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[Caro]

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Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com

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Libby sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison
WASHINGTON - Former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison Tuesday for lying and obstructing the CIA leak investigation. "People who occupy these types of positions, where they have the welfare and security of nation in their hands, have a special obligation to not do anything that might create a problem," U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton said. Walton did not set a date for Libby to report to prison. Though he saw no reason to let Libby remain free pending appeal, Walton said he would accept written arguments on the issue and rule later.

The Illustrated Daily Scribble

The World

2 simultaneous blasts kill 7 in Baghdad
BAGHDAD - Two simultaneous car-bomb explosions Wednesday rocked the neighborhood of the capital's holiest Shiite Muslim shrine, killing at least seven people and wounding 27 others, police reported.

4.2 million Iraqis are now displaced
GENEVA - More than 4 million Iraqis have now been displaced by violence in the country, the U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday, warning that the figure will continue to rise.
The population isn’t quite 30 million. That means more than 1 person in 10 is displaced. The equivalent here would be 40 million DISPLACED. —Caro

Lebanese army shells camp for 5th day
TRIPOLI, Lebanon - Seven al-Qaida-inspired guerrillas surrendered Tuesday to a secular Palestinian faction at a besieged refugee camp in northern Lebanon, offering the first tangible sign that moderate Palestinians might be moving against the militants.

4 dozen Taliban reported killed
KABUL, Afghanistan - A gunbattle and airstrikes killed two dozen Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan, while more than 20 suspected militants drowned when Afghan forces sank their boat as they crossed a river trying to elude an attack, officials said Tuesday.

U.S. lawmakers raise alarm over Pakistan politics
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pakistan's use of violent intimidation to quell political protests threatens U.S. and Pakistani interests, and President Pervez Musharraf must be encouraged to restore democratic processes, several U.S. congressmen say.

Bush bashes Putin on democracy on eve of G8 summit
HEILIGENDAMM, Germany (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush criticized Russia on democracy on Tuesday but sought to calm President Vladimir Putin's anger over U.S. missile shield plans on the eve of a G8 summit in Germany.

The Nation

GALLUP: Public Concern About Low Morality in U.S. At All-Time High
NEW YORK Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs poll finds Americans very concerned about the current state of moral values in the United States. Only about one in six Americans describe the state of moral values in the country in positive terms, and perceptions that moral values are "poor" in the country are at their highest point ever, edging close to the 50% mark… Agreement on what represents moral behavior varied widely.
I think we can all agree that lying to start a war is immoral. And that’s just the start of the immorality the right wing has fostered in this country. Lying, cheating, and stealing are getting to be the norm. See the next few headlines for reasons Americans SHOULD be concerned about the low level of morality in public life. —Caro

Schlozman admits boasting of Republican hires
As the latest Justice Department official to appear before congressional investigators, Bradley Schlozman admitted Tuesday afternoon to boasting about his success in hiring Republicans or conservatives into career attorney positions within the department… The politicization of hiring decisions within the Department of Justice -- whose career attorneys are expected to operate independent of partisan concerns -- is at the heart of an ongoing scandal surrounding the dismissal of at least nine US Attorneys.

House Democrats expand Abramoff probe
House Democrats are expanding their investigation into ties between jailed GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the White House and have contacted several Abramoff associates recently about testifying to Congress.

GOP seeks to expel Jefferson from House
WASHINGTON - Republicans moved on Tuesday to seek Rep. William J. Jefferson's expulsion from Congress, a day after the Louisiana Democrat was indicted on charges of taking more than $500,000 in bribes.
That’s funny, those same Republicans didn’t seek Tom DeLay’s expulsion from Congress when he was indicted. And will they seek to expel from Congress all the currently serving indicted Republicans? Here’s a difference between us. I vote Democratic, and I believe Jefferson should be expelled. —Caro

Panel OKs aid for family planning groups
WASHINGTON - International family planning groups cut off from aid because of their position on abortion could gain access to U.S.-donated contraceptives under legislation approved by a House panel Tuesday.

Lawmakers seek increased mental health funding for veterans
Saying they're "very concerned" that the Department of Veterans Affairs isn't spending enough on mental health treatment, congressional members of both parties are pushing for more money in next year's VA budget.

Media

Permanent link to MTA daily media news

I will be a guest today on the Tony Trupiano Show, at 1:00 PM ET. Listen to Tony’s show every day between noon and 3:00 PM ET on listener supported RadioPower.org.

http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2007/06/05/more-americans-find-presidential-debates-are-must-see-tv/">More Americans Find Presidential Debates Are 'Must-See TV'
Bush's war and rising health-care costs heighten interest for the '08 elections.

Conyers links Fox News mistake to race
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) criticized Fox News Tuesday for mistaking him with Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) and subsequently issuing a “lackluster” apology.
They’re both bald men with dark skin, so what’s the problem? —Caro

Reporter arrested while getting soil at contaminated school
Record reporter Michael Gartland and a field manager for an environmental testing firm face trespassing charges after they went to collect soil at a school that was closed last week when pesticide contamination was found on its grounds. Managing editor Frank Burgos says determining whether soil on public land is toxic and a danger "is of great public concern ...(and) we at The Record feel it is our journalistic duty to pursue this matter and to provide the answers people have a right to expect."

The Hill called Jefferson "first lawmaker to be indicted since 2001" -- but DeLay was indicted in 2005
A June 5 article in The Hill falsely reported that when Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) was indicted on June 4, he became "the first lawmaker to be indicted since 2001, when the Justice Department indicted then-Rep. James Traficant (D-Ohio), who is still serving a prison term." In fact, as The Hill itself reported on September 29, 2005, in an article headlined, "DeLay indicted, steps down: Rep. Blunt takes over temporarily as majority leader," then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) "temporarily resigned his leadership position ... after an indictment by a Texas grand jury over his connection to a political action committee in that state."
Does anyone but me question the timing of the announcement of Jefferson’s indictment? Was it a coincidence that it was on the day before Scooter Libby’s sentencing? Of course not. It was typical Rovian news management, to reduce the effect of the sentencing. —Caro

Fox News downplays Scooter Libby's sentencing
News organizations began to scramble just before noon on June 5, when news broke that federal judge Reggie Walton had sentenced I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby to 30 months in prison and a $250,000 fine on charges of lying during the CIA leak investigation. Libby was found guilty in March of obstructing justice and lying to FBI agents in connection to the Valerie Plame case. With the sentencing, Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, became the highest-ranking White House official to face a jail sentence since the Iran-Contra affair nearly two decades ago.

How an entry for Boston Globe might read in Conservapedia
When the online encyclopedia for conservatives decides to include the Boston Globe, its editors might consider Alex Beam's "humble submission": "The Boston Globe: A newspaper/Communist front organization, long known as 'Pravda on the Charles. ' (See: New York Times; 'Izvestiya on the Hudson') Mouthpiece for Senators Ted Kennedy, Jean Kerry, and Godless Harvard. Pro-abortion; pro-gay marriage; pro-gun control. Featured writers: Jeff Jacoby, others."

Technology & Science

Intel, Asustek plan low-cost laptop
SAN FRANCISCO/ TAIPEI (Reuters) - Intel Corp. has detailed plans to team up with Asustek Computer Inc. (2357.TW), the world's largest maker of computer motherboards, to make a notebook PC that would cost as little as $200 and be aimed at mass markets in developing countries.

Japanese robot likes sushi, fears president
TOKYO, June 5 (Reuters) - Kansei frowns when he hears the word "bomb," smiles at "sushi" and looks scared and disgusted when someone says "president" -- and he isn't even human.

Scientists plan stem cell cure for blindness
LONDON (Reuters) - British scientists plan to use stem cells to cure a common form of blindness, with the first patients receiving test treatment in five years.

Hurricanes Still Frustrate Forecasters
Hurricane forecasters are getting better at pinpointing the paths of these swirling storms, but predicting how intense they will be is still problematic, according to a statement released today by the American Meteorological Society.

Ancient Egyptian City Spotted From Space
Satellites hovering above Egypt have zoomed in on a 1,600-year-old metropolis, archaeologists say. Images captured from space pinpoint telltale signs of previous habitation in the swatch of land 200 miles south of Cairo, which digging recently confirmed as an ancient settlement dating from about 400 A.D.

The Universe, Expanding Beyond All Understanding
Our successors, whoever and wherever they are, may have no way of finding out about the Big Bang and the expanding universe.

Environment

Bush, Merkel far apart on climate change
ROSTOCK, Germany - Both President Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have been making optimistic comments about the prospects for agreement on climate change.

Vatican building converting to solar energy
Some Holy See buildings will start using solar energy, reflecting Pope Benedict XVI's concern about conserving the Earth's resources, a Vatican engineer said Tuesday. The roof of the Paul VI auditorium will be redone next year, with its cement panels replaced with photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity, engineer Pier Carlo Cuscianna said.

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