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Older News Archivescom0116
NEWS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER
21, 2008 NEWS
EARLY EDITION
Congress
To Automakers: No Plan, No Money
Congressional leaders told Detroit's Big Three automakers Thursday
that they have until Dec. 2 to submit a plan to Congress on how they will
use billions of taxpayer funds to bring their companies from the brink
of
destruction. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi announced that the House and Senate would hold hearings as
necessary the week and move forward with a vote on a loan package the following
week if the plan proved logical and able to be done. Reid said the
auto industry executives that testified on Capitol Hill this week did not
"convince the Congress or the American people that this bailout will be
their last" or stop the bleeding from the troubled industry. Fox
News
VOA VIEW: Private industry should not
be bailed out by taxpayers.
Obama
To Tap Arizona Gov. As Homeland Security Chief
President-elect Barack Obama's top choice to lead the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security is Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano. According
to other reports, Obama has also selected billionaire Chicago businesswoman
Penny Pritzker as commerce secretary. She was his campaign finance chairwoman,
and is credited with Obama's breaking all political fundraising records.
Gov. Napolitano, whose handling of immigration issues brought her praise
from fellow governors, was an early supporter and campaigner for Obama's
presidential campaign and was reported to be on a short list of people
to fill cabinet posts in the new administration. Fox
News
Senate
Votes To Extend Jobless Benefits
Responding to the worsening economic climate, the Senate voted overwhelmingly
Thursday in favor of a measure to extend unemployment benefits by at least
seven weeks in every state. The bill calls for benefits to be extended
by 13 weeks in states with an unemployment rate of at least 6 percent.
President Bush announced Thursday that he will sign the bill, which was
approved by the House in October. White House press secretary Dana
Perino said in a statement that Bush will sign the legislation "because
of the tight job market."
CNN
VOA VIEW: A form of welfare.
Federal
Judge
Orders Release Of 5 Guantanamo Detainees
A federal judge ordered the release of five Guantanamo Bay detainees
Thursday, saying the government failed to show that they were "enemy combatants."
Judge Richard Leon issued the order in the case of six detainees who were
challenging their detention after the Supreme Court ruled in June that
all Guantanamo detainees could fight their detentions. On Thursday,
Leon ruled that five of the six should be released because the government
failed to show by a preponderance of evidence that any of them, other than
one man identified as bin Saeed, had planned to travel to Afghanistan to
take
up arms against the United States and its allies, as the government claimed.
CNN
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Obama's
AG Choice Was Key Figure In Clinton Terrorist Clemency Controversy
Eric Holder, the long-time Washington lawyer chosen by President-elect
Barack Obama to be the next attorney general, was a central figure in the
controversy surrounding the clemency petitions of 16 convicted terrorists
during the Clinton administration. Holder, who was deputy attorney
general from 1997 until 2001, oversaw all of the requests for clemency
filed during those years, including requests from former domestic terrorists,
drug traffickers and a number of disgraced politicians. Most notable
among the petitions for clemency granted during Holder’s tenure is the
request from 16 members of a Puerto Rican Marxist terrorist group, the
Armed Forces of National Liberation, known by its Spanish acronym FALN,
which engaged in a robbery and terror campaign in both the U.S. and Puerto
Rico during the 1970s and 1980s. CNS
Amnesty
Bill For Illegals Unlikely To Pass Senate
A comprehensive “amnesty” bill to provide illegal aliens a path to
citizenship is unlikely to pass the U.S. Senate next year because Republicans
will be more united in opposition and Democrats will be reticent to burn
political capital on the issue, according to a public policy group that
tracks population growth in the U.S. In October, Numbers USA updated
its report card on U.S. senators in regard to key votes cast from 2005
to 2008 on immigration policy. Numbers USA favors policy changes that would
reduce the annual flow of immigration to where it was historically prior
to the late 20th century. CNS
VOA VIEW: Americans do not want any amnesty
for illegals.
No
Relief Seen In Global Economic Crisis
The global economy saw more signs of distress on Thursday with U.S.
stocks plunging for a second consecutive day, oil prices falling, a surprise
rate cut in Switzerland, export woes in Japan and rescue loans to Turkey
and Iceland. Wall Street was hostage to the rapidly changing news
of a possible rescue for the U.S. auto industry, with the stock market
rising on news of a tentative bipartisan deal in Congress for a $25 billion
package for Detroit and then falling to new lows when the deal ran into
trouble. Automakers held out hope. Reuters
VOA VIEW: No bottom in sight.
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Fannie
Mae, Freddie Mac Suspend Some Foreclosures
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two biggest U.S. home loan finance
companies, on Thursday said they would suspend foreclosures of occupied
homes
until early 2009, as the government moves to stem the tide of home losses
plaguing the economy. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said the hiatus
on foreclosures -- which will run from November 26 through January 9 --
will give mortgage servicers more to work out easier borrowing terms for
troubled homeowners.
Reuters
Once
Obscure, Hank Paulson Now Nearly A Household Name
Before the stock market tanked, before prominent banks collapsed, before
home foreclosures and shrinking 401(k) plans became a national obsession,
most Americans would have been hard-pressed to name the man responsible
for leading the country out of its latest financial crisis. But these
days, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is practically a household name.
No wonder. He's everywhere, it seems. He's the bald guy who was standing
to President Bush's left when Bush strolled into the White House Rose Garden
last September and laid out the government's plans for a financial rescue
package of historic proportions. SHNS
Investigation Ties
Pet Chain To Puppy Mills
After an eight-month investigation, the Humane Society of the United
States accused Petland, the national pet store chain, of selling dogs bred
under appalling conditions at puppy mills around the country. The animal
protection group made the charges at a news conference in Washington Thursday.
The investigation involved 21 Petland stores and dozens of breeders and
brokers. The Petland stores are being supplied by large-scale puppy mills,
although customers are routinely informed that the dogs come only from
good breeders, the Humane Society said. Dogs from puppy mills are sold
at Petland stores for as much as $3,500 each, according to the Humane Society.
MSNBC
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Gotti Wants Racketeering
Trial Moved To N.Y.
Making John A. "Junior" Gotti stand trial on racketeering charges in
Tampa instead of New York would be like "cutting off the supplies he needs
to fight the fight," his attorney told a federal judge Thursday. Charles
Carnesi, attorney for the New York Mafia scion, argued that a Tampa trial
would be a "crushing burden" for Gotti and his family and make it difficult
to get already reluctant defense witnesses to testify. MSNBC
U.S.
Influence Will Fade By 2025
Analysts gazing into what amounts to an intelligence-based crystal
ball see a future world marked by dwindling resources, more people and
diminished power for the United States. The grim assessment, entitled
"Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World", comes from the National Intelligence
Council, an independent government body. The report concludes that by 2025,
"The U.S. will remain the single most important actor but will be less
dominant." CBS
U.S.
Panel Warns Of Chinese Espionage
A congressional advisory panel said Thursday that China has stepped-up
computer espionage attacks on the U.S. government, defense contractors
and American businesses. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review
Commission also said in its annual report to lawmakers that aggressive
Chinese space programs are allowing Beijing to target U.S. military forces
better. "China is stealing vast amounts of sensitive information
from U.S. computer networks," said Larry Wortzel, chairman of the commission
set up by Congress in 2000 to advise, investigate and report on U.S.-China
affairs. CBS
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Lawmaker
Accuses CIA Of Coverup
A classified CIA report shows the agency operated a drug interdiction
program outside of the law and that officials lied to Congress in an attempt
to cover it up, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee
said
Thursday. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., is pushing for the declassification
of the report, issued by the CIA inspector general, which is critical of
the Narcotics Air Bridge Denial program, an agency initiative designed
to shoot down suspected drug smuggling aircraft in South America.
The report, according to a congressional source, harshly criticizes the
program, which dates back to the mid-1990s.
ABC
Stevens
Gives Last Senate Speech As Staffers Weep
"Uncle Ted" Stevens, an old-style Senate giant and the chamber's longest-serving
Republican,
delivered his swan song address and yielded the floor for the final time
Thursday. He was saluted by his colleagues as a staunch friend and teacher.
"My mission in life is not completed," Stevens said in his farewell speech
on the Senate floor, as perhaps a quarter of the chamber's 100 members
gathered to hear him and the gallery filled with his friends and family.
ABC
Texas
Governor Criticizes Federal Response To Ike
Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday called the federal government's efforts
to help Texas recover from Hurricane Ike "underwhelming" and announced
the formation of a state commission to help move the process along.
Hurricane Ike slammed into the Texas coast on Sept. 13, but more than two
months later, there are still thousands of displaced residents without
homes and counties with debris fields as long as 30 miles. Las
Vegas Sun
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Pill
As Good As Chemo On Lung Cancer,
Some advanced lung cancer patients already treated with chemotherapy
might be able to skip some of the bad side effects of another series of
chemo by taking a pill instead, a study suggests. An international study
showed patients on Iressa, an expensive, newer targeted treatment, survived
about as long as those on another course of chemotherapy. Few treatments
for lung cancer exist, and most patients die within a few years of diagnosis.
Lung cancer kills about 1.4 million people every year. Iressa, made
by AstraZeneca PLC, is one of several new targeted drugs that attack specific
growth receptors on cancer cells, doing less harm to patients. Las
Vegas Sun
Vermont
Legislator
Plans To Push For Gay Marriage
A Vermont legislator plans to introduce a bill to allow gay marriage
in the state that first approved civil unions for same-sex couples.
State Sen. John Campbell, a Democrat, says he will sponsor the bill in
the legislative session beginning in January. He acknowledges it is unlikely
to gain ground unless Gov. Jim Douglas signals support. The Republican
governor said Thursday that the civil union law is sufficient but wouldn't
say whether he would veto a gay-marriage bill. Only Massachusetts
and Connecticut allow gay marriage. California voters recently overturned
a ruling allowing the practice there. Newsday
JPMorgan
May Fire 10 Percent Of Investment Bank
JPMorgan Chase & Co., the largest U.S. bank, plans to fire about
10 percent of its investment banking staff, or about 3,000 people, as the
global economy slides into recession, a person familiar with the bank said.
The reductions are in line with New York-based JPMorgan's rivals, including
Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which said it will eliminate about 10 percent
of staff. JPMorgan's cuts will be global and include various groups within
the investment bank, the person said, speaking anonymously because the
news isn't yet public. Bloomberg
Wal-Mart
Holds The Key To Holiday Success For Dell
Move over Best Buy. Wal-Mart will determine the fortunes of Dell Inc.
and Hewlett-Packard Co. this holiday season. The number of consumers
planning to shop for electronics at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. rose 50 percent
from a year ago, according to a survey this month by ChangeWave, a market
researcher in Rockville, Maryland. At the same time, 14 percent fewer shoppers
said they would go to Best Buy Co., the survey found. Bargain hunters
will rule this holiday season as consumers look for savings amid a global
recession, squeezing margins on personal computers. Dell, which has trailed
Hewlett-Packard in the PC market for the past two years, is trying to boost
profitability after expanding into 15,000 retail outlets. Bloomberg
Bush Attacked
Over Wildlife Plan
US environmentalists have accused President George W Bush of trying
to rush through changes to the Endangered Species Act in his last days
in office. They say the changes could take away protection for animals
and plants facing possible extinction. The Bush administration wants
to make it easier for drilling, mining and major construction projects
to go ahead without a full scientific assessment. Under current rules,
the impact of such projects must be assessed by experts. The changes
proposed by the Bush administration would let federal agencies make the
decisions without a full scientific assessment as to the likely impact
on the environment. BBC
'Joe The
Plumber' Lands Book Deal
The man who shot to fame in the recent US presidential election as
"Joe the Plumber" is set to become "Joe the Published" after signing a
book deal. Samuel Wurzelbacher's book, Joe the Plumber: Fighting
for the American Dream, will address his ideas about American values, his
publisher says. Mr Wurzelbacher sprang to fame when he challenged
President-elect Barack Obama about his tax proposals in October. BBC
VOA VIEW: A book to be bought by morons.
Spellings
promotes Access To Student Loans
The U.S. Education Department is working to ensure student access to
federal loans during the financial crisis, Secretary Margaret Spellings
said Thursday. Spellings said the department would buy Federal Family
Education Loan Program loans to ensure students have continued access to
federal student loans. The purchase program is designed to minimize potential
disruption
in student lending by providing liquidity. The department expects
to purchase up to $500 million in loans each week, up to a total of $6.5
billion during the designated time frame, Spellings said. While the price
and types of types of eligible loans won't change, some other terms may
have to be adjusted to ensure cost neutrality, she said.
UPI
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Russia
Will Not Sell Iskander Missiles To Syria In Near Future
Months after offering Russia to deploy long-range ballistic missiles
in his country, Syrian President Bashar Assad was informed this week that
Moscow will not sell Iskander missiles to foreign clients due to production
delays. According to a report by the Russian news agency Novosti,
the state arms exporter Rosoboronexport has decided that despite interest
from a number of countries - including Syria, the United Arab Emirates
and
India - Moscow will not export the Iskander missile until the Russian Armed
Forces are fully equipped with the system. Jerusalem
Post
'Iran
Has Enough Material For One Bomb'
Iran will have enough highly enriched uranium by the end of 2009 to
produce its first nuclear weapon, a former top official in the Israeli
Atomic Energy Commission told The Jerusalem Post Thursday, refuting a New
York Times article which claimed that the Islamic Republic already had
sufficient nuclear material to create a weapon. Both the article
and veteran Israeli nuclear expert Ephraim Asculai's remarks came in response
to a report released Wednesday by the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) in which the United Nations nuclear watchdog claimed that, as of
early this month, Iran had amassed 630 kilograms of low-enriched uranium
(LEU). Jerusalem
Post
UN
Imposes Fresh Sanctions On Somalia After Piracy Talks
The United Nations Security Council unanimously imposed fresh sanctions
on Somalia Thursday amid calls for armed peacekeepers to be sent to the
Horn of Africa. The diplomatic initiative came as Arab countries
held a crisis meeting on how to tackle piracy, as the gang who hijacked
a Saudi supertanker demanded a $25m ransom to be paid within 10 days.
The 15-nation Security Council in New York adopted a British plan for enhanced
sanctions aimed at freezing the assets of those involved in piracy and
undermining Somalia's weakened national government.
Guardian
Extra
3,100 UN Troops To Be Deployed To Congo
An extra 3,100 peacekeeping troops will be sent to Congo, the UN Security
Council said Thursday, even though rebels said they remained committed
to a pullback from the front lines. There are currently 17,000 peacekeepers
in the central African nation - the world's largest UN peacekeeping mission
- but they have been unable to stop the fighting. Guardian
Gas
Plant To Overshadow Greek Temples
They are among the finest survivors of ancient Greek civilisation in
the Mediterranean: a line of imposing Doric temples on the southern coast
of Sicily which have been listed as a Unesco World Heritage site since
1997. But now the Italian government plans to build a huge liquid
gas terminal less than a mile away from the famous Agrigento site, to the
fury of environmentalists.
Independent
Taliban
Issue Threat Over US Strikes
A leading Taliban warlord has threatened to pull out of a ceasefire
agreement with the Pakistan government if US missile strikes inside the
country are not immediately halted. In a move that threatens to create
fresh turmoil for the country, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a Taliban leader in the
North Waziristan, said the ceasefire that has been working since 2006 would
be scrapped and that attacks on foreign and government targets would begin
if the missile strikes were allowed to continue. Independent
Bolivian
President Wants Btter U.S. Ties
Bolivian President Evo Morales said in Washington he hoped to establish
strong relations with the United States and President-election Barack Obama.
During his visit to Washington this week, where he spoke at the Organization
of American States and American University, the leftist Bolivian leader
said the Bush administration's policies in Latin America have led to the
near collapse of relations with his country. UPI
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