Wed1347 What if Iowa Settles Nothing for Democrats?
2008
Saturday 20 September 2008 U.S. President George W. Bush has announced a four-point plan to prevent the current financial crisis from damaging the economy further. The plan calls for the government to buy up approximately $100 billion worth of subprime mortgages, which led to the current crisis. Mr. Bush also announced government insurance for mutual funds, tougher financial oversight rules, and a temporary ban on the practice of "short selling," a technique in which investors profit when stock prices move lower. Mr. Bush said that U.S. government intervention is needed to keep the financial crisis from damaging the economy further. Advance news of Mr. Bush's announcement allowed global markets to make gains over 24 hours after a week of major losses over the failure of Lehman Brothers, a major investment company in the United States.
Sunday 14 September 2008 U.S. Arms Sales Climbing Rapidly
Sales of weapons to foreign governments have risen to more than $32 billion, up from $12 billion in 2005.
Friday 29 August 2008 US GDP rebounds with 3.3% growth
The US economy grew 3.3% in the second quarter of 2008, the Commerce Department said, much higher than first thought.
Sunday Jul 27, 2008 Two more American banks have failed as a result of the US mortgage crisis and credit crunch. On Friday, US regulators took over the First National Bank of Nevada and First Heritage Bank of California. The banks were sold to Mutual of Omaha Bank and are scheduled to reopen Monday under their new name. They were the sixth and seventh bank failures in the US this year. Their fall comes just two weeks after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation seized IndyMac Bank of California.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain met Friday in Colorado with Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. After the meeting, Mr. McCain called on China to address concerns about human rights and to release prisoners detained during the recent uprising in Tibet. Mr. McCain also said that Beijing must engage in meaningful dialogue on genuine autonomy for Tibet. The uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet in March left more than 200 people dead. China blamed the Dalai Lama for fermenting the dissent, a charge he denies.
Tuesday 24 June 2008 Survey Shows U.S. Religious Tolerance
A survey reveals an ability among many Americans to hold beliefs that might contradict the doctrines of their professed faiths.
Tuesday 17 June 2008 U.S. Secretary of Defence Robert Gates has urged Colombia's neighbours, particularly Venezuela and Ecuador, to help the Colombian government struggle against the FARC guerrilla group, suggesting that each prevent the insurgents from acting inside their territories. Mr. Gates said in remarks at the annual North American Forum meeting in Washington, DC, that co-operation from Colombia's neighbours is vital because the Bogota government is alone unable to deal with the drug-trafficking guerrillas. The North American Forum is a yearly meeting of Canadian, American and Mexican government and business people meeting to discuss issues related to continental economic and social integration.
U.S. military spending on Iraq and Afghanistan could reach $800 billion
JEREMY PELOFSKY, Reuters
Published: 9 hours ago
U.S. President George W. Bush laid out a detailed request yesterday for $70 billion to partially fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while providing more aid to tackle an unfolding global food crisis.
The president's request for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1, originally made in February, includes $45.1 billion for combat operations for the two wars, $3.7 billion to help expand the Afghan forces and $2 billion for Iraqi troops.
April 27 Wall Street, Run Amok
By BEN STEIN
(NYT) How did all of the mechanisms operated by the mind-bogglingly well-paid men and women of the Street go so wrong that we saw a major investment bank, Bear Stearns, essentially disappear? How did Wall Street firms of ancient lineage take such immense losses that they made banks clam up on lending — at great risk to the economy?
Wednesday 09 April 2008 The International Monetary Fund says that the worldwide losses stemming from the US subprime mortgage crisis could hit $945 billion as the impact spreads in the global economy. It's the first time the IMF has made an official estimate of the global losses suffered by banks and other financial institutions in the credit squeeze which began eight months ago. The main cause was rising defaults on subprime, or high-risk, home loans. In a stark report released Tuesday, it says that falling US housing prices and rising foreclosures on homes in the US could lead to losses there totalling $565 billion. The IMF also notes that its estimates could go higher.
“DECOUPLING” is the source of a great deal of controversy. Economists argue about whether or not emerging economies will follow America into recession. The most pessimistic claim that as economies have become more intertwined through trade and finance, this should make business cycles more synchronised, not less. The slide in emerging stockmarkets on Wall Street’s coat-tails appears to endorse their view. Yet recent data suggest decoupling is no myth. Indeed, it may yet save the world economy.
Friday 29 February 2008 US jail numbers at all-time high A new study of US prisons has found that numbers of people in jail are at an all-time high, with more than 1% of the adult population behind bars.
Saturday 23 February 2008 Defence Secretary Robert Gates says the U.S. is prepared to share with China some information concerning Wednesday's successful destruction by the U.S. Navy of a defunct, dangerous satellite using a missile. Hours before, the Chinese government complained that the destruction could harm security in outer space and in some countries. Mr. Gates says the Americans had provided much information even before the missile launch and remains willing "to share whatever appropriately we can." The official reason for destroying the satellite was that it contained a toxic substance that could kill if it fell on a populated area.
Thursday 21 February 2008 The Federal Reserve has revised downwards its prediction for economic growth. Minutes of a closed-door meeting between Chairman Ben Bernanke and his associates on Jan. 29-30 expressed worry over the continuing housing slump and the credit crisis. The Federal Reserve at that meeting lowered a key interest rate by one-half a percentage point, having lowered the same rate by three-quarters of a point eight days prior. According to the minutes, apprehension was expressed that even these aggressive step wouldn't be enough. The Fed now estimates yearly growth at between 1.3 and 2 per cent, down from a previous estimate between 1.8 per cent and 2.5 per cent.
February 14, 2008 Dumb and Dumber: Are Americans Hostile to Knowledge?
By PATRICIA COHEN
A popular video on YouTube shows Kellie Pickler, the adorable platinum blonde from “American Idol,” appearing on the Fox game show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” during celebrity week. Selected from a third-grade geography curriculum, the $25,000 question asked: “Budapest is the capital of what European country?”
(The Economist) George Bush signed an economic stimulus package that will supply $168 billion—$152 billion of it this spring. The measure forms part of a government endeavour to stave off a recession in America. It ensures that rebates of up to $1,200 will be posted to households and also provides businesses with new tax breaks. Earlier, Hank Paulson, the treasury secretary, announced another initiative to help struggling homeowners by placing a 30-day freeze on certain kinds of foreclosures. RealtyTrac, an online property firm, said that foreclosures in America’s largest urban areas rose by 78% last year, to 1.8m. The idea of giving flagging economies a fiscal boost is back in fashion
Bloomberg Rips Government Over Failing Economy
NEW YORK (CBS/AP) ? Mayor Michael Bloomberg has unleashed another flurry of jabs on Washington, ridiculing the federal government’s rebate checks as being “like giving a drink to an alcoholic” on Thursday, and said the presidential candidates are looking for easy solutions to complex economic problems.
The billionaire and potential independent presidential candidate also said the nation “has a balance sheet that’s starting to look more and more like a third-world country.”
Thursday 14 February 2008
George Bush signed an economic stimulus package that will supply $168 billion—$152 billion of it this spring. The measure forms part of a government endeavour to stave off a recession in America. It ensures that rebates of up to $1,200 will be posted to households and also provides businesses with new tax breaks. Earlier, Hank Paulson, the treasury secretary, announced another initiative to help struggling homeowners by placing a 30-day freeze on certain kinds of foreclosures. RealtyTrac, an online property firm, said that foreclosures in America's largest urban areas rose by 78% last year, to 1.8m. See article
Wednesday Feb 13, 2008 U.S. homebuyers caught in downdraft
More than 30 per cent of U.S. homeowners who bought in the last two years owe more on their mortgage than their house is...
Tuesday 12 February 2008 Research shows that native-born Americans will be a minority by 2050 because of immigration. A study by Pew Research Center indicates that native-born Americans will represent 47 per cent of the population in 42 years, whereas they represent two-thirds of the population at present. Moreover, one American in five will be an immigrant then, compared with one of eight now. Pew Research also predicts that the U.S. population will be 438 million in 2050, compared with 300 million at present. The country's Hispanic population, already the country's biggest, will account for 29 per cent of the total, compared with 14 per cent in 2005.
Tuesday 05 February 2008 Bush presents $3 trillion budget
President George W Bush urges Congress to pass his budget to boost the economy and keep the US safe.
Saturday 19 January 2008 President George W. Bush Friday called on the American Congress to pass an economic stimulus package equal to about one per cent of U.S. gross domestic product. Mr. Bush said a boost of about 145 billion dollars is needed to shore up the fragile US economy. Mr. Bush said the package must be based on broad base tax relief that will directly affect economic growth. He also said the growth package must be temporary and go into effect right away to help the economy when it needs it most. The US economy has been hit by a housing crisis, a tightening of credit and surging oil prices. American and Canadian stock markets have had sharp declines in recent weeks because of the collapse in the United States of subprime mortgages.
BUSINESS Saturday 19 January 2008
Bush calls for economy kick-start
President George W Bush calls on Congress to pass measures worth $145bn to shore up the US economy.
Markets wary after Bush's speech
Global stocks have a volatile day as a plan to kick-start the US economy does little to ease recession fears.
Monday 14 January 2008
AMERICA lags behind other wealthy countries in the overall performance of its medical system. A new study by researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine looks at data from 19 countries for deaths of under 75-year-olds that should have been avoided with proper health care. Preventable deaths declined by 16% on average in these countries between 1997 and 2003. Big improvements were recorded in countries that started with both low levels of avoidable deaths (like France) and those with higher levels (like Britain). But America, where health-care spending per head is highest, is at the bottom of the table.
2007
Wed1347 What if Iowa Settles Nothing for Democrats?
TIME video 10 Questions with Madeleine Albright
Former Secretary of State and U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Madeleine Albright is a powerful woman - but can she really leg press 400 pounds? video page
Wednesday 28 November 2007 1:10 A one-day conference on the Middle East convoked by the U.S. in which leaders from 40 nations, including Canada, took part seems to have concluded with some success. U.S. President George W. Bush announced in the presence of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that the two sides will start work next month on a peace treaty to be completed by late 2008. Mr. Bush says he will "monitor and judge" whether the parties are respecting their obligations under the international "roadmap" plan and that an eventual peace treaty would depend on their performance as judged by the U.S., unless they object. Among the participants were Saudi Arabia, which persuaded Syria to attend as well. The Palestinian militant movement Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in June, denounced the conference and thousands of the movement's supporters demonstrated in Gaza City to show their rejection of it.
America By The Numbers Even finding the Average American is a challenge, since means and medians and majorities can hide as much as they reveal: pity the statistician whose job it is to flatten us into a trend. The average household has 2.6 members, but most families prefer their children whole. On average we are 36.6 years old, but in reality we are newborn and toddling, aged and wise. We exercise close to the recommended 20 minutes a day—but that's because 17% of us exercise for well over an hour, while the rest of us scarcely stir at all. The vast majority of Americans believe in God, and more than 90% own a Bible, but only half can name a single Gospel, and 10% think Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. So what's the average state of our eternal souls?
Smith remains the most common surname in the United States, according to a new analysis released yesterday by the Census Bureau. But for the first time, two Hispanic surnames — Garcia and Rodriguez — are among the top 10 most common in the nation, and Martinez nearly edged out Wilson for 10th place.
November 16, 2007 12:00 AM Denying Alliance thanks to Dr. Mark Roper
Democratic candidates love to attack Bush's foreign policy. ,,Democratic presidential candidates pause from beating Hillary with a stick, they join in unison to pronounce the Democratic pieties, chief among which is that George Bush has left our alliances in ruins. As Clinton puts it, we have “alienated our friends,” must “rebuild our alliances” and “restore our standing in the world.” That’s mild. The others describe Bush as having a scorched-earth foreign policy that has left us reviled and isolated in the world.
Like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, who insist that nothing of significance has changed in Iraq, the Democrats are living in what Bob Woodward would call a state of denial. Do they not notice anything?
Wednesday 10 October 2007 An internal report by the Los Angeles police department concludes that its officers gravely mishandled an immigration demonstration at a park on May 1 that left dozens injured. In a report to the Los Angeles Police Commission, investigators says that officers had underestimated the size and significance of the demonstration by 200,000 people in favour of federal legislation to regularize the situation of some 12 million illegal immigrants and that officers in the field were left without instructions from their superiors. The report notes that officers fired rubber bullets at the crowd in violation of rules after the demonstrators threw bottles and rocks at them and that some police used their batons 100 times during the confrontation in which 246 demonstrators were hurt and 18 police officers. The legislation for which the demonstrators turned out eventually failed to be approved by the U.S. Congress.
Wednesday 19 September 2007 A small town in the U.S. state of New Jersey has abandoned a legal effort to crack down on illegal immigrants. The Riverside Township law would have penalized landlords caught renting to illegal immigrants and businesses that hired them. The American Civil Liberties Union says the town dropped its proposed legislation after a lawsuit was threatened on the grounds that it violated civil rights and exceeded the town's authority. In July, a federal judge ruled that a similar measure proposed in Hazleton, PA., was unconstitutional. Hazelton has appealed the ruling. The Puerto Rican Legal Defence and Education Fund, an immigrants' rights group, reports that 129 such measures have been passed or are under consideration, but that none has been implemented.
Friday 07 September 2007 A U.S. military official has confirmed that a B-52 bomber flew the length of the United States mistakenly loaded with as many as six nuclear armed cruise missiles last week. The mixup was reported to President George W. Bush after the nuclear warheads were discovered when the aircraft landed at an air base in Louisiana. An official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said as many as six cruise missiles loaded on to the plane were found to have nuclear warheads on them by mistake.
Saturday 01 September 2007 U.S. President George W. Bush has announced measures aimed at financially helping victims of the ongoing crisis in the mortgage sector. The measures include giving the Federal Housing Administration authorization to help homeowners who have mortgages that were initially pegged at low payments and then changed to much higher ones which the homeowners cannot afford, with the result of numerous defaults. Mr. Bush says such mortgage holders may have been excessively optimistic, or may have misunderstood or been misled. Under the new plan, those with a good credit history will be able to refinance their mortgages under guarantees by the Federal Housing Administration. However, the president stressed that the government won't bail out speculators or people who took out mortgages which they knew they couldn't repay.
Stephen S. Poloz VP EDC Economics Weekly Commentary America’s Trade Deficit: Still worrisome after all these years? - August 29, 2007
Probably the most oft-mentioned problem facing the world economy and financial markets is the U.S. trade deficit. This has been the case for the past five years, yet not much has happened.
Indeed, the U.S. dollar has actually been strengthening in recent weeks, as global financial markets have experienced highly unusual bouts of volatility. This quite naturally reflects the U.S. dollar’s traditional role as a safe haven in times of trouble. Yet to many this poses a puzzle: given that the sub-prime mortgage market meltdown originates in the U.S., and the U.S. trade deficit is as big and threatening as ever, why aren’t investors using another currency as a safe haven? Past issues | his WN page
Monday 27 August 2007 A new report warns that many skilled foreigners are leaving the United States because the annual quota for resident visas is too small. The study by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation says that about one million potential immigrants compete for 120,000 visas issued each year. As a consequence, applicants are forced to wait several years to get the visa. The report says that many leading American businesspeople first came to the U.S. as students, and then remained. Almost one in three founders of an American technology startup company is an immigrant. The large majority of those founders were from India. Last year, foreign nationals living in the United States contributed to one in four of all international patent applications. The report warns that visa applicants are frustrated by the long wait to obtain resident documents and decide to return home, creating a reverse brain drain.
Wednesday 08 August 2007 THE Jehovah's Witnesses are rare among religious groups in publishing precise (though self-reported) membership statistics. The organisation is also unusual in counting as a member only someone who is actively involved in teaching its works. The group claimed 6.7m practising members as of August 2006, and some 16.7m in attendance at its big annual service. America has most members, at over 1m. Big devout countries include Brazil, Mexico and Nigeria. Since 2005, membership has dropped most in Europe. Latin America and Africa saw the biggest increases.
Monday 30 July 2007 In Illinois, Obama Proved Pragmatic and Shrewd There was something improbable about the new guy from Chicago via Honolulu and Jakarta, Indonesia, the one with the Harvard law degree and the job teaching constitutional law, turning up in Springfield, Ill., in January 1997 among the housewives, ex-mayors and occasional soybean farmer serving in the State Senate.
Monday 30 July 2007 Barack Obama has still got work to do IT WAS a surreal affair. The first debate among Democratic presidential candidates to be sanctioned by the party’s national committee was co-hosted by CNN and YouTube and let the public submit questions as video-clips.
The Democrats held another debate. In an unusual format, the candidates took questions from video clips sent to YouTube, which co-hosted the event. Hillary Clinton was thought to have won. The only heated moment came when she disagreed with Barack Obama's position on talking to the leaders of hostile countries. See article
George Bush issued an executive order, required by legislation passed last October, setting out the legal boundaries of CIA interrogations. The order complies in broad terms with the Geneva Conventions' ban against “degrading treatment”. Human-rights groups criticised it for its lack of detail about actual interrogation techniques.
Monday 16 July 2007 Interactive Feature: The Money Race
Search the presidential candidates' reports from the second-quarter by donor name, employer, and ZIP code.
Sunday 15 July 2007 rci Two senators from the Republican Party of President George W. Bush have urged him to draw up a plan to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq. Sens. John Warner and Richard Lugar will present their withdrawal plan to the Senate next week. Although the plan wouldn't impose a deadline for withdrawal, it does require planning for "post-September contingencies, including a drawdown or redeployment of forces." The Democratic Party, on the other hand, wants a withdrawal date and is expected to force a vote on that eventuality next week as well.
Tuesday 03 July 2007 U.S. President George W. Bush met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday at the American leader's parents' summer home. They discussed the U.S. plan to install an anti-missile defence system in the Czech Republic and Poland, a plan to which Mr. Putin's government is adamantly opposed and failed to reach any agreement. Mr. Putin presented an alternative plan for Europe's anti-missile defence which would include a radar in southern Russia and the establishment of an online "information exchange centre" in Moscow together with a similar one in Europe. The Russian president said such a system would make it unnecessary to go ahead with the plans in Central Europe. Mr. Bush disagreed but called Mr. Putin's proposals "very constructive" and in need of further study.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bush has commuted the two-and-a-half-year jail term imposed on former White House aide Lewis Libby, calling the sentence "excessive," but says Mr. Libby remains harshly punished. The President left a fine of $250,000 and two years probation intact. The former aide to Vice-President Dick Cheney was convicted in March of lying to authorities and of obstructing justice in the investigation of the 2003 leak that exposed the identity of a CIA agent. Democratic Party Sen. Harry Reid describes the commutation as "disgraceful."
Saturday Jun 30, 2007 U.S. politics The CIA
Hanging out its dirty laundry from the 1970s
Thursday 28 June 2007 Perspective on the Jewels From the C.I.A.’s Chief Historian For more than 30 years, the Family Jewels have clouded the C.I.A.’s reputation, even though most of their contents have long been known from official reports and ad hoc disclosures. William Colby — who oversaw the compilation of the Jewels while serving as the agency’s operations chief
Tuesday 26 June 2007 The U.S. and Spain have demanded that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez reopen a television station that he ordered closed last Sunday. Mr. Chavez closed RCTV on the ostensible grounds that it has backed a coup against his then government in 2002. The station had been a critic of his nationalizations and of his increased control of the military and the courts. Visiting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the closure undemocratic and says it isolates Venezuela in a region where most nations are free and democratic. Miss Rice also called on Mr. Chavez to cease his attacks on the free press. Her Spanish counterpart, Miguel Angel Moratinos, says his country will work with the Americans to promote democracy and free speech in Venezuela. In London, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has invited Mr. Chavez to mind his own business after the Venezuelan leader called Brazilian senators lackeys of the U.S. for having requested that he reopen RCTV, claiming that Brazil's Congress is controlled by right-wing parties that want to keep Venezuela out of Mercosur.
Monday 25 June 2007 Why Jacques is in Kennebunk?
• VLADIMIR PUTIN will be welcomed to George Bush's family home in Kennebunkport, a charming Maine coastal town, on Thursday July 1st. The visit is supposed to calm the Russian's anger about America’s proposed missile-defence system for Europe. Mr Putin recently suggested placing a shared missile-defence radar in Azerbaijan, an offer which Mr Bush called “interesting”. But the Americans want to put the installations in Poland and the Czech Republic, both NATO countries. The Russian and American presidents may at least manage to disagree politely
Fri 01/06/2007 UNITED STATES rci
U.S. President George W. Bush has proposed that 15 major nations that cause greenhouse emissions agree by the end of next year on a global target to reduce them. The president called for the first in a series of meetings to take place in the fall. The guests would include the U.S., European nations and India and China. Once having fixed targets, individual nations would be free to develop their own strategies to meet them. Mr. Bush also called for an end to tariffs on clean energy technologies. There has been positive reaction from British Prime Minister Tony Blair and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, with whom the president has been at odds over the climate issue. Germany has called for a global reduction in emissions of 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050, an approach which Washington has rejected. The speech got low marks from environmentalists. The National Environment Trust called the speech a ploy to divert attention from discussion of emissions reduction targets at next week's G8 summit in Germany. Friends of the Earth called the speech "a complete charade" aimed at making the government look like it's doing something without in fact doing anything.
Sunday May 27, 2007 BUSH SIGNS WAR-FUNDING BILL
U.S. President George W. Bush signed a war-funding bill Thursday that
provides billions for the Iraq war after the Democrat-controlled
Congress backed off its demands for troop withdrawal timelines.
Sunday 20 May 2007
American satisfaction at new low: poll It's gloomy out there. Men and women, whites and minorities -- all are feeling a war-weary pessimism about the country seldom shared by so many people.
Monday 23 April 2007 AP Presidential candidates to debate in cyberspace NEW YORK — The 2008 presidential contenders may soon be slugging it out in cyberspace, with pioneering online-only debates being planned for early next fall, a new media partnership says.
The political blog Huffington Post, online portal Yahoo and Slate Magazine will host the debates — one for Democratic candidates, one for Republicans — sometime after Labour Day, with PBS host Charlie Rose serving as moderator, the sponsors planned to announce Monday.
Saturday 21 April 2007 That's a lot of advertising
Citizens still queasy from last fall's relentless run of campaign ads may be disheartened to learn that TV broadcasters anticipate surging revenues over the next 18 months as politicians and their allies prepare to spend as much as $3 billion to influence the voters. With wide-open races for both the Democratic and Republican presidential nominations, and more than two dozen states jockeying to move up their primary dates, station owners and analysts expect potentially record-breaking ad spending in 2008. Read a story about ad spending in the 2008 presidential election.
The pound broke the $2 barrier for the first time in 15 years as markets calculated that a surprise surge in inflation in Britain would lead to an interest-rate rise. The euro also rose against the dollar, nearing a record high, after data from America showed that core inflation had eased. See article
wed1311
Even the optimistic note struck by our favorite economists last week looks less hopeful. U.S. market is losing its appeal, Chinese say: At booth after booth at China's main trade fair this week, the refrain from Chinese business executives is the same: the American market is still important, but not as crucial as it used to be.
Stephen S. Poloz VP EDC Economics Weekly Commentary How are America?s consumers holding up? - February 28, 2007
America?s consumers have been carrying the global economy on their shoulders for so long now that we have come to take them for granted. But the ground has shifted beneath their feet in the last few months, so it is worth keeping track of how they are holding up. Past issues | his WN page
Thu 08/02/2007 The budget Fiscal frustrations George Bush sent his budget to Congress. The $2.9 trillion request asks for more funding for the military and reduces spending on health care and other domestic programmes over five years. It also forecasts reduced federal deficits that eventually reach a surplus in 2012. Sceptics wondered how this could be twinned with Mr Bush's request to extend his tax cuts. See article
Tuesday 06 February 2007 nyt G.O.P. Senators Block Debate on Iraq Policy
By CARL HULSE and JEFF ZELENY
The vote left in doubt the fate of a bipartisan resolution opposing President Bush’s troop buildup in Iraq.
Democrats Face Limits in Changing Bush’s Budget
By STEVEN R. WEISMAN
Political and fiscal constraints will make it hard for Democratic critics of the president’s budget to assert their priorities.
Barack Obama took his first formal step towards running for president by forming an exploratory committee. The senator from Illinois, who has held his seat for two years, is considered a front-runner for the Democratic nomination along with a certain senator from New York who is expected to make her intentions known (officially) soon. See article
Friday 12 January 2007 The humanitarian group says television networks in the United States are not reporting enough news from certain troubled regions of the world. The group claims the networks devoted just minutes of news coverage last year to 10 issues it identified as the most under-reported stories of 2006. Among the 10 were the daily toll claimed by tuberculosis and malnutrition as well as conflicts in the Central African Republic, Sri Lanka, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Somalia, Colombia, Chechnya and parts of India. The group says that many conflicts world-wide are profoundly affecting millions of people yet they are almost completely invisible.
Friday 12 January 2007
U.S. President George W. Bush has cautioned that his decision to send more troops to Iraq would not yield immediate results. In a speech Thursday to soldiers at Fort Benning, Georgia, Mr. Bush appealed for patience. He said the American people have to understand that even with the addition of some 21-thousand troops, which he announced on Wednesday, the suicide bombings in Iraq won't stop immediately. But he said he expects positive results over time. American public opinion has turned against the Iraq war in which more than 3,000 U.S. troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed. Democrats who control Congress, and even some in Mr. Bush's own Republican Party, oppose his plan to increase troop strength in Iraq.
Friday, 29 December 2006,
Elections bring Blue wave and new plans to statehouses By the time Colorado Gov.-elect Bill Ritter claimed victory in Denver on election night last November, Democrats across the nation were feeling a mile high.
The Democratic Party had won the trifecta of the Colorado governor’s office, the state House and state Senate for the first time in nearly 50 years – and when all the results were in, had swept to power in the U.S. Congress, a majority of governor’s mansions and more legislative chambers than anytime since 1994.
It is 9 A.M. on a fresh, sunny Saturday in Rockford, Ill., and nearly a thousand people have gathered in the gymnasium at Rock Valley College to participate in a town meeting with their Senator, Barack Obama. It is an astonishingly large crowd for a beautiful Saturday morning, but Obama--whose new book, The Audacity of Hope, is excerpted starting on page 52--has become an American political phenomenon in what seems about a nanosecond, and the folks are giddy with anticipation. "We know he's got the charisma," says Bertha McEwing, who has lived in Rockford for more than 50 years. "We want to know if he's got the brains." Just then there is a ripple through the crowd, then gasps, cheers and applause as Obama lopes into the gym with a casual, knees-y stride. "Missed ya," he says, moving to the microphone, and he continues greeting people over raucous applause. "Tired of Washington."
Wednesday 20 December 2006 President Wants to Increase Size of Armed ForcesPresident Bush said that the U.S. should expand the size of its armed forces to cope with what he suggested would be a long battle against Islamic extremism.
Friday 15 December 2006 nyt
Who Americans Are and What They Do, in Census Data Americans drank more than 23 gallons of bottled water per person in 2004 — about 10 times as much as in 1980. We consumed more than twice as much high fructose corn syrup per person as in 1980 and remained the fattest inhabitants of the planet, although Mexicans, Australians, Greeks, New Zealanders and Britons are not too far behind.
America's economy is the world's largest and is a key driver of the global economy (though its impact is often exaggerated). After nine years of robust growth, America’s economic bubble burst in 2000; technology shares plunged and the economy was in recession before the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001. But the economy made a comeback and, despite a rash of corporate scandals and fears of a “double-dip” recession, growth picked up in 2002 and continued in 2003. A recovery in the jobs market followed in 2004.
Democrats sweep U.S. Congress Democrats completed their sweep of the U.S. Congress by capturing control of the Senate, U.S. media reported Thursday, handing President George W. Bush a stunning defeat that alters the political landscape for years to come.
Thursday 09 November 2006
Bush impeachment off table With Democrats seizing control of the House of Representatives in this week's mid-term elections, California Rep. Nancy Pelosi is poised to become the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives and third in line to the presidency.
Democrats seize control of House
Democrats have won control of the US House of Representatives in mid-term polls, and are one seat away from gaining a majority in the Senate.
The Democrats won the Senate seat in Montana after a delayed neck-and-neck vote count was completed.
maisonneuve.orgTHE MIND OF THE AMERICAN VOTER by Ceri Au November 8, 2006
The US mid-term elections unfolded in a blaze of multi-million
dollar advertising campaigns and concluded with e-voting
glitches reminiscent of the 2000 hanging-chad debacle. And despite voluntary
legal experts across the country fielding calls about voting
irregularities, the votes were finally tallied and American discontent was
registered for the history books. But although the Democrats took control
of the House of Representatives for the first time twelve years,
yesterday’s election was more than a mere referendum on George Bush’s
presidency and his Iraq policy. The American electorate alsOWN to the
polls to make their voices heard on a smorgasbord of contentious social
policy issues. According to the
Globe, a total of 205 measures were on the ballots in thirty-seven
different states. They ranged from the quirky—such as an Arizona
initiative, ultimately approved, to combat voter apathy by randomly
selecting one voter for a $1 million pay-day—to the high-profile,
including a proposal to hike tobacco taxes in California. La Presse
(not available online) meanwhile reports that tight races on banning gay
marriage and abortion were closely watched as weathervanes of support for
the conservative, “American values” ideology. Six states in all voted on
gay-marriage issues, most notably in Tennessee where 81 percent of
electors opted to trounce an amendment supporting same-sex couples. Yet
despite heavy lobbying by religious organizations, many conservative
proposals failed to pass in even the most traditional of states. A
proposed ban on abortions was defeated in South Dakota, much to the relief
of pro-choice activists who feared a conservative tide sweeping the
Midwest. Propositions to increase minimum wage were also on the slate in
several states, and received high-approval levels across the board. But
the results of these various plebiscites were given short shrift by a
media hungry to announce wins and losses by big-name candidates. American
Author Robert Byrne once wrote “Democracy is being allowed to vote for the
candidate you dislike least.” In the end, the state-level social policy
proposals may not be as exciting as the champagne-popping, hand-pumping
victories of House and Senate races. But they are indicative of the mood
of American society, and MediaScout encourages the Big Seven to refocus
their coverage in the days to
come.
THE STRAIGHT GOODS: Democrats take
control of the House of Representatives after a twelve-year absence, while
the balance of power in the Senate hinges on recounts. Justice Minister Vic
Toews announces that increasing minimum sentences for gun-related crimes
will cost taxpayers $246 million. Hockey commentator Don Cherry heads to
Parliament Hill and gets a taste of his own
medicine. -----------------------------------------------------------------
NOW
COMES THE HARD PART… The Big Seven all lead with the Democratic
victories south of the border that ended the Republican party’s monopoly of
Capitol Hill. Taking
back the House of Representatives for the first time in twelve years,
the Democrats increased their seat count by 27, giving them a firm grasp
of the lower house. In the Senate, however, close races in Virginia and
Montana may necessitate vote recounts before any party can claim victory.
With a new balance of power in Washington, the Big Seven trudge through
the numeric results and all take a stab at predicting how the next two
years of American politics will unfold. In the
Post, David Frum argues the future of the Democrats hinges on their
ability to handle national security issues. Fielding more Iraq war
veterans as candidates than the Republicans, the Democrats wanted to
change the nature of the debate on Iraq by bolstering their credibility on
the issue. Yet now in office, the Democrats must find a way to channel
popular support into international clout. As Tom Clarke pointed out on CTV
News last night, the Democrats relied heavily on “anti-Bush” mantras,
while their own solution to US involvement in Iraq has yet to crystallize.
Alan Freeman writes in the
Globe that the plight now facing Democrats is finding an antidote to
the “cut and run” salvos favored by President Bush. But according to the
Star, the two parties will spend the next two years focused not on
current affairs, but on the next big race—the 2008 US presidential
election campaign. Recent figures from the Washington Post suggest
Republican John McCain will be a front-runner once again, having clocked
in at 346 events during the campaign and raising some $10.5 million for
his party, garnering endless political favors as a result. On the Democrat
side, Illinois Senator Barack Obama made the national rounds and apparently
even outstripped the ever-popular Bill Clinton as the most sought after
political-celeb on the campaign trail.
Tuesday 07 November 2006
And the last three all relate to what we view as this week's BIG STORY, the U.S. mid-term elections. Everyone is talking about it; punditry has reached a state of feeding frenzy; the only people who seem indifferent are a large percentage of Americans of voting age ("Government of the people, by the people, will be missing a lot of people Election Day" .
Monday 16 October 2006 In Final Weeks, G.O.P. Focuses on Best BetsRepublicans seem to be conceding some Senate and House seats and moving money and other resources into more promising races.
Sun 08/10/2006 gu Sleaze row engulfs Republican hopefuls
Most experts now believe that Democrats have a real chance of taking back control of both Houses of Congress. They need to win six seats in the 100-member Senate to take back control and to win 15 seats in the 435-member House of Representatives. In surveys last week by polling firm Zogby International, Democrats were shown surging in many key races across the country and leading strongly in at least 11 of their 15 top House of Representatives target seats and five Senate seats.
Saturday 07 October 2006 rci U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made appearances in both Iraq and Britain on Friday, where she discussed Iraqi unity and the issue of Iran's nuclear program. In the northern Kurdish capital of Arbil, she met with the leader of the Kurdish autonomous region, Massud Barzani. Miss Rice advised the Kurdish people that they will be better off if Baghdad and its environs become peaceful. The Kurdish government has put a damper on longstanding desires of independence but separatist tensions remain. The U.S. government fears a Kurdish declaration of independence would lead to Iraq's disintegration and as well anger its ally Turkey. Miss Rice flew from Iraq to London to take part in a meeting of the five UN Security Council members and Germany. The secretary of state says a UN deadline for Iran to stop enriching uranium passed one month and the time is approaching when the world will have to turn to paths other than diplomacy to resolve the situation. The six powers have agreed to further consultations on the possibility of sanctions against Iran.
Friday May 19, 2006 U.S. President George W. Bush has approved legislation stemming from the U.S. Senate to build a triple, 600-kilometre barrier along the country's southern border with Mexico to curb illegal immigration. Mr. Bush says he expects the Mexican government to play its proper role in stopping the flow of illegal migrants. Mr. Bush's spokesman said the wall won't extend the entire length of the 3,000-kilometre border nor will it be militarized. On Monday, the president ordered 6,000 National Guardsmen to be deployed along the border to help border patrol officers.
HOLY POLITICS, BATMAN! by Joe Boughner maisonneuve.orgMay 8, 2006
The erosion of the church/state separation is usually seen as a
Republican phenomenon. After all, George W. Bush is a born-again
Christian; his “God Bless America” speeches and
good-versus-evil mentality resonate with a slightly uncomfortable vibe
north of the border, where we’re typically more in line with
Democratic values than Republican ones. So it was strange to see former US
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on CBC News: Sunday Night (not
available online) discussing her latest
book, an exploration of the role of religion in US foreign policy.
Based on her comments, the book’s thesis is this: Religion is an
important part of many global conflicts; rather than try to ignore it, as
past US administrations have done, diplomats should embrace it as a force
for peace. She suggested that secretaries of state should have religious
advisors the same way they have political and strategic advisors. Wait a
second, more religion in US politics? Yes and no. Dubya may believe God is
on America’s side, but Albright carefully aligned herself with
Abraham Lincoln: We must be on God’s side.
Albright’s argument draws on the clarity of hindsight exclusive
to those who have toiled in the field. Former prime minister Joe Clark,
himself a onetime secretary of state for external affairs, taps this same
clarity for his own exploration of foreign affairs in today’s Globe.
Clark argues that Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s singular focus on
Canada-US relations is dangerous and does a disservice to Canada’s
legacy on the world stage. Clark writes, “If the United States can
more often make a difference, Canada can more often bridge differences.
Both are critical roles, in times like today.” Without referring to
Albright or her theories, Clark underlines what should be the take-home
message from both Big Seven items: the nuanced world of international
diplomacy does not always complement the highly-partisan political realm.
Inflexible ideas or singular priorities may not work in the complexity of
the global arena. God bless the Big Seven for bringing two experienced
voices into the debate.
Tuesday May 2, 2006 Sharp Reaction to G.O.P. Plan on Gas Rebate The Senate Republican plan to mail $100 checks to voters to ease the burden of high gas prices is eliciting more scorn than gratitude.
Saturday Apr 22, 2006 nyt Bush and Hu Vow New Cooperation< President Bush and China's president, Hu Jintao, made some progress on nuclear proliferation and trade imbalances, but broke no new ground on the most delicate issues that divide the two nations. . more GWBush
Tuesday Apr 11, 2006 rci Thousands of people in the U.S. took part in demonstrations in favour of illegal immigrants on Monday. The march in the southern city of Atlanta, GA, attracted at least 50,000 participants. The protesters were trying to exert pressure on the U.S. Congress, which is considering legislation that would criminalize illegal immigration. The demonstrators want the Congress to enact measures to regularize the situation of some 11 million migrants.
BOSTON, April 4 -- The Massachusetts legislature approved a bill Tuesday that would require all residents to purchase health insurance or face legal penalties, which would make this the first state to tackle the problem of incomplete medical coverage by treating patients the same way it does cars.
Monday Apr 3, 2006 nyt Internet Injects Sweeping Change Into U.S. Politics< Both Democratic and Republican campaigns are finding the Internet to be far more efficient than the traditional tools of politics.
Tuesday Feb 21, 2006
Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- DP World, the United Arab Emirates company that's buying Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co. for $6.8 billion, said it plans to boost security at some of its ports, seeking to allay national security concerns in the U.S.
Friday Feb 3, 2006
Feb 2nd 2006
From The Economist print edition
George Bush used his annual state-of-the-union address to trumpet the importance of spreading democracy and liberty around the world. He also unveiled several low-key domestic initiatives in health care, scientific research and energy, the last to wean Americans from what Mr Bush described as an “addiction” to oil. See article
AFP
Mr Bush's speech was attended by Samuel Alito in his new role as a Supreme Court justice. Mr Alito was confirmed earlier in the day by the Senate. Democratic talk of mounting a filibuster against the conservative judge faded away—though only four Democrats eventually supported his nomination.
Congress temporarily extended the provisions of the Patriot Act (again) until March 10th. The law was due to expire on February 3rd (a reprieve from the end of last year). Negotiations are continuing with the White House over the more intrusive provisions of the legislation.
Saturday Jan 14, 2006 nyt Maryland Sets a Health Cost for Wal-Mart By MICHAEL BARBARO The Maryland Legislature passed a law that would require Wal-Mart to increase spending on employee health insurance.
Saturday Jan 14, 2006 rci An American who's been held by US authorities for more than three years as an "enemy combatant" has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges. Jose Padilla entered the plea Thursday in Miami to charges that he was part of a secret network that supported Muslim extremists around the world. Mr. Padilla was transferred from military to civilian custody last week. The judge is considering whether the former Chicago gang member should be released on bail. Prosecutors say he shouldn't. Initially, US officials claimed Mr. Padilla plotted to set off a radioactive "dirty bomb" and blow up apartment buildings in major US cities. But after three-and-a-half years, he was instead indicted on charges of conspiring to murder US nationals and providing material support to terrorists. Mr. Padilla was denied bail.
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