Cause of singer’s sudden death remains unknown after autopsy as police say definitive results could take up to four weeks An autopsy carried out following the sudden death of singer Amy Winehouse on Saturday has not established the cause of her death, with police saying that definitive results could take up to four weeks. A postmortem was carried out on Monday, hours after Winehouse’s parents formally identified her body, paving the way for a private family funeral which could be held as early as Tuesday. An inquest into the singer’s death was opened at St Pancras coroner’s court but adjourned until 26 October. Janis and Mitch Winehouse made a tearful appearance outside their daughter’s north London home and spoke to mourners, thanking them for their support. Mitch Winehouse spoke to people who were leaving handwritten notes and bouquets in memory of the singer, telling them: “This means so much to my family.” The 27-year-old singer, who fought a well-documented battle with drugs and alcohol, was found dead at her home in Camden Town by her bodyguard at around 4pm on Saturday afternoon. Police have said only that her death is unexplained, and that speculation regarding an overdose is “inappropriate”. Mitch Winehouse, who flew back from New York immediately after hearing the news of his daughter’s death, told her fans: “I can’t tell you what this means to us – it really is making this a lot easier for us. Amy was about one thing and that was love, her whole life was devoted to her family and her friends and to you guys as well. We’re devastated and I’m speechless but thanks for coming.” He appeared also to address reporters, many of whom he has known for several years. “You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. I know a lot of you, we’ve been together for five, six years, I know you’ve got a job to do. I’m glad you’re all here anyway,” he said. The impromptu shrine outside her home features photos as well as cards and notes, including an image of Winehouse posing in a bar. There is also a picture amended by artist Mysterious Al, showing her face with monochrome cartoon eyes and a white lightning strike in her beehive hair. Other less wholesome tributes were also on display, including half-full bottles of vodka and packets of cigarettes. Camera crews from around the world gathered outside her home on Monday as fans talked about their love of the singer, and some took photos of themselves in front of her house. Many left flowers and notes. One read: “Too fragile, too beautiful, too big a talent for this world.” Another thanked the star, saying: “Thanks to you I kept struggling in the toughest times.” At St Pancras coroner’s court the assistant deputy coroner, Suzanne Greenaway, said further toxicology tests will now be carried out to establish how the singer died. During the brief opening of the inquest she mentioned only the bare facts of her death. Amy Winehouse London Police Alexandra Topping guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Cause of singer’s sudden death remains unknown after autopsy as police say definitive results could take up to four weeks An autopsy carried out following the sudden death of singer Amy Winehouse on Saturday has not established the cause of her death, with police saying that definitive results could take up to four weeks. A postmortem was carried out on Monday, hours after Winehouse’s parents formally identified her body, paving the way for a private family funeral which could be held as early as Tuesday. An inquest into the singer’s death was opened at St Pancras coroner’s court but adjourned until 26 October. Janis and Mitch Winehouse made a tearful appearance outside their daughter’s north London home and spoke to mourners, thanking them for their support. Mitch Winehouse spoke to people who were leaving handwritten notes and bouquets in memory of the singer, telling them: “This means so much to my family.” The 27-year-old singer, who fought a well-documented battle with drugs and alcohol, was found dead at her home in Camden Town by her bodyguard at around 4pm on Saturday afternoon. Police have said only that her death is unexplained, and that speculation regarding an overdose is “inappropriate”. Mitch Winehouse, who flew back from New York immediately after hearing the news of his daughter’s death, told her fans: “I can’t tell you what this means to us – it really is making this a lot easier for us. Amy was about one thing and that was love, her whole life was devoted to her family and her friends and to you guys as well. We’re devastated and I’m speechless but thanks for coming.” He appeared also to address reporters, many of whom he has known for several years. “You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. I know a lot of you, we’ve been together for five, six years, I know you’ve got a job to do. I’m glad you’re all here anyway,” he said. The impromptu shrine outside her home features photos as well as cards and notes, including an image of Winehouse posing in a bar. There is also a picture amended by artist Mysterious Al, showing her face with monochrome cartoon eyes and a white lightning strike in her beehive hair. Other less wholesome tributes were also on display, including half-full bottles of vodka and packets of cigarettes. Camera crews from around the world gathered outside her home on Monday as fans talked about their love of the singer, and some took photos of themselves in front of her house. Many left flowers and notes. One read: “Too fragile, too beautiful, too big a talent for this world.” Another thanked the star, saying: “Thanks to you I kept struggling in the toughest times.” At St Pancras coroner’s court the assistant deputy coroner, Suzanne Greenaway, said further toxicology tests will now be carried out to establish how the singer died. During the brief opening of the inquest she mentioned only the bare facts of her death. Amy Winehouse London Police Alexandra Topping guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …On the heels of Saturday’s news that a young woman has accused Rep. David Wu of sexual assault , Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats are demanding a House ethics investigation, the Washington Post reports. “I call on the Ethics Committee to initiate an investigation into the allegations against Congressman Wu,…
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Click here to view this media House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told Fox News’s Chris Wallace Sunday that any deal to raise the debt ceiling must be within the “cut, cap and balance” framework that has already been rejected by the Senate. “I am going to continue to work with my congressional colleagues in both parties and my House Republican conference to try to develop a framework within the cut, cap and balance effort that the House passed this past week,” Boehner insisted. “I think a preferable path would be a bipartisan plan that involves all of the leaders, but it is too early to decide whether that is possible.” “There will be a two-stage process, it’s just not physically possible to do all of this in one step. Having said that, Chris, I know the president is worried about his next election. But my God, shouldn’t he be worried about the country?” the Speaker wondered. “So are you suggesting you might pass a short-term plan in the House and in effect, dare the Senate, dare the White House to block it?” Wallace asked. “We passed cut, cap and balance,” Boehner said. “But they have been defeated,” Wallace noted. “You talked about putting a framework out today. You are saying you would not do that unless you have Democratic buy-in?” “I would prefer to have a bipartisan approach to solve this problem. If that is not possible, I and my Republican colleagues in the House are prepared to move on our own,” Boehner explained. “I continue to believe that a balanced budget amendment is the greatest enforcement mechanism to bring Washington spending under control,” he later added. Washington Monthly ‘s Steve Benen observed that Boehner’s threat to act alone may show that he is willing to let the country default on its debts. “What Boehner is describing is a path that makes his caucus happy,” Benen wrote. “Boehner’s comments this morning — ‘I and my Republican colleagues are prepared to move on our own’ — sounded a lot like a House leader who’s not even interested in finding a solution at all. His goal is likely to avoid blame, not to resolve the problem.” “In other words, Boehner sees the car headed for the cliff, and appears ready to put a brick on the accelerator,” he concluded.
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If you were waiting with bated breath for John Boehner to announce a new deal framework today in an effort to avert panic in the Asian markets and stop the US from defaulting … tough luck. Boehner spoke with House Republicans on a conference call this afternoon, and word is the…
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July 21, 2011 Neil Cavuto – Fox Business Austin Watches Clock Tick Down on Debt Ceiling Deadline Walberg faces debt ceiling issue WWClaytor says: @CMckenzieSutton the debt ceiling deadline 's the day I get back from Hawaii, so maybe we can watch the apocalypse together. Imma DM you my #
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Click here to view this media Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty Sunday accused President Barack Obama of “hiding in the basement” instead of speaking to the American people directly about his plan to raise the debt ceiling. “As important as the debt ceiling is, the other issues of whether we’re going to fix the spending problems of the country also deserve attention, and if not now, when?” Pawlenty told CNN’s Candy Crowley. “He’s ducking, he’s bobbing, he’s weaving, he’s not leading leading, and that’s not the kind of president we need. And that’s why he needs to be removed from office.” “We should say that apparently with Speaker Boehner, he has talked about some of these reforms,” Crowley noted. “In hiding,” Pawlenty interrupted. “If you’re the leader of the of the free world, would you please come to the microphone and quit hiding in the basement about your proposals and come on up and address the American people? Is he chicken?” “Is he?” Crowley pressed. “I love Paul Ryan, but we should not have to have a congressman from Wisconsin leading the debate on the nation’s financial challenges in one of the most historically moments in the country’s history. The president should be standing out courageously and leading on these issues specifically, and you can’t find him,” Pawlenty said. “If we wanted to do it in private, we can go down to the VFW basement. I can go have a beer with my neighbor over that. He’s the president. Come on out of the basement and come out to the lawn of the White House to the microphone and tell us your plan on entitlement reform and he won’t do it because he doesn’t have the courage to do it.” But Obama has spoken to the American people about the need to raise the debt ceiling in a series of interviews and press conferences in recent days. “President Obama has been spending more time in the White House briefing room that a C-Span cameraman the past couple of weeks,” Mediate’s Tommy Christopher observed Sunday. And the White House has presented the public with the same proposal to raise the debt ceiling as past administrations. “Our very strong view is that the debt limit should be passed as a clean, standalone bill,” Office of Management and Budget director Jack Lew told Bloomberg TV in April. “It has always been a straight up or down vote,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) said Thursday . “The new leadership in the House has decided that they want to add some budget cuts or other considerations to this vote, because that is their preference, and they are the leadership, so we are in this quagmire.” “The problem here is that there are two issues tied together that shouldn’t be,” Christopher opined. “If Republicans want to see a ‘plan’ to avoid a default, here it is: raise the goddam debt ceiling. Is that specific enough?”
Continue reading …Fareed Zakaria Blames Tea Party for ‘Extraordinary Polarization in Washington Today’
July 24, 2011 No Comment
Fareed Zakaria on Sunday blamed the Tea Party for the “extraordinary polarization in Washington today.” “It's ideologically extreme, refuses to compromise, and cares more about purity than problem solving,” Zakaria told viewers of the CNN program bearing his name (video follows with transcript and commentary): FAREED ZAKARIA: Watching the extraordinary polarization in Washington today, many people have pointed the finger at the Tea Party. It's ideologically extreme, refuses to compromise, and cares more about purity than problem solving. I happen to agree with much of that critique, but it doesn't really answer the question, why has the Tea Party become so prominent? Why is it able to dominate Washington? So the extraordinary polarization in Washington today has nothing to do with the extreme left-wing views of President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). It's all because of the relatively small percentage of legislators affiliated with the Tea Party. What nonsense, as beside the hyper-partisanship of today's Democrat leaders, another huge factor is media members like Zakaria always accusing those they don't agree with of having extreme, polarizing views. But such logic is beyond this high and mighty CNN host: ZAKARIA: We've had plenty of ideologically charged movements come to Washington before. Think of Barry Goldwater or George McGovern. But once in Washington, the system encouraged compromise and governance. But, over the last few decades, what has changed are the rules organizing American politics, and they now encourage small interest groups, including ideologically charged ones, to capture major political parties as well as Congress itself. Call it political narrow casting. Here are some examples. Redistricting has created safe seats so that for most House members, their only concern is a challenge from the right for Republicans and the left for Democrats. The incentive is to pander to the base, not the center. Party primaries have been taken over by small groups of activists who push even popular senators to extreme positions. In Utah, for example, 3,500 conservative activists managed to take the well-regarded Senator Robert Bennett off the ballot. GOP senators like Orrin Hatch and John McCain have moved farther to the right, hoping to stave off similar assaults. Zakaria neglected to inform viewers that the “well-regarded Senator Robert Bennett” came in third in Utah's May 8, 2010, primary. He also chose to ignore how Republican in Name Only McCain suffered one of the biggest presidential defeats in recent memory in 2008, and that the moderate views of the GOP cost it both chambers of Congress in 2006. By contrast, a massive shift to the Right gave Republicans the biggest Congressional victory in decades last year. To a shill like Zakaria, this was bad political strategy, and the GOP needs to move back to the center to be successful. Think they should take his advice?
Continue reading …Boehner After GOP Hostage Taking: ‘This is about doing the right thing for our country.’
July 24, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media Even after allowing this hostage taking to go right up to the brink of default, Boehner wants us to believe he’s really just worried about doing what’s right for the country and might still be willing to make a deal with President Obama. If he was worried about doing what’s right, he’d help get a clean vote passed on the debt ceiling and we wouldn’t be wondering if the markets might start reacting to this stuff at any moment. Steve Benen has a great post up on this same interview — Boehner claims to be ‘worried about the country’ : House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), as expected, is now fully invested in a temporary debt-ceiling extension. He’ll accept $1 trillion in cuts — with no revenue — now, and then consider another extension next year after additional negotiations over taxes and entitlements. Democrats want one debt-ceiling vote, seeing no need to put the country through this twice in less than a year. Take note of how Boehner responds to this . Boehner suggested Sunday that by trying to put the next debt ceiling debate off for so long Obama was trying to gain political advantage. “I know the president is worried about his next re-election, but, my God, shouldn’t we be worried about the country?” Boehner asked. It’s entirely possible that the House Speaker really is this dumb. With this in mind, I’m trying to think about how to ask the questions in a way John Boehner can understand. How about this: 1. How would the country benefit from two votes on raising the debt ceiling, instead of one? 2. If Republicans are sincerely concerned about economic “uncertainty,” why tell investors, job creators, and international markets that default is a possibility early next year? 3. If getting one debt-ceiling revision through Congress is necessary but difficult, why make lawmakers go through this twice? Steve went on to slam Boehner for having the nerve to try to take the high road here when he has allowed this hostage taking in the first place and wondered if Boehner would care to answer his own question. I don’t expect we’ll see that happen any time soon. Transcript below the fold. WALLACE: There is considerable criticism among House Republicans, and I’m sure some of them are going shake their heads watching what you’ve just said, that you are too eager for this grand bargain. You’re too eager to make a deal with Barack Obama. BOEHNER: What I am eager for is to do the right thing for the country. I didn’t come here to be a congressman, I came here to do something on behalf of my country. I didn’t want to be a speaker of the House because I needed a big fancy job, I wanted to be speaker so that I could lead an effort to do the right things for our country. We have a spending problem. And I am going to do everything I can to try to tackle this problem in as big a way as I can because it is the right thing for the country. WALLACE: Even if it causes heart burn in the House GOP caucus? BOEHNER: This is about doing the right thing for our country. WALLACE: You now say that you and the president are from different planets, you have two entirely different views of the world. What made you ever think, what makes you seem to think that even now that you can make a deal with this president with his views on trillions of dollars in spending, entitlements and taxes? BOEHNER: Well, Chris, I was born with the glass half full. I’m the optimist. And it is about trying to find common ground. Yes, I understand the president feels that we need a bigger government and more spending here in Washington. I believe allowing the American people to keep more of that money is the best way to create jobs and grow our economy. But having said the fact that we’re on — it is almost like we come from two different planets. My job on behalf the country is to find as much common ground as we can to help move the country ahead. WALLACE: But Democrats are saying, and you heard this implied by Tim Geithner just before you, that you end up looking bad with voters because you walked out of the talks twice. And you are willing to risk default because you want to cut Medicare and Medicaid and not cut tax for the wealthy. BOEHNER: I’m not going to get involved in all that political sniping. I am interested in a solution to the problem we face. I don’t want to see default. I don’t frankly want to get anywhere close to it. WALLACE: We are close to it now. BOEHNER: It is bad for our economy and bad for our country. And so I am trying to find a common ground that doable in the time remaining. WALLACE: Well let me just ask you, and that’s the last question, sir. How does disappointed are you, because according to your plan, as we understand it now, and it may change, a trillion in spending cuts in the short term. How disappointed are you that after months of talking, after this urgent deadline, that it seems now that maybe the most that Washington can come up with when you are going to spend $46 trillion over the next decade, is $1 trillion in spending? BOEHNER: After over six months conversations with the president about doing the big deal, about taking a big step in the right direction, it is pretty clear to me that they are just not willing to do it. That the next election matters more than doing what is right for the country. I am not worried about the next election. I told the president months ago forget about the next election. If we do the right thing for the country, we’ll not have to worry about who is going to get elected and who isn’t. WALLACE: Speaker Boehner, I want to thank you always — as always for coming in. And we’ll see how the world turns this week, sir. BOEHNER: We sure will.
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