Tag Archives: Monday

May 21, 2013 · 8:32 AM

10 things you need to know today: May 21, 2013

Apple really doesn't like paying taxes.

Apple really doesn’t like paying taxes.

The Week

1. 91 FEARED DEAD AFTER OKLAHOMA TORNADO
A massive tornado killed at least 51 people, including 20 children, as it blasted through Moore, Okla., on Monday. President Obama declared the area a major disaster, qualifying it for federal aid, as rescuers searched through the night for survivors and bodies. A state official said early Tuesday that as many as 40 more people might have died as the twister, with 200 mph winds, cut a two-mile-wide path through the Oklahoma City suburb, wiping out entire neighborhoods and two schools. [USA Today]
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2. SYRIAN REBELS FIRE ROCKETS AT HEZBOLLAH IN LEBANON
Israeli and Syrian troops exchanged fire over their shared border on Tuesday. The skirmish came after Syrian rebels fired rockets at Hezbollah militants in Lebanon on Monday. Hezbollah fighters over the weekend reportedly helped Syrian government forces retake the strategically important border town of Qusair. President Obama called Lebanese President Michel Sleiman to stress his concern about Hezbollah’s involvement, which diplomats say might help turn the civil war into a regional conflict. [Associated Press, CNN]
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3. SENATE PANEL SAYS APPLE SAVED BILLIONS WITH TAX SHELTERS
A Senate investigation unveiled Monday accused Apple of using a “complex web” of offshore shell subsidiaries to avoid paying taxes on $74 billion in profits earned overseas between 2009 and 2012. Such schemes are common, but Senate staffers said Apple’s tax strategy was unprecedented in its use of multiple affiliates with no employees or offices. Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly plans to forcefully defend the tech giant in testimony before a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday. [Washington Post]
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4. SECTARIAN VIOLENCE SURGES IN IRAQ
A string of car bombings and suicide attacks killed more than 70 Shiite Muslims across Iraq on Monday. It was the worst single day of sectarian violence since U.S. forces withdrew from the country in 2011. The attacks pushed the death toll from clashes between Shiites, who now rule Iraq, and minority Sunni Muslims to 200 over just the last week, raising fears that the country could be spiraling back into all-out civil war. [Reuters]
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5. GUATEMALAN COURT THROWS OUT RIOS MONTT’S CONVICTION
Guatemala’s highest court on Monday overturned a genocide conviction against former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, 86, who had been sentenced to 80 years for massacres of members of the Maya-Ixil ethnic group in 1982 and 1983. The ruling marked a setback for human-rights activists, who had hailed the May 10 conviction as a blow against impunity. Rios Montt will remain under house arrest, though, and prosecutors will try to re-do the disputed final weeks of the trial. [New York Times]
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6. OBAMA URGES MYANMAR LEADER TO CONTINUE REFORMS
President Obama welcomed President Thein Sein of Myanmar to the White House on Monday in the first visit by a leader from the once-pariah Asian state, also known as Burma, in 47 years. Obama urged Thein Sein to continue allowing democratic reforms. Obama also pointedly said that violent repression against minority Muslims “needs to stop.” Myanmar’s leader responded by saying that the country’s democracy is just two years old, and needs more time to take hold. [New York Times]
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7. MUSHARRAF GETS BAIL IN BHUTTO CASE
Former Pakistani military leader Pervez Musharraf was granted bail on Monday in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case. Musharraf has been accused of failing to provide proper security for the former prime minister after she returned from self-imposed exile in 2007. Musharraf will remain under house arrest, as he faces several other charges, but legal experts said the decision to grant him bail suggested that the military might be exerting pressure to get him out of his legal troubles. [BBC News]
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8. NORTH KOREANS RELEASE CHINESE FISHING BOAT
Gunmen in North Korean military uniforms released a Chinese fishing boat on Tuesday after holding the vessel’s crew for two weeks. The hijacking of the boat, which owner Yu Xuejun said was in Chinese waters, was the latest in a series of incidents that frayed relations between Pyongyang and its increasingly frustrated allies in Beijing, although foreign-policy experts said ransom-seeking rogue border guards — not the North Korean regime — were probably responsible. [Associated Press]
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9. VOLCANO DISRUPTS FLIGHTS IN ALASKA
An eruption from one of Alaska’s most active volcanoes has forced the cancellation of regional flights, local officials said Monday. Pavlof Volcano has been sending ash as high as 22,000 feet, and lava flowing from its 8,261-foot peak is sending up clouds of steam as it hits snow on the mountain’s sides. Commercial airliners, which fly higher than the small planes serving remote fishing towns and villages in the area, still haven’t been affected. [Reuters]
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10. DOORS KEYBOARDIST RAY MANZAREK DIES
Ray Manzarek, the keyboardist for the Doors, died Monday in Germany after a battle with bile-duct cancer. He was 74. Manzarek and Jim Morrison met at UCLA in 1965, and put together the band. Manzarek’s electric organ contributed to the Doors’ music its unmistakable sound. By the time Morrison died in 1971, the Doors had released six Top 10 albums and 15 hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Light My Fire,” “Hello, I Love You,” “Touch Me,” and “Riders on the Storm.” [Los Angeles Times]

 

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May 14, 2013 · 8:42 AM

10 things you need to know today: May 14, 2013

Angelina Jolie at a conference in London in April.

The Week

1. LAWMAKERS SLAM JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FOR SPYING ON AP
Lawmakers from both parties sharply criticized the Obama administration late Monday after The Associated Press revealed that the Justice Department had spied on some of its reporters. The AP said officials obtained two months of telephone records — on more than 20 cell, office, and home lines — in an apparent attempt to crack down on internal leaks. The AP called the move a “massive and unprecedented intrusion.” House Speaker John Boehner said Justice “better have a damned good explanation.” [Fox News, NPR]
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2. MINNESOTA BECOMES 12TH STATE TO ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE
Minnesota’s Democrat-controlled state Senate has approved a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry. The state House has already signed off, and Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, is expected to sign it into law on Tuesday, making the state the 12th in the nation to legalize gay marriage. The measure’s success marked a stark reversal over two years ago, when the legislature was controlled by Republicans who tried to write the state’s ban on same-sex marriage into its constitution. [Reuters]
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3. GOSNELL FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER
A jury found Dr. Kermit Gosnell guilty of three counts of first-degree murder for killing three babies born alive after botched abortions. He was also convicted of manslaughter for the death of a patient from a drug overdose. Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty as the case’s sentencing phase begins Tuesday. Anti-abortion activists have used the trial as a rallying cry; abortion-rights supporters called it a reminder of why women need access to safe, sanitary care. [New York Times]
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4. OBAMA COUNTERS CRITICS OVER BENGHAZI, JOINS THEM OVER THE IRS
President Obama, facing mounting Republican criticism on several fronts, on Monday dismissed GOP questions of his administration’s handling of September’s attacks in Benghazi, Libya, as a partisan “sideshow.” Obama, however, joined angry politicians on the right and left in slamming the Internal Revenue Service for singling out conservative groups for special scrutiny. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Obama was displaying “faux outrage” over the IRS scandal, which he said really proved Obama is “drunk on power.” [New York Times, Real Clear Politics]
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5. BOATS CAPSIZE FLEEING STORM IN MYANMAR
Several boats carrying as many as 150 people reportedly capsized near the western coast of Myanmar, a United Nations agency said Tuesday. The boats were ferrying members of the country’s long-suffering Muslim minority away from low-lying areas ahead of the potential arrival of Cyclone Mahasen, a storm that could hit parts of Myanmar and Bangladesh later this week. The boats were battered by high seas Monday night. Rescuers have recovered some bodies, but some passengers reached land. [CNN]
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6. VERMONT DECRIMINALIZES POSSESSION OF SMALL AMOUNTS OF POT
Vermont lawmakers on Monday gave their final approval to a bill that decriminalizes possession of up to an ounce of marijuana. Under current state law, a first time conviction for misdemeanor pot possession carries a sentence of up to six months in jail. The new legislation, which Gov. Pete Shumlin plans to sign, replaces the criminal penalties with a $300 fine. Shumlin said now the state’s police can “focus their limited resources” on more addictive drugs. [Times Argus]
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7. TWO MEN ARRESTED IN MURDER OF MALCOLM X’S GRANDSON IN MEXICO
Mexican police on Monday arrested two men for last week’s beating death of Malcolm Shabazz, the grandson of Malcolm X. The suspects, David Hernández Cruz and Manuel Alejandro Pérez de Jesús, were waiters at a Mexico City bar where Shabazz, 28, was killed in an apparent dispute over an excessive ($1,200) bill. Shabazz, who lived an erratic life after setting a fire that killed his grandmother when he was 12, was in Mexico to support a labor activist recently deported from the U.S. [New York Times]
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8. JOYCE BROTHERS DIES
Pioneering TV psychologist Joyce Brothers died Monday in New York City. She was 85. On her 1950s TV show, Brothers addressed personal topics that had rarely, if ever, been discussed on television. She published 15 books and wrote a syndicated column that kept her in the public eye for decades. She became a fixture in popular culture with cameo appearances on Happy Days, The Simpsons, and other TV shows, and visited Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show nearly 100 times. [USA Today]
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9. POLICE NAME SUSPECT IN NEW ORLEANS PARADE MASS SHOOTING
New Orleans on Monday identified a 19-year-old man, Akein Scott, as the suspect in a shooting that injured 19 people, including two 10-year-old children, at a neighborhood parade on Sunday. As the city’s residents expressed outrage, tips pointing to Scott poured in after police released photos from a surveillance camera showing a young man firing into a crowd. Three of the wounded remain in critical condition, although all were expected to survive. [Reuters]
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10. JOLIE REVEALS SHE HAD A DOUBLE MASTECTOMY TO PREVENT CANCER
Angelina Jolie, 37, revealed in The New York Times that she underwent a preventive double mastectomy this year after learning she carries a “faulty” gene that sharply increases her risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer. The Academy Award-winning actress said her mother died of cancer at age 56, and she wanted to be proactive for the sake of her children. “I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience,” she said. [New York Times]

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April 30, 2013 · 9:54 AM

10 things you need to know today: April 30, 2013

Bangladeshis display pictures of missing relatives outside the site of the devastating building collapse.

Bangladeshis display pictures of missing relatives outside the site of the devastating building collapse.

The Week

1. ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE KILLS SUSPECTED PALESTINIAN MILITANT
Israel said Tuesday it had killed a Palestinian man who was involved in the firing of a rocket from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on April 17. The airstrike hit a motorcycle, killing the driver — whom Israel identified as an al-Qaeda linked militant — and wounding a passenger and a bystander. It was the first such strike in Gaza since an Egyptian-brokered truce took hold in November, and the biggest test yet for the already shaky ceasefire. [USA Today]
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2. JASON COLLINS BECOMES FIRST GAY NBA PLAYER TO COME OUT
Jason Collins won praise from fellow basketball players Monday when he became the first active professional male athlete in a major American team sport to come out as gay. “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay,” Collins, who finished this season with the Washington Wizards, wrote in an article for Sports Illustrated. “Proud of @jasoncollins34,” L.A. Lakers star Kobe Bryant tweeted. “Don’t suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others.” [New York Times]
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3. COLBERT BUSCH AND SANFORD TRADE DEBATE ATTACKS
Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch and Republican Mark Sanford clashed in an aggressive debate on Monday night — the only one they’ll have before next week’s special election to fill a vacant South Carolina congressional seat. Sanford called Colbert Busch, the sister of comic Stephen Colbert, a tool of Nancy Pelosi who’s too liberal for the conservative district. Colbert Busch called Sanford a hypocrite for preaching fiscal responsibility after using taxpayer money to fly to Argentina to visit his mistress. [Politico]
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4. BANGLADESH OFFICIALS SAY NO MORE SURVIVORS IN COLLAPSED BUILDING
Rescuers in Bangladesh said Tuesday that they had given up hope of finding more survivors in the rubble of an eight-story garment-factory complex that collapsed last week, killing nearly 400 people. The news stoked anger over unsafe conditions and low wages in the South Asian nation, which relies on clothing production for 80 percent of its exports. Protesters are demanding that the government enforce tougher building safety standards. [Reuters]
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5. AUTHORITIES FIND FEMALE DNA ON BOSTON MARATHON BOMB PART
Investigators say they have found female DNA on a fragment of the pressure-cooker bombs used in the deadly Boston Marathon attack. Federal agents collected DNA samples during a search of the Rhode Island family home of suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s widow, Katherine Russell, on Monday. Law enforcement sources said, however, that the presence of the DNA on a bomb piece doesn’t necessarily mean a woman helped with the plot — the DNA could have come from someone like a store clerk or victim. [CNN]
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6. U.S.-SOUTH KOREA MILITARY DRILLS END
The U.S. and South Korea wrapped up two months of annual joint military exercises on Tuesday. The drills involved 10,000 U.S. troops, and angered North Korea, which threatened war after the United Nations tightened economic sanctions as punishment for Pyongyang’s recent nuclear and missile tests. During the drills, which North Korea called “attack rehearsals,” the U.S. flew nuclear-capable bombers in South Korean airspace. [BBC News]
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7. VIRGIN GALACTIC SPACESHIP REACHES MILESTONE
British entrepreneur Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic took a step toward its goal of launching a commercial space flight service on Monday, when the company’s new spaceship fired up its rocket engine in flight for the first time. The SpaceShipTwo craft broke the sound barrier during the 16-second power-up over California’s Mojave Desert. Branson plans to be one of the first non-test pilots to ride the spaceship in about a year. Customers are lining up to pay $200,000 per ride. [Reuters]
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8. FRANCE FREEZES MILITARY SPENDING
France, faced with weak economic growth, is freezing its military spending over the next three years, the government announced Monday. To maintain the ability to act alone, as it has done recently in Mali, France said it would cut nearly 10 percent of defense jobs but spend more money for high-tech equipment. The decision means that the government of President Francois Hollande will have to cut back elsewhere to keep a promise to slash $79 billion in state spending over the next five years. [New York Times]
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9. NASA RELEASES IMAGE OF MAMMOTH SATURN STORM
NASA has released an image taken by the Cassini spacecraft showing a massive storm on Saturn’s north pole with an eye spanning 1,250 miles — 20 times the size of the eye of a hurricane on Earth. The space agency calls the vortex “The Rose” — scientists gave low clouds a false reddish hue to distinguish them from higher clouds. NASA said the clouds on the storm’s edges were flying at 330 miles per hour. [NPR]
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10. JETS RELEASE TIM TEBOW
The New York Jets announced Monday that they had cut quarterback Tim Tebow after a failed experimental year. “Unfortunately,” coach Rex Ryan said in a statement, “things did not work out the way we all had hoped.” The controversial player still has legions of fans, many of whom admire him for his strong Christian beliefs. But some sportswriters say his NFL career might be over now, and suggest that his next move might be to play in the Canadian Football League. [USA Today]

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April 23, 2013 · 6:55 AM

Tuesday Blog Roundup – 4-23-2013

A Moment in Boston
The stories of the runners, spectators and others in an image from the first explosio..

The Wages of Bamboozlement
Background check double-talk catches up with Sen. Flake (R-AZ).

Dem: Bombings being exploited
Partisan tempers flared at a Senate immigration hearing on Monday as top Democrats ac..

Anthony Weiner Returns To Twitter
ABC News’ Michael Falcone reports: It was a sexually-explicit tweet that forced Antho..

In Memoriam: Richie Havens 1941 – 2013
Folk singer and guitarist Richie Havens passed away Monday morning from a sudden hea..

Rupert Murdoch Defends the New York Post
News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch has weighed in on his tabloid’s decision t..

Video: Young science minds impress at White House
Rachel Maddow shares highlights from the White House Science Fair, include a mechani..

Video: ‘Whoever came in alive, stayed alive’ after Boston bombing
Rachel Maddow salutes the thorough, professional, and remarkably successful performa..

As Bush library opening puts his presidency back in the spotlight, his..
George W. Bush will return to the spotlight this week for the dedication of his pres..

What Chris Christie’s support for gun control says about GOP
The Senate gun control compromise failed, but that hasn’t stopped individual states f..

 

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March 12, 2013 · 10:01 AM

10 things you need to know today: March 12, 2013

The cardinals head to mass on March 12 before entering the conclave to choose the next pope.

Just think…it’s only Tuesday…

The Week

1. CARDINALS START CONCLAVE TO PICK NEXT POPE
The Catholic Church’s 115 members of the College of Cardinals prepared to lock themselves into the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday to begin the secretive conclave where they will elect the next pope. The cardinals will remain out of view, leaving the world to await news in the form of signals from the chapel’s chimney — black smoke means no decision; white smoke means they’ve chosen Benedict XVI’s successor. The process could wrap up on Tuesday, or, more likely, it could take days. The frontrunners, according to Vatican experts, include Cardinals Angelo Scola of Italy and Odilio Scherer of Brazil, as well as a few American cardinals who could become the first “superpower” pope. [Washington Post]
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2. COURT REJECTS NEW YORK’S SUGARY SODA BAN
A judge overturned New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s controversial ban on large, sugary sodas on Monday, the day before it was scheduled to take effect. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling sided with soda companies and called the rule “arbitrary and capricious,” with too many loopholes. Bloomberg, cheered by health and anti-obesity activists, wanted to stop sales of sugary sodas larger than 16 ounces by restaurants, movie theaters, pushcarts, and sports arenas. “People are dying every day. This is not a joke,” Bloomberg said. “We’re talking about lives versus profits.” [New York Daily News]
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3. NORTH KOREA FOLLOWS THROUGH ON THREAT TO SCRAP CEASE-FIRE
Tensions continued to rise on the Korean Peninsula on Monday, as the official North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun said that the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War had been “declared invalid.” The announcement indicated that Pyongyang was following through with a threat to scrap the cease-fire because of new sanctions imposed by the U.N., which are punishment for North Korea’s recent nuclear test. Pyongyang also apparently disconnected the emergency hotline between North and South Korea, a Red Cross telephone line, blaming a joint U.S.-South Korea military exercise that began March 1 and continues into April. Last week, North Korea threatened to pre-emptively nuke the U.S. [New York Times]
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4. SENATORS UNVEIL A DEAL TO AVOID A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
Leading Senate Democrats and Republicans released a compromise catchall spending bill Monday night that would prevent a government shutdown when current funding runs out on March 27. The proposal would keep the federal government running through Sept. 30, but it wouldn’t give President Obama new money to implement his signature first-term accomplishments, such as Wall Street reform and an expansion of health-care subsidies. The measure adds a bit of money and flexibility to the version passed by the GOP-controlled House last week as Congress braces for what is expected to be weeks of clashes over spending in 2014. [Associated Press]
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5. FALKLANDS RESIDENTS OVERWHELMINGLY BACK BRITISH RULE
Three decades after Argentina and Britain went to war over the Falkland Islands, residents of the South Atlantic archipelago voted nearly unanimously to stay under British rule. The vote — with only three “no” votes out of roughly 1,500 cast — was held to counter Argentina’s new push to assert its sovereignty over the islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas. “Surely this must be the strongest message we can get out to the world,” said Roger Edwards, one of the eight elected members of the Falklands’ assembly. Argentina dismissed the vote as a publicity stunt. [Reuters]
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6. FORMER DETROIT MAYOR KILPATRICK GUILTY OF CORRUPTION
A jury found former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick guilty of corruption on Monday, ending a five-month trial in which prosecutors said Kilpatrick took kickbacks and rigged contracts while his city went broke. “Kwame Kilpatrick didn’t lead the city. He looted the city,” U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said after the verdict. Kilpatrick, 42, was sent to jail to await sentencing. He could face more than 10 years in prison for two dozen convictions, including racketeering conspiracy, bribery, and tax crimes. [Associated Press]
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7. HARVARD CONFIRMS IT ACCESSED RESIDENT DEANS’ EMAIL ACCOUNTS
Harvard University administrators confirmed on Monday that they had secretly gained access to email accounts of 16 resident deans as part of an effort to track down on a leak about a cheating scandal last year. The university issued a statement apologizing for any discomfort caused by the move — which critics called unnecessarily intrusive — but said it was necessary to protect the privacy of students linked to the scandal. “To be clear: No one’s emails were opened and the contents of no one’s emails were searched by human or machine,” the statement said. [Boston Globe, Associated Press]
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8. FACEBOOK ‘LIKES’ CAN REVEAL SECRETS
What you “Like” on Facebook can reveal intimate details about your personality, and more, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. tracked the Facebook activity of more than 58,000 people and say they were able to accurately predict traits — including race, age, IQ, sexuality, personality, substance use, and political views — based on the photos, status updates, products, and other things that inspired the users to click the “Like” button. “Your likes may be saying more about you than you realize,” Cambridge University researcher David Stillwell, one of the study’s authors, said. [USA Today]
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9. COMET MOVES INTO VIEW
Comet Pan-STARRS moves into prime viewing position on Tuesday, offering stargazers what might be their best opportunity to see it with the naked eye. “Certainly not a ‘great comet’ by any means,” astronomer Alan Hale, the co-discoverer of 1997′s Comet Hale-Bopp, wrote in a posting to the Comets-ML online forum. “The visibility should hopefully improve over the next few nights as it climbs higher out of the twilight.” Tuesday night, the comet will appear just to the left of the crescent moon, making the moon a guidepost for anyone trying to make out the faint comet with binoculars just after sunset. The 10- to 12-minute visibility windows will continue through the end of the month. [NBC News]
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10. HACKER GOES AFTER BIG NAMES
Hackers attacked 15 political and show-business celebrities, including Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Hillary Clinton, and posted some of their financial records and other sensitive information online. The Los Angeles Police Department is trying to track down those responsible for sending the information to a website. The other victims included Kim Kardashian, Britney Spears, Donald Trump, Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson, Ashton Kutcher, Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Eric Holder, and FBI Director Robert Mueller. [New York Daily News]

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December 3, 2012 · 9:11 AM

10 things you need to know today: December 3, 2012

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Nov. 20 in Jerusalem.

The Week

Fiscal cliff talks hit a wall, the U.N. chief warns Israel over settlement plans, and more in our roundup of the stories that are making news and driving opinion

1. FISCAL CLIFF NEGOTIATIONS HIT A WALL
At the start of the final month before the nation reaches the fiscal cliff, Republicans and Democrats remain deadlocked over the question of whether to raise taxes on the rich. Both sides were confrontational on Sunday political talk shows. House Speaker John Boehner said Republicans had offered a way to reach a compromise to reduce the deficit and avoid damaging automatic tax hikes and spending cuts at year’s end — raising revenue by eliminating deductions that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner rejected that idea, saying that the GOP has to accept a deal that makes the wealthy pay higher tax rates. “There’s no path to an agreement that does not involve Republicans acknowledging that rates have to go up on the wealthiest Americans,” Geithner said on NBC’sMeet the Press. [Washington Post]
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2. SYRIA MOVES CHEMICAL WEAPONS
The U.S. and several allies renewed their warnings that the Syrian government would be “held accountable” if it uses chemical weapons against rebel fighters, after intelligence sources said the Syrian military had moved some of the country’s stockpile of the weapons in recent days. A U.S. official said “the activity we are seeing suggests some potential chemical weapon preparation.” The news prompted emergency communications over the weekend among the Western allies, who have been developing a plan to seize Syria’s chemical weapons, if necessary. The Pentagon says such an operation would require more than 75,000 troops. [New York Times]
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3. U.N. CHIEF WARNS ISRAEL OVER SETTLEMENT PLANS
Israel is facing a diplomatic push-back over its recently announced settlement plans on strategically sensitive occupied land near East Jerusalem. On Monday, the British government warned that Israel should expect a “strong reaction” if it goes ahead with building 3,000 settlement units in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. At the United Nations, where the General Assembly last week upgraded the Palestinians’ status from “entity” to “non-member observer state,” Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said such a move would be “an almost fatal blow” to peace talks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was the Palestinians who had set back the cause of peace by asking for U.N. recognition, instead of establishing a Palestinian state through negotiations, as previously agreed. [BBC]
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4. JAPAN ON ALERT FOR NORTH KOREA LAUNCH
Japanese officials said Monday that they were deploying a surface-to-air missile defense system and putting the country’s armed forces on alert to prepare for North Korea’s planned missile launch this month. A navy ship carrying Patriot Advanced Capability-3 ballistic missiles is headed for Japan’s southern Okinawa island chain. A defense ministry spokesman also said “our ground, marine, and air forces are now preparing to deploy troops in Okinawa,” which the rocket could fly over. [AFP]
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5. CHINA REBOUND LIFTS STOCKS
Stock markets around the world got a lift early Monday after the release of a report suggesting that Chinese manufacturing activity is recovering. The state-sanctioned survey by the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing, which looks at orders, employment, actual production, and other indicators, provided welcome good news for a world economy weighed down by Europe’s debt crisis. The data was expected to buoy U.S. stocks, too, even though they’re under pressure as investors fret about the looming fiscal cliff. [Associated Press]
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6. CONFESSED SERIAL KILLER FOUND DEAD IN JAIL
A confessed serial killer was found dead in his jail cell in Alaska on Sunday. The man, Israel Keyes, was awaiting trial for the kidnapping and murder of 18-year-old Samantha Koenig, a barista who disappeared from an Anchorage espresso stand in February. Keyes was arrested in Texas after trying to use a debit card linked to Koenig. Keyes confessed to killing her, and his statements helped investigators find her body in an iced-over lake. Keyes also reportedly admitted killing a Vermont couple, Bill and Lorraine Currier, in 2011, as well as up to five other people he didn’t name. [Reuters]
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7. JAPAN INSPECTS TUNNELS AFTER COLLAPSE
The Japanese government ordered emergency inspections of highway tunnels across the country following the collapse of a tunnel 50 miles from Tokyo on Sunday. At least nine people were killed after concrete panels collapsed — possibly due to the loosening of metal rods securing the panels. The cave-in triggered a fire and trapped motorists inside. [BBC]
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8. COAST GUARDSMAN KILLED IN CLASH WITH SMUGGLERS
A U.S. Coast Guard chief petty officer, Terrell Horne III, was killed Sunday when suspected smugglers rammed his boat. Horne was second-in-command on an 87-foot patrol cutter, theHalibut, based in Marina del Rey, Calif. He boarded a smaller rigid-hulled inflatable boat dispatched to check out a suspicious, open-hulled vessel operating without lights in the middle of the night. As the Coast Guardsmen approached the open, “panga”-style boat — “the choice of smugglers operating off the coast of California,” a Coast Guard spokesman said — the vessel rammed the inflatable boat, throwing Horne into the water with a traumatic head injury. [Los Angeles Times]
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9. CHIEFS WIN A DAY AFTER BELCHER MURDER-SUICIDE
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, a day after police say Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, before driving to Arrowhead Stadium and killing himself in front of the team’s head coach and general manager. Coach Romeo Crennel said he consulted with the Chiefs’ co-captains before deciding to go ahead with the game. The Chiefs snapped an eight-game losing streak with the 27-21 victory. “It was tough,” said Chiefs quarterback Brady Quinn, who threw two touchdown passes. A friend of Belcher’s told Deadspin that the linebacker was “dazed” and suffered short-term memory loss after taking several hits to the head in his final game. [Associated Press]
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10. KENNEDY CENTER AWARDS: FROM BALLET TO ZEPPELIN
A diverse line-up of seven entertainers received Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, in a gala affair that was part showbiz award event, part black-tie fundraiser, and part hall-of-fame-style ceremony. The recipients at the 35th annual event included late-night icon David Letterman, actor Dustin Hoffman, ballet dancer Natalia Makarova, blues great Buddy Guy, and Led Zeppelin rockers Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones. President Obama, who attended with First Lady Michelle Obama, said such an unlikely group “had no business being on the same stage together,” adding that his speechwriters had a hard time writing a smooth transition from “ballet to Led Zeppelin.” [Washington Post]

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October 30, 2012 · 9:51 PM

“AP photo of POTUS yesterday- it tugs at my heart strings.”

This post’s title-quote was written by Mira of The Democratic Underground.  It was in reference to the above picture of President Obama walking in the rain.   She goes on to say:

After cancelling his appearance at a morning campaign rally in Orlando, Fla., President Barack Obama walks toward the White House in a driving rain Monday. Obama returned to Washington to monitor preparations for early response to Hurricane Sandy on Monday.

When I take a look at this, and think of the hours, the energy and care extended and the grueling work all the way around, it makes me humble and grateful to our President for his dedication to his obligations to the country and to us.
This photo shows that it is not at all easy, if you take it seriously, no matter how fancy being the President can look at times.
Just sayin’.

Another Democratic Underground commenter said this about the above photo:

Remember President Obama’s convention speech?

He quoted Abe, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day.” 

Or at least he para-quoted part of it, and I completely believe him.

TFC readers, what are your thoughts on the above photo?

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October 29, 2012 · 11:47 AM

The Storm

I have children who reside all along the eastern border of the United States: FL, MD and NYC, so my concern about Sandy’s path, size and strength gives me cause to worry, as any mother would.   I’ll be in touch with everyone for the next few days.  

From the reports on TV and in the news, this storm or super-cell is no joke.

Here’s the very latest from Huffington Post:

Hurricane Sandy bore down on the Eastern Seaboard’s largest cities Monday, forcing the shutdown of mass transit, schools and financial markets, sending coastal residents fleeing, and threatening a dangerous mix of high winds, soaking rain and a surging wall of water up to 11 feet tall.

Sandy strengthened before dawn and stayed on a predicted path toward Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York – putting it on a collision course with two other weather systems that would create a superstorm with the potential for havoc over 800 miles from the East Coast to the Great Lakes. About 2 to 3 feet of snow were even forecast for mountainous parts of West Virginia.

Continue reading here…

Ed Note:  Below are live updates on Huffington Post  as of 11:37 am today.   

 

Hudson River overflowing into Manhattan already at Hudson River Greenway. iWitness: David Kaiser pic.twitter.com/QnngmTbZ

11:36 AM – Today

new york city flooding

From HuffPost New York:

Even before the superstorm fueled by Hurricane Sandy has hit New York City in earnest Monday, parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn have experienced flooding.

At a press conference Monday morning, Governor Cuomo said the storm surge in New York is already at Hurricane Irene levels.

According to The New York Times, “Forecasters are expecting a 6-to-11-foot surge to hit the city at high tide around 8 p.m. [Monday] – the highest surge of the entire storm cycle.”

11:35 AM – Today

Water Levels Rise In New Jersey

Woah indeed!! RT @Jennasakwa: Woah! RT @nowthisnews: How high is the water in Brigantine, NJ? This high: pic.twitter.com/24OpUCYR

 11:34 AM – Today

The super storm has left between 20 and 30 percent of Cuba’s coffee crop scattered, a potentially devastating loss for the country’s economy. Reuters estimates coffee production dropping to its lowest point in a century despite President Raul Castro’s efforts to improve Cuban food production and to decrease reliance on imports. More here.

President Obama will deliver a statement after his Situation Room briefing on Hurricane Sandy, at 12:45pm.

11:30 AM – Today

Hurricane Sandy Information

Check in here for all of our information on how to stay safe during Hurricane Sandy.

NHgov @ NHgov : News and Events : Governor Lynch Declares State of Emergency Urges Citizens to Avoid Afternoon Travel : http://t.co/3vM2f73h
11:26 AM – Today

PHOTO: Irene vs. Sandy

Here is a side-by-side comparison of satellite images of Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Irene, courtesy of NASA.

sandy irene/> 

11:23 AM – Today

Vern Gillmore, 80, isn’t just sending money or supplies to help those affected by the Hurricane Sandy megastorm — he’s delivering himself. The Utah man was deployed Monday as part of the Red Cross’ nationwide initiative to help a small portion of some 50 million people who could be affected by the storm.

Read the full story here.

11:14 AM – Today
Accu_Jesse @ Accu_Jesse : Rec’s here: http://t.co/X1qVr7mU MT ‏@LeeGoldbergABC7 Pressure of 943mb #Sandy now lowest ever N of Cape Hatteras 

 

Far Rockaway, New York — The southernmost of the two bridges linking this thin peninsula to the rest of New York City remains open, but high winds and flooding are making crossing the bridge an increasingly hazardous undertaking.

For now, the wind is coming in short bursts, rattling cars but not pushing them. The real threat is the water spilling over from an angry and roiling Jamaica Bay. This reporter watched as a New York City Department of Transportation car briefly hydroplaned on the main north/south thoroughfare, Beach Channel Drive. The car drifted like a canoe into another lane before its wheels found purchase again.

This reporter, also driving on the road, then followed the city car as it retreated back over the bridge to the relative safety of Brooklyn.

Ben Hallman, HuffPost

11:03 AM – Today

Tornadoes Possible?

wunderground @ wunderground : @CharlesSimmins It is possible we will see some tornadoes. 

 

10:59 AM – Today
WSJweather @ WSJweather : NHC 11am #Sandy update: Sustained winds up to 90mph, pressure down to 943mb. Still 260mi from NYC. 

 

WSJweather @ WSJweather : Folks, just to summarize what we’re seeing here, #Sandy is in the process of intensifying — perhaps more than earlier forecasts showed. 

Portions of AC boardwalk destroyed, debris floating “uptown.”

Photo: Instagram/hoeboma

10:38 AM – Today

Most Of Atlantic City Underwater

eyewitnessnyc @ eyewitnessnyc : Atlantic City’s public safety director says most of the city under water #SandyABC7 #Sandy 

 

NYTMetro @ NYTMetro : Breaking: Holland and Brooklyn Battery Tunnels to close at 2 pm, Gov Cuomo announces. #Sandy 

 

10:35 AM – Today

Red Hook, Brooklyn Flooded

greenpainting @ greenpainting : @StartingPtCNN Thank you for your amazing coverage Soledad! Here we are marooned in Red Hook, Brooklyn!! #Sandy http://t.co/VAHFiLXX 

 

10:31 AM – Today

PHOTO: Storm In Ocean City, NJ

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September 26, 2012 · 7:51 AM

Wednesday Blog Roundup 9-26-2012

Newsweek

The Democrats’ Ronald Reagan

Does This Man Pass the Scott Brown Test?

Romney paying staff twice as much as Obama

Hannity’s America , A Nation Of Right-Wing Smears

Polls Show Obama Widening Lead in Ohio and Florida

Why The Blown Call On Monday Night Football Really Matters

Fox Distorts Obama’s Words On Democracy In The Middle East

96 percent of Americans have taken advantage of U.S. social programs

Obamacare Poll: Most Americans Expect To See Affordable Care Act Imple..

Ohio Teabaggers attempt to intimidate Ohio State students to block their votes

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August 27, 2012 · 12:44 PM

Military Terror Plot: Murder Case Uncovers Terror Plot By ‘Militia’ Within U.S. Military

Military Terror Plot

This should come as no surprise…

The Huffington Post

Prosecutors say a murder case against four soldiers in Georgia has revealed they formed an anarchist militia within the U.S. military with plans to overthrow the federal government.

One of the accused troops, Pfc. Michael Burnett, pleaded guilty Monday to manslaughter and gang charges in the December slayings of former soldier Michael Roark and his girlfriend, 17-year-old Tiffany York.

Burnett told a Long County judge that Roark, who had just left the Army, knew of the militia group’s plans and was killed because he was “a loose end.”

Prosecutor Isabel Pauley says the group bought $87,000 worth of guns and bomb-making materials and plotted to take over Fort Stewart, bomb targets in nearby Savannah and Washington state, as well as assassinate the president.

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