recruiters that charged excessive fees." -By
Adam Ashton -McClatchyDC.com
Barack
Obama - Stephen
Johnson - Water
- Earth
- Coal
- Companies
- Government
- Law
- Enforcement
- Politics
- Kentucky
- Tennessee
"EPA
to gut mountaintop mining rule that protects streams."
... "The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday approved a last-minute
rule change by the [Republican President] Bush administration that will
allow coal companies to bury streams under the rocks leftover from mining."
... "The 1983 rule prohibited dumping the fill from mountaintop removal
mining within 100 feet of streams. In practice, the government hadn't been
enforcing the rule. Government figures show that 535 miles of streams were
buried or diverted from 2001 to 2005, more than half of them in the mountains
of Appalachia. Along with the loss of the streams has been an increase
of erosion and flooding." ... "The 11th hour change before President George
W. Bush leaves office would eliminate a tool that citizens groups have
used in lawsuits to keep mining waste out of streams. Mining companies
had been pushing for the change for years." ... "It also means that [Democratic]
President-elect Barack Obama's administration will have to decide whether
to try to restore and enforce the rule, a process that could take many
months of new rulemaking. Obama's transition team declined to comment on
its plans on Tuesday." ... "Another option would be for opponents to go
through the courts. Opponents have argued that the rule change is illegal."
... "For now, however, the EPA's approval means there are no further obstacles
to the Office of Surface Mining's plans to change the rule. The White House's
Office of Management and Budget approved it on Monday. The Department of
Interior, which includes the mining office, plans to make the rule final
in December after briefing members of Congress, and it will go into effect
30 days after that, said spokesman Peter Mali." ... "The timing means the
rule is expected to be in effect when Obama takes office in January." ...
"In approving the change in writing as required by law, [Republican President
Bush's Environmental Protection Agency] EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson
rejected the appeals of environmentalists and some coal-country officials,
including Kentucky [Democratic Governor] Gov. Steve Beshear and Tennessee
[Democratic Governor] Gov. Phil Bredesen, both Democrats." ... "In a letter
in November to Johnson, Beshear said his state had to protect its water
and that while coal was important to the economy, it should be mined in
environmentally responsible ways." -By Renee Schoof
and Bill Estep -Herald-Leader
-McClatchyDC.com
20081126
Infant
- Food
- Health
- Science
- Politics
- Industrial
- Maker
- US
-China
"FDA
finds melamine traces in U.S. infant formulas." ...
"The Food and Drug Administration has found trace amounts of the industrial
chemical melamine in some U.S. [United States] infant formulas, but at
levels 10,000 times lower than those found in Chinese-made formula." ...
"In China, where faked formula killed at least four children and sickened
more than 53,000, large amounts of melamine were added to watered-down
milk to make it appear to have an appropriate protein content." ... "The
trace amounts of melamine and cyanuric acid, a melamine by-product, were
found in formula from Abbott Laboratories, Nestle and Mead Johnson, which
together make more than 90% of all infant formula produced in the United
States." -AP
via -USATODAY
20081124
China
- Media
- Politics
- 
Entertainment
- 
Music
- Free
Speech - Law
- US
"China
state media blast new Guns N' Roses album." ... "A
newspaper published by China's ruling Communist Party is blasting the latest
Guns N' Roses album as an attack on the Chinese nation." ... "Delayed since
recording began in 1994, "Chinese Democracy" hit stores in the U.S. on
Sunday, although it is unlikely to be sold legally in China, where censors
maintain tight control over films, music and publications." ... "In an
article Monday headlined "American band releases album venomously attacking
China," the Global Times said unidentified Chinese Internet users had described
the album as part of a plot by some in the West to "grasp and control the
world using democracy as a pawn."" ... "The album "turns its spear point
on China," the article said." -By Christopher Bodeen
-AP via -Yahoo
20081121
Jeff
Sessions - Bob
Corker - 
George
Voinovich - Corporate
- Government
- Law
- Auto
- Workers
- 
Thanksgiving
- Manufacturer
- Michigan
- Tenn
- 
Ala
- Ohio
- 2010
Election - US
- Japan
- South
Korea
"'Card
check' best hope for auto workers union? Congress
to vote on Employee Free Choice Act to make unionization easier." ... "Congress
returns after Thanksgiving to decide whether to approve a $25 billion loan
to General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford. The future of United Auto Workers
members in Michigan and other states is at stake." ... "“It appears to
me we possibly have one too many auto makers,” said [Tennessee Republican
Senator] Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn.[ Republican-Tennessee], who opposes the
loan [and recommends Chapter 11 bankruptcy]." ... "But it will be an industry
in which fewer workers are represented by the United Auto Workers. And
that doesn’t cause Republicans like [Alabama Republican Senator] Sen. Jeff
Sessions, R-Ala.[ Republican-Alabama], any regret." ... "One advantage
the [Japanese and South Korean auto manufacturers] Honda and Hyundai plants
in Alabama have over the General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford plants in Michigan
is lower labor costs. That's because, in part, auto workers in Michigan
are represented by the UAW and workers in Alabama aren’t." ... "But what
if the UAW [United Auto Workers] could more easily organize workers at
Honda and Hyundai? UAW-represented workers at Honda and Hyundai could then
bargain for higher wages." ... "The Employee Free Choice Act, passed by
the House of Representatives last year, but stymied in the Senate, aims
to make unionization easier by allowing workers to join a union by signing
a card rather than by going through a secret-ballot election. The bill
is called “card check” for short." ... "A UAW ally, [Ohio Democratic Representative]
Rep. Tim Ryan, D[Democratic]- Ohio, said enactment of the Employee Free
Choice Act “would level the playing field. Each facility would be competing
on the same playing field.”" ... "In the vote next year, Republicans up
for re-election in 2010, such as [Ohio Republican Senator] Sen. George
Voinovich of Ohio will be under pressure to vote for it." (1, 2)
-By Tom Curry -MSNBC
Electric
- Cars
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Technology
- Transportation
- Infrastructure
- Jobs
- Consumer
- Military
- Historic
- San
Francisco - Sacramento
- California
- Michigan
- 
Oregon
- Washington
- US
- Global
- Planet
- Climate
- Emissions
"Recharge
America with Electric Cars." ... "Today, our country
is facing a set of seemingly insurmountable problems:"
"•
an
economic meltdown of historic proportions"
"•
a car industry crashing, because of a lack of innovation and growth"
"•
oil dependence transferring our wealth abroad"
"•
an extended military presence in the Middle East"
"•
and climate change, which threatens the health of our planet"
"Yesterday,
joined by San Jose [California] Mayor Chuck Reed and Oakland [California]
Mayor Ron Dellums I [San Francisco, California's mayor Gavin Newsom] announced
a nine-step policy plan for transforming the Bay Area into the "Electric
Vehicle (EV) Capital of the U.S. [United States]" In support of this initiative
Better
Place, a global electric transportation company announced that it would
enter the U.S. market with California as its first state, beginning in
the Bay Area." ... "Commercial availability of electric cars is targeted
to begin in 2012, and Better Place estimates its network investment in
the Bay Area will total $1 billion when the system is fully deployed. I
welcomed Better Place's announcement and anticipate many other EV companies
will focus on the Bay Area as a top-priority market." ... "Electric vehicles
represent an overarching, game-changing solution that allows us to transform,
and recharge the American transportation sector for the 21st century. By
accelerating the conversion of the car industry from its oil dependent
past, to a new electric century, we can jump start the car industry, eliminate
our dependence on oil, reduce our required presence in the middle east,
create millions of jobs, and eliminate a significant portion of our CO2
emissions." ... "This plan ties together a triangle of influence that can
get our nation back on track: Detroit [Michigan] car makers who know how
to scale production, working in concert with San Francisco's culture of
innovation, aided by Sacramento [California's capital] and Washington DC
[America's capital] policy-making. The goal is to create a sustainable
strategic advantage for the US instead of a series of bailouts." ... "As
California prepares to launch this electric recharge infrastructure project,
it can also serve as a blueprint for a more widely integrated solution."
... "California can generate upwards of $2.5B in new investment in jobs
and the economy for the infrastructure effort, with billions more in cars
and battery sales to consumers. The nation as a whole can trigger tens
of billions in infrastructure, manufacturing and innovation investment.
At the same time, this conversion reduces the cost to the consumer and
nation per mile we drive. California, followed by the western US states
of Oregon and Washington are ready to drive this effort." -By
Gavin
Newsom -HuffingtonPost.com
20081119
Jeff
Sessions - Auto
- Makers
- Workers
- Health
Care - Pension
- Politics
- Federal
- Economy
- 2010
Election - Michigan
- Ohio
- US
- Foreign
- Alabama
- 
Georgia
- Kentucky
- Japan
- South
Korea
"It's
North vs. South in Big Three bailout fight." ...
"Should taxpayers in Alabama be required to bail out [American] automakers
whose plants are concentrated in Northern states like Michigan and Ohio?"
... "Alabama is home to three Honda [Japan automaker] and Hyundai [South
Korea automaker] plants. And just across the state line in Georgia, a new
Kia [Hyundai] plant is set to open and will likely employ many Alabamans."
... "[Alabama Republican Senator] Sen. Jeff Sessions, R- Ala. [Republican-Alabama],
told reporters Wednesday, “I can not imagine a real justification for a
worker in Alabama who does not have any health insurance at his company
to be taxed to maintain a Cadillac health care plan for somebody in Detroit
[Michigan].”" ... "The struggle over whether Congress should make the loan
is a classic regional battle: North vs. South, unionized states like Michigan
vs. mostly non-union ones like Alabama." ... "“There are some states that
might think there’s a competitive advantage for them if the Big Three don’t
make it,” [Michigan Democratic Senator] Sen. Carl Levin, D- Mich. [Democratic-Michigan],
a Big Three ally, told reporters Tuesday." ... "[Kentucky Republican Senator]
Sen. Jim Bunning, R- Ky. [Republican-Kentucky], who is up for re-election
in 2010, said Wednesday, “It’s not a balancing act. It’s whether the federal
government should intervene in the private-sector economy. And I believe
it should not. I am very concerned that people as hard-headed as the three
people who spoke to us yesterday would not have a plan in place and not
have any concession to make, but they would just want the money so they
can burn through it. That’s unacceptable.”" ... "And if Chrysler and General
Motors go into bankruptcy or liquidation?" ... "“I think that’s probably
the best thing that can happen,” [Kentucky Republican Senator] Bunning
replied. “Then there will be a reorganization and they’ll be able to jettison
things they couldn’t ordinarily jettison, like health care benefits, like
pension benefits and there will be someone to pick those up like the Pension
Benefit Guaranty Corp. And then they will be able to restructure their
salaries to get more in line with foreign producers and they may come out
of bankruptcy a heck of a lot better off than they go into it.”" (1, 2)
-By Tom Curry -MSNBC
Georgia
- Nevada
- 2008
Election - Politics
"RNC
gives NRSC $2 million for GA runoff." ... "[Nevada
Republican Senator] Sen. John Ensign said Wednesday that the Republican
National Committee (RNC) has transferred $2 million earmarked for the Senate
runoff in Georgia to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC),
which was $4 million in debt after [2008] Election Day." ... "The committee
has already launched a $700,000 ad buy in the Georgia race, which pits
[Georgia Republican Senator] Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga. [Republican-Georgia])
against former state [Georgia State Democratic Representative] Rep. Jim
Martin (D [Democratic])." -By Aaron Blake
-TheHill.com
John
McCain - Barack
Obama - 2008
Election - 
Missouri
- Arizona
- Politics
"McCain
wins Missouri; State's streak over!" ... "Fifteen
days after [2008] Election Day, Republican [Arizona Senator] Sen. John
McCain has narrowly edged out [Democratic] President-elect Barack Obama
in the state, according to CNN's review of the latest unofficial vote totals
from the Missouri Secretary of State. This resolves the final outstanding
contest of the 2008 presidential race." ... "With Missouri's 11 electoral
votes in Senator McCain's column, the final count is 365 for Obama and
173 for McCain." ... "McCain's edging out of Obama in Missouri breaks the
state's bellwether streak in which Missourians correctly picked the presidential
candiate in every election dating back to the 1960 contest. Missouri got
it wrong in 1956, voting for the Democratic challenger Adlai Stevenson,
who lost the election to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Before that election,
Missouri correctly picked the winner in every race for the White House
dating back to 1904." -By Paul Steinhauser with contributions
by Robert Yoon -CNN
Economics
- History
- Politics
"Amity
Shlaes strikes again." ... "When you hear claims
that the New Deal made the depression worse, they often come directly or
indirectly from the work of Amity Shlaes, whose misleading statistics have
been widely disseminated on the right." ... "Now, Ms. Shlaes has found
a new target: John Maynard Keynes. There’s a lot to critique in this
piece, but this one takes the cake:"
"But
the most telling fact about the new rush to spend is that its advocates
have insisted on invoking the New Deal. They tend to gloss over the period
when the phrase, “We are all Keynesians now,” was actually first uttered:
the mid-1960s. (Uttered by Friedman, in fact, though he meant only that
we all work in the terms of the Keynesian lexicon.)"
"The
Great Society of that period was the ultimate Keynesian experiment, and
it didn’t work very well."
"Grr.
Keynesianism says that deficit spending can help create jobs when the economy
is depressed. The Great Society wasn’t deficit spending, it wasn’t intended
to create jobs, and the economy of the 1960s wasn’t depressed. It was social
engineering; we can talk about how well or badly it worked, but it had
nothing whatsoever to do with Keynesian economics. "
-By
Paul
Krugman/Blog
-NYTimes
Lawmakers
- Politics
- Auto
- Makers
- Industry
- Union
"Union
busting is the real motivation." ... "The same lawmakers
who were okay with handing over tens of billions of dollars to white collar
execs at AIG and in the mortgage industry are now balking at saving hundreds
of thousands of American blue collar jobs via a similar handout to the
auto industry. Instead, the chorus is growing - particularly among conservatives
- calling for automakers to declare bankruptcy and throw themselves on
the mercy of the court." ... "This possibility has anti-labor activists
and pundits practically beside themselves with glee, as they see forced
bankruptcy as a backdoor route to union busting. That's because in a bankruptcy
filing, all union contracts could be terminated at the discretion of the
trustee overseeing the proceeding." ... "Of course, unions have already
made significant concessions in recent years, in an attempt to
save members' jobs and America's legacy industry. And the same people who
want to see a union autoworker earning 50K a year make less in salary,
and pay more for his health insurance don't seem that concerned about the
fact that the
white-collar management at these companies continues to earn obscene salaries,
even as the companies they lead are dying. (When management earns ever-increasing
salaries even as the performance of their companies tanks, that's not capitalism,
and it's got nothing to do with unions.)" ... "Bailout may not be the right
answer for our auto industry. But fair discussion of the issue is impossible
when the real motivation for some legislators is not what's best for the
American economy, but their not-so-secret desire to kill off the American
labor movement." -By Katie
Allison Granju -KnoxNews.com
20081118
Ted
Stevens - Criminal
- Oil
- Money- Federal
- Law
- Alaska
- History
- 2008
Election
"Alaska
Sen. Ted Stevens loses re-election bid." ... "[Alaska
Republican Senator] Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest serving Republican in
Senate history, narrowly lost his [2008 Election] re-election bid Tuesday,
marking the downfall of a Washington political power and Alaska icon who
couldn't survive a conviction on federal corruption charges. His defeat
by Anchorage [Alaska] Mayor Mark Begich moves Senate Democrats within two
seats of a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority." ... "Stevens' ouster on
his 85th birthday marks an abrupt realignment in Alaska politics and will
alter the power structure in the Senate, where he has served since the
days of the [Democratic President] Johnson administration while holding
seats on some of the most influential committees in Congress." ... "Last
month just days before the election, Stevens was convicted by a federal
jury in Washington of lying on Senate disclosure forms to conceal more
than $250,000 in gifts and home renovations from an oil field services
company. -By Michael R. Blood with contributions by
Jesse J. Holland, Andrew Taylor and Rachel D'Oro
-AP via -Yahoo
20081117
Children
- Food
- Poverty
- Health
- Safety
- Government
- Language
- Politics
- Economics
- Accounting
"50
percent more US children went hungry in 2007." ...
"Some 691,000 children went hungry in America sometime in 2007, while close
to one in eight Americans struggled to feed themselves adequately even
before this year's sharp economic downtown, the Agriculture Department
reported Monday." ... "The department's annual report on food security
showed that during 2007 the number of children who suffered a substantial
disruption in the amount of food they typically eat was more than 50 percent
above the 430,000 in 2006 and the largest figure since 716,000 in 1998."
... "Overall, the 36.2 million adults and children who struggled with hunger
during the year was up slightly from 35.5 million in 2006. That was 12.2
percent of Americans who didn't have the money or assistance to get enough
food to maintain active, healthy lives." ... "Almost a third of those,
11.9 million adults and children, went hungry at some point. That figure
has grown by more than 40 percent since 2000. The government says these
people suffered a substantial disruption in their food supply at some point
and classifies them as having "very low food security." Until the government
rewrote its definitions two years ago, this group was described as having
"food insecurity with hunger."" -By Michael J. Sniffen
-AP via -Yahoo
PDF:
USDA.gov Report: "Household Food Security in the United States, 2007."
20081116
Obama
- Government
- Law
- Enforcement
- Markets
- Accounting
- History
- 
Enron
- Eliot
Spitzer - New
York - US
- Global
"How
to Ground The Street: The Former 'Enforcer' On the
Best Way to Keep Financial Markets in Check." ... "[Democratic] President-elect
Barack Obama will soon face the extraordinary task of saving capitalism
from its own excesses, much as [Democratic President] Franklin D. Roosevelt
had to do 76 years ago. Up until this point in the crisis, policymakers
have appropriately applied the rules of triage -- Band-Aids and tourniquets,
then radical surgery -- to keep the global financial system alive. Capital
infusions, bailouts, mega-mergers, government guarantees of unimaginable
proportions -- all have been sought and supported by officials and corporate
chief executives who had until now opposed any government participation
in the marketplace. But put aside for the moment the ideological cartwheel
we have seen and look at the big picture: The rules of modern capitalism
have been re-written before our eyes." ... "The new president's team must
soon get to the root causes of the mistakes that have brought us to the
economic precipice. Yes, we have all derided the explosion of leverage,
the failure to regulate derivatives, the flood of subprime lending that
was bound to default and the excesses of CEO [Chief Executive Officer]
compensation. But these are all mere manifestations of three deeper structural
problems that require greater attention: misconceptions about what a "free
market" really is, a continuing breakdown in corporate governance and an
antiquated and incoherent federal financial regulatory framework." ...
"First, we must confront head-on the pervasive misunderstanding of what
constitutes a "free market." For long stretches of the past 30 years, too
many Americans fell prey to the ideology that a free market requires nearly
complete deregulation of banks and other financial institutions and a government
with a hands-off approach to enforcement. "We can regulate ourselves,"
the mantra went." ... "Those of us who raised red flags about this were
scoffed at for failing to understand or even believe in "the market." During
my tenure as New York state attorney general, my colleagues and I sought
to require investment banking analysts to provide their clients with unbiased
recommendations, devoid of undisclosed and structural conflicts. But powerful
voices with heavily vested interests accused us of meddling in the market."
... "When my office, along with the Department of Justice, warned that
some of American International Group's reinsurance transactions were little
more than efforts to create the false impression of extra capital on the
company's balance sheet, we were jeered at for attacking one of the nation's
great insurance companies, which surely knew how to balance risk and reward."
... "And when the attorneys general of all 50 states sought to investigate
subprime lending, believing that some lending practices might be toxic,
we were blocked by a coalition of the major banks and the [Republican President]
Bush administration, which invoked a rarely used statute to preempt the
states' ability to probe." ... "No major market problem has been resolved
through self-regulation, because individual competitive behavior doesn't
concern itself with the larger market. Individual actors care only about
performing better than the next guy, doing whatever is permitted -- or
will go undetected. Look at the major bubbles and market crises. Long-Term
Capital Management, Enron, the subprime lending scandals: All are classic
demonstrations of the bitter reality that greed, not self-discipline, rules
where unfettered behavior is allowed." ... "Those who truly understand
economics, as did Adam Smith, do not preach an absence of government participation.
A market doesn't exist in a vacuum. Rather, a market is a product of laws,
rules and enforcement. It needs transparency, capital requirements and
fidelity to fiduciary duty. The alternative, as we are seeing, is anarchy."
(1, 2)
-By Eliot L. Spitzer -WashingtonPost
20081115
Global
- Financial
- Crisis
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- 
Nuclear
- US
- 
Pakistan
- China
- Afghanistan
- 
Yemen
"Experts
See Security Risks in Downturn: Global Financial
Crisis May Fuel Instability and Weaken U.S. [United States] Defenses."
... "Intelligence officials are warning that the deepening global financial
crisis could weaken fragile governments in the world's most dangerous areas
and undermine the ability of the United States and its allies to respond
to a new wave of security threats." ... "U.S. government officials and
private analysts say the economic turmoil has heightened the short-term
risk of a terrorist attack, as radical groups probe for weakening border
protections and new gaps in defenses. A protracted financial crisis could
threaten the survival of friendly regimes from Pakistan to the Middle East
while forcing Western nations to cut spending on defense, intelligence
and foreign aid, the sources said." ... "The crisis could also accelerate
the shift to a more Asia-centric globe, as rising powers such as China
gain more leverage over international financial institutions and greater
influence in world capitals." ... "Some of the more troubling and immediate
scenarios analysts are weighing involve nuclear-armed Pakistan, which already
was being battered by inflation and unemployment before the global financial
tsunami hit. Since September, Pakistan has seen its national currency devalued
and its hard-currency reserves nearly wiped out." ... "Analysts also worry
about the impact of plummeting crude prices on oil-dependent nations such
as Yemen, which has a large population of unemployed youths and a history
of support for militant Islamic groups." ... "Annual spending for U.S.
intelligence operations currently totals $47.5 billion, a figure that does
not include expensive satellites that fall under the Pentagon's budget."
... "U.S. officials are following developments with particular concern
because of Pakistan's critical role in the campaign against terrorism,
as well as the country's arsenal of dozens of nuclear weapons. Al-Qaeda
has appealed directly to Pakistanis to overthrow their government, and
its Taliban allies have launched multiple suicide bombings, some aimed
at economic targets such as the posh Marriott hotel in Islamabad [Pakistan's
capital], hit in September." ... "Economic and social unrest has helped
drive recruiting for militant groups that cross into Afghanistan to attack
U.S. troops." ... "China already was on track to surpass the United States
as the world's largest economy, perhaps as early as 2030. Now, many experts
believe the global recession could help it do so faster." (1, 2,
3)
-By Joby Warrick -WashingtonPost
Gay
- Religion
- Politics
- People
- San
Francisco - California
- Salt
Lake City - 
Utah
"Mormons
Tipped Scale in Ban on Gay Marriage." ... "Less than
two weeks before [2008] Election Day, [Frank Schubert] the chief strategist
behind a ballot measure outlawing same-sex marriage in California called
an emergency meeting here." ... "The campaign issued an urgent appeal,
and in a matter of days, it raised more than $5 million, including a $1
million donation from Alan C. Ashton, the grandson of a former president
[David McKay] of the Mormon Church." ... "The California measure, Proposition
8, was to many Mormons a kind of firewall to be held at all costs." ...
"First approached by the Roman Catholic archbishop of San Francisco [California]
a few weeks after the California Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage
in May, the Mormons were the last major religious group to join the campaign,
and the final spice in an unusual stew that included Catholics, evangelical
Christians, conservative black and Latino pastors, and myriad smaller ethnic
groups with strong religious ties." ... "Shortly after receiving the invitation
from the San Francisco Archdiocese, the Mormon leadership in Salt Lake
City [Utah's capital] issued a four-paragraph decree to be read to congregations,
saying “the formation of families is central to the Creator’s plan,” and
urging members to become involved with the cause." ... "“And they sure
did,” Mr. Schubert said." ... "Jeff Flint, another strategist with Protect
Marriage, estimated that Mormons made up 80 percent to 90 percent of the
early volunteers who walked door-to-door in election precincts." ... "In
the end, Protect Marriage estimates, as much as half of the nearly $40
million raised on behalf of the measure was contributed by Mormons." (1,
2)
-By Jesse
McKinley and Kirk
Johnson -NYTimes
Corporate
- Television
- Media
- Politics
"If
it’s Sunday, it’s still conservative." ... "In 2006,
Media Matters conducted a study on Sunday political talk shows, finding
that “Republicans and conservatives
have been offered more opportunities to appear on the Sunday shows
— in some cases, dramatically so.” From 2001 to 2005, conservative guests
outnumbered progressives “by 58 percent to 42 percent.” Atrios notes that
tomorrow’s shows will also be dominated by conservative
guests:"
"7
Appearances by Republican current elected officeholders"
"3
Appearances by Democratic current elected officeholders."
"2
Appearances by Republican former elected officeholders."
"1
Appearance by a [Republican President] Bush Cabinet Secretary."
"T.
Boone Pickens [former Republican swift boat contributor]"
"Ted
Turner. "
"
-ThinkProgress.org
20081114
Don
E Siegelman - Karl
Rove - Michael
Mukasey - 
Leura
G Canary -
Bob
Riley - Criminal
- US
Attorney - Politics
- Federal
- Law
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Michigan
"More
Allegations of Misconduct in Alabama Governor Case."
... "Next month in Atlanta [Georgia's capital], a federal court will hear
the high-profile appeal of former [Democratic] Alabama governor Don E.
Siegelman, whose conviction on corruption charges in 2006 became one of
the most publicly debated cases to emerge from eight years of controversy
at the [Republican President] Bush Justice Department. Now new documents
highlight alleged misconduct by the Bush-appointed [United States] U.S.
Attorney and other prosecutors in the case, including what appears to be
extensive and unusual contact between the prosecution and the jury." ...
"The documents, obtained by TIME, include internal
prosecution e-mails [PDF] given to the Justice Department and Congress
by a whistle-blower during the past 18 months. [Michigan Democratic Representative]
John Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which investigated
the
Siegelman case as part of a broader inquiry into alleged political
interference in the hiring and firing of U.S. Attorneys by the Bush Justice
Department, last week sent an
eight-page letter [PDF] to Attorney General Michael Mukasey citing
the new material." ... "Conyers says the evidence raises "serious questions"
about the U.S. Attorney in the Siegelman case, who, documents show, continued
to involve herself in the politically charged prosecution long after she
had publicly withdrawn to avoid an alleged conflict of interest relating
to her husband, a top GOP operative and close associate of Bush adviser
Karl Rove. Conyers' letter also cites evidence of numerous contacts between
jurors and members of the Siegelman prosecution team that were never disclosed
to the trial judge or defense counsel." ... "Critics, including a bipartisan
group of 52 state attorneys general, have raised numerous questions, including
the allegation that Siegelman was prosecuted at the insistence of Bush-appointed
officials at the Justice Department and Leura G. Canary, a U.S. Attorney
in Montgomery [Alabama] whose husband [William "Bill" Canary] was Alabama's
top Republican operative and who had worked
closely with Rove for years." ... "The documents — whose authenticity
is not in dispute — include e-mails written by Canary, long after her recusal,
offering legal advice to subordinates handling the case. At the time Canary
wrote the e-mails, her husband — Alabama GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican
operative William J. Canary — was a vocal booster of the state's Republican
governor, Bob Riley, who had defeated Siegelman for the office and against
whom Siegelman was preparing to run again. Canary also received tens of
thousands of dollars in fees from other political opponents of Siegelman."
... "A key prosecution e-mail describes how jurors repeatedly contacted
the government's legal team during the trial to express, among other things,
one juror's romantic interest in a member of the prosecution team." ...
"What's more, when prosecutors conducted their own investigation of suspected
improper conduct by jurors after the trial, two of them were interviewed,
despite instructions from the judge that no contact with jurors should
occur without his permission. Those interviews were not publicly disclosed
until nearly two years later, when the head of the [Department Of Justice]
DOJ's criminal division belatedly wrote all parties, including the appeals
court in Atlanta, to inform them." ... "Further undisclosed evidence of
prosecution team members speaking with jurors following the verdict emerges
in [Justice Department staffer Tamarah] Grimes' written statement to the
DOJ." -By Adam Zagorin
-TIME.com
Auto
- Makers
- Federal
- Politics
- Unemployment
- Michigan
- Ohio
- Indiana
"GM
Collapse at $200 Billion May Exceed Bailout Plan (Update1)."
... "General
Motors Corp., seeking a federal bailout as its cash dwindles, would
cost the government as much as $200 billion should the biggest U.S. [United
States] automaker be forced to liquidate, a forecasting firm estimated."
... "A GM [General Motors] collapse would mean ``more aid to specific states
like Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, and more money into unemployment and
extended benefits,'' Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS Global Insight
Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts, said today in an interview. He prepared
the estimate for Bloomberg News." ... "The projected expense of $100 billion
to $200 billion covers funds for existing programs, such as unemployment
insurance, and new measures that would be needed to revive economic growth
after millions of auto-related job losses." ... "Such a sum would be an
eightfold increase over the $25 billion bailout package that will be debated
in Congress next week to help prop up Detroit-based GM, Ford
Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC amid the industry's worst sales year
since 1991." ... "A GM shutdown would cost jobs among suppliers as well
as at the automaker itself, pushing the U.S. unemployment rate next year
to 9.5 percent, compared with current projections of as high as 8.5 percent
due to the weakened economy, Behravesh said." -By
Alex Ortolani and Mike Ramsey -Bloomberg
AIG
- Workers
- Federal
- Politics
"AIG
to Pay Millions To Top Workers: Move Comes on Heels
Of Revised Bailout." ... "American International Group plans to pay out
$503 million in deferred compensation to some of its top employees, saying
it must tap the funds to keep valuable workers from exiting the troubled
insurance giant." ... "News of the payments to top AIG [American International
Group] talent comes as the federal government has just put more money into
saving the company from bankruptcy, beefing up the total public commitment
to $152 billion. Meanwhile, members of Congress are questioning the company's
expenditures -- including lavish business trips to resorts -- during a
time when taxpayers are on the hook for the bailout." ... "AIG's troubles
stem from bad bets it made guaranteeing and buying risky mortgage investments.
On Monday, the U.S. [United States] government announced that it would
have to expand its rescue of the company to nearly double the $85 billion
loan it first provided in September when AIG was unable to pay billions
of dollars in claims." ... "The company reported losses this week that
brought total losses to $37.63 billion for the first nine months of the
year." -By Carol D. Leonnig
-WashingtonPost
Criminal
- 
Computer
- Hackers
- 
E-Mails
- Corporation
- Technology
- California
- US
- Worldwide
"Spam
traffic plunges after report blames server hosting company:
The number of such e-mails falls about two-thirds worldwide after Internet
providers cut off a server company accused of enabling nefarious activity."
... ""I'm not under the illusion that it's going to last forever, but it's
nice to have these small victories," said Paul Ferguson, an advanced threat
researcher at software security company Trend Micro Inc. who contributed
to the effort." ... "He and other analysts circulated a dense report Wednesday
that blamed some companies for allowing spam to proliferate. Two big providers
of Internet connections named in it -- Hurricane Electric Internet Services
and Global Crossing Ltd. -- acted quickly to cut ties to the core subject
of the document, a little-known Silicon Valley [California] company called
McColo Corp. [Corporation] that rents out servers to clients." ... "The
researchers didn't say whether McColo knowingly aided criminals, but they
described some of the nefarious activities conducted on some websites the
company hosted. Among other things, McColo reportedly enabled its customers
to control vast networks of hijacked computers to send spam and take payments
for fake anti-virus software." ... "The criminal groups that allegedly
used McColo are largely believed to be based overseas. The groups now have
to find other service providers." -By Joseph Menn
-LAtimes
Political
- Corporate
- Television
- Media
- Michigan
- Massachusetts
- New
York
- Arizona
- Georgia
- Louisiana
- Alabama
"More
Muscle." ... "TPM Reader RS ..."
"Here
is something progressives really need to address. On Sunday morning political
shows, three Democrats are confirmed as guests: [Michigan Democratic Senator]
Carl Levin, [Massachusetts Democratic Representative] Barney Frank, and
[New York Democratic Representative] Charlie Rangel. It's as if Democrats
didn't just win huge electoral advances in the Presidential, House, and
Senate elections. So we get the same thing we've had the past 8 years--republican
hegemony on Sunday. [Arizona Republican Senator Jon] Kyl? Check. [former
Georgia Republican Representative Newt] Gingrich? Check. [Republican Michael]
Steele? Check. [Louisiana Republican Governor Bobby] Jindal and [Alabama
Republican Senator Richard] Shelby? Check and check? Just look at The Page
for the whole list. When is the "liberal media" going to give some of the
oxygen to Democrats?"
"This
is unquestionably true. The bookers and producers of the Sunday shows are
committed to the continuing dominance of conservative/Republican marquee
guests. No question about it. And this is going to be one part of the rewiring
of Washington that will take longer and face more resistance than possibly
any other. The big interests and institutions that go to Washington to
buy influence are quickly reacting to the changing political complexion
of the city. The TV bookers and opinion act like nothing's happened." -By
Josh Marshall .TalkingPointsMemo
20081113
Henry
Paulson
- Corporate
- Government
- Investigation
- Legislation
"Bailout
Lacks Oversight Despite Billions Pledged: Watchdog
Panel Is Empty; Report Is Unfinished." ... "In the six weeks since lawmakers
approved the Treasury's massive bailout of financial firms, the government
has poured money into the country's largest banks, recruited smaller banks
into the program and repeatedly widened its scope to cover yet other types
of businesses, from insurers to consumer lenders." ... "Along the way,
the [Republican President] Bush administration has committed $290 billion
of the $700 billion rescue package." ... "Yet for all this activity, no
formal action has been taken to fill the independent oversight posts established
by Congress when it approved the bailout to prevent corruption and government
waste. Nor has the first monitoring report required by lawmakers been completed,
though the initial deadline has passed." ... "The legislation grants the
special inspector, who is expected to be the primary overseer of the program,
a budget of $50 million. The measure calls for him to conduct audits and
investigations of how the government spends money under the bailout program,
including on equity investments in firms. In particular, he is to report
about any assets acquired and their value, plus an explanation of why they
were acquired and details on individuals or companies involved in the transactions."
... "The leading candidate for the post is Neil M. Barofsky, a federal
prosecutor in New York, and his nomination could come as soon as this week,
according to people familiar with the matter." ... "For their part, lawmakers
have yet to nominate the five-member Congressional Oversight Panel, though
leaders of both parties said they hoped they would be named by the end
of the month and start work by December." ... "The legislation also created
a body called the Financial Stability Oversight Board, whose five members
include [Republican President Bush's Treasury Secretary Henry] Paulson
and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke. But it has no staff of its
own, and few expect that policymakers can conduct oversight of themselves.
"It's sort of a joke in terms of oversight," a congressional aide said."
(1, 2)
-By Amit R. Paley -WashingtonPost
Labor
- Market
"Jobless
claims hit 25-year high, imports plunge." ... "The
number of U.S. workers drawing jobless benefits hit a 25-year high this
month and imports suffered a record fall in September, according to reports
on Thursday that underscored a rapid drop-off in the U.S. economy." ...
"The number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose by an
unexpectedly steep 32,000 last week to 516,000, the highest since the weeks
following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, the Labor
Department said." ... "The number of workers still on the benefit rolls
after drawing an initial week of aid hit 3.9 million in the week to November
1, the highest since January 1983." ... ""This is obviously very, very
serious deterioration in the labor market, more than a lot of people had
expected even a couple of months ago," said Scott Brown, chief economist
with Raymond James & Associates in St. Petersburg, Fla." ... ""We are
looking at the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression and
the biggest economic crisis we have had in the United States since the
early 1980s."" (1, 2)
-By Doug Palmer with contributions by Lisa Lambert
and Diane Craft -Reuters
20081112
Blackwater
- Corporate
- Military
- Federal
- Investigation
- NC
- US
- Iraq
"Blackwater
likely to be fined millions in Iraq weapons case."
... "The State Department is preparing to slap a multi-million dollar fine
on private military contractor Blackwater USA for shipping hundreds of
automatic weapons to Iraq without the necessary permits." ... "Some of
the weapons are believed to have ended up on the country's black market,
department officials told McClatchy, but no criminal charges have been
filed in the case." ... "The expected fine is the result of a long-running
federal investigation into whether employees of the firm shipped weapons
hidden in shrink-wrapped pallets from its Moyock, N.C. [North Carolina]
headquarters to Iraq, where Blackwater is the State Department's largest
personal security contractor." ... "Since the arms shipment allegations
first became public 14 months ago, Blackwater, which has received $1.2
billion in federal contracts, according to the Web site fedspending.org,
has consistently denied involvement in illicit arms trafficking." ... "However,
the State Department found that Blackwater shipped 900 weapons to Iraq
without the paperwork required by arms export control regulations, one
department official said. Of that number, 119 were "particularly ... erroneous,"
he said." ... "Blackwater employees are also the subjects of a Justice
Department probe into the killing of 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad's [Iraq's
capital] Nisoor Square on Sept. [September] 16, 2007." ... "A federal grand
jury is weighing whether to indict the Blackwater guards who were involved
in the killings." -By
Warren
P. Strobel -McClatchyDC.com
Henry
Paulson
- Government
- Emergency
- Politics
- AIG
"Washington's
$5 Trillion Tab: Fighting the financial crisis has
put the U.S. on the hook for some $5 trillion a report says. So far." ...
"For all the fury over [Republican President Bush's] Treasury Secretary
Henry Paulson's $700 billion emergency economic relief fund, it seems downright
puny when compared to the running total of the government's response to
the credit crisis." ... "According to CreditSights, a research firm in
New York and London, the U.S. government has put itself on the hook for
some $5 trillion, so far, in an attempt to arrest a collapse of
the financial system." ... "The Fed has taken on much of that total, including
lending a cumulative $1 trillion in overnight or short-term loans since
March to primary dealers through its emergency discount window and making
a cumulative $1.8 trillion available through its term auction facility,
a series of short-term transactions it began making available twice a month
in January. It should be noted that a portion of the funds lent in these
programs has been repaid and that the totals represent what has been made
available." ... "The Fed also took on tens of billions in debt, including
$29 billion in debt of Bear Stearns, and made $60 billion of credit available
to American International Group (nyse: AIG
- news
- people
). It is committing $22.5 billion to set up a special purpose vehicle to
manage some of AIG's residential mortgage-backed securities, and it is
financing $30 billion of a second fund to hold $70 billion of multi-sector
collaterized debt obligations on which AIG wrote credit default swaps."
... "The Treasury, in addition to the $700 billion raised in the Emergency
Economic Stabilization Act, agreed to guarantee money market funds against
losses up to $50 billion, will inject $40 billion of capital into AIG and
is backing the conservatorship of Fannie Mae (nyse: FNM
- news
- people ) and
Freddie
Mac (nyse: FRE
- news
- people ), to
the tune of $200 billion." ... "The FDIC [Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation],
meanwhile, is guaranteeing $1.5 trillion of senior unsecured bank debt."
... "Not included in the total are the Fed's long-existing discount window
lending to commercial banks, the mortgage modification plan announced by
regulators on Tuesday, support for the Federal Home Loan Banks and a myriad
of other programs." -By Elizabeth Moyer
-Forbes
Auto
- Makers
- Jobs
- Government
- History
- Military
- Politics
- Ohio
"Failure
of auto industry could set off catastrophe." ...
"Advocates for the nation's automakers are warning that the collapse of
the Big Three -- or even just General Motors -- could set off a catastrophic
chain reaction in the economy, eliminating up to 3 million jobs and depriving
governments of more than $150 billion in tax revenue." ... ""We've got
to do this because the cost of inaction is so high to communities, to workers,
to companies," said [Ohio Democratic Senator] Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat
from Ohio. He was among many lawmakers worried that an industry collapse
would be devastating for everything from school districts to small businesses."
... "Even if just GM [General Motors] collapsed, the failure could bring
down the other two companies -- and even the U.S. [United States] operations
of foreign automakers -- as parts suppliers run out of money and shut down."
... "Concern about the automakers hit new heights Friday when GM and Ford
reported they spent a combined $14.6 billion more than they took in last
quarter. GM said it could run out of money by the end of the year." ...
"Ford said it could last through 2009, but only because it arranged a hefty
credit line last year." ... "All this comes after tight credit and economic
uncertainty in October reduced U.S. auto sales to their lowest level in
25 years -- with no rebound in sight." ... "The Big Three have cut their
combined U.S. hourly work force more than 40 percent since 2005, from 244,000
to about 139,000." ... "Brown, the Ohio senator, said letting the industry
collapse would also be a national security risk, eliminating companies
that were essential in two world wars." -By Tom Krisher
and Ken Thomas -AP
via -Yahoo
Barack
Obama - 2008
Election - Race
- Terrorism
- Politics
- 
New
Jersey - New
York - Michigan
- Pennsylvania
- Calif
- North
Carolina - 
Maine
"Local
Newspapers Cover Rising Number of Racist Anti-Obama Actions in Small Towns."
... "Away from the spotlight, many local newspapers around the country
have covered recent incidents of racially-motivated reactions to last week’s
[2008] election, from flags hung upside down to the dangling of nooses
and cross-burnings. As we noted last week, a couple in northern New Jersey
who had an [Democratic President-Elect Barack] Obama sign on their front
lawn woke up to find the charred remains of a cross out there. Local residents
today announced a "unity march" to protest the still-unsolved incident."
... "Now come these fresh reports." ... "The Associated Press revealed
today, "Police on eastern Long Island [New York region] are investigating
reports that more than a dozen cars were spray painted with racist graffiti,
reportedly including a message targeting President-elect Barack Obama.
The graffiti included racist slurs and sexually graphic references. At
least one resident in the quiet Mastic [New York] neighborhood told Newsday
her son's car was scribbled with a message threatening to kill Obama.""
... "Employees at Hampel's Key and Lockshop in Traverse City, Michigan,
flew an American flag upside down last Wednesday protesting of the new
president-elect, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported." ... "Also in
Michigan, in Midland, a man dressed in full Ku Klux Klan regalia walked
around toting a handgun and waving an American flag. Initially denying
it, the man eventually admitted to police that the display was a reaction
to the Obama victory." ... "In Pennsylvania, an interracial couple in Apolacon
Township discovered the remains of a burned cross in their front yard."
... "Authorities in Temecula, Calif. [California], found spray-painted
graffiti on a city sidewalk containing a swastika and anti-Obama slogan."
... "Today, the NAACP called on North Carolina State University to expel
four students who spray painted racist messages about Obama." ... "Another
post-election noose incident happened in Maine. “More than 75 people rallied
Sunday against an incident last week in which black figures were hanged
by nooses from trees on Mount Desert Island the day after Barack Obama
won the presidential election,” according to the Bangor Daily News." -By
Dexter Hill -EditorAndPublisher.com
Barack
Obama - Race
- Terrorism
- Religion
- Politics
- Idaho
"Idaho
students chant 'assassinate Obama' on school bus: Report."
... "Madison County, Idaho was once dubbed "the reddest place in America"
by Salon, but that didn't make it any less shocking when elementary school
children allegedly started chanting "assassinate Obama" on the school bus."
... "According to an article
which appeared in Salon in 2006, "You've heard of Jesusland, but Rexburg,
Idaho, is something more. It's not just a small town in rural Eastern Idaho.
It's a small town in rural Eastern Idaho completely dominated by a fast-growing
Mormon college, Brigham Young University-Idaho."" ... "The full KIDK story
can be read here."
-By David Edwards and Muriel Kane
-RawStory.com
WATCH:
Report by KIDK on Idaho elementary school children allegedly chanting "assassinate
Obama."
Corporate
- Government
- Politics
- Investigations
- Massachusetts
- New
York
"Hard
Times, But Big Wall Street Bonuses." ... "For Wall
Street workers still employed, there could be a hefty bonus in their checks
next month." ... "According to a report from financial news agency Bloomberg,
Goldman Sachs, for example, has set aside $6.8 billion for bonuses, and
Morgan Stanley, $6.4 billion." ... "And the chairman of the House Financial
Services Committee, Massachusetts [Democratic Representative] Democrat
Barney Frank, isn't happy. "These are people who lost enormous amounts
of money," Frank observes. "How do you give a bonus to someone for having
failed so badly as many of these people did?"" ... "What's got many on
Main Street and Capitol Hill angry, [CBSNews correspondent Priya] David
says, is the possibility that some of the $700 billion government bailout
package could go into the pockets of Wall Streeters to pay their bonuses."
... ""All of the money is to go into new loans," Frank points out. "None
of it is to go into compensation of any kind for the employees."" ... "[Democratic]
New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has opened an investigation
into the Wall Street bonuses. He sent a letter to nine financial institutions,
demanding "a detailed accounting regarding your expected payments to top
management in the upcoming bonus season."" ... "Cuomo told CBS News, "These
are tax dollars that are going to these institutions, and I believe the
taxpayers have a right to hold the institutions accountable for what they're
doing with their money."" -CBSNews
Sarah
Palin -John
McCain -2008
Election -Politics
- Alaska
- Arizona
"What
Just Happened." ... "Despite all the grief she's
gotten, I continue to think that the selection of [2008 Election Republican
Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor] Sarah Palin as [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] John McCain's running
mate represents the breaking of a consensual cultural barrier far more
fundamental than most people realize. It's not just that she was inexperienced
(Spiro Agnew and John Edwards weren't much more experienced than Palin
when they ran for VP) but that she was — obviously, transparently, completely
— uninterested in and uninformed about national policy at nearly every
level. We've simply never seen someone so completely unmoored from
the normal requirements of national office before. She was chosen purely
at the level of celebrity, and an awful lot of people seemed to be just
fine with that." ... "Via email, here's an excerpt from Wolf Blitzer's
interview today with Palin:"
"BLITZER:
Another question. What are your new ideas on how to take the Republican
Party out of this rut that it’s in right now? Give me one or two new ideas
that you’re going to propose to these governors who have gathered here
in this hotel."
"PALIN:
Well, a lot of Republican governors have really good ideas for our nation
because we’re the ones there on the front lines being held accountable
every single day in service to the people whom have hired us in our own
states and the planks in our platform are strong and they are good for
America. It’s all about free enterprise and respecting the ..."
"BLITZER:
Does that mean you want to come up with a new Sarah Palin initiative that
you want to release right now."
"PALIN:
Gah! Nothing specific right now. Sitting here in these chairs that I’m
going to be proposing but in working with these governors who again on
the front lines are forced to and it’s our privileged obligation to find
solutions to the challenges facing our own states every day being held
accountable, not being just one of many just casting votes or voting present
every once in a while, we don’t get away with that. We have to balance
budgets and we’re dealing with multibillion dollar budgets and tens of
thousands of employees in our organizations."
"Should
I laugh or should I cry?" -By Kevin
Drum -MotherJones.com
Sarah
Palin - John
McCain -2008
Election - Media
- Politics
- Alaska
- Arizona
"Why
Palin Still Matters." ... "Let's be real in a way
the national media seems incapable of: this person [2008 Election Republican
Vice Presidential Candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin] should never
have been placed on a national ticket in a mature democracy. She was incapable
of running a town in Alaska competently. The impulsive, unvetted selection
of a total unknown, with no knowledge of or interest in the wider world,
as a replacement president remains one of the most disturbing events in
modern American history. That the press felt required to maintain a facade
of normalcy for two months - and not to declare the whole thing a farce
from start to finish - is a sign of their total loss of nerve. That the
Palin absurdity should follow the two-term presidency of another individual
utterly out of his depth in national government is particularly troubling.
46 percent of Americans voted for the possibility of this blank slate as
president because she somehow echoed their own sense of religious or cultural
"identity". Until we figure out how this happened, we will not be able
to prevent it from happening again. And we have to find a way to prevent
this from recurring." ... "It happened because [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] John McCain is an incompetent
and a cynic and reckless beyond measure. To have picked someone he'd only
met once before, without any serious vetting procedure, revealed McCain
as an utterly unserious character, a man whose devotion to the shallowest
form of political gamesmanship trumped concern for his country's or his
party's interest." ... "It was a final product of the now-exhausted strategy
of fomenting fundamentalist resentment to elect politicians dedicated to
the defense of Israel and the extension of American military hegemony in
every corner of the globe. Palin was the reductio ad absurdum of this mindset:
a mannequin candidate, easily controlled ideologically, deployed to fool
and corral the resentful and the frightened, removed from serious scrutiny
and sold on propaganda networks like a food product." ... "This deluded
and delusional woman still doesn't understand what happened to her; still
has no
self-awareness; and has never been forced to accept her obvious limitations.
She cannot keep even the most trivial story straight; she repeats untruths
with a ferocity and calm that is reserved only to the clinically unhinged;
she has the educational level of a high school drop-out; and regards ignorance
as some kind of achievement. It is excruciating to watch her - but more
excruciating to watch those who feel obliged to defend her." ... "Her candidacy,
in short, was indefensible. It remains indefensible."
-By Andrew Sullivan
-TheAtlantic.com
20081111
Barack
Obama - People- Politics
- Illinois
- Hawaii
- US
- 
Indonesia
- 
Kenya
"Obama's
Fascinating Interview with Cathleen Falsani." ...
"The most detailed and fascinating explication of [Democratic President-Elect]
Barack Obama's faith came in a 2004 interview he gave Chicago Sun Times
columnist Cathleen Falsani when he was running for U.S. Senate in Illinois."
... "Because of how controversial that interview became, Falsani has graciously
allowed us [Beliefnet.com] to print the full conversation here." ... "FALSANI:
What
do you believe?" ... "OBAMA: I am a Christian." ... "So, I have
a deep faith. So I draw from the Christian faith." ... "On the other hand,
I was born in Hawaii where obviously there are a lot of Eastern influences."
... "I lived in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, between
the ages of six and 10." ... "My father was from Kenya, and although he
was probably most accurately labeled an agnostic, his father was Muslim."
... "And I'd say, probably, intellectually I've drawn as much from Judaism
as any other faith." ... "So, I'm rooted in the Christian tradition. I
believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief
that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people.
That there are values that transcend race or culture, that move us forward,
and there's an obligation for all of us individually as well as collectively
to take responsibility to make those values lived."
-Beliefnet.com
20081110
Henry
Paulson
- Secret
- Corporate
- Government
- Politics
- Emergency
- Law
"Fed
Defies Transparency Aim in Refusal to Disclose [$2 Trillion in taxpayer
loans to banks] (Update2)." ... "The Federal Reserve
is refusing to identify the recipients of almost $2 trillion of emergency
loans from American taxpayers or the troubled assets the central bank is
accepting as collateral." ... "Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and Treasury
Secretary Henry
Paulson said in September they would comply with congressional
demands for transparency in a $700 billion bailout of the banking system.
Two months later, as the Fed lends far more than that in separate rescue
programs that didn't require approval by Congress, Americans have no idea
where their money is going or what securities the banks are pledging in
return." ... "``The collateral is not being adequately disclosed, and that's
a big problem,'' said Dan Fuss, vice chairman of Boston- based Loomis Sayles
& Co., where he co-manages $17 billion in bonds. ``In a liquid market,
this wouldn't matter, but we're not. The market is very nervous and very
thin.''" ... "Bloomberg News has requested details of the Fed lending under
the U.S. Freedom of Information Act and filed a federal lawsuit Nov. 7
seeking to force disclosure." ... "The Fed made the loans under terms of
11 programs, eight of them created in the past 15 months, in the midst
of the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression." ... "``It's
your money; it's not the Fed's money,'' said billionaire Ted Forstmann,
senior partner of Forstmann Little & Co. in New York. ``Of course there
should be transparency.''" -By Mark Pittman, Bob Ivry
and Alison Fitzgerald -Bloomberg
Henry
M Paulson Jr
- Illegal
- Corporate
- Government
- Politics
"A
Quiet Windfall For U.S. Banks: With Attention on
Bailout Debate, Treasury Made Change to Tax Policy." ... "The financial
world was fixated on Capitol Hill as Congress battled over the [Republican
President] Bush administration's request for a $700 billion bailout of
the banking industry. In the midst of this late-September drama, the Treasury
Department issued a five-sentence notice that attracted almost no public
attention." ... "But corporate tax lawyers quickly realized the enormous
implications of the document: Administration officials had just given American
banks a windfall of as much as $140 billion." ... "The sweeping change
to two decades of tax policy escaped the notice of lawmakers for several
days, as they remained consumed with the controversial bailout bill. When
they found out, some legislators were furious. Some congressional staff
members have privately concluded that the notice was illegal. But they
have worried that saying so publicly could unravel several recent bank
mergers made possible by the change and send the economy into an even deeper
tailspin." ... ""Did the Treasury Department have the authority to do this?
I think almost every tax expert would agree that the answer is no," said
George K. Yin, the former chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation,
the nonpartisan congressional authority on taxes. "They basically repealed
a 22-year-old law that Congress passed as a backdoor way of providing aid
to banks."" ... "The story of the obscure provision underscores what critics
in Congress, academia and the legal profession warn are the dangers of
the broad authority being exercised by [Republican President Bush's] Treasury
Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. in addressing the financial crisis. Lawmakers
are now looking at whether the new notice was introduced to benefit specific
banks, as well as whether it inappropriately accelerated bank takeovers."
... "The change to Section 382 of the tax code -- a provision that limited
a kind of tax shelter arising in corporate mergers -- came after a two-decade
effort by conservative economists and Republican administration officials
to eliminate or overhaul the law, which is so little-known that even influential
tax experts sometimes draw a blank at its mention. Until the financial
meltdown, its opponents thought it would be nearly impossible to revamp
the section because this would look like a corporate giveaway, according
to lobbyists." ... "More than a dozen tax lawyers interviewed for this
story -- including several representing banks that stand to reap billions
from the change -- said the Treasury had no authority to issue the notice."
... "Section 382 of the tax code was created by Congress in 1986 to end
what it considered an abuse of the tax system: companies sheltering their
profits from taxation by acquiring shell companies whose only real value
was the losses on their books. The firms would then use the acquired company's
losses to offset their gains and avoid paying taxes." ... "Lawmakers decried
the tax shelters as a scam and created a formula to strictly limit the
use of those purchased losses for tax purposes." (1, 2,
3,
4)
-By Amit R. Paley -WashingtonPost
Al
Gore - Barack
Obama - Global
- Climate
- Technology
- Money
- Environmental
- Emissions
- Law
- Politics
- San
Francisco - California
"Gore
urges US to try for 100% renewable energy within a decade."
... "[Democratic President-Elect] Barack Obama should set drastic targets
to force the US [United States] to switch to renewable energy in an effort
to slow down climate change, according to the former [Democratic] vice
president Al Gore. Gore said that one of Obama's first acts as US president
should be to demand a move to 100% renewable energy within 10 years." ...
""We can do that," he said during the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco [California]
last Friday. "The declaration from [Democratic] President [John F] Kennedy
that we would land a man on the moon and bring him back safely was thought
by many to be impossible."" ... "During his presidential campaign, Obama
promised to invest $150bn (£96bn) in renewables over 10 years as
part of the plan to increase US energy security amid fear of oil shortages,
while also cutting carbon emissions. Many hope to see those policies enacted
with a far-reaching climate-change bill that would bring the US back into
the global environment fold." -By Bobbie Johnson
-Guardian.co.uk
Barack
Obama - E-Mail
- Database
- 2008
Election - People
- Communications
- Media
- Politics
- GOV
- Legislation
- 2010
Election
"Under
Obama, Web Would Be the Way: Unprecedented Online
Outreach Expected." ... "Armed with millions of e-mail addresses and a
political operation that harnessed the Internet like no campaign before
it, [Democratic President-Elect] Barack Obama will enter the White House
with the opportunity to create the first truly "wired" presidency." ...
"Obama aides and allies are preparing a major expansion of the White House
communications operation, enabling them to reach out directly to the supporters
they have collected over 21 months without having to go through the mainstream
media." ... "The nucleus of that effort is an e-mail database of more than
10 million supporters. The list is considered so valuable that the Obama
camp briefly offered it as collateral during a cash-flow crunch late in
the campaign, though it wound up never needing the loan, senior aides said.
At least 3.1 million people on the list donated money to Obama." ... "Millions
more made up the volunteer corps that organized his enormous rallies, registered
millions of voters and held countless gatherings to plug the senator to
friends and neighbors. On Election Day [2008], they served as the backbone
of Obama's get-out-the-vote operation, reaching voters by phone and at
the front door, serving coffee at polling stations and babysitting so parents
could stand in line at voting precincts." ... "After Obama declared victory,
his campaign sent a text message announcing that his supporters hadn't
heard the last from the president-elect. Obama conveyed a similar message
to his staff in a campaignwide conference call Wednesday, signaling that
his election was the beginning, and not the culmination, of a political
movement." ... "Accordingly, the president-elect's http://www.change.gov
transition Web site features a blog and a suggestion form, signaling the
kinds of direct and instantaneous interaction that the Obama administration
will encourage, perhaps with an eye toward turning its following into the
biggest special-interest group in Washington." ... "Once Obama is sworn
in, those backers may be summoned to push reluctant members of Congress
to support legislation, to offer feedback on initiatives and to enlist
in administration-supported causes in local communities. Obama would also
be positioned to ask his supporters to back his favored candidates with
fundraising and turnout support in the 2010 midterm elections." (1, 2)
-By Shailagh Murray and Matthew Mosk with contributions
by Alec MacGillis -WashingtonPost
Child
- Labor
- Safety
- Enforcement
- Employers
- Politics
- Food
- 
Agriculture
- Plants
- Construction
- People
-Federal
- Immigration
- North
Carolina - 
South
Carolina - 
Iowa
"Child
labor going largely unchecked." ... "Nery Castañeda
tackled a job that was never intended for kids his age." ... "One afternoon
last fall, the 17-year-old Guatemala native ran a machine to grind damaged
pallets into mulch. When a co-worker at the Greensboro [North Carolina]
plant returned from another task, he didn't see Nery – until he looked
inside the shredder." ... "“A person shouldn't die like this,” said older
brother Luis. “…He came with a dream and found death.”" ... "Decades after
the enactment of regulations designed to prevent such tragedies, thousands
of youths still get hurt on American jobs deemed unsafe for young workers.
On a typical day, more than 400 juvenile workers are injured on the job.
Once every 10 days, on average, a worker under the age of 18 is killed,
federal statistics show." ... "Enforcement has waned, despite new evidence
that many employers are ignoring child labor laws. U.S. [United States]
Department of Labor investigations have dropped by nearly half since fiscal
year 2000." ... "“There are lots of kids being asked to do work that's
been prohibited for them – and it's been prohibited because it's dangerous,”
said Carol Runyan, who heads UNC's Injury Prevention Research Center. “…Our
system is failing them.”" ... "More than 3 million youths under age 18
have jobs. Regulations prohibit them from doing a variety of hazardous
jobs, including most meat-processing work." ... "But last month, at an
immigration raid at a House of Raeford Farms poultry plant in Greenville,
S.C. [South Carolina], six juveniles were among the workers detained. Three
young workers told the Observer they were under 18 when they held jobs
at House of Raeford plants requiring them to make thousands of cuts a day
with sharp knives. The company says it requires job applicants to present
identification showing their age, but not all the documentation is accurate."
... "At Agriprocessors, a large meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, authorities
recently charged owners with thousands of child-labor violations after
finding that teenage employees were asked to use circular saws, clean floors
with powerful chemicals and perform other dangerous tasks." ... "“The raids
in Postville and Greenville show that 15- and 16-year-old kids are doing
some of the most dangerous jobs in America,” says Reid Maki of the National
Consumers League. “ … It's time for the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate
slaughterhouses and poultry plants.”" ... "A study of 16- and 17-year-old
construction workers in North Carolina, published in 2006, found that more
than 80 percent did tasks that were clearly prohibited. A national survey
of young retail and service workers, published in 2007, found that more
than half of males and more than 40 percent of females performed prohibited
tasks." ... "Runyan, who co-authored both studies, says much of the blame
lies with employers." ... "“I suspect there are employers who flagrantly
disregard the law,” she said. “And I suspect there are others who are clueless.”"
... "Total federal penalties for child labor violations dropped 29 percent
from 2000 to 2007." -By Ames Alexander and Franco
Ordonez -Observer
Barack
Obama - Economics
- History
- Federal
- Politics
- Social
Security - Health
Care
"Franklin
Delano Obama?" ... "Suddenly, everything old is New
Deal again. [Republican President] Reagan is out; F.D.R. [Franklin Delano
Roosevelt, Democratic President] is in. Still, how much guidance does the
Roosevelt era really offer for today’s world?" ... "The answer is, a lot.
But [Democratic President-Elec] Barack Obama should learn from F.D.R.’s
failures as well as from his achievements: the truth is that the New Deal
wasn’t as successful in the short run as it was in the long run. And the
reason for F.D.R.’s limited short-run success, which almost undid his whole
program, was the fact that his economic policies were too cautious." ...
"About the New Deal’s long-run achievements: the institutions F.D.R. built
have proved both durable and essential. Indeed, those institutions remain
the bedrock of our nation’s economic stability. Imagine how much worse
the financial crisis would be if the New Deal hadn’t insured most bank
deposits. Imagine how insecure older Americans would feel right now if
Republicans had managed to dismantle Social Security." ... "Can Mr. Obama
achieve something comparable? Rahm Emanuel, Mr. Obama’s new chief of staff,
has declared that “you don’t ever want a crisis to go to waste.” Progressives
hope that the Obama administration, like the New Deal, will respond to
the current economic and financial crisis by creating institutions, especially
a universal health care system, that will change the shape of American
society for generations to come." ... "But the new administration should
try not to emulate a less successful aspect of the New Deal: its inadequate
response to the Great Depression itself." ... "Now, there’s a whole intellectual
industry, mainly operating out of right-wing think tanks, devoted to propagating
the idea that F.D.R. actually made the Depression worse. So it’s important
to know that most of what you hear along those lines is based on deliberate
misrepresentation of the facts. The New Deal brought real relief to most
Americans." -By Paul
Krugman -NYTimes
20081109
Secret
- Military
- Law
- Politics
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- 
Virginia
- US
- World
- 
Syria
- Pakistan
"Secret
Order Lets U.S. Raid Al Qaeda." ... "The United States
military since 2004 has used broad, secret authority to carry out nearly
a dozen previously undisclosed attacks against Al Qaeda and other militants
in Syria, Pakistan and elsewhere, according to senior American officials."
... "These military raids, typically carried out by Special Operations
forces, were authorized by a classified order that [Republican President
Bush's] Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld signed in the spring of 2004
with the approval of President Bush, the officials said. The secret order
gave the military new authority to attack the Qaeda terrorist network anywhere
in the world, and a more sweeping mandate to conduct operations in countries
not at war with the United States." ... "In 2006, for example, a Navy Seal
team raided a suspected militants’ compound in the Bajaur region of Pakistan,
according to a former top official of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Officials watched the entire mission — captured by the video camera of
a remotely piloted Predator aircraft — in real time in the C.I.A.’s [Central
Intelligence Agency] Counterterrorist Center at the agency’s headquarters
in Virginia 7,000 miles away." ... "Some of the military missions have
been conducted in close coordination with the C.I.A., according to senior
American officials, who said that in others, like the Special Operations
raid in Syria on Oct. 26 of this year, the military commandos acted in
support of C.I.A.-directed operations." ... "According to a senior administration
official, the new authority was spelled out in a classified document called
“Al Qaeda Network Exord,” or execute order, that streamlined the approval
process for the military to act outside officially declared war zones."
... "It was issued after the Bush administration had already granted America’s
intelligence agencies sweeping power to secretly detain and interrogate
terrorism suspects in overseas prisons and to conduct warrantless eavesdropping
on telephone and electronic communications." (1, 2)
-By Eric
Schmitt and Mark
Mazzetti -NYTimes
Food
- Money
- Manufacturing
"On
store shelves, stealthy shrinking of containers keeps prices from rising."
... "The only way to know you are buying less is to look at the weight
on the label...." ... "Across the supermarket, manufacturers are trimming
packages, nipping a half-ounce off that bar of soap, narrowing the width
of toilet paper and shrinking the size of ice cream containers." ... "Often
the changes are so subtle that they create "the illusion that you are buying
the same amount," explained Frank Luby, a pricing consultant with Simon-Kucher
& Partners of Cambridge, Mass." ... "Shoppers understand the manufacturers'
dilemma but also say they feel deceived at times." ... ""What these companies
don't realize is that their chronically deceptive marketing ploys tell
us loud and clear that we absolutely cannot trust them for anything," Yukl
said." ... "Other shoppers agree. "I think the whole thing is deceitful,
and yes, it does irritate me, and I do feel they are tricking the consumer,"
said Bill Stone of Long Beach. "This practice, however, has been going
on for many years and apparently the manufacturers feel it is to their
advantage to try to slip these changes by the customer rather than announcing
it."" -By Jerry Hirsch
-LAtimes
Radio
-
- Opinion
- Politics
- People
- 2008
Election - Obama
- Government
- Retirement
- Money
"Right-wing
media feeds its post-election anger." ... "... [M]any
on the losing end of last week's [2008] election want to hold on to their
anger. And there are those in the media -- led by the likes of [radio talker
Rush] Limbaugh and [Fox tv talker Sean] Hannity -- only too ready to feed
that animus, along with their own ratings." ... "In a time when the nation
calls out for cool leadership and rational discussion, Limbaugh stirs the
caldron, a tendency he proved in a particularly grotesque way last week
when he accused Obama's party of plotting a government takeover of 401(k)
retirement plans." ... ""They're going to take your 401(k), put it in the
Social Security trust fund, whatever the hell that is," Limbaugh woofed.
"Trust fund, my rear end."" ... "A slight problem with Limbaugh's report:
Obama and the Democrats have proposed no such thing." ... "To broadcast
such a report -- so drained of context as to constitute a lie -- would
be a shameless act at any time. But Limbaugh needlessly stirred the fears
of the millions he holds in his thrall -- making the 401(k) thievery sound
like nearly a done deal. Shameless." -By James Rainey
-LAtimes
Nuclear
- Technology
- Industry
- Factories
- Government
- 
New
Mexico
"Mini
nuclear plants to power 20,000 homes." ... "Nuclear
power plants smaller than a garden shed and able to power 20,000 homes
will be on sale within five years, say scientists at Los Alamos [New Mexico],
the US [United States] government laboratory which developed the first
atomic bomb." ... "The miniature reactors will be factory-sealed, contain
no weapons-grade material, have no moving parts and will be nearly impossible
to steal because they will be encased in concrete and buried underground."
... "The US government has licensed the technology to Hyperion, a New Mexico-based
company which said last week that it has taken its first firm orders and
plans to start mass production within five years. 'Our goal is to generate
electricity for 10 cents a watt anywhere in the world,' said John Deal,
chief executive of Hyperion. 'They will cost approximately $25m [£13m]
each. For a community with 10,000 households, that is a very affordable
$250 per home.'" ... "The company plans to set up three factories to produce
4,000 plants between 2013 and 2023." ... "The reactors, only a few metres
in diameter, will be delivered on the back of a lorry to be buried underground.
They must be refuelled every 7 to 10 years." -By John
Vidal and Nick Rosen -Guardian.co.uk
20081108
Sarah
Palin - John
McCain - Clothes
- Money
- 
Comedian
- Canada
- 
France
- 
Mexico
- US
- 2008
Election - 2012
Election
"Palin
calls critics among McCain aides ‘jerks’." ... "The
[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain campaign
aides complained about the $150,000 that the Republican National Committee
had spent on [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah]
Ms. Palin’s clothes, the way a Canadian comedian was able to embarrass
the campaign by calling her and pretending to be the president of France,
and the political ambitions she seemed to harbor beyond 2008." ... "By
the end of the week, their complaints had escalated considerably, with
Fox News quoting unnamed McCain campaign officials as saying that Ms. Palin
had not known that Africa was a continent, not a country, and claiming
that she did not know which countries were covered by the North American
Free Trade Agreement [the US, Canada, and Mexico]." ... "Ms. Palin told
reporters in Alaska that the anonymous criticism was “cowardly,” and that
she had discussed the campaign’s position on Nafta at her debate prep sessions."
... "“I remember having a discussion with a couple of debate preppers,”
she said. “So if it came from one of those debate preppers, you know, that’s
curious. But having a discussion about Nafta — not, ‘Oh my goodness, I
don’t know who is a part of Nafta.’ ”" ... "“So, no, I think that if there
are allegations based on questions or comments that I made in debate prep
about Nafta, and about the continent versus the country when we talk about
Africa there, then those were taken out of context,” Ms. Palin said. “And
that’s cruel and it’s mean-spirited, it’s immature, it’s unprofessional,
and those guys are jerks, if they came away with it taking things out of
context and then tried to spread something on national news. It is not
fair and not right.”" -By William Yardley and Michael
Cooper with contributions by Julie Bosman and Brian Stelter
-NYTimes -MSNBC
Sarah
Palin - Barack
Obama - 2008
Election - Rhetoric
- Politics
- Racist
- Federal
- Investigation
- Intelligence
"Sarah
Palin blamed by the US Secret Service over death threats against Barack
Obama: [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential
Candidate] Sarah Palin's attacks on [2008 Election Democratic President-Elect]
Barack Obama's patriotism provoked a spike in death threats against the
future president, Secret Service agents revealed during the final weeks
of the campaign." ... "The Republican vice presidential candidate attracted
criticism for accusing Mr Obama of "palling around with terrorists", citing
his association with the sixties radical William Ayers." ... "The attacks
provoked a near lynch mob atmosphere at her rallies, with supporters yelling
"terrorist" and "kill him" until the McCain campaign ordered her to tone
down the rhetoric." ... "But it has now emerged that her demagogic tone
may have unintentionally encouraged white supremacists to go even further."
... "The Secret Service warned the Obama family in mid October that they
had seen a dramatic increase in the number of threats against the Democratic
candidate, coinciding with Mrs Palin's attacks." ... "Michelle Obama, the
future First Lady, was so upset that she turned to her friend and campaign
adviser Valerie Jarrett and said: "Why would they try to make people hate
us?"" ... "Details of the spike in threats to Mr Obama come as a report
last week by security and intelligence analysts Stratfor, warned that he
is a high risk target for racist gunmen. It concluded: "Two plots to assassinate
Obama were broken up during the campaign season, and several more remain
under investigation. We would expect federal authorities to uncover many
more plots to attack the president that have been hatched by white supremacist
ideologues."" -By Tim Shipman
-Telegraph.co.uk
Auto
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Jobs
- Fuel
-Retirees
- Health
Care - California
- Nevada
- Henry
Paulson
"Dem
Leaders Want Bush To Aid Auto Industry." ... "Democratic
leaders in Congress asked the [Republican President] Bush administration
on Saturday to provide more aid to the struggling auto industry, which
is bleeding cash and jobs as sales have dropped to their lowest level in
a quarter-century." ... "House Speaker [and California Democratic Representative]
Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader [and Nevada Democratic Senator]
Harry Reid said in a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson that the
administration should consider expanding the $700 billion bailout to include
car companies." ... ""A healthy automobile manufacturing sector is essential
to the restoration of financial market stability, the overall health of
our economy, and the livelihood of the automobile sector's work force,"
they wrote. "The economic downturn and the crisis in our financial markets
further imperiled our domestic automobile industry and its work force.""
... "Automakers already want an additional $50 billion in loans from Congress
to help them survive tough economic conditions and pay for health care
obligations for retirees." ... "The money would be on top of the $25 billion
in loans that Congress passed in September to help retool auto plants to
build more fuel-efficient vehicles." -By Deb Riechmann
-AP via -HuffingtonPost.com
Barack
Obama - 
Nebraska
-History
- Law
- Maine
- 2008
Election
"Obama
wins electoral vote in Nebraska." ... "For the first
time ever, a blue circle will appear in Nebraska on national electoral
maps." ... "[2008 Election Democratic President-Elect] Democrat Barack
Obama won the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District on Friday, scooping
up one of the state's five electoral votes." ... "In the process, he made
history and shone the spotlight on Nebraska's unusual electoral college
system." ... "[Obama's Nebraska campaign director John] Berge said the
victory was a tribute to all the work done by staffers and the hundreds
of Obama volunteers who manned telephones and walked neighborhoods in the
Omaha [Nebraska] metropolitan area." ... "Obama's win will assuredly spark
interest in the split electoral system, which only Nebraska and Maine use.
All other states are winner-take-all on electoral votes." ... "It was the
first time since 1964 that Nebraska has awarded an electoral vote to a
Democrat. The state has been reliably Republican since it voted for Democrat
Lyndon B. Johnson that year." ... "Obama ignored Nebraska's history this
year, sending 16 paid staffers into the 2nd District and opening three
offices in Omaha." ... "A 1991 state law allowed Obama to concentrate his
efforts on the Omaha area, where Democrats outnumber Republicans." ...
"Nebraska is the first state in the modern era to have a split electoral
decision." ... "Nebraska and Maine are not, however, the first states to
try a split-electoral system, said Randy Adkins, a political scientist
at the University of Nebraska at Omaha." -By Robynn
Tysver -Herald
Gay
- Religion
- Money
- Salt
Lake City - Utah
- 
Tourism
- California
- Family
- Law
- 2008
Election
"Utah
Boycott Urged After Calif. Vote." ... "Utah's growing
tourism industry and the star-studded Sundance Film Festival are being
targeted for a boycott by bloggers, gay rights activists and others seeking
to punish the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for its aggressive
promotion of California's ban on gay marriage." ... "Gay rights activist
John Aravosis, whose well-trafficked AmericaBlog.com is urging the boycott,
is unapologetic about targeting Utah rather than California, where voters
defined marriage in the state Constitution as a heterosexual act." ...
"Utah, Aravosis said, "is a hate state," and on this issue, "at a fundamental
level, the Utah Mormons crossed the line. . . . They just took marriage
away from 20,000 couples and made their children bastards. You don't do
that and get away with it."" ... "The Mormon Church, based in Salt Lake
City [Utah's capital], encouraged members to work for passage of the ballot
measure. Thousands of Mormons worked as grass-roots volunteers and gave
tens of millions of dollars to the campaign." ... "Proposition 8, the measure
passed Tuesday, overrode a state Supreme Court ruling that briefly gave
same-sex couples the right to wed." -By Brock Vergakis
-WashingtonPost
Barack
Obama - John
Boehner
- Karl
Rove - 2008
Election - Media
- Politics
- Corporate
- Healthcare
- Ohio
- US
- Iraq
- Global
- Climate
"Sunday
Roundup." ... "In the wake of [2008 Election Democratic
President-Elect Barack] Obama's overwhelming victory, and Democratic gains
in the House and Senate, conservatives are desperately trying to convince
the world that these results are meaningless. "Democrats should not make
the mistake of viewing Tuesday's results as a repudiation of conservatism,"
insisted
[Ohio Republican Representative] John Boehner. "Barack Obama understands
this is a center-right country,"
claimed
Karl Rove. "This country remains every bit as center-right as it has for
a generation," parroted
Brent Bozell. And David Brooks dreamed
of an Obama administration that understands "this was an election where
the middle asserted itself." Drunk on self-delusion, a staggering GOP whistles
past the electoral graveyard, missing the whole point of this election:
the center
has shifted, and positions that used to be considered "left-wing" --
on healthcare, on global warming, on corporate responsibility, on Iraq
-- are now solidly mainstream." -By Arianna
Huffington -HuffingtonPost.com
20081107
Economy
- History
- Auto
- Manufacturing
- Construction
"Jobs
lost in 2008: 1.2 million: Payrolls shrink by 240,000
in October, 10th straight month of cuts. Unemployment soars to 6.5%." ...
"The government reported more grim news about the economy Friday, saying
employers cut 240,000 jobs in October - bringing the year's total job losses
to nearly 1.2 million." ... "According to the Labor Department's monthly
jobs report, the unemployment rate rose to 6.5% from 6.1% in September
and higher than economists' forecast of 6.3%. It was the highest unemployment
rate since March 1994." ... "With 1,179,000 cuts, the economy has lost
more than a million jobs in a year for the first time since 2001 - the
last time the economy was in a recession. With most economic indicators
signaling even more difficult times ahead, job losses will likely deepen
and continue through at least the first half of 2009." ... ""It's pretty
clear that we're in a recession," said Robert Brusca, economist at FAO
Economics. "There is reason for us to believe we'll see a drumbeat of heavy
job losses for a while, and there's room for them to get even worse.""
... "Brusca noted that separate readings on the manufacturing and auto
industries indicated economic conditions are the worst in about 30 years."
... ""We may be in a severe recession, in which case these job numbers
are not even big yet," he said, suggesting monthly job loss totals could
grow in excess of 300,000 an unemployment could rise to around 7%." ...
"Job losses were spread across a wide variety of industries. Manufacturing
lost 90,000 jobs, the leisure and hospitality industries cut 16,000 jobs,
and construction employment shrank further by 49,000 jobs." ... "In another
sign of weakness, a growing number of workers were unable to find jobs
with the amount of hours they want to work. Those working part-time jobs
- because they couldn't find full-time work, or their hours had been cut
back due to slack conditions - jumped by 645,000 people to 6.7 million,
the highest since July 1993." ... "The so-called under-employment rate,
which counts those part-time workers, as well as those without jobs who
have become discouraged and stopped looking for work, rose to 11.8% from
from 11%, matching the all-time high for that measure since calculations
for it began in January 1994." -By David Goldman
-CNN
20081106
Chinese
- Hackers
- US
- Government
- E-Mail
- 
Network
- Military
- Technology
- Intelligence
- Politics
"Chinese
hack into White House network." ... "Chinese hackers
have penetrated the White House computer network on multiple occasions,
and obtained e-mails between government officials, a senior US [United
States] official told the Financial Times." ... "On each occasion, the
cyber attackers accessed the [Republican President Bush] White House computer
system for brief periods, allowing them enough time to steal information
before US computer experts patched the system." ... "US government cyber
intelligence experts suspect the attacks were sponsored by the Chinese
government because of their targeted nature. But they concede that it is
extremely difficult to trace the exact source of an attack beyond a server
in a particular country." ... "The official said the Chinese cyber attacks
had the hallmarks of the “grain of sands” approach taken by Chinese intelligence,
which involves obtaining and pouring through lots of - often low-level
- information to find a few nuggets." ... "Some US defence companies have
privately warned about attacks on their systems, which they believe are
attempts to learn about future weapons systems." ... "The National Cyber
Investigative Joint Task Force, a new unit established in 2007 to tackle
cyber security, detected the attacks on the White House. But the official
stressed that the hackers had only accessed the unclassified computer network,
not the more secure classified network." ... "The US has increased efforts
to tackle cyber security, particularly since Chinese hackers believed to
be associated with the Peoples’ Liberation Army last year perpetrated a
major attack on the Pentagon." ... "US military computer experts battled
for weeks against a sustained attack that eventually overcame the Pentagon’s
defences. The cyber attackers managed to obtain information and emails
traffic from the unclassified computer system that supports Robert Gates,
the defence secretary. Pentagon IT technicians were forced to take the
network down for days to conduct repairs." -By Demetri
Sevastopulo -FT.com
20081105
Barack
Obama - John
McCain - Sarah
Palin - Fashion
- Money
- Internet
- Hacking
- Federal
- Investigation
- 2008
Election - Technology
- Politics
- US
- 
Russia
- China
"Hackers
and Spending Sprees." ... "The computer systems of
both the [2008 Election Presidential Candidates] Obama and McCain campaigns
were victims of a sophisticated cyberattack by an unknown "foreign entity,"
prompting a federal investigation, NEWSWEEK reports today." ... "At the
Obama headquarters in midsummer, technology experts detected what they
initially thought was a computer virus—a case of "phishing," a form of
hacking often employed to steal passwords or credit-card numbers. But by
the next day, both the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] and the Secret
Service came to the campaign with an ominous warning: "You have a problem
way bigger than what you understand," an agent told Obama's team. "You
have been compromised, and a serious amount of files have been loaded off
your system." The following day, Obama campaign chief David Plouffe heard
from White House chief of staff Josh Bolten, to the same effect: "You have
a real problem ... and you have to deal with it." The Feds told Obama's
aides in late August that the McCain campaign's computer system had been
similarly compromised. A top McCain official confirmed to NEWSWEEK that
the campaign's computer system had been hacked and that the FBI had become
involved." ... "Officials at the FBI and the White House told the Obama
campaign that they believed a foreign entity or organization sought to
gather information on the evolution of both camps' policy positions—information
that might be useful in negotiations with a future administration. The
Feds assured the Obama team that it had not been hacked by its political
opponents. (Obama technical experts later speculated that the hackers were
Russian or Chinese.)" ... "NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin's shopping
spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously
reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately
fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide
said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention
and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying
for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such
as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable
sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor,
who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers
to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found
out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that
she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that
$20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of
clothing have apparently been lost." (1, 2)
-Newsweek
Barack
Obama - John
McCain - 2008
Election - Historical
- Race
- Politics
"Barack
Obama Wins Presidency: [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate] John McCain Concedes As Democrat [2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama] Earns Historic Victory;
"A New Dawn Of American Leadership Is At Hand," Says President Elect."
... "In an extraordinary moment in America's history, Democratic presidential
nominee Barack Obama has won the 2008 presidential election and will become
the 44th president of the United States and the country's first African-American
leader." ... ""Because of what we did on this day, in this election, in
this defining moment, change has come to America," Obama told 125,000 supporters
gathered in Chicago's Grant Park to celebrate his victory." ... ""If there
is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all
things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is
alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight
is your answer," he added." ... ""A new dawn of American leadership is
at hand," Obama said." ... "[McCain:] "We have come to the end of a long
journey," McCain said in a concession speech late Tuesday night. "The American
people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly."" ... ""Let there be
no reason now for any American not to cherish their citizenship in this,
the greatest nation on earth," he added, lauding the historic nature of
Obama's victory for African-Americans." ... "Democrats increased their
majorities in both chambers of Congress on Tuesday, assuring that their
party will control Congress and the White House just two years after the
Republican Party controlled both." ... ""The road ahead will be long,"
Obama said in his remarks. "Our climb will be steep. We may not get there
in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful
than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people
will get there.""-CBSNews
20081104
Dick
Cheney - Opinion
- Politics
- History
- 2008
Election - 2004
Election
"In
2008, will media recall 2004 declarations of Bush "mandate"?
Summary: [Republican] President Bush was re-elected in 2004 with 286 electoral
votes, the smallest popular-vote margin since 1976 (excluding the 2000
election) and the lowest electoral vote count for an incumbent president's
re-election since 1916. Nevertheless, many in the media were quick to echo
[**] [Republican]
Vice President Dick Cheney's assertion that "the nation" gave Bush "a mandate."
It remains to be seen whether the media will apply the same standard in
assessing the results of the 2008 election." -By S.S.M.
-MediaMatters.org
20081103
Barack
Obama - 
Madelyn
Lee Payne Dunham - Grandmother
- Hawaii
- NC
- 2008
Election - Politics
"Obama's
grandmother dies a day before election." ... "[2008
Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama's grandmother,
whose personality and bearing shaped much of the life of the Democratic
presidential contender, has died, Obama announced Monday, one day before
the election. Madelyn Payne Dunham was 86." ... "Obama announced the news
from the campaign trail in Charlotte, N.C. [North Carolina.] The joint
statement with his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng said Dunham died peacefully late
Sunday night after a battle with cancer." ... "They said: "She was the
cornerstone of our family, and a woman of extraordinary accomplishment,
strength, and humility. She was the person who encouraged and allowed us
to take chances."" ... "Last month, Obama took a break from campaigning
and flew to Hawaii to be with Dunham as her health declined." ... "Stanley
Dunham [Obama's grandfather] died in 1992, while Obama's mother died in
1995. His father is also deceased." ... "When Obama was young, he and his
grandmother toured the United States by Greyhound bus, stopping at the
Grand Canyon, Yellowstone Park, Disneyland and Chicago [Illinois], where
Obama would years later settle. " -By Herbert A. Sample
with contributions by Nedra Pickler -AP
via -Yahoo
20081101
Halloween
- Politics
- John
McCain - Barack
Obama - 2008
Election - Michigan
- Kids
"McCain
Supporter Denies Candy To Children Of Obama Supporters On Halloween (VIDEO)."
... "Kids in this suburban Detroit [Michigan] neighborhood cried foul after
a [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain supporter
refused to give them candy because they were the children of [2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama supporters." -By
Nicholas Graham -HuffingtonPost.com
WATCH:
"Michigan McCain-Palin supporter says no treats for Obama kids on Halloween."
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