Rolling Thunder turned into something more like Palinpalooza today when Sarah Palin turned up clad in black and causing a stir. And not everyone was gawking, notes Chris Cillizza for the Washington Post: “I’m very not appreciative of the way she came in here,” said Rolling Thunder honcho Ted Shpak…
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President described the scene as ‘heartbreaking’ and promised a ‘national response’ to the tornado that struck a week ago It was, said Barack Obama, the worst destruction he had ever seen. As the president flew over the small town of Joplin, Missouri, one of those travelling with him said it looked as if the heart of the city had been destroyed by a giant bulldozer cutting a swath nearly a mile wide. On the ground, Obama described the scene as “heartbreaking” and promised a “national response” to the tornado that struck a week ago, killing at least 139 people and leaving scores missing. More than 900 were injured. The president returned from his much heralded tour of Europe to pay a sobering visit to Joplin, a city of about 50,000 people which was hit by the deadliest tornado in the US in more than 60 years. His motorcade moved along a main street that one of those accompanying him described as looking as if it had been destroyed by a giant bulldozer. Most of the houses are reduced to debris. Trees were not only stripped of their branches but their bark, leaving unusually white wooden stumps. Obama stopped to talk to survivors who spoke of a miracle that they had survived when others had not. “Sorry for your loss,” he told an anguished woman, hugging her twice as they talked One of those the president spoke to was 85 year-old Hugh Hills who was holding a large American flag in front of his largely destroyed house on Kentucky avenue. Hills told Obama he had “just pulled my chicken pot pie out of the oven when I looked at the TV and it said the storm is coming. And then the TV cut off”. Hills said he hid in a cupboard while most of his house was destroyed around him. The president said afterwards that he had listened to “harrowing stories but also miraculous stories”. “Obviously, it is going to take years to build back,” he said. “This is just not your tragedy. This is a national tragedy, and that means there’s going to be a national response. “What I’ve been telling every family that I’ve met here is we’re going to be here long after the cameras leave. We are not going to stop until Joplin is fully back on its feet.” Natural disasters and extreme weather Barack Obama United States Missouri Chris McGreal guardian.co.uk
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President described the scene as ‘heartbreaking’ and promised a ‘national response’ to the tornado that struck a week ago It was, said Barack Obama, the worst destruction he had ever seen. As the president flew over the small town of Joplin, Missouri, one of those travelling with him said it looked as if the heart of the city had been destroyed by a giant bulldozer cutting a swath nearly a mile wide. On the ground, Obama described the scene as “heartbreaking” and promised a “national response” to the tornado that struck a week ago, killing at least 139 people and leaving scores missing. More than 900 were injured. The president returned from his much heralded tour of Europe to pay a sobering visit to Joplin, a city of about 50,000 people which was hit by the deadliest tornado in the US in more than 60 years. His motorcade moved along a main street that one of those accompanying him described as looking as if it had been destroyed by a giant bulldozer. Most of the houses are reduced to debris. Trees were not only stripped of their branches but their bark, leaving unusually white wooden stumps. Obama stopped to talk to survivors who spoke of a miracle that they had survived when others had not. “Sorry for your loss,” he told an anguished woman, hugging her twice as they talked One of those the president spoke to was 85 year-old Hugh Hills who was holding a large American flag in front of his largely destroyed house on Kentucky avenue. Hills told Obama he had “just pulled my chicken pot pie out of the oven when I looked at the TV and it said the storm is coming. And then the TV cut off”. Hills said he hid in a cupboard while most of his house was destroyed around him. The president said afterwards that he had listened to “harrowing stories but also miraculous stories”. “Obviously, it is going to take years to build back,” he said. “This is just not your tragedy. This is a national tragedy, and that means there’s going to be a national response. “What I’ve been telling every family that I’ve met here is we’re going to be here long after the cameras leave. We are not going to stop until Joplin is fully back on its feet.” Natural disasters and extreme weather Barack Obama United States Missouri Chris McGreal guardian.co.uk
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Protesters clashed with riot police in Belgrade, Serbia on Sunday, after supporters of jailed war-crimes suspect Ratko Mladic rallied outside the parliament building to demand his release. (May 29)
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Protesters clashed with riot police in Belgrade, Serbia on Sunday, after supporters of jailed war-crimes suspect Ratko Mladic rallied outside the parliament building to demand his release. (May 29)
Continue reading …David Brooks: To Have Democratic Fingerprints on a Medicare Reduction Plan Would be Good for the Country
May 29, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media I wonder if this is what Brooks meant when he said the Republicans need to “do something more crafty” with their messaging on destroying Medicare — let’s figure out how to blame the Democrats too. It seems Brooks also thinks that the audience of Meet the Press is silly enough to believe that there is a chance in hell that the Republicans are going to agree to increase taxes, much less offer that up in negotiations with the Democrats. MR. GREGORY: But here’s the–I mean, the question, David Brooks, is whether there’s going to be a deal before they raise the debt ceiling on Medicare, and what that looks like. I mean, Senator McConnell wouldn’t say it, but he’s certainly not backing the Ryan plan. He’s not going to go to the mat. I mean, you don’t–if you don’t whip up the vote in the Senate, that’s not going to the mat, it’s letting your members vote. It would be something different than what Ryan is talking about. MR. BROOKS: Right. If you ask Americans, should we cut Medicare to help and reduce the deficit, 78 percent say no. And so that’s pretty strong. So that’s what happened in New York 26, I agree with Ruth’s analysis on that. So what do the Republicans like Mitch McConnell do? Well, they can do a couple things. One of the things that’ll be useful is to cut a deal that includes Medicare. To have Democrats–Democratic fingerprints on a Medicare reduction plan, which would be good for the country. And by getting the Democrats involved, then that would reduce that as an issue. MR. GREGORY: I–right. MR. BROOKS: And then what they have to offer is tax cut–tax increases on the rich. Now, would the Democrats take that up? I’m not sure and, frankly, I don’t think it’s likely. But that’s what the Republicans need. I think it’s much more likely that we’ll have really a fudge deal on the debt ceiling limit, a nontrivial chance of a significant default problem this year or a government shutdown problem this year, and then a very large chance of some sort of fiscal crack-up in the next couple of years. I was up on Wall Street this week. I know more about political risk than they do. They’re vastly underestimating the source of political risk here. We could have a major problem, I think, either this summer or the next couple years. And I’d be worried about investing too much in the market, that’s my financial advice.
Continue reading …David Brooks: To Have Democratic Fingerprints on a Medicare Reduction Plan Would be Good for the Country
May 29, 2011 No Comment
Click here to view this media I wonder if this is what Brooks meant when he said the Republicans need to “do something more crafty” with their messaging on destroying Medicare — let’s figure out how to blame the Democrats too. It seems Brooks also thinks that the audience of Meet the Press is silly enough to believe that there is a chance in hell that the Republicans are going to agree to increase taxes, much less offer that up in negotiations with the Democrats. MR. GREGORY: But here’s the–I mean, the question, David Brooks, is whether there’s going to be a deal before they raise the debt ceiling on Medicare, and what that looks like. I mean, Senator McConnell wouldn’t say it, but he’s certainly not backing the Ryan plan. He’s not going to go to the mat. I mean, you don’t–if you don’t whip up the vote in the Senate, that’s not going to the mat, it’s letting your members vote. It would be something different than what Ryan is talking about. MR. BROOKS: Right. If you ask Americans, should we cut Medicare to help and reduce the deficit, 78 percent say no. And so that’s pretty strong. So that’s what happened in New York 26, I agree with Ruth’s analysis on that. So what do the Republicans like Mitch McConnell do? Well, they can do a couple things. One of the things that’ll be useful is to cut a deal that includes Medicare. To have Democrats–Democratic fingerprints on a Medicare reduction plan, which would be good for the country. And by getting the Democrats involved, then that would reduce that as an issue. MR. GREGORY: I–right. MR. BROOKS: And then what they have to offer is tax cut–tax increases on the rich. Now, would the Democrats take that up? I’m not sure and, frankly, I don’t think it’s likely. But that’s what the Republicans need. I think it’s much more likely that we’ll have really a fudge deal on the debt ceiling limit, a nontrivial chance of a significant default problem this year or a government shutdown problem this year, and then a very large chance of some sort of fiscal crack-up in the next couple of years. I was up on Wall Street this week. I know more about political risk than they do. They’re vastly underestimating the source of political risk here. We could have a major problem, I think, either this summer or the next couple years. And I’d be worried about investing too much in the market, that’s my financial advice.
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In the Weekly Address, Vice President Joe Biden shares good news about the growing recovery of the American auto industry, and reaffirms President Obama’s commitment to tackling the challenges faced by hard working Americans. And because of what we did, the auto industry is rising again. Manufacturing is coming back. And our economy is recovering and it’s gaining traction. But the thing is this: even… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Kicking Ass Discovery Date : 28/05/2011 13:21 Number of articles : 3
Continue reading …Gas grilling isn’t just lazy: “It’s nihilism in a tank, and it has to stop now,” writes Josh Ozersky in a passionate ode to charcoal grilling. His effusive Time column rhapsodizes about coal, elevating it to the level of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (“It shouldn’t require an…
Continue reading …If Dominique Strauss-Kahn presided over a testosterone-fueled, gray-suit clad world of international finance, then it is perhaps no small irony that it’s poised to get a zebra-print breath of fresh air in the form of his likely successor. New York Times scribe Maureen Dowd writes a glowing profile of Christine…
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