Fed Leaves Rates Alone time.com — For a second straight meeting, the Federal Reserve has decided to remain on the sidelines and leave interest rates alone. In the opinion of many economists, that stance may prevail not only for the rest of this year but well into 2009. The Fed cited both worries about inflation and weak economic activity in the statement it released after its recent meeting explaining its decision to leave its target for the federal funds rate, the interest that banks charge each other, unchanged at 2 percent.

Freddie Posts $821 Million Loss reuters.com — Freddie Mac posted its fourth consecutive quarterly loss, set plans to slash its common stock dividend and warned of more difficulty ahead amid the steepest U.S. housing market slump since the Great Depression. For the second quarter, McLean, Virginia-based Freddie Mac reported a loss of $821 million, or $1.63 cents per share, compared with a profit of $729 million, or 96 cents per share, a year earlier. It follows a $151 million loss in the first quarter and brings its cumulative loss over the past four quarters to more than $4.6 billion.

Iraq Sitting on $79 Billion iht.com — Soaring oil prices will leave the Iraqi government with a cumulative budget surplus of as much as $79 billion by year's end, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office. The unspent windfall, which covers surpluses from oil sales since 2005, appears likely to reinforce growing debate about the approximately $48 billion in American taxpayer money devoted to rebuilding Iraq since the American-led invasion. In one comparison, the United States has spent $23.2 billion in the critical areas of security, oil, electricity and water since the 2003 invasion, the report said. But from 2005 through April 2008, Iraq has spent just $3.9 billion on similar services.

U.S.:Iran Reaction Unacceptable hosted.ap.org — Iran's response to an incentives package aimed at defusing a dispute over its nuclear program is unacceptable, U.S. officials said, making the prospect of new sanctions against the country more likely. The officials said that a one-page document Iran presented to European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Brussels is not, as had been sought, a definitive reply to the offer from major world powers to suspend uranium enrichment and reprocessing in exchange for economic and other benefits. In the short, English-language document, Iran says it will provide a "clear response" to the offer but only after it receives a "clear response" to questions it has about the incentives, the officials said.

Service Sector Slump Raises Recession Fears ft.com — As economists geared up to analyze the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision on, their attention was grabbed by an unusually worrying indicator on the health of U.S. exports. The Institute for Supply Management's index of new export orders in the services sector dropped by 4.5 percentage points in July, slipping to a five-month low of 47.5 per cent. A similar ISM index for manufacturers also fell by 4.5 percentage points, to a reading of 54 percent — the lowest since last December. Exports have been booming over the past 18 months, helping to prop up the U.S. economy as it has skidded towards recession. However, there are fears that with world growth rates beginning to slow, appetite for U.S. products and services will also wane.

Home Energy Prices to Soar nytimes.com — In a season of roller-coaster energy costs, the drop in oil and natural gas prices in recent days was greeted as good news. But they remain so high that experts are predicting that heating bills this winter will far exceed those of last year. Even after a precipitous decline from its peak in early July, the price of natural gas is still 11 percent above where it was last winter. Heating oil is 36 percent higher, with the government projecting that the costs of both fuels will stay high. Electricity prices are also up moderately. Higher heating costs will hit particularly hard in the Northeast, where many people use heating oil.

CIA Denies Forged Iraq Letter hosted.ap.org — Two former CIA officers denied that they or the spy agency faked an Iraqi intelligence document purporting to link Saddam Hussein with 9/11 bomber Mohammed Atta. The White House issued the statement on behalf of the former officials after a day of adamant denials from the CIA and Bush administration about the claim, made in a new book by journalist Ron Suskind. Suskind claims the White House concocted the fake letter, meant to come from Tahir Jalil Habbush al-Tikriti, director of Iraqi intelligence under Saddam, in the fall of 2003 to bolster its case for the invasion earlier that year as it was becoming clear that there were no weapons of mass destruction to be found in Iraq.

Russia May Put Bombers And Missiles In Belarus
Minsk (AFP) Aug 6, 2008 - Russia could base bombers and missiles in neighbouring Belarus in response to US missile defence plans in Eastern Europe, Moscow's ambassador to Minsk said Wednesday, Russian news agencies reported. "We could be talking about the possible basing of Iskander missiles, the possible basing of strategic bombers in Belarus, Kaliningrad and so on," the ambassador, Alexander Surikov, was quoted by ... more

iran
+ World powers mulling fresh Iran sanctions: US, Britain
Washington (AFP) Aug 6, 2008 - Six world powers agreed Wednesday to consider new sanctions on Iran after Tehran gave an ambiguous answer to their latest demand to freeze key nuclear work, the United States and Britain said. Washington and London said the diplomatic P5+1 group -- which includes fellow permanent UN Security Council members China, France, and Russia as well as partner Germany -- agreed it had "no choice" but ... more

iran
+ Russian envoy plays down Iran sanctions talk
United Nations (AFP) Aug 6, 2008 - Russia's UN envoy on Wednesday played down talk of fresh UN sanctions against Iran after its ambiguous response to an offer of technology incentives by six major powers in exchange for a freeze of its uranium enrichment work. State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said top diplomats from the six discussed the issue by conference call earlier Wednesday and "agreed that we have no choice ... more

milplex
+ Pentagon presents companies with terms for tanker rebid
Washington (AFP) Aug 6, 2008 - The Pentagon presented Northrop Grumman and Boeing with revised terms Wednesday for a 35-billion dollar contract to produce a new generation of aerial refueling tankers, a senior Pentagon official said. The new draft "request for proposal" (RFP) addressed criticism by congressional auditors that forced the Pentagon to rebid a contract that had been awarded in February to Northrop Grumman and ... more

milplex
+ Outside View: Keystone Cops run Pentagon
Washington (UPI) Aug 6, 2008 - While American troops abroad are performing with honor and professionalism under chaotic and life-threatening conditions, it seems their bureaucratic counterparts at the U.S. Department of Defense have let down their guard. Recently Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired the two top U.S. Air Force officials for failing to protect our nuclear weapons stockpiles, and the Government ... more

Iran nuke showdown: Part One
Moscow (UPI) Aug 6, 2008 - The Islamic Republic of Iran once again has been offered a choice of accepting the terms of the "Iranian Six" or suffering inevitable sanctions with the possibility of a "small" war. The six powers involved are the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany. The Western powers gave Iran two weeks from July 19 to respond to their offer to hold off more U.N. ... more

terrorwars
+ US military jury finds Hamdan guilty on one terrorism charge
Us Naval Base At Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (AFP) Aug 6, 2008 - Military jurors found Osama bin Laden's former driver Salim Hamdan not guilty Wednesday on terrorist conspiracy charges but convicted him on the lesser charge of providing material support to Al-Qaeda. The split verdict marked a dramatic conclusion of the first trial before the special tribunals created by President George W. Bush to try suspects in the "war on terror." The jury must now ... more

iran
+ Commentary: Holocaust II?
Washington (UPI) Aug 6, 2008 - To bomb or not to bomb Iran is now a matter of time, according to the principal players, but none could agree this week on when the clock runs out. For Israel, it runs out before the U.S. elections on Nov. 4. After that Barack Obama may be the next president of the United States, and Israeli powers that be fear he may disassociate himself from any Israeli military action against Iran. ... more

economy
+ China inflation to ease to 5.5 percent: official
Shanghai (AFP) Aug 6, 2008 - China's consumer inflation is expected to ease to 5.5 percent in the third quarter and 4.5 percent in the last three months of the year, a senior official said Wednesday. The 2008 consumer inflation rate is likely to stand between six and seven percent, Xu Lianzhong, head of the National Development and Reform Commission's price office, wrote in an opinion piece in the China Securities ... more

Germany denies Pentagon claim of seeking armed drones
Berlin (AFP) Aug 5, 2008 - Germany on Tuesday denied a Pentagon report that its military was seeking to buy new armed drones that the United States recently began flying in Iraq and Afghanistan. "There are no plans to purchase a fighter drone for the Bundeswehr," a spokesman for the defence ministry in Berlin said. In notifications to Congress, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Monday that Germany ... more

iran
+ Any Iranian attempt to close Gulf 'self-defeating': Pentagon
Washington (AFP) Aug 5, 2008 - The Pentagon said Tuesday that any move by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz would be "self-defeating" because its weak economy is so heavily dependent on oil revenues. "Shutting down the Strait, closing down the Persian Gulf, would be sort of a self-defeating exercise," said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary. "That doesn't say anything about whether we tolerate such a thing to ... more

terrorwars
+ Gitmo detainees subject to detention even if acquitted: Pentagon
Washington (AFP) Aug 5, 2008 - Some detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba will likely never be released because of the danger they pose, and those tried and acquitted will still be subject to continued detention as enemy combatants, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday. Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, made the remarks as Salim Hamdan, a Yemeni, awaited a verdict in the first war crimes trial to be held under a ... more

Russia Views US Global Leadership As Military Threat

Bush Cites `Deep Concerns' Over Human Rights in China

China Tells Bush: Don't interfere in our affairs

Raining on Beijing's parade carries risks for West

Olympic torch ascends Great Wall

'Suzie Wong' agents training for Olympic 'Games': Visitors warned of 'honey trap' spy operations targeting Western athletes, businessmen

Syrian official: Talks will continue without Olmert

The Left and Plans for "Nuremberg-Style" Tribunals for Bush Administration Officials

U.S. Stock-Index Futures Retreat on AIG's Loss, Wal-Mart Sales - Bloomberg (08/07/2008 07:53 AM) Gold Rises as Banks Report Credit Losses, Spurring Haven Demand - Bloomberg (08/07/2008 05:39 AM) Crude Oil Rises as Turkey Says Pipeline Repair May Take 2 Weeks - Bloomberg (08/07/2008 07:57 AM) US dollar down, gold up in European trading - AP (08/07/2008 07:55 AM) Treasuries Gain After Unemployment Claims Reach Six-Year High - Bloomberg (08/07/2008 08:02 AM)

U.S. Jobless Claims Rose Last Week to Six-Year High - Bloomberg (08/07/2008 07:52 AM) 40% of U.S. homeowners say their houses have risen in value - Dallas Morning News (08/07/2008 05:28 AM) Inflation fears persist as Fed holds rates - FT ($) (08/07/2008 06:09 AM) Highest Unsold Home Supply Since '82 Seen Needing 50% Reduction - Bloomberg (08/07/2008 07:54 AM)

House Republicans plan to continue their political stunts on oil drilling "for at least the next two weeks -- right up to the start of the Democratic Convention in Denver" on Aug. 25. The memo from House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) to GOP members said that their "protest is making history."

Officials asserted yesterday said they had evidence that "would have convicted" former government scientist Bruce Ivins in the 2001 anthrax mailings that killed five people, stating that he was the "sole custodian" of the unique anthrax strain. Glenn Greenwald has more.

Across the country, "utility shut-offs for customers behind on their energy bills are increasing...reaching 50% or more in some hard-hit areas." The increase is the result of an "economic double whammy of high gasoline prices and rising utility bills" in a "sagging economy."

The budget deficit for fiscal year 2008 will be "around $400 billion," according to a new Congressional Budget Office estimate. CBO's prediction is "slightly higher than the White House's deficit estimate of $389 billion," both of which "approach the record-breaking deficit suffered in fiscal 2004 of $412.7 billion." Last month, the White House predicted the deficit could reach nearly $490 billion in fiscal year 2009.

As Kenya and Tanzania marked the 10th anniversary today of deadly bombings at the countries' U.S. embassies, "police conducted a manhunt for the al-Qaida suspect believed to have masterminded the attacks."

Professor Bob Watson, one of the British government's top scientific advisers, has said "the UK should take active steps to prepare for dangerous climate change of perhaps 4C." While the "EU is committed to limiting emissions globally so that temperatures do not rise more than 2C," a "4C temperature rise would have a catastrophic impact."

The National Center for Atmospheric Research has shut down a program to help poor countries deal with the calamitous effects of climate change, such as droughts and floods. The shut down "resulted from the shrinking of federal science budgets," though the program’s annual budget totaled only $500,000.

According to new federal statistics released yesterday, "the average time that hospital emergency rooms patients wait to see a doctor has grown from about 38 minutes to almost an hour over the past decade." Dr. Stephen Pitts, lead author of the CDC report, said "there are more people arriving at the ERs. And there are fewer ERs."

And finally: In a new interview with Glamour magazine, Meghan McCain opens up about her difficulties dating: 'I go on dates and guys are like, 'Oh, you really look like John,' and I'm like, 'As I get older, I’ll look more like him. [Laughs.] You could actually be dating John McCain.'"

Jobless Claims Up money.cnn.com — The number of newly laid off people signing up for jobless benefits climbed to its highest point in more than six years as companies cut back given the faltering economy. The Labor Department reported that new applications filed for unemployment insurance rose by a seasonally adjusted 7,000 to 455,000 for the week ending Aug. 2. The increase left claims at their highest level since late March 2002. A program to locate people eligible for jobless benefits played a role in the increase, a Labor Department analyst said. However, the analyst couldn't say how much of a role. Deficit to Reach $400 Billion news.bbc.co.uk — The U.S. budget deficit is expected to reach $400 billion this year, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. The figure for the twelve months to September 30 is larger than a previous estimate by the White House of $389 billion. Factors behind the deficit increase include the cost of the war in Iraq and problems in the housing market that prompted a wider economic slowdown. The largest U.S. deficit to date was $412.7 billion, reached in 2004. The recent White House estimate saw the deficit in 2009 at $445 billion. More Losses for Freddie Mac washingtonpost.com — Troubled mortgage giant Freddie Mac reported that its losses from foreclosures and other failed home loans nearly doubled during the second quarter, and it predicted that home prices would fall more than it previously projected, compounding its woes. Days after the government put in place a federal lifeline for the company, Freddie Mac said its expenses from foreclosures and related problems rose to $2.8 billion in the quarter ended June 30 from $1.4 billion during the previous three months. 500 U.S. Dead in Afghanistan nytimes.com — June was the second deadliest month for the military in Afghanistan since the war began, with 23 American deaths from hostilities,

• State Polls
  • Michigan (Rasmussen): Obama +4
  • Oregon (SurveyUSA): Obama +3
  • Missouri (Rasmussen): McCain +6
  • Wisconsin (WPRI): Obama +6
  • Alabama (AEA/CS): McCain +13
• Election '08
  • The Vice Presidential Minefield
  • Pawlenty Looks to National Stage
  • House GOP Keeps Pressure on Pelosi
  • Schumer: 'Hit McCain Harder'
  • McCain Ad Hits Obama on Taxes
• Democratic Convention
  • Dems Try to Keep the Peace
  • Clinton Backers Want Vote
  • Roles of Clintons Start to Clear
• '08 Election Videos
  • GOP Energized on Drilling
  • DNC: "Maverick No More"
  • NRSC: "Landrieu's Just Confused"
  • Lunsford Goes After McConnell

Russian troops invaded Georgia, after "Georgian troops launched a major military offensive Friday to regain control over the breakaway province of South Ossetia." The developments raised the question of how the U.S. will react, given that Georgia is "an American ally whose pursuit of NATO membership has angered the Russians."

"The Justice Department investigation into the firings of nine U.S. attorneys has been extended to encompass allegations that senior White House officials played a role in providing false and misleading information to Congress," raising the possibility "that investigators will pursue criminal charges against some administration officials."

Former New York Times reporter Judith Miller, famous for reporting on Iraq's purported WMD in the run-up to the invasion, is "back on Iraq and back in big-circulation print. In the July Reader's Digest, she reports how great things are in U.S.-run detention facilities." Miller "reports that life in two detention camps housing nearly 23,000 suspected insurgents is much improved."

Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced he would disband his militia if the United States agreed to timetable for withdrawal. "It should not be considered an end to the Mehdi army," a spokesman for al-Sadr said, about the militia's ceasefire, "but it’s a halfway step to dissolving the Mehdi Army. If the U.S. began to implement a withdrawal timetable we shall complete the path to dissolution."

A new liberal organization dubbed "Accountable America" will reportedly "confront donors to conservative groups, hoping to create a chilling effect that will dry up contributions." Tom Matzzie, who heads the group, explained, "We want to stop the Swift Boating before it gets off the ground." "A racially charged Democratic primary campaign ended Thursday" with incumbent congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN) "trouncing the opponent who ran an ad linking him to the Ku Klux Klan. Unofficial results showed Cohen with 79 percent of the vote to 19 percent for Nikki Tinker.

According to U.S. military documents, "at least 17 detainees held at Guantanamo Bay were subjected to a program that moved them repeatedly from cell to cell to cause sleep deprivation and disorientation as punishment and to soften detainees for subsequent interrogation." The technique "was still used months after it was banned at the facility in March 2004."

And finally: Bradley Blakeman, formerly an aide to President Bush and president of Freedom's Watch, said that the "plot and marketing elements of the Kevin Costner and Kelsey Grammer movie 'Swing Vote' were stolen from him." Blakeman claims that in 2006, he gave a copyrighted script called "Go November" to Grammar, who agreed to "develop the project and star as an incumbent Republican president but ended up portraying a similar role in 'Swing Vote.'"

$2.3 Billion Loss for Fannie nytimes.com — Fannie Mae, the nation's largest mortgage finance company, offered additional evidence that the housing slump was deepening by reporting a $2.3 billion loss in the second quarter. The company's revenues were up slightly, to $4 billion from $3.8 billion, during the three-month period that ended June 30. But expenses related to foreclosures and other credit losses increased to $5.3 billion from $3.2 billion in the previous quarter. And the company signaled that those losses would probably accelerate. Fannie Mae's news comes two days after the nation's other housing giant, Freddie Mac, revealed a loss three times larger than analysts had anticipated. Both companies have been under intense scrutiny by regulators and investors concerned that a government bailout may become necessary.

U.S., Iraq Near Withdrawal Deal mcclatchydc.com — The United States and Iraq are nearing completion of negotiations on a security agreement that would pull American troops out of Iraqi cities by July 2009 and foresees all U.S. combat troops gone from Iraq by 2011, according to two Iraqi officials who are familiar with the negotiations. "The tactical team is finished and it's a closed deal, but remember that we've been through this before and every time we close a deal it's reopened," said a senior official who's been participating in the talks. The official said that the deal, once completed, would be perhaps the most restrictive agreement the United States had with a country where it had troops.

Democrats Call for Fresh Stimulus ft.com — Democrats in Congress were quick to pounce when a government report on the health of the U.S. labor market in July offered the latest batch of disappointing news. As they headed back to their districts, many senior legislators said the rise in unemployment and seventh consecutive month of job losses showed a second package was needed to stimulate the economy. But for all the talk of a second stimulus, the details have yet to be ironed out and passage of new economic legislation, amid opposition from the White House and skepticism among many Republicans, is far from certain during the three legislative weeks in September before Congress adjourns for the election.

$200 Oil to Come news.bbc.co.uk — A serious oil supply crisis is looming, which could push prices above $200 a barrel, a think tank has warned. A "supply crunch" will affect the world market within the next five to 10 years, the Chatham House report said. While there is plenty of oil in the ground, companies and governments were failing to invest enough to ensure production, it added. Only a collapse in demand can stave off the looming crisis, report author Professor Paul Stevens said.

$20 Billion to Aid Afghans iht.com — Defense Secretary Robert Gates will endorse a $20 billion plan to substantially increase the size of Afghanistan's army and will also restructure the military command of American and NATO forces in response to the growing Taliban threat, senior Pentagon and military officials said. Taken together, the two decisions are an acknowledgment of shortcomings that continue to hinder NATO- and American-led operations in Afghanistan. With the war in Iraq still an obstacle to any immediate American troop increase in Afghanistan, the plan was described as an attempt to increase allied and Afghan capabilities in advance of deploying the additional American brigades that Gates and his commanders agree are necessary. The additional American troops are unlikely to be available until next year.

Drug Prices Skyrocket usatoday.com — Drug companies are quietly pushing through price hikes of 100 percent — or even more than 1,000 percent — for a very small but growing number of prescription drugs, helping to drive up costs for insurers, patients and government programs. The number of brand-name drugs with increases of 100 percent or more could double this year from four years ago, researchers from the University of Minnesota say. Many of the drugs are older products that treat fairly rare, but often serious or even life-threatening, conditions. "This does drive up the price of health care," says Alan Goldbloom, president of Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. "Hospitals are either eating the cost or passing it along to insurers, so you and I are paying it in increased premiums."

Tobacco Bill Leaves Loophole time.com — A loophole in a sweeping tobacco regulation bill would give the industry a 21-month window to introduce certain new products without first getting federal approval. The House last month overwhelmingly passed the legislation, which for the first time would empower federal public health authorities to regulate tobacco. Some tobacco foes say the bill's 21-month escape clause would let companies start marketing cigarettes and other products in the development pipeline before the Food and Drug Administration has fully ramped up to regulate them.

Attorney Scandal Touches White House huffingtonpost.com — The Justice Department investigation into the firings of nine U.S. attorneys has been extended to encompass allegations that senior White House officials played a role in providing false and misleading information to Congress, according to numerous sources involved in the inquiry. The widened scope raises the possibility that investigators will pursue criminal charges against some administration officials, and recommend appointment of a special prosecutor if there is evidence of criminal misconduct.

MATT TAIBBI
Candidates for Sale rollingstone.com — America's fat-cat business leaders know that the Animal House-style party of the last eight years that made almost all of them rich with bonuses, government contracts and bubble profits is about to come to an end, and someone is going to have to pay to clean up the mess. They want that someone to be you, not them, and they've spared no expense to make sure both presidential candidates will be there to bail them out next year.

NAOMI KLEIN
The Olympics: Unveiling Police State 2.0 huffingtonpost.com — These Olympics are the coming out party for a disturbingly efficient way of organizing society, one that China has perfected over the past three decades, and is finally ready to show off; a potent hybrid of the most powerful political tools of authoritarianism communism — central planning, merciless repression, constant surveillance — harnessed to advance the goals of global capitalism. I call it "McCommunism."

DAVID ZIRIN
The Olympics the West Wanted democracynow.org — This is the Olympics the West wanted: games where the grandest prize is not a gold medal but a glittering entree to China's seemingly endless army of potential consumers. This is the reason that George W. Bush will attend the opening ceremonies, the first U.S. President to do so on foreign soil.

JOSHUA HOLLAND
Corporate America Prepares for Battle alternet.org — Big business has prepared a war chest of at least $150 million to stop one of the most progressive pieces of economic legislation in decades.

PATRICK COCKBURN
Who's Really Running Iraq? counterpunch.org — The United States has far less control over events in Iraq than politicians and the press would have us believe.

KATE SHEPPARD
Republicans to Try Some Newt Tricks gristmill.grist.org — Newt Gingrich resigned his seat in Congress in 1998. But he's back on the Hill and threatening that the Republicans will shut down government — again — if they don't get a vote on drilling. Perhaps he hasn't gotten the message yet that he is no longer an elected official.

JOHN NICHOLS
The Right Message on Social Security thenation.com — The truth, as honest financial analysts have always argued, is that Social Security is secure — and will be for decades if Congress agrees to minor reforms, such as requiring wealthy Americans to pay their fair share.

ISAIAH J. POOLE
Bush Sr. Said "Drive Smart"; Today, Conservatives Drive Dumb Sen. John McCain says advocating steps such as proper tire inflation to save fuel "is not an energy plan, my friends — that's a public service announcement" — much like a public service announcement in Bush Sr.'s administration. Getting the Message Right on the Economy It's no secret that the public has soured on conservative economic policies, but progressives still have the challenge of coming up with the right message that convinces voters that progressive solutions are better. In this podcast, pollster Celinda Lake and Emory University psychology professor Drew Westen discuss that challenge, which is being tackled by the Making Sense 2008 economic "war room."

DAVID SIROTA
A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to Denver... If progressives want change, it is going to come through both the presidential campaign and the post-election pressure system — and it is going to come through the Rocky Mountain area.

RICK PERLSTEIN
Morning in America Ronald Reagan ascended because of his "sunny optimism"? Well, he was hopeful about some things. Wickedness (Last Cri de Coeur Detour — Promise!) The other day I dated the kind of right-wing smear that targets the lizard brain while pretending to offer rational argument back to Richard Nixon and 1956. Turns out, it goes back much further. On Wickedness (Part Four: One Last Vent) "The world is so much more dangerous and wicked even than it was barely four years ago when we talked, that I marvel and tremble at the rapidity of this deterioration."
- Adlai Stevenson, 1956

Diplomats say Syria turned away IAEA

Outside View: Strategic lessons -- Part Two
Washington (UPI) Aug 8, 2008 - Though privately as pro-British as his cousin President Theodore Roosevelt almost 40 years earlier, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had no intention of declaring war against Germany on behalf of another state, including Britain. More important, he would not make Woodrow Wilson's mistake and commit millions of Americans to an ideological crusade that promised no tangible strategic ... more

iraq
+ Georgia to withdraw all of its troops from Iraq
Kut, Iraq (AFP) Aug 9, 2008 - Georgia will withdraw its entire 2,000-strong military contingent from Iraq within three days to help battle South Ossetian separatist rebels, a senior Georgian military official said on Saturday. "We were ready to leave today, we are ready to leave immediately but we are waiting for the green light from Tbilisi," said Emzar Svanidze, a major with the Georgian military operation in ... more

war
+ Georgia must withdraw troops before talks can begin: Russian envoy
Brussels (AFP) Aug 9, 2008 - Georgia must withdraw its troops from South Ossetia if it wants to begin negotiations, Russia's ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, told AFP on Saturday. "Before the negotiations commence, Georgia must withdraw its forces from the zone of conflict," Rogozin said. By burning several villages in South Ossetia and allegedly killing 1,500 civilians in the course of one day, he said Georgia ... more

Google "gadgets" called gateways for hackers
Las Vegas, Nevada (AFP) Aug 8, 2008 - Hackers turned computer security specialists accuse Google of setting users up for online disasters by letting them personalize home pages with applications that could be tainted. Software that hackers can trick people into installing on "iGoogle" home pages can track users' activities and control their machines, SecTheory chief executive Robert Hansen showed AFP on Friday. "I could ... more

war
+ German minister says Georgia 'breaking international law': report
Berlin (AFP) Aug 9, 2008 - The number two at the German foreign ministry on Saturday said Georgia is breaking international law by launching military action to reclaim South Ossetia. Gernot Erler said Tbilisi had breached a 1992 ceasefire agreement struck with Russia over the renegade Caucasus enclave, monitored essentially by Russian peacekeepers. "In this sense, it is also a question of a violation of ... more

cyberwar
+ French reporters booted from US computer security conference
Las Vegas, Nevada (AFP) Aug 7, 2008 - Reporters from an online French magazine were booted from the world's premier computer security conference Thursday after reportedly hacking a press room network and stealing peers' passwords. An accused trio from Global Security Magazine said they intended to teach reporters about how easily Internet transmissions could be intercepted while covering the Olympics in China, according to ... more

Russia bombing raid near oil pipeline: Georgian PM
Tbilisi (AFP) Aug 9, 2008 - Russian warplanes on Saturday staged a raid near a major international oil pipeline that runs through Georgia but did not damage it, Georgia's prime minister said. The 1,774-kilometre (1,109-mile) Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline is the world's second longest and takes oil from Azerbaijan to Western markets. Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze told Georgian television: "The area of the ... more

energy-tech
+ Outside View: Going green in Europe
Moscow (UPI) Aug 7, 2008 - In August, Spain introduced Europe's first plan for saving gas, diesel fuel and electricity, imposing stringent limits on speed and energy consumption. It is a logical starting place. Spain is the most hydrocarbon-dependent country in Europe, and imports 84 percent of its petroleum and coal. Spanish Industry Minister Miguel Sebastian, who was charged with explaining the energy fast to ... more

gas
+ Oil prices turn bearish, but the bulls may yet return
New York (AFP) Aug 8, 2008 - In less than a month crude oil, which some saw hitting 200 dollars a barrel by year-end, has plunged 32 dollars but a rebound could happen, for example, over the Iranian nuclear crisis, analysts say. From a record-high 147.27 dollars on July 11, the New York futures contract slid to about 115 dollars Friday, losing almost 22 percent in the course of four weeks. In its wake, most other ... more

energy-tech
+ Duke Energy Carolinas Signs Deal To Turn Landfill Gas Into Energy
Charlotte NC (SPX) Aug 11, 2008 - Beginning in 2009, gas produced from a landfill in Durham, N.C., will be turned into power to serve customers of Duke Energy Carolinas. The company has announced that it has signed an agreement with Methane Power Inc. to purchase two megawatts of renewable energy generated from the city of Durham landfill, which was closed in the mid-1990s. "This is a great opportunity for the city ... more

china
+ Bush confident China's future to reflect universal aspirations
Washington (AFP) Aug 9, 2008 - US President George W. Bush expressed confidence Saturday that China's future will reflect "the universal aspirations of mankind," despite criticism of a lack of freedom in the world' most populous country. "The China of the future will reflect its own culture and traditions, but it will also reflect the universal aspirations of mankind -- and there's no deeper human desire than liberty." ... more

• Latest Election News
  • Hillary To Headline Tues at DNC
  • Crisis Triggers War of Words
  • Dems Shrug Off Edwards' Affair
  • Rove: Obama Should Be Up Big
• Election '08
  • Race in Holding Pattern
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• Energy
  • Poll: Most Favor Drilling, Taxes
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War in the Caucasus

• Russian Forces Assault Gori
• Georgians Beg for Help from West
• Analysis: In Clash, A Lesson

Georgia Wants U.S. to Restrain Russia: Five days after Georgian troops stormed into South Ossetia to reclaim control of the tiny breakaway territory, they were in retreat on Sunday after being battered by Russian forces. But the Russians have not confined themselves to pushing Georgian forces out of South Ossetia, and ongoing Russian attacks have hit close to the Georgian capital and along its coastline

US condemns 'dangerous' Russian response in South Ossetia: American official calls Moscow's military action against Georgia 'disproportionate' and warns of lasting damage to relations

U.S. suggests Russia wants "regime change" in Georgia: The United States suggested on Sunday that Russia was interested in "regime change" in Georgia after Moscow rejected Tbilisi's offer of a cease-fire in the separatist enclave of South Ossetia.

Georgia: Vladimir Putin leads from front to send US a bullish message: The fighting in Georgia has answered the question that world leaders have been asking since Vladimir Putin stepped down as President this year: who runs Russia?

U.S. has few options to deter Russia: Most of the key cards, including the power to veto any United Nations, were held by Russia, which appeared to be using the crisis to ram home to the United State and its allies that it will not accept further expansion of NATO. Both Georgia and the former Soviet republic of Ukraine are seeking to join the alliance.

Did the U.S. Prep Georgia for War with Russia?: One of the U.S. military trainers put it to me a bit more bluntly. “We’re giving them the knife,” he said. “Will they use it?”

'US incited Georgia offensive in S. Ossetia': The White House has orchestrated the current conflict between Russia and Georgia in South Ossetia, a high-ranking Russian official says. In a Friday press conference, Chairman of Russia's State Duma Security Committee Vladimir Vasilyev said without US aid, Tbilisi would have been unable to start military operation in South Ossetia.

Fact or fiction: Israel 'has a hand in S. Ossetia war': The report added the Israeli advisers were deeply involved in the Georgian army's preparations to attack and capture the capital of South Ossetia on Friday.

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