Mainstream Media Diverting Terrorism Reporters Into Political Investigations

By Andrew Cochran


I see one after another of the mainstream media outlets which have made important contributions to the factual underpinnings of the counter-terrorism effort dropping off that beat. Editors in the print media are shifting terrorism experts on their staffs towards investigations of political candidates. At least three such reporters at three major papers are now chasing Sarah Palin stories (I haven't had time to chase down everybody in "the business"). The move away from terrorism investigations started over a year ago as the print media entered into a long-term decline in ad revenues, but the trend has been accelerated in this election year. It is an unfortunate coincidence that true experts, with some of the best contacts and intel in the private CT community, are being moved out of their chosen fields just as we approach the anniversary of the 9-11 attacks. It's especially disconcerting to see this trend at the very moment when President Bush is committing more counterinsurgency resources to capturing or killing Osama bin Laden and/or Ayman al-Zawahiri before he leaves office, a strategic decision with serious ramifications for relations between the U.S. and Pakistan and other nations in South Asia.

A number of veteran reporters in the mainstream media have broken important stories using sources and methods that the intelligence community could not or chose not to exploit. The broad CT community would suffer a serious loss if these bona fide experts leave the field for any length of time. In the meantime, nonprofit organizations and dedicated blogs have the opportunity and capability to inform the public.

September 7, 2008 09:44 AM Link

No moderate, no realist, McCain the neocon

Matt Welch, of Reason.com, provides a history of McCain and his move to the militant neocons Pt4 September 7, 2008

Obama is fighting on McCain's terms

Andrei Tsygankov: Obama must rethink Russia policy or risk losing election on national security issues September 6, 2008

Robert Parry on the 'real' John McCain
Investigative journalist Bob Parry talks about McCain, his defense of Bush/Cheney and Iraq war September 4, 2008

Ron Paul and civil liberties - a debate Pt2
Con Carroll of Heritage Foundation debates Bruce Fein of American Freedom Agenda September 4, 2008

From militarism to peace
Col. (Retd.) Ann Wright on responsible US withdrawal from Iraq and the prospects for a peaceful future September 4, 2008

Lieberman wants a president 'enemies will fear'
Pepe Escobar and Paul Jay react to Lieberman's speech to the RNC September 3, 2008

US tries to create an 'iron curtain' around Russia
F. W. Engdahl : US in decline as Russia asserts its rising power September 3, 2008

A Convention That Sparked the GOP - David Von Drehle, Time- A Glimpse of the New Republican Party - David Brooks, New York Times

- Why Obama Has the Edge - Bill Schneider, CNN

- Democrats in Trouble - Dick Morris, New York Post

- John McCain: G.O.P. Hostage - George Packer, The New Yorker

- The Media's Palin-Obama Double Standard - Linda Chavez, Townhall

- Ignore Palin, Attack McCain - Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post

- Obama Left an Opening for McCain - John Podhoretz, Commentary

- Pretending to be Anti-Republican - John Nichols, The Nation

- McCain's Jacksonian Speech - Jay Cost, RealClearPolitics

- Galvanized Parties Head to Homestretch - Dan Balz, Washington Post

- A New Kind of Western Conservatism - Gerard Baker, Times of London

- The GOP's Resentment Strategy - Paul Krugman, New York Times

- How Palin Beat Alaska's Establishment - Kim Strassel, Wall Street Journal

- The Old Warrior & Young Phenom - Jon Gurwitz, San Antonio Express-News

- McCain's Same Old Ideas - Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive

- How the Detroit Mayor's Fall Hurts Obama - Keith Naughton, Newsweek

- Republicans Rediscover Idealism - David Harsanyi, RealClearPolitics

- Elegy for a Maverick - E.J. Dionne, Washington Post

- Palin Speech Sliences Media - Stephen Spruiell, National Review

- The 'Organizer' Joke: What Obama Actually Did - Michelle Malkin, NY Post

- The Party in Power, Running as if It Weren't - Peter Baker, New York Times

- The American Idol Election - Steven Stark, Boston Phoenix

- Palin Bashing Press Keeps Swinging and Missing - Jonah Goldberg, NRO

- Media Not to Blame for Palin - Jay Bookman, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

- McCain Seizes Obama's Theme of Change - Steve Huntley, Chicago ST

- Palin and the Media - Pat Buchanan vs. Chris Matthews, Hardball

- Pretty Good Speech, Very Good Week - Yuval Levin, National Review

- Obama Defends Community Organizing - John Nichols, The Nation

- Palin's Decision to Have Trig a Sign of Her Hypocrisy - Rahul Parikh, Salon

- McCain Misdelivers a Mediocre Speech - Mickey Kaus, Slate

- Often Pedestrian, but Ultimately Effective - Paul Mirengoff, Power Line

- The Fighter Takes The Stage - Reid Wilson, Politics Nation

- McCain Recasts Pitch to Voters - Washington Post

- Sarah Palin's Surge - Wall Street Journal

- McCain, Palin Make It a Race - Dallas Morning News

- McCain Vows to End 'Partisan Rancor' - Adam Nagourney & Michael Cooper, NY Times

- The Party in Power, Running as if It Weren't - Peter Baker, New York Times

- McCain: Work For Voters, Not Party - Robert Barnes, Washington Post

- Palin: a Voice for America? - Jan Crawford Greenburg, ABC News

- McCain Vows to End 'Partisan Rancor' - Nagourney & Cooper, NYT

- John McCain's Idealistic Dilemma - David Rogers, The Politico

- The Significance of Sarah Palin - Peter Wehner, Commentary

- GOP Offers Red Meat With a Side of Mean - Michael Cohen, New York Times

- Welcome Back, Dad - Michael Reagan, Human Events

- The Sarah Palin Smokescreen - Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation

- Palin's Working Class Appeal - David Frum, The Week

- McCain's Fiscal Irresponsibility - Weinstein & Dunkelman, NY Daily News

- Will the Abortion Issue Help or Hurt McCain? - Lydia Saad, Gallup

- Sarah Palin Taps Into America - Andrew McCarthy, National Review

- A Star is Born in the GOP - Michael Barone, US News & World Report

- Why the Media Should Apologize - Roger Simon, The Politico

- Palin Raises Questions About McCain's Judgment - The Economist

- A Cynic's View of Palin's Family Fanfare - Susannah Meadows, Newsweek

- McCain's Focus Tonight - Michael Crowley, The New Republic

- A Foreign-Policy Crash Course for Palin - Michael Hirsh, Newsweek

- Palin Pick Targets the Gender Gap - Peter Brown, Rocky Mountain News

- McCain Needs a Rebellious Address - Michael Gerson, Washington Post

- A Feminist Dream at the GOP - Kirsten Powers, New York Post

- Reshaping the Map - Gary Andres, Washington Times

- The Leadership Washington Needs - Governor Sarah Palin

- Small-Town Ways Will Play Big Across U.S. - John Kass, Chicago Tribune

- Wrong Woman, Wrong Message - Gloria Steinem, Los Angeles Times

- A Pit Bull With Lipstick - John Dickerson, Slate

- Sarah Palin, The Natural - Fred Barnes, Weekly Standard

- Palin's Social Views Hurt Ticket - Froma Harrop, Providence Journal

- Democrats Have a Problem on Their Hands - David Brody, CBN News

- Call of the Wild: The Education of Sarah Palin - Nathan Thornburgh, Time

- What's So Special About Sarah? - Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal

- Palin's Inexperience Still McCain's Problem - Jonathan Alter, Newsweek

- Palin Gets the Spiteful Thatcher Treatment - Janet Daley, The Telegraph

- Hockey Mom Shoots, Scores - Tom Shales, Washington Post

- Where Does the GOP Go From Here? - Clark Judge, Wall Street Journal

- McCain is the Right Guy to Rebrand GOP - John Avlon, New York Post

- A Partisan in Maverick's Clothing - Matthew Yglesias, Washington Post

- Which Ticket Really Will Deliver Change? - Mort Kondracke, Roll Call

- Democrats Should Stop Nominating Lawyers - Victor Davis Hanson, RCP

- Hot or Cool on Russia? - David Ignatius, Washington Post

- Sarah Palin's Perfect Premiere - New York Daily News

- Speech Doesn't Answer Questions About Readiness - Washington Post

- Palin Rises Above the Feeding Frenzy - Boston Herald

- How Palin Subverts McCain - Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune

- Why Bristol's Baby Matters - Joe Conason, New York Observer

- Why Palin Could Make the Difference - Karl Rove, Wall Street Journal

- Can Palin Out-Change Obama? - Noam Scheiber, The New Republic

- A Clear & Present Danger to the Left - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal

- McCain Slimes the Media for Doing Its Job - Joe Klein, Time

- A Shameful Week for the Press - Yuval Levin, National Review

- Lieberman Shows Courage - David Yepsen, Des Moines Register

- Benedict Joseph a Traitor to His Party - Matthew Rothschild, Progressive

- Sexism Rears Its Ugly Head - Ben Shapiro, Townhall

- Whiteness is the GOP's Only Hope - Harold Meyerson, Washington Post

- Palin's Challenge Tonight - Tom Bevan, RealClearPolitics

- Public Will Have Final Verdict on Palin - David Broder, Washington Post

- The Palin Feeding Frenzy - Debra Saunders, San Francisco Chronicle

- Palin Gets the Clarence Thomas Treatment - Victor Davis Hanson, NRO

- Palin's Speech: What Does She Need To Do? - Chris Cillizza, Washington Post

- The Palin Feeding Frenzy - Debra Saunders, San Francisco Chronicle

- So Where Does Palin Take This? - Mark Davis, Dallas Morning News

- For Palin, Showtime About to Begin - David Von Drehle, Time

India hails end to nuclear pariah status
New Delhi (AFP) Sept 6, 2008 - India's government hailed as "historic" a decision Saturday by nuclear supplier nations to end the country's nuclear pariah status and adopt a US initiative to allow atomic trade with New Delhi. The 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group, meeting in Vienna, agreed to end the 34-year-old ban on nuclear trade with India after Washington sought a waiver so it could share civilian nuclear technology ... more

abm
+ Anti Missile Showdown Building Between East And West
Moscow (UPI) Sep 5, 2008 - The year 2008 has been the most productive for American missile shield plans since President Ronald Reagan launched his famed Strategic Defense Initiative in the 1980s. But the 1980s are also remembered for an unprecedented level of military confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States. On Aug. 20 Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed a U.S.-Polish agreement ... more

korea
+ US to de-list NKorea 'immediately' if accepts nuke verification: Hill
Beijing (AFP) Sept 6, 2008 - The United States will take North Korea off its terror list "immediately" if it can agree a way to verify its nuclear facilities, top envoy Christopher Hill said Saturday. The renewed pledge followed a flurry of meetings here after North Korea said it had stopped dismantling its Yongbyon nuclear reactor and started taking equipment back to the site. "I want to stress that we're not ... more

war
+ US rearming Georgia under guise of aid: Medvedev
Moscow (AFP) Sept 6, 2008 - The United States is rearming Georgia under the guise of humanitarian assistance, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev charged on Saturday, following the arrival in Georgia of US warships laden with aid. "The rearming of the Georgian regime is continuing, including under the guise of humanitarian assistance. They've sent a whole fleet to provide humanitarian assistance," Medvedev told officials ... more

iraq
+ The Rules Of Contract Based Warfare
Washington (UPI) Sep 5, 2008 - One of the most common criticisms about private security contractors is that there are insufficient rules governing their actions. But the truth is, there is and always has been a way to ensure that contractors act the way the client, as in the U.S. government or other private sector firms, wants. And that is to simply write it into the contract. And now, we have documentary ... more

Tehran plays down French warning of Israeli attack
Tehran (AFP) Sept 6, 2008 - Iran on Saturday played down French President Nicolas Sarkozy's warning this week that it risked being attacked by Israel because of its controversial nuclear programme. "This regime (Israel) is not in such a position and does not have the capacity to even think about attacking Iran," government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham told reporters. His remarks came after the French president ... more

stans
+ More troops needed in Afghanistan: US commander
Washington (AFP) Sept 5, 2008 - A top US commander said Friday he needs more troops to counter growing insurgent violence in Afghanistan amid signs the rebels are preparing for a winter campaign for the first time. "I do believe that the level of significant activities, maybe violence, will be higher than any previous winter since 2002," said Major General Jeffrey Schloesser in a video teleconference from Afghanistan. ... more

nuclear-doctrine
+ US may scrap Russia nuclear cooperation next week: official
Washington (AFP) Sept 5, 2008 - The United States will likely scrap a US-Russia civilian nuclear cooperation pact next week in response to Moscow's actions in Georgia, a US official said Friday. "It's probably going to happen next week," the State Department official told reporters when asked about the issue. "The president (George W. Bush) has to withdraw the document from Congress. So he needs to take that step, and ... more

stans
+ Missile strike kills civilians on Pakistan-Afghan border: officials
Miranshah, Pakistan (AFP) Sept 5, 2008 - Three children and two women were killed when missiles fired by a suspected unmanned US aircraft hit a village on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border Friday in the third such attack in as many days, officials said. The strike hit two houses belonging to tribesmen in North Waziristan's Goorweck Baipali village, 30 kilometres (18 miles) west of the main town of Miranshah, and located right on the ... more

superpowers
+ Japan defence report warns on Russia
Tokyo (AFP) Sept 4, 2008 - An increasingly assertive Russia is staging more frequent military drills near Japan, including with nuclear submarines, the defence ministry here warned in a report Friday. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's cabinet approved the annual "white paper" on defence policy, which also reiterated Japan's longstanding unease about China's rapid military buildup and the threat of North Korea. ... more

Storm-battered Florida gets ready for Ike
Key West, Florida (AFP) Sept 7, 2008 - Boarding up windows and battening down everything else, residents of south Florida turned a wary eye to deadly Hurricane Ike Sunday as it tore into the Caribbean. The "extremely dangerous" Category Four storm was set to stampede just south of the Florida Keys on Tuesday with winds near 135 miles (215 kilometers) per hour, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, prompting a mandatory ... more

disaster-management
+ 13 dead or missing in Philippines landslide: officials
Maco, Philippines (AFP) Sept 6, 2008 - Six people were killed and at least seven others were missing after a landslide triggered by heavy rains buried houses in the southern Philippines, officials said Saturday. More than 100 residents whose homes were destroyed took refuge in a chapel, while one survivor said there could be many more missing in the town of Maco, in the Compostela Valley. District chairman Jovencio Anquera ... more

economy
+ Walker's World: Britain's recession
London (UPI) Sep 5, 2008 - Now the recession watch in Britain is getting really serious. Punch Taverns, the country's largest operator of pubs, a classic symbol of English life, has decided to scrap its dividend to shareholders after a drop in sales of more than 3 percent. The company blamed "challenging trading conditions." Alastair Darling, who as chancellor of the exchequer is the government minister in charge ... more

china
+ Riot police quell two separate large protests in China
Beijing (AFP) Sept 5, 2008 - China dispatched large numbers of soldiers and armed riot police to quell two major protests, officials and a rights group said Friday, in the latest public discontent to rock the communist nation. In central Hunan province Thursday, 5,000 soldiers and armed police converged on a furious crowd of up to 10,000 demanding money back from an alleged fundraising fraud, the Hong Kong-based ... more

disaster-management
+ India focuses on care for flood victims as rescue winds down
Patna, India (AFP) Sept 7, 2008 - India was grappling on Sunday with the task of feeding and housing close to a million villagers displaced by huge floods in the eastern state of Bihar, as the rescue effort wound down. Some 900,000 people fled from their homes or were evacuated by boat since the Kosi river breached its defences three weeks ago on the Nepal border and changed course. Bihar officials have turned every ... more

+ Chinese aluminium giant sets up mining unit in Tibet
Beijing (AFP) Sept 5, 2008 - China's top aluminium producer, Chinalco, has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in Tibet to explore and smelt mineral resources on the rooftop of the world. The Chinalco Tibet Mining Co. Ltd., formally launched in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa on Wednesday, has a registered capital of 250 million yuan (36.5 million dollars), said a statement on Chinalco's website. The new company will ... more

gas
+ Oil prices dive on hurricane, strong dollar
London (AFP) Sept 5, 2008 - Crude oil prices plunged this week as Hurricane Gustav spared US energy facilities in the Gulf of Mexico, traders said. Commodities futures, notably oil and metals, were also pushed lower by a strong dollar and concerns about falling demand for raw materials amid a global economic slowdown, they added. OIL: Oil prices tumbled by about 10 percent in value to five-month lows close to 104 ... more

Oops! Obama says 'my Muslim faith'

Civilian toll appears high in Afghan raid: To villagers, there is no doubt what happened in an American airstrike on Aug. 22: More than 90 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed

• Obama, McCain Have Economic Differences
• Palin Raises Hope For Parents of Disabled
• McCain Takes on GOP and Bush?
• Poll: McCain Takes Lead From Obama
• Missile Strike in Pakistan Kills 9
• World Court Begins Georgia-Russia Case
• Gender and the Vice Presidency
• MSNBC: Olbermann, Matthews Won't Anchor
• Coast Guard Suspends Search for Pilot

• Obama-Biden
  • Obama, Bill Clinton to Sit Down
  • Labor Fears Racial Bias
  • Biden: Life Begins at Conception
  • Rev Wright Turns the Other Cheek
• McCain-Palin
  • Feistier McCain With Palin
  • Clash on Foreign Policy Judgment
  • Palin Agrees to ABC Interview
  • US Weekly-Palin Cover Backlash
  • McCain Envisions Room for Dems

• Election 2008
  • RCP Average: McCain Moves Ahead
  • Dems Pull Big Gains in Registration
  • GOP Base Energized by Palin
  • MSNBC Incendiary Duo Off Anchor

U.S. Seizes Mortgage Giants - Hagerty, Simon & Paletta, Wall St. Journalhttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/178696.html

Economy Faces Perils, Doesn't Die - John Berry, Bloomberghttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/178719.html

We're Losing the Broader Economic Struggle - Paul Krugman, NY Timeshttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/178697.html

Democrats Must Learn Some Respect - Clive Crook, Financial Times1

Wal Mart Mom a Heartbeat Away - Bill Kristol, New York Timeshttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/178699.html

GOP Suddenly Finds Its Inner Feminist - Anna Quindlen, Newsweek2

A Feminist's Argument for Palin - Tammy Bruce, San Francisco Chronicle50

Sarah Palin vs. Feminist Mystique - Ruth Ann Dailey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette1

Obama's Post Partisan Message Isn't Working - Michael Knox Beran, NROhttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/178747.html

Why McCain is Running Against the News Media - Peter Brown, WSJhttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/178702.html

McCain's Bias Claim: Truth or Tactic? - Carney and Scherer, Timehttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/178720.html

Standing Pat Wrong Move for Obama, McCain - Stu Rothenberg, Roll Call6

Desperate Attacks Very Revealing - Vin Suprynowicz, Las Vegas RJhttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/178765.html

McCain's Convenient Untruth on Taxes - Sebastian Mallaby, Wash Posthttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/178721.html

Memo to McCain: Platitudes Don't Play - Laura Washington, Chicago ST1

Organizer in Chief - Steven Malanga, New York Posthttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/178704.html

Culture Clash Drowns Out Issues - William Rees-Mogg, Times of Londonhttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/178705.html

The Most Important Election Since 1980 - Conrad Black, National Posthttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/178706.html

Building a Security Framework for a Nuclear Tehran - David Kay, Washington Posthttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/178707.html

Russia: A Partner and an Adversary - Bernard-Henri Levy, New Republichttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/178722.html

Part II: Military Chiefs Became Outsiders - Bob Woodward, Washington Posthttp://comments.realclearpolitics.com/read/42323/178723.html

Top 25 House Races - Reid Wilson & Kyle Trygstad, RealClearPolitics

CAMPAIGN OUTSIDER
McCain stars in 'Back to the Future 08'
With an acceptance speech that could have been given by any Republican candidate during the past 40 years and a running mate reviving the culture wars, Senator John McCain is running against his maverick persona as the US presidential race gathers speed. - Muhammad Cohen (Sep 8,'08)

McCain sullies North Korea line
Although he did not mention North Korea by name, US presidential candidate Senator John McCain's chest-thumping acceptance speech was full of war tales and fighting talk in an effort to bring more "patriots" on-side. But his words have muddied last-ditch efforts by the George W Bush administration to salvage its legacy through resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue. - Donald Kirk (Sep 8,'08)

US shrinks from arming Georgia
The George W Bush administration has so far resisted making military pledges to embattled ally Georgia, but as the conflict heats up as an election issue, neo-conservative advisors to US presidential candidate John McCain say Georgia should be supplied with advanced weaponry to deter Russia. - Jim Lobe (Sep 8,'08)

CREDIT BUBBLE BULLETIN
Just the facts
As the Dow retreated during a week overshadowed by doubts on the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, banks stood out as gainers, closing up 4% at the prospect of a lifeline being thrown to the beleaguered mortgage guarantors. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson duly obliged at the weekend.
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
THE WEEK AHEAD

U.S. Seizes Mortgage Giants

• WSJ ($)
• 09/08/2008 05:30 AM

In Crisis, Paulson's Stunning Use of Federal Power

• Washington Post
• Pearlstein
• 09/08/2008 05:04 AM

Radical Options In Play for New Structure of Firms

• Washington Post
• 09/08/2008 05:02 AM

As Crisis Grew, a Few Options Shrank to One

• NY Times
• 09/08/2008 04:50 AM

U.S. Takeover of Fannie, Freddie Offers `Stopgap'

• Bloomberg
• 09/08/2008 04:47 AM

US takes control of Fannie and Freddie

• FT
• 09/07/2008 08:23 PM

Few Stand to Gain on This Bailout, and Many Lose

• NY Times
• Dash
• 09/07/2008 07:44 PM

Treasury Extends Secured Credit Line to Federal Home Loan Banks

• Bloomberg
• 09/07/2008 06:57 PM

Paulson Engineers U.S. Takeover of Fannie, Freddie

• Bloomberg
• 09/07/2008 06:55 PM

MSNBC is removing Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews as the anchors of live political events, "bowing to growing criticism that they are too opinionated to be seen as neutral." David Gregory will take over the anchor seat for events such as this fall's presidential and vice presidential debates and election night.

A CQ analysis finds that this year, federal lawmakers in both parties "have opposed the president far more often than at any other time since he's been in the White House, and the erosion in support is dramatic among Republicans." GOP House members, for example, supported Bush 94 percent of the time in 2001 and 2003, but just 63 percent in 2008.

In a move that will spare conservatives from a politically difficult vote before the November elections, "congressional Democrats have scrapped plans for another vote on expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program." Democrats concluded "that President Bush would not sign their legislation and that they could not override his likely veto." Bush has already twice vetoed similar legislation.

"Cellphone pictures taken in the aftermath of a U.S. military operation in Afghanistan are providing new evidence that a large number of civilians may have been mistakenly killed by American troops last month," according to NATO officials. The images show at least 11 dead children; the U.S. military has insisted that only five to seven civilian were killed.

Gen. David Petraeus will hand over the command of U.S.-led forces in Iraq to Gen. Raymond Odierno on September 16. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that "questions linger, as they did not for Petraeus, about how ready Odierno is for the strategic challenges of Iraq."

Libyan leader and former terrorist sponsor Moammar Gadhafi dined with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last week, completing "a remarkable five-year rehabilitation." Gadhafi presented Rice with several gifts, including "a locket with an engraved likeness of himself inside."

And finally: The AP reports, "Should this world ever cease to exist, Stephen Colbert will live on. The comedian's DNA will be digitized and sent to the International Space Station." Essentially, Colbert will be preserved so that "aliens can clone him." Colbert said that this move brings him one step closer to his "lifelong dream of being the baby at the end of 2001," referring to the science fiction film, "2001: A Space Odyssey."

Governement Takes Over Freddie, Fannie money.cnn.com — Federal officials unveiled an extraordinary takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, putting the government in charge of the twin mortgage giants and the $5 trillion in home loans they back. The move, which extends as much as $200 billion in Treasury support to the two companies, marks Washington's most dramatic attempt yet to shore up the nation's housing market, which is suffering from record foreclosures and falling prices. The sweeping plan, announced by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and James Lockhart, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, places the two companies into a "conservatorship" to be overseen by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Under conservatorship, the government would temporarily run Fannie and Freddie until they are on stronger footing.

$300 Billion to Save Fannie, Freddie bloomberg.com — William Poole, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, said taxpayers may face a $300 billion bill to revive Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage giants being taken over by the Federal government. "I would not be surprised if their total losses aggregate about 5 percent of their obligations" of about $6 trillion, Poole said in an interview. He said financial fallout from Fannie and Freddie was likely to be a long-term drain on the Treasury. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said he would replace the chief executives of Washington-based Fannie Mae and McLean, Virginia-based Freddie Mac and eliminate their dividends.

California Aims To Cut Use Of Cars washingtonpost.com — California is poised to pass the first law in the nation linking greenhouse gas emissions to urban planning, a departure from the growth approach that spawned the state's car culture and urban sprawl. The measure, known as SB375, aims to give existing and new high-density centers where people live, work and shop top priority in receiving local, state and federal transportation funds. The idea is that such developments check sprawl and ease commutes, in turn cutting the car pollution wafting through the Golden State.

Record 1.2 Million Homes Hit By Foreclosure money.cnn.com — Loans in foreclosure have doubled over the past year, while delinquency rates continue to soar. A record 1.2 million homes were in foreclosure during the second quarter of 2008. That represents 2.8% of all outstanding loans, up from 1.4% of all loans during the same period a year ago, according to a report released Friday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). And 490,000 of the 45 million home mortgages serviced by MBA members began new foreclosure proceedings. That's up 9% from the 448,000 starts recorded in the previous quarter, and marked the seventh straight quarter that foreclosure starts increased. The delinquency rate, which measures mortgages that aren't in foreclosure but have missed least one payment, also hit a record high.

Bush Rules Out New Economic Stimulus news.bbc.co.uk — The latest figures show a rate of 6.1% - the highest since December 2003. A White House spokeswoman said that while the figures were disappointing, the existing economic stimulus plan was having the impact intended. A call for more action had been made by the Democratic Party presidential candidate, Barack Obama. A higher-than-expected 84,000 jobs were lost last month, which together with the unemployment rate has added to concern about the US economy and its ability to stave off a recession. In a further blow, the Labor Department revised upwards job loss figures for each of the past two months. The Federal Reserve said earlier that economic activity remained "weak".

Labor Market Faces Cruel Summer businessweek.com — Financial markets were expecting the U.S. economy to shed jobs in the August employment report, released Sept. 5, but a big jump in the U.S. unemployment rate took Wall Street by surprise. The weaker-than-expected data for August suggest the U.S. economy is headed for recession and puts pressure on the Federal Reserve to lower rates rather than raise them, as the Fed has indicated it wants to do. The unemployment rate jumped 0.4 percentage points to 6.1% in August. Even worse for the labor market, June's 51,000 decline was revised to — 100,000, for a net — 58,000 revision over the prior two months.

Auto Industry To Press For $50 Billion In Loans hosted.ap.org — Auto industry allies hope to secure up to $50 billion in government loans this month that would pay to modernize plants and help struggling car makers build more fuel-efficient vehicles. With Congress returning this coming week from its summer break, the industry plans an aggressive lobbying campaign for the low-interest loans. The situation is growing dire after months of tumbling sales, high gasoline prices and consumers' abandoning profitable trucks and sport utility vehicles. Lawmakers authorized $25 billion in loans in last year's energy bill to help the companies build fuel-efficient vehicles such as hybrids and electric vehicles.

Military Chiefs Became Outsiders washingtonpost.com — At the Joint Chiefs of Staff in late November 2006, Gen. Peter Pace was facing every chairman's nightmare: a potential revolt of the other chiefs. Two months earlier, the JCS had convened a special team of colonels to recommend options for reversing the deteriorating situation in Iraq. Now, it appeared that the chiefs' and colonels' advice was being marginalized, if not ignored, by the White House. Pace's question caught the chiefs and colonels off guard. The JCS hadn't recommended a surge, and Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the Iraq commander, was opposed to one of that magnitude. Where had this come from? Was it a serious option? Was it already a done deal?

Walker's World: Asia's new nuclear map
Washington (UPI) Sep 8, 2008 - It is not quite over yet, but the most important strategic development in Asia in this century so far is on the verge of completion. The weekend decision of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group to approve the unprecedented nuclear cooperation deal between the United States and India changes the strategic map of Asia. It also provides President George Bush with a last, critical success ... more

nuclear-doctrine
+ US postpones nuclear pact with Russia amid Georgia tension
Washington (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - US President George W. Bush decided Monday to postpone a US-Russia civilian nuclear pact, officials said, amid tensions over Moscow's military actions in neighboring Georgia. The announcement came as both the State Department and White House said Washington was watching Russia's plans to stage unprecedented joint naval maneuvers with Venezuela in Venezuelan waters. With moves toward new ... more

nuclear-doctrine
+ Top-level China, India talks amid nuclear deal tension
New Delhi (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - Asian giants India and China held high-level talks on Monday amid tension over Beijing's purported reluctance to back New Delhi's civilian nuclear ambitions. India has criticised Beijing for being unwilling to support a waiver that would enable New Delhi to trade with the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG), which controls global atomic commerce, without signing non-proliferation pacts. ... more

stans
+ Imagery prompts review of Afghan air strike: Pentagon
Washington (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - The Pentagon said Monday that newly obtained imagery prompted a review of a US investigation into an air strike in Afghanistan that found that only five to seven civilians were killed, not 90 as the Afghan government found. General David McKiernan, the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, said in a statement Sunday that he had asked the US Central Command to appoint a general to review ... more

Japan, Australia defend backing India nuclear deal
Tokyo (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - Japan and Australia on Monday defended giving the green light to a landmark atomic energy deal with India, which critics charged has set back efforts to halt nuclear proliferation. China also voiced support for the agreement after dropping objections at the last minute in weekend talks in Vienna. After intense lobbying from Washington and New Delhi, the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group ... more

war
+ Israel attack on Lebanon depends on Iran, Syria: Hezbollah
Tehran (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said any Israeli attack on Lebanon depended on the Iranian nuclear issue and the Israel-Syria talks, in an interview with Iran's state-run television on Monday. "I can not say when Israel is going to attack Lebanon, if it is going to be soon or not. It depends on the region's events and circumstances," said Nasrallah, whose Lebanese Shiite group is backed by ... more

iran
+ Iran nuclear reactor launch 'irreversible' by February: report
Moscow (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - The start-up of the first reactor at Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant will be "irreversible" by February next year, a senior Russian nuclear official was quoted by ITAR-TASS news agency as saying Monday. "Between December 2008 and February 2009 various technical measures will be carried out... that will make the physical start-up process of the first Bushehr reactor irreversible," the report ... more

miltech
+ ITT's FRCS Achieves No-Jam Success At Exercise Red Flag
Brighton, UK (SPX) Sep 09, 2008 - ITT has announced its Field Replaceable Connector System (FRCS) has achieved clean electrical weapon separation during the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Exercise Red Flag. Exercise Red Flag provides highly realistic combat training, including the release of live smart ordnance, in a combined air, ground and electronic threat environment. The FRCS is a jam-resistant weapons interface ... more

superpowers
+ Euro-Russo Split Widens Part One
Moscow (UPI) Sep 8, 2008 - Russia's Defense Ministry has officially informed NATO headquarters in Brussels of its decision to suspend all military cooperation with its counterparts in the alliance. The move came after similar notices were received by the defense ministries of Norway, Estonia and Latvia. This means that all joint events between the Russian army and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ... more

stans
EU's ex-envoy slams coalition strategy in Afghanistan: report
iraq
<li>Cache By Cache Baghdad Being Disarmed By US Forces Part Two
iraq
<li>Bush to unveil Iraq troop decision Tuesday
iran
<li>Analysis: U.S. losing ground, sway to Iran

Ike slams Cuba, Haiti death toll passes 600
Havana (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - Hurricane Ike assaulted Cuba on Monday with torrential rain and gale-force winds, demolishing houses, crushing crops and threatening Havana after killing 61 people in Haiti, where a series of vicious storms has triggered a humanitarian crisis. After rampaging through the Atlantic and Caribbean, a weakened Ike was forecast to move away from Cuba Tuesday into the Gulf of Mexico, where it was ... more

disaster-management
+ Ike death toll in Haiti climbs to 61, including many children
Port-Au-Prince (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - Hurricane Ike has killed 61 people in Haiti, including 57 in a single village, civil protection officials said in an updated toll given Monday. "Fifty-seven people including many children aged one to seven are dead in Cabaret, three died in Gonaives and one further north," Nazaire Tide, a member of the Haiti's Office of Civilian Protection, told AFP. Many houses were destroyed by flooding ... more

disaster-management
+ Deadly British floods leave multi-million clean-up bill
London (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - Storms across England which caused up to six deaths over the weekend have caused tens of millions of pounds (euros, dollars) worth of damage, an insurance industry group said Monday. Overall, 36 flood warnings were issued by the Environment Agency, most of which were targeted at northeast England, along with a further 91 flood watches. A spokesman for the Association of British Insurers ... more

disaster-management
+ Hurricane Ike over water, may strengthen for return to Cuba
Havana (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - Killer Hurricane Ike moved out over open water Monday off Cuba's southern coast but continued hammering the island, as forecasters predicted a strengthening of the storm before it heads back over land toward the capital Havana. The storm, which has left a trail of destruction through the Atlantic and Caribbean including 61 dead in Haiti, maintained Category Two status and winds near 160 ... more

disaster-management
+ TSF Deploys To Haiti For Gustav And Hanna Relief
Pau, France (SPX) Sep 09, 2008 - Following the devastating courses of hurricanes Gustav and Hanna in the Caribbean, Telecoms Sans Frontieres deployed Wednesday a team of emergency telecommunications specialist to Haiti. The crew landed in Gonaïves, a city in the North seriously affected by the heavy rains and winds of the successive Hurricanes. In some parts of Gonaïves, water reached over 3 meters. Reports indicate that ... more

Third Annual Oklahoma Biofuels Conference Slated For November 2008
Oklahoma City OK (SPX) Sep 09, 2008 - As Oklahoma continues to research and develop its alternative fuel sources and production, the Governor of Oklahoma will host GROW: The Oklahoma Biofuels Conference, November 12-13 in Oklahoma City at the Skirvin Hotel conference center. Through the efforts of the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center and other public and private research and investment, Oklahoma has emerged as a national leader in ... more

gas
+ Shell says it will evacuate personnel ahead of Hurricane Ike
London (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell said Monday it would evacuate all its offshore personnel working in the Gulf of Mexico, now threatened by Hurricane Ike. The company said it had already evacuated 150 workers and would move the remaining 500 between now and Wednesday. It added that production would continue at a minimum until the evacuation was completed. BP has also begun to move personnel ... more

aerospace
+ Safer Skies For The Flying Public
Austin TX (SPX) Sep 09, 2008 - University of Texas professor Constantine Caramanis and colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working on a air traffic decision-making system that rapidly adapts its flight recommendations without human input based on thousands of changing variables. The computer model Caramanis, lead researcher Cynthia Barnhart, and other colleagues from MIT are developing will ... more

gas
+ Oil prices mixed amid hurricane watch, ahead of OPEC meet
New York (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - Crude oil prices closed mixed Monday as the market focused on a looming OPEC meeting expected to discuss an output cut and as Hurricane Ike headed toward energy installations in the Gulf of Mexico. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in October, rose 11 cents to close at 106.34 dollars a barrel. In London, Brent North Sea crude for October fell 65 cents to settle at ... more

trade
+ China to make anti-monopoly review of Coca-Cola deal: report
Beijing (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - China's commerce ministry has said it will make an anti-monopoly review of Coca-Cola's proposed multi-billion-dollar takeover of Chinese juice producer Huiyuan, state media reported. The US soft drink giant's application for the bid will be reviewed under the anti-monopoly law once the ministry receives it, spokesman Yao Shenhong was quoted as saying by state-run China Central Television ... more

• Election 2008
  • Contradictions w/Palin's 'Bridge'
  • Obama to Seize 'Change' Back
  • McCain Hits Obama on Earmarks
  • Obama: McCain, Palin 'Lying'
  • Straining to Reach Money Goal, Obama Presses Donors
• Electoral Strategy
  • McCain Stays Put, Obama Fans Out
  • Obama's Plans Stymied Out West?
  • McCain, Palin Push Bio Not Issues
  • RCP Electoral Map: Obama +43 EVs
  • Map With No Toss Ups: Obama +8
• National Polls
  • ABC News/Wash Post: McCain +2
  • USA Today/Gallup: McCain +10
  • CBS News: McCain +2; CNN: Tie
  • Tracking Polls: Gallup: McCain +5 | Hotline: Tie | Rasmussen: Tie

• Media & Election
  • Obama on O'Reilly, Olbermann
  • MSNBC Bombs in Blogosphere
  • Countdown to Complete Meltdown
• Campaign '08 Ads
  • McCain Ad: "Original Mavericks"
  • Obama Response: "No Mavericks"
  • More Campaign '08 Ads

No End In Sight For Housing Slump forbes.com — Even after U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson placed government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under federal "conservatorship" on Sunday, the outlook for U.S. housing prices is poor. Unsold home inventories remain at record levels, and foreclosures are increasing at an alarming pace. There is little sign of stabilization in the housing market. Several factors suggest that housing prices are likely to continue falling into 2009.

Bush Reshuffles War-Zone Troops news.bbc.co.uk — President Bush has ordered the withdrawal of about 8,000 troops from Iraq by February and the dispatch of additional forces to Afghanistan. He argued in a speech that reduced levels of violence in Iraq allowed for a "quiet surge" of troops in Afghanistan in the coming months. Marine and army units will be sent to Afghanistan with a likely combined strength of about 4,500 men. There are currently 146,000 US troops in Iraq and 33,000 in Afghanistan. Any long-term decision about their future deployment will be left to Mr Bush's successor, who will take office in January.

U.S. 'Dangerously Vulnerable' to WMDs hosted.ap.org — The United States remains "dangerously vulnerable" to chemical, biological and nuclear attacks seven years after 9/11, a forthcoming independent study concludes. And a House Democrats' report says the Bush administration has missed one opportunity after another to improve the nation's security. The recent political rupture between Russia and the U.S. only makes matters worse, said Lee Hamilton, the former Indiana Democratic congressman who helped lead the 9/11 Commission and now chairs the independent group's latest study.

Financial Services Job Market Weakest Since 1991 money.cnn.com — Hiring conditions in the U.S. financial services sector are at their weakest level since 1991, according to a survey published Tuesday. The quarterly employment forecast also highlights weak expectations among the nation's retailers ahead of the crucial holiday selling season. The fallout from the year-long credit crunch has seen U.S. financial institutions shed thousands of jobs, and the latest quarterly survey follows last week's worse-than-expected U.S. unemployment report.

States Running Out of Jobless Funds usatoday.com — The sharp rise in joblessness is draining unemployment insurance trust funds in many hard-hit states, setting the stage for a federal bailout to keep the funds solvent. The unemployment rate reached a five-year high of 6.1 percent in August, putting the number of jobless people at 9.5 million, up 2.4 million from a year earlier. About one-third of the jobless collect unemployment insurance from state governments. California, New York, Ohio and Michigan are among populous states projected to deplete their unemployment insurance funds this year or in 2009 to cover the cost of benefits.

Democrats Compromise On Oil Drilling money.cnn.com — Democratic leaders in the House and Senate, who long-resisted Republican-led calls to lift the ban on off-shore oil drilling, changed course over the recess and now say they will push comprehensive energy plans in September that will include expanded drilling. But Democrats will insist energy bills also include their own priorities, such as repealing tax breaks for big oil companies, something many Republicans oppose.

Congress Weighs Transit Funds online.wsj.com — Momentum is building in Congress to increase funding for public transportation as transit agencies struggle to accommodate increased demand from Americans seeking to escape high gas prices. The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing to examine how the government can strengthen mass-transit as a way to reduce dependence on imported oil. Meanwhile, House and Senate leaders debating a new energy bill are considering a range of incentives and new funding for transit agencies. The legislative push comes as high gas prices are spurring Americans to drive less and use public transportation more. The number of riders on mass-transit systems is growing at an accelerating clip. The increased demand is straining many transit agencies, which are already coping with higher prices for fuel, steel and other commodities.

Groups Warn of Growing Government Secrecy hosted.ap.org — Government secrecy is on the rise by almost every measure, according to a report by a coalition of government oversight groups. They said the U.S. is classifying more records as top secret or otherwise confidential and employing fewer workers who make federal documents available publicly. "The open society on which we pride ourselves has been undermined and will take hard work to repair," said the report, described as a "secrecy report card" by OpenTheGovernment.org. It cited 14 different measurements to quantify government secrecy, including patents hidden from the public, secret court approvals for surveillance in sensitive terrorism and espionage investigations and the expanding use of informal labels to keep documents from being disclosed.

Cases Against Enron Executives Revived reuters.com — A ruling in the federal appeals court in New Orleans on Monday revived Texas state court fraud cases targeting Enron Corp's former leaders and more than a dozen financial institutions accused of playing a role in the company's collapse, legal documents showed.

Obama Critical of Bush's Announcement

President Bush's Troop Announcement

Obama on "The O'Reilly Factor" Part 2

Obama: "No Mavericks"

Infiltrating a Nuclear Network
A New York Times documentary on the A.Q. Khan nuclear smuggling ring.

http://video.on.nytimes.com/index.jsp?fr_s...lear&st=cse

Possible missile sale to India: Pentagon
Washington (AFP) Sept 9, 2008 - The Pentagon said Tuesday it has notified the US Congress of a possible sale to India of two dozen Harpoon air to ground anti-ship missiles. Such a deal would be worth as much as 170 million dollars, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said. "India intends to use the Harpoon missiles to modernize its air force anti-surface warfare mission capabilities and improve its naval ... more

stans
+ Shift in forces to Afghanistan less than requested
Washington (AFP) Sept 9, 2008 - The modest shift in US forces to Afganistan announced Tuesday by President George W. Bush falls short of his commanders' requests despite signs the seven year-old US-NATO project there is at risk. While conditions have improved in Iraq, Bush admitted that things have not gone so well in Afghanistan, which is being shaken by an increasingly bloody insurgency fueled from safe havens in Pakistan ... more

milplex
+ Russia to seek UN arms embargo against Georgia - envoy
United Nations (AFP) Sept 9, 2008 - Russia pressed Tuesday for a UN arms embargo against Georgia as a US team prepared to travel to Tbilisi to assess the needs of its military, which was routed in a Russian blitzkrieg for control of South Ossetia. "It is in everybody's interest to have an arms embargo against Georgia," Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters after he introduced a draft resolution in the UN ... more

nuclear-doctrine
+ Rice makes 'full-court press' to win US approval of nuke deal
Washington (AFP) Sept 9, 2008 - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has launched a "full-court press" to win passage in Congress of a landmark US-India civilian nuclear cooperation deal before January, her spokesman said Tuesday. In a flurry of contacts members of the US Congress, Rice is speaking to key lawmakers by telephone and meeting others in person, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. ... more

war
+ Pentagon set on mission to rebuild Georgian military
Washington (AFP) Sept 9, 2008 - The Pentagon said Tuesday it was sending a team to Georgia this week to assess needs for rebuilding its military, emphasizing that Tbilisi must be capable of deterring any new Russian attack. "The Department of Defense is sending an assessment team to Tbilisi later this week to help us begin to consider carefully Georgia's legitimate needs and our response," said Under Secretary of Defense ... more

Outside View: Russia-NATO split -- Part Two
Moscow (UPI) Sep 9, 2008 - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was not put off by the belligerent rhetoric used by officials of the former Soviet republic of Georgia who openly threatened to solve the country's territorial disputes by force. NATO countries and their allies in recent months have spared no effort or money to equip, support and train the Georgian army. We all know what happened next. ... more

korea
+ North Korea moves toward restarting reactor: US
Washington (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - North Korea has taken steps toward restarting the nuclear reactor it began disabling under an international deal, but it is probably nowhere near being operational, a US official said Monday. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters he could not confirm news reports that North Korea had broken seals placed by the International Atomic Energy on equipment at its Yongbyon ... more

korea
+ NKorea's Kim may have suffered stroke: US intelligence
Seoul (AFP) Sept 10, 2008 - North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il failed to appear Tuesday at a massive parade marking the communist country's 60th anniversary and a US intelligence official said he may have suffered a stroke. The 66-year-old, who is known to suffer from diabetes and heart problems, was absent from the parade of reserve military forces, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, which monitored North ... more

korea
+ NKorea to stage massive parade to mark anniversary
Seoul (AFP) Sept 9, 2008 - North Korea marked its 60th anniversary Tuesday, trumpeting the success of its socialist system despite acute food shortages, a foundering economy and a deadlocked aid-for-disarmament nuclear deal. The republic, virtually the last outpost of Cold War-era communism, heaped praise on leader Kim Jong-Il as "a great man without parallel" as South Korean media reports sparked renewed speculation ... more

miltech
+ GD Awarded Contract For M1A1 Abrams Tank Upgrades
Sterling Heights MI (SPX) Sep 10, 2008 - The U.S. Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, a $34 million delivery order for 30 M1A1 Abrams Integrated Management (AIM) main battle tanks. The contract includes an option for 30 additional AIM vehicles, bringing the total potential award value to $69.5 million. AIM is a joint effort to refurbish M1A1 ... more

56 dead after mudslide sweeps through Chinese town: state media
Beijing (AFP) Sept 9, 2008 - At least 56 people were killed after an industrial mudslide swept through a small mining town in northern China, state media said late Tuesday, updating an earlier government toll of 34 dead. A market, homes and a three-storey building were buried under tonnes of sludge when the disaster hit Taoshi township, Shanxi province, on Monday, Xinhua news agency said, adding 35 people were also ... more

disaster-management
+ US renews offer to send aid team to Cuba after Hurricane Ike
Washington (AFP) Sept 9, 2008 - The United States on Tuesday renewed an offer to send experts to Cuba to see how much more disaster US aid is needed to an island hit by yet another hurricane, the State Department said. The State Department said Cuba declined its offer last week to send a team to assess the damage from Hurricane Gustav on August 30, but decided to renew the offer after Hurricane Ike hit. In the meantime ... more

disaster-management
+ Judge Hanna threatens storm detainees with watery death
Gonaives, Haiti (AFP) Sept 9, 2008 - Screams came from the darkened cells, and desperate hands poked through the bars of the police jail where inmates nearly suffered death by drowning with Tropical Storm Hanna as their judge. "If you work for human rights, give us food, we are hungry," shouted one voice inside the jail in the stricken Haitian city of Gonaives where four major storms in four weeks have killed hundreds of people ... more

economy
+ China worried of financial contagion via Hong Kong
Washington (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - Beijing is worried that an overly liberal financial system in Hong Kong could invite financial contagion into China and disrupt critical economic growth, a government economist said Monday. "China today has a very unique situation -- it is one country with two financial systems -- the Hong Kong system is very open, very liberal, very efficient, very modern" compared with the Chinese system a ... more

economy
+ China central bank says Fannie, Freddie takeover is 'positive'
Beijing (AFP) Sept 9, 2008 - China's central bank sees the US takeover of struggling mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as "positive", given the billions of dollars of exposure of Chinese banks, state media said Tuesday. "Chinese investors have a certain amount of exposure" to the companies, central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan said, according to the China Daily. "I think they welcome the new policy, but we ... more

Canadian think tank publishes nuclear guide
Ottawa (AFP) Sept 8, 2008 - A group of Canadian academics Monday published a comprehensive guide to the who, what, where and how of nuclear energy. The document, entitled "A Guide to Global Nuclear Governance" details treaties, conventions, initiatives and networks that deal with nuclear non-proliferation, safety and security. It highlights multilateral and bilateral agreements, International Atomic Energy Agency ... more

gas
+ Oil prices slide to five-month lows before OPEC meet
London (AFP) Sept 9, 2008 - Oil prices slumped close to 101 dollars on Tuesday, their lowest level since the start of April, as the market waited to see whether OPEC would announce a cut in output levels later in the day. Brent North Sea crude for delivery in October dropped as low as 101.27 dollars a barrel. It later stood at 102.26 dollars, a loss of 1.18 dollars from Monday's close. New York's main contract ... more

gas
+ Taxes on diesel, carbon split rivals in Canada election
Ottawa (AFP) Sept 9, 2008 - Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised Tuesday to reduce Canada's excise tax on diesel fuel in contrast to his main rival's plan for a carbon tax, in a heated election campaign. Harper said if his Conservatives are returned to power he would cut the diesel tax by half, from four cents (Canadian, US) to two cents a liter. Liberal leader Stephane Dion meanwhile has outlined a plan widely ... more

trade
+ Top Chinese economic official to hold talks in US
Beijing (AFP) Sept 9, 2008 - China's Vice Premier Wang Qishan will visit the United States next week and will discuss bilateral trade issues with top US officials, the foreign ministry announced Tuesday. Wang, who is in charge of economic and trade matters, will co-chair the Sino-US Joint Committee on Commerce and Trade when it meets in Los Angeles on September 17, foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told journalists. ... more

gas
+ Russia's Venezuela gambit a test for US: analysts
Brussels (AFP) Sept 9, 2008 - Russia's decision to send warships to the Caribbean is not just a riposte to US navy manoeuvres in the Black Sea, but a sign of Moscow's determination to contest American influence, say analysts. Russia announced Monday it was sending a nuclear cruiser and other warships and planes for joint exercises with Venezuela, the first such manoeuvres in the US vicinity since the Cold War. ... more

• State Polls
  • New Jersey (FDU): Obama +6
  • North Carolina (SUSA): McCain +20
  • Wisconsin (StrVision): Obama +3
  • Michigan (PPP): Obama +1
  • Virginia (FOX/RasRpts): McCain +2
  • RCP Electoral Count: Obama +28
• NBC News/Wall St. Journal
  • National: Obama 47, McCain 46
  • Favorable/Unfavorable Ratings
  • RCP Nat'l Average: McCain + 2.4
• Election 2008
  • McCain Ad Attacks on Education
  • Obama Aide Hits McCain's Honor
  • McCain Gains Big w/White Women
  • Biden on Palin: 'Backward Step'
  • Hillary Backers Defend Palin

A new intelligence report being "prepared for the next president on future global risks envisions a steady decline in U.S. dominance in the coming decades, as the world is reshaped by globalization, battered by climate change, and destabilized by regional upheavals over shortages of food, water and energy."

"The Coalition of the Willing appears to be going out of business." In a speech yesterday announcing his plan to withdraw 8,000 troops from Iraq, President Bush also "announced that most of the countries that have been partnering with the United States in Iraq over the past five years will be pulling their troops out as well." Read ThinkProgress' report on the Coalition of the Defeated here.

Congressional budget analysts said yesterday that the federal budget deficit will reach "a near-record [of] $407 billion when the budget year ends later this month, and the next president is likely to face a shortfall in January of well over $500 billion.”

"I have believed from day one that Iraq was going to change the face of the Middle East. I've never stopped believing that," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in May 2008, according to Bob Woodward. "There's nothing that I’m prouder of than the liberation of Iraq," she said "without hesitation."

"The rate of suicides among-active duty soldiers is on pace to surpass both last year's numbers and the rate of suicide in the general U.S. population for the first time since the Vietnam war, according to U.S. Army officials." Officials attribute the rise to "the increased pace of combat operations, the number of deployments and financial and family troubles connected with deployments."

House Democratic leaders "are considering a $25-billion rescue package for the auto industry as part of an effort to bolster the sagging U.S. economy." The proposal, "with its clear political implications for key battleground states, is likely to be put on a legislative fast track, possibly clearing Congress in a matter of weeks."

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist ® said yesterday that he "won't actively support a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, casting doubt on whether the issue will pack a political punch this fall." "I'll support it, I’ll vote for it, move on," he explained. "It's not top-tier for me, put it that way."

And finally: Olympian Michael Phelps is "everywhere these days" -- even in the minds of federal lawmakers. Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) has sponsored legislation to congratulate all U.S. athletes who competed in the Beijing Olympics this summer, while "while another authored by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) calls out Baltimore native Phelps in particular for his wins this summer and for ‘becoming one of the most highly decorated athletes in Olympic history.'"

Federal Shortfall To Double This Year washingtonpost.com — A weak economy and a sharp increase in government spending will drive the federal budget deficit to a near-record $407 billion when the budget year ends later this month, and the next president is likely to face a shortfall in January of well over $500 billion, congressional budget analysts said. This year's deficit will be more than double last year's $161 billion, and it will rise from 1.2 percent of the gross domestic product to nearly 3 percent. If the next president extends some or all of President Bush's signature tax cuts, as both candidates have promised, annual deficits could balloon to as much as 5 percent of the economy, rivaling the dark fiscal days of the early-1990s and those of the Reagan administration.

GOP Threatens Shutdown Over Drilling cqpolitics.com — House Republicans signaled that they are ready to cut off government spending over the issue of offshore drilling, though the party's Senate leader said he hopes to reach an energy deal and avoid a shutdown. House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, said House Republicans would vote against a spending resolution needed to keep the government running when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1 unless restrictions on offshore drilling are dropped from it. Boehner's threat is largely symbolic, as Democrats control enough votes in the House to pass a spending bill over Republican objections. But Republican cooperation will be needed to pass such a resolution in the Senate, where 60 votes are necessary to overcome a filibuster.

Democrats Pushing For 2nd Stimulus hosted.ap.org — With the economy the No. 1 issue just eight weeks from Election Day, majority-party Democrats are trying to push a second stimulus package through Congress to follow the tax rebate checks sent out earlier this year. So far, Republicans aren't joining the march, echoing the reservations expressed by presidential nominee John McCain and the White House. Democratic leaders plan to forge ahead with a $50 billion stimulus package in the short time Congress will be in session between now and the election.

GAO: Federal Bridge Repair Program Unfocused hosted.ap.org — Many of the nation's largest and most seriously deficient bridges aren't getting fixed because a federal program funding bridge repairs is unfocused and lacks sufficient standards, according to congressional investigators. "The federal interest in bridges lacks focus, there are no effective measures of program performance, and the impact of the increasing federal investment in bridges is unclear," the report finds.

Law Fails To Protect Whistleblowers ft.com — The U.S. federal law protecting corporate whistleblowers is failing to shield employees in the way that was intended, according to a non-profit group that is lobbying legislators for tougher rules. The 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which contained new pro-whistleblower provisions when it was passed in the wake of the Enron and WorldCom scandals, "has helped few whistleblowers actually achieve justice," according to the Government Accountability Project, an advocacy group that provides legal advice to whistleblowers. "Access to jury trials has proved elusive, and other institutions ... have engaged in systematic, hostile activism against the congressional mandate," it said in a report.

Tanker Contract Delayed news.bbc.co.uk — The Defense Department will push back its decision on a $35 billion tanker contract to the next administration, delaying again the hotly disputed competition between Boeing and Northrop Grumman to replace the Air Force's aging aerial refueling fleet. The Defense secretary, Robert M. Gates, said that he decided to cancel the current round of bidding on the plane — a competition that has stretched seven years — because the Pentagon's plan to award the contract by the end of the year no longer seemed possible given the complexity of the project and the rancor between the two companies.