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Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryIraq War Costs Approach $567 Billion, Congressional Report Says
July 19 (Bloomberg) -- The cost of the war in Iraq will exceed the half-trillion dollar mark once Congress completes its work on a defense measure for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, the Congressional Research Service said in a report. Project for the Old American Century
The WorldInsurgents form political front to plan for US pullout
Seven of the most important Sunni-led insurgent organisations fighting the US occupation in Iraq have agreed to form a public political alliance with the aim of preparing for negotiations in advance of an American withdrawal, their leaders have told the Guardian.
Thank goodness SOMEBODY’s planning for the inevitable.—Caro
Israel begins freeing some Palestinian prisoners
RAMALLAH, West Bank, Israel (Reuters) - Israel released dozens of Palestinian prisoners on Friday as part of a U.S.-backed deal to bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after Hamas Islamists took over the Gaza Strip last month.
Israeli president urges Syria talks
JERUSALEM - President Shimon Peres on Thursday called on Syria to open direct peace talks with Israel, urging Damascus to drop its demand that negotiations take place through mediators.
Musharraf holds crisis talks as violence worsens
ISLAMABAD (AFP) - Pakistan's embattled President Pervez Musharraf convened a crisis meeting over an upsurge in Islamist violence as another suicide attack killed at least four people near the Afghan border.
Kremlin preaches Putin's greatness at youth camp
LAKE SELIGER, Russia (Reuters) - At a lakeside camp five hours drive north of Moscow, 10,000 young Russians are learning why President Vladimir Putin is such a brilliant leader and why his opponents are so evil.
Heavy fighting grips Sri Lanka after victory parade
COLOMBO (AFP) - Government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels were locked in combat in northwest Sri Lanka with both sides claiming they had inflicted heavy casualties on the other.
North Korea talks end, wrangling to continue
BEIJING (Reuters) - Grinding talks to end North Korea's nuclear arms ambitions will shift to technical wrangling over disarmament steps, envoys said on Friday as they endorsed a broad plan lacking any deadline.
China closes firms over tainted products
BEIJING - China said Friday it had shut down several firms at the heart of food and drug safety scares, its latest move to clean up those industries and salvage its reputation as a reliable exporter.
Kids in Guinea study under airport lamps
CONAKRY, Guinea - The sun has set in one of the world's poorest nations and as the floodlights come on at G'bessi International Airport, the parking lot begins filling with children.
Making Development Less Risky
(F)inancial risk management is likely to come to the forefront of strategies for poverty reduction. Micro-finance has already introduced financial markets for the poor. Now micro-insurance and other kinds of financial risk management will likewise yield important tools. The Nation19 percent:
President Bush’s approval rating in Wisconsin, according to a new poll conducted by a conservative polling firm. The rating is “a new low” for the President, whose previous low in polls by the firm was 24 percent.
Administration Claims Broader Privilege Scope
Bush administration officials unveiled a bold new assertion of executive authority yesterday in the dispute over the firing of nine U.S. attorneys, saying that the Justice Department will never be allowed to pursue contempt charges initiated by Congress against White House officials once the president has invoked executive privilege.
General needs until Nov. to assess Iraq
WASHINGTON - For months September has been cast as a pivotal time for determining the course of the war in Iraq, yet a top general now says a solid judgment on the U.S. troop buildup there may not come until November.
Talk about moving the goalposts. This is ridiculous.—Caro
Seventy House Members To Bush: No More Money For Your War
A group of around 70 House Democrats wrote a toughly-worded letter to President Bush today informing him that they would no longer vote for funding of the troops in any form save if the money were spent exclusively on withdrawing them from Iraq. Here's what this means: A quarter of the majority party is now for cutting off funding for the troops if they're staying.
When Harry Met Harry: Reid Finally Starts Channeling Truman Instead of Dukakis
(T)his week Senator Reid began to get it right…Any move that can simultaneously force Republicans to sacrifice for their lunacy, make them responsible for it in the public eye, put the opposition to the war on the offensive, drain GOP support for Bush in Congress, increase the likelihood that the right will fold their bullying bluff by calling them out, give the Democrats a reputation as fighters, and properly reframe the debate – all in one easy step – any move that can do all that is quite something.
Pentagon says anyone who asks about withdrawal from Iraq is emboldening the enemy
And the Pentagon brass know a thing or two about emboldening the enemy since they singlehandedly invited and trained Al Qaeda in Iraq for the past six years. And speaking about emboldening the enemy, how's that hunt for Osama going?
U.S. to crack down on terror bankrolls
President Bush unveiled a new executive order that allows the administration to block bank accounts and any other financial assets that might be found in this country belonging to people, companies or groups that the United States deems are working to threaten stability in Iraq.
More extraordinary powers that Bush has granted to himself.—Caro
Education, health cited for budget boost
WASHINGTON - A bill filled with money for job training, health and education faces a veto from President Bush, who complains that Democratic add-ons have made it too expensive. MediaPermanent link to MTA daily media news
I will be a guest on Tony Seton’s America Back on Track today at 3:30 PM ET. Listen to Tony from 3:00 to 4:00 PM ET every weekday on the Quality News Network.
Special Comment: Keith Blasts Bush Scapegoating: “This is YOUR War.”
Tonight on Countdown, Keith delivered a powerful special comment about the leaked Bush Administration letter that blames Senator Hillary Clinton and all war dissenters for President Bush’s own failures in Iraq.
Click through to watch the video.—Caro
Attacks on Gore backfire.
(Wednesday), conservatives across the blogosphere, citing a People magazine article and a poorly-researched Austrailian Daily Telegraph article, smeared Al Gore by claiming that he ate Chilean Sea Bass — a threatened species – at a rehearsal dinner for his daughter’s wedding. Attempting to paint Gore as an environmental hypocrite, BlogsForBush, NewsBusters, and others expressed outrage over the hypocrisy. But, as the Telegraph reports today, “Al Gore’s fish dinner turns out green“.
This Is Why We Revile Them
Marc Ambinder at the Atlantic defends the Edwards haircut story and condemns the undue coverage of Romney's make-up… Ambinder says right out that "fairly or unfairly" the press can't stand John Edwards and so they are going to bury him. This is, of course, not unprecedented since we saw what they did to Al Gore for the same reason… (M)aybe we should just poll the kewl kidz and find out which candidate they "like, totally, like" and we can cancel the election and save a lot of time and money.
Simpsons Creator Matt Groening on The Daily Show: forbidden to satirize FOX News crawl
Matt Groening, the man behind “The Simpsons,” sits down with Jon to plug his new movie, and reveals how FOX prohibited him from using the faux news crawl out of fear that it would confuse the mindless FOX News consumers.
Click through to watch the video.—Caro
Right-Wing ‘Path to 9/11′ receives 7 Emmy nominations.
ABC’s miniseries The Path to 9/11 has now been nominated for seven Emmy awards. This “docudrama” was rife with historical inaccuracies that blamed President Clinton for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, while heaping praise on President Bush. It was written by avowed conservative Cyrus Nowrasteh, who once spoke on a panel entitled: “Rebels With A Cause: How Conservatives Can Lead Hollywood’s Next Paradigm Shift.”
Message to Wash. Post's Romano: Warren Buffett explained why he supports Dems
Buffett, chairman and CEO of the investment group Berkshire Hathaway and reportedly the third-richest man in the world, has given a specific reason for supporting Democratic candidates, which Romano did not mention: He favors a more equitable taxation system.
It's Roger Ailes and Neil Cavuto the WSJ should fear
What's been missing from the stream of Murdoch-centered analysis, though, is a detailed discussion about the negative fallout the Journal faces from being so closely aligned with Fox News. And specifically, what's going to happen to the newspaper's integrity when it's used as a high-profile marketing tool to help boost the Fox Business Network, and, indirectly, Fox News.
Legal Resource for Citizen Journalists
Citizen journalists and other amateur media creators need legal literacy… The Citizen Media Law Project will offer several tools designed to help people with media law questions, including an archive of past litigation and legal guides. Technology & ScienceRobotic Bird Designed to Spy on Humans
A shape-shifting, robotic bird that can sweep through the skies without a peep has all the right stuff for ground surveillance and even spying on its real-life inspiration—the common swift.
Ain’t technology wonderful?—Caro
U.S. Leadership in Science Publishing Slips
Growth in the number of studies published in major peer-reviewed journals by U.S. scientists has flattened since the 1990s, according to a new report from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Emerging Asian nations had large increases in publication numbers, reflecting their growing expertise in science and technology, the report finds. European Union totals also went up.
Training scientists is a priority in those countries. In the U.S., it’s not. It’s that simple.—Caro
Key to Good Marriage: Do the Dishes
The keys to a successful marriage: Be faithful, have great sex and do the dishes. So says a new survey of Americans, who have elevated helping with household chores to the level of fundamental requirement in a good relationship. Men and women shared similar views on the issue of helping around the house.
Study: 46 Percent of Teens Hurt Themselves on Purpose
Self-injury among teens is more common than thought, a new study suggests. Some 46 percent of high school students surveyed said they had purposely injured themselves more than once in the past year.
We make impossible demands on them. Their bodies are ready for and craving sex, and we tell them not to have it.—Caro
Many Brain Cells Seek, to Help You Find
Study probes the way the mind tracks objects of interest
Expect the Best? Placebos Are for You!
Individual expectations of rewards may explain why some people feel better after receiving fake drug treatments—a phenomenon known as "the placebo effect." EnvironmentOfficials Report Asbestos in Manhattan Explosion Debris
Debris from an explosion of an aging steam pipe in midtown Manhattan contained asbestos, New York authorities said Thursday, but no airborne samples of the dangerous mineral fiber were detected.
Snowless in a Warming World, Ski Resort in French Alps Bids Adieu
Muddy slopes, slushy peaks, unused lifts -- this town in the French Alps is living out the nightmare of many a ski resort in a century scientists say is doomed to keep getting warmer.
Small Ice Sources Pose Big Threat to Rising Seas
Apparently, “don’t sweat the small stuff” doesn’t apply to sea-level rise due to global warming: Scientists have found that smaller glaciers and ice caps, not Earth's expansive polar ice sheets, could cause the majority of the rise due to melting by 2100.
From Wales, a Box to Make Biofuel from Car Fumes
The world's richest corporations and finest minds spend billions trying to solve the problem of carbon emissions, but three fishing buddies in North Wales believe they have cracked it. For more headlines, visit MakeThemAccountable.com. |
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