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Morning headlines brought to you by Carolyn Kay MakeThemAccountable.com Top StoryCIA to turn over videotape documents
WASHINGTON - Under a subpoena threat, the CIA is expected to quickly begin turning over to Congress documents related to the destruction of videotapes showing the harsh interrogation of two terror suspects.
And what about the relevant documents in Dick Cheney’s office? Did they go up in smoke?—Caro
Fire erupts at one of Cheney's offices
A fire erupted this morning in the vicinity of Vice President Dick Cheney's ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door to the White House. Thick, black smoke billowed out of the windows and balcony doorway of an adjacent office. The century-old stone building on Pennsylvania Avenue was evacuated. Off the Wahl
The WorldTorture center found in northern Iraq
BAGHDAD - U.S. soldiers found mass graves north of Baghdad next to a torture center where chains were attached to blood-spattered walls and a metal bed frame was still connected to an electrical shock system, the military said Thursday.
Turkey: Iraq operation may continue
ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey's military may stage more cross-border operations into northern Iraq to hunt down separatist Kurdish rebels, Turkey's parliament speaker said Thursday, as the justice minister again urged the rebels to surrender.
Turkey says U.S. intelligence led to Iraq raids
U.S. intelligence shared with Turkey led to the weekend raids in northern Iraq on Kurdish militants, Turkey's ambassador to the United States said on Wednesday. "There is no doubt that this operation was possible due to, of course, the information shared by the United States of America," Turkey's Ambassador Nabi Sensoy told reporters.
Israeli troops kill Palestinian gunmen
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli troops killed at least two Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, a day after rejecting an unofficial truce offer from the besieged Hamas rulers of the coastal territory.
Report: Iran plant to open in late 2008
MOSCOW - Iran's first nuclear power plant, which is being built by Russia, will not come online until late 2008, Russian news reports said Thursday.
Bhutto: Spy agency pressuring candidates
DERA ALLAH YAR, Pakistan - Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto accused Pakistan's military intelligence Thursday of pressuring candidates from her party to drop out of next month's parliamentary elections and urged officials to crack down on such harassment.
Indian Maoist insurgency spreading: PM
NEW DELHI (AFP) - India's Maoist guerrillas have stepped up their insurgency and a dedicated security force must be set up to eliminate "this virus," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said.
EU says China pressure in Myanmar key
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's support has been vital to achieving initial steps toward national reconciliation in military-ruled Myanmar, an EU envoy said on Thursday, but added Beijing would not directly pressure the regime towards reform.
Argentine Congress criticizes US gov't
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Argentina's Congress criticized the United States on Wednesday over an alleged cover-up involving a cash-stuffed suitcase that U.S. prosecutors say was bound for President Cristina Fernandez's campaign.
Kosovo independence process cannot be held back: EU
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union must be ready to guide Kosovo on an unstoppable path to independence after the U.N. Security Council failed to agree on the Serb province's future, the incoming EU presidency said on Thursday. The NationAnalysis: CIA tape case evokes Watergate
WASHINGTON - Administration officials refuse to shed light on whether White House lawyers talked to the CIA about whether to destroy interrogation videotapes of two terrorism suspects but bristle at questions into the affair and complain about news coverage. That puts the White House in an awkward position. The very vision of White House officials sitting around a table talking about such an inflammatory course of action evokes echoes of Nixon and Watergate.
Bush's bid to punish Iranian banks stalls
The Bush regime's new policy of penalizing Iranian banks is facing a critical challenge as financial institutions in Russia, China and much of the Middle East decline to cut ties, analysts and diplomats say. Even Afghanistan and Iraq have so far declined to take action against Bank Melli, Iran's largest public financial institution, which was among the first foreign banks to open branches in Kabul and Baghdad.
3rd top official departs State Dept. under criticism
WASHINGTON — The head of the State Department's embassy-building operation, responsible for the troubled $740 million new embassy in Baghdad, announced Wednesday that he's stepping down.
Official: Justice Dept. slowed probe into phone jamming
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department delayed prosecuting a key Republican official for jamming the phones of New Hampshire Democrats until after the 2004 election, protecting top GOP officials from the scandal until the voting was over.
Mukasey’s new policy limits political interference at DoJ. (Think Progress)
The Department of Justice today has issued a new policy governing the communications of DoJ staffers with the White House in an effort to restore safeguards against political interference. Recall, the Alberto Gonzales-led DoJ tore down the firewalls that existed between the DoJ and the White House, leading to increased politicization at Justice. Michael Mukasey said communications about criminal and civil investigations “must be limited.”
Military lawyers stay unbridled (by Charlie Savage, Boston Globe)
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is dropping a plan to take control over the promotions of military lawyers, following an outpouring of alarm over the independence of uniformed attorneys who have repeatedly objected to the White House's policies toward prisoners in the war on terrorism.
Guantanamo Bay three return to UK
Two former British residents held at Guantanamo Bay for several years without charge were arrested as they landed in the UK this evening. A third was not arrested but was detained for questioning.
250 former Iraq prisoners claim torture in new US lawsuit
More than 250 people once held in Iraqi prisons, including the notorious Abu Ghraib, have filed suit against a US military contractor for their alleged torture, attorneys said Tuesday. The Center for Constitutional Rights said a lawsuit was filed in US federal court on Monday asking for millions of dollars in compensatory and punitive damages against CACI International Inc. of Arlington, Virginia.
Most. Obstructionist. Ever. (by Steve Benen at Crooks and Liars)
“In just one session, a minority in Congress has prevented a mind-blowing 62 pieces of legislation from going to the floor for an up or down vote,” said Campaign for America’s Future co-director Roger Hickey. “Our report shows how over and over again, the uncompromising minority has thwarted the will of majorities in Congress and of the American people, holding the Senate floor hostage to a radical right-wing agenda.”
Senate to stay in session to thwart Bush
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Wednesday that he would keep Congress in session over the holiday break solely to block President Bush from making recess appointments. It was an apt ending to one of the most bitterly partisan congressional sessions in memory.
Senate Votes to Expand Whistle-Blower Rights (American Constitution Society)
The Senate voted to expand the rights of whistle-blowers late Monday evening, joining the House in passing similar legislation, which will have to be reconciled before going to the President for his signature, the Washington Post reports. Similar legislation proposed over the last six years has been opposed by the Department of Justice, although this legislation may have enough support to override a presidential veto.
US Congress approves tighter gun control law
The US Congress has approved the first major gun control legislation in more than a decade, broadening background checks for gun buyers in the wake of a deadly campus shooting earlier this year by a mentally ill student.
Novak: Edwards Has Most Potential in Iowa (Political Wire)
The latest Evans-Novak Political Report says John Edwards "has the greatest upside potential of the Democratic candidates. He is the one Democrat who really brings voters to their feet, and his anti-big business posture resonates with many Democrats. He inherits a strong base of support from his 2004 second-place Iowa finish, plus he is the only one in this field who has done this before.
A Son’s Past Deeds Come Back To Bite Huckabee
(There are) allegations that one of (Mike Huckabee’s) sons was involved in the hanging of a stray dog at a Boy Scout camp in 1998… John Bailey, then the director of Arkansas's state police, tells NEWSWEEK that Governor Huckabee's chief of staff and personal lawyer both leaned on him to write a letter officially denying the local prosecutor's request (to investigate the incident). Bailey, a career officer who had been appointed chief by Huckabee's Democratic predecessor, said he viewed the lawyer's intervention as improper and terminated the conversation. Seven months later, he was called into Huckabee's office and fired. MediaPermanent link to MTA daily media news
FCC's New Media Rules Worse Than Advertised (Free Press)
The new media ownership rules are far worse for the public interest -- and more favorable to Big Media companies -- than anything FCC Chairman Kevin Martin previously revealed to the public.
Putin: US made big mistake in Iraq
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has said that the events of the last years show the great mistake committed by the US when it invaded Iraq. Russia considered such a decision was wrong from the start, and there is no solid argument now to change our criteria, Putin told Time magazine who named him 'Person of the Year' on Wednesday.
Was Rice's trip to Iraqi Kurdistan Deliberately Sabotaged? (by Juan Cole at Informed Comment)
Look, it is absolutely impossible that Condi plans out a trip to Kirkuk and a meeting with (president of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Authority, Massoud) Barzani with full knowledge that while she is there, Turkey will send 500 Turkish soldiers into northern Iraq to occupy the villages of Kaya Retch Binwak, Janarok and Gelly Resh… So in my view Turkey is trying to drive a wedge between the US and Barzani, and Turkish chief of staff Yasar Buyukanit deliberately embarrassed Secretary Rice and ruined her trip… (And) that would point to the Turkish military having received advance warning from someone in the US government about Rice's secret trip.
CSPAN’s think tank coverage is 51% right wing. (Think Progress)
A new study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research “finds that right-wing think tanks got 51 percent of C-SPAN’s total coverage in 2006, while left-of-center think tanks only got 18 percent of their coverage (a mere 5 percent of which were ‘progressive’ think tanks). The other 31 percent of coverage went to centrist groups.” As TAPPED’s Kate Sheppard points out, this is at odds with C-SPAN’s stated aspiration of “a balanced presentation of points of view.”
The Mad Corporate World of Glenn Beck (by Norman Solomon, Media Beat, FAIR)
When I picked up a ringing phone one morning in mid-December, the next thing I knew a producer was inviting me to appear on Glenn Beck’s TV show… Our segment, the producer said, would focus on a recent NBC news report praising the virtues of energy-efficient LED light bulbs without acknowledging that the network’s parent company, General Electric, sells them. I figured it was a safe bet that Beck’s enthusiasm for full disclosure from media would be selective.
Click through to read Norman’s hilarious exchange with Beck when he started to take CNN to task for non-disclosure of some of its advertisers’ interest in promoting war.—Caro
Perino On CIA Tapes: ‘Nothing I Have Said Has Been Contradictory’… (Think Progress)
After the White House complained about a “subheadline” in (Wednesday’s) New York Times … the White House press corps bombarded (press secretary Dana) Perino with at least 20 questions on the issue of whether the White House had previously acknowledged the involvement of other staffers in the destruction of the CIA tapes. Perino argued the Times story was “saying that I had misled the American public on this. And I have not. There is nothing I have said that has been contradictory.”
Click through to watch the video.—Caro
Conservative columnists Kristol, Krauthammer leave Time
The exact reasons for the departures of Charles Krauthammer and Bill Kristol, both high-profile backers of the Iraq war, are not entirely clear, says John Koblin. He reports that Time is interested in signing National Review editor Ramesh Ponnuru as a contributor.
MPAA Rejects ‘Taxi To The Dark Side’ Movie Poster Because It Depicts A Hooded Detainee (Think Progress)
Alex Gibney’s new critically-acclaimed documentary Taxi to the Dark Side follows the path of Afghan taxi driver Dilawar, who was innocent of any terrorist ties but still “tortured to death by interrogators in the U.S. prison at Bagram Air Base.” It also examines the Bush administration’s torture practices at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has rejected Taxi’s poster, displayed to the right, as being “not suitable for all audiences.” The poster for the film simply shows two soldiers walking away from the camera, holding a hooded detainee between them. Variety notes that the military has also tried to censor the photo on the poster.
Bill O’Reilly praises Julia Roberts for fighting Press stalkers. Forgets his own stalker, Jesse Watters (by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
I found this segment from BillO (Tuesday) night to be beyond the pale. He praises Julia Roberts because she’s sick and tired of the press constantly stalking her, but during his “Impact Segment”–featured his very own “stalker, ” a producer named Jesse Watters—who covered a Christmas lights/Global warming story. You know Watters because O’Reilly sends him around with a small camera crew to sandbag & stalk anyone that refuses to go on his show or because of a position BillO disagrees with.
Tucker Attacks John Edwards For Remembering Homeless Vets In Holiday Ad (by Logan Murphy at Crooks and Liars)
On Wednesday’s Tucker, the hopefully soon to be unemployed host gets riled up because Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, had the nerve to mention homeless veterans and those less fortunate in his holiday ad. Tucker calls it the Scrooge ad, and then attacks Edwards for not being Jesusy enough, and mocks him for being wealthy.
Click through to watch the video.—Caro
Bitter Confrontation (by Kevin Drum at Political Animal, The Washington Monthly)
Paul Krugman has been criticizing Barack Obama pretty strongly in recent weeks for, in general, being too centrist, too accomodating, and too rosy-eyed about his ability to charm his opponents into compromise… Krugman — I think — isn't actively recommending "bitter confrontation" as a policymaking tactic, he's simply observing that any Democratic president had better expect sustained, dogged, and bitter confrontation from their opponents if he or she tries to implement serious healthcare reform.
Look at how Republicans have been able to obstruct the Democratic majority, if you have any doubts on what it will take to make any progress, even with Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress and a Democratic president.—Caro
MTV Latches Onto Citizen Journalism for 2008 Elections (by Kristen Nicole at Mashable)
It’s totally like MTV to do something like this. For its “Choose or Lose” voting initiative that it ramps up every four years, MTV will be launching a “Street Team” comprised of 51 young, amateur journalists from each state and Washington D.C. to cover the 2008 election, emphasizing issues important to younger demographics. Technology & ScienceLobster serves as model for new X-ray device
The lobster is at the forefront of the next new weapon in the war on terror: a handheld device that could help Homeland Security agents see through wood, concrete and steel.
Brain Cells More Powerful Than You Think
Even single neurons have a big impact on behavior, studies show
"Virgin" birth stem cells may offer tissue bank
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Human egg cells can be tweaked to give rise to valued stem cells that match the tissue types of many different groups of people, U.S. and Russian researchers reported on Wednesday. They said the stem cells they have created from unfertilized human eggs look and act like embryonic stem cells.
New Gene Therapy Heals Growth Deficiency Disorder In Live Animal
ScienceDaily (Dec. 20, 2007) — A team of Vanderbilt researchers have demonstrated for the first time that a new type of gene therapy, called RNA interference, can heal a genetic disorder in a live animal.
Drug Aimed At Two Bioterror Agents Blocks Live Viral Infection, Study Suggests
ScienceDaily (Dec. 20, 2007) — Two deadly and highly infectious viruses—both potential bioterror threats—may have met their match in a new drug developed by scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
Regular Walking Protects the Aging Brain
Even moderate exercise helps ward off dementia, study shows
Female Bosses Expected to be More Understanding
Female bosses are expected to play "office moms," while male bosses are held to a lower emotional standard, a new study finds.
Study: Human evolution had rocky start
Geology may be a long-overlooked, major factor that created conditions favoring the evolution of modern humans.
Fit for porpoise: tiny mammal was ancestor of cetaceans
PARIS (AFP) - A tiny deer-like mammal was the forerunner of whales, dolphins and porpoises, according to a study released on Wednesday by Nature, the weekly British science journal.
Earliest Stage Of Planet Formation In Our Solar System Dated
ScienceDaily (Dec. 20, 2007) — UC Davis researchers have dated the earliest step in the formation of the solar system -- when microscopic interstellar dust coalesced into mountain-sized chunks of rock -- to 4,568 million years ago, within a range of about 2,080,000 years. EnvironmentBush signs bill boosting fuel standards
WASHINGTON - President Bush signed into law Wednesday legislation that will bring more fuel-efficient vehicles into auto showrooms and require wider use of ethanol, calling it "a major step" toward energy independence and easing global warming.
Energy law pulls plug on Edison’s light bulb
The light bulb Thomas Edison invented 125 years ago is getting more than a make-over. The government is pulling the plug on it.
EPA Denies Calif. Greenhouse Gas Waiver
The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday slapped down California's bid for first-in-the-nation greenhouse gas limits on cars, trucks and SUVs, refusing the state a waiver that would have allowed those restrictions to take effect... The long-awaited decision amounted to a serious setback for California and at least 16 other states seeking the new car regulations to achieve their anti-global warming goals. It was a victory for automakers, who contended they would have been forced to reduce their selection of vehicles in the states that adopted California's standards.
GM and DoE Launch Eco-Car Challenge to Spur Innovation
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20, 2007 -- The new competition kicks of next year to bring collegiate engineers' creativity to the search for high-efficiency and low-emissions vehicles.
The Green House as Classroom
Green show houses are appearing across the country, spreading a message about environmentally conscious building.
Nanosolar starts sales of cheaper solar panels
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nanosolar, a privately held solar energy company whose backers include Google Inc's co-founders, on Tuesday said it has started to sell what it calls "the world's lowest cost solar panel."
Got fleas? Get the vacuum
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vacuum cleaners kill fleas just as well as any poison, surprised researchers said on Tuesday.
New Plastic Decomposes Faster
A new biodegradable plastic could decompose much faster than existing ones, safely breaking down in the environment instead of polluting the world for centuries. For more headlines, visit MakeThemAccountable.com.
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