Evening Edition

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 10 years after 9/11, did bin Laden or America win?

By Stephen Collinson, AFP

8 hrs ago

Osama bin Laden is gone, but 10 years after the September 11 attacks the United States is still entangled both by his legacy and the impact of its own avenging actions after the 2001 terror strike.

The horror unleashed in New York and Washington traumatized the public and sparked a “war on terror” that would stretch the legal system, send American soldiers to die in Muslim lands and eventually drain US global power.

In anguished days of mourning after September 11, the phrase “everything has changed” seemed on everyone’s lips as the country united, then went to war, starting with bin Laden’s Afghan lair.

2 Recession threat rising in US: economists

By Paul Handley, AFP

23 hrs ago

The threat of a new recession is rising in the United States, economists say, as they slash their growth forecasts for the second half of the year.

Slowing global expansion, the plunge in US stock markets after Standard & Poor’s cut the country’s credit rating, and political pressure on the government to cut spending rather than stimulate growth are all putting the brakes on the world’s largest economy, they say.

Mostly negative data — though with a few bright spots — has reinforced feelings that the recovery from the 2008-2009 recession is in trouble.

3 Fitch confirms US AAA rating, with a stable outlook

By Paul Handley, AFP

6 hrs ago

Fitch confirmed on Tuesday its triple-A rating of the United States but warned the country’s medium-term debt profile appears “at the limit” of what would merit its top credit grade.

The agency also said the deterioration of the economy or the failure of a special congressional committee to slash fiscal deficits could lead to a reassessment of the rating and a possible cut by the end of the year.

“The affirmation of the US ‘AAA’ sovereign rating reflects the fact that the key pillars of US’s exceptional creditworthiness remain intact: its pivotal role in the global financial system and the flexible, diversified and wealthy economy that provides its revenue base,” Fitch Ratings said.

4 Obama, Republicans step up 2012 rhetoric

By Stephen Collinson, AFP

22 hrs ago

President Barack Obama told Republicans to stop playing games that were hobbling the US economy Monday, but his foes mocked his “Magical Misery tour” by bus in the recession-hit Midwest.

Reeling from one of the bleakest patches of his crisis-strewn presidency, Obama boarded his new $1.1 million Secret Service armored bus for a three-day, three-state bus trip at a time of deep national gloom over the economy.

He sketched the framework of his 2012 reelection campaign, slammed Republicans for blocking his job creation plans, criticized billionaire tax breaks and defended his health care law, which is reviled by conservatives.

5 Obama spars with Tea Party activist

AFP

19 hrs ago

US President Barack Obama went head-to-head with a prominent conservative Tea Party activist, in a microcosm of a political clash that will play out in the 2012 election.

Ryan Rhodes, a leader of the group in Iowa, took on Obama during an open-air town hall meeting, which marked a moment of new intensity in the president’s campaign for a second term.

Rhodes shouted out that the president’s calls for more civility in politics had little chance of coming to pass after “your vice president is calling people like me, a Tea Party member, a ‘terrorist.'”

6 Obama, 2012 Republicans clash on jobs

By Stephen Collinson, AFP

14 hrs ago

President Barack Obama has told Republicans to stop playing games that hurt the US economy, but his foes mocked his “Magical Misery” tour by bus through key Midwest swing states.

Reeling from one of the bleakest patches of his crisis-strewn presidency, Obama on Monday boarded his new $1.1 million Secret Service armored bus for a three-day, three-state bus trip at a time of deep national gloom over the economy.

He pressed the flesh, parried a question from a conservative Tea Party activist, hugged children, stopped at a sandwich bar and bought pumpkin pie, energized by his escape from the febrile politics of Washington.

7 Perry under fire over Bernanke remarks

AFP

2 hrs 19 mins ago

Presidential hopeful and Texas Governor Rick Perry drew rebukes from fellow Republicans and the White House Tuesday for remarks seen as threats of violence against Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke.

Campaigning in the heartland state of Iowa, Perry warned Monday that he would view attempts by Bernanke to boost the US economy before the November 2012 elections as “almost treasonous” and invoked the specter of mob justice.

“If this guy prints more money between now and the election, I don’t know what y’all would do to him in Iowa — but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas,” Perry told supporters at a backyard get-together.

8 Sarkozy and Merkel push euro integration

By Nick Vinocur, Leigh Thomas, Daniel Flynn and Brian Love in Paris and Andreas Rinke and Stephen Brown in Berlin, Reuters

1 hr 4 mins ago

PARIS (Reuters) – The leaders of France and Germany unveiled wide-reaching plans Tuesday for closer euro zone integration, including deficit limits and biannual summits, but said joint euro bonds could only be a longer-term option.

Under heavy pressure to restore confidence in the euro zone following a dramatic market slump, President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel stopped short of increasing the bloc’s rescue fund but vowed to stand side-by-side in defending the euro and laid the groundwork for a future fiscal union.

Their message was that the focus should be on further economic integration rather than signing bailout cheques, and suggested that straying from euro zone rules and fiscal targets would no longer be tolerated.

9 French-German euro zone plan fails to inspire Wall St

By Ashley Lau, Reuters

1 hr 0 mins ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday after three days of gains when a meeting between the heads of France and Germany failed to quell fears about euro zone leaders’ ability to contain the region’s sovereign debt woes.

Efforts to stem the spreading European debt crisis have so far been ineffective, a major reason for the equity market’s declines in recent weeks. Stocks were unable to rally on Tuesday despite positive U.S. earnings and Fitch Ratings’ decision to keep the AAA credit rating for the United States.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy detailed plans for closer euro zone integration but they did not include boosting the size of the euro zone’s rescue fund or sales of euro bonds.

10 Stocks, euro slip as hopes dim on Europe crisis

By Herbert Lash, Reuters

1 hr 3 mins ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Global stocks and the euro fell on Tuesday after the leaders of France and Germany failed to live up to market expectations for a solution to Europe’s debt crisis and weak German growth data renewed worries about the world economy.

President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and German Chancellor Angela Merkel unveiled wide-reaching plans for closer euro zone integration, including deficit limits and biannual summits. But they stopped short of increasing the bloc’s rescue fund and said joint euro bonds could only be a longer-term option.

The highly anticipated proposals, which included a tax on financial transactions, failed to shore up investor sentiment that already was shaken by poor German gross domestic product data reported earlier in the session.

11 Zoellick: Governments should deal with global debt woes

By James Grubel and Rob Taylor, Reuters

12 hrs ago

CANBERRA (Reuters) – The World Bank called for national governments to seek long-term debt curbs on Tuesday to solve the current sovereign debt crises in Europe and the United States, but said it was too early for special action by the Group of 20 nations.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick also said it was time to push a free trade agenda, warning against rising protectionism as nations seek to solve their debt crisis.

“This is really at a stage where you still have sovereign governments having to make decisions in Europe,” Zoellick told reporters in the Australian capital Canberra on Tuesday.

12 Fitch affirms U.S. AAA rating, disagrees with S&P

By Burton Frierson and Walter Brandimarte, Reuters

2 hrs 15 mins ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Fitch Ratings on Tuesday confirmed the United States’ top-notch credit rating and, in blatant disagreement with rival Standard & Poor’s, gave a vote of confidence to Washington’s deficit-reduction efforts.

Fitch also kept a stable outlook on its U.S. AAA rating, less than two weeks after S&P downgraded the United States to AA-plus with a negative outlook.

The agency said, however, that it will revisit its decision at the end of the year. It threatened to slap a negative outlook on the rating at that time if lawmakers fail to implement the $2.1 trillion in savings that were agreed earlier this month or if the economy deteriorates significantly.

13 Reporter’s letter ties Murdoch execs to hacking

By Kate Holton and Georgina Prodhan, Reuters

47 mins ago

LONDON (Reuters) – Many senior executives at Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World knew about phone hacking at the British tabloid, according to a 2007 letter written by a reporter which contradicts James Murdoch’s denials and drags Britain’s prime minister back into the scandal.

The claims put new pressure on James Murdoch, who runs News Corp’s European operations, and further hurt his chances of succeeding his father, Rupert, as chief executive.

In a letter written four years ago in an appeal against his dismissal from the tabloid, former royal reporter Clive Goodman said the practice of hacking was openly discussed until the then-editor Andy Coulson banned any reference to it.

14 Rebels scorn talks with isolated Gaddafi

By Robert Birsel, Reuters

8 mins ago

BENGHAZI, Libya, Aug 16 (Reuters) – Rebels fighting to topple Muammar Gaddafi scorned reports of secret talks with the Libyan leader on Monday as their forces fought to secure gains and the United States said Gaddafi’s days were numbered.

After 41 years of supreme power in his oil-rich desert state 69-year-old Gaddafi was isolated in the capital Tripoli, with reinvigorated rebel forces closing in from the West and South.

Libya’s rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), recognized by many of the NATO nations whose air power is supporting their assault, denied any kind of negotiation with Gaddafi to resolve the six-month-old conflict.

15 Obama blames Congress Republicans on bus tour

By Alister Bull, Reuters

49 mins ago

PEOSTA, Iowa (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Tuesday sought to turn voter anger over the economy toward Republicans in the Congress as he courted rural Americans in a campaign-style bus tour through a key election state.

Obama announced steps to boost hiring in farm communities, his latest effort to fight an unemployment rate which has stuck at over 9 percent despite earlier White House job initiatives.

Speaking in the key election state of Iowa, Democrat Obama portrayed Republicans as blocking progress on the economy.

16 Google’s Motorola bet to reshape Asian phone makers

By Miyoung Kim and Clare Jim, Reuters

4 hrs ago

SEOUL/TAIPEI (Reuters) – Asian handset makers using Google Inc’s Android operating system might turn to rival platforms such as Microsoft Corp’s Windows after Google upended the mobile landscape with its $12.5 billion bid for Motorola Mobility Holdings.

Taiwan’s HTC and Korea’s Samsung Electronics have sold millions of mobile devices running on the free Android system, catapulting Google to the top slot in the booming global mobile software market.

But the acquisition of Motorola could turn Google from a partner to a competitor for more than 30 other Android-handset companies.

17 Merkel, Sarkozy propose eurozone government

By GREG KELLER,JUERGEN BAETZ, AP

34 mins ago

PARIS (AP) – The leaders of France and Germany called Tuesday for greater economic discipline and unity among European nations but declined to take the expensive financial measures seen by many investors as the only way to halt the continent’s spiraling debt crisis.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell, the euro slid against the dollar and key European markets edged down in off-hour trading after Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced the results of their emergency talks in Paris.

Sarkozy called for a “new economic government” for Europe that would meet at least twice a year with European Union President Herman Van Rompuy as its head, but he offered few other details or indications that the body would have real power.

18 In Midwest, Obama seeks ideas for jolting economy

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press

37 mins ago

PEOSTA, Iowa (AP) – Seeking some help from rural America, President Barack Obama on Tuesday implored Iowans to share ideas with him about how leaders can give an economic jolt to the nation’s heartland. He promised better days in a time of relentless joblessness, saying, “We’ll get through this moment of challenge.”

The president pulled into this northeastern Iowa town with some modest announcements of federal support, include targeting loans to rural small businesses and recruitment of more doctors for small rural hospitals. But he seemed more intent on getting some guidance himself, and presenting himself as president who does not think Washington knows best.

“I’m looking forward to hearing from you about what else we can do to jumpstart the economy here,” Obama told the farmers, business owners and others gathered at Northeast Iowa Community College for an economic forum put together by the White House. The president even took part in breakout sessions.

19 $360M lost to insurgents, criminals in Afghanistan

By DEB RIECHMANN, RICHARD LARDNER, Associated Press

29 mins ago

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. military estimates that $360 million spent on combat support and reconstruction contracts in Afghanistan has ended up in the hands of people the American-led coalition has battled for nearly a decade: the Taliban, criminals and local power brokers with ties to both, The Associated Press has learned.

The losses, measured over the past year by a special task force assembled by Gen. David Petraeus, underscore the challenges the U.S. and its international partners face in overcoming corruption in Afghanistan. A central part of the Obama administration’s strategy has been to award U.S.-financed contracts to Afghan businesses to help improve quality of life and stoke the country’s economy.

But until Task Force 2010 began its investigation, there was little visibility into the connections these companies and their vast network of subcontractors had with insurgents and criminals, what military officials call “malign actors.”

20 Panetta: Bigger defense cuts would be devastating

By ROBERT BURNS, AP National Security Writer

1 hr 26 mins ago

WASHINGTON (AP) – Bigger defense cuts triggered by failed deficit reduction negotiations would have “devastating” effects on the nation’s security, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday.

In a rare joint appearance at the National Defense University, Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made their case for limiting their budgets’ exposure to the political battles in Congress over identifying additional ways of reduce future government spending.

Panetta said the Pentagon is prepared to make $350 billion in cuts over the next 10 years, as agreed by Congress. But he warned of dangers to the national defense if bigger reductions are required.

21 350-year-old stolen Rembrandt found at CA church

By ROBERT JABLON, Associated Press

1 hr 13 mins ago

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. (AP) – A stolen Rembrandt sketch was too hot to handle for thieves, and even the detective who held the 17th century artwork in white-gloved hands Tuesday admitted he was nervous.

After all, it was only days earlier that the 350-year-old artwork worth $250,000 was swiped from the lobby of a seaside hotel.

The 11-by-6-inch pen-and-ink drawing was found in an unlocked public area of an Encino church Monday evening after a caller recognized it from news accounts of its weekend theft, said Los Angeles County sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore.

2 comments

    • on 08/17/2011 at 00:49
      Author
    • on 08/17/2011 at 02:05

    Long time no see.  

    You may remember me from the a while ago.

    I thought I’d check out this new (to me) place.  Looks nice.

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