News of the Week
Wisconsin Why he did it: For good reason, the Capitol exploded when Gov. Walker struck at collective bargaining By now, the political lore is familiar: A major political party, cast aside by Wisconsin voters due to a lengthy recession, comes roaring back, winning a number of major state offices. *************** Wisconsin Judge Maryann Sumi & Her (SEIU, AFL-CIO) Political Operative Son There's nothing like a judge's love for her son to cloud her otherwise-cloudy judgement. Posted by LaborUnionReport On Friday, unions scored a temporary victory to maintain their ability to collect union dues from Wisconsin public employees when Judge Maryann Sumi (the same judge who refused to order striking teachers back to work in February) issued a Temporary Restraining Order preventing the implementation of Wisconsin’s new law governing public-sector unions. Arab Revolts *************** Rape by Gaddafi forces; Libyan soldiers found with condoms and viagra in pockets. Doctors in one of the Ajdabiya's main hospitals have told Al Jazeera English that they have treated women who were raped by Libyan soldiers over the past week and they have found viagra and condoms in the uniforms of dead Gaddafi soldiers. *************** Syria's Assad deploys army in port to keep order (Reuters) - President Bashar al-Assad, facing the gravest crisis in his 11-year rule, deployed the army in Syria's main port of Latakia for the first time after nearly two weeks of protests spread across the country. *************** Children of the revolution:Yemeni children taking a stand as country teeters on brink By Daily Mail Reporter Ruling party recommended forming new government to draft constitution As their country teeters on the brink, many of Yemen's children draped in their country's flag today joined a protest against incumbent president Ali Abdullah Saleh. *************** Gates calls for Syrian forces to move aside By FT reporters Syria should follow Egypt’s lead and the Syrian army should “empower a revolution”, Robert Gates, US secretary of defence, argued as thousands marched in a southern city. *************** Protesting Jordanian youths attacked, injured: witnesses AFP - A group of nearly 50 loyalists hurled stones at Jordanian students in a protest camp set up in Amman Thursday night, leaving several injured, as security forces stood by, witnesses told AFP. *************** Syrian forces 'open fire on protesters' A video posted on social media websites purports to show Syrian forces opening fire on hundreds of anti-government protesters in Daraa, near the Jordanian border. *************** Yemeni President Nears Deal to Resign Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the country's top general are hashing out a political settlement in which both men would resign from their positions within days in favor of a civilian-led transitional government, according to three people familiar with the situation. **************** Syria in Revolt Syria, an Iranian vassal state, is in revolt. Seven unconfirmed dead. Will President O-chaos back Assad? Who can know? Never has the US had a more incoherent foreign policy. *************** Yemeni general defects as president's grip erodes By AHMED AL-HAJ SANAA, Yemen (AP) - Three Yemeni army commanders, including a top general, defected Monday to the opposition calling for an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh's rule, as army tanks and armored vehicles deployed in support of thousands protesting in the capital. *************** Bahrain king says forces have foiled foreign plot (Reuters) - Bahrain's King bin Isa Al Khalifa said a foreign plot against his kingdom had been foiled and thanked troops brought in from neighbouring countries to help end increasing unrest after weeks of protests *************** "Hide the Decline" *************** Judge places California's global warming program on hold A San Francisco superior court judge has put California's sweeping plan to curb greenhouse gas pollution on hold, saying the state did not adequately evaluate alternatives to its cap-and-trade program. War
& Terror *************** Antiwar Senator, War-Powers President Like all of his predecessors, this president has realized why the Constitution vested certain powers in the executive branch: Only it can act with dispatch. By JOHN YOO President Barack Obama has again flip-flopped on national security—and we can all be grateful. Having kept Guantanamo Bay open, resumed military commission trials for terrorists, and expanded the use of drones, the president has now ordered the U.S. military into action without Congress's blessing. *************** Obama to trade U.S. nulclear secrets to Russia for "shared missle defense" Inside the Ring By Bill Gertz **************** 13 Illegal Immigrants Arrested in California Wearing U.S. Marine Uniforms By Joshua Rhett Miller Border Patrol agents recently arrested 13 illegal immigrants disguised as U.S. Marines and riding in a fake military van, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Tuesday. *************** Al Qaida commander backs Libyan rebels in message By REUTERS Abu Yahya al-Libi urges anti-Gaddafi forces not to retreat; reports of mutiny among Gaddafi forces slowing attack on rebel-held Misrata. *************** Who's in charge? Germans pull forces out of NATO as Libyan coalition falls apart By Daily Mail Reporter Tensions with Britain as Gates rebukes UK government over suggestion Gaddafi could be assassinated *************** U.S. Says Libyan Campaign to Ease as No-Fly Zone Is Secured By Leon Mangasarian and Viola Gienger U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the intensity of the military campaign in Libya will ease soon after allied forces imposed a no-fly zone on Muammar Qaddafi’s regime, enabling rebels to push out of their eastern Benghazi stronghold. *************** Cost of military campaign in Libya could wipe out GOP's spending cuts By Russell Berman and John T. Bennett U.S. military operations in Libya could wipe out a significant chunk of the budget cuts won by congressional Republicans in recent weeks, defense analysts say. *************** France Says New Non-Nato Body To Lead Action France has proposed that a new political steering committee outside Nato be responsible for overseeing military operations over Libya. *************** An American F-15E crashed near Benghazi, Libya overnight, with both pilots successfully ejecting. Babak Dehghanpisheh reports on the condition of one of the pilots and how he was treated by rebels. The American F-15E went down in eastern Libya after midnight Tuesday about 25 miles east of Benghazi, the de-facto rebel capital. Both pilots ejected before the plane crashed and the Pentagon has confirmed that they are safe. But what exactly downed the plane and the details of the rescue still remain murky. *************** U.S. Attorney calls currency minting 'terrorism' Here's a novel of an expansion of the federal government's use of the word "terrorism," from the triumphant statement of a North Carolina U.S. Attorney, Anne Tompkins, who just won a conviction against a man who minted his own currency *************** National *************** US: Most energy resources in the world and most incoherent energy policy by Bruce McQuain As Peter Glover says, writing in the Energy Tribune, this ought to be the lead story in every American paper and on every American news show. But it’s overshadowed by Japan, Libya and other developments in the world. *************** First female VP candidate Ferraro dies at 75 By BETH FOUHY and JAY LINDSAY, Associated Press BOSTON – Geraldine Ferraro was a relatively obscure congresswoman from the New York City borough of Queens in 1984 when she was tapped by Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale to join his ticket. *************** The UAW’s Mid-East Model? UAW’s King Recruits Global Activists to Assault Foreign Automakers Posted by LaborUnionReport Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the United Auto Workers’ Bob King thinks he’s just the union boss to make a go of it. With negotiations about to start with the Big Three American auto companies (two of which are UAW-owned), King is ramping up his rhetoric against the CEO of the only automaker that taxpayers did not bail out (Ford’s Mulally), while plotting his strategy for negotiations. *************** Iowa terror drill portrays immigration foes as killers Foes of illegal immigration are up in arms over plans for a weekend disaster exercise in western Iowa with a fictitious scenario in which young white supremacists shoot dozens of people amid rising tensions involving racial minorities and illegal immigrants. **************** Armed Beauty Queen Fatally Shoots Intruder in Florida Home Invasion By Cristina Corbin When a burly ex-convict forced his way into a posh Florida home last week, he had no idea what awaited him -- a 25-year-old beauty queen with a pink .38-caliber handgun. **************** Ken Blackwell to examine Ohio Senate bid Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell told POLITICO he will take the next several weeks to examine a possible Senate candidacy after a public poll showed him to be the early preference among GOP voters. **************** Sexual preference chemical found in mice A chemical in the brain controls sexual preference in mice, according to scientists in China. **************** Lawmakers, Executives Slam Obama for Boosting Brazil's Offshore Drilling Republican lawmakers and oil industry executives are slamming President Obama for offering to help Brazil expand offshore drilling while U.S. production struggles to get back on its feet in the wake of the BP spill. *************** Revealed — The Left’s Economic Terrorism Playbook: The Chase Campaign by a Coalition of Unions, Community Groups, Lawmakers and Students to Take Down US Capitalism and Redistribute Wealth & Power *************** Critics contend Assistant Attorney General Loretta King guided more by racial politics than the law By Caroline May - The Daily Caller Attorney General Eric Holder may be the face of the Justice Department, but behind the scenes, a little-known assistant attorney general named Loretta King (no relation to Martin Luther King, Jr.) has been the driving force behind the DOJ’s recent, most questionable racially motivated decisions. *************** ICANN Approves .XXX Red-Light District For The Internet By Jacqui Cheng The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has given the .XXX top-level domain (TLD) its final seal of approval. The TLD is meant to give pornographic websites a clearly marked home on the Internet, but it has gone through so many ups and downs over the last 11 years that it’s almost a shock that it has finally gone through. Still, the measure didn’t pass without opposition—nine ICANN board members voted in favor of .XXX, while three opposed and four abstained—and the vote went against the recommendation of ICANN’s Government Advisory Committee Economy
& Taxes *************** Public Pensions In The Red Even With Rosy Assumptions By JED GRAHAM, INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY The Florida Retirement System is one of the nation's most financially fit public pensions, so why does new Republican Gov. Rick Scott call it a "ticking fiscal time bomb"? **************** Fears rise that Japan could sell off U.S. debt Some analysts say that risk to U.S. economy unlikely By Seth McLaughlin - The Washington Times Some lawmakers and market analysts are expressing rising concerns that a demand for capital by earthquake-ravaged Japan could lead it to sell off some of its huge holdings of U.S.-issued debt, leaving the federal government in an even tighter financial pinch. **************** $5 a gallon for gas? Get ready, experts say BY FRANCINE KNOWLES Business Reporter If gasoline prices approaching $4 a gallon are draining your wallet, brace yourself. Oil industry experts say gas prices could hit $5 a gallon — possibly before summer. *************** New Home Sales Dive to Record Low By Clifford Marks New home sales plummeted to a record low last month, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday in a further sign that the battered housing market is only slumping further. **************** US Approaching Insolvency, Fix To Be 'Painful': Fisher The United States is on a fiscal path towards insolvency and policymakers are at a "tipping point," a Federal Reserve official said on Tuesday. *************** International *************** There May Not Always Be An England Do you remember the good old days when an Englishman's proudest boast was that he paid his way? That was then, and this is now: today something like a half million Englishmen demonstrated in London against proposed budget cuts. Their boast, apparently: someone else pays my way! *************** Anarchists 'plan to target royal wedding' Violent anarchists who rampaged through London during anti-cuts protests are planning to target the royal wedding, police intelligence have suggested. *************** Israel deploys 'Iron Dome' anti-rocket system By Yoav Lemmer (AFP) BEERSHEVA, Israel — Israel on Sunday stationed the first batteries of its "Iron Dome" short-range missile defence system in the south of the country, but stressed the initial deployment was experimental. *************** Police struggle to control hard-core anarchist rioters after 500,000-strong London march against government cuts ends in violence By Daily Mail Reporter, Ian Gallagher and George Arbuthnott Hooded anarchists attack London landmarks linked to luxury and wealth Extremists brought violent chaos to Central London yesterday after hijacking the much-heralded trade union protest against public spending cuts. *************** 1 dead, 50 injured in Jerusalem bus bombing By MELANIE LIDMAN, REBECCA ANNA STOIL AND TOVAH LA Bomb inside bag explodes next to Egged bus 74 opposite Binyanei Ha'uma in central Jerusalem; 3 seriously injured, 5 in moderate condition. *************** Former neo-Nazi becomes leftist after sex change Before undergoing a sex change to become a woman, Monika Strub was a member of Germany's neo-Nazi NPD party. But ten years later, she is running for Baden-Württemberg's state parliament for the socialist Left party. *************** Chavez says capitalism may have ended life on Mars By Eyanir Chinea CARACAS (Reuters) – Capitalism may be to blame for the lack of life on the planet Mars, Venezuela’s socialist President Hugo Chavez said on Tuesday. *************** Opinion *************** The Human Right to Suspend Reality By Mark Steyn I chance to be passing through London today. Picked the wrong afternoon for it. Every sleepy side-street in this normally agreeable corner of Mayfair is awash with union heavies and other unlovely types who’ve wandered loose from the supposedly half-million-strong protest march against alleged government “spending cuts” – of which, in fact, there are distressingly few. **************** How Obamacare repeal really happens By Jonathan Strong The Daily Caller If Republicans really do repeal the president’s health care law, they’ll do it in 2013 with control of the presidency and the Senate. *************** Cheap Spirits and the Spirit of Freedom When I learned that liquor can be sold in Louisiana all day and night, I was stunned. But then, I've lived in Norway so long that I’ve forgotten what it’s like to live like an adult. A couple of days ago a friend of mine here in Norway, where I live, posted a note on Facebook in which he sardonically noted: “Think what it’ll be like if it becomes possible for adult people to buy a bottle of red wine…at 5 PM on a Saturday or — horrors! — 7 PM on a weekday.” *************** |
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