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NEWS THURSDAY,
SEPTEMBER 9, 2010 NEWS
EARLY EDTION
Obama Added More
To National Debt In First 19 Months Than All Presidents From Washington
Through Reagan Combined
In the first 19 months of the Obama administration, the federal debt
held by the public increased by $2.5260 trillion, which is more than the
cumulative total of the national debt held by the public that was amassed
by all U.S. presidents from George Washington through Ronald Reagan. The
U.S. Treasury Department divides the federal debt into two categories.
One is “debt held by the public,” which includes U.S. government securities
owned by individuals, corporations, state or local governments, foreign
governments and other entities outside the federal government itself. The
other is “intragovernmental” debt, which includes I.O.U.s the federal government
gives to itself when, for example, the Treasury borrows money out of the
Social Security “trust fund” to pay for expenses other than Social Security.
CNS
News
VOA VIEW: Obama has done everything possible
to destroy the American economy for decades to come.
U.S.
Asks Appeals Court To Stay Stem Cell Funding Ban
The Obama administration on Wednesday asked an appeals court for an
emergency stay that would lift the ban on federal funding of research involving
human embryonic stem cells. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth last month
ruled that the research violated U.S. law because it involved destroying
human embryos, a setback for President Barack Obama who had tried to expand
research in hopes it would lead to new cures of diseases. On Tuesday, Lamberth
refused to put his ruling on hold while the administration appealed. The
Justice Department asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of
Columbia Circuit to intervene and lift the injunction pending the appeal.
Reuters
Obama:
We Need To Tax The Wealthiest
Accusing Republicans of calculating that "if I fail, they win," President
Obama said Wednesday that Congress must let tax cuts for the wealthy expire
at the end of this year, arguing the government cannot balance its books
without that revenue. In a stump-style speech in Cleveland, Mr. Obama blasted
the GOP for sitting "on the sidelines" while he and congressional Democrats
have pushed to pump money into the economy and to clean up what he said
were the excesses of the Bush administration that led to the economic downturn.
And Mr. Obama directly took on House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio
Republican, who in his own speech in Cleveland late last month challenged
Mr. Obama to join together in a bipartisan effort to cut spending and extend
all the Bush-era tax cuts. Washington
Times
VOA VIEW: Obama is making another mad
mistake.
Top
Ballot Item: Bid To Legalize Pot In Calif.
If Passed, Prop 19 Would Allow Adults 21 and Older to Possess up to
an Ounce of Pot for Personal Use. No single election contest this fall
combines the buzz and history-making potential of California's Proposition
19, which would make the state the first to legalize recreational use of
marijuana. It's the most eye-catching of roughly 150 ballot measures that
voters in 35 states will be considering on Nov. 2 - encompassing such volatile
topics as abortion, affirmative action, health care and liquor sales. CBS
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Rep.
Boehner: 'I'm Open To The President's Ideas'
Rep. Boehner called for bipartisan cooperation on two new proposals:
First, to pass a spending bill now at the 2008 level and second, to extend
the current tax rates for two years. "What that will do is help small businesses
who have no clue what the coming tax rates are going to be. It gives them
some certainty and if we’re able to do this together, I think we’ll show
the American people that we understand what’s going on in the country and
we’ll be able to get our economy moving again," Boehner told me. The President
has made it clear that he does not support extending the Bush era tax cuts
for the wealthiest Americans – but Boehner said now is not the time to
worry about the deficit. ABC
Chronic
Drinking Ups Stress Hormones
Drinking and withdrawal from chronic drinking can increase the stress
hormone cortisol, raising the risk of memory loss, U.S. and British researchers
say. "Prolonged and elevated levels of glucocorticoid hormones can damage
or destroy neurons, and lead to an increased vulnerability to other situations
that can damage neurons, such as raised excitatory amino acid activity,"
A.K. Rose of the University of Liverpool said in a statement. "This can
underlie loss of memory functions." The review also finds brain concentrations
of corticosterone remain raised for long periods after alcohol withdrawal,
even after the blood concentrations return to normal levels. UPI
Geithner
Says China Needs To Let Markets Drive Yuan Higher
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said Chinese officials
need to allow the yuan to rise more quickly against the dollar, in order
to show China’s trading partners that the world’s second largest economy
is following through on its promises. “Frankly they haven’t let the currency
move very much so far,” Geithner said today in an interview on Bloomberg
Television. “They know they’re just at the beginning of that process and
I think we’d like to see them move more quickly.” Premier Wen Jiabao’s
government has limited the yuan’s gain to less than 1 percent versus the
dollar since a June pledge for greater flexibility. With November elections
approaching, U.S. legislators have planned hearings on the topic and may
push a bill to let U.S. companies seek tariffs in compensation for an undervalued
yuan. Bloomberg
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President
Obama Pushing National Infrastructure Bank
President Obama today in Ohio is touting a trio of economic proposals,
including a $50 billion plan to improve the nation's transportation system
and in doing so, create jobs to boost the country's sluggish economic recovery.
"I want America to have the best infrastructure in the world," the President
said Monday in Wisconsin, vowing that the funds would help build or repair
150,000 miles of roads, 4,000 miles of railways, and 150 miles of runways.
If the plan is approved by Congress, the projects would be financed by
a government-run bank, known as an Infrastructure Bank. According to the
White House, the Infrastructure Bank would "leverage federal dollars and
focus on investments of national and regional significance that often fall
through the cracks in the current siloed (sic) transporation programs."
ABC
Peru
Official Sees Exports Surging As China Passes U.S. To Be Top Market
Peru’s exports may rise to a record this year after China overtook
the U.S. to become the Andean country’s top destination for sales abroad.
Chinese demand will help boost Peru’s exports 17 percent to $31.6 billion
after last year’s 15 percent decline, Juan Carlos Mathews, export director
at the government’s trade promotion agency Promperu, said in an interview
in Lima yesterday. Exports may rise 9 percent next year, he said. China
overtook the U.S. as Peru’s top export destination for the first month
on record in July, aided by a free-trade agreement signed in 2009, Mathews
said. China accounted for 17 percent of Peru’s exports according to preliminary
data for July, compared with 16.8 percent for the U.S., as the world’s
second-largest economy increased purchases of fruit, fresh fish and wood
products, Mathews said. Bloomberg
Group
Backs Mandatory Flu Shots For Health Workers
Flu vaccination should be required for all doctors, nurses and other
health workers, the nation's largest pediatricians' group says, calling
it a long overdue step to protect patients. In a new policy statement released
Wednesday, the American Academy of Pediatrics says voluntary vaccination
programs just haven't worked. Too many health workers still shun annual
flu vaccinations. And evidence shows some have passed flu along to patients.
The academy says it should be up to hospitals to devise mandatory programs
and enforce them. "Employees of health care institutions have both ethical
and professional obligations to act in the best interests of the health
of their patients," and that includes annual flu vaccinations, the new
policy says. Vaccination rates of at least 80 percent offer the best protection
against transmitting the flu in medical settings, the policy says, but
only about 40 percent of health workers get vaccinated each year. Las
Vegas Sun
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'Widespread
Signs' Economy Is Slowing
The economy grew at a sluggish pace through the summer months, and
there are now "widespread signs" that activity is slowing, the Federal
Reserve said Wednesday in its latest snapshot of regional economic conditions.
Economic growth continued at a modest pace in 7 of the central bank's 12
districts, according to the September edition of the Fed's Beige Book,
which is published eight times a year. The western districts, Boston and
Cleveland were among those reporting modest economic growth from mid-July
through the end of August. But New York, Philadelphia, Richmond, Atlanta,
and Chicago all reported mixed conditions or deceleration in overall activity.
CNN
VOA VIEW: No positive economic signs.
Hillary Clinton:
United Nations Is ‘Single Most Important Global Institution’
In a speech before the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) on Wednesday,
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised the work of the United Nations
and said it is “the single most important global institution.” At the CFR
in Washington, D.C., Clinton said, “Now the U.N. remains the single most
important global institution. We are constantly reminded of its value:
The Security Council enacting sanctions against Iran and North Korea. Peacekeepers
patrolling the streets of Monrovia and Port-au-Prince. Aid workers assisting
flood victims in Pakistan and displaced people in Darfur.” CNS
News
Igor,
2 Other Tropical Systems No Threat To Gulf Of Mexico
The U.S. National Hurricane Center was monitoring newly formed Tropical
Storm Igor in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean and two other tropical systems
in the Atlantic basin on Wednesday, but so far none showed any early signs
of entering the energy-rich Gulf of Mexico and disrupting offshore production.
Igor was bringing "squally" weather to the Cape Verde Islands, packing
winds of 40 miles per hour as it moved west at just 6 mph. Early computer
models showed the system strengthening into a hurricane in about three
days as it moved west to northwest in the open Atlantic. Reuters
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More
Americans Pick Debit Over Credit
Credit spending is on the decline as "cautious consumers" prefer to
pay now as opposed to pay later, according to a new study released Wednesday.
Data obtained by Javelin Strategy & Research shows that credit card
use in 2009 was at an all-time low of 56%, down from 87% in 2007. Javelin
first started polling data eight years ago. Additionally, last year, for
the first time ever, the total payment volume for Visa debit cards surpassed
that of credit cards, a trend that the financial industry research group
expects to continue throughout 2010. According to Javelin, if this trend
is allowed to continue unabated, credit card use will fall to 45% in 2010.
MSNBC
Quran
Burning Still On For 9/11, Minister Says
The leader of a small Florida church that espouses anti-Islam philosophy
said Wednesday afternoon he was determined to burn copies of the Quran
on Sept. 11, despite pressure from the White House, religious leaders and
others to call it off. The Rev. Terry Jones said at a press conference
that he has received a lot of encouragement for his protest, with supporters
mailing copies of the Islamic holy text to his Gainesville church of about
50 followers. The plan is to incinerate the Qurans in a bonfire Saturday
to mark the ninth anniversary of 9/11. "As of right now, we are not convinced
that backing down is the right thing," said Jones, who took no questions.
CBS
VOA VIEW: Jones is a fanatic nut case.
BP:
Multiple Companies, Teams Contributed To Spill
In an internal report released Wednesday, oil giant BP PLC blamed itself,
other companies' workers and a complex series of failures for the massive
Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the drilling rig explosion that preceded it.
The 193-page report was posted on the company's website, even though investigators
have yet to begin a full analysis of the blowout preventer, a key piece
of equipment that should have cut off the flow of oil from the ruptured
well but did not. That means BP's report is far from the definitive ruling
on the blowout's causes, but it may provide some hint of the company's
legal strategy — spreading the blame among itself, rig owner Transocean
and cement contractor Halliburton — as it faces hundreds of lawsuits and
possible criminal charges over the spill. Government investigators and
congressional panels are looking into the cause as well. Washington
Times
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Hartford's
Inclusion Of Muslim Prayers In Council Meetings Sparks Outrage
The decision by Hartford, Conn., leaders to begin kicking off their
council meetings with a Koranic prayer -- in a show of solidarity with
Muslims -- led to a busy morning Wednesday for staff members who were bombarded
by hate mail overnight. "All night long, the e-mails have been coming,"
Petrel Maylor, an executive assistant to Council President rJo Winch, told
FoxNews.com. "I've been called everything except a child of God." Winch,
who was holding a news conference Wednesday to explain the change in invocations,
gave her blessing to Muslim prayer in a press release Tuesday. "I feel
it is very important that, as a council, we project a culture of inclusiveness
in the city of Hartford," Winch said in the release. "Too often it is our
differences that divide us. In my opinion, it is our combination of differences
that makes us strong." Fox
News
VOA VIEW: Bad timing.
Hermine
Flooding Kills 1 In Texas
The National Weather Service says flooding from the remnants of Tropical
Storm Hermine has killed one person in a town north of Austin, Texas. National
Weather Service duty officer Tony Merriman says the unidentified person
died in a vehicle overcome by floodwaters early Wednesday in Killeen. Flood
warnings have been posted throughout the region after the remnants of the
storm dumped several inches of rain across central and North Texas. Television
footage on a local Fox affiliate shows whitewater pouring under an amusement
park roller coaster in Arlington, west of Dallas, and firefighters helping
residents stranded by the water. Fox
News
Health
Insurer Faces $9.9 Billion In Fines
California regulators are seeking fines of up to $9.9 billion from
Pacificare over allegations the health insurer mismanaged claims from physicians,
failed to make payments in a timely manner and other violations. The California
Department of Insurance alleges that Pacificare, which was bought by UnitedHealth
Group in 2006, violated the state's insurance code 992,000 times between
2006 and 2007. 8diggEmail Print CommentEach of those violations carry a
fine of up to $10,000 each, according to CDI spokesman Ioannis Kazani.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners said the $9.9 billion
fine, if enacted, would be the largest the group has seen. CNN
Google
Instant Speeds Up Search
Google introduced Google Instant search Wednesday with results given
to users as they type the letters of words — not even the words themselves.
The change should save users 2 to 5 seconds per search, the company said.
"It's not search as you type; it's search before you type," she said. As
an example, from San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art, where the news conference
was held, she typed the first four letters of "Fauvism" — and it brought
up results for the early 20-century movement in painting based only on
those first four letters. MSNBC
Castro
Says Cuban Model Doesn’t Work
Fidel Castro told a visiting American journalist that Cuba's communist
economic model doesn't work, a rare comment on domestic affairs from a
man who has conspicuously steered clear of local issues since stepping
down four years ago. The fact that things are not working efficiently on
this cash-strapped Caribbean island is hardly news. Fidel's brother Raul,
the country's president, has said the same thing repeatedly. But the blunt
assessment by the father of Cuba's 1959 revolution is sure to raise eyebrows.
Jeffrey Goldberg, a national correspondent for The Atlantic magazine, asked
if Cuba's economic system was still worth exporting to other countries,
and Castro replied: "The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore"
Goldberg wrote Wednesday in a post on his Atlantic blog. He said Castro
made the comment casually over lunch following a long talk about the Middle
East, and did not elaborate. The Cuban government had no immediate comment
on Goldberg's account. Las
Vegas Sun
More
Education, Less Heart Risk
In high-income countries, the more education a person has, the lower
the heart and stroke risk, U.S. researchers say. However, the study, published
in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, finds highly
educated women in low- and middle-income countries had a slight increase
in the incidence of fatal and non-fatal heart attack and stroke. This may
be due to higher smoking rates in women with greater education levels in
low-, middle- and high-income regions, the study says. Smoking, which increases
the risk of heart disease and stroke, typically declines as formal education
rises, but researchers found nearly half of the highly educated women from
high-income countries smoked, compared with 35 percent for those with the
least amount of schooling. UPI
News
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France
Calls On Syria To Cooperate With IAEA Inspectors
France on Wednesday called on Syria to show more transparency in its
dealings with the International Atomic Energy Agency concerning its the
site of a suspected nuclear reactor it was allegedly building before it
was destroyed in an Israeli air strike. The IAEA issued a report earlier
this week claiming that Syria had refused to allow agency inspectors to
visit the site. "[The IAEA report] tackles the recent IAEA-Syria developments
according to the general warranty agreement concluded by Syria. However,
there are still some pending issues, namely regarding the nature of the
Dair Alzour site," said a French foreign ministry spokesperson. Jerusalem
Post
Castro
To Ahmadinejad: Stop Denying The Holocaust
Israel and the Jewish people found an unlikely defender in Fidel Castro,
the retired dictator of Cuba, on Tuesday, when he came out strongly
against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust
and supported Israel's right to exist. In a rare interview with Jewish-American
reporter Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, the ailing 84-year-old leader
said he sympathized with the Jews who have suffered from repeated persecution
over the course of history. "The Jews have lived an existence that is much
harder than ours," Castro said. "There is nothing that compares to the
Holocaust." Jerusalem
Post
Clinton
Says Mexico Drug Crime Like An Insurgency
Drug-related violence in Mexico increasingly has the hallmarks of an
insurgency, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said. "It's looking
more and more like Colombia looked 20 years ago, when the narco-traffickers
controlled certain parts of the country," she said. Her comments were made
following a major speech to US foreign policy experts in Washington. A
Mexican government spokesman rejected Mrs Clinton's analogy. Speaking in
Mexico City, Alejandro Poire said that "all the efforts of the Mexican
state were going into fighting criminals". BBC
Vitamin B 'Puts
Off Alzheimer's'
A new study suggests high doses of B vitamins may halve the rate of
brain shrinkage in older people experiencing some of the warning signs
of Alzheimer's disease. Brain shrinkage is one of the symptoms of mild
cognitive impairment, which often leads to dementia. Researchers say this
could be the first step towards finding a way to delay the onset of Alzheimer's.
Experts said the findings were important but more research was needed.
The study, published in the journal Public Library of Science One, looked
at 168 elderly people experiencing levels of mental decline known as mild
cognitive impairment. This condition, marked by mild memory lapses and
language problems, is beyond what can be explained by normal ageing and
can be a precursor to Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. BBC
US
Soldiers 'Killed Afghan Civilians For Sport And Collected Fingers As Trophies'
Twelve American soldiers face trial over an secret "kill team" that
allegedly blew up and shot Afghan civilians at random and collected their
fingers as trophies. Five of the soldiers are charged with murdering three
Afghan men who were allegedly killed for sport in separate attacks this
year. Seven other soldiers are accused of covering up the killings as well
as a violent assault on a new recruit who exposed the murders when he reported
other abuses, including members of the unit smoking hashish stolen from
civilians. Guardian
'Collaborator!'
– A Charge That Has Plagued Egypt
In the centuries after Egypt's last native ruler, Nectanebus II, was
driven out by the Persians, Egypt was conquered and occupied by almost
every major colonial power. It was only in 1952 that General Mohamed Naguib's
successful military coup managed to overthrow the monarch, ending British
influence and restoring sovereignty to the land of Egypt. Almost 60 years
later, this colonial legacy still haunts the country. Opponents of political
and social change bank on a deep-seated fear of foreign influence to tighten
their grip on power by accusing everyone who promotes an alternative to
them of collaboration. The "treason" card can be used against anyone and
everyone. According to Egyptian conspiracy theorists, liberal politicians
are probably American agents with a western agenda. Similarly, Islamists
are accused of getting orders from Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, or all of the
above. Guardian
Top
Prosecutor Backs US-Style Murder Laws For Britain
Britain's most senior prosecutor has added his voice to the calls for
a radical reform of Britain's murder law. Keir Starmer QC, who as Director
of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS),
said that he supports recommendations made by the Law Commission for a
move towards US-style homicide law, in which the seriousness of the offence
is ranked by degrees. Mr Starmer's intervention will add pressure to the
Government's ongoing review of criminal justice, which will also consider
reform of murder. Independent
Pope
Won't Be Arrested In UK, Protesters Admit
Campaigners supported by Prof Richard Dawkins, the prominent atheist,
had hoped to have Benedict XVI held over his supposed cover-up of child
abuse within the Roman Catholic Church. But leaders of the Protest the
Pope coalition now admit that the Pontiff cannot be arrested as Britain
acknowledges him as a head of state, granting him sovereign immunity from
criminal prosecution. It came as the Pope himself announced that he “can’t
wait” to arrive in the country next Thursday for the first-ever state papal
visit to Britain. The opponents of the historic event, who represent human
rights, equality and secular groups, still plan to hold a march and rally
in central London in protest at the estimated £12million cost to
taxpayers of the state visit and Benedict XVI’s stance on sexuality, contraception
and clerical abuse. Telegraph
Threat
To Burn Koran Could Endanger Those Assisting Afghanistan, Warns UN Envoy
The top United Nations envoy to Afghanistan today voiced his outrage
over the threat by a religious group in the United States to burn copies
of the Koran, warning that it could endanger the lives of those working
to further peace and development in the Asian nation. “If such an abhorrent
act were to be implemented, it would only contribute to fuelling the arguments
of those who are indeed against peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan,”
Staffan de Mistura, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, said
in a statement. “It could also put in jeopardy the efforts of so many Afghans
and foreigners who are trying to assist Afghanistan to find its own way
to peace and stability within the framework of its own culture, traditions
and, indeed, religion,” he added. UN
News
Ban
Urges Wider Global Partnerships To Implement UN Anti-Terrorism Strategy
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging stronger partnerships between
the United Nations, governments, regional organizations and civil society
in an effort to implement provisions of the UN global strategy against
terrorism to enhance international peace and security. ‘Looking into the
future, the Secretary-General envisages enhanced implementation of the
Strategy through building in-depth knowledge of the Strategy, strengthening
partnerships and ensuring comprehensiveness,” Mr. Ban says in a report
to the General Assembly. He acknowledges that the work of the UN on counter-terrorism
has increased, but says there is still a need for an in-depth knowledge
of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in order to translate its provisions
into action on national, regional and global levels. UN
News
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