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Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryUS accused of torture
Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on torture, said… "I am very concerned about the undermining of the absolute prohibition of torture by interrogation methods themselves in Abu Grahib, in Guantanamo Bay and others, but also by rendition and the whole CIA secret places of detention. All that is really undermining the international rule of law in general and human rights but also the prohibition of torture." The Illustrated Daily Scribble
The WorldIraq war: too much weight on intelligence, says ex-MI6 chief
The head of MI6 at the time of the invasion of Iraq said (Wednesday) night that the government placed too much weight on intelligence claims to help persuade opponents in parliament to support the war. Sir Richard Dearlove said … that claims by neo-con elements in the Bush administration that there were links between al-Qaida and Saddam Hussein were not true. "You know as well as I know there was no connection between 9/11 and Iraq," he said.
Turks: Not seeking fight with Iraq Kurds
ISTANBUL, Turkey - Turkey said Thursday that it isn't seeking a confrontation with Iraqi Kurds by threatening a cross-border offensive in northern Iraq, saying any attack would target only the bases of Turkish Kurd guerrillas.
Israelis destroy Gaza smuggling tunnels
JERUSALEM - Israeli forces operating in the Gaza Strip this week uncovered and destroyed seven tunnels used by Palestinian militants to smuggle arms and people, the military announced.
Exhibition honors Muslims who saved Jews
JERUSALEM - Tears welling in his eyes, an elderly Holocaust survivor on Thursday embraced the son of the Albanian man who saved him from the Nazi death camps, highlighting the little-known role played by European Muslims in helping Jews during World War II.
US official warns Iran on nuke program
VIENNA, Austria - A senior U.S. official challenged Iran's hard-line president Thursday over his claim that Iranians are immune from further U.N. sanctions, saying such action is in the works unless Tehran meets demands to curb its nuclear program.
Afghan troops battle Taliban for fifth day in west
Afghan forces battled hundreds of Taliban fighters for a fifth day in the west of the country on Friday for control of two districts, and the chief of a third fretted his region might soon fall.
Troops clash with Venezuelan protesters
CARACAS, Venezuela - Soldiers used tear gas, plastic bullets and water cannons to scatter tens of thousands who massed Thursday to protest constitutional reforms that would permit Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to run for re-election indefinitely.
Dissident: Cubans detained for bracelets
HAVANA - Cuban police rounded up a group of young people wearing white rubber wristbands stenciled with the word "cambio," or "change," and held them for hours before releasing them without filing charges, a human rights activist said Thursday.
German Spy Satellite Launches Into Space
PARIS - The third of five planned German high-resolution SAR-Lupe radar reconnaissance satellites was successfully launched Nov. 1 by a Russian Cosmos-3M rocket and has begun what is expected to be four weeks of testing before it is transferred to the German armed forces, SAR-Lupe prime contractor OHB-System AG said.
UN panel OKs resolution on nuclear alert
UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. General Assembly's disarmament committee approved a resolution Thursday calling for all nuclear weapons to be taken off high alert, despite objections from the United States, Britain and France. The NationBush tells Dems war denial is dangerous
WASHINGTON - President Bush compared Congress' Democratic leaders Thursday to people who ignored the rise of Lenin and Hitler early in the last century, saying "the world paid a terrible price" then and risks similar consequences for inaction today.
And the world has paid a terrible price for your presidency, sir.—Caro
Cashing In on Terror (by Robert Scheer)
Not to stoke any of the inane conspiracy theories running wild on the Internet, but if Osama bin Laden wasn't on the payroll of Lockheed Martin or some other large defense contractor, he deserves to have been. What a boondoggle 9/11 has been for the merchants of war, who this week announced yet another quarter of whopping profits made possible by George Bush's pretending to fight terrorism by throwing money at outdated cold war-style weapons systems.
CIA chief backs rendition flights
The director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, General Michael Hayden, has defended the methods it uses to interrogate terror suspects. Gen Hayden said programmes such as extraordinary rendition produced what he said was irreplaceable intelligence. Under the programme, terror suspects are transported to secret prisons in countries with less stringent interrogation rules. Mr Hayden, speaking in Chicago, said the leads gained justified rendition.
Obama, Biden did not sign Senate letter warning Bush not to attack Iran
More campaign news on Iran today out of the Senate. Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and 29 other senators sent President Bush a letter telling him he doesn't have congressional authority to attack Iran and he should stop making "counterproductive" provocative statements on Iran. Sens. Hillary Clinton and Chris Dodd signed the letter; Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden did not.
Medicare cutting pay for doctors in 2008
WASHINGTON - Doctors who treat the elderly and disabled will face a 10 percent cut in their reimbursement rates from Medicare next year under a federal rule issued Thursday.
The administration is doing its best to destroy Medicare.—Caro
Congress passes kids health bill again
WASHINGTON - A defiant Democratic-controlled Congress voted Thursday to provide health insurance to an additional 4 million lower-income children, and President Bush vowed swiftly to cast his second straight veto on the issue.
Today's Must Read (Why Mukasey can’t say waterboarding is torture) (by Paul Kiel at TPM Muckraker)
When you get right down to it, Michael Mukasey has refused to answer the question of whether waterboarding is torture for three reasons, which he provided in his letter to Senate Democrats earlier this week. Two of those are readily disputable (not wanting to tip off "our enemies," for example), but the key to his rationale appears to be his expressed fear that the attorney general's public acknowledgment that waterboarding is torture would place interrogators in "personal legal jeopardy."
Not to mention personal legal jeopardy for the President of the United States.—Caro
Bush: No attorney general if not Mukasey
WASHINGTON - President Bush sought to save Michael Mukasey's troubled nomination for attorney general Thursday, defending the retired judge's refusal to say whether he considers waterboarding torture and warning of a leaderless Justice Department if Democrats don't confirm him.
Crack cocaine sentencing go into effect
WASHINGTON - New federal sentencing guidelines for crack cocaine offenders went into effect Thursday, lowering the recommended sentencing range for people caught with the drug.
The penalties for crack should be exactly the same as for powdered cocaine.—Caro
In winning protest case, father vows to put church out of business
A day after winning a $10.9 million verdict against Westboro Baptist Church and its leaders for picketing his son Matthew's funeral last year, (Albert) Snyder was tired and drained Thursday. But he was defiant, too, promising to run the Topeka, Kan., church out of business to make sure that other grieving families don't have to put up with demonstrators at funerals. MediaPermanent link to MTA daily media news
GALLANT ON DRUMMING CHRIS MATTHEWS: (by Bob Somerby at The Daily Howler)
Chris (Matthews) may (or may not) affect many voters, but he does affect insider journalists… Chris lies at the very heart of a large chunk of the insider press corps. If no voters ever watched his show, it would still be must-see bad TV… These people have simply murdered our interests over the past fifteen years… People are dying all over the world because of what this cohort has done. But on the liberal web, we still refuse to discuss the role they’ve played in deciding who gets to the White House.
Zogby Poll: Al Gore Leads Top Tier Dems in 'Blind Bio' Poll
When Democratic likely voters were given brief biographical descriptions of the top three Democratic candidates … along with the biography of Gore, the former Vice President won 35% support, while Clinton won 24%, Obama won 22% and Edwards trailed with 10% support… A separate Zogby Interactive survey also conducted last week shows Gore’s overwhelming favorability among Democrats – 92% gave Gore a positive rating
'Draft Gore' takes its campaign to TV: Ad to run on CNN and in N.H.
Saying there's still time for him to get into the presidential race, the Draft Gore campaign tomorrow starts airing its first television ad urging former vice president Al Gore to make another run at the White House. Called "Imagine," the 30-second spot is due on CNN and New Hampshire's WMUR-TV.
Click here to watch the ad.—Caro
So tell us, Al. What are you going to do?
OK, Al Gore, Don’t Run; But for God’s Sake, Do Speak Out (by Andrew Bard Schmookler at NoneSoBlind.org)
NOW IS THE TIME, GOOD MAN, TO COME TO THE AID OF YOUR COUNTRY… (I)f you are not going to run for the presidency, the alternative is for you to provide America –now, before that election– with the kind of moral leadership that transcends partisan politics. The first step toward doing that is to make that Shermanesque statement you’ve thus far refrained from doing: Go beyond “I have no plans to run” to “I will not run for president in 2008; if elected I will not serve.”
Right-Wing Bloggers Launch Campaign -- With MoveOn! -- Against Fox News Over Debate Footage
This is interesting: A coalition of right-wing bloggers and MoveOn that helped force several networks to allow public use of their political debate footage last spring has just launched a similar campaign against Fox News.
Dowd, the Demonic Dominatrix… (by Todd Gitlin)
“She (Hillary Clinton) is cold-eyed about wanting power and raising money and turning everything about her life into a commodity.”… Is it is preferable to be hot-eyed about wanting power (see: Rudy)? Is it possible to do any good in the actual world without power? If you want power, what's the alternative to raising money? "Turning everything about her life into a commodity"--come on! I'm not enamored of the junior senator from New York's prose style, but hasn't the junior senator from Illinois published two best-sellers, and hasn't John Edwards let the world in on his wife's illness, and was it HRC who sold rights to reports on her husband's sex life to Newsweek?
The Hill Irresponsibly Reports False Claim That Clinton ‘Skipped’ Senate Environmental Hearing
(I)n The Hill in a piece entitled “Clinton Skips Senate Hearing She Called For,” reporter Alexander Bolton claims that Clinton failed to show up for (Wednesday’s hearing on establishing a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada)… Bolton’s article is completely inaccurate… (A) transcript of Clinton’s remarks — including questions to the witnesses — are available on the senator’s website, as is video evidence of her presence at the hearing.
Click through to watch the video of Clinton’s comments at the hearing.—Caro
Staffer who called Pelosi ‘anti-American’ goes on leave.
Last month, Trent Wisecup, the chief of staff for Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) made waves when he was caught on camera calling an anti-war activist “un-American” and “not a citizen.” Wisecup followed it up by suggesting that support for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was also “un-American.” Politico reports that Wisecup has now taken a paid leave of absence, which he started “about a week after the encounter” with the activist.
Click through to watch the video of the encounter.—Caro
Grand Old Party
"Republican Stategist" Rachel Marsden: "One man's torture is another man's CIA-sponsored swim lesson."… Marsden has a record of false accusations and charges of stalking and criminal harassment. Actually, in May, after appearing on Fox News at FNC's Manhattan HQ, she had to be dragged out of the building by Fox security for "bizarre and erratic" behavior. Now, consider that one for a second. Just how bizarre and erratic does a Fox pundit have to be? Right? CNN sure knows how to pick'em.
Click through to watch the video.—Caro
Daily Show: FOX News Says Barbara Eden Ruined Halloween
Jon gets his early dose of crazy from the brown hair guy who’s not Steve Doocy on FOX & Friends, who says he was “traumatized” by Barbara Eden’s sexy outfit on “I Dream Of Jeannie” back in the 60’s, and blames her for all the slutty Halloween costumes of today.
Click through to watch the video. Jon says he traumatized himself several times during each episode of “I Dream of Jeannie”.—Caro
From the Desk of Donald Rumsfeld . . .
In a series of internal musings and memos to his staff, then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld argued that Muslims avoid "physical labor" and wrote of the need to "keep elevating the threat," "link Iraq to Iran" and develop "bumper sticker statements" to rally public support for an increasingly unpopular war… As public discontent and congressional questioning grew in 2006, his final year at the Pentagon, a series of (memos) revealed a man determined to counter the chorus of media criticism in one- or two-line zingers to staff members about specific articles.
White House To Congress: Confirm Mukasey Now, Ask Questions About Torture Later
During (Thursday’s) White House press briefing, Press Secretary Dana Perino brushed aside lawmakers’ concerns about Michael Mukasey’s views on torture, urging them to quickly confirm him as attorney general. “Once he is confirmed, then the Congress has the capabilty to ask him to come to Congress and to testify on all sorts of matters, including this one,” she said. But this technique — confirm now, question later — immediately raised red flags with reporters, who pointed out that if Mukasey becomes attorney general, the Bush administration would likely block him from answering questions in the future as well.
Good for you, press corps, you got that one right.—Caro Technology & ScienceTornado Outbreak Sets October Record
Last month saw a record October for tornado outbreaks, with 87 twisters forming in just one three-day span, government meteorologists announced today… The massive outbreak occurred because two weather systems that had high potential to form tornadoes were simultaneously positioned over the country.
Adults With Diabetes Doing Better Prevention Job
U.S. studies show they're keeping good track of daily blood sugar levels, while avoiding heart disease
Medicare Drug Plan Cost $32 Billion in 2006
Seniors filled 158 million more prescriptions after program's launch, study found
Many Americans Dissatisfied With Their Medical Care
They're more likely to skip care because of costs and experience medical errors, survey finds.
Meet Your New Cousins, the Flying Lemurs
A group of creatures resembling large flying squirrels is the closest living relative of primates, the group that includes apes and humans, according to a new genetic study.
How Salamanders Sprout New Limbs
Limb loss for a salamander is nothing to get up in arms about—they just re-grow a new one. But how? One molecule could be behind their remarkable limb-sprouting ability, according to a new study that could also grow the field of human regenerative medicine.
NASA Reveals Plan to Fix Solar Wing
HOUSTON - NASA revealed unprecedented spacewalking plans today that could mend a maimed solar wing at a far end of the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday. EnvironmentClimate bill seen as sign of political shift
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A milestone, a landmark and "the political center of gravity is finally shifting on global warming." Those accolades greeted a Senate subcommittee's approval on Thursday of a bill to cap greenhouse gas emissions, mostly because it is the first of a dozen such measures that might have a chance of becoming law.
Roaming Monkeys Higlight Climate Change in Africa
A population of White Bearded De Brazza’s monkeys were sighted recently in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, far from their original homes, raising concerns over climate change. The monkeys have never been seen in the Rift Valley before. The monkeys were spotted in a forest area that had dried out as the climate in Kenya became more arid.
Landscape Architects' Report Offers Hundreds of Tips for Sustainable Sites
WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 2, 2007 -- The American Society of Landscape Architects yesterday released a comprehensive report from its Sustainable Sites Initiative, giving a snapshot of the many ways that architects, designers and facility managers can enhance how well their sites fit into surrounding ecosystems, provide cleaner air and water, and reduce the impact of climate change.
Clinton, Wal-Mart push 'green' cities
SEATTLE - Former President Bill Clinton told more than 100 mayors Thursday that stopping global warming depends on them demonstrating that it makes economic sense. He said his foundation is teaming up with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to save cities money on environmentally friendly supplies by buying in bulk.
Dallas Zoo looks at waste-to-energy plan
DALLAS - Dallas Zoo officials are moving forward with a plan to turn animal droppings, cardboard and tree limbs into power for several buildings and irrigation for the zoo's landscaping.
Solar Power Technology Claims Misleading
A new type of solar cell has recently gained attention as a possible cost-effective way to turn sunlight into electricity. Made from organic materials, the cells are cheaper and more flexible than currently used silicon-based solar cells. But new information suggests organic solar cells may not work as well as advertised. For more headlines, visit MakeThemAccountable.com. |
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