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Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryWhite House tries to avoid Iraq showdown
A Senate resolution opposing President Bush's war plan on Iraq put the White House and Republican leaders on the defensive Wednesday as they scurried to prevent a trickle of GOP support for the measure from swelling into a deluge. Eager to avoid an embarrassing congressional rebuke of the president's new war strategy, the administration seemed to hint that the effort — led chiefly by Democrats — might somehow be of assistance to terrorists.
This is huge, friends. I know there are activists who aren’t happy with how the Democrats are proceeding on Iraq, but the media are not spouting Republican talking points for the first time in years. It’s important to be tough without overreaching, and from what I see, that’s exactly what the Democrats are doing. —Caro The Radical Fringe
The WorldBaghdad bombs kill 17 as violence grows
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 17 people were killed and 47 wounded in car bombings in Baghdad on Thursday as insurgents staged a fresh series of attacks in a bloody week in the Iraqi capital.
Islam's Sunni-Shiite split
To the outsider, the differences between the Sunni and Shiite Islamic sects are hard to recognize. But, as recent events in Iraq and Lebanon have shown, the differences between the believers are not only seen as important by the communities but now, as they have for centuries, rest at the core of bloody political struggles.
Iran envoy: Iraq to free captured Iranians
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iran's ambassador said Thursday that Iraq's foreign minister promised him that Iranians captured by U.S. troops in north of the country last week will be freed "within days," adding that their detention was an insult to the Iraqi government and people.
El-Baradei concerned Iran sanctions
PARIS - The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog expressed concern Thursday that the international sanctions against Iran could escalate Tehran's standoff with the U.S. and its European allies.
Pressure mounts on Olmert to resign
JERUSALEM - Defense Minister Amir Peretz defied calls to resign and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert ignored similar demands after the Israeli army chief of staff stepped down over the military's failure to stop Hezbollah rocket attacks from Lebanon last summer.
Gates may seek more Afghanistan troops
MANAMA, Bahrain - Defense Secretary Robert Gates sees a rationale for sending more troops to Afghanistan, but the question he and President Bush face is how much more the military can be expected to contribute at a time when Bush is ramping up U.S. firepower in Iraq and the Persian Gulf.
South America leaders head to rio summit
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - South America's lunge toward the left is overshadowing the goal of free trade as the continent's most prominent leaders head to Rio for a two-day summit of the fractured Mercosur economic bloc.
Fighting in Philippines kills 10
MANILA, Philippines - Philippine troops closed in Thursday on another veteran of the Abu Sayyaf extremist group, a day after announcing the death of a senior leader wanted in the beheading of a California tourist.
U.N. team heads to Chad, Central Africa
UNITED NATIONS - A U.N. team heads to central Africa over the weekend to explore the possibility of deploying a U.N. force in Chad and the Central African Republic to protect civilians threatened by the spillover of the conflict in Sudan's neighboring Darfur region.
Ban Ki-moon vows to reform the U.N.
WASHINGTON - The United Nations will see a series of reforms and be "reborn" under new leadership, new U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday.
Good luck, Mr. Ban. I hope you’re successful. —Caro The NationAfter Rice's tour, Arabs are cool to Bush's Iraqi plan
Arab leaders were deeply skeptical of the U.S. plan for Iraq, a day after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tried to sell it to them. Kuwait's emir told Rice that America should work with Iran and Syria, officials said something U.S. President George W. Bush has rejected.
Rice hears encouragement from Mideast
BERLIN - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday she heard strong encouragement from Israeli and Palestinian leaders and their neighbors for quick progress toward a Middle East peace agreement.
Huh? Which is it, folks? Are the Arab leaders cool to Condi’s begging, or are they encouraging? I’ll leave it to you to decide which of the above two articles was inspired by State Department PR maven and Bush best buddy Karen Hughes. —Caro
Iraq resolution may expose GOP divide
WASHINGTON - A Democrat-driven resolution on Iraq that has attracted the support of at least two Republicans threatens to expose fissures within the GOP over the unpopular war.
House passes student loan interest bill
WASHINGTON - The Democratic-controlled House voted overwhelmingly to cut interest rates on need-based student loans Wednesday, steadily whittling its list of early legislative priorities.
Dems target royalty breaks for oil firms
WASHINGTON - Newly empowered House Democrats are optimistic they can push through an energy package of $15 billion in fees, taxes and royalties on oil and gas companies to use to promote renewable fuels.
Pelosi eyes global warming committee
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, intent on putting global warming atop the Democratic agenda, is shaking up traditional committee fiefdoms dominated by some of Congress oldest and most powerful members.
Senate Democrats fight proposal to ban relatives lobbying
As the Senate works on sweeping new ethics rules this week, Majority Leader Harry Reid and other leading Democrats are resisting changes that strike close to home. A conflict-of-interest proposal that would ban senators' spouses from lobbying the chamber has triggered intense debate.
You’re wrong on this, Democrats. Get the relatives out of the mix. Having them involved just leaves too much room for shenanigans—and coverups. —Caro
Defense official says Pentagon hid unspent funds in accounts
The Pentagon has hidden at least $1.4 billion in other agencies' accounts instead of returning unspent money to the U.S. Treasury, the Defense Department's internal watchdog told Congress Wednesday.
White House reverses course on spy program
WASHINGTON - A year after disclosure of a domestic spying program that President Bush maintained was within his authority to operate, the administration shifted its position and said it would seek the approval of an independent panel of federal judges.
Official apologizes to detainees' lawyers
A senior Pentagon official publicly apologized Wednesday for criticizing lawyers who represent terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and for suggesting their firms be boycotted.
No-fly list checked for accuracy, cut
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is checking the accuracy of a watch list of suspected terrorists banned from traveling on airliners in the U.S. and will probably cut the list in half, the head of the Transportation Security Administration said Wednesday.
Bush tries to keep budget promise
WASHINGTON - President Bush will try to keep his promise to balance the budget within five years in part by again delaying his plan to add private accounts to Social Security.
What better proof do we need that Bush lied when he said the privatization of Social Security wouldn’t cost anything? —Caro Economy & BusinessDow ends down 5 on slow economic growth
NEW YORK - Wall Street finished mixed Wednesday after the Federal Reserve reported slow but steady regional economic growth, deflating hopes for an interest rate cut that were already dampened by a larger-than-expected producer price index.
Wholesale inflation in Dec. moderates
WASHINGTON - Wholesale prices moderated in December after a big surge the previous month, while industrial production rebounded from three consecutive declines.
Citrus freeze leaves thousands jobless
SANGER, Calif. - The deep freeze that has destroyed some $1 billion worth of California citrus could also mean months of unemployment for thousands of farmworkers, packers and truck drivers during what is already a lean season for those who work in agriculture, industry officials say.
Target date funds becoming more popular
NEW YORK - Many investors pride themselves on making regular contributions to their retirement savings plans, but once they set up those accounts, they're likely to spend more time weighing what movie to see or where to go on vacation than managing their assets. MediaTo NYT and CBS, All Single Women Look Like Carrie and Angie
The New York TImes serves up another lazy "trend" story by slapping together a few anecdotes, buffered by a minor statistic, and presenting it as important news. CBS mindlessly follows.
Not Just Wrong, but All Wrong
While mainstream commentators astute enough to question claims of Iraqi WMDs were often "slandered by supposedly respectable commentators...who in the tradition of Joe McCarthy made ominous claims about how critics of the war were actively pro-terrorist," the "gross incompetence" on display in William Kristol's analyses of "the most important issue facing America today" has not altered the "bizarrely upward trajectory of career path" toward a prime column at Time.
Study: Traffic on Newspaper Blogs Tripled Last Year
The number of people reading Internet blogs on the top 10 U.S. newspaper sites more than tripled in December from a year ago and accounted for a larger percentage of overall traffic to those sites, tracking firm Nielsen//NetRatings said. Unique visitors to blog sites affiliated with the largest Internet newspapers rose to 3.8 million in December 2006 from 1.2 million viewers a year earlier.
Internet Pushes Concept of 'Free' Content
After spending millions of dollars over the past decade fighting the free exchange of their products over the Internet, some media companies are now yielding. The best way to get something in return, they are deciding, may be to accept that consumers want to play but few seem to want to pay. If enough of them join the game, there can still be a payback.
Freedom of Information, the Wiki Way
Wikipedia's democratic media technology is utilized in a new Wikileaks.org effort to help anonymous whistleblowers increase "transparency in government activities." Wikileaks opens leaked documents up to a much more exacting scrutiny than any media organization or intelligence agency could provide.
Skype Founders Unveil 'YouTube Killer'
The founders of Skype, who are preparing to launch the world's first broadcast-quality Internet television service, are moving closer to a debut by giving the nascent service a name: Joost. The service aims to be "piracy proof" and capable of streaming video at broadcast resolutions.
Is This the End of Network TV?
Entertainment marketers must rethink the network television model -- before their jobs become obsolete, writes Steve Rosenbaum, CEO of the community-created video service Magnify.net. "The future of TV is no longer about content creation. It is instead about content discovery."
Blockbusters Are Dead, Says Wired Editor
The age of the blockbuster is over, according to Wired magazine editor in chief Chris Anderson in his keynote address at the NATPE conference. Videos on YouTube are generating "network-sized audiences for the kind of content that TV isn't making. ... There's going to be a battle."
FCC Nixes Prospect of Sirius-XM Merger
A merger between Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio has been nixed by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. Wednesday morning (Jan. 17), Martin chatted with reporters after the commission's monthly open meeting, making it clear that FCC regulations created when the satellite radio service was conceived more than a decade ago clearly state that “two satellite radio operators remain in place,” Martin said.
The Same Kenneth Tomlinson
One blogger takes the occasion of the "irrepressibly corrupt" Kenneth Tomlinson's announcement that he "is jumping ship rather than face the newly elected Democratic majority in the senate that would be unlikely to reconfirm him" as chair of the Broadcasting Board of Governors to remember that this is the same Kenneth Tomlinson that paid $15,000 in payments to two Republican lobbyists that were not disclosed to the Corporation ’s board.
No Sale Seen Likely as Tribune Bidding Concludes
Tribune Co. directors prepared to deliberate over the struggling media company's next step Wednesday as a much-anticipated bidding period for its assets drew to an anticlimactic close.
HarperCollins Disbands ReganBooks
Bye-bye, ReganBooks. The sensational HarperCollins imprint of Judith Regan, the publisher who nearly brought us O.J. Simpson’s imaginary “confession” to murder, has been temporarily renamed “HC” and in the fall will be dispersed throughout the company. Science & TechnologyNuclear scientists move 'Doomsday Clock' toward midnight
The world is nudging closer to nuclear or environmental apocalypse, a group of prominent scientists warned Wednesday as it pushed the hand of its symbolic Doomsday Clock closer to midnight. The clock, which was set two minutes forward to 11:55, represents the likelihood of a global cataclysm.
Dont Like the Dancing Cowboys? Results Say You Do
The surprising success of the ubiquitous Web banners by LowerMyBills.com has led to a significant payday for the company.
The Next Really Big Thing: Digital Billboards
Digital billboards are starting to sprout along highways near you. These enormous, wide-screen displays provide an extremely attractive way to grab the attention of customers who are (momentarily) offline, while still maintaining a connection to the digital world. The attraction to advertisers is that you can conduct a seamless campaign; the same ad campaign that the consumer saw on the highway on the way to work also appears on his desktop computer; when he looks for a digital sports clip, the same ad appears on his cell phone. And, all of this can be organized remotely.
Sprint sees 'open' model for WiMax
San Francisco (IDGNS) - Sprint Nextel wants its WiMax wireless service to look more like home broadband and less like cellular, but it may take a while to get there.
Internet gains for midterm campaign news
The Internet still trails television and newspapers as the leading sources for political news, but it gained significantly in usage since the midterm elections of 2002, the Pew Internet and American Life Project found.
HP researchers tout nanotech in chips
Hewlett-Packard Co. researchers say their integration of nanotechnology with traditional circuitry designs in computer chips could help reduce energy use and produce ever-smaller devices.
Microsoft to offer Windows Vista online
Microsoft Corp. will make its new Windows Vista operating system available for sale and download online, marking a new step for the software company, which has previously sold Windows only on packaged discs or pre-loaded on computers.
Stem cells nurture damaged spine: study
BOSTON (Reuters) - Human embryonic stem cells can help regenerate damaged nerves in rats, producing compounds that nurture nerve cells and stimulate the growth of new ones, Geron Corp. said on Wednesday.
Blind Cats Get Implants
A microchip the width of a pencil eraser shows promise in helping blind cats see again. Since a cat's eye is very similar to a human eye in size and anatomy, Narfstrom hopes surgeons can use the same techniques and equipment in humans with the eye disease. In fact she said, to date, the microchip has been implanted in 30 humans and has shown positive results.
Intersex Fish Linked to Human Activity
Male fish with female characteristics in the Potomac River Basin are linked to chemicals found in pesticides, flame retardants and personal-care products. |
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