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Older News Archivescom0116
NEWS SUNDAY, MAY
20, 2012 NEWS
EARLY EDITION
Is
GOP Trying To Sabotage Economy To Hurt Obama?
Are Republican lawmakers deliberately stalling the economic recovery
to hurt President Barack Obama's re-election chances? Some top Democrats
say yes, pointing to GOP stances on the debt limit and other issues that
they claim are causing unnecessary economic anxiety and retarding growth.
The latest Democratic complaint came after House Speaker John Boehner said
Tuesday that when Congress raises the nation's borrowing cap in early 2013,
he will again insist on big spending cuts to offset the increase. Boehner,
R-Ohio, continues to reject higher tax rates, which Democrats demand from
the wealthy. Las
Vegas Sun
VOA VIEW: Obama is doing enough damage
to the economy on his own - no need for outside help.
Obama
Takes Women's Issues From Campaign Trail To International Stage
President Obama brought women's issues – a major topic in the 2012
presidential campaign -- into world politics Saturday, when he said world
leaders at the G-8 summit assembled to discuss Afghanistan, the European
debt crisis and other international issues, but also talked about "female
empowerment." "Empowering women to have a seat at the table" during discussions
on economics and peace "can be extraordinarily fruitful," "We had a brief
discussion around the issue of women's empowerment, where we agreed that
both, when it comes to economic development and when it comes to peace
and security issues, empowering women to have a seat at the table and get
more engaged and more involved in these processes can be extraordinarily
fruitful," Obama said at the Camp David presidential retreat, located about
90 minutes from the White House, in western Maryland. Fox
News
Some
River Ranch Bagged Salads Deemed Health Risk
Citing a potential health risk, the California Department of Public
Health warned consumers Friday to not eat certain bagged salads manufactured
by River Ranch Fresh Foods and sold under various names. The company, based
in Salinas, California, voluntarily recalled the salads "after routine
sampling detected Listeria Monocytogenes in two packages of shredded iceberg
lettuce purchased from retail locations in California and Colorado," the
health department said in a news release. No illnesses have been reported,
it said. The affected salads have been distributed to outlets across the
country under the brand names River Ranch, Farm Stand, Hy-Vee, Marketside,
Shurfresh, The Farmer's Market, Cross Valley, Fresh n Easy, Promark and
Sysco, it said. CNN
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Wis.
Sen. Johnson Slams Obama For Economic Policy "Failure"
In the Republican weekly address, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) blamed
the president for American "dependence on government." "Instead of concentrating
on job creation, President Obama has concentrated on growing government
and increasing its control over our lives," Johnson said. "Because of his
policies, dependence on government has increased, and individual opportunity
has declined." At least one analysis takes issue with Senator Johnson's
statement. According to the liberal-leaning Economic Policy Institute,
government jobs have decreased by 584,000 at the federal, state and local
level since June of 2009. CBS
Young
Illegal Immigrants Coming Out Of The Shadows
It began several years ago, tentatively, almost furtively, with a few
small rallies and a few provocative T-shirts. In the past two years it
has grown into a full-fledged movement, emboldening thousands of young
people, terrifying their parents, and unsettling authorities unsure of
how to respond. From California to Georgia to New York, children of families
who live here illegally are "coming out" — marching behind banners that
say "undocumented and unafraid," staging sit-ins in federal offices, and
getting arrested in the most defiant ways — in front of the Alabama Capitol,
outside federal immigration courts and detention centers, in Maricopa County,
Ariz., home of the sworn enemy of illegal immigrants, Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
In "outing" their families as well as themselves, they know they risk being
deported. ABC
VOA VIEW: Illegal immigrants should be
arrested and immediately deported.
Alabama
Governor Signs Bill Tweaking Immigration Law
Alabama's governor signed into law revisions to the state's controversial
immigration statute on Friday, despite his earlier suggestions he might
veto the measure because it did not make enough changes to the toughest
state crackdown against illegal immigrants. Republican Governor Robert
Bentley had publicly urged lawmakers to modify sections of the law that
took effect last year and which sparked lawsuits by the Obama administration
and immigrant rights groups that argued it is unconstitutional. Reuters
Attacks
On Chicago Police Stations, Obama Office Were Planned
Three anti-NATO protesters charged with terrorism conspiracy planned
to attack four Chicago police stations, the local campaign headquarters
for President Barack Obama and the home of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel,
prosecutors alleged in court Saturday. While friends of the three men insisted
they were just operating a home brewery, prosecutors stated that police
found a gun that fires mortar rounds, swords, a hunting bow, ninja-like
throwing stars and knives with brass knuckle handles. The beer-brewing
operation, prosecutors added, was used to fill bottles with gasoline that
would later be thrown as Molotov cocktails. "Plans were made to destroy
police cars and attack four CPD stations with destructive devices, in an
effort to undermine the police response" to attacks on the Obama office,
the Emanuel home as well as unspecified financial institutions during the
NATO summit this weekend, the charging statement said. MSNBC
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Possible
Rocket Engine Problem Triggered SpaceX Launch Abort
A potential rocket engine problem may be to blame for the unexpected
abort of a private SpaceX rocket launch before dawn on Saturday, officials
said. SpaceX was slated to blast off its unmanned Dragon capsule and Falcon
9 rocket at 4:55 a.m. ET from here at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Just after igniting its main engines, the computer onboard the booster
initiated an automatic abort due to a high pressure reading in one of the
rocket's nine main engines. Dragon was due to fly to the International
Space Station to become the first non-governmental vehicle to berth there.
The spacecraft's next chance to launch is Tuesday at 3:44 a.m. ET, followed
by a potential opportunity Wednesday at 3:22 a.m. ET. MSNBC
G-8
Backs Greece, Ramps Up Pressure On Iran
Ratcheting up the pressure on Iran Saturday, leaders of the Group of
Eight major economies expressed solidarity in their approach to cracking
down on Tehran’s nuclear development program, agreeing to act together
to lower oil prices in the coming months if necessary. During a Saturday
energy session of the summit at the rustic presidential retreat in Camp
David in Maryland, President Obama, as well as leaders from the United
States, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, Britain, Russia and Japan, penned
a joint message to Iran designed to demonstrate their commitment to oil
sanctions against Tehran. Washington
Times
Obama
Says Wall Street Regulations Should Move Forward
In light of JPMorgan's $2 billion loss, President Obama says regulations
and oversight passed by Congress in 2010 need to be implemented. Using
his campaign slogan, the president said in his weekly address, "We've got
to keep moving forward." The president called on Republican lawmakers who
support a repeal of the Dodd-Frank Act -- new rules for banks and financial
institutions - to "stand on the side of reform." JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon
announced on May 10 that his bank lost $2 billion dollars through risky
transactions, which many Democrats say proves that Wall Street needs strong
oversight. Many Republican members of Congress and congressional candidates,
however, have opposed the Dodd-Frank Act. Presumptive Republican presidential
nominee Mitt Romney has also campaigned on the bill's repeal, and after
JPMorgan's loss, Romney said it's how capitalism "works." CBS
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Atlantic
Storm Could Bring Early Start To Hurricane Season
A swirling mass of thunderstorms off the South Carolina coast has a
50-percent chance of developing into a tropical depression or a tropical
storm and could bring an early start to the Atlantic hurricane season,
forecasters said on Saturday. The weather disturbance was in the Atlantic
Ocean about 120 miles southeast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, forecasters
at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. "Showers and thunderstorms
have increased near the circulation center. Additional development of this
system is possible and it could become a tropical depression or tropical
storm as it moves slowly southward or westward over the next day or so,"
they said. Reuters
World
Leaders Confront Flagging Afghan War
It was what President Barack Obama called a "war of necessity," a conflict
thrust upon America by the 9/11 attacks. As NATO's mission here winds down
nearly 11 years later, the insurgents remain undefeated, corruption runs
rife and the peace process is stuck in the sand. Such is the bleak reality
of Afghanistan as Obama and leaders of about 60 countries and organizations
meet Sunday and Monday in Chicago to map their way out of an unpopular
war. The goal is to develop a strategy that does not risk a repeat of the
chaos that followed the Soviet exit two decades ago, which paved the way
for the rise of al-Qaida. ABC
Treasuries
In Longest Winning Streak Since ’98 On Europe
Treasuries posted the longest streak of gains in more than 13 years,
pushing 10-year yields close to a record low, as investors sought the safety
of U.S. government securities while Europe’s debt crisis worsens. U.S.
debt rallied as Greece failed to form a government after elections May
6 gave no political party control of the legislature and as Moody’s Investors
Service cut the credit ratings of 16 Spanish banks, citing economic weakness
and the government’s mounting budget strain. The U.S. auctioned $13 billion
of 10-year inflation-protected notes at a record negative yield and will
sell $99 billion in notes next week. Bloomberg
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Suicide
Car Bomb Explodes Near Military Compound In Syrian City
A suicide vehicle bomb tore through the parking lot of a military compound
in an eastern Syrian city on Saturday, killing nine people in the latest
in a series of blasts in recent months targeting security installations,
the country's state media reported. State TV showed footage of damaged
buildings, smoldering cars, and trucks turned upside down. Debris filled
a street that was stained with blood. Attacks such as the blast in Deir
al-Zour, a former transit hub for militants heading to fight U.S. forces
in nearby Iraq, have raised fears that Al Qaeda-linked jihadis, possibly
including Iraqis, have made strong inroads into Syria's rebel movement.
Fox
News
Payrolls
Increase In 32 States, Led By Indiana And Texas
Payrolls increased in 32 states in April, while the unemployment rate
dropped in 37, indicating the labor market improved across much of the
U.S. Indiana led the nation with a 17,100 gain in payrolls, followed by
Texas with 13,200 more jobs. The jobless rate dropped the most in Arizona
and Oklahoma from the prior month. The U.S. added the fewest number of
workers in April, while the jobless rate unexpectedly fell to a three-year
low of 8.1 percent as people left the labor force, data showed this month.
The world’s largest economy needs faster hiring to spur consumer spending
and to help reduce unemployment, which Federal Reserve policy makers have
said remains elevated. Bloomberg
VOA VIEW: Figures lie, and liars figure.
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G-8
Leaders Ready To Respond To Oil Disruptions
The United States and other members of the Group of Eight industrial
nations say they are ready to respond to oil supply disruptions as Iran
faces sanctions aimed at crippling its oil exports. The G-8 leaders say
increasing disruptions in the world oil supply "pose a substantial risk"
to the global economy. But they stand ready to call upon the International
Energy Agency to ensure that the oil market "is fully and timely supplied."
World leaders have warned Iran that misusing its nuclear energy program
to develop a nuclear weapon is unacceptable. Las
Vegas Sun
GOP
Leaders Demand Gun-Program Details
House Republican leaders demanded U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
turn over to congressional investigators documents related to the Fast
and Furious program. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, House Majority
Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., and House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.,
joined Rep. Darrell Issa, R.-Calif., in demanding Holder comply with a
7-month-old subpoena seeking the documents on the failed gun-tracking program,
The Hill reported. In a letter to Holder sent Friday, the Republican leaders
stated, "As co-equal branches of the U.S. government, the relationship
between the legislative and executive branches must be predicated on honest
communications and cannot be clouded by allegations of obstruction." UPI
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'Forceps'
In Syria, Not 'Ax'
The situation in Syria requires a "forceps," not an "ax," a Russian
official said Saturday as the Group of Eight summit opened in Maryland.
Mikhail Margelov, chairman of Russia's Federation Council, spoke to reporters
at Camp David, the presidential retreat, RIA Novosti reported. He said
that the main issue is who will rule Syria if President Bashar Assad is
ousted. Margelov compared the crisis to the Gordian Knot of antiquity,
allegedly sliced with a sword by Alexander the Great when he could not
find an end to untie. "The Syrian crisis could not be cut by ax, it could
be disassembled by forceps," Margelov said. UPI
Austrian
DM Calls Liberman 'Unbearable'
Austria's Defense Minister Norbert Darabos called Foreign Minister
Avigdor Liberman "unbearable" in an interview published Saturday, downplayed
the Iranian threat, and accused Israel of using that threat – and the Palestinian
issue – to divert attention from domestic woes. "Mr. Liberman is unbearable
for me as a member of the Israeli government," Darabos said in an interview
published Saturday on the website of the Austrian daily Die Presse. Saying
that Israeli policies overall were difficult for him, Darabos said he was
glad Kadima entered the government because it could "mitigate radicalization."
Liberman's office declined comment. Jerusalem
Post
US
Tells G8 Syria's Assad Must Go, Cites Yemen As Model
US President Barack Obama told G8 leaders meeting at Camp David that
Syrian President Bashar Assad must leave power, and pointed to Yemen as
a model of how political transition could work there, the White House said
on Saturday. Ben Rhodes, an Obama deputy national security adviser, said
the recent focus on securing access for UN monitors and keeping track of
ceasefires had distracted from the fundamental problems in Syria, where
Assad, whose father ruled the country before him, has been attacking protesters
for 14 months. Jerusalem
Post
Powerful
Car Bomb Hits Syrian City Of Deir Al-Zour
At least nine people have been killed and dozens injured after a car
bomb exploded in eastern Syria, reports say. State television said that
the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber in the city of Deir al-Zour.
The blast took place near military intelligence offices, according to a
Syrian opposition group. It is just the latest in a series of blasts near
Syrian security agency buildings, which appear to bear the hallmarks of
al-Qaeda operations. No group has said it carried out the attack. A Syrian
foreign ministry spokesman said that the bomb contained 500kg of explosives.
BBC
Mitt
Romney Bids To Attract Hispanic Vote With Día Uno Ad
Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney has launched an aggressive
campaign to woo Hispanic voters away from Barack Obama. A Spanish-language
version of a campaign ad will air this week in key states – the first political
ad produced by the Romney campaign since his last Republican rival dropped
out of the race. The ad is called Día Uno, which means day one in
English, and features Romney speaking a Spanish-language version of the
"I approve this message" tagline that all American presidential candidate
put on official TV ads. "Soy Mitt Romney y apruebo este mensaje," the former
governor of Massachusetts says stiffly. Guardian
Putin
Election Result Cast Into Doubt
Mr Putin declared victory in his presidential campaign two months ago,
claiming to have won thanks to an "open and honest battle" over his rivals.
But research by three statisticians based at Imperial College, London has
raised questions over that description after identifying a number of inconsistencies
which render the results virtually impossible. The researchers analysed
the results of Russia's Presidential ballot and December's Parliamentary
elections, examining how many votes each party and candidate won in each
constituency. In normal circumstances if a politician wins, for example,
20 per cent of the overall vote then the individual constituency results
ought to generally be clustered close to that figure. For all other parties
and candidates this proved to be the case but Mr Putin and his United Russia
party bucked the trend. Telegraph
Secretary-General
Discusses Range Of Global Issues With France's Foreign Minister
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met today with the Foreign
Minister of France, Laurent Fabius, for talks which covered a range of
issues on the global agenda. During their meeting, held in New York, they
discussed the situation in Syria, Lebanon, Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Africa's
Sahel region, according to information provided by Mr. Ban's spokesperson.
The spokesperson added that the pair also exchanged views on the Middle
East Peace Process and on the upcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development
(Rio+20) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next month. UN
News
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