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NEWS FRIDAY, MAY
18, 2012 NEWS
Obama
Campaign Going After Veterans’ Votes
Democrats lost the veterans' vote by big margins in the last two presidential
elections, but Obama campaign officials said Thursday they intend to reverse
that trend by arguing that Mitt Romney would cut veterans’ benefits. “It
really seems like Romney just doesn’t care about our veterans community,”
said Rob Diamond, the Obama campaign’s outreach director for veterans and
military families, in a conference call with reporters. He said the presumptive
Republican nominee cut veterans services as governor of Massachusetts and
supports a House GOP budget that would “slash” veterans funding by $11
billion. Washington
Times
VOA VIEW: Wishful thinking - veterans
will stick with Repoublicans.
Senators
Target Facebook Co-Founder For Giving Up Citizenship, Seek To Impose Taxes
Two top senators went after Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin Thursday
over his decision to renounce U.S. citizenship, unveiling a proposal they
claim would bar him -- or anyone -- from de-friending the United States
in order to avoid taxes. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who unveiled the proposal
alongside Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said their so-called "Ex-Patriot Act"
would subject high-earning ex-Americans to a steep capital gains tax. The
bill was their answer to the move by Saverin last year to renounce his
citizenship and move to Singapore. The decision, made public in a recently
released IRS list, came ahead of Facebook's initial public offering, and
fueled speculation that Saverin cut ties with America in order to cut down
his tax bill. Singapore does not impose capital gains taxes. Fox
News
Fate
Of 'Uninsurables' Hinges On Supreme Court
Cancer patient Kathy Watson voted Republican in 2008 and believes the
government has no right telling Americans to get health insurance. Nonetheless,
she says she'd be dead if it weren't for President Barack Obama's health
care law. Now the Florida small businesswoman is worried the Supreme Court
will strike down her lifeline. Under the law, Watson and nearly 62,000
other "uninsurable" patients are getting coverage through a little-known
program for people who have been turned away by insurance companies because
of pre-existing medical conditions. "Without it, I would have been dead
on March 2," Watson said of the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan,
known as PCIP. That's when she was hospitalized for a life-threatening
respiratory infection. Houston
Chronicle
VOA VIEW: Liberal media propaganda - no
one is refused medical care.
Netanyahu
Skeptical Iran Would End Nuclear Program
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday he is skeptical
that Iran will agree to halt its nuclear program, accusing Tehran of playing
a "chess game" with the international community. Just days ahead of a crucial
round of nuclear talks with Tehran, Netanyahu said "nothing would be better
than to just see this issue solved diplomatically." "But I have to say
I see no evidence whatsoever that Iran is serious about ending its nuclear
program," he said. The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council
and Germany are gearing up for a May 23 meeting with Iran in Baghdad. Atlanta
Journal
Early
Political Spats Suggest Nothing Off-Limits
The early border skirmishes of Campaign 2012 are reviving questions
about one candidate's former pastor and shining a spotlight on the other's
high school hijinks. Can a fresh round of questions about President Barack
Obama's birth certificate be far behind in a campaign year when voters
have declared the economy their top concern, Obama and Mitt Romney are
on notice that there's no statute of limitations on the issues or conduct
that might be used against them. And there's sure to be somebody with money
or other means to insert even low-threshold matters into the political
dialogue. Charlotte
Observer
Study
Finds Nearly 1 In 10 State Prisoners Is Victim Of Sexual Abuse
Nearly one of every 10 state prisoners is sexually victimized during
confinement, according to a Justice Department study released Thursday.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics examined data collected in surveys of
former prisoners about their time behind bars. The officials found that
most of the victims had been abused while they were in state prisons, but
a small percentage were molested in local jails or halfway houses. The
victimization rate of 9.6% is more than double the rate cited in a report
on the subject in 2008. However, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, an arm
of the Justice Department, cautioned that the previous study was based
on a survey of current inmates in both state and federal institutions.
CNN
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FBI
Director Refuses To Say Whether 9/11 Mastermind KSM Is 'Enemy Combatant'
FBI Director Robert Mueller on Wednesday refused to tell a Senate committee
whether confessed 9/11 terrorist mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM)
is an "enemy combatant." The Bush administrated designating a captured
terrorists as "enemy combatants" so that they could be detained in a military
prison and tried by a military commission or tribunal rather than detained
in a civilian prison and tried in civilian courts. KSM is being tried in
military commission at Guantanamo Bay, along with four co-conspirators.
The Obama administration recently reversed a decision to try him in civilian
court in New York City after city officials objected to it and Congress
refused to cover the costs of housing Mohammed on the mainland. CNS
News
Postal
Service To Close, Consolidate 140 Mail Sites
The Postal Service will proceed with a plan this summer to shut mail-processing
facilities as part of its cost-cutting effort but will spread out the closings
to maintain overnight delivery of local mail. The agency said on Thursday
it would consolidate processing at 140 of its 461 sites by February 2013,
moving processing from small facilities to larger ones, and shrink the
area where customers can expect mail to be delivered the next day. It uses
the word "consolidate" and not "close" because many of the small processing
centers also house retail windows and other services for post office customers.
A second round of closings, which would begin in February 2014, would consolidate
an additional 89 processing sites, USPS Chief Operating Officer Megan Brennan
said. Reuters
Drowning
Still A Leading Cause Of Death For Toddlers
Drowning remains the leading cause of death in children under age 4
other than birth defects, according to a new report from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. From 2005 to 2009, about 3,880 people died
from drowning each year in the United States, and more than 5,700 received
emergency care for near- drowning incidents, the CDC says. Death rates
were highest for children between ages 1 and 4. In this age group, about
2.5 deaths occurred for every 100,000 children in the population, the report
said. Overall, there were 1.3 deaths per 100,000 people in the United
States. More than half of all people treated in emergency rooms for near
drowning were less than 4 years old, the report said. CNN
Marijuana
A Growing Problem For Lions, NFL
Offseason marijuana arrests for three Lions players raises the issue
of substance abuse locally, and highlights an NFL-wide dilemma that won't
get resolved anytime soon. A popular banned substance that's legal for
medical purposes in 16 states is wreaking havoc on a sport known for its
often ruthless roster decisions and intense analysis of draft picks. The
Lions players under scrutiny for possession of the drug are members of
the 2011 draft class: Mikel Leshoure, Nick Fairley and Johnny Culbreath.
Each arrest pains former Lions offensive tackle Lomas Brown, who played
10 seasons on Detroit teams that went a combined 79-96 and tried to avoid
distractions. Detroit
News
Facebook’s
IPO Value: $104B Higher Than-Expected Starting Price
It was the stock market event of the year, sure to make millions of
dollars for venture capitalists, investment banks and other financiers,
and billions for Facebook’s founders and earliest backers. It was a cultural
benchmark — the day when the phenomenon of “social media,” a term many
consider synonymous with the company Mark Zuckerberg created, finally cashed
in on years of massive and growing buzz. But Thursday’s initial public
offering for Facebook shares — the most ballyhooed IPO since Google, and
successful enough to value Facebook at $104 billion — arrived with some
large question marks posted on its wall. Philadelphia
Inquirer
Sorry,
Charlie
Bill Clinton is abandoning his old ally Charles Rangel, who is fighting
for his political life as he seeks re-election to a 22nd term, The Post
has learned. Harlem Rep. Rangel won’t be getting an endorsement from the
former president, who will sit out the primary, a Clinton source said.
Clinton strongly backed Rangel’s re-election in 2010 when the incumbent
was under fire for House ethics-rules violations that later led to a congressional
censure. Clinton even personally taped a message that was phoned in to
voters on behalf of Rangel, who has been a loyal Clinton backer for decades.
NY
Post
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GOP,
Dems Pound Points Home In Presidential Race
Both sides in the race for the White House are covering some familiar
ground. On Wednesday, Republicans continued a coordinated effort to pin
the nation's debt on President Obama. And Democrats described Mitt Romney
as out of touch with the financial problems of most Americans. In the battleground
state of Florida, Romney told a crowd in St. Petersburg, "I'm concerned
about the debt. I'm concerned about the spending." Standing in front of
a ticking debt clock, Romney argued that Washington's out-of-control spending,
and what he calls Mr. Obama's failure to curb it, are responsible for the
nation's debt. CBS
‘Born
in Kenya': Obama's Literary Agent Misidentified His Birthplace In 1991
A possible source of the so-called "birther" issue--or at least a potential
cause of the rumors that have dogged President Barack Obama--has been identified.
Obama's former literary agency misidentified his birthplace as Kenya while
trying to promote the then-Harvard Law grad as an author in 1991. According
to a promotional booklet produced by the agency, Acton & Dystel, to
showcase its roster of writers, Obama was "born in Kenya and raised in
Indonesia and Hawaii." Miriam Goderich edited the text of the bio; she
is now a partner at the Dystel & Goderich agency, which lists Obama
as one of its current clients. ABC
Facebook
Raises $16 Billion In Record Technology Offering
Facebook Inc. (FB) raised $16 billion in the biggest initial public
offering by a technology company in history, pricing the shares at the
top end of an increased range. The social network sold 421.2 million shares
at $38 each, a statement today shows. That values Facebook at $104.2 billion,
making it the largest company to go public in the U.S. by market capitalization,
according to data compiled by Bloomberg and Dealogic. Facebook, led by
28-year-old Mark Zuckerberg, this week expanded the IPO to meet demand,
allowing investors Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Accel Partners to reap
more gains. Bloomberg
Court
Rules NY Town’s Prayer Violated Constitution
An upstate New York town violated the constitutional ban against favoring
one religion over another by opening nearly every meeting over an 11-year
span with prayers that stressed Christianity, a federal court of appeals
ruled Thursday. In what it said was its first case testing the constitutionally
mandated separation of church and state, the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the Second Circuit ruled the town of Greece, a suburb of Rochester, should
have made a greater effort to invite people from other faiths to open monthly
meetings. The town's lawyer says it will appeal. From 1999 through 2007,
and again from January 2009 through June 2010, every meeting was opened
with a Christian-oriented invocation. In 2008, after residents Susan Galloway
and Linda Stephens complained, four of 12 meetings were opened by non-Christians,
including a Jewish layman, a Wiccan priestess and the chairman of the local
Baha'i congregation. Las
Vegas Sun
Federal
Appeals Panel To Hear CIA Leak Case
A federal appeals panel will hear the case of an ex-CIA officer charged
with leaking classified information about Iran's nuclear program to a New
York Times reporter. Federal prosecutors will ask the panel Friday to reverse
a pretrial ruling limiting the scope of reporter James Risen's testimony
in the prosecution of Jeffrey Sterling. They argue that the First Amendment
doesn't shield journalists from disclosing their sources during criminal
prosecutions brought in good faith. The judge ruled that Risen must testify
at Sterling's trial, but narrowed his testimony to four issues. Seattle
Times
Spain
Stocks ExtendLosing Streak After Downgrade
Spain's stock market flirted with seven-year lows Friday as investors
continued to worry about the stability of the eurozone's financial system
in light of the downgrading by credit ratings agency Moody's of the country's
banking industry. Moody's acted late Thursday, citing Spanish banks' heavy
load of non-performing loans amid a recession-plagued economy, their trouble
raising financing on capital markets and the government's sovereign debt
problems, which might make it hard for the government to come to the aid
of banks, among other woes. Tampa
Tribune
Summer
Forecast Sparks Concern Over Fires, Water Shortages
As the nation swelters through its warmest year on record, a new forecast
for a broiling summer is raising concern about wildfires and water shortages,
especially across parts of the western and southern USA. Federal forecasters
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released
their summer weather forecast Thursday. About three-fourths of the nation
— from the Southwest to the Mid-Atlantic — faces elevated odds of above-average
temperatures this summer, NOAA forecaster Jon Gottschalck said. USA
Today
Obama
To Announce $3 Billion In Private Sector Pledges For Food Security In Africa
President Barack Obama is set to announce $3 billion in private sector
pledges aimed at alleviating hunger in Africa and urge the world’s biggest
economies to make good on their own financial promises. Obama was to unveil
the food security initiative in a speech Friday in Washington that kicks
off four days of international summitry. World leaders are gathering at
Camp David, the presidential retreat in the Maryland mountains, later in
the day for a summit of the Group of Eight leading industrial nations.
Obama heads to Chicago on Saturday evening for NATO meetings. Leaders at
the G-8 economic summit have sought to focus some of their efforts in recent
years on the plight of the developing world. At the 2009 summit in L’Aquila,
Italy, Obama championed a food security initiative that resulted in $22
billion in pledges from G-8 leaders and other nations. Washington
Post
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Treasury
Weighs Selling TARP Bank Shares In Pools
The U.S. Treasury may pool stakes in small banks bailed out during
the financial crisis to entice potential investors as the Obama administration
winds down the Troubled Asset Relief Program. “Some of the investments
are smaller and it may not be possible to auction them individually,” Tim
Massad, the Treasury Department’s assistant secretary for financial stability,
said in an interview. “So one of the things we’re looking at is pooling
those investments together.” The Treasury’s plan reflects the challenge
of unwinding holdings in lenders that are still trying to recover from
the six-year residential real estate slump. By combining stakes of small
banks, the department may be able to attract investors who would not want
to buy shares of those banks individually. Bloomberg
GOP
Measure Freezes Lawmakers’ Office Budgets
Even as they press cuts to foreign aid, food stamps and a host of domestic
programs, Republicans running the House of Representatives are opting against
any further cuts to their own office budgets. In draft legislation supported
by Republicans and Democrats alike, the House Appropriations Committee
would instead freeze the $574 million budget for lawmakers' staff, travel
and office expenses. The spending freeze announced Thursday comes as Republicans
are rewriting last summer's budget accord to press cuts to non-defense
agency budgets by about 5 percent on average. The overall $3.3 Capitol
Hill funding bill would absorb a 1 percent cut that comes from cutting
back the budget for repairing the Capitol dome. Las
Vegas Sun
Holder
Calls For U.S.-Russia Cooperation
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, speaking Thursday at a legal forum
in Russia, said the two countries need to work together. "Our government
leaders and law enforcement officials have worked together to identify
and dismantle transnational organized crime networks, illegal human trafficking
rings, and global financial fraud schemes," Holder said. "We've made meaningful
strides in combating gang violence, cybercrime, intellectual property theft,
government corruption, and child exploitation. And as we've bolstered our
joint crime-fighting efforts, we've also opened new channels for communication
and cooperation in upholding the rule of law, and protecting essential
civil rights." UPI
Tribute
To Vietnam Veterans Sputtering
They returned home to a politically traumatized nation that treated
them with indifference and scorn. Now, veterans’ advocates fear the country
will again miss an opportunity to recognize the toil and torment of the
3 million service members sent to fight the Vietnam War. The Pentagon’s
plans to celebrate the veterans - five years in the making - are sputtering.This
Memorial Day is supposed to be the curtain-raiser for a series of gatherings
to mark the 50th anniversary of the beginning of US involvement in the
decade-plus war and to honor those who served. Yet few events are planned
and crucial corporate sponsorship is nonexistent. Most veterans have not
even heard about the effort. Boston
Globe
U.S.
Lacks Comprehensive Plan To Deal With Tsunami Debris
It's been 14 months since a massive tsunami swept over parts of Japan,
but federal officials still lack a comprehensive plan for detecting and
disposing of the resulting debris that is expected to make landfall on
the West Coast by sometime next year, a Senate panel was told Thursday.
David Kennedy, an assistant administrator with the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, said his agency cannot definitively
say when or how much of the floating debris will hit U.S. shores. That's
largely because the March 2011 tsunami unleashed an unprecedented debris
field, estimated by Japanese officials at 5 million tons. They guess 70
percent of it sank immediately, leaving the rest to drift on a 21/2 year
journey toward the U.S. mainland. McClatchy
Citizenship
Process Not As Simple As Many Think
The path to citizenship is not all that easy, advocates say, even if
an immigrant has a helping hand. Celina Alvarez, a Franklin, Tenn., resident
who moved to the United States 18 years ago from Jalisco, Mexico, spent
$18,000 in application and attorney fees just to get a green card. And
her employer -- she takes orders for a local fan company -- sponsored her
and her husband. "People say, 'Why don't you just go get (citizenship)?'
" she said. "It's very difficult, and it's not easy to get help." Her husband
still doesn't feel ready to move forward. It costs $680 for the naturalization
application, which green card holders can do after five years, three if
they're married to a U.S. citizen. Applicants also have to spend thousands
more on lawyers and trips to Memphis, where the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services office that serves Tennessee and parts of Arkansas and Mississippi
is located Indy
Star
Nurses'
Pre-NATO Rally Expected To Draw Thousands
Thousands of anti-NATO demonstrators are expected to converge at a
downtown plaza Friday for a rally that promises to be a prelude to a much
larger march Sunday, when world leaders begin two days of talks. Meanwhile,
many office buildings will be shuttered after workers were told to stay
home amid warnings about heightened security, snarled transportation and
the possibility of unruly protests. National Nurses United officials have
said they expect about 2,000 nurses to attend Friday's rally, where they
will call for a "Robin Hood" tax on financial institutions' transactions
to offset cuts in social services, education and health care. But city
officials have said the rally likely will draw more than 5,000 because
of a performance by former Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello,
an activist who has played at many Occupy events. San
Diego Union
Obama
To Tap Bay Area Again For Campaign Cash
Two weeks after his record $15 million fundraising haul at George Clooney's
Los Angeles home, President Obama returns to California next week for a
two-day fundraising visit to the Bay Area. Obama's trip includes campaign
events from a $250-a-ticket fundraiser Wednesday at the Fox Theatre in
Redwood City to a high-price dinner in Atherton and an exclusive Asian
American-Pacific Islander business "round table" Thursday. The White House
has announced no plans for public events by the president during his visit
to the region, and the Obama 2012 campaign has not said whether media coverage
will be allowed at the events. SF
Gate
6.2-Magnitude
Quake Strikes Far Off Chile's Coast
A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake has struck off Chile's southern coast,
but the authorities say it wasn't felt on land and discounted the possibility
of a tsunami.The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake's epicenter was
336 miles (542 kilometers) west-southwest of Castro, Los Lagos. It struck
Thursday evening local time off the coast of the Aysen region and at depth
of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers). Aysen Gov. Pilar Cuevas said that the quake
"was not felt in Coyhaique or Puerto Aysen and the population remains calm."
Miami
Herald
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U.S.
Slams Chinese Solar Panels With New Tariffs
The U.S. Commerce Department announced stiff tariffs on Chinese-made
solar panels Thursday, a move critics said could raise costs for consumers
and further inflame trade tensions with Beijing. The preliminary ruling
came as a result of a finding that Chinese solar cell manufacturers are
"dumping" their products on the American market below production costs.
Print CommentThe issue has divided the U.S. solar industry, with some manufacturers
complaining that Chinese trade practices are driving prices down artificially
and smothering U.S. production. U.S. manufacturer Solyndra became the highest-profile
victim of plunging panel prices last year, forced to file for bankruptcy
despite receiving $535 million in federal loan guarantees. CNN
Pelosi:
No To Provision Protecting Chaplains From Being Ordered To Act Against
Faith
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she stands with
the White House in opposing a provision in the House defense authorization
bill that would prohibit anyone in the military from ordering a chaplain
to act against his or her "conscience, moral principles, or religious beliefs"
or against the religious beliefs of the denomination to which he or she
belongs. Pelosi described the conscience-protection provision as a “fraud."
The provision is broadly written to deny anyone in the armed forces the
authority to "direct, order, or require a chaplain to perform any duty,
rite, ritual, ceremony, or function" that is contrary to his or her conscience,
moral principles or religious beliefs or the principles or beliefs of his
or her religious denomination. CNS
News
New
York Judge With Cancer Makes Case For Marijuana
A cancer-stricken judge in New York has become an unlikely voice in
support of legalizing the use of medical marijuana with the admission that
he smokes pot to ease the side-effects of his treatments. Brooklyn Supreme
Court Justice Gustin Reichbach, who is being treated for pancreatic cancer,
wrote in a New York Times article on Thursday that he had been using marijuana
provided by friends at "great personal risk" to help him cope with the
nausea, sleeplessness and loss of appetite from chemotherapy treatments.
"This is not a law-and-order issue; it is a medical and a human rights
issue," wrote Reichbach, 65, who has spent 21 years on the bench in Kings
County Supreme Court, and continues to hear cases even as he receives cancer
treatment. Reuters
Consult
Doctor Before Stopping Zpak
U.S. health regulators said patients should not stop taking Pfizer
Inc's Zithromax antibiotic without consulting a doctor, after a study showed
a slightly higher rate of death among patients taking the drug compared
to those on other antibiotics. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said
it was aware of the study, which was published in the New England Journal
of Medicine, comparing Zithromax to Bayer's Cipro and Johnson & Johnson's
Levaquin. Pfizer's antibiotic showed a slightly higher rate of death due
to heart complications. CNN
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Conservative
Billionaire Knocks Down Supposed Plan To Air Obama-Wright Ads
The billionaire conservative who reportedly was considering a proposal
to fund ads reconnecting President Obama with his controversial former
pastor distanced himself from the proposal Thursday and said through an
aide it would not move forward. The proposal was reportedly commissioned
by Joe Ricketts, the founder of the TD Ameritrade brokerage firm, and targeted
for a run in September. The $10 million campaign, according to The New
York Times, would have highlighted Rev. Jeremiah Wright's controversial
comments which first surfaced during the 2008 presidential campaign. "The
world is about to see Jeremiah Wright and understand his influence on Barack
Obama for the first time in a big, attention-arresting way," said a copy
of the proposal, obtained by the Times. Fox
News
Impact
Of Super PACs Felt In GOP Senate Primary Races
Super PACs — the outside fundraising groups expected to play a big
role in the November elections — already have been involved heavily in
GOP Senate primary races, in which they have boosted the campaigns of underfunded
insurgents. While super PACs have showered cash on establishment candidates,
the groups have been credited with helping push some long-shot contestants
to recent victories, including Nebraska state Sen. Deb Fischer’s improbable
win Tuesday in her state’s Republican Senate primary. Nebraska Attorney
General Jon Bruning, who had been considered the Republican favorite for
the seat that will be vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson, enjoyed
a huge fundraising advantage in the GOP primary, collecting more than $3.5
million through April 25 — the latest data available from the Federal Election
Commission. Mrs. Fischer had raised about $395,000 during the same time
period, while GOP primary rival and tea party favorite Don Stenberg raised
about $700,000. Washington
Times
HP
Poised To Cut As Many As 30,000 Jobs
Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ) is poised to eliminate as many as 30,000
jobs to compensate for dwindling demand for personal computers as more
people connect to the Internet on smartphones and tablets, according to
reports published Thursday. The looming cuts cited by Bloomberg News and
the technology blog All Things D would trim as much as 9 percent of HP's
workforce, based on the 349,600 people employed by the Palo Alto, California,
company as of last October. A breakdown on HP's website listed 324,600
employees, but company spokesman Michael Thacker said the information was
wrong. He pointed to the October figure listed in HP's annual report as
the most accurate head count. CBS
John
Edwards ‘Was A Bad Husband' But Did Not Violate Law, Defense Says
Closing arguments were delivered in the John Edwards corruption trial
on Thursday in Greensboro, N.C., with prosecutors telling the jury that
Edwards knew exactly what he was doing in 2008 when in using nearly $1
million in campaign funds to cover up his affair with Rielle Hunter, and
lawyers for the former presidential candidate arguing that while he may
have been a " bad husband," he did not violate any federal laws in doing
so. "John was a bad husband," Edwards' lawyer Abbe Lowell said. "But there
is not the remotest chance that John did or intended to violate the law."
ABC
U.S.
Military Prepared For Iran Strike
The United States is militarily ready to carry out a strike on Iran,
U.S. ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro told an Israeli audience. Speaking
before the Israeli Bar Association in Jerusalem earlier this week, Shapiro
said the United States is prepared to militarily stop Iran from obtaining
nuclear weapons although it "would be preferable to solve this diplomatically
and through the use of pressure, than to use military force." He added:
"But that that doesn't mean that option isn't fully available. Not just
available, it's ready. The necessary planning has been done to ensure that
it's ready." The Obama administration has insisted on the availability
of all options in dealing with a possible Iranian nuclear threat, but Shapiro's
speech went further in mentioning the American military's preparations,
ABC News said Thursday. UPI
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Barak
Thanks Panetta For US Aid On Iron Dome
The defense minister said that US assistance will allow Israel to strengthen
its defense against missiles. The United States will provide Israel
with $70 million in immediate aid for the purchase additional Iron Dome
rocket defense batteries, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced on
Thursday. Panetta made the announcement following a meeting with Defense
Minister Ehud Barak at the Pentagon. Barak was in Washington for talks
aimed at coordinating strategy with the US ahead of the second round of
talks between western powers and Iran scheduled to open next week in Baghdad.
Panetta said that President Barack Obama had directed him to provide Israel
with the $70 million, which Barak had told him was needed for Israel to
meet its fiscal requirements for 2012. Jerusalem
Post
Campaign
Calls For Americans In Israel To Vote
Uncle Sam wants you to vote in the November 6 American election. Or
at least a group of well-funded American immigrants to Israel do. They
started the iVoteIsrael Campaign, which its organizers describe as “an
issue-based campaign, expressing their desire to see a Congress and administration
who will support and stand by Israel in absolute commitment to its safety,
security and right to self-defense, without endorsing any specific candidate
or party.” A campaign spokesman said the project is funded by charitable
contributions raised in the United States, mainly in small increments from
individuals and foundations within the Jewish community and the Christian
communities. Jerusalem
Post
US
Relaxes Some Burma Sanctions, Appoints Ambassador
The United States has eased some sanctions on investment and relations
with Burma in response to political reform there. But Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton said broader laws on sanctions against Burma would remain
in place to safeguard against "backsliding". Restrictions on investments
have been relaxed and the first US ambassador in 22 years has been announced.
The move follows limited democratic reform in Burma. A nominally civilian
government was elected in 2010 and, in April of this year, opposition politicians
entered parliament following historic by-elections. However, the government
is still dominated by the military and concerns over political repression
and human rights abuses continue. BBC
Spanish
Banks Have Credit Ratings Cut By Moody's
Ratings agency Moody's has cut the credit ratings of 16 Spanish banks,
a further blow to a country that is struggling to deal with the bad debts
of its banking sector. It also cut the debt rating on Santander UK, a subsidiary
of the Spanish banking giant. It comes after shares in struggling lender
Bankia fell another 14%. They have almost halved in value this month. Fears
about losses at Spanish banks has hit shares across Europe. The banks include
Banco Santander and BBVA, the biggest banks in Spain. Ten of the 17 banks
were also put on negative credit watch, meaning that further downgrades
are possible. "The change to Moody's credit rating of Santander UK plc
has no impact on our businesses in the UK or our plans for future growth,"
Andy Smith, a spokesman at Santander said about the downgrade. BBC
US
Commerce Department Brings Heavy Tariffs Against Chinese Solar Panels
The Obama administration imposed heavy tariffs on Chinese solar panels
on Thursday, after finding that China is flooding the market with government
subsidised products. The preliminary decision, that China had dumped solar
products on the US for less than the cost of manufacture, will result in
tariffs of between 31% and 250% on Chinese imports. It was seen on Thursday
as a mixed blessing. US solar panel makers, who brought the original complaint,
are expected to benefit. But the tariffs, by forcing up prices, are expected
to slow the adoption of solar power more generally. There were also fears
the move could lead to a broader US-Chinese trade war. Guardian
David
Cameron Calls For World Trade Boost Before G8 Talks
David Cameron has flown to Washington for critical talks with world
leaders, urging them to act urgently to boost world trade and describing
trade deals as "the one big stimulus" that would make a real difference
in lifting the world from recession. He is due to join the leaders of the
G8 at Camp David for two days of informal talks. It will be the first world
summit outing for the new French president, François Hollande, who
has spoken of the need to stimulate demand. Cameron's remarks suggest the
focus should be on launching EU trade deals next year with the US, Canada
and Japan. He accepts that the idea of a world trade deal is dead in the
water. Guardian
Ed
Miliband: David Cameron Is Part Of The Problem
In a speech to business leaders in Manchester this morning, David Cameron
defended the government's series of welfare cuts and tax rises saying it
was the right policy to cut the deficit. However, Labour leader Ed Miliband
accused the prime minister of causing Britain's slow economic recovery.
"David Cameron isn't part of the solution, he is part of the problem. He
promised Britain there would be recovery and he has delivered a recession,"
he said. Mr Miliband added: "All of Europe's leaders, including David Cameron,
bear responsibility for the fact that over the last two years they haven't
sorted out the problems of the eurozone and they haven't had a proper plan
for growth and jobs in Europe." Telegraph
On
Anti-Homophobia Day, UN Calls For Repeal Of Discriminatory Laws
Marking International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, senior
United Nations officials today drew attention to laws around the world
which discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
people, and called for equality and the repeal of such laws. “When I raise
these issues, some complain that I’m pushing for ‘new rights’ or ‘special
rights’ for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. But there is
nothing new or special about the right to life and security of person,
the right to freedom from discrimination,” said the UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, in a statement. UN
News
New
Paradigm Needed To Ensure Global Job Creation And Economic Progress
United Nations senior officials today stressed the importance of establishing
a new paradigm for growth that ensures social inclusiveness, job opportunities
for all, and more accountability from the financial sector to tackle the
ongoing global economic crisis. “It is time to recognize that human capital
and natural capital are every bit as important as financial capital,” said
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his remarks to the General Assembly’s
high-level thematic debate on The State of the World Economy and Finance
and its Impact on Development, taking place at UN Headquarters in New York.
UN
News
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