One of the first voices to blow the whistle on phone hacking in the UK, former News of the World journalist Sean Hoare, was found dead northwest of London. Police said the death was being treated as unexplained. (July 18)
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One of the first voices to blow the whistle on phone hacking in the UK, former News of the World journalist Sean Hoare, was found dead northwest of London. Police said the death was being treated as unexplained. (July 18)
Continue reading …Asked Why Workers Should Pay For Tax Cuts, Romney Repeats The Right-Wing Lie That We Need Lower Taxes On Business To Compete
July 18, 2011 No CommentGood old Mittens! He’s standing up for the rights of corporations to squeeze every last drop out of the U.S. treasury that by rights, belongs to them and their warrior class of entrepreneurial heroes. So much so, that when this man asks a rational question at a Rotary Club event, instead of answering him, Mittens repeats the right-wing lie that we have the highest taxes in the industrial world. He doesn’t seem to want to explain that the effective rate (that is, the rate paid after numerous deductions) is one of the lowest. That’s why we have so many giant corporations that not only pay no tax at all, they even get rebates. But Mittens insists they need even more tax cuts in order to compete: A member of the local Rotary Club stood yesterday to ask former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) a question weighing on the minds of millions of jobless Americans: At a time when corporations are sitting on record amounts of cash , why are the Americans who can least afford it being asked to shoulder the burden of trillions of dollars in potential budget cuts? But Romney dodged the question, ignoring the plight of the poor and unemployed, and instead launched into a speech about how American jobs were being outsourced to developing countries with cheap labor and miniscule tax rates because the U.S. has made itself unattractive to major corporations. Instead of sticking up for Americans who are facing cuts to the safety net programs they desperately need, Romney took the opportunity to proclaim that America’s problems could be fixed if it gave corporations yet another tax cut : QUESTIONER: We obviously need cuts to the budget…but many of the recipients of those programs are Americans whose jobs have gone places where labor is cheap. So corporate profits remain high and in some cases higher than ever. Is it fair to ask those Americans to shoulder reductions in favor of businesses and corporations who have sent those jobs overseas? ROMNEY: We need to make ourselves the most attractive place in the world for entrepreneurs and pioneers and businesses, just like it was when the Founders created this country. How do you do that? One, you make sure our employer tax rates aren’t the highest in the world . Right now they’re tied with Japan as the highest in the world. They’re about 10 points higher than the corporate tax rates in many of the countries in Europe.
Continue reading …Asked Why Workers Should Pay For Tax Cuts, Romney Repeats The Right-Wing Lie That We Need Lower Taxes On Business To Compete
July 18, 2011 No CommentGood old Mittens! He’s standing up for the rights of corporations to squeeze every last drop out of the U.S. treasury that by rights, belongs to them and their warrior class of entrepreneurial heroes. So much so, that when this man asks a rational question at a Rotary Club event, instead of answering him, Mittens repeats the right-wing lie that we have the highest taxes in the industrial world. He doesn’t seem to want to explain that the effective rate (that is, the rate paid after numerous deductions) is one of the lowest. That’s why we have so many giant corporations that not only pay no tax at all, they even get rebates. But Mittens insists they need even more tax cuts in order to compete: A member of the local Rotary Club stood yesterday to ask former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) a question weighing on the minds of millions of jobless Americans: At a time when corporations are sitting on record amounts of cash , why are the Americans who can least afford it being asked to shoulder the burden of trillions of dollars in potential budget cuts? But Romney dodged the question, ignoring the plight of the poor and unemployed, and instead launched into a speech about how American jobs were being outsourced to developing countries with cheap labor and miniscule tax rates because the U.S. has made itself unattractive to major corporations. Instead of sticking up for Americans who are facing cuts to the safety net programs they desperately need, Romney took the opportunity to proclaim that America’s problems could be fixed if it gave corporations yet another tax cut : QUESTIONER: We obviously need cuts to the budget…but many of the recipients of those programs are Americans whose jobs have gone places where labor is cheap. So corporate profits remain high and in some cases higher than ever. Is it fair to ask those Americans to shoulder reductions in favor of businesses and corporations who have sent those jobs overseas? ROMNEY: We need to make ourselves the most attractive place in the world for entrepreneurs and pioneers and businesses, just like it was when the Founders created this country. How do you do that? One, you make sure our employer tax rates aren’t the highest in the world . Right now they’re tied with Japan as the highest in the world. They’re about 10 points higher than the corporate tax rates in many of the countries in Europe.
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OKLAHOMA CITY — As temperatures climbed into the 90s Sunday in Steele, N.D., a small window air conditioner in Paul and Betty Smokov’s ranch home just couldn’t keep up. “It’s 82 in the house,” Betty Smokov said. “The heat is really oppressive and sticky.” That observation could be made anywhere in the central U.S. Heat advisories and warnings were in place in 17 states, from Texas to Michigan, as temperatures and humidity combined to make being outside uncomfortable for millions. One National Weather Service forecaster called the heat wave “unrelenting” and said sweaty residents shouldn’t expect any relief soon: A so-called “heat dome” over the region isn’t moving much. “The trend is not our friend right now,” said Daryl Williams, a forecaster in Norman. In Oklahoma City, forecasters expected another day of 100-degree heat Sunday, which would be the 27th day this year the city has reached 100 or above. The city is on pace to break its record for such days – 50 set in 1980 – with triple-digit heat possible through September. It’s even worse in western Oklahoma, where temperatures at 110 or above have been common in recent weeks. In Enid, asphalt at a major intersection along U.S. Highway 412 buckled Saturday night from the intense heat. Justin Tinder of Weatherford and his family visited the Oklahoma City Zoo on Sunday, arriving at 9 a.m. “By noon, we were headed out,” Tinder said. “It was too hot for us to stand much longer. We decided to check it in and go find some air conditioning.” In Chicago, city officials said a half-dozen cooling centers would remain open this week, as temperatures as high as 105 were forecast in Illinois. Cooling centers also were open in Detroit to help residents who don’t have air conditioning at home. Others were heading toward water for relief, including 65-year-old welder Marcellus Washington, who wore a floppy cloth fishing hat and sunglasses as he walked through a park on the Detroit River that marks the border with Canada. “A day like this, you can’t beat it,” Washington said. “It’s a heavenly day. It’s God’s weather.” Others who had to be outside in the heat took precautions. North Dakota National Guard Capt. Dan Murphy said several hundred soldiers deployed for flood-fighting efforts in the Dakotas were required to take mandatory rest breaks in the shade. “It’s hot in those vests and uniforms,” Murphy said. “These are soldiers. They can’t just strip down to T-shirts and shorts.” Officials at the Cornhusker State Games, an amateur sports festival in Nebraska, had crews bring extra water and ice for participants. “It takes a physical toll on anyone out there,” said the event’s executive director, Dave Minarik. Dwight Anderson, the owner of an Omaha, Neb., amusement park, had two tons of ice cubes dumped in the park’s swimming pools Friday night to lower the water temperature from 88 degrees to 82. Anderson said he plans to dump more ice into the Fun Plex pools on Monday night or Tuesday morning. The Schwan’s USA Cup youth soccer tournament in Blaine, Minn., suspended play for a time Sunday because of heat indexes that soared to 110 degrees. Tournament spokesman Barclay Kruse said organizers wanted to avoid any heat-related health issues before they developed. Police said heat may have played a role in the death of a 55-year-old man at a homeless camp in Springfield, Mo., on Saturday. Police found him in a small tent after others at the camp raised alarm. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday. The heat also is adversely affecting wildlife. The Texas AgriLife Extension Service said last week that pregnant does are having difficulty carrying fawns to term and other fawns are being born prematurely. Texas A&M University researchers determined the period from February to June was the driest such period on record in Texas, with a statewide average of 4.26 inches of rain. The next driest February-to-June stretch was in 1917, with a 6.45-inch rain average. The Smokovs in North Dakota monitored their cattle for heat symptoms Sunday as temperatures neared triple digits. “The cattle seem to be OK and we haven’t lost any from the heat,” Betty Smokov said. “We’re making sure they got water and in this heat, that’s all you can do.” ___ Associated Press writers James MacPherson in Bismarck, N.D.; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; David N. Goodman in Detroit; Charles Wilson in Indianapolis; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; and Timberly Ross in Omaha, Neb. contributed to this report.
Continue reading …OKLAHOMA CITY — As temperatures climbed into the 90s Sunday in Steele, N.D., a small window air conditioner in Paul and Betty Smokov’s ranch home just couldn’t keep up. “It’s 82 in the house,” Betty Smokov said. “The heat is really oppressive and sticky.” That observation could be made anywhere in the central U.S. Heat advisories and warnings were in place in 17 states, from Texas to Michigan, as temperatures and humidity combined to make being outside uncomfortable for millions. One National Weather Service forecaster called the heat wave “unrelenting” and said sweaty residents shouldn’t expect any relief soon: A so-called “heat dome” over the region isn’t moving much. “The trend is not our friend right now,” said Daryl Williams, a forecaster in Norman. In Oklahoma City, forecasters expected another day of 100-degree heat Sunday, which would be the 27th day this year the city has reached 100 or above. The city is on pace to break its record for such days – 50 set in 1980 – with triple-digit heat possible through September. It’s even worse in western Oklahoma, where temperatures at 110 or above have been common in recent weeks. In Enid, asphalt at a major intersection along U.S. Highway 412 buckled Saturday night from the intense heat. Justin Tinder of Weatherford and his family visited the Oklahoma City Zoo on Sunday, arriving at 9 a.m. “By noon, we were headed out,” Tinder said. “It was too hot for us to stand much longer. We decided to check it in and go find some air conditioning.” In Chicago, city officials said a half-dozen cooling centers would remain open this week, as temperatures as high as 105 were forecast in Illinois. Cooling centers also were open in Detroit to help residents who don’t have air conditioning at home. Others were heading toward water for relief, including 65-year-old welder Marcellus Washington, who wore a floppy cloth fishing hat and sunglasses as he walked through a park on the Detroit River that marks the border with Canada. “A day like this, you can’t beat it,” Washington said. “It’s a heavenly day. It’s God’s weather.” Others who had to be outside in the heat took precautions. North Dakota National Guard Capt. Dan Murphy said several hundred soldiers deployed for flood-fighting efforts in the Dakotas were required to take mandatory rest breaks in the shade. “It’s hot in those vests and uniforms,” Murphy said. “These are soldiers. They can’t just strip down to T-shirts and shorts.” Officials at the Cornhusker State Games, an amateur sports festival in Nebraska, had crews bring extra water and ice for participants. “It takes a physical toll on anyone out there,” said the event’s executive director, Dave Minarik. Dwight Anderson, the owner of an Omaha, Neb., amusement park, had two tons of ice cubes dumped in the park’s swimming pools Friday night to lower the water temperature from 88 degrees to 82. Anderson said he plans to dump more ice into the Fun Plex pools on Monday night or Tuesday morning. The Schwan’s USA Cup youth soccer tournament in Blaine, Minn., suspended play for a time Sunday because of heat indexes that soared to 110 degrees. Tournament spokesman Barclay Kruse said organizers wanted to avoid any heat-related health issues before they developed. Police said heat may have played a role in the death of a 55-year-old man at a homeless camp in Springfield, Mo., on Saturday. Police found him in a small tent after others at the camp raised alarm. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday. The heat also is adversely affecting wildlife. The Texas AgriLife Extension Service said last week that pregnant does are having difficulty carrying fawns to term and other fawns are being born prematurely. Texas A&M University researchers determined the period from February to June was the driest such period on record in Texas, with a statewide average of 4.26 inches of rain. The next driest February-to-June stretch was in 1917, with a 6.45-inch rain average. The Smokovs in North Dakota monitored their cattle for heat symptoms Sunday as temperatures neared triple digits. “The cattle seem to be OK and we haven’t lost any from the heat,” Betty Smokov said. “We’re making sure they got water and in this heat, that’s all you can do.” ___ Associated Press writers James MacPherson in Bismarck, N.D.; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; David N. Goodman in Detroit; Charles Wilson in Indianapolis; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; and Timberly Ross in Omaha, Neb. contributed to this report.
Continue reading …OKLAHOMA CITY — As temperatures climbed into the 90s Sunday in Steele, N.D., a small window air conditioner in Paul and Betty Smokov’s ranch home just couldn’t keep up. “It’s 82 in the house,” Betty Smokov said. “The heat is really oppressive and sticky.” That observation could be made anywhere in the central U.S. Heat advisories and warnings were in place in 17 states, from Texas to Michigan, as temperatures and humidity combined to make being outside uncomfortable for millions. One National Weather Service forecaster called the heat wave “unrelenting” and said sweaty residents shouldn’t expect any relief soon: A so-called “heat dome” over the region isn’t moving much. “The trend is not our friend right now,” said Daryl Williams, a forecaster in Norman. In Oklahoma City, forecasters expected another day of 100-degree heat Sunday, which would be the 27th day this year the city has reached 100 or above. The city is on pace to break its record for such days – 50 set in 1980 – with triple-digit heat possible through September. It’s even worse in western Oklahoma, where temperatures at 110 or above have been common in recent weeks. In Enid, asphalt at a major intersection along U.S. Highway 412 buckled Saturday night from the intense heat. Justin Tinder of Weatherford and his family visited the Oklahoma City Zoo on Sunday, arriving at 9 a.m. “By noon, we were headed out,” Tinder said. “It was too hot for us to stand much longer. We decided to check it in and go find some air conditioning.” In Chicago, city officials said a half-dozen cooling centers would remain open this week, as temperatures as high as 105 were forecast in Illinois. Cooling centers also were open in Detroit to help residents who don’t have air conditioning at home. Others were heading toward water for relief, including 65-year-old welder Marcellus Washington, who wore a floppy cloth fishing hat and sunglasses as he walked through a park on the Detroit River that marks the border with Canada. “A day like this, you can’t beat it,” Washington said. “It’s a heavenly day. It’s God’s weather.” Others who had to be outside in the heat took precautions. North Dakota National Guard Capt. Dan Murphy said several hundred soldiers deployed for flood-fighting efforts in the Dakotas were required to take mandatory rest breaks in the shade. “It’s hot in those vests and uniforms,” Murphy said. “These are soldiers. They can’t just strip down to T-shirts and shorts.” Officials at the Cornhusker State Games, an amateur sports festival in Nebraska, had crews bring extra water and ice for participants. “It takes a physical toll on anyone out there,” said the event’s executive director, Dave Minarik. Dwight Anderson, the owner of an Omaha, Neb., amusement park, had two tons of ice cubes dumped in the park’s swimming pools Friday night to lower the water temperature from 88 degrees to 82. Anderson said he plans to dump more ice into the Fun Plex pools on Monday night or Tuesday morning. The Schwan’s USA Cup youth soccer tournament in Blaine, Minn., suspended play for a time Sunday because of heat indexes that soared to 110 degrees. Tournament spokesman Barclay Kruse said organizers wanted to avoid any heat-related health issues before they developed. Police said heat may have played a role in the death of a 55-year-old man at a homeless camp in Springfield, Mo., on Saturday. Police found him in a small tent after others at the camp raised alarm. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday. The heat also is adversely affecting wildlife. The Texas AgriLife Extension Service said last week that pregnant does are having difficulty carrying fawns to term and other fawns are being born prematurely. Texas A&M University researchers determined the period from February to June was the driest such period on record in Texas, with a statewide average of 4.26 inches of rain. The next driest February-to-June stretch was in 1917, with a 6.45-inch rain average. The Smokovs in North Dakota monitored their cattle for heat symptoms Sunday as temperatures neared triple digits. “The cattle seem to be OK and we haven’t lost any from the heat,” Betty Smokov said. “We’re making sure they got water and in this heat, that’s all you can do.” ___ Associated Press writers James MacPherson in Bismarck, N.D.; Sophia Tareen in Chicago; David N. Goodman in Detroit; Charles Wilson in Indianapolis; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; and Timberly Ross in Omaha, Neb. contributed to this report.
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Despite the concerns raised by the critics of the plan, Russia is not left with many options other than expanding the largest city in Europe. Russia’s population has declined by 1.2%, according to its 2010 census. However, the population in Moscow rose from 10.4 million to 11.5 million—more than a 10% increase. (PHOTOS: Happy 450th
Continue reading …As News Corp continues to reel from the phone hacking scandal, its independent directors are wondering whether it’s time for a leadership change, insiders tell Bloomberg . The independent directors—who make up 9 seats of the 16-member board—complain that they’ve been given too little information about the scandal and…
Continue reading …Probing Bachmann, Palin, and Gingrich, NBC’s Investigative Unit Ignores Obama’s ATF Debacle
July 18, 2011 No CommentThe NBC News Investigative Unit has devoted considerable resources to uncovering “scandals” ranging from Marcus Bachmann's health clinic to Newt Gingrich's credit line at Tiffany to the Sarah Palin document dump, but continues to ignore a botched Justice Department operation that contributed to the death of a U.S. border agent. Examining the trove of reports filed by NBC News national investigative correspondent Michael Isikoff over the last few months reveals a fixation on investigations involving Republican politicians and an aversion to probes concerning the Obama administration, even as other media outlets expose the controversial ATF practice of letting guns purchased in America slip across the U.S.-Mexico border in hopes the trail would lead federal agents to drug kingpins. Just days before Rep. Darrell Issa's (R-Calif.) investigation into operation “Fast and Furious” went unreported on the NBC “Nightly News, ” Isikoff flew to Juneau, Alaska to aimlessly scour newly-released emails during Sarah Palin's time as governor. Even MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews described Isikoff as “feverishly pouring over those documents.” As it turned out, the documents produced no scandals, forcing Isikoff to admit his Al Capone's vault moment: “So far, I don't think anybody's found any bombshells here.” So uninteresting, the Palin investigation never even made it into the correspondent's online archive, dubbed the “Isikoff Files.” Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy Something else that won't be found in Isikoff's tome of probes is a thorough investigation into the role the ATF's gun-walking practices played in the slaying of U.S. Border Agent Brian Terry, who was killed in a firefight with Mexican drug cartel members in December. As CBS reported, two of the guns found at the crime scene were part of thousands the ATF allegedly allowed gunrunners to purchase and smuggle into Mexico. While a flawed Obama administration operation that reportedly contributed to the death of a U.S. border agent failed to interest NBC's Investigative Unit, the $137,000 in Medicaid funds paid to Michele Bachmann's husband's health clinic deserved coverage simply because Bachmann “has forcefully denounced the Medicaid program for swelling the 'welfare rolls'.” Apparently Isikoff thinks it's scandalous that instead of depriving poor people of health care, Marcus Bachmann accepted government funds. When news broke that Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich's credit line at Tiffany and Co. was actually $1 million, not the initially reported $500,000, Isikoff drilled down on the former House Speaker's spending habits. “For Newt Gingrich, there is no end to the bad news,” read Isikoff's lede in a June 22 story that was clearly more deserving of the intrepid correspondent's time than the ATF's perilous gun-smuggling operation that is the subject of a congressional investigation. The latest development that NBC's Investigative Unit has failed to follow up on is that the Justice Department, in response to the backlash over operation “Fast and Furious,” announced on July 11 that gun shop owners in four southwestern states were now required to report frequent purchasers of automatic weapons to federal authorities. In April, NBC's Chris Hansen mentioned the ATF operation in passing and toward the end of an undercover investigation, during which the “Dateline” correspondent spoke with people caught up in the Mexican drug war. “The ATF told us it's investigating,” Hansen reported tersely. To rummage through the “Isikoff Files” for yourself, click here . To comb over all of the NBC Investigative Unit's reports, click here . –Alex Fitzsimmons is a News Analysis intern at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
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