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Edited on Fri Jan-19-07 09:22 AM by Caro
Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryPentagon sets rules for detainee trials
The Pentagon set rules Thursday for detainee trials that could allow terror suspects to be convicted and perhaps executed using hearsay testimony and coerced statements, setting up a new clash between President Bush and Congress. Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The WorldMuqtada al-Sadr aide arrested in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces arrested a top aide to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday in Baghdad, his office said.
Israel transfers tax revenues to Abbas
JERUSALEM - Israel freed $100 million in frozen tax funds and transferred the money to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, an official in Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said Friday.
Report: Israel freezes controversial plans for new West Bank settlement
Israel has frozen controversial plans for a new settlement in the West Bank, Defense Ministry officials said Friday.
Iran takes tough stand over nuclear row
TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashed out at a U.S. military buildup in the Gulf, saying Thursday that Iran is ready for any possibility in the standoff over its nuclear program.
Sri Lanka troops take rebel stronghold
COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lankan security forces captured the main rebel stronghold in the island's embattled eastern province after weeks of heavy fighting, the defence ministry said.
U.S. criticizes China over missile test
WASHINGTON - The United States criticized China on Thursday for conducting an anti-satellite weapons test in which an old Chinese weather satellite was destroyed by a missile.
N.Korea: Deal reached in U.S. nuke talks
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea said it reached an unspecified agreement with the U.S. this week on its nuclear weapons program, but America's top nuclear envoy said Friday he was unaware of any such deal.
Radical cleric sparks fury in Australia
SYDNEY, Australia - A radical Australian cleric drew widespread condemnation Thursday over a series of videos in which he encourages children to become martyrs for Islam and ridicules Jews as pigs.
South American leaders focus on poor
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - South American leaders sought to refocus their fractured trade bloc Thursday on the needs of the region's poor as Venezuela's outspoken president called for remaking Mercosur to fit his vision of "21st century socialism."
Chavez gets OK to approve laws by decree
CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuelan lawmakers gave initial approval to a bill granting President Hugo Chavez the power to rule by decree for 18 months so that he can impose sweeping economic, social and political change.
Wrong move, Venezuelans, You should never give dictatorial powers to one person. What’s to stop him from decreeing the abolition of the legislature, abrogation of the constitution, and no more elections. —Caro
Cuban writers back protest Vs. censor
HAVANA - The Cuban government's arts union Thursday backed protests against the recent reappearance of a former top censor blamed for Stalinist-type purges on artistic expression in the 1970s. The NationAnalysis: Bush making concessions
WASHINGTON - President Bush's about-face on warrantless wiretapping was the latest in a series of White House retreats and reversals. This is a different day for a president known for his stubbornness and insistence on seeing things his way.
This is the most important result of having a divided government with a balance of powers. —Caro
Report: Cheney rejected Iran concessions
LONDON - An Iranian offer to help the United States stabilize Iraq and end its military support for Hezbollah and Hamas was rejected by Vice President Dick Cheney in 2003, a former top State Department official told the British Broadcasting Corp.
It’s déjà Iraq all over again. —Caro
House wraps up legislative marathon
WASHINGTON - Democrats, still riding high from their election sweep, were also celebrating successes with House completion of their "100 Hour" legislative blitz and Senate passage of major ethics and lobbying reform.
House seeks more oil royalties, kills tax breaks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new Democratic-led House of Representatives passed legislation on Thursday aimed at "Big Oil" that would roll back some industry tax breaks and force energy companies to pay more drilling royalties, valued at $14 billion over 10 years.
House Democrats Support Iraq Resolution
WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic support is building around a resolution that would rebuff President Bush's plans to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq, and more Republicans are looking for ways to sign on to the measure.
Retired Generals Slam Bush's Iraq Plan
President Bush's troop build-up ? already taking political fire from both Democrats and Republicans ? came under attack from a panel of retired generals on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are advancing a resolution opposing the plan.
Senate cracks impasse on ethics
The Senate, responding to voter frustration with corruption and special interest influence in Washington, on Thursday overwhelmingly approved far-reaching ethics and lobbying reform legislation.
More jurors on standby in CIA leak trial
WASHINGTON - A federal judge is putting more potential jurors on standby in the CIA leak trial because so many people have been dismissed, mostly because of strong feelings against the Bush administration and the Iraq war.
Ex-Ohio Congressman Ney Faces Sentencing
WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Rep. Bob Ney, who resigned in October after pleading guilty to corruption charges, faces more than two years in prison for his role in a congressional bribery scandal. Economy & BusinessNasdaq falls after Intel's results; Dow, S&P dip
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Nasdaq finished lower on Wednesday as investors sold U.S. technology shares after disappointing financial results from bellwether Intel Corp. and a brokerage downgrade of Cisco Systems Inc.
Data show robust U.S. economy
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A series of reports on Thursday implied the U.S. economy was regaining its vigor at the beginning of 2007 without generating a spike in inflation.
Bernanke warns of looming US budget crisis
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US economy could be "seriously weakened" by budget strains if the government fails to deal with deficits expected from the retiring baby-boom generation, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke warned.
Yahoo expands finance section
SAN FRANCISCO - Internet powerhouse Yahoo Inc. will begin dispensing advice about personal finances in its latest bid to bolster its own finances. MediaColbert on the O’Reilly Factor
Stephen Colbert stepped into the "no-spin zone" tonight to chat with his mentor, "Papa Bear" Bill O'Reilly.
Click through to watch the video. It’s about 7 minutes long. —Caro
O'Reilly on Colbert Report
The much-hyped appearance happened tonight and Colbert did not disappoint. Colbert was positively giddy about "Papa Bear's" visit and in the most ingratiating and fawning manner, let his "idol" have it.
Colbert’s show replays several times today and this evening on Comedy Central. You can also watch the video online, if you can get past the limitations of MotherLoad. I have a cable modem, but the stream is still pretty spotty. —Caro
MySpace hit with online predator suits
NEW YORK - Four families have sued News Corp. and its MySpace social-networking site after their underage daughters were sexually abused by adults they met on the site, lawyers for the families said Thursday.
YouTube For 911 Callers
In his annual State of the City speech yesterday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg stated that the city plans to equip 911-emergency call centers with instant cell phone photos and civilian video footage of crimes in progress . The New York Post likens it to YouTube, but for all the good Samaritans that have been popping up all over the city.
CNN also has the ability to take your videos. —Caro
User content won't kill off old media
Predictions about the future of the media are as common as cut-price mince pies at this time of year. But some deserve more attention than others - few more so than the annual Media Predictions from consultants Deloitte.
Heh, heh, heh. Sure it won’t. We can hope that at the very least it becomes unnecessary for networks to pay millions of dollars a year for people with pretty heads to read the corporate news in front of a camera. —Caro
Eisner to Back UTA Channel
United Talent Agency and Veoh announced a partnership to create an online channel dedicated to scouting talent for possible representation. The deal, brokered by Veoh investor and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner and UTA's Jeremy Zimmer, is a clear acknowledgement that the next generation of writing, directing, producing and acting stars are more likely to be discovered online.
Web is wonderful, but don’t write off newspapers
Barack Obama, the Democratic senator from Illinois, announced on Tuesday that he was setting up an ‘exploratory committee’ to see if he might stand as a US presidential candidate. It was the way that he announced it – through a website – that intrigued me. It shows that the web can be wonderful, but only if it works hand in hand with the steam-driven world. So don’t go writing off newspapers and television just yet.
Time Inc cuts almost 300 jobs as digital investment rises
NEW YORK - Time Inc is to cut almost 300 jobs as it restructures and prepares to expand its digital activities.
Burkle and Broad Join Chandlers in Making Tribune Bid
Tribune Co.'s largest shareholder offered to buy the struggling media conglomerate and spin off its broadcast division in a deal disclosed Thursday and valued at $7.6 billion. Details about other bids remained unclear, but it was reported that Southern California billionaires Eli Broad and Ron Burkle submitted a proposal that amounts to a recapitalization plan - short of a pure buyout offer. The Wall Street Journal reported that at least three groups submitted offers.
Bloomberg to Press: Write What You're Told
Mayor Bloomberg's press aides laid down some ground rules yesterday when announcing some new initiatives, and most of the media played along.
FTC Chairman Wants Marketers to Shape up
But Applauds Self-Regulation in Advertising to Kids in Diet-Themed ANA Keynote Science & TechnologyGlobal warming dissenters few at U.S. weather meeting
SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - Joe D'Aleo was a rare voice of dissent this week at the American Meteorological Society's annual meeting in San Antonio.
A Coalition for Firm Limit on Emissions
Ten companies have banded with environmental groups to call for a nationwide cap on carbon dioxide emissions.
Wall Street Is Betting on the Farm
Wall Street commodity funds that have been investing heavily in energy futures are now loading up on agricultural commodities like corn and livestock futures.
Record biotech plantings in 2006
A biotechnology advocacy group reported Thursday that a record number of biotech crops were planted worldwide last year, but critics complained the gains were more of the same: aimed at making corn, soy and cotton crops resistant to weed killers and bugs.
A vending machine for iPods?
Old-school vending machines, bulky bastions of high-calorie snacks and sodas, meet your new-school challenger: chic upscale gadgets stocked with consumer electronics and pricey cosmetics. The new vending machines sell iPods, cellphones, USB drives, headphones, DVDs, and a host of other gadgets.
Investigators clear cell phone in pants fire
A fire that started in a man's pants pocket, critically injuring him and destroying his hotel room, was not ignited by a cell phone as authorities suspected, phone technicians said.
At Home with Time Warner
The company's "Home to the Future" exhibition might be more fairly be called the "Home of the Present," as it features technologies and services available today from (mostly) Time Warner Cable and other divisions of the media giant. The exhibition/interactive advertisement, developed by ESI Design with contributions from nine other companies, includes the Time Warner Center's central tower.
Daydreamers: Scientists Find Our Bored Baseline
Bored out of your skull is a reality. A new study of mind wandering shows that the mundane moments of life allow brains to shift into a default resting state that invites daydreaming. Some psychologists had suggested that mind wandering could be the brain’s baseline, a place of flitting thoughts from which a person must wrench away for challenging work. The new study agrees and looks deeply into the neural mechanics behind this common and sometimes happy affliction.
Women drivers? They re safer than men
That age-old stereotype about dangerous women drivers is shattered in a big new traffic analysis: Male drivers have a 77 percent higher risk of dying in a car accident than women, based on miles driven. |
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