Dec 08 2010

Just Like Health Care

December 7th, 2010, a day that will live in infamy.

So this notion that somehow we are willing to compromise too much reminds me of the debate that we had during health care.  This is the public option debate all over again.  So I pass a signature piece of legislation where we finally get health care for all Americans, something that Democrats had been fighting for for a hundred years, but because there was a provision in there that they didn’t get that would have affected maybe a couple of million people, even though we got health insurance for 30 million people and the potential for lower premiums for 100 million people, that somehow that was a sign of weakness and compromise.

What goes around comes around.

The Ghosts Of Health Care Deals Past: Industry Negotiations Could Haunt WH In New GOP-Led Congress

Amanda Terkel and Ryan Grim, The Huffington Post

12-8-10 01:00 PM

WASHINGTON — The deals that the White House cut with major industries during the health care debate are threatening to come back to haunt the administration once Republicans take control of the House. One of the most closely-watched deals involved the White House working closely with a onetime foe, former GOP congressman Billy Tauzin, head of the drugmakers lobby. Now that the deal is done, Tauzin and the White House will find themselves once again on opposite sides. Tauzin, say people close to him, will be happy to talk.

Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Michael Burgess (R-Texas) will likely be the chairmen of the two committees that will have jurisdiction over any investigation into the health-care dealmaking. Both tell The Huffington Post they’re certain Tauzin is willing to chat.

“He’s a very transparent guy. He’s the kind of guy that’s happy to sit down and, you know, he doesn’t hide anything. If he made a deal as part of PhRMA with the White House, he’s going to tell you exactly what that deal was, who he made it with, what the terms were, et cetera,” said Burgess, the incoming chairman of the Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

Dec 08 2010

When you’ve lost Oliver Willis…

Obama Secures Peace For Our Time

Oliver Willis

7:11 am EST December 7th, 2010

I see President Obama has returned from his meetings with the GOP leadership and has come back waving and bragging of the agreement that cedes the Sudentenland (background) to the Republican party on taxes.

…

They’ve just conceded to the Republicans without any fight – like they consistently have since almost day one. What they’re telling us now is that their default position is concession and capitulation, giving in to the Republicans on key issues of national importance. He ran on not kicking the can down the road on important issues, but right here – again, with no fight – he’s thrown in the towel.

If President Obama is doing what is within his power to depress his base vote and give the Republican party a new lease on power, well he’s doing a great job at it. If his goal is to be a strong leader and a great Democrat, he’s failing miserably at it. 2010 was a repeat of 1994 and 2002, when all the force of moral good on the side of liberalism can’t overcome a Democratic party that simply will not fight. If he continues on this path, and nothing – absolutely nothing – has shown me otherwise, he’s setting himself up to replicate the Democratic losses of 1980 and 1984 no matter who the Republican nominee is.

We sent him to Washington to stand up and fight. Instead he’s cowering and retreating.

Taylor Marsh is a little more scathing, but she always is-

Getting that 1979 Feeling Again

by Taylor Marsh

08 December 2010 10:36 am

Two years later he’s been shown to cave on health care in favor of the insurance companies, protected too big to fail banking system, done nothing about the exporting of corporate cash from this country, ignored the job issue, and given lip service to Democratic policy principles while tilting the country ever rightward until today he’s made a deal with Republicans that they are cheering as he uses language like “hostage” for a situation he created because he not only doesn’t know how to lead, but won’t be bothered to try. He even handed off the tax deal to Vice Pres. Joe Biden, because Barack Obama is always looking for cover. On foreign policy Pres. Obama has ignored the implications of Gen. McChyrstal’s implosion, plus turned away from the obvious ramifications of the Karzai Wikileaks exposure; meanwhile, we’re days away from a complete Middle East dialogue collapse, as we are made to swallow an arms deal for the Saudis that makes absolutely no sense at all. Because of the midterms, Obama’s foreign policy options have dried up. All of this is why he rails at the Left so gracelessly, because those who understand the political disaster Obama’s constructing won’t follow him anywhere anymore.

Pres. Barack Obama has lost the entire industrial Midwest and the working class, with women splitting their vote in the midterms with the Right, while seniors went Right as well, because Obama also sold them out.

…

Whether Obama is challenged or not, his weakness as a Democratic leader is now etched in everyone’s mind. A challenger also doesn’t matter, because there are a growing number of Democrats who won’t vote for him in ’12 no matter what.

Dec 08 2010

Punting the Pundits

“Punting the Pundits” is an Open Thread. It is a selection of editorials and opinions from around the news medium and the internet blogs. The intent is to provide a forum for your reactions and opinions, not just to the opinions presented, but to what ever you find important.

Thanks to ek hornbeck, click on the link and you can access all the past “Punting the Pundits”.

Verlyn Klinkenborg: John Lennon

I don’t remember how I heard that John Lennon had been shot. Thirty years ago, on a warm December night in Manhattan, it was suddenly, in the air, on the street – with only a brief, grim gap between news of the shooting at the Dakota, on 72nd Street and news of his death at Roosevelt Hospital. I called my brother in California and then sat in the stairwell of a building at 27th and Third, numb and grieving, like everyone else.

*

*

*

We remember what we remember of Lennon, and of that night. When I was young, he was the only adult that mattered outside my family – the Beatle of Beatles. I loved his wit; his irony; his “Help!”; his urgent, reedy voice; his unceasing transformations. Like everyone else who loved him, I can’t help grieving, even now, for all the transformations we lost 30 years ago when John Lennon was only 40.

John Nichols: Organizing for America Sacrifices Credibility, Harms Obama, By Talking Up Misguided Assault on Public Employees

Organizing for America, the online community of campaigners for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential run that evolved into a Democratic National Committee-aligned “activist” network is undermining its own credibility — and, ultimately, harming the president– by attempting to gin up support for Obama administration initiatives that Obama backers did not support in 2008 and do not support now.

While OFA, the succesor organization to the “Obama for America” campaign organization,  was a disappointing player during the health care and banking reform debates, it has now begun to inflict actual harm – not just to progressive ideals but to the long-term prospects of maintaining what remains of Obama’s political base.

OFA, so silent on the compromise the Obama administration is trying to gin up to extend tax breaks for the rich, has found something it is for: cutting the pay of federal workers.

Julian Assange: The truth will always win

In 1958 a young Rupert Murdoch, then owner and editor of Adelaide’s The News, wrote: “In the race between secrecy and truth, it seems inevitable that truth will always win.”

His observation perhaps reflected his father Keith Murdoch’s expose that Australian troops were being needlessly sacrificed by incompetent British commanders on the shores of Gallipoli. The British tried to shut him up but Keith Murdoch would not be silenced and his efforts led to the termination of the disastrous Gallipoli campaign.

Nearly a century later, WikiLeaks is also fearlessly publishing facts that need to be made public.

I grew up in a Queensland country town where people spoke their minds bluntly. They distrusted big government as something that could be corrupted if not watched carefully. The dark days of corruption in the Queensland government before the Fitzgerald inquiry are testimony to what happens when the politicians gag the media from reporting the truth.

These things have stayed with me. WikiLeaks was created around these core values. The idea, conceived in Australia, was to use internet technologies in new ways to report the truth.

Laura Flanders:

ulian Assange turned himself in Tuesday — he’s been arrested and is being held without bail in London ahead of a hearing on extradition to Sweden. The head of the “stateless” news-leak organization WikiLeaks is accused of sexual assault –and let’s be clear, he should face the charges. But since when is Interpol [the investigative arm of the International Criminal Court at The Hague] so vigilant about violence against women? If women’s security is suddenly Interpol’s priority — that’s big news!

Tell it to hundreds of women in US jails and immigration detention centers — who charge that they can’t get justice against accused rapists — or women in the US military (two of out three of whom allege they’ve experienced assault.) In Haiti hundreds of unprosecuted cases of rape in refugee camps could use some of Interpol’s attention.

Howard Fineman: Obama Channels Reagan, and Risks Becoming Carter

WASHINGTON — As President Obama channels Ronald Reagan he risks turning himself into Jimmy Carter.

By staking his next two years on hundreds of billions of dollars of new or renewed tax cuts — none of them tied directly to compensating cuts in government spending — Obama is alienating his own Democratic base in a way that could make him what Carter was: a one-term, ineffective “outsider” president.

Back in 2007 and 2008, when he was a presidential candidate, Obama expressed surprising admiration for Reagan’s game-changing, tax-cutting presidency.

Johann Hari Julian Assange Has Made Us All Safer — and Been a Great Gift to US National Security

Every one of us owes a debt to Julian Assange. Thanks to him, we now know that our governments are pursuing policies that place you and your family in considerably greater danger. It’s only because of his leaks that we know the US government has secretly launched war on yet another Muslim country, sanctioned torture, kidnapped innocent people from the streets of free countries and intimidated the police into hushing it up, and covered up the killing of 15,000 civilians — five times the number killed on 9/11. Each one of these acts has increased the number of jihadis. We can only change these policies if we know about them — and Assange has given us the black-and-white proof.

Each of the WikiLeaks revelations has been carefully weighed to ensure there is a public interest in disclosing it. Of the more than 250,000 documents they hold, they have released fewer than 1000 – and each of those has had the names of informants, or any information that could place anyone at risk, removed. The information they have released covers areas where our governments are defying the will of their own citizens, and hiding the proof from them.

Paul Rieckhoff: A Military Pay Freeze? Our Troops Shouldn’t Pay the Price for the Recession

After 10 years in Iraq and Afghanistan, our troops are coming home from war to a difficult economy, staggering foreclosure rates and high unemployment. Now, if Washington gets its way, they’ll also face their lowest pay raise in decades. Nice. So as investment bankers get hefty bonuses on Wall Street, a Marine Corps Sergeant in Fallujah would get a minimal pay increase, or in the worst circumstances, a pay freeze.

According to new reports, the President is expected to propose a 1.4% raise for the military in 2011 – the lowest pay raise for service members since 1962, when no raise was given. His proposal comes as the White House is seeking ways to reduce the growing U.S. deficit and pull the economy out of the worst recession we’ve seen in decades.

In the last three years, active duty pay has increased between 3.4 percent and 3.9 percent. As the largest new veterans organization and as a member of The Military Coalition (TMC), we at IAVA know that in the midst of two wars, military pay is not a place to start freezing or cutting to pull us out of the recession.

Dec 08 2010

Spelunker-in-Chief

First of all I have to give credit to TheMomCat for the title.  It’s her coinage as far as I know, and I think it’s pretty punny.

So what’s so bad about the Tax Cut deal outside, of course, breaking yet another major campaign promise?

Well, it raises taxes on those making less than $20,000 a year.

The “2% Payroll Tax Cut” starves Social Security, throwing it into a fiscal crunch that did not previously exist.

The Estate Tax break alone, affecting only 1.62% of Estates, will cost over $23.2 Billion per year.

And it runs up a $900 Billion Defict in just 2 years with over 70% of the benefits going to the Wealthiest 2% and Corporations, proving that anyone in Washington who claims to care about The Deficit is a FLAT OUT LIAR.  As Robert Reich says– “Families with incomes of over $1 million will reap an average of about $70,000, while middle-class families earning $50,000 a year will get an average of around $1,500.”

Not to mention that all these Republican Trickle Down Voodoo Economics Policies have been tried and tested for the last 10 years and are PROVEN FAILURES.

Likewise Liars are anyone who claims to care about Democratic Electoral Victory.  74% of Obama contributors and volunteers are deeply opposed to this deal, while fully 57% say it will make them less likely to support Democratic Candidates in 2012.

And Barack Hussein Obama is not just a Liar, but a Craven, Cowardly, Petulant, Whiner.

Update: I ought to point out before you invest a lot of time that the presser runs 32:24 and the Special Comment 11:51.  Americablog had the best liveblog coverage that I have read.

Dec 08 2010

On This Day in History: December 8

This is your morning Open Thread. Pour your favorite beverage and review the past and comment on the future

Find the past “On This Day in History” here.

December 8 is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 23 days remaining until the end of the year.

John Lennon, October 9. 1940 – December 8, 1980

The Tea Maker

Yoko Ono

John and I are in our Dakota kitchen in the middle of the night. Three cats – Sasha, Micha and Charo – are looking up at John, who is making tea for us two.

Sasha is all white, Micha is all black. They are both gorgeous, classy Persian cats. Charo, on the other hand, is a mutt. John used to have a special love for Charo. “You’ve got a funny face, Charo!” he would say, and pat her.

“Yoko, Yoko, you’re supposed to first put the tea bags in, and then the hot water.” John took the role of the tea maker, for being English. So I gave up doing it.

It was nice to be up in the middle of the night, when there was no sound in the house, and sip the tea John would make. One night, however, John said: “I was talking to Aunt Mimi this afternoon and she says you are supposed to put the hot water in first. Then the tea bag. I could swear she taught me to put the tea bag in first, but …”

“So all this time, we were doing it wrong?”

“Yeah …”

We both cracked up. That was in 1980. Neither of us knew that it was to be the last year of our life together.

 1432 – the first battle between the forces of Svitrigaila and Sigismund Kestutaitis is fought near the town of Oszmiana (Ashmyany), launching the most active phase of the civil war in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

1660 – Margaret Hughes becomes the first actress to appear on an English public stage, playing the role of Desdemona in a production of Shakespeare’s play Othello.

1854 – In his Apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogmatic definition of Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Virgin Mary was born free of original sin.

1907 – King Gustaf V of Sweden accedes to the Swedish throne.

1912 – Leaders of the German Empire hold an Imperial War Council to discuss the possibility that war might break out.

1941 – United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares December 7 to be “a day which will live in infamy”, after which the U.S. and the Republic of China declare war against Japan.

1941 – Japanese forces invade Thailand’s southern peninsula. They face a heavy resistance, however, Plaek Phibunsongkhram ordered a ceasefire.

1953 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his Atoms for Peace speech, and the U.S. launches its “Atoms for Peace” program that supplied equipment and information to schools, hospitals, and research institutions around the world.

1963 – Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707, is struck by positive lightning and crashes near Elkton, Maryland, United States, killing all 81 people on board.

1966 – The Greek ship SS Heraklion sinks in a storm in the Aegean Sea, killing over 200.

1972 – United Airlines Flight 553 crashes after aborting its landing attempt at Chicago Midway International Airport, killing 45.

1974 – A plebiscite results in the abolition of monarchy in Greece.

1980 – John Lennon, an English musician and peace activist, is assassinated by Mark David Chapman, a mentally unstable fan, in front of the Dakota apartment building in New York City.

1982 – In Suriname, several opponents of the military government are killed.

1987 – The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed.

1987 – Croat Frank Vitkovic shoots and kills eight people at the offices of the Australia Post in Melbourne, before being killed himself.

1987 – The Alianza Lima air disaster occurs.

1991 – The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.

1991 – The Romanian Constitution is adopted in a referendum.

1993 – The North American Free Trade Agreement is signed into law by US President Bill Clinton.

1998 – Eighty-one people are killed by armed groups in Algeria.

1998 – The Australian Cricket Board’s cover-up of Shane Warne and Mark Waugh’s involvement with bookmakers is revealed.

2002 – The Caribbean Community Heads of Government meet with the Government of Cuba and declare the date to be “CARICOM-Cuba Day”-to celebrate diplomatic ties between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba.

2004 – The Cuzco Declaration is signed in Cuzco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations.

2005 – Ante Gotovina, a Croatian army general accused of war crimes, is captured in the Playa de las Americas, Tenerife by the Spanish police.

2008 – Kirsty Williams is elected as Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. She becomes the first female leader of a political party in Wales.

2009 – Bombings in Baghdad, Iraq kill 127 and injure 448.

Holidays and observances

   * Afflux (Discordianism)

   * Bodhi Day (Japan)

   * CARICOM–Cuba Day, celebrate diplomatic ties between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba.

   * Christian Feast Day

         o Eucharius

         o Richard Baxter (Episcopal Church (USA))

         o Romaric

   * Constitution Day (Romania)

   * Constitution Day, official holiday since 1992. (Uzbekistan)

* Feast of the Immaculate Conception (public holidays in several countries, a Holy Day of Obligation in the United States, the Philippines and Ireland)

         o Christmas on Campus(University of Dayton)

         o Day of the National Army of Spain (Spain)

         o Festa da Conceicao da Praia, celebrating Yemanja, Queen of the Ocean (Salvador, Bahia)

         o Festival of Lights (Lyon)

         o Mother’s Day (Panama)

   * National Students’ Day (Bulgaria)

Dec 08 2010

Prime Time

A Charlie Brown Christmas (the classic).  Rachel in her proper place apparently.

You know, I think this Christmas thing is not as tricky as it seems! But why should they have all the fun? It should belong to anyone! Not anyone, in fact, but me! Why, I could make a Christmas tree! And there’s not a reason I can find, I couldn’t have a Christmastime! I bet I could improve it, too! And that’s exactly what I’ll do!

Later-

Dave hosts Johnny Depp and Ra Ra Riot.  Jon has Seth Green, Stephen Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower.  Conan hosts Rainn Wilson, Roberta Mancino, and Christina Perri.

Boondocks– It’s Goin’ Down

  1. What is your favorite word?
  2. What is your least favorite word?
  3. What turns you on?
  4. What turns you off?
  5. What sound or noise do you love?
  6. What sound or noise do you hate?
  7. What is your favorite curse word?
  8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
  9. What profession would you not like to do?
  10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Zap2it TV Listings, Yahoo TV Listings

Dec 08 2010

Evening Edition

Evening Edition is an Open Thread

59 Top Story Final.

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 WikiLeaks chief Assange behind bars in Britain

by Alice Ritchie, AFP

1 hr 23 mins ago

LONDON (AFP) – WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange was refused bail Tuesday by a British judge over claims of sex crimes in Sweden, dealing a fresh blow to the website which vowed to stay online and reveal more US secrets.

The elusive 39-year-old Australian said he would fight an extradition request by Swedish authorities as he appeared in court in London just hours after he emerged from a month in hiding and surrendered to police.

Filmmaker Ken Loach, socialite Jemima Khan and campaigning journalist John Pilger each offered to put up part of his bail but a judge in London refused, saying a court would review the situation at a hearing on December 14.

2 WikiLeaks founder to meet British police

AFP

Mon Dec 6, 7:20 pm ET

LONDON (AFP) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was Monday arranging to meet with British police, his lawyer said, as the net tightened around the man behind the release of a hoard of secret US diplomatic cables.

Swedish authorities want to quiz the elusive 39-year-old Australian — whose website is in the process of releasing tens of thousands of US cables — on suspicion of crimes including rape.

Assange’s lawyer, Mark Stephens, said British police had telephoned him to say they have received an extradition request from Sweden.

3 WikiLeaks chief Assange refused bail in Britain

by Alice Ritchie and Danny Kemp, AFP

Tue Dec 7, 10:50 am ET

LONDON (AFP) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was remanded in custody until December 14 by a London court on Tuesday after saying he would fight his extradition to Sweden on suspicion of rape and molestation.

The 39-year-old Australian, whose whistleblowing website has enraged Washington by releasing thousands of secret US diplomatic cables, appeared in court just hours after handing himself in to British police.

Filmmaker Ken Loach, socialite Jemima Khan, and campaigning journalist John Pilger each offered 20,000 pounds (23,600 euros, 31,400 dollars) for Assange’s bail, but it was refused on the grounds that he might try to flee Britain.

4 Pressure mounts for power handover in I.Coast

by Roland Lloyd Parry, AFP

2 hrs 8 mins ago

ABIDJAN (AFP) – Pressure on Ivory Coast’s incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo to cede power to his electoral rival mounted Tuesday with the west African nation’s neighbours and the United States urging a “peaceful transition”.

At the same time UN staff began evacuating from Ivory Coast, split in half in 2002 and 2003 by a civil war, for fear that the standoff following the November 28 presidential run-off vote could turn into violent conflict.

The regional bloc ECOWAS Tuesday suspended Ivory Coast over the crisis and called on Gbagbo to yield power as it recognised opposition leader Alassane Ouattara as the new president.

5 West African bloc recognises Ouattara, suspends I.Coast

by Susan Njanji, AFP

2 hrs 43 mins ago

ABUJA (AFP) – West African leaders Tuesday called on the Ivory Coast’s Laurent Gbagbo to yield power, recognised his rival as president and suspended the country from regional bloc ECOWAS, officials said.

“For now, we have suspended Cote d’Ivoire from all our activities,” Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said following a special summit on Ivory Coast’s electoral crisis.

“We believe that the result declared by the electoral commission … is the authentic one, and that (Alassane) Ouattara is the person who we support as the president of Cote d’Ivoire.”

6 UN staff quit I.Coast, new government named

by Roland Lloyd Parry, AFP

Tue Dec 7, 11:38 am ET

ABIDJAN (AFP) – UN staff began evacuating from Ivory Coast on Tuesday for fear that a standoff for the presidency could turn violent, but incumbent Laurent Gbagbo continued to defy international calls to quit power.

As the pullout of non-essential UN staff began, Gbagbo raised the stakes in the crisis, with his allies announcing a new government to rival the one declared by Alassane Ouattara, his opponent in last month’s disputed election.

International mediators are trying to break the deadlock amid warnings that it could erupt into violent unrest in the west African country, which suffered a civil war in 2002 and 2O03.

7 Nineteen countries decline Nobel ceremony invite: organisers

by Pierre-Henry Deshayes, AFP

Tue Dec 7, 12:52 pm ET

OSLO (AFP) – Nineteen countries will shun Friday’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo for jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Institute said, following Chinese pressure for a global boycott.

“You only have to look at the figures. The vast majority of countries invited will be represented,” Nobel Institute director Geir Lundestad told AFP on Tuesday.

According to the Nobel Institute, 44 embassies have accepted invitations to the event while 19 have refused “for various reasons” and two have not replied.

8 EU opens WTO door to Russia in ‘milestone’ deal

by Claire Rosemberg, AFP

Tue Dec 7, 1:23 pm ET

BRUSSELS (AFP) – The European Union backed Russia’s entry into the World Trade Organization in a “milestone” deal Tuesday that finally opens the door to Moscow’s accession in 2011 after 17 years of negotiations.

“We’ve reached a very important agreement,” said President Dmitry Medvedev at a one-day EU-Russia summit. “I’m very satisfied.”

Russia is the last major world power still outside the global trade body and the deal with the world’s largest trading bloc clears a crucial hurdle for Moscow’s possible accession as early as next year.

9 US judge dismisses targeted-killing lawsuit

by Michael Mathes, AFP

Tue Dec 7, 1:08 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit by the father of US-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki which sought to block the US government from targeting the fugitive terror suspect for assassination.

Citing the difficulties of a “unique and extraordinary case” involving an American citizen abroad, US district judge John Bates in an 83-page decision ruled that the obstacles in determining the merit of the constitutional challenges “require dismissal of this case at the outset.”

The judge specifically said he was not ruling on the merits of the case, noting, “the serious issues regarding the merits of the alleged authorization of the targeted killing of a US citizen overseas must await another day or another (non-judicial) forum.”

10 Ireland unveils 6.0-billion-euro savings in annual budget

by Andrew Bushe, AFP

Tue Dec 7, 12:56 pm ET

DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP) – Ireland on Tuesday announced an annual budget that comprised 6.0 billion euros (8.0 billion dollars) in savings via tax hikes and spending cuts that are necessary to secure an EU-IMF bailout.

Finance Minister Brian Lenihan, delivering his 2011 budget to the Dail, or lower house of parliament, said he would make the savings as part of a four-year plan to slash a huge deficit by a total of 15 billion euros.

“As outlined in the plan, six billion euros of the overall adjustment is made in today’s budget. The scale of this adjustment is demanding but it demonstrates the seriousness of our intent,” Lenihan told lawmakers.

11 EU clears Irish rescue as rows rage on wider needs

by Roddy Thomson, AFP

Tue Dec 7, 7:24 am ET

BRUSSELS (AFP) – European Union finance ministers cleared Ireland’s rescue on Tuesday, but warned that haggling over increased bailout funding as Portugal comes under fire will go on for “several weeks.”

Amid constant strain on eurozone debt markets, tense talks set the landscape for a summit of national leaders next week, focused on contentious measures to tighten the way the 27 EU states manage their economies.

Related to this was a question of relaxing rules on controlling public finances for eastern, ex-communist nations which have had to reform their pension systems.

12 WikiLeaks founder Assange refused bail by UK court

By Peter Griffiths and Michael Holden, Reuters

1 hr 53 mins ago

LONDON (Reuters) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has angered U.S. authorities by publishing secret diplomatic cables, was remanded in custody by a British court on Tuesday over allegations of sex crimes in Sweden.

Assange, a 39-year-old Australian, had earlier handed himself in to British police after Sweden had issued a European Arrest Warrant for him. Assange, who denies the allegations, will remain behind bars until a fresh hearing on December 14.

He has spent some time in Sweden and was accused this year of sexual misconduct by two female Swedish WikiLeaks volunteers. A Swedish prosecutor wants to question him about the accusation.

13 Ireland sets out record austerity budget

By Padraic Halpin and Carmel Crimmins, Reuters

22 mins ago

DUBLIN (Reuters) – The Irish government detailed the toughest budget on record on Tuesday, targeting 6 billion euros in spending cuts and tax hikes, and warning passage was crucial to avert a deeper crisis and free up EU and IMF rescue funds.

In a speech to parliament, Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan sketched out austerity measures for 2011 including cuts to child benefit and public sector pensions, but stuck with growth forecasts that some economists — and even the European Commission — believe are too optimistic.

Parliament passed the first in a series of votes on the budget on Tuesday evening, suggesting that enough of the budget is likely to pass to release bailout funds. The budget’s success had looked in doubt when independent politicians, on whom the government depends for support, said they might vote against it.

14 IMF chief criticizes euro zone crisis management

By Jan Strupczewski and Ingrid Melander, Reuters

1 hr 32 mins ago

BRUSSELS/ATHENS (Reuters) – The head of the International Monetary Fund criticized Europe’s disjointed response to the euro zone debt crisis on Tuesday after Germany and other states resisted his calls for bolder action.

IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn failed to persuade finance ministers of the 16-nation common currency area on Monday to increase the size of their financial safety net or the European Central Bank to step up government bond purchases.

“The euro zone has to provide a comprehensive solution to this problem,” Strauss-Kahn said after meeting Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou in Athens. “The piecemeal approach, one country after another, is not a good one.

15 Euro zone must avoid piecemeal solution: IMF chief

By Ingrid Melander and Harry Papachristou, Reuters

Tue Dec 7, 2:10 pm ET

ATHENS (Reuters) – The euro zone needs a comprehensive solution to the debt crisis rocking the group and must avoid a country-by-country approach, the head of the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s call during a visit to Greece — the first euro zone country rescued by an EU/IMF bailout — came after euro zone ministers on Monday resisted IMF calls to do more to quell the currency bloc’s debt crisis.

He said there was a risk of Europe becoming divided, and urged it to agree more coordinated policies.

16 Testy Obama fires back at Democrats over tax deal

By Steve Holland and Patricia Zengerle, Reuters

53 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A testy President Barack Obama on Tuesday expressed frustration at his own Democrats for attacking him over his tax-cut deal with Republicans, who he called uncompromising “hostage takers.”

Obama found himself in an unusual position a day after sealing a major tax-cut agreement — praised by Republican opponents and denounced by liberal Democrats who felt he violated a pledge that helped get him elected in 2008.

Liberals accused him of caving to Republican demands by agreeing to extend all the Bush-era tax cuts, even those for wealthier Americans, instead of their preference for limiting the tax cuts to families making less than $250,000 a year.

17 Analysis: Obama tax deal a big gift for America’s rich

By Joseph Giannone, Reuters

1 hr 52 mins ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) – More than 40,000 ultra-rich Americans may have another reason to celebrate the holiday season if President Barack Obama’s latest estate tax proposals are passed by Congress.

Obama struck an agreement on Monday with congressional leaders on a range of tax issues, including cutting the estate tax to 35 percent and raising the individual exemption to $5 million. The estate tax, which expired this year, is due to return in 2011 at 55 percent with a $1 million exemption.

If the compromise proposal is passed, roughly 40,700 families will avoid an estimated $23.2 billion of estate taxes next year, according to the Urban-Brookings Institute Tax Policy Center. Around 3,500 families would pay an estimated $11.2 billion in estate taxes.

18 Democrats question Obama’s tax deal

By Kim Dixon and Richard Cowan, Reuters

1 hr 35 mins ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s plans to extend tax cuts for all Americans ran into trouble on Tuesday when his fellow Democrats questioned whether he had been too quick to compromise with Republicans.

While analysts believe Congress will probably approve the deal, Obama faced a rift with many in his party who worried about its impact on the federal budget.

Stock markets in the United States and Europe initially applauded the proposed deal on taxes and unemployment benefits as it may give economic growth a boost in 2011, but U.S. Treasury bond yields rose sharply late in the day.

19 Nigeria graft agency charges Cheney, Halliburton boss

By Nick Tattersall, Reuters

2 hrs 50 mins ago

LAGOS (Reuters) – Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency filed charges against former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney and the head of oil services giant Halliburton Co on Tuesday over an alleged scheme to bribe Nigerian officials.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said it had filed 16-count charges at a federal high court in Abuja against Cheney, Halliburton Chief Executive David Lesar and two other executives, in a case dating back to the mid-1990s.

It also filed charges against Halliburton as a company, which was headed by Cheney during the 1990s, and four associated businesses. Cheney was U.S. vice president from 2001 to 2009.

20 EU agrees to back Russia’s WTO entry

By Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck and Alexei Anishchuk

Tue Dec 7, 1:50 pm ET

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union formally backed Russia’s bid to join the World Trade Organization on Tuesday, clearing the way for Moscow to join the body in 2011 after 17 years of trying.

EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht and Russian Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina signed an agreement on the sidelines of an EU-Russia summit, after the resolution of a tariff dispute that had held up EU approval.

“The European Union and Russia have concluded their bilateral negotiations on the WTO…and we agree that we should now focus on the multilateral negotiations so that Russia can become a member of the WTO as soon as possible,” European Council President Herman Van Rompuy told reporters after the summit.

21 China rate rise talk builds as loans and inflation rise

By Zhou Xin and Simon Rabinovitch, Reuters

Tue Dec 7, 8:07 am ET

BEIJING (Reuters) – China is likely to raise interest rates in the coming days in a demonstration of the government’s resolve to tame inflation, an official newspaper said on Tuesday.

In a banner headline across its front page, the China Securities Journal said this weekend offered a “sensitive window” for a rate rise, which would be the country’s second after a surprise increase in October, the central bank’s first rate hike since 2007.

An increase in rates would also put flesh on the bones of Beijing’s announcement late last week that it was switching to a “prudent” monetary policy from the “appropriately loose” stance of the past two years.

22 British PM eyes 2011 Afghan pullback, U.S. reviews war

By Mohammed Abbas and David Alexander, Reuters

Tue Dec 7, 1:25 pm ET

KABUL (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron, on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, said on Tuesday he was confident British troops could start leaving early next year when a gradual transition to Afghan forces begins.

Britain has the second-biggest foreign troop contingent in Afghanistan after the United States, and Cameron has said he wants British troops out of combat roles by 2015.

While he has said before he wants that process to begin next year, British commanders have since tried to play down the prospect of any major withdrawals in early 2011, saying this would depend on the readiness of Afghan forces to take over and other conditions on the ground.

23 OECD warns West of losing global edge in education

By Brian Love, Reuters

Tue Dec 7, 11:54 am ET

PARIS (Reuters) – The world’s richest countries risk losing the edge gained by better education as standards rise sharply in for example South Korea and the Chinese city of Shanghai, the OECD said Tuesday.

In a report based on surveys of half a million 15-year-old students in 65 countries, the Paris-based OECD noted a drop in reading skills in the United States and many western European countries in the past decade, most notably Ireland and Sweden.

In contrast, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development signaled marked improvement in reading proficiency in countries such as Peru, Chile, Brazil, Indonesia, Latvia and Poland, albeit from low starting points in most of those cases.

24 U.S. exits Citigroup stake and earns $12 billion profit

By David Lawder, Reuters

Tue Dec 7, 12:52 am ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. government sold off its remaining shares in Citigroup Inc on Monday for $4.35 each, marking an exit from ownership in the bailed-out banking giant with a $12 billion gross profit for taxpayers.

The U.S. Treasury said it will take in $10.5 billion in sale proceeds from a public offering of 2.4 billion Citigroup shares, announced just hours earlier. The price is 10 cents below the $4.45 closing price on the New York Stock Exchange.

“By selling all the remaining Citigroup shares today, we had an opportunity to lock in substantial profits for the taxpayer and avoid future risk,” said Tim Massad, Treasury acting assistant secretary for financial stability.

25 Orexigen to U.S. panel: diet pill safe for approval

By Susan Heavey, Reuters

Tue Dec 7, 10:41 am ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Orexigen Therapeutics Inc’s Contrave, the last of a trio of new weight-loss drugs, can effectively help patients shed pounds, the biotech company told a panel of U.S. medical advisers on Tuesday at a meeting set to focus on heart risks.

Company officials are facing a Food and Drug Administration panel of outside advisers who have already rejected two competing diet drugs this year and are likely to have tough questions about the pill’s effect on blood pressure and pulse rates, among other safety concerns.

Shares of Orexigen have fallen 36 percent this year as investors worry whether the biotech can succeed where rivals have failed, aiming to tap into a potentially major market in the United States, where rates of obesity continue to soar.

26 Study finds daily aspirin cuts many cancer risks

By Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent, Reuters

Tue Dec 7, 3:27 am ET

LONDON (Reuters) – Taking low doses of aspirin can reduce the risk of many kinds of cancer, scientists said on Tuesday, and the evidence is strong enough to suggest people over 40 should take it daily as protection.

The findings will fuel an already intense debate about the merits of taking aspirin, which increases the risk of bleeding in the stomach to around one patient in every thousand per year.

In a study of eight trials involving 25,570 patients, researchers found that cancer deaths among those who took aspirin in doses as low as 75 milligrams a day were 21 percent lower during the studies and 34 percent lower after five years.

27 Wal-Mart class-action appeal goes to Supreme Court

By James Vicini, Reuters

Mon Dec 6, 10:16 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Supreme Court said on Monday it would decide if the largest sex-discrimination class-action lawsuit in U.S. history against Wal-Mart Stores Inc can proceed, a case involving women workers who seek billions of dollars in damages.

The nation’s highest court agreed to hear an appeal by the world’s largest retailer and the largest private employer arguing the claims of as many as 1.5 million current and former female employees were too diverse to proceed as a single class-action lawsuit.

The justices decided to review a ruling by a appeals court in California that upheld the class-action certification in the lawsuit alleging discrimination against every woman employed over the past decade at the company’s 3,400 U.S. stores.

28 Appeals court hears California gay marriage case

By Dan Levine and Peter Henderson, Reuters

Mon Dec 6, 7:58 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – U.S. appeals court judges considering whether to allow gay marriage in California on Monday asked whether there was any good reason for stopping same-sex weddings.

California voters, with a reputation for social liberalism, shocked the United States in 2008 when they narrowly approved the Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage only months after the top state court opened the door to same-sex weddings.

A federal judge sided with the same-sex couples and struck down the ban, but the ruling is on hold while it is on appeal.

29 Mbeki ends Ivory Coast poll row talks without deal

By Tim Cocks and David Lewis, Reuters

Mon Dec 6, 5:02 pm ET

ABIDJAN (Reuters) – Former South African leader Thabo Mbeki failed on Monday to settle an election row between Ivory Coast’s presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara and incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, but appealed to both for a peaceful solution.

Mbeki had hoped to defuse a power struggle enveloping the country since an election which the electoral commission and international observers say Ouattara won — a decision reversed by the Constitutional Council, backed by the armed forces chief.

Gbagbo refused to concede defeat after the election commission said the November 28 poll, meant to reunite the region’s former economic powerhouse after a 2002-03 civil war, had been won by Ouattara with 54.1 percent of the vote.

30 WikiLeaks founder is jailed in Britain in sex case

By CASSANDRA VINOGRAD and RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press

8 mins ago

LONDON – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested and jailed without bail Tuesday in a sex-crimes investigation, but his organization scarcely missed a beat, releasing a new batch of the secret cables that U.S. officials say are damaging America’s security and relations worldwide.

A month after dropping out of public view, the 39-year-old Australian surrendered to Scotland Yard to answer a warrant issued for his arrest by Sweden. He is wanted for questioning after two women accused him of having sex with them without a condom and without their consent.

Assange said he would fight extradition to Sweden, setting the stage for what could be a pitched legal battle. And as if to prove that it can’t be intimidated, WikiLeaks promptly released a dozen new cables, including details of a NATO defense plan for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that made Russia bristle.

31 Haiti cholera likely from UN troops, expert says

By JONATHAN M. KATZ, Associated Press

1 hr 7 mins ago

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – A contingent of U.N. peacekeepers is the likely source of a cholera outbreak in Haiti that has killed at least 2,000 people, a French scientist said in a report obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

Epidemiologist Renaud Piarroux concluded that the cholera originated in a tributary of Haiti’s Artibonite river, next to a U.N. base outside the town of Mirebalais. He was sent by the French government to assist Haitian health officials in determining the source of the outbreak, a French Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday.

“No other hypothesis could be found to explain the outbreak of a cholera epidemic in this village … not affected by the earthquake earlier this year and located dozens of kilometers from the coast and (tent) camps,” he wrote in a report that has not been publicly released.

32 UN’s Ban at climate talks: ‘We need results now’

By CHARLES J. HANLEY, AP Special Correspondent

15 mins ago

CANCUN, Mexico – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, trying to revive long-stalled climate talks, told world environment ministers on Tuesday he is “deeply concerned” that many years of negotiation have proven largely fruitless.

“The pace of human-induced climate change is accelerating. We need results now, results that curb global greenhouse emissions,” Ban declared at the opening of high-level talks at the annual U.N. climate conference.

In the two-week session’s final days, environment ministers will seek agreement on knotty side issues in coping with global warming, but once more the U.N. climate treaty’s 193 parties will fail at Cancun to produce a sweeping deal to slash greenhouse gas emissions and control climate change.

33 Obama defends tax deal, says he’s kept promises

By BEN FELLER, AP White House Correspondent

2 hrs 55 mins ago

WASHINGTON – With fellow Democrats balking, President Barack Obama declared Tuesday that a compromise with Republicans on tax cuts was necessary to help the economy and protect recession-weary Americans. He passionately defended his record against Democrats who complain he’s breaking campaign promises.

“Take a tally. Look at what I promised during the campaign. There’s not a single thing that I haven’t done or tried to do,” the president said.

He staunchly defended his decision to deal with the GOP in order to extend about-to-expire tax cuts for all Americans.

34 It’s not just taxes: Obama defends his credibility

By BEN FELLER and JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press

32 mins ago

WASHINGTON – His political credibility on the line, President Barack Obama testily defended his willingness to choose compromise over combat with Republicans on Tuesday, lecturing fellow Democrats not to be “sanctimonious” purists.

Sensitive to charges of caving on bedrock principles, he said he welcomed fights with the GOP ahead of his 2012 re-election bid.

“I will be happy to see the Republicans test whether or not I’m itching for a fight on a whole range of issues,” Obama said. “I suspect they will find I am. And I think the American people will be on my side.”

35 Obama struggles to keep Dems from killing tax cuts

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER and CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press

47 mins ago

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama struggled Tuesday to prevent wholesale defections by fellow Democrats that could sink the tax deal he worked out with Republicans – angry opposition that could subject millions of Americans to a big holiday-season tax increase.

Many GOP lawmakers seemed ready to embrace the Obama-GOP compromise and declare victory. The question was whether enough Democrats would join them in support, especially in the House, where liberal resentment of the president’s concessions on tax breaks for the wealthiest runs strong.

Obama went on national TV to give a ringing defense of his compromise, declaring it the necessary price for heading off a tax increase that neither taxpayers nor the weak economy could stand and for gaining more months of unemployment payments for millions of jobless workers.

36 Tax deal should help economy, analysts say

By PAUL WISEMAN and JEANNINE AVERSA, AP Economic Writers

1 hr 58 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The tax deal struck by President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans essentially gives Americans a pay raise – pumping money into the economy almost immediately and probably creating hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next two years, economists say.

The compromise already has economists raising their forecasts for growth next year, mainly because it includes a surprising one-year cut in Social Security taxes. The amount of that cut – 2 percent of pay for most American workers – instantly becomes more take-home money. Critics complain that the deal would further swell the $1.3 trillion federal budget deficit.

Two central parts of the agreement extend income-tax cuts that would have expired Dec. 31 and renew benefits for the long-term unemployed. Those were both expected. But they still give a psychological boost to shoppers in the midst of the holiday shopping season.

37 Top Catholic educator concealed abuse knowledge

By PATRICK CONDON, Associated Press

Tue Dec 7, 3:11 pm ET

MINNEAPOLIS – Kevin Price was struggling with memories of the sexual abuse he says he suffered at the hands of a high school teacher, so he reached out to the religious order that runs the Catholic school he attended.

De La Salle Christian Brothers, which educates more than 1 million students around the world, apologized for Price’s pain and sought to reassure him. The order’s Midwest leader said the brother in question had been forbidden from contact with anyone under 18 and was working in a prison.

But in a 1995 letter obtained by The Associated Press, the leader neglected to mention something: The prison was for males from age 10 to 21. The writer of that letter, Brother Thomas Johnson, is now the second-ranking official in the worldwide order.

38 Microsoft unveils new privacy feature for IE

By JORDAN ROBERTSON, AP Technology Writer

1 hr 30 mins ago

SAN FRANCISCO – An upcoming version of Microsoft Corp.’s Internet Explorer browser will let users add lists of sites that they don’t want tracking them, a peace offering amid uproar over the sneaky ways that websites watch their users as they bounce around the Internet.

The new feature, however, won’t be as sweeping as a “do not track” option that the Federal Trade Commission is proposing to limit advertisers’ ability to do that. Users will have to create or find their own lists of sites they want to block.

And the feature won’t be automatically turned on when it debuts with the release of Internet Explorer 9 early next year.

39 Debt-hit Irish publish harshest budget in history

By SHAWN POGATCHNIK, Associated Press

Tue Dec 7, 3:21 pm ET

DUBLIN – Ireland must endure the toughest cuts and tax hikes in its history as an unavoidable price for saving the debt-burdened nation from bankruptcy, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan told lawmakers as they prepared to vote on a brutal 2011 budget.

Lenihan’s plan – the harshest yet of four emergency budgets unveiled since 2008 to combat a runaway deficit – contains ?4.5 billion ($6 billion) in spending cuts and ?1.5 billion ($2 billion) in tax rises.

Lenihan told lawmakers he believes Ireland’s economy can grow despite the fact that almost all 4.5 million residents face “a traumatic and worrying time.” He said the depth of the cuts represents the minimum required to counter “the worst crisis in our history and one with few international parallels.”

40 Audubon’s "Birds of America" fetches $10 million

By GREGORY KATZ, Associated Press

2 hrs 5 mins ago

LONDON – It’s quite a nest egg. John James Audubon’s “Birds of America,” a rare blend of art, natural history and craftsmanship, fetched more than $10 million at auction on Tuesday, making it the world’s most expensive published book.

With its 435 hand-colored illustrations of birds drawn to size, the volume is one of the best preserved editions of Audubon’s 19th-century masterpiece. The sale at Sotheby’s auction house had been anticipated for months by wealthy collectors.

The book sold for $10,270,000 (6.5 million pounds) to an anonymous collector bidding by telephone, the auction house said.

41 Judge tosses bid to block assassination of cleric

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press

Tue Dec 7, 2:01 pm ET

WASHINGTON – A judge on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit aimed at preventing the United States from targeting anti-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki for death, but questioned whether a president or his aides can unilaterally order a U.S. citizen assassinated for terrorist activity.

U.S. District Judge John Bates said in an 83-page opinion that he does not have the authority to review the president’s military decisions and al-Awlaki’s father does not have the legal right to sue to stop the United States from killing his son. But Bates also said the “unique and extraordinary case” raised vital considerations of national security and for military and foreign affairs.

Among the “stark and perplexing questions” Bates said the case raises is why courts have authority to approve surveillance of Americans overseas but not their killing. And he questioned whether the president or his advisers can order the assassination of a U.S. citizen without “any form of judicial process whatsoever, based on the mere assertion that he is a dangerous member of a terrorist organization.”

42 China, 18 others to skip Nobel Peace prize party

By BJOERN H. AMLAND and ANITA CHANG, Associated Press

Tue Dec 7, 9:47 am ET

OSLO, Norway – China and 18 other countries have declined to attend this year’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony honoring imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, Nobel officials said Tuesday as China unleashed a new barrage deriding the decision.

Chinese officials in Beijing called Liu’s backers “clowns” in an anti-Chinese farce – comments that came only three days before the Dec. 10 Nobel peace prize ceremony in Oslo.

Beijing considers Liu’s recognition an attack on China’s political and legal system, and says the country’s policies will not be swayed by outside forces in what it calls “flagrant interference in China’s sovereignty.”

43 Japan probe reaches Venus but shuts itself down

By ERIC TALMADGE and SETH BORENSTEIN, Associated Press

1 hr 56 mins ago

TOKYO – A Japanese space probe sent to the thick clouds of Venus shut itself down, and its future looks as hazy as the planet it was built to study.

The probe, called Akatsuki, which means “dawn,” reached Venus on Tuesday to orbit Earth’s neighbor on a two-year mission. But communication problems left scientists in the dark about whether it was successfully in orbit.

An American scientist on the probe’s research team said the probe shut itself partially down and is in safe mode. That means it is sending back signals indicating it is alive, but not transmitting any data.

44 McCourt marital deal on Dodgers ruled invalid

By GREG RISLING, Associated Press

2 hrs 45 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – A judge ruled Tuesday that a postnuptial marital agreement giving sole ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers to Frank McCourt is not valid – a decision that isn’t expected to affect team operations but means the Dodgers could eventually be shared under California community property law.

Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon said there wasn’t a mutual understanding between Jamie and Frank McCourt about what the pact spelled out when they signed it in March 2004 in Massachusetts.

“The parties had mistaken belief and no agreement as to the meaning of the agreement, the content of the agreement, and the effect of the (agreement) on their property and property rights,” Gordon wrote in his 100-page tentative ruling.

45 Mud activities made tech uncomfortable on BP rig

By HARRY R. WEBER, Associated Press

30 mins ago

HOUSTON – A technician responsible for monitoring gas levels told federal investigators Tuesday he never considered using his authority to stop work on the doomed Gulf of Mexico oil rig even though mud-moving activities in the hours before the blast made him uncomfortable.

Joseph Keith, who works for a unit of Halliburton, told the joint U.S. Coast Guard-Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement panel that the BP wellsite leader and mud engineers onboard would have been in a better position to assess whether work should have stopped.

“I just didn’t think about it at the time,” Keith said when asked why he didn’t pull the plug on the job if he felt uncomfortable.

46 Officials cite ‘layers of failure’ in copter crash

By JOAN LOWY, Associated Press

11 mins ago

WASHINGTON – A firefighting helicopter crash that killed nine people two years ago was caused by deceptions on the part of the company that leased the aircraft to the U.S. Forest Service and a lack of federal safety oversight, the National Transportation Safety Board determined Tuesday.

Carson Helicopters of Grants Pass, Ore., intentionally altered documents to exaggerate the helicopter’s performance capabilities in order to win a Forest Service contract, the board said.

But the Federal Aviation Administration and the Forest Service missed several opportunities to uncover those problems, the board said.

47 Beating video shown at murder trial of Chicago boy

By DON BABWIN, Associated Press

44 mins ago

CHICAGO – The trial of a teen charged in the beating death of a 16-year-old Chicago honor student began Tuesday with jurors watching a video showing the teen punching the other boy in the face – a recording played around the world that drew attention to school violence.

Prosecutors told jurors the teen was part of a mob that descended on Derrion Albert as he made his way home from school in September 2009. On the video, Albert could be seen being punched, slammed over his head with large boards, kicked and finally stomped on his head.

“Those injuries acted together to cause the death of Derrion Albert,” Cook County assistant state’s attorney Lisa Morrison told the jury. “The damage inflicted on him was too much for his body to handle.”

48 Pearl Harbor survivors gather 69 years later

By AUDREY McAVOY, Associated Press

46 mins ago

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – Aging Pearl Harbor survivors on Tuesday heard reassurances their sacrifice would be remembered and passed on to future generations as they gathered to mark the 69th anniversary of the attack.

“Long after the last veteran of the war in the Pacific is gone, we will still be here telling their story and honoring their dedication and sacrifice,” National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis told about 120 survivors who traveled to Hawaii from around the country for the event.

Merl Resler, 88, of Newcastle, Calif., was among those who returned. He remembered firing shots at Japanese planes from the USS Maryland and standing in the blood of a shipmate hit by shrapnel during the attack.

49 US general: Battle in Marjah is over

By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press

2 hrs 7 mins ago

WASHINGTON – A senior Marine general in Afghanistan on Tuesday declared the battle in the southern Taliban stronghold of Marjah “essentially over.”

The commander’s assertion of victory in Marjah comes 10 months after thousands of U.S.-led NATO troops stormed the cluster of farming hamlets to rout insurgents and cut off their income from the drug trade.

The campaign took longer than NATO officials had hoped, and underscored the complexity of trying to wrest control of an area where Taliban influence remained strong.

50 Innocent Wis. convict wavers between anger, hope

By DINESH RAMDE, Associated Press

2 hrs 26 mins ago

MILWAUKEE – It wasn’t the 23 years behind bars that made Robert Lee Stinson’s prison sentence so agonizing. Nor was it the humiliating treatment by prison guards.

What really tormented him was watching his youth slip away as he served time for a murder he didn’t commit.

The Wisconsin Innocence Project helped free him last year, and now the 46-year-old Milwaukee man wants to make sure no one else has to endure what he suffered. Stinson is seeking $115,000 from a state claims board this week, a settlement that could help him afford a criminal-justice degree.

51 Prosecution rests in 1975 AIM slaying trial

By NOMAAN MERCHANT, Associated Press

4 mins ago

RAPID CITY, S.D. – The prosecution has rested in the trial of a man accused of shooting an American Indian Movement activist in late 1975 and leaving her to die.

John Graham is accused of shooting Annie Mae Aquash and leaving her to die on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge reservation.

In five days of testimony, prosecution witnesses said Graham and two other AIM activists kidnapped and killed Aquash because they thought Aquash was a government informant. One of the witnesses to testify against Graham was Arlo Looking Cloud, who was convicted for his role in Aquash’s death in 2004 and said he saw Graham shoot Aquash.

52 Ill. casino plan could amp up gambling competition

By CHRISTOPHER WILLS, Associated Press

2 hrs 43 mins ago

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Cash-strapped Illinois is considering a massive casino expansion in Chicago and elsewhere that could leave nearby competitors playing for smaller stakes.

With most state governments facing serious budget problems amid plunging tax revenues, expanding or even adding gambling can seem like an attractive solution. It brings with it not only the possibility of more money without raising taxes, but also new jobs. Proponents of Illinois’ plan say it could raise up to $1 billion in new tax revenue annually for a state that could face a deficit of up to $15 billion next year.

But experts point out that while it could allow Illinois to take more money from its own residents rather than having them spend their money in Indiana or Wisconsin, it’s unlikely it would drum up new gamblers or draw people from very far away. And with casinos already scrambling for every customer, it’s possible Illinois will become so crowded with gambling opportunities that some casinos will fail, they warn.

53 Army struggles with mental health amid 2 long wars

By DAN ELLIOTT, Associated Press

Tue Dec 7, 1:35 pm ET

FORT CARSON, Colo. – A baby-faced, chain-smoking infantryman who was on a prescribed antidepressant when he allegedly shot and killed a captured Taliban member is the latest challenge to the Army’s ability to address mental health problems in the ranks while fighting two lengthy wars.

Pfc. David Lawrence, 20, had also told family members before the shooting that he was hearing voices.

Lawrence is charged with premeditated murder in the Oct. 17 death of the prisoner, who prosecutors say was asleep in a jail cell when he was shot. If convicted, Lawrence could face execution or life in prison.

54 Showdown nears on release of NYC teacher ratings

By KAREN MATTHEWS, Associated Press

Tue Dec 7, 1:31 pm ET

NEW YORK – A dispute over whether to release performance ratings for 12,000 New York City schoolteachers is pitting the public’s right to know which teachers are making the grade against teachers’ fears that they will be unfairly subjected to ridicule based on student test scores.

A hearing is scheduled Wednesday in a state court after the United Federation of Teachers filed a lawsuit seeking to keep the data confidential. The union called the ratings “unreliable, often incorrect, subjective analyses dressed up as scientific facts.”

The teacher ratings controversy follows a scandal in Los Angeles in which a teacher committed suicide after the ratings were released. It comes during a transition period for the nation’s largest school system, as publishing executive Cathie Black prepares to take over from outgoing Chancellor Joel Klein.

55 Texas historians preserving WWII internment camp

By MICHAEL GRACZYK, Associated Press

Tue Dec 7, 3:22 am ET

CRYSTAL CITY, Texas – The roundups began in earnest almost immediately after the Dec. 7 attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States’ entry into World War II.

Japanese, Germans and Italians, both foreign nationals and foreign-born American citizens considered potential threats, were rousted from their homes in the U.S. and in Latin American nations friendly to the U.S. and were then shipped to internment camps.

As many as seven camps may have been in Texas where historians are working to gather stories from some of the thousands who were confined and to preserve the few visible signs of the camps.

56 Japan, India pressed to curb child abductions

By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer

Tue Dec 7, 12:01 am ET

NEW YORK – Japan and India are among America’s most prized allies. Yet to scores of embittered parents across the U.S., they are outlaw states when it comes to the wrenching phenomenon of international child abduction.

The frustrations of these “left-behind” parents run deep. They seethe over Japan’s and India’s noncompliance with U.S. court orders regarding children taken by the other parent to the far side of the world, and many also fault top U.S. leaders for reluctance to ratchet up the pressure for change.

“If they really made it an issue to solve these cases, I believe they could be resolved tomorrow. … They don’t have the will,” said Christopher Savoie of Franklin, Tenn.

57 Texas pecan farmers say pollution is killing trees

By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI, Associated Press

Mon Dec 6, 6:51 pm ET

HOUSTON – Orchard owner Leonard Baca had been watching his pecan trees slowly die for 12 years when he went into a washroom, put a gun in this mouth and killed himself.

The frustrated 73-year-old had spent thousands of dollars on technology and improvements to try to resolve the problem at his Central Texas ranch without ever learning what was killing the trees that had supported three generations of his family. Now, 18 years after his death, Baca’s son-in-law, Harvey Hayek, believes he’s solved the mystery: Sulfur dioxide pollution from a nearby coal-fired power plant has slowly killed two-thirds of his family’s 250-acre pecan orchard.

On Monday, Hayek and other pecan growers held a news conference in Austin to demand compensation from the Lower Colorado River Authority, which operates the plant, and the city. They also want research done on what and how much pollution is being emitted now and how much will be discharged after the plant installs equipment aimed at reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide, a component of acid rain.

58 Prosecution stands mute at death penalty hearing

By JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press

Mon Dec 6, 5:57 pm ET

HOUSTON – Prosecutors on Monday told a judge presiding over an unusual court hearing on the constitutionality of the death penalty in Texas that they won’t participate in the legal proceeding and will “stand mute” during the hearing.

Despite the prosecution’s actions, the judge ordered the hearing to go forward and lawyers for John Edward Green Jr., the Houston man who asked for the proceeding, began calling witnesses.

The attorneys say will try to show that the way death penalty cases are handled in Texas creates a risk that innocent people will be executed. Green faces a possible death sentence if convicted of fatally shooting a Houston woman during a June 2008 robbery.

59 Minn.’s top lawyer sues Discover over charges

By MARTIGA LOHN, Associated Press

Mon Dec 6, 5:50 pm ET

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson sued Discover on Monday, accusing one of the nation’s biggest credit card companies of billing tens of thousands of Minnesota customers for account protection programs they didn’t want.

The lawsuit alleges that Discover Bank, DFS Services and parent company Discover Financial Services broke state consumer fraud and deceptive trade practices laws. Swanson sued on behalf of the Minnesota public but said the billing practices are likely widespread in other states. She is seeking refunds for Minnesota customers and civil penalties, but said she couldn’t estimate how much money that might amount to because she didn’t have a complete customer list for the state.

Swanson said Discover telemarketers talked fast, skipped over words and rushed customers through a script to sign them up for the programs, including payment protection, identity theft protection and credit monitoring. She said the phone conversations often started out as courtesy calls before the telemarketer brought up the protection programs, leaving consumers confused.

Dec 07 2010

In Memoriam: Elizabeth Edwards

The Wheel Turns

Elizabeth Edwards has died just one day after the announcement that she had ended treatment for her recurring breast cancer.

Photobucket

May the Goddess guide her on her journey through the Summerlands. May her family and friends find Peace.

Blessed Be

The Edwards Family has requested that donations be made to The Wade Edwards Learing Lab in her honor. It is a non-profite organization founded as a memorial to the Edwards’ son, Wade, who died in 1996. The organization operates a free after school computer lab, sponsors scholarships and partners with other education organizations to provide greater services.

Dec 07 2010

Payback: Bank That Froze WikiLeaks Funds Hacked

(4 pm. – promoted by ek hornbeck)



Posted to Youtube October 29, 2010 by user opPayback

Hackers take down website of bank that froze WikiLeaks funds

By Daniel Tencer, RawStory

Monday, December 6th, 2010

A group of Internet activists calling themselves Operation Payback have taken credit for shutting down the website of a bank that earlier Monday froze funds belonging to WikiLeaks.

Announcing its successful hack on a Twitter account, the group declared, “We will fire at anyone that tries to censor WikiLeaks.”

Earlier in the day, Swiss bank PostFinance issued a statement announcing that it had frozen 31,000 euro ($41,000 US) in an account set up as a legal defense fund for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

The bank said it had frozen the account because, in opening it, Assange had claimed residency in Geneva.

“Assange cannot provide proof of residence in Switzerland and thus does not meet the criteria for a customer relationship with PostFinance,” the bank said.

As of Monday evening, the PostFinance website was unavailable.

Operation Payback also promised a hack attack on PayPal, the online payment service that last week cut off WikiLeaks, denying the group a major tool for collecting donations from supporters.

With the financial noose tightening around WikiLeaks even as a legal one tightens around its founder’s neck, Operation Payback has effectively declared war on the organizations working to hobble WikiLeaks.

“In these modern times, Internet access is fast becoming a basic human right,” the group says in a video posted to YouTube. “Just like any other basic human right, we believe it is wrong to infringe upon it.”

Posted to Youtube October 30, 2010 by user opPayback

Operation Payback (is a bitch), this is the Internet, we run this. An open message from Anonymous to the governments of the world and their legal leeches regarding the motivation of the cyber protests.

Corrupt governments of the world, we are anonymous. For some time now, voices have been crying out in unison against the new ACTA laws. The gross inadequacies of the new laws being passed internationally have been pointed out repeatedly. Our chief complaint is that such measures would restrict people’s access to the internet.

In these modern times access to the internet is fast becoming a basic human right. Just like any other basic human right, we believe that it is wrong to infringe upon it. To threaten to cut people off from the global consciousness as you have is criminal and abhorrent. To move to censor content on the internet based on your own prejudice is at best laughably impossible, at worst, morally reprehensible.

The unjust restrictions you impose on us will meet with disaster and only strengthen our resolve to disobey and rebel against your tyranny. Such actions taken against you, and those you out source your malignant litigation too, are inevitable, unavoidable and unstoppable.

We Are Anonymous,

We Are Legion And Divided By Zero.

We Do Not Forgive Internet Censorship

And We Do Not Forget Free Speech.

We Are Over 9000,

Expect Us!

Dec 07 2010

Korean Update

I know the story of the day is Obama’s spectacular cave on the Bush Tax Cuts for the Billionaires.  It is not by ANY DEFINITION a stimulus.

  1. Tax Cuts of any kind are the LEAST stimulative investments a government can make, in many cases producing negative returns.
  2. PEOPLE ARE ALREADY GETTING THIS MONEY!  This does nothing at all to introduce new Aggregate Demand.

Even the more charitable than I (and the CBO I might add) Paul Krugman estimates at best an improvement of 0.3 to 0.4% in unemployment.

But we can’t allow the new horrible to make us forget about the last horrible- that’s what they want to happen, so here’s an update on the horrible Korean Job Export “Free Trade” bill that got dumped on us Sunday, just two days ago.  My earlier piece is here.

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