August 30, 2007
DOJ Inspector General Investigating Gonzales Testimony
The resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, effective Sept. 17, does not mean he will be able to wash his hands of the intense scrutiny he has faced in office.
Department of Justice Inspector General Glenn Fine affirmed today in a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy that his office was investigating the possibility that Gonzales may have perjured himself multiple times in recent testimony before Leahy's committee and others.
Continue reading "DOJ Inspector General Investigating Gonzales Testimony"
Posted at 3:20 PM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Patrick Leahy, Senate
Share via
GAO Draft Complicates Reports Of Iraqi Progress
UPDATED.
A new assessment of the situation in Iraq conducted by the Government Accountability Office paints a far gloomier picture of progress there than the White House's own preliminary findings, released last month. A draft of the report leaked to the Washington Post found that Iraq has met only three of the 18 military and political benchmarks set by Congress in order to measure progress there, while two others have been "partially met."
The Pentagon was quick to dispute that account. Today, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said that after reviewing the draft, military officials "made some factual corrections" and suggested the GAO change some of its grades. "We have provided the GAO with information which we believe will lead them to conclude that a few of the benchmark grades should be upgraded from 'not met' to 'met,'" he said.
Evaluating the progress in Iraq, the draft concludes that, "Overall, key legislation has not been passed, violence remains high, and it is unclear whether the Iraqi government will spend $10 billion in reconstruction funds." Elsewhere, it states simply, "The capabilities of Iraqi security forces have not improved."
Continue reading "GAO Draft Complicates Reports Of Iraqi Progress"
Posted at 1:00 PM
Posted to:
Iraq, Middle East
Share via
Bernanke Reassures Investors
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke promised that the Fed is keeping a close eye on financial markets and that it "is prepared to act as needed to mitigate the adverse effects on the economy arising from the disruptions in financial markets."
His statements were made in a letter written to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., released Wednesday. Bernanke has come under criticism for refusing to cut the federal interest rate or to loosen regulations on mortgage funding companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during a recent financial shake-up that sent stock markets worldwide tumbling.
Continue reading "Bernanke Reassures Investors"
Posted at 12:52 PM
Posted to:
Charles Schumer, Congress, Economy, Senate
Share via
Taliban Releases More South Korean Hostages
The Taliban released four more South Korean hostages and is expected to release the remaining three sometime today, ending a six-week crisis. Twelve captives were released on Tuesday.
The Taliban originally kidnapped 23 Christian missionaries on July 19 as they were traveling from Kabul to the Ghazni province, a Taliban stronghold. Two male hostages were shot and killed when Taliban demands for a prisoner exchange were not met. In mid-August, two female hostages were released as a show of goodwill.
The 12 hostages freed on Tuesday were released in three separate groups in scattered locations after South Korean diplomats reached an agreement with Taliban representatives. It is reported that no money exchanged hands, but that the South Korean government reiterated previously agreed upon plans to withdraw 200 non-combat troops from Afghanistan, as well as to halt missionary work in the Muslim country.
Continue reading "Taliban Releases More South Korean Hostages"
Posted at 11:23 AM
Posted to:
Afghanistan, Asia, South Korea, Terrorism
Share via
Report Faults Va. Tech In Shootings
Four months after Cho Seung-Hui's deadly shooting spree at Virginia Tech, a new report from an eight-member panel appointed by Gov. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) concludes that university officials could have taken steps to prevent the killings.
The school's failure to issue an alert immediately after Cho shot his first two victims in a campus dormitory, the report suggests, could have impacted the second round of shootings in a classroom building. Two hours elapsed between the two rounds of shootings, but the campus-wide email alert wasn't issued until just before Cho killed 30 more people and himself in Norris Hall.
Continue reading "Report Faults Va. Tech In Shootings"
Posted at 10:40 AM
Posted to:
Crime
Share via
August 29, 2007
Musharraf To Leave Military Position
As part of a power-sharing agreement with his primary political rival, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will step down from his position as the country's military leader. Several days of talks in London led up to the announcement.
Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto told CNN today that Gen. "Musharraf recognizes that it is very difficult to move to a transition towards democracy when there's a chief of army staff ruling the country.... I think he wants to make the right decision, so I expect he's going to take the uniform off."
Musharraf also agreed to drop the pending corruption charges against Bhutto and other government officials, a move that will allow her to re-enter the country after living as an exile in London and Dubai. Bhutto, a former prime minister, previously said that she would return to her position if Musharraf left his military post.
Posted at 5:03 PM
Posted to:
Asia, Pakistan
Share via
Craig Steps Down From Committees As Colleagues Scatter
UPDATED.
Idaho Sen. Larry Craig has agreed to temporarily step down from his committee posts in the wake of revelations about his recent arrest and guilty plea to charges of lewd conduct.
The move comes as an ever-growing chorus of Craig's GOP colleagues demands his resignation. This afternoon, Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan became the first Republican member of Congress to suggest Craig should resign, a call that was soon echoed by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Norm Coleman, R-Minn.
The White House did not join the resignation bandwagon, but spokesman Scott Stanzel told reporters following the president in Mississippi today, "We are disappointed in the matter."
Just before Craig's press conference yesterday, during which he denied any wrongdoing, the Republican leadership in the Senate requested an ethics committee investigation into the three-term senator's arrest in June. Craig pleaded guilty (a move he now says he regrets) to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct after a plainclothes officer accused him of soliciting sex in the men's bathroom of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Craig didn't tell anyone, including the Senate GOP leadership, about his arrest.
Continue reading "Craig Steps Down From Committees As Colleagues Scatter"
Posted at 4:31 PM
Posted to:
Congress, Larry Craig, Senate
Share via
Hurricane Katrina, Two Years Later
UPDATED.
Commemorating the moment Hurricane Katrina smashed the levees protecting New Orleans on this day in 2005, a huge crowd of people rang individual bells for two minutes at an event this morning. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin (D) addressed the assembly, saying, "We ring the bells for a city that is in recovery. It is struggling and performing miracles on a daily basis."
"We ring the bells for hope that the promise that was made at Jackson Square will become a reality and will restore a confidence in government at all levels," Nagin said, referring to President Bush's assurances of federal assistance during a September 2005 speech at the French Quarter landmark.
Those bells rang out as Bush himself touched on a similar topic before a different crowd in New Orleans. Speaking at a charter school, Bush also took up bureaucracy and the divide between the levels of government, saying that after the storm, people in New Orleans "probably wondered whether those in the federal government... would pay attention to whether or not progress is begin made. And I hope people understand we're still paying attention. We understand."
Continue reading "Hurricane Katrina, Two Years Later"
Posted at 11:55 AM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Katrina, President Bush
Share via
Rove's Ride Pimped
Karl Rove will have a nicely wrapped present waiting for him when he gets back to Washington tonight: his Jaguar.
While Rove was away visiting with President Bush in Texas this week, White House wisecrackers wrapped his car in plastic wrap, covered the windows with stickers and topped it all off with a few stuffed toys and some stickers bearing messages such as "King Karl" and "I love Barack Obama." Rove left his car in the heavily patrolled parking lot adjacent to the White House, so the prank is more likely the work of some administration interns than rogue Obama staffers.
For the full story, you'll really want to take a look at the AP photos.
Posted at 11:54 AM
Posted to:
Karl Rove
Share via
Iranian Delegates Released By U.S. Military
The U.S. military has released eight Iranians and their seven-man Iraqi security detail after taking the group into custody on Tuesday and holding them overnight for questioning at a military base. The delegation's convoy of four cars was stopped at a security checkpoint, where American and Iraqi forces found that they were carrying unlicensed weapons.
Members of the group were allowed to continue on to their hotel, but shortly after they arrived, U.S. military personnel entered their rooms and confiscated a laptop computer, cell phones and a briefcase full of U.S. and Iranian money. The Iranians were led out blindfolded and handcuffed.
Two of the Iranians were embassy staffers and were carrying diplomatic credentials. The other six were Energy Ministry officials. The group had been invited to Baghdad by the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, to help set up a new power plant. The Iranians were released by the U.S. military after consultations with the Iraqi government.
Continue reading "Iranian Delegates Released By U.S. Military"
Posted at 11:20 AM
Posted to:
Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Military, President Bush
Share via
Tim Johnson's Return Raises Questions About '08
Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., spoke before a cheering crowd of supporters in Sioux Falls yesterday, his first public appearance since a severe brain hemorrhage incapacitated him last December. The event was described by the AP as "a carefully choreographed gathering that took on the appearance of a campaign event" and by others in attendance as a moving experience.
The senator was brought onstage in a wheelchair but was able to stand up at the podium and speak for about 15 minutes, impressing supporters with the extent of his recovery. Johnson has spent the past eight months recuperating with his family near Washington and going through a demanding regime of speech and physical therapy.
This week, Johnson told ABC News reporter Bob Woodruff, "I expect to run and to win" re-election in 2008, but his staff later clarified that he is still considering the matter. Adding to the speculation, a national political firm working to re-elect Democratic lawmakers recently launched a Web site welcoming back the senator, which some have read as an attempt to lay the groundwork for a campaign next year. Johnson won the state in 2002 by a precarious 524-vote margin, and Republicans have already announced their intention to target his seat in '08.
Posted at 11:10 AM
Posted to:
Congress, Senate
Share via
Daydreaming About Gonzales' Successor
The obits on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales are borderline gleeful, and for that reason it will be a good day indeed when Washington no longer has Al Gonzales to kick around anymore. There's little disagreement on how good Gonzales was at his job (not very) or whether he stayed on the job too long (he did). Now Washington insiders are playing their second-favorite sport: the speculation-a-thon.
Will President Bush really move DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff over to DOJ? Will there be an ugly nomination battle? And what will become of Gonzales, the man known affectionately (and not so affectionately) as Gonzo?
Continue reading "Daydreaming About Gonzales' Successor"
Posted at 9:46 AM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Harriet Miers, President Bush
Share via
August 28, 2007
Sen. Larry Craig: I Did Nothing Wrong, And I Am Not Gay
UPDATED.
In a brief but fiery press conference, Sen. Larry Craig sought to put to rest rumors that he is gay.
"Let me be clear: I am not gay. I have never been gay," the Idaho Republican said with his wife at his side.
Craig called reporters to the outdoor plaza in Boise to explain why he pleaded guilty earlier this month to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge after a plainclothes officer accused him of soliciting sex in a men's restroom at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Roll Call broke the news of Craig's June arrest and plea yesterday.
"I did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis airport," Craig said. "I did nothing wrong, and I regret the decision to plead guilty."
Continue reading "Sen. Larry Craig: I Did Nothing Wrong, And I Am Not Gay"
Posted at 5:37 PM
Posted to:
Congress, Crime, Larry Craig, Senate
Share via
Foreign Firefighters Head To Greece
Several days of wildfires have destroyed nearly half a million acres of land in Greece, and firefighters from Israel, Austria, Italy and other countries arrived today to assist in efforts to extinguish the blazes. The European Union said it's offering unprecedented assistance to its member state.
More than 60 people have been killed since the fires first broke out all over the country, threatening populated areas and ancient sites such as Marathon and Olympia.
Greek President Karolos Papoulias declared states of emergency and deemed the fires a "national catastrophe." Elections are set for mid-September, and the government is facing widespread criticism over its handling of the spate of fires that has been plaguing the country all summer.
Posted at 3:02 PM
Posted to:
EU, Europe
Share via
SAT Scores Drop For Second Year In A Row
The College Board released a report on the infamous SAT college entrance exam today and found that the Class of 2007 posted the lowest test scores in several years. The report focuses on the growing number of students taking the exam and, particularly, on the record numbers of minority test-takers. It trumpets a modest increase in reading scores for Asian- and Hispanic-Americans. However, national critical reading and math scores dropped by one and three points, respectively, and the relatively new writing section, introduced in 2006, also posted a drop of three points.
This is the second year in a row that the board has reported a drop in SAT scores. The New York Times reports that "in 2006, the first class to take a new three part test including a writing section, average SAT scores showed the largest decline in 31 years: 5 points in critical reading and 2 in math." Educators and guidance counselors blamed a longer test and student fatigue for last year's drop in scores, while the College Board attributed it to a drop in the number of students who took the test more than once.
Continue reading "SAT Scores Drop For Second Year In A Row"
Posted at 1:30 PM
Posted to:
Education
Share via
Paging John Ashcroft
Now that Alberto Gonzales is on his way out of the DOJ, will John Ashcroft finally come out and talk about that dramatic night in his hospital room?
A few pundits are joking that Gonzales' poor performance as attorney general succeeded in making Ashcroft look good. The former AG was the regular butt of jokes because of his old-fashioned brand of patriotism and religious devoutness, which is pretty unfair. We've said it before and we'll say it again: a few people out there might owe Mr. Ashcroft an apology.
Continue reading "Paging John Ashcroft"
Posted at 1:01 PM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, John Ashcroft
Share via
Turkey Gets First Ex-Islamist President
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul received the simple majority of votes he needed to finalize his election, making him the first Turkish president with an Islamist background.
Gul, of the ruling AKP party, won 339 of 550 votes in a third round of parliamentary balloting. His win brings to a close a tension-filled election, in which Turkey's military threatened a coup in order to uphold the overwhelmingly Muslim country's secularist constitution.
Strains between Turkey's secularists and those who backed Gul's candidacy remain. With Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan still in office, AKP now controls Turkey's highest offices as well as Parliament. Gul, a devout Muslim, has promised that his associations with political Islam are in the past, and AKP remains popular for shepherding an unprecedented economic boom.
Continue reading "Turkey Gets First Ex-Islamist President"
Posted at 11:15 AM
Posted to:
EU, Europe, Turkey
Share via
Taliban To Release South Korean Hostages
Over a month after the Taliban abducted a group of South Korean aid workers in central Afghanistan, the militants agreed to release the 19 remaining hostages in captivity.
The South Korean government reported today that the Taliban had agreed to let the Christian aid workers go after face-to-face talks mediated by the Red Cross in the Afghan city of Ghazni. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi confirmed the deal to the Associated Press but declined to give specifics on the date or location of the hostages' release.
Bloomberg cited a negotiator and tribal elder who told the Agence France-Presse that the South Koreans "will be freed in three or four days," and Thomson Financial reports that the hostages are expected to be transferred to Kabul.
In exchange, South Korea promised to withdraw its 200 troops stationed in Afghanistan by the end of the year -- which had already been scheduled -- and end missionary activities in the country.
Twenty-three hostages were originally captured. The group's leader was killed a few days after the July 19 kidnapping, and a second was killed in late July after the Afghan government failed to appease the kidnappers. Two female hostages were released a few weeks ago in a sign that negotiations were progressing.
Posted at 10:50 AM
Posted to:
Afghanistan, Asia, South Korea, Terrorism
Share via
August 27, 2007
GOP Senator Craig Arrested For 'Lewd Conduct' In Bathroom
UPDATED.
Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig, one of the Senate's most conservative members and an opponent of gay rights, was arrested in June for an incident involving lewd conduct in a public men's room, Roll Call reports.
According to the report, Craig was arrested June 11 following a complaint of lewd conduct in a restroom at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. TPM has obtained the incident report, and so far the details appear to be tame.
"At 1216 hours, Craig tapped his right foot. I recognized this as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct. Craig tapped his toes several times and moves his foot closer to my foot," the officer states. After Craig "proceeded to swipe his hand under the stall divider several times," the officer flashed his identification card and informed the senator he was under arrest.
Continue reading "GOP Senator Craig Arrested For 'Lewd Conduct' In Bathroom"
Posted at 6:40 PM
Posted to:
Congress, Crime, Gay Rights, Senate
Share via
Alberto Gonzales Resigns; Chertoff Floated As Replacement
UPDATED.
Describing his career trajectory as "a remarkable journey," U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced he was finally stepping down after months of bipartisan calls for his resignation.
"Yesterday, I met with President Bush and informed him of my decision to conclude my government services as attorney general of the United States effective September 17," Gonzales said at a 10:30 a.m. EDT press conference. "It has been one of my greatest privileges to lead the Department of Justice."
The timing of Gonzales' announcement, late in the summer while Congress and the president are away, succeeded in taking the Beltway by surprise. Together, Gonzales and Bush had formed a two-man chorus of defiance, insisting the AG would not resign in the face of what they termed a political witch hunt. Neither Gonzales nor Bush publicly wavered on the matter, despite a mountain of damning testimony -- much of it the AG's own -- portraying him as an out-of-touch, ineffectual leader of the nation's criminal justice system.
Continue reading "Alberto Gonzales Resigns; Chertoff Floated As Replacement"
Posted at 5:10 PM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Paul Clement, President Bush
Share via
Bush Stands By Al-Maliki, But For How Long?
En route to a GOP fundraiser in Albuquerque, President Bush made an unscheduled statement about a new tentative Iraqi political accord.
"I congratulate Iraq's leaders on the agreement reached yesterday in Baghdad," Bush said after disembarking from Air Force One. "While yesterday's agreement is an important step, I reminded them, and they understand, much more needs to be done."
Yesterday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced a deal that would move the central government closer to unity after a meeting with President Jalal Talabani, who is Kurdish, Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, who is Sunni, Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi, who is Shia, and Massoud Barzani, president of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. Included in the package were an agreement to release detainees held without charge, the majority of whom are Sunni, and a consensus on oil, gas and water distribution. Many of the 18 benchmarks laid out by Congress had been worked out, the leaders said.
Continue reading "Bush Stands By Al-Maliki, But For How Long?"
Posted at 3:46 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Iraq, Middle East, President Bush
Share via
Afghan Opium Production Booming
Opium production in Afghanistan has reached "frightening" new levels, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime announced today. The opium business there is up 17% from last year, and now comprises 93% of the drug's worldwide output.
"No other country in the world has ever had such a large amount of farmland used for illegal activity, besides China 100 years ago," UNODC executive director Antonio Maria Costa told AP.
The report did note one positive development: The drug trade in Afghanistan's northern provinces has significantly declined. The opium boom has taken place almost entirely in the troubled Helmand province in the south, where the presence of Taliban and other insurgent fighters is strongest.
Costa blamed not only insurgents in Helmand for the crisis but also the Hamid Karzai government's "benign tolerance of corruption."
See the full UNODC report here [PDF]. Reuters has a fact sheet on the Afghan poppy trade, and the New York Times reports on firefights in Helmand province over the weekend.
Posted at 2:40 PM
Posted to:
Afghanistan, Asia, Crime, Drugs, Terrorism
Share via
August 24, 2007
Criminal Charges Not Likely Against Foley
Scripps Howard News Service is reporting that former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., is "unlikely" to face criminal charges in Florida for soliciting sex with teenage congressional pages. "Sources close to the yearlong investigation" by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into the sexually charged e-mails sent by Foley to teenage boys say there does not appear to be sufficient evidence that his behavior was criminal.
Earlier this week Foley and House officials denied the FDLE access to the former congressman's e-mail account. AP reported yesterday that the House general counsel claimed that suggestive photos sought in the FDLE's investigation were nowhere to be found in Foley's e-mails.
The FBI has conducted only a "preliminary" investigation into Foley at this point, and there is no word on whether a full-scale inquiry might be in the offing.
Posted at 5:20 PM
Posted to:
Congress, Crime, House
Share via
How To Force Bush To End The War
Here's some hopeful news for you anti-war protesters out there: By the middle of next year, it may be impossible to keep current operations going in Iraq.
Obviously, there really isn't anything hopeful or positive about this development. Officials inside and outside the Pentagon have been saying for at least a couple of years that the military was nearing its breaking point. According to Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace, everything goes poof in 2008 unless forces in Iraq are reduced by almost half, the Los Angeles Times reports.
There's good reason to suspect that so long as U.S. forces continue to make some gains on the ground, as is currently the case, President Bush will continue to say that the U.S. is winning and should keep at it until Iraq is a semblance of a self-sustaining nation. Probably the only thing that could compel Bush to order a withdrawal is being told that unless he and the rest of the Bush clan are willing to take up arms and fight the war themselves, keeping it going is a physical impossibility.
Continue reading "How To Force Bush To End The War"
Posted at 2:47 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, David Petraeus, Iraq, Middle East, Military, Peter Pace, President Bush, Robert Gates
Share via
Saudi Embassy Protest Highlights Role In Iraq
UPDATED.
About a hundred Iraqi-Americans rallied this morning outside the Saudi Embassy -- and across the street from The Gate -- in protest of the kingdom's support for Sunni insurgents and terrorists in their home country. Bearing signs and banners that read "Saudi Are Behind 9/11 And Iraqi Suiside Bombing [sic]" and "Wahhabi Saudi Money Kill Our Children," the protesters traveled from across the country to send Saudi Arabia a message.
(Click here, here and here for photos of the protest.)
"The muftis of Saudi Arabia send fighters to kill the Iraqi people for their religion," said Abdul al-Mayahi of New Orleans. With protesters shouting "No bomb!" and "Down with Wahhabi!" in Arabic behind him, he continued, "We ask Saudi Arabia to act against those people who import terrorism, who come to Iraq. They need to live in peace."
But aren't the Saudis our allies in the war on terror, you ask?
Not quite.
Continue reading "Saudi Embassy Protest Highlights Role In Iraq"
Posted at 2:30 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, Robert Gates, Saudi Arabia
Share via
NIE: Political Gains In Iraq Have Been 'Elusive'
A new report from U.S. intelligence officials paints a dim picture of Iraq's political future, calling the prospects of reconciliation "elusive" and predicting a "challenging road ahead" for those wishing to bring stability to the war-torn nation. The National Intelligence Estimate [PDF] released yesterday also recognizes "measurable but uneven" progress in the country's security.
But while they predict the political situation will become more "precarious" over the course of the next year, intelligence officials are not advocating a change of course similar to the one many members of Congress and Democratic presidential candidates have been suggesting.
"We assess that changing the mission of Coalition forces from a primarily counterinsurgency and stabilization role to a primary combat support role for Iraqi forces and counterterrorist operations to prevent" al-Qaida "from establishing a safe haven would erode security gains achieved thus far," the report warns.
Continue reading "NIE: Political Gains In Iraq Have Been 'Elusive'"
Posted at 9:30 AM
Posted to:
Iraq
Share via
August 23, 2007
Lawmakers Ready New Probes After Utah Mining Tragedy
Many Americans may still remember the January 2006 Sago tragedy in West Virginia, particularly wrenching because the media had erroneously reported that the trapped miners were found alive, only to present the country hours later with the somber news that all but one had perished. That saga moved Congress to pass an overhaul of mining safety regulations, which President Bush signed into law the following June.
This week, the apparent deaths of six Utah miners and the confirmed deaths of three rescue workers who tried to find them is once again putting lawmakers in an investigative posture. The Senate Subcommittee on Workplace and Employment Safety has scheduled a Sept. 5 hearing in which it's seeking testimony from Mine Safety and Health Administration head Richard Stickler, mine co-owner Bob Murray and Cecil Roberts, head of the United Mine Workers of America. Last week, The Gate looked at Stickler, a former mining exec whom Bush installed through a recess appointment after criticism from a Congress then dominated by Republicans.
Continue reading "Lawmakers Ready New Probes After Utah Mining Tragedy"
Posted at 5:00 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Congress, President Bush, Senate
Share via
McConnell Spills New Details On Wiretapping, Border Security
Speaking to a local newspaper in Texas last week, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell may have felt he was at a safe enough remove from Washington to drop the standard political evasiveness and talk plainly. Turns out he was wrong.
In a candid interview with the El Paso (Texas) Times, McConnell revealed new details about the government's warrantless wiretapping program and its efforts to secure the border with Mexico. The story went largely unnoticed at first, and might have languished in obscurity had the paper not posted a transcript of the interview on its Web site yesterday.
Among other revelations, McConnell said that the government was monitoring the communications of "100 or less" individuals in the U.S. and "thousands" more overseas. He also gave the first official confirmation of previous reports that private companies had been involved in facilitating the government's domestic spying operation.
Continue reading "McConnell Spills New Details On Wiretapping, Border Security"
Posted at 3:41 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Homeland Security, Mike McConnell
Share via
Foley Refuses To Turn Computers Over To Investigators
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement announced today that its criminal investigation into alleged misconduct by Mark Foley is being hampered by the former Republican lawmaker's refusal to let investigators examine his congressional computers.
Foley ignited scandal and resigned from Congress last September after it was brought to light that he was having inappropriate conversations with young, male congressional pages on the Internet. Foley could face criminal charges if investigators find that he attempted to seduce any boy under the age of 18.
Continue reading "Foley Refuses To Turn Computers Over To Investigators"
Posted at 2:27 PM
Posted to:
Crime, House
Share via
Et Tu, SpongeBob?
First it was Thomas. Then came Elmo & Dora. Now the furor over tainted toys made in China has reached yet another beloved children's character -- SpongeBob SquarePants.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a new recall of more than 300,000 items manufactured in China, including a quarter of a million address books and journals featuring the blue-eyed, yellow-visaged Nickelodeon character, because of concerns about excessive levels of lead. China, meanwhile, appears to be growing weary of all the product safety accusations coming from the United States and is now claiming U.S. soybeans are tainted with pesticides and poisonous weeds, AP reports.
Reuters has more on the latest toy recall. And Slate has a report on why protecting American children from lead poisoning will require more than just avoiding the "Made in China" label.
Posted at 2:05 PM
Posted to:
China, Economy
Share via
Conservative Group Launches Pro-War Grassroots Campaign
With Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker set to deliver their highly anticipated reports on Iraq in about three weeks, groups on both sides of the aisle are seeking to frame the debate on the war and to ensure that their message prevails.
Yesterday, a new conservative group with ties to the White House launched a multimillion-dollar campaign to pressure lawmakers to stand behind the president. Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary and now spokesman for Freedom's Watch, told USA Today, "We want to get the message to both Democrats and Republicans: Don't cut and run, fully fund the troops, and victory is the only objective."
Over the past year, ads criticizing the war have far outpaced pro-war campaigns. Yesterday's debut coincided with a new effort by President Bush to revive support for operations in Iraq. The spots are running in more than 20 states, and feature Americans who have been injured in or lost loved ones to the war or 9/11. In one spot, a war widow insists, "Surrender is not an option. Victory is America's only choice."
For more on Freedom's Watch ads, see today's Ad Spotlight (subscription).
Posted at 12:30 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Iraq, Middle East
Share via
Death Toll Climbs From Flooding, Heat Wave In South & Midwest
Mother Nature seems to have it out for the Midwest this week.
Heavy rains and flooding continued unabated in the region yesterday, displacing hundreds of residents in northern Ohio. Families there hoped to return to their waterlogged homes and assess the damage today, after that state braved its worst flooding in a century. Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland declared nine counties in a state of emergency.
Adding insult to injury, NPR reports that a heat wave continues to plague parts of the Midwest and South as the week comes to a close. At least 50 people have already died from the extreme temperatures, and about 25 deaths are being attributed to the rainstorms, which do not appear to be letting up before Friday.
Posted at 10:35 AM
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: FISA Details, Midwest Floods, IMF Nomination
Iraq. As President Bush was defending Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki yesterday, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was calling for him to be replaced. Al-Maliki, meanwhile, shot back at his U.S. critics.
Terrorism. Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell disclosed new details about the government's anti-terrorism surveillance program in a recent interview with the El Paso Times.
Nation. Ohio faces a state of emergency as heavy storms and flooding claimed eight more lives in the Midwest yesterday.
Economy. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled more than 300,000 Chinese-made toys yesterday because of concerns about lead contamination.
World. Russia's nomination of a former Czech prime minister to head the International Monetary Fund is being viewed as a challenge to the EU's role in filling that post.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 9:12 AM
Share via
August 22, 2007
Known Knowns And Unknown Unknowns Of The New Wiretap Program
Ever since December 2005, when the White House admitted it conducted surveillance on Americans without obtaining a warrant, lawmakers have been wondering about the scope and extent to which the federal government was spying on its own citizens. When one of the judges on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, James Robertson, quickly resigned in protest, many Americans became acquainted with the top-secret FISA court for the very first time.
It's nearly two years later, and details are still slow in coming. Some things we think we know: The Bush administration admits the National Security Agency bypassed FISA's provisions protecting Americans from wanton Fourth Amendment violations, but as an afterthought. The target was overseas electronic communications -- of any kind, even without reasonable certainty that the target had ties to terrorism. If an American just happened to be on the other end of the line, so be it.
Some civil libertarians, of course, view the NSA program as President Bush giving himself license to listen in on every Tom, Dick and Mary squawking into a cell phone. That's possible, but it's also doubtful. Counterterrorism is the point (and no, saying so does not justify what may very well be unconstitutional domestic surveillance).
And that presents ever more obstacles for administration critics clamoring to know what the government has been up to. The White House has made arguments implying that it is circumventing the law (see all those signing statements), but refuses, even under congressional subpoena, to describe how and in what circumstances it is doing so. Keeping secrets in the name of national security has generally been deemed a legitimate and necessary function of government. The problem is this president and this administration. The executive branch has a tremendous amount of flexibility in deciding what falls under the category of "national security." For those who don't trust Bush or Dick Cheney, that is incredibly frightening.
Continue reading "Known Knowns And Unknown Unknowns Of The New Wiretap Program"
Posted at 8:00 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Congress, Constitution, James Comey, President Bush, Robert Mueller, Terrorism
Share via
Bush Backs Al-Maliki, Hints War Will Continue Past Petraeus Report
UPDATED.
In a speech before a room of supportive U.S. veterans, President Bush today issued a stinging rebuke to critics of political progress in Iraq.
"Maliki is a good man with a difficult job and I support him. It is not up to the leaders in Washington, D.C., to determine whether he will remain in his position. That is up to the Iraqi people who live in a democracy and not a dictatorship," the president said to thunderous applause.
Bush was referring to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has been accused of favoring the Shiite bloc in Parliament as well as turning a blind eye to the carnage Shiite militias like that run by Muqtada al-Sadr have been inflicting on Iraqi Sunnis. War critics and supporters alike have questioned al-Maliki's ability to govern, and recent news reports portrayed the president as backing away from the embattled Iraqi leader. But Bush seemed to put to bed speculation that he would accede to an attempt to have al-Maliki replaced.
Continue reading "Bush Backs Al-Maliki, Hints War Will Continue Past Petraeus Report"
Posted at 3:00 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, David Petraeus, Iraq, Middle East, Military, President Bush
Share via
Nearly Two Dozen Killed In Midwestern Floods
Thousands of homes are destroyed, crucial roads are submerged and at least 22 people are dead after two storm systems converged in the Midwest this week, dousing the region with heavy rain that has given way to massive flooding and mudslides.
The deadly storms moved into Ohio and Iowa from the north today, bringing fresh flood warnings for the residents of those states. The Weather Channel is predicting that "repeated bouts of downpours and nasty thunderstorms" will continue to wreak havoc and hamper rescue efforts in the Midwest through Friday.
Continue reading "Nearly Two Dozen Killed In Midwestern Floods"
Posted at 2:29 PM
Share via
The Tancredo Effect
In a scathing critique of the latest battle between GOP presidential hopefuls Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney over who's tougher on illegal immigrants, the Wall Street Journal editorial board this morning wondered (subscription) if the candidates were "competing for the Republican Presidential nomination, or for the job of vacation replacement for Lou Dobbs?"
While CNN's popular populist probably has something to do with the front-runners' new immigration obsession, Giuliani and Romney are actually taking their cues from a much closer source: fellow Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo.
When the Colorado congressman best known for his hard-line stance on immigration declared his candidacy back in April, he made no effort to hide his intentions. "The political elite in Washington have chosen to ignore this phenomenon," he said of illegal immigration. "You look" at the Republican field "and you see no one is going to make this the primary issue of their campaign."
Tancredo, on the other hand, has done just that.
Continue reading "The Tancredo Effect"
Posted at 1:39 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, Immigration, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
Share via
Inspector General Cites Pre-9/11 CIA Failures
A new report shows that six years after the Sept. 11 attacks, there's still plenty of shame and blame to go around among those tasked with protecting Americans from terrorism.
The newly declassified findings of CIA Inspector General John Helgerson reveal "some 50 to 60 individuals" in the agency may have been aware that two of the hijackers, Nawaf Alhazmi and Khalid Almihdhar, had been issued visas to enter the United States. The 9/11 commission pinpointed the CIA's decision not to add the known al-Qaida affiliates to its watch lists or notify the FBI when they were issued visas as one of the more spectacular intelligence failures leading up to the attacks.
Continue reading "Inspector General Cites Pre-9/11 CIA Failures"
Posted at 12:00 PM
Posted to:
Al-Qaida, Bush Administration, CIA, George Tenet, Terrorism
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: CIA Report, Iran Nuke Pact
Terrorism. A newly declassified report from the CIA's inspector general accuses the agency of failing to effectively confront the threat from al-Qaida prior to 9/11.
Congress. The Democratic leadership is refocusing their criticism of Iraq toward the political situation amid signs that security there is improving.
Iraq. A U.S. helicopter crash in northern Iraq killed 14 American soldiers today.
Economy. The Federal Reserve is taking note of the market's stabilization (subscription) but warns that the situation could still worsen.
Iran. U.S. officials are not pleased with a nuclear cooperation agreement reached between Tehran and the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 9:53 AM
Share via
August 21, 2007
Cheney Removes Himself -- Again -- From Executive Branch
CORRECTED.
Less than two months after Dick Cheney reversed course on the claim under a congressional threat and much ridicule, the vice president is once again severing himself from the executive branch of government -- this time to defy a subpoena.
In June, Cheney's lawyers whipped out a novel -- and almost certainly wrong -- claim that as the Senate's tiebreaker, his office actually belongs in the legislative branch. At the time, he was resisting an executive order renewed by President Bush that their offices hand over reports on classified data to the National Archives. Red-faced officials eventually said they would back off of the bizarre claim.
But yesterday it resurfaced, in a letter [PDF] to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy.
Continue reading "Cheney Removes Himself -- Again -- From Executive Branch"
Posted at 5:40 PM
Posted to:
Arlen Specter, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Dick Cheney, Patrick Leahy, President Bush, Senate
Share via
Hurricane Dean Hits Mexico, Cuts Summit Short
UPDATED.
Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula took some of the wind out of Hurricane Dean's sails as the Atlantic's most intense storm in two decades landed there earlier today. But even though the hurricane was downgraded from Category 5 to Category 1 as it crossed the peninsula, Dean still managed to cause some serious damage near resort areas in Mexico and northern Belize. No casualties in those areas were reported as of press time, although the storm claimed 13 lives in the Caribbean earlier this week.
The storm was expected to pick up again after entering the Bay of Campeche and "make a final landfall midday tomorrow in the Mexican state of Veracruz," the Weather Channel reports. Mexican President Felipe Calderon was returning home early from a summit in Canada today to deal with the damage.
In a press conference from the summit today, President Bush pledged to help those affected by the hurricane. "The American people care a lot about the human condition in our neighborhood and when we see human suffering we want to do what we can," he told reporters.
Posted at 3:10 PM
Posted to:
Mexico
Share via
American Academic Freed On Bail From Iranian Prison
American academic Haleh Esfandiari was released today on bail from Iran's infamous Evin prison, after being jailed several months ago for allegedly plotting to undermine the regime. Her mother, who lives in Tehran, posted bail in the amount of $333,000 after having been contacted by Iranian authorities.
Esfandiari is a Middle East expert and a member of D.C.'s Woodrow Wilson Institute. The Institute's president, former congressman and 9/11 commission chair Lee Hamilton, had been corresponding with the U.N. and the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, in an attempt to win her release. The State Department and Hillary Rodham Clinton also joined in the effort.
But there is no word yet on when Esfandiari may be allowed to return to the United States. Iranian judicial officers said the investigation against her had been completed, but Hamilton said the charges have not been dropped. The fate of other American detainees, including Kian Tajbakhsh and Ali Shakeri, also remains uncertain.
Previous coverage from The Gate on Esfandiari can be found here and here, and PBS interviewed Hamilton about her detention in May. CBC has the story of Zahra Kazemi, the Canadian photojournalist who died in Evin prison in 2003.
(Photo courtesy of the Woodrow Wilson Institute)
Posted at 1:40 PM
Posted to:
Iran, Middle East
Share via
Market Crisis: In Bernanke We Trust?
To state the obvious, it's no fun being a new homeowner or investor these days. Today's news that foreclosures are up 93 percent from a year ago says it all. So where do we go from here?
Expect the issue to be harped on -- and distorted -- on the campaign trail. As CNBC's Bob Pisani observes, more than half of the foreclosures are in states that are packed with votes (California, Florida, Michigan, Ohio) and/or are emerging battlegrounds (Nevada, which leads the country with one foreclosure for every 199 households).
Democratic candidates including Christopher Dodd and John Edwards play right into critics' hands when they suggest the federal government throw money at the problem. The few recent polls on the subprime lending meltdown indicate Americans hold lenders and borrowers responsible for the default crisis.
Continue reading "Market Crisis: In Bernanke We Trust?"
Posted at 12:11 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Congress, Democrats, Economy, John Edwards, WH 2008
Share via
'Chemical Ali' Stands Trial In Iraq
Fifteen men associated with Saddam Hussein's regime go on trial today in Iraq for crimes committed in the act of putting down a bloody 1991 Shiite rebellion.
Among them is Saddam's cousin Ali Hassan al-Majeed, otherwise known as "Chemical Ali," a defense minister in the Sunni regime. He has already been sentenced to death after a lengthy trial concerning another bloody campaign -- that one against the Kurds in northern Iraq in 1988. He and the four other defendants convicted for events connected to the Anfal campaign are appealing their convictions; three of them, including al-Majeed, are also participating in this trial.
U.S. troops captured al-Majeed in August 2003, soon after the invasion. His nickname was coined after the Anfal campaign for his use of chemical weapons against the Kurds.
Posted at 10:59 AM
Posted to:
Iraq, Middle East
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Cheney's Documents, Leahy's Contempt Threat
Washington. Vice President Dick Cheney's office admitted yesterday that it has documents related to the warrantless wiretapping program, but it refused to hand them over to Congress.
Congress. After the White House missed the deadline legislators had set to turn over the documents, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., threatened to pin contempt charges on the White House.
Iraq. Fifteen men connected to Saddam Hussein's government go on trial today in Baghdad, including "Chemical Ali," one of Saddam's cousins.
Nation. In the Midwest, at least 20 people have died since last week due to heavy flooding.
World. An Australian court ruled in favor of Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef, saying his visa had been revoked improperly after Haneef was accused of associating with men involved in the foiled U.K. bombings in June.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:35 AM
Share via
August 20, 2007
The Dems' Iowa Debate: Knocking Obama, Stuck On The War
"Let's pick on the new kid!"
Such went the kickoff of yesterday's Democratic debate in Iowa. ABC News' George Stephanopoulos didn't mince words, in a repeat of his fine performance as GOP debate moderator two weeks ago. First question: Is Barack Obama ready to be president?
A good question to ask on behalf of those who've watched Obama's political evolution and are beginning to wonder if his candidacy isn't all just heat and light.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, who can be held responsible for planting doubts in the ether about Obama's readiness, opted to stay above the fray and sidestep the topic. Saying she would comment only on her own qualifications, she added, "So I think we have a great group of candidates. You don't have to be against anybody. This is a great problem to have."
Ice cream and puppies for everyone!
Continue reading "The Dems' Iowa Debate: Knocking Obama, Stuck On The War"
Posted at 5:20 PM
Posted to:
Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, President Bush, Republicans, WH 2008
Share via
Calif. Rep. Filner Charged With Assault
Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., will have to appear in court Oct. 2 for allegedly shoving an airline employee on Sunday, AP reports.
During the incident at Dulles, Filner allegedly "attempted to enter an employees-only area, pushed aside an employee's arm and wouldn't leave when asked." The eight-term congressman was charged with assault and battery.
Filner is chairman of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. He has not yet released a statement on the altercation. The Almanac of American Politics has more on him here (subscription).
Posted at 5:17 PM
Posted to:
Congress, Crime, House
Share via
Survey: Foreign Policy Wonks Not So Keen On The Surge
The roller coaster ride that is the public debate over the Iraq troop surge just got a bit bumpier. In recent weeks, a growing number of military experts, former skeptics and even some high-profile Democratic lawmakers seemed to be coming around to President Bush's controversial decision to raise U.S. troop levels in certain areas of Iraq this year. And the apparent growing body of evidence showing that the surge was, in fact, helping to quell the violence there seemed to be giving hope to the American public, with opinion polls showing small bumps in confidence on the security front.
But a new survey shows the nation's top foreign policy experts singing another tune. The third Terrorism Index compiled by Foreign Policy magazine and the Center for American Progress reveals deep concerns within the expert community about the Bush administration's policies in Iraq and the larger war on terrorism thus far.
Continue reading "Survey: Foreign Policy Wonks Not So Keen On The Surge"
Posted at 4:20 PM
Posted to:
Al-Qaida, Asia, Iraq, Middle East, Nuclear Weapons, Pakistan, Terrorism
Share via
Turkey's Vote: Ready Or Not, Here Gul Comes
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul is pressing forward with his bid for the presidency today, despite losing an initial round of voting. If he fails to win a two-thirds majority in Parliament in Friday's second round, he will need to muster only a simple majority in the third round. The controversial politician's eventual election is a certainty, since his AK Party holds a majority in Parliament.
Gul's campaign for the presidency is controversial because of his past involvement with an Islamist party. He has said that he no longer has ties to political Islam, and is vowing to uphold Turkey's secular constitution. But suspicions linger because Gul remains a committed Muslim, and his wife wears a headscarf -- despite a ban on headscarves in Turkey's public institutions.
Continue reading "Turkey's Vote: Ready Or Not, Here Gul Comes"
Posted at 12:14 PM
Posted to:
Europe, Turkey
Share via
Michael Deaver, Reagan's Media Guru, Dies At 69
Behind every great image there is a great image-maker. In the case of Ronald Reagan, who was credited with perfecting the use of visual media for political purposes, that image-maker was Michael Deaver, who died Saturday in Bethesda, Md., at the age of 69, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
A close adviser to Reagan from the early days of his California governorship through most of his presidency, Deaver is best known for crafting the Gipper's public image through carefully staged and choreographed media events. The Washington Post's obituary yesterday declared that Deaver's gift for crafting picture-perfect presidential images "changed American politics."
Continue reading "Michael Deaver, Reagan's Media Guru, Dies At 69"
Posted at 12:01 PM
Posted to:
Ronald Reagan
Share via
Bush To Talk Trade, Borders In Canada
Texans are bracing for Hurricane Dean, but fear not: President Bush leaves the Western White House today for the safety of our neighbor to the north.
Bush will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon during a two-day summit in Quebec. It's in some ways a perfunctory meeting among neighbors -- no major policy pronouncements are expected -- though all parties involved have pressing issues to resolve.
High on the agenda: borders, trade and... borders.
Continue reading "Bush To Talk Trade, Borders In Canada"
Posted at 10:03 AM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Canada, Mexico, President Bush
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: North American Summit, Troop Shortage, Hurricane Dean
Administration. President Bush heads to Canada today for a two-day summit with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon.
Congress. The White House faces a 2:30 p.m. EDT deadline today to respond to the Senate Judiciary Committee's request for documents pertaining to the National Security Agency's domestic wiretapping program.
Iraq. The U.S. Army faces a shortage of fresh troops due to the Iraq buildup.
Nation. FEMA prepares for the worst as Hurricane Dean heads toward Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
Economy. World markets begin to rebound after the Fed's Friday rate cut.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:51 AM
Share via
August 17, 2007
Tony Snow Hints At WH Departure
Say it ain't so, Snowbird.
In an interview on Hugh Hewitt's radio talk show on Wednesday, White House press secretary Tony Snow suggested he would be announcing his departure from the Bush administration by Labor Day.
"I've already made it clear I'm not going to be able to go the distance, but that's primarily for financial reasons. I've told people when my money runs out, then I've got to go," said Snow, a former conservative radio talk show host himself.
According to top White House aide Karl Rove, who announced on Sunday he would be stepping down, Chief of Staff Josh Bolten asked all senior staff to leave by Labor Day if they weren't planning to see President Bush's second term through.
Continue reading "Tony Snow Hints At WH Departure"
Posted at 4:27 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Karl Rove, President Bush, Tony Snow
Share via
ICYMI: Frank Luntz Gets Down
The dearth of journalists of color in the media might be bothersome to some, but Larry Wilmore from "The Daily Show" almost makes up for it. In a segment on journalists' fascination with Barack Obama's blackness and whether America is "ready" for it, Wilmore says, "It's a good question that's for some reason mainly asked by white newscasters."
Burn.
The underlying premise being, of course, that the "black enough" question is about as insulting as Joseph Biden's ham-handed attempt to praise his Democratic rival as "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."
But GOP strategist Frank Luntz says the "black enough" question belies some advice for Obama: Blacken it up.
Continue reading "ICYMI: Frank Luntz Gets Down"
Posted at 4:25 PM
Posted to:
Barack Obama, Campaigns, Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, WH 2008
Share via
Hastert Describes Loss Of Speakership As Liberating
UPDATED.
Illinois Rep. Dennis Hastert confirmed today that he will not seek re-election next year, bringing a 20-year career in Congress to an end.
"When I started in Congress I had two young boys, and it's really quite something to be here today with my grandson," Hastert said in front of the Kendall County courthouse, near his home in Plano, Ill. With his family standing in the background, Hastert told the cheering crowd of supporters, friends and associates, "As some have speculated, after much consideration, I have decided not to seek another term in Congress."
After listing the accomplishments he was proudest of, from reducing the "death tax" to President Bush's tax cuts to Congress' anti-terrorism efforts after 9/11, Hastert mused, "Who would have guessed that a wrestling coach from Kendall County in Illinois would be the longest-serving Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives?"
Continue reading "Hastert Describes Loss Of Speakership As Liberating"
Posted at 3:28 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, Congress, Dennis Hastert, House
Share via
Mining Tragedy Shows Legislation Not A Quick Fix
In June 2006, President Bush signed into law Congress' response to the Sago disaster in West Virginia, which claimed the lives of 12 miners. The MINER Act [PDF], Bush promised, would "enhance mine safety training... improve safety and communications technology for miners and provide more emergency supplies of breathable air along escape routes." The law was designed to provide the nation's 350,000 mine workers with as many safeguards as possible in one of the world's most dangerous industries.
Flanked by bipartisan supporters of the bill, Bush also announced he was nominating Richard Stickler to head the Mine Safety and Health Administration, or MSHA. The president touted Stickler's record as one-time head of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Deep Mine Safety, but did not mention that the nominee had spent more time as a coal company executive.
Continue reading "Mining Tragedy Shows Legislation Not A Quick Fix"
Posted at 1:47 PM
Posted to:
Asia, Bush Administration, China, Congress, President Bush
Share via
Fed Aims To Ease Credit Crunch
In a surprise announcement, the Federal Reserve said today it was trimming the discount rate half a point to 5.75 percent, in an effort to rein in the recent credit crunch that has sent world markets reeling.
The move sent stocks rallying both on Wall Street and in Europe, where the volatile conditions have prompted officials to call for an international probe of credit-rating agencies and their impact on the global market.
The Wall Street Journal reports that "the Fed's decision to lower the discount rate and ease the terms of discount borrowing but not to cut the fed-funds target of 5.25% suggests that for now it believes the problems in the markets are mostly related to the availability of cash, not the price of cash." So far, economists are giving the Fed's decision mixed reviews.
The Journal has a copy of the Fed's announcement and a primer on the "discount window." Bloomberg News, Financial Times and New York Times are all following this story.
Posted at 12:44 PM
Posted to:
Economy
Share via
Iraq: Depends On Your Definition Of 'Progress'
In less than a month now, Gen. David Petraeus is scheduled to appear before Congress and deliver his much-anticipated progress report on Iraq. So far, there have been mixed signals coming from the experts and generals on the ground in the run-up to Petraeus' Sept. 15 deadline.
On one hand, a growing number of skeptics appear to be coming around to the troop surge implemented this year, citing several indications that the military buildup has helped lower casualties, thwart attacks and convince locals to join the fight against al-Qaida. Many generals, however, have approached these gains with cautious optimism, warning that the surge still needs more time and that September may be too soon to tell whether it's working or not.
Just this week, the deadly bombings in northern Iraq dealt a major blow to the security effort. And recent reports that U.S. troop deaths declined last month were coupled with other reports saying civilian casualties were on the rise.
Then there's the political situation, which is perhaps the biggest hurdle facing President Bush and his allies on the Hill.
Continue reading "Iraq: Depends On Your Definition Of 'Progress'"
Posted at 12:25 PM
Posted to:
David Petraeus, Iraq
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Utah Mine, Iraq Testimony, Heaton Sentence
Nation. Three rescue workers were killed yesterday during efforts to save six men trapped in a Utah coal mine.
Congress. The White House re-emphasized yesterday that Gen. David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, would testify before legislators despite recent news reports to the contrary.
Courts. William Heaton, a former aide to Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, was sentenced yesterday to a two-year probationary period and ordered to pay a fine. His punishment was lessened because of his cooperation with authorities on the case.
World. During a security summit in Kyrgyzstan, Iran and Russia both took jabs at U.S. plans for a missile defense shield.
Washington. Jenna Bush, the president's 25-year-old daughter, is engaged to be married to her boyfriend Henry Hager, the White House announced yesterday.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:36 AM
Share via
Shaky Market Prompts Calls For International Probe
Yet another day of extreme volatility in worldwide markets sent investors reeling again yesterday. In the U.S. alone, the Dow Jones plummeted 340 points only to rally in its final hour and finish essentially even with where it started; another roller-coaster ride is expected today. U.K. markets finished the day at their lowest level in nearly a year, and Asian markets are anticipating their biggest weekly fall in a decade.
This week, though, European countries are asking the international economic community to do something about it -- specifically, to figure out "whether conflicts of interest between credit-rating agencies and the banks they oversee contributed to the market slide that continued Thursday around the world," the Washington Post reports.
Leaders want an explanation for what they believe was an inadequate warning about problems with the U. S. subprime mortgage business, which triggered the recent jitters. And some American investors are looking toward the Federal Reserve to quiet the markets -- in the form of a cut in interest rates -- even before its scheduled Sept. 18 meeting.
AP and the New York Times have more information on the next steps for the world market.
Posted at 8:03 AM
Posted to:
Economy
Share via
August 16, 2007
Ashcroft Was 'In No Condition' For Gonzales, Card Visit
Newly released notes from FBI Director Robert Mueller indicate two White House aides ignored the health concerns of then-Attorney General John Ashcroft as they tried to pressure the AG to sign off on President Bush's secret, possibly unconstitutional domestic spying program.
In the notes [PDF], obtained by the House Judiciary Committee and released today, Mueller seems to have been angered by then-White House Chief of Staff Andy Card and former counsel Alberto Gonzales, who insisted on seeing Ashcroft in his hospital room while the AG was recovering from gall bladder surgery and acute pancreatitis. Mueller says he was tipped off to the visit by then-Deputy AG James Comey, who assumed acting AG powers during his boss' illness.
Having reached Mueller while he was dining with his wife and daughter, Comey said that Ashcroft was "in no condition to see them, much less make decision [sic] to authorize continuation of the program." As is consistent with their sworn testimony, Comey requested Mueller's presence at the hospital to "witness" Ashcroft's condition.
Continue reading "Ashcroft Was 'In No Condition' For Gonzales, Card Visit"
Posted at 6:41 PM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Congress, Constitution, Dick Cheney, Homeland Security, James Comey, John Ashcroft, President Bush, Robert Mueller
Share via
Army Suicide Rate Peaks Amid Deployment Strain
The stress of extended tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, coupled with mounting financial and personal problems, have lifted the suicide rate among American soldiers to its highest level in the 26 years since records have been kept, a new Army analysis shows.
According to AP, the Army has confirmed 99 suicides among active-duty service members last year for an average of 17.3 per 100,000. That's the highest total since 1991, when 102 soldiers committed suicide during the height of the Gulf War.
Several trends suggest the strain the Iraq war is putting on the U.S. military is trickling down to the individual soldier, the analysis suggests.
Continue reading "Army Suicide Rate Peaks Amid Deployment Strain"
Posted at 4:40 PM
Posted to:
Military
Share via
Padilla Found Guilty Of All Charges
UPDATED.
Jose Padilla and two co-defendants have been found guilty of all the terrorism counts against them, including conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim people overseas and providing material support for terrorism.
The seven men and five women on the jury reached their decision after a day and a half of deliberations in the U.S. District Court in Miami. Padilla and his co-defendants could receive a life sentence for the conspiracy charges; the material support charges carry up to 15 years.
For Padilla (pronounced puh-dill-ah), one of the most high-profile accused terrorists in the U.S., the three-month trial capped a topsy-turvy legal saga and a rare public test of the Bush administration's post-9/11 domestic prosecution of the war on terror.
Continue reading "Padilla Found Guilty Of All Charges"
Posted at 3:31 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Jose Padilla, Terrorism
Share via
Could Rumsfeld's Resignation Have Made Difference In '06?
That's debatable. And here's why.
The revelation that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld actually resigned before the midterm elections, not after, has the chattering classes mulling over what might have been. But there's little to indicate that the outcome of the vote would have been much different.
Clarification on the timing issue does answer one lingering question: Did it really take something as earth-shifting as the GOP's loss of Congress for Bush to know Rumsfeld's time was over?
Continue reading "Could Rumsfeld's Resignation Have Made Difference In '06?"
Posted at 1:19 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, Donald Rumsfeld, Iraq, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Robert Gates
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: FISA Fights, Iraq Toll, Musharraf
Surveillance. Bush administration lawyers tussled with a federal appeals court over state secrets yesterday, as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called for an overhaul (subscription) of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Iraq. Authorities now fear as many as 500 may be dead in the wake of Tuesday's suicide bombings.
Pakistan. The Bush administration is pressuring President Pervez Musharraf to share some authority with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
Army. A new report charts an increase in suicides among U.S. soldiers.
Nation. The New York Police Department reports that homegrown radicals could become a greater threat to U.S. security than foreign terrorist groups.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:32 AM
Share via
Over 1,000 Dead Or Injured In Massive Peru Quake
Residents of Lima, coastal cities and other areas in Peru felt the ground shake last night as an earthquake toppled buildings, smashed windows and sent terrified people running into the streets. The quake registered at 7.9 on the Richter scale and caused a one-foot mini-tsunami.
Casualties are still mounting, but estimates show more than 330 people dead and more than 1,300 injured. Peru's president has declared a state of emergency for several places in the country, and schools were closed.
Multiple aftershocks followed the initial quake. One observer told CNN that people waited in the streets and in cars, afraid to return to shaky buildings.
Tsunami warnings were issued for other neighboring countries, and Hawaii was given a tsunami advisory, but those warnings were called off as the risk lessened.
Posted at 8:02 AM
Posted to:
Peru
Share via
August 15, 2007
Petraeus Envisions Some Withdrawals Within A Year
Gen. David Petraeus today confirmed reports that his highly awaited September assessment on progress in Iraq would likely include some plan for troop reductions, though he was not prepared to discuss specifics.
Anti-war groups have seized upon recent comments (subscription) by Petraeus to the effect that the counterinsurgency effort could take as many as 10 years, but today he expressed cautious optimism that at least a partial withdrawal was on the horizon. "We know that the surge has to come to an end," he told reporters in Baghdad. "There's no question about that. I think everyone understands that by about a year or so from now we've got to be a good bit smaller than we are right now."
Petraeus said the troop surge had yielded some encouraging signs of success, but conceded that "there's still a lot of hard work to be done against the different extremist elements that do threaten the new Iraq." He cited yesterday's wave of suicide bombings in northern Iraq as evidence of the long road ahead.
Foreign Policy Magazine's Passport blog has more on the general's comments.
Posted at 6:37 PM
Posted to:
David Petraeus, Iraq, Middle East, Military
Share via
WH '08: You Don't Have To Go Home, But You Can't Stay Here
The crowded presidential campaign fields can be headache-inducing, and that has some political pundits wishing more candidates would make like Tommy Thompson and just leave.
Today, the National Review's Rich Lowry calls on Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback to pack his bags and go.
Calling Brownback's abortion platform "the very embodiment of a tendency toward impractical perfectionism among pro-lifers," Lowry points to fellow pro-lifer Mike Huckabee's surprise second-place finish at the Iowa Republican Straw Poll. "Huckabee has shined in the debates, is a natural orator, and has considerable crossover appeal to the media. None of this can be said of Brownback," Lowry scoffs.
Continue reading "WH '08: You Don't Have To Go Home, But You Can't Stay Here"
Posted at 4:13 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Dennis Kucinich, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Cox, Joseph Biden, Mike Gravel, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
Share via
Quadruple Suicide Bombings Kill 250 In Northern Iraq
UPDATED.
Iraqi officials now say at least 250 people have been killed and 300 to 350 wounded in the deadliest attack in a single area of Iraq since the war began four years ago. U.S. troops were dispatched late yesterday to help move the wounded to hospitals and assist in digging through the rubble. Local officials expect the death toll to mount as rescue workers their efforts.
The carnage comes after several suicide truck bombs yesterday ripped through the Kurdish towns of Qahataniya and Jazeera, west of Mosul in northern Iraq. U.S. Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon told CNN today that the attacks were a "trademark al-Qaida event."
Continue reading "Quadruple Suicide Bombings Kill 250 In Northern Iraq"
Posted at 1:55 PM
Posted to:
Iraq, Kurds, Middle East
Share via
Avoiding 'Made In China' Products An Uphill Battle
There's a label for the low-grade products being pumped out of China: "quality fade."
Thank NPR's Louisa Lim for putting a name to this phenomenon. Frantic parents who've disavowed toys made in China have reason to think twice, though: Seventy percent of the world's toys come from the Middle Empire.
Yesterday, ABC News assessed the domestic options for American parents. Expect a lot of crying this Christmas.
Continue reading "Avoiding 'Made In China' Products An Uphill Battle"
Posted at 12:40 PM
Posted to:
Asia, China, Health
Share via
White House Seen Leaning Toward Hawks On Iran
Off-the-record sources in the Bush administration informed two of the nation's most widely read papers that the U.S. will soon label Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization. Why?
There's nothing in either account in the Washington Post or New York Times that indicates the topic is highly controversial within the administration. Heated internal debates have fueled quite a few leaks to the press from individuals alarmed by one executive action or the other.
So, why leak the news when both papers report the unprecedented decision is all but a done deal? (This isn't a rhetorical question, by the way -- we're genuinely curious. Send theories.)
Continue reading "White House Seen Leaning Toward Hawks On Iran"
Posted at 12:08 PM
Posted to:
Afghanistan, Asia, Bush Administration, China, Condoleezza Rice, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, Terrorism
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Hastert To Retire; Padilla Jury Deliberates
Washington. The Bush administration is considering labeling the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist group.
Congress. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., will announce plans to retire on Friday.
Immigration. A confidential report accuses employees at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of helping Islamist groups.
Courts. Jurors begin deliberations today in the terrorism trial of Jose Padilla.
Economy. Markets in Europe and Asia dropped today amid concerns about the U.S. economy.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:39 AM
Share via
August 14, 2007
The China Conundrum
The Chinaphobia train grew a little more powerful today, but there are various ways to view our emerging supercompetitor to the East.
One is the What, Us Worry? approach. The repetition of product recalls and bans this year exposed a large, ugly gash in the exports machine China's become. Sure, they can turn out commodities faster and cheaper, but where's the quality control? For nations including the U.S. and Germany, which lead China in exports but not for long, this is potentially good news. Those fearing China's economic reach will soon envelop the world have good reason to suspect the communist giant can't logistically handle the task after all.
The other, darker vision of what's ahead: China, as both manufacturer and investor, is simply too wealthy and ambitious to ignore. The relationships China has developed with countries like Iran and Russia have given rise to an alternative axis of world powers that has successfully stymied the agendas of the U.S. and EU. China is rising, and no amount of crowing about its lax human rights record and alarming income gap will change that.
Continue reading "The China Conundrum"
Posted at 6:35 PM
Posted to:
Africa, Asia, Bush Administration, Campaigns, China, Democrats, Economy, Sudan, WH 2008
Share via
Report: Hastert May Step Down In '08
Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who's been relegated to rank-and-file status since Republicans lost control of Congress last November, has reportedly decided it's better to be king.
The Illinois representative will announce his re-election intentions on Friday, the Chicago Tribune reported earlier today. CQPolitics reports that sources are saying Hastert plans to reveal he's walking away from Congress next year.
Hastert has served in Congress for more than 20 years, and held the longest Republican speakership in history.
Posted at 4:23 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, Congress, Dennis Hastert, House
Share via
Clinton Keeps Her Eyes On The Prize
Just one year and change before the Democratic Party converges in Denver to choose its nominee for president in 2008, Hillary Rodham Clinton is looking more and more like the party's undisputed front-runner.
The New York senator, who unveiled her first ad campaign of the race today, leads second-place Barack Obama by 20 points in the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll -- an 8-point jump since Obama seemed to be creeping up on her in June. And other results from that survey suggest that, in large numbers, Democrats see Clinton as the most viable general election candidate in 2008, with 72 percent saying she'd beat the GOP nominee, compared with 57 percent saying the same of Obama.
Continue reading "Clinton Keeps Her Eyes On The Prize"
Posted at 1:49 PM
Posted to:
Democrats, Hillary Rodham Clinton, WH 2008
Share via
Final Verdict On Rove May Never Come
The passage of time has a way of bringing legends back down to earth. But when you're as inscrutable, provocative and, yes, mythic a figure as Karl Rove, the process by which history judges will probably meet no end.
Since Sunday's surprise announcement that he would resign, the man who essentially got George W. Bush to the White House has been besieged by postmortems that seek to take him down a peg. The purported evidence most frequently on offer is that Rove was unable to secure for Republicans control of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections.
Opines the Washington Post: Rove "should be judged on his own terms: as the would-be architect of a long-lasting Republican majority.... The GOP's wipeout in 2006 would suggest that Mr. Rove did not achieve this goal, notwithstanding his brave parting words about Republican victory in 2008."
Fair enough. But there's one very important point here that isn't lost on longtime Rove observers: He's always worked for Bush, not the other way around. The confluence of events that led to the midterm defeat -- deafness on the Iraq war, a base discontented after scandal and betrayal -- originated from the Oval Office and Capitol Hill, not the mind of one political consultant, as well-placed and influential as he was.
Continue reading "Final Verdict On Rove May Never Come"
Posted at 1:01 PM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Attorney Scandal, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, Iraq, Karl Rove, Middle East, President Bush, WH 2008
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Iraq Electricity, Toy Recall
Washington. The resignation of presidential adviser Karl Rove won't stop Democrats from demanding that Rove testify on the U.S. attorney firings.
Courts. A federal judge ruled yesterday that five reporters must testify about their government sources in a 2001 anthrax investigation.
Iraq. Iraq is only generating enough power to meet about half of its demand, and energy shortfalls are the worst since the fall of Saddam Hussein, according to one official.
Russia. A homemade bomb exploded under a train track near Moscow yesterday, derailing a train and injuring 60 people.
Economy. Mattel plans to announce another major recall of Chinese-made toys, which may contain too much lead in their paint.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:48 AM
Share via
Iraq's Push For Military & Political Solutions
Operation Lightning Hammer got under way last night, with 16,000 U.S. and Iraqi troops moving against insurgent forces in the Diyala province.
Reuters reports that the operation's "focus was militants who fled an earlier crackdown in the provincial capital Baquba." Lightning Hammer is part of a countrywide effort, Operation Phantom Strike, announced Monday.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will attempt to launch a political surge of his own at a major summit today. High-level representatives from Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish factions will gather to discuss a way out of Iraq's growing political crisis.
Three key blocs have withdrawn in protest from al-Maliki's government in recent weeks, and today's meeting might be the last chance for the groups to pull together before Gen. David Petraeus' September report to Congress.
Posted at 8:10 AM
Posted to:
Iraq
Share via
August 13, 2007
Americans Getting Shorter, Dying Younger
CORRECTED.
As if the fight against Islamic extremism wasn't challenge enough, the United States is facing another epidemic: shortness.
Researchers have found that Americans are no longer the tallest people on earth. In fact, the Washington Post reports, "American men now rank ninth and women 15th in average height, having fallen short of many other European nations." The Dutch now practically tower over us, putting the lie to the image of that country as a nation of tulip-bearing little Dutch boys.
This phenomenon isn't new, but there are still few explanations. In 2004, the New Yorker examined the growing height gap between Americans and Europeans. This is alarming not because Euros will be better able to beat us up -- luckily, they tend more toward pacifism -- but because what height often signifies. "Tall men, a series of studies has shown, benefit from a significant bias. They get married sooner, get promoted quicker, and earn higher wages," the article noted. "Short men are unlucky in politics and unluckier in love."
Continue reading "Americans Getting Shorter, Dying Younger"
Posted at 7:26 PM
Posted to:
Health
Share via
Taliban Releases Two S. Korean Hostages
More than three weeks after taking 23 South Korean church volunteers hostage in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan, Taliban captors have released two female hostages in what they said was a show of goodwill. The two women, identified as Kim Kyung-ja and Kim Ji-na, were delivered to a Red Cross convoy on a deserted road this morning.
South Korean officials began talks with the militants on Friday. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said releasing the two hostages today was a gesture "for the sake of good relations between the Korean people and the Taliban," but reiterated earlier demands for the release of Taliban prisoners by Afghan and U.S. forces. The Afghan government, for its part, has taken any prisoner swap off the table.
The Taliban's gesture comes after militants executed two male hostages in the group late last month.
The Korea Times, CNN and the Glasgow Herald have more on the story. The London Guardian has a timeline of this and other Taliban hostage crises.
Posted at 7:15 PM
Posted to:
Afghanistan, Asia, South Korea, Terrorism
Share via
Turkish Political Crisis In Works Yet Again
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has again nominated Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to be president, in a direct challenge to millions of his countrymen and the military, AP reports. Gul is a member of the ruling AK party, which is viewed by critics as advocating political Islam.
Erdogan's decision will likely reignite a tense confrontation between his government and Turkey's fiercely secularist military. In the spring, when Erdogan first announced he wanted outgoing President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, a secularist, to be succeeded by Gul, more than a million Turks took to the streets and the military threatened a coup.
Parliamentary elections were moved up to last month to help resolve the crisis. To most observers' surprise, voters decisively sided with the AK party in that vote.
Continue reading "Turkish Political Crisis In Works Yet Again"
Posted at 6:13 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Congress, EU, Europe, Turkey
Share via
A Few Reasons To Heart Huckabee
We've never understood why Mike Huckabee hasn't fared better in the GOP primary contest. From his resume (Arkansas governor, rocker) to his bio (Baptist preacher, lost 110 pounds) to his age (52), the witty and likeable Huckabee seems to have all the goods for a presidential run.
Which is why the Other Man From Hope's surprise second-place finish at the Iowa Republican Straw Poll could potentially shake up the race. In political circles, the nonbinding vote is said to be the best money can buy. Unlike much of his competition, Huckabee didn't have the cash to bus in supporters. His tent wasn't air-conditioned. The Club for Growth was running a TV ad in the Ames/Des Moines market accusing Huckabee of raising taxes on nursing home beds. And still, Huckabee persuaded 737 people to vote for him gratis (the campaign was able to pay for 1,850 supporters' tickets).
That Huckabee, who still doesn't have national name recognition, was able to pull it off is a testament to his attractiveness as a candidate. Now he will have to leverage that success to turn his bid for the GOP nod into an insurgent campaign that catches fire -- and campaign donations.
Continue reading "A Few Reasons To Heart Huckabee"
Posted at 1:40 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, WH 2008
Share via
Rebuffed By Iowans, Tommy Thompson Heads Home
After spending months (and millions) touring the state of Iowa in his bid to woo caucus voters the old-fashioned way, GOP presidential hopeful Tommy Thompson is packing up and heading home.
True to his word, the former Wisconsin governor took a good, hard look at his prospects for winning the GOP nomination after finishing a disappointing sixth in this weekend's Iowa straw poll and decided it was time to move on.
"I have no regrets about running," Thompson said Sunday in a statement. "I felt my record as governor of Wisconsin and secretary of Health and Human Services gave me the experience I needed to serve as president, but I respect the decision of the voters."
Continue reading "Rebuffed By Iowans, Tommy Thompson Heads Home"
Posted at 1:12 PM
Posted to:
Campaigns, Fred Thompson, Jim Gilmore, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, Tommy Thompson, WH 2008
Share via
Rove Heads For The Exit
UPDATED.
Karl Rove took the microphone before reporters on the White House lawn this morning, an unusual position for a man who is well known as the man literally and figuratively behind President Bush. Today, the two stood side by side.
Bush praised his deputy chief of staff and called him a "dear friend," noting that Rove was "moving on down the road" and that Bush himself would "be on the road behind him in a little bit."
Rove had some kind words in return. Choking back tears as he looked over his right shoulder at the president, he told Bush, "Through it all, you've remained the same man. Your integrity, character and decency have remained unchanged and inspiring." The two men hugged and left the podium together.
The emotional goodbye comes at a difficult time for Rove -- and not only because he will be leaving after 14 years as a power player with Bush.
Continue reading "Rove Heads For The Exit"
Posted at 11:52 AM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Karl Rove
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Reid Strikes A Deal; Thompson Drops Out
Congress. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., made a deal (subscription) with the White House to avoid a recess battle over nominees.
Campaigns. After finishing sixth in this weekend's Ames straw poll, White House contender Tommy Thompson dropped out of the GOP race.
Iraq. President Bush hailed the military's gains after the troop surge in his weekly radio address, but also said political progress "has been slower than we hoped."
Terrorism. A group of foreign nationals who had applied for asylum or refugee status are still in limbo because of anti-terrorism laws, seven months after administration officials promised to expedite the process.
Pakistan. President Pervez Musharraf acknowledged that pro-Taliban extremists are operating on his country's border with Afghanistan.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:37 AM
Share via
August 10, 2007
NYT Supreme Court Correspondent Tangles With Media
The normally staid Supreme Court press corps is getting some catty coverage of late.
The latest example: New York Times SCOTUS correspondent Linda Greenhouse is at the center of a small media brouhaha yet again. The Columbia Journalism Review reports that "Hurricane Linda" threw a fit yesterday when she learned that the panel discussion she was to partake in was being televised by C-SPAN. Forced to choose between kicking out the cameras or proceeding with the panel without the venerated journalist, the event's organizers chose the former.
Witnesses said "Greenhouse walked in, took one look at the lights and the camera equipment, and, 'became infuriated,'" according to CJR's account.
Reporter Gal Beckerman speculates Greenhouse's fit may have something to do with lingering fallout following a speech in which she appeared to disclose her liberal political leanings.
Continue reading "NYT Supreme Court Correspondent Tangles With Media"
Posted at 6:35 PM
Posted to:
Constitution, Media, Supreme Court
Share via
Bush Moves Ahead On Immigration Without Congress
Frustrated by Republican lawmakers' refusal to sign on to his immigration overhaul proposals, President Bush announced today that he would move ahead without them.
The departments of Homeland Security and Commerce will spearhead efforts to increase patrol agents and cameras along the Mexico border, train local law enforcement to handle illegal immigrants, and clamp down on employers who hire them.
The White House outlined the 26-point plan here. Businesses are not happy with the move; the Los Angeles Times and Miami Herald have reaction. And a new survey suggests that the often hostile immigration debate may already be having an effect on workers.
Posted at 3:26 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Congress, Immigration, President Bush
Share via
Amesin' For A Win
This weekend, political junkies and the GOP faithful will have their eyes glued on a small, quaint city smack in the middle of Iowa. Ames, population 52,000, is home to Iowa State University, soybean fields and Skunk River. In politics, however, it's known primarily for its influential* GOP presidential straw poll.
The relevance of Ames gets an asterisk this year, in part because two of the Republican Party's top contenders -- former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain -- have opted not to participate in the contest. Another cloud overshadowing Iowa's prominence in the 2008 election is the rush of other states to move their primary dates up to January and early February.
Despite Giuliani's and McCain's decisions to skip the Ames contest, the rest of the field is soldiering on with Iowa-focused campaigns, and most of the momentum is resting with Mitt Romney.
Continue reading "Amesin' For A Win"
Posted at 1:06 PM
Posted to:
Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tommy Thompson
Share via
Queer Eyes On The Candidate Guys
The gay vote will be reliably Democratic for the foreseeable future, but the LGBT community has a real beef with the party: the M word.
That's marriage, of course. Most of the Democratic leadership and all the 2008 presidential front-runners essentially back marriage rights for gays but without the "marriage" part. During last night's Human Rights Campaign/Logo forum, Barack Obama (perhaps unknowingly) summed up that contradiction succinctly. "You know, semantics may be important to some," he said. "From my perspective, what I'm interested in is making sure that those legal rights are available to people."
The question was whether his backing of civil unions but not marriage for gays was tantamount to a separate-but-equal policy. Gay marriage-backers have a point in that criticism, and Obama's response wasn't much of an answer.
Continue reading "Queer Eyes On The Candidate Guys"
Posted at 12:51 PM
Posted to:
Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Dennis Kucinich, Gay Rights, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, Mike Gravel, Republicans, WH 2008
Share via
Congress & Bush Clash Over Infrastructure Fixes
"Structurally deficient" entered the country's lexicon after last week's bridge collapse in Minneapolis. The I-35W bridge, which fell into the Mississippi River during rush hour on Aug. 1, had been one of the thousands of bridges rated deficient in a 2005 assessment; 2006 statistics from the Federal Highway Administration show that about 73,500 of the nation's 594,000 bridges -- about 12 percent -- need significant rehabilitation, maintenance or replacement.
As the public's eyes turn away from the ongoing cleanup efforts in Minneapolis and toward Capitol Hill in search of a solution to infrastructure problems, Congress and the Bush administration are butting heads over what should be done -- and how to pay for it.
President Bush announced during a news conference yesterday that he would reject a proposal from Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, to hike the gas tax to pay for repairs on some of the nation's crumbling bridges. That proposal would have raised the existing gas tax another nickel per gallon, bringing it to 23 cents per gallon. (Young, the third-ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee, acknowledged that he was proposing the unthinkable: "Yes, I would even suggest, fund this problem with a tax,'' he said. ''May the sky not fall on me.'')
Continue reading "Congress & Bush Clash Over Infrastructure Fixes"
Posted at 10:59 AM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, President Bush
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Immigration Boost, Terrorist Watch List
Immigration. The Bush administration today will announce a plan to step up immigration enforcement.
Iraq. The United Nations Security Council is expected to pass a U.S.- and U.K.-sponsored resolution to increase the U.N. presence in Iraq.
Nation. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced that beginning next year, passengers on U.S.-bound flights will be checked against the terrorist watch list before departure instead of after takeoff.
Economy. Rattled investors worried about subprime mortgages drove the Dow Jones down more than 300 points yesterday.
Pakistan. Officials claim that pro-Taliban militants abducted 16 Pakistani soldiers near the border with Afghanistan.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:57 AM
Share via
August 09, 2007
Primary Calendar Madness: Who Wins? Who Loses?
This is getting sort of silly.
Despite DNC and RNC plans to punish states that stage primaries too early, states including Florida, Iowa and New Hampshire are likely to push up their presidential nomination votes following the South Carolina Republican Party's decision to move its Jan. 29 primary to Jan. 19. In particular, Iowa and New Hampshire are giving each other the hairy eyeball as both look at moving up their tentative dates, Jan. 14 and 22, respectively.
If New Hampshire moves its date to a week before South Carolina's, Iowa will be required by state law to look at dates eight days before or sooner. Iowa will be looking at holding caucuses uncomfortably close to the New Year holiday, which means moving them to 2007 would be not only on the table but likely.
Continue reading "Primary Calendar Madness: Who Wins? Who Loses?"
Posted at 7:00 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, WH 2008
Share via
Pakistan: An Inconvenient Autocracy
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's intervention this morning may have averted a worsening of the political crisis in Pakistan, but that nation's troubles, which in many ways are linked to the U.S.'s, are far from over.
According to Financial Times sources, it's likely Rice "underlined the negative impact of declaring an emergency and how this would affect Gen. [Pervez] Musharraf's image in the US Congress." Impatience with Pakistan's ineffectiveness at quelling the Taliban and al-Qaida insurgencies along its border is palpable in Congress, and taking a star turn in the presidential campaigns as well.
The death knell for Musharraf's rule is only getting louder, and serves as a useful reminder of President Bush's conveniently flexible definitions of freedom and democracy, two of the mainstays of his presidency.
Continue reading "Pakistan: An Inconvenient Autocracy"
Posted at 4:42 PM
Posted to:
Afghanistan, Al-Qaida, Asia, Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Pakistan, Terrorism
Share via
Bush Stays Course On Iraq, Taxes & Torture
President Bush today addressed a varied list of topics -- ranging from the nation's bridges to corporate tax cuts to Iran -- ahead of a retreat to his family's compound in Kennebunkport, Maine.
The deeply unpopular leader kicked off the news conference, broadcast by all the networks along with cable, with one of the few bright spots of his administration: education. His initiatives in this arena have managed to receive bipartisan support, including the America Competes Act, which he will sign today. The bill boosts and expands science, technology, engineering and math education, as well as research and development.
"The American economy is the envy of the world and we need to keep it that way," Bush said in his opening remarks. "The bill I will sign today will help ensure we do remain the most competitive and innovative nation in the world."
As Bush was speaking, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was slip-siding after three days of record gains. French bank BNP Paribas announced this morning that it froze three funds because of concerns about the U.S. subprime lending market, reviving American investors' panic about volatility there.
Protesting that he was not an economist, Bush refused to detail what he thought should be done about the subprime lending problem, but did seem to draw the line at a federal bailout. He also said that because many of the defaulting homeowners "didn't understand what they were signing up for," it would be a "proper role for government to enhance education initiatives," and again pointed to the America Competes Act.
Continue reading "Bush Stays Course On Iraq, Taxes & Torture"
Posted at 1:48 PM
Posted to:
Alberto Gonzales, Bush Administration, CIA, Campaigns, Congress, Detainees, Europe, France, Iran, Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Taxes, Terrorism, WH 2008
Share via
One In 10 U.S. Counties Have Minority-Majority Population
Ethnic groups traditionally tagged as minorities have outgrown the white populations in nearly one in 10 U.S. counties, the U.S. Census Bureau reported this morning. In 303 out of 3,141 counties nationwide last year, minorities comprised more than 50 percent of the population.
According to the release, the government defines "the minority population... as anyone who indicated that they were either Hispanic or a race other than white alone."
Continue reading "One In 10 U.S. Counties Have Minority-Majority Population"
Posted at 11:47 AM
Posted to:
Race
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Corporate Taxes, Infrastructure Upgrades
Pakistan. No state of emergency will be declared in Pakistan, President Pervez Musharraf said this morning after allegedly considering the move for security reasons.
Washington. President Bush said yesterday that he's considering a plan to cut corporate tax rates, despite potential political backlash from congressional Democrats.
Congress. Democrats and Republicans are proposing competing ideas for upgrading the transportation infrastructure.
Nation. New York City's subways flooded, a tornado ripped through Brooklyn and a Staten Island woman died in flash floods yesterday.
NASA. The space shuttle Endeavour took off last night from Cape Canaveral, staffed by a female teacher who was astronaut Christa McAuliffe's backup on the Challenger in 1986.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:55 AM
Share via
Wary Pilgrims Flock To Baghdad
Security was tight this morning on the road to a Shiite shrine in northern Baghdad, as hundreds of thousands of Muslims neared the destination of an annual pilgrimage. Iraqi police and guarded checkpoints lined the route.
For the last two years, violence has erupted during the journey. Nearly 1,000 people were killed in 2005 when rumors of a suicide bomber prompted a stampede on a bridge over the Tigris River in a Sunni-dominated neighborhood. In 2006, gunmen killed 20 and wounded hundreds on their way to the shrine.
But one man told Reuters that conditions feel safer: "It is not like last year. This year it is secure." A three-day curfew has been imposed on vehicle traffic in Iraq's capital, and Reuters reports that shops are shuttered and the streets deserted.
The pilgrimage leads to the shrine of a martyr imprisoned and poisoned in Baghdad more than 1,000 years ago.
Posted at 8:00 AM
Posted to:
Iraq, Middle East
Share via
August 08, 2007
A Stumble For Edwards; Plus: Gravel Returns!
We paid only cursory attention to last night's AFL-CIO debate in Chicago because the pander factor tends to skyrocket during niche forums. But that doesn't mean this meeting, or tomorrow's before a gay issues-oriented crowd, isn't significant. Here are a few takeaway moments that may portend where this race is heading.
Does he really feel your pain? Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards has been working the union vote practically ever since his bid for the vice presidency came up short in 2004. Ahead of the forum, campaign reporters were describing the debate as Edwards' chance to shine. Well, he didn't.
Continue reading "A Stumble For Edwards; Plus: Gravel Returns!"
Posted at 5:50 PM
Posted to:
Barack Obama, Campaigns, Christopher Dodd, Democrats, Dennis Kucinich, Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Edwards, Joseph Biden, Mike Gravel, WH 2008
Share via
Bush Was Treated For Lyme Disease Last Year
UPDATED.
Word to the wise: When clearing brush back at the ranch, it's best to wear protective clothing and lots of DEET.
The White House made public the results of President Bush's annual physical exam today, and AP picked up something buried in the "past medical history" section: The commander in chief was treated for Lyme disease last August. Doctors say the treatment worked and that the "early, localized" rash that tipped them off last summer hasn't spread or returned, as is sometimes the case with Lyme disease.
Continue reading "Bush Was Treated For Lyme Disease Last Year"
Posted at 5:12 PM
Posted to:
Bush Administration
Share via
'08 Olympics: 365 Days And Counting...
Today marks the one-year countdown to the opening ceremony of Bejing’s 2008 Olympic Games, an event the communist superpower hopes will draw positive attention from the international community. However, the Chinese government has faced harsh criticisms on a range of issues, from food safety to human rights abuses to complicity in the genocide in Darfur, leaving many to wonder: Is China ready to open itself up to the world?
Immediately after winning its bid for the games, the Chinese government in 2001 released the Beijing Olympic Action Plan, a series of principles and objectives for developing not only the venues for the games, but also an environment conducive to hosting delegations from across the world. One provision was that China would clean up its human rights record and expand press freedoms for domestic and international journalists before the games.
Continue reading "'08 Olympics: 365 Days And Counting..."
Posted at 3:45 PM
Posted to:
Africa, Asia, China, Climate Change, Congress, FDA, Health, House, Olympics, Sudan
Share via
Huge Anti-Drug Package Could Be On The Way For Mexico
In recent years, the war on terrorism has largely eclipsed (in dollars and attention) that other U.S.-led war on a non-state -- the war on drugs. But the recent immigration debate and Mexico's new president have renewed concerns about the influx of illegal substances and drug-fueled violence spilling into the United States from its southern border.
The Washington Post reported this morning that the Bush administration is "close to sealing a major, multiyear aid deal to combat drug cartels in Mexico." Lawmakers, congressional aides and Mexican officials involved in the negotiations are optimistic, with Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Tex., predicting that the package will commit "hundreds of millions of dollars" to the effort.
Continue reading "Huge Anti-Drug Package Could Be On The Way For Mexico"
Posted at 3:40 PM
Posted to:
Drugs, Mexico
Share via
The Surge May Be Working. But Is It Too Late?
UPDATED.
After four years of hearing that the U.S. had turned the corner and whittled down the enemy to a few "dead-enders" in Iraq, Americans may be in no mood to look at the situation there with fresh eyes. And who can blame them? Evidence that the war in Iraq is a hopeless disaster seems insurmountable: more than 3,600 U.S. troops killed and 26,000 wounded, an untold number of civilians [PDF] killed and wounded, more than 2 million Iraqis displaced, among other depressing statistics.
But recent assessments from critics of President Bush's war strategy see signs that the so-called surge is actually working.
Continue reading "The Surge May Be Working. But Is It Too Late?"
Posted at 11:57 AM
Posted to:
Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, David Petraeus, Middle East, Military, President Bush, WH 2008
Share via
Dems Roll Out 'Rapid Response' Plan
August is typically a time when the president has free rein to shape the political debate without lawmakers around to oppose him, but Senate Democratic leaders aim to change that this year.
Under a "rapid response" plan, the four top Democrats in the Senate are each spending a week on call to respond to developments regarding the war in Iraq or any other issue that comes up during the August recess, said Rodell Mollineau, communications director for Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
"We're coordinating more to make sure the message is amplified," Mollineau said. "With rapid response, President Bush does not have the stage to himself in August."
Continue reading "Dems Roll Out 'Rapid Response' Plan"
Posted at 10:21 AM
Posted to:
Congress, Senate
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Troop Levels Peak; Mine Efforts Falter
Iraq. The size of the U.S. force in Iraq has peaked at 162,000 troops -- the highest number in the 52 months of the conflict.
Nation. Efforts to rescue six men trapped in a Utah coal mine have faltered after structural problems forced workers to slow down the search.
Courts. Terminally ill patients do not have the right to use drugs that have not yet been approved by the FDA, according to a federal appeals court ruling yesterday.
Congress. Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., will make his first public appearance later this month since suffering a brain hemorrhage last winter.
World. Georgia and Russia are accusing each other of staging Monday's unexploded missile drop.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:14 AM
Share via
August 07, 2007
Taliban Stages Raid On U.S.-Led Base
One day after Hamid Karzai declared the Taliban "a force that is defeated" in Afghanistan, the militant Islamist group attempted to storm a U.S.-led military base in the southern part of the country.
In what AP described as a "rare frontal attack" on Firebase Anaconda, Taliban insurgents approached the base on foot from three sides and fired guns, grenades and rockets. Coalition fighters responded "with mortars, machine guns and air support," resulting in the deaths of about two dozen militants, the coalition confirmed in a statement.
Continue reading "Taliban Stages Raid On U.S.-Led Base"
Posted at 4:14 PM
Posted to:
Afghanistan
Share via
Defense Rests In Padilla Trial
Defense lawyers for U.S. citizen Jose Padilla and two other men accused of supporting terrorism by Islamic extremist groups rested their case in Miami today, much earlier than expected and without calling any witnesses or presenting any evidence.
The prosecution, which rested its case in mid-July, responded by calling up one more witness and then resting again, making way for the final stage of the trial, which is in its 53rd day. Jury deliberations could begin as early as next week.
AP has more on the background of the case and the latest developments. And The Gate profiled the case in-depth as the trial began in May.
Posted at 2:44 PM
Posted to:
Jose Padilla
Share via
New Hiring Rules To Boost FBI Cheetos Consumption?
The FBI no longer deems pot a dealbreaker. Newly relaxed hiring practices mean that marijuana use no longer disqualifies you from employment with the bureau -- provided you haven't touched the stuff in three years.
Of course, the new rules don't mean that the guys from "Clerks" will be tasked with fighting the domestic war on terror. Jeffrey Berkin, an FBI deputy assistant director, cautioned the Washington Post, "Our standards are still very high. The level of drug history would still have to be something that we would characterize as experimental."
Continue reading "New Hiring Rules To Boost FBI Cheetos Consumption?"
Posted at 12:30 PM
Posted to:
CIA, Crime, Health
Share via
Mexican Telecom Tycoon Unseats Gates As World's Wealthiest
Fortune magazine reports that Mexican telecom giant Carlos Slim Helú surpassed Microsoft titan Bill Gates as the richest man in the world when his fortune climbed to the $59 billion mark at the end of July, compared with Gates' estimated net worth of $58 billion.
In a lengthy profile, Fortune's Stephanie Mehta details how Slim, 67, grew from the son of an immigrant Lebanese shopkeeper into "a latter-day Latin American J.P. Morgan."
Continue reading "Mexican Telecom Tycoon Unseats Gates As World's Wealthiest"
Posted at 11:14 AM
Posted to:
Mexico
Share via
Britain Seeks Release Of Five Gitmo Prisoners
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to release five former U.K. residents from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The move marks a shift in British policy toward the detention facility under new Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Brown's predecessor, Tony Blair, "generally held that the British government was not obliged to seek the release of Guantanamo inmates who had lived in Britain but did not hold citizenship," as is the case with the five men in question, the London Guardian reports.
Continue reading "Britain Seeks Release Of Five Gitmo Prisoners"
Posted at 10:17 AM
Posted to:
Guantanamo Bay, U.K.
Share via
Moscow Denies Firing Missile Into Georgia
An unexploded missile landed in a field of corn and potatoes near the Georgian village of Tsitelubani late last night, escalating ongoing tensions between Russia and its neighbor to the south.
Georgia's interior minister told Reuters that Russia committed an "act of aggression," launching the missile from jets that crossed the border. The village is about 40 miles west of Tbilisi, close to disputed territory between the two countries.
The Kremlin denied any involvement in the botched air strike. A Russian air force commander told a news agency, "Russian planes did not undertake any flights in this region at any time on Monday. Georgia's sovereign border was not violated."
Posted at 8:58 AM
Posted to:
Russia
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Embassy Threat, Utah Miners, Iraqi Cabinet
Terrorism. A new al-Qaida video claims that U.S. embassies are prime targets for terrorist attacks.
Nation. Rescuers are still working to free six men trapped after a Utah mine collapsed yesterday.
Iraq. Five more ministers suspended participation in the Iraqi Cabinet yesterday. Nearly half of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Cabinet has pulled away from his coalition.
Washington. President Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai agreed on many topics but differed over Iran during a news conference yesterday.
Pakistan. Security forces attacked pro-Taliban targets in North Waziristan today.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 8:47 AM
Share via
August 06, 2007
The Obama Republican Iowa Debate
Shortly after yesterday's Republican presidential candidates debate in Iowa kicked off, this Gater found herself applauding. Was it for Mitt Romney? Tom Tancredo? Ron Paul?
None of the above. The Gate was clapping for ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, who dug out a few of those negative campaign tactics voters so despise and forced offending candidates to explain themselves.
First on the dock: Sam Brownback, a hero of pro-life conservatives who can't seem to get a leg up in the crowded race for the GOP nod. In an effort to claw upward in the polls, he's zeroed in on Romney, who's positioned himself as the only true social conservative in the upper tier of candidates. Stephanopoulos played Brownback's campaign robo-call to Iowans attacking Romney for his prior pro-choice stance.
Awk-ward.
Continue reading "The Obama Republican Iowa Debate"
Posted at 5:51 PM
Posted to:
Asia, Barack Obama, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Democrats, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Iraq, John McCain, Middle East, Mitt Romney, Pakistan, Republicans, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, WH 2008
Share via
Bill Aims To Strengthen FDA Monitoring Of Imported Food
House Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., has laid down his marker for a food safety overhaul at FDA that takes aim at imported food. Released Friday, the proposal would give FDA mandatory recall authority, require country-of-origin labeling on food, establish a certification program for importers, limit ports where imported food can enter and allow the agency to collect user fees to pay for increased import inspections.
"We are importing twice as much food as we were a decade ago, yet the FDA examines less than one percent of it," Dingell said. "Tainted imports have slipped into our country undetected and the resulting problems will continue to grow if we don't take steps to tighten safety measures."
Continue reading "Bill Aims To Strengthen FDA Monitoring Of Imported Food"
Posted at 5:26 PM
Posted to:
Congress, FDA, Health, House
Share via
Nicolas Sarkozy's American Vacation
The French aren't known for being the most hospitable of international hosts -- particularly when it comes to American tourists -- so perhaps it's fitting that newly elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy is being treated to a less-than-peaceful vacation in New Hampshire this month. But the paparazzi welcome seems like a cruel way to greet the first American-friendly French president in a long time.
Sarkozy got testy with the American press over the weekend after photographers snapped shots of him and some companions as they went for a boat ride on Lake Winnipesaukee. According to AP, photographer Jim Cole and freelancer Vince DeWitt had permission to shoot on the lake, but yesterday an angry Sarkozy jumped into their boat and began "scolding them loudly in French."
Continue reading "Nicolas Sarkozy's American Vacation"
Posted at 3:18 PM
Posted to:
France, Media
Share via
Bush, Karzai Upbeat On Afghanistan Despite Setbacks
President Bush today got an earful of two words he hasn't heard much lately: Thank you.
That effusive gratitude came courtesy of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, whom Bush is hosting at Camp David.
"I'm here to once again thank you and the American people for all that you've done for Afghanistan," Karzai said during a joint press conference at the presidential compound. He went on to repeatedly thank Bush and the American public "for our liberation first and then for our stability and prosperity," adding that Afghanistan has "come a long way."
Karzai went on to say that since U.S. and NATO forces toppled the Taliban in 2001, the infant and child mortality rates had greatly improved. "Afghanistan would not have 85,000 children living today had you not been there to help us," he told the president.
Still, there are signs that progress in Afghanistan may be hitting a wall.
Continue reading "Bush, Karzai Upbeat On Afghanistan Despite Setbacks"
Posted at 1:32 PM
Posted to:
Afghanistan, Asia, Pakistan, President Bush
Share via
Bush Signs Wiretap Bill As Congress Adjourns For August
Congress worked through the weekend, finishing up a spate of bills leaders had hoped to pass before leaving town for the August recess while shelving some contentious issues until after Labor Day.
Yesterday, President Bush signed into law a counterterrorism bill expanding intelligence agencies' authority to wiretap Americans' international phone and e-mail correspondences. The law was designed to clarify the legal framework for electronic surveillance after a controversial National Security Agency program that operated outside the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was exposed.
Continue reading "Bush Signs Wiretap Bill As Congress Adjourns For August"
Posted at 11:11 AM
Posted to:
Congress
Share via
August 03, 2007
Guantanamo, The Day After
Faced with a number of judicial setbacks and increasing calls for its closure, the U.S. military's detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, faces an uncertain fate. The possibility of closing the facility has been batted around during presidential debates and, despite Vice President Dick Cheney's recent assurance that it would remain open, even President Bush has said he'd be open to abandoning Gitmo if a better alternative for holding terrorism suspects were presented.
But what would happen if some officials, from the Democratic leadership in Congress to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, had their way, and the detention center were closed today? What would happen to the terrorism suspects being held there, and the ones authorities might capture in the days, months and years to come?
National Journal's Corine Hegland explores the fascinating (and frightening) possibilities in the magazine's cover story this week. And in a related column (subscription), Jonathan Rauch sizes up where the 2008 presidential candidates stand on the issue.
(Photo: PH1 Shane T. McCoy, U.S. Navy)
Posted at 3:08 PM
Posted to:
Guantanamo Bay
Share via
First Lady Praises Heroism In Bridge Tragedy
First lady Laura Bush traveled to Minneapolis today to visit the scene of Wednesday's deadly bridge collapse and offer support and condolences to survivors and loved ones of the deceased. Speaking near the scene, within view of the iconic school bus that survived the crash with 50 children inside, Bush acknowledged the uplifting tales of heroism that have arisen from the tragedy.
"There's so many good stories," she told the crowd. It "lifts people and it really encourages people." President Bush plans to visit the area tomorrow.
Meanwhile, local authorities have increased the official death toll from the accident to five, and hospital officials are reporting more than 100 patients treated for injuries related to the collapse of the Interstate 35W bridge.
Continue reading "First Lady Praises Heroism In Bridge Tragedy"
Posted at 2:02 PM
Posted to:
Laura Bush
Share via
Bush To Congress: Don't Leave Until FISA Is Fixed
As the House wrangles with a procedural spat over spending bills, President Bush is urging Congress to remain in Washington until it finishes work on a revision of the federal law governing U.S. counter-terrorism surveillance. At issue is where the power to authorize foreign wiretaps should come from: the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or the Department of Justice.
Earlier this week, congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle unveiled competing "compromises" on how to fix the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which has been in dispute ever since it was revealed that the Bush administration was wiretapping the communications of suspected terrorists overseas without obtaining warrants.
The Boston Globe reports that details of the negotiations remain "murky" and that discussion of how to reconcile the differences between Congress and the Bush administration on the matter have largely taken place behind closed doors, due to the classified nature of the surveillance program.
Continue reading "Bush To Congress: Don't Leave Until FISA Is Fixed"
Posted at 1:30 PM
Posted to:
Congress, President Bush
Share via
House Stalled By Partisan Fight
The House remained in recess today and the schedule was in limbo as leaders discussed how to proceed after Republicans walked out late Thursday night to protest the handling of a vote on a controversially worded motion to recommit the Agriculture appropriations bill. The disputed motion would have denied government benefits to illegal immigrants.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, were among those trying to break the logjam. Hoyer this morning repeated his desire to finish the FY08 Defense Appropriations bill, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, energy legislation and emergency funding in the aftermath of a bridge collapse in Minneapolis. "I would hope it would not take us to Monday," Hoyer said.
Republicans stormed off the floor after accusing Democrats of changing the outcome of a procedural vote on the Agriculture spending bill.
Check back with CongressDailyPM (subscription) for more on this story as it develops.
-- CongressDaily
Posted at 12:42 PM
Posted to:
House
Share via
Court Rules FBI Trampled Constitution In Jefferson Raid
A federal appeals court found today that part of the FBI's raid on Rep. William Jefferson's congressional office was unconstitutional.
The court ordered the Justice Department to return some (but not all) of the documents FBI agents took when they raided Jefferson's Rayburn office in May 2006 as part of a two-year investigation.
Today's ruling only applies to the search conducted at his office -- not his Capitol Hill home, where agents discovered $90,000 wrapped in aluminum foil in his freezer during an August 2005 search. An FBI informant had allegedly given him the cash a few days earlier.
Continue reading "Court Rules FBI Trampled Constitution In Jefferson Raid"
Posted at 11:13 AM
Posted to:
Congress, House, William Jefferson
Share via
Earlybird Roundup: Jennings Cites Privilege; Floods Overwhelm S. Asia
Administration. During his testimony yesterday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, White House aide J. Scott Jennings repeatedly cited executive privilege and refused to answer questions about the U.S. attorney firings.
Congress. The House passed a bill mandating that active-duty members of the military get at least as much time on leave as they served on their last tours in Iraq.
Iraq. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday that a major Sunni bloc's withdrawal from parliament was "discouraging" and he hoped it "can all be patched together."
Military. Marine Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins was convicted of murder for killing an Iraqi grandfather in Hamdaniya in 2006.
Middle East. President Bush warned Syria and Hezbollah yesterday not to interfere with Lebanon's democratically elected government.
World. Heavy flooding is overwhelming parts of South Asia, with nearly 20 million people displaced and hundreds dead.
See Earlybird (subscription) for more of this morning's headlines.
Posted at 9:14 AM
Share via
Senate Passes SCHIP Bill With Veto-Proof Majority
The Senate late last night passed a bill, 68-31, to add $35 billion to the State Children's Health Insurance Program, showing enough support for the measure to override a presidential veto.
Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss., predicted, however, that the Senate would be able to sustain a presidential veto of a conference report with the House.
"If it goes one iota beyond what was in this bill, we will be able to sustain the veto," he said.
Lott also said Republicans would object to a conference committee with the House.
"They're not going to get this bill in conference until we get an agreement on what's going to be in it. We're not going to let it go" he said, adding that Finance ranking member Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, "is going to hold the line pretty strongly on this." Grassley helped write the compromise Senate bill.
See CongressDailyAM (subscription) for more on SCHIP.
Posted at 8:13 AM
Posted to:
Congress, Health, Senate
Share via
August 02, 2007
Bridge Collapse Shines Spotlight On Infrastructure Safety
As rescue crews dig through the wreckage, divers navigate the murky waters and survivors recount their harrowing experiences, authorities and media outlets are beginning to speculate (and point fingers) on the possible causes of last night's bridge collapse in Minneapolis.
In a press conference earlier today, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) expressed her frustration with the tragedy, which officials have determined was caused by structural problems, not an act of terrorism. "A bridge in America just shouldn't fall down," an exasperated Klobuchar told reporters.
Already, CNN reports that several assessments of the I-35W bridge in recent years have called attention to structural problems, although those reports did not determine that it was unsafe.
In response to the crisis, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) has ordered that all similar structures in the state be inspected immediately. Other states are sure to follow suit, considering that Connecticut's Hartford Courant reports that Minnesota already has some of the best standards in the nation for bridge inspections.
Continue reading "Bridge Collapse Shines Spotlight On Infrastructure Safety"
Posted at 5:29 PM
Share via
As semi-authoritarian world leaders' bodies go, Vladimir Putin's is tops. The 54-year-old Russian president boasts a torso as muscular as his hold over 
Karl Rove's recently announced departure has touched off a flood of analysis about the legacy President Bush's most trusted adviser will leave behind, but how much of it is real and how much is hype? In an online exclusive, National Journal White House correspondent Carl Cannon 
