ABC's World News on Tuesday continued to demonstrate the network's lack of interest in whether enhanced interrogation methods such as waterboarding played a part in the killing of Osama bin laden. The Diane Sawyer-anchored program was the only newscast to avoid the topic. In contrast, Nightly News host Brian Williams interviewed CIA director Leon Panetta, grilling, ” Can you confirm that it was as a result of waterboarding that we learned what we needed to learn to go after bin Laden? ” He hammered the question three times, adding, “…Are you denying that waterboarding was in part among the tactics used to extract the intelligence that led to this successful mission?” On the CBS Evening News, anchor Katie Couric made similar points to Panetta: “One of President Obama's first acts was to outlaw enhanced interrogation techniques. Now, some of these were used on detainees who provided information that led to bin Laden's whereabouts. Given that, do you think the use of these techniques should, in fact, be re-evaluated?” Panetta did not appear on ABC. Not only that, ABC's World News on Tuesday didn't mention waterboarding or enhanced interrogation at all. Both Evening News and Nightly News obtained scoops from Panetta. He admitted to Williams, ” No, I think some of the detainees clearly were were, you know- they used these enhanced interrogation techniques against some of these detainees .” Panetta told Couric, “Obviously there was- there was some valuable information that was derived through those kinds of interrogations.” On Wednesday, however, both NBC's Today and CBS's Early Show ignored these important nuggets of information their colleagues obtained. During the Bush administration, journalists indignantly attacked the use of enhanced interrogation. On the May 31, 2005, ABC's Terry Moran, at a press conference with George W. Bush, Terry Moran complained, ““Mr. President, recently Amnesty International said you have established, quote, ‘a new gulag of prisons around the world beyond the reach of the law and decency.’” On The May 22, 2009 GMA, Chris Cuomo speculated, “Enhanced interrogation. Is that just another word for torture and is that the game America should be in?” On September 13, 2006, Evening News' Bob Schieffer scolded, “Democracies have no business running secret prisons. That's what our enemies do.” A transcript of the May 03 Nightly News and Evening News exchanges with Panetta can be found below: CBS Evening News 6:34 KATIE COURIC: One of President Obama's first acts was to outlaw enhanced interrogation techniques. Now, some of these were used on detainees who provided information that led to bin Laden's whereabouts. Given that, do you think the use of these techniques should, in fact, be re-evaluated? LEON PANETTA: No, I really don't. You know, I think what we had here were a lot of streams of intelligence that came together. And I think it's probably going too far to say it all ties to just, you know, one source of information that we received. We were looking at a lot of lines of information, going back a long way. COURIC: Having said that, some valuable information did, in fact, come from enhanced interrogation techniques. PANETTA: Obviously there was- there was some valuable information that was derived through those kinds of interrogations. But I guess the question that everybody will always debate is whether or not those approaches had to be used in order to get the same information. And that, frankly, is an open question.
Continue reading …The federal government is suing Deutsche Bank for $1 billion over shoddy mortgages that cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. The suit accuses the lender of lying to the government while arranging federal insurance on mortgages that it had recklessly approved for poor credit risks, reports the Los Angeles…
Continue reading …Ricardo Chavira Arrested For DUI Ricardo Chavira Arrested For DUI . May 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment. RICARDO Chavira has been a naughty boy! The actor — who plays Eva Longoria’s husband on Desperate Housewives — was arrested for DUI early this morning in Los Angeles, … Ricardo Chavira arrested for DUI in Los Angeles | Fashion and … The actor who plays as Eva Longoria’s husband on Desperate Housewives was arrested on Tuesday, because driving in drunk condition, it was disclosed the Los Angeles Police Department. 'Desperate Housewives' actor Ricardo Chavira arrested for DUI … ‘Desperate Housewives’ actor Ricardo Chavira arrested for DUI . Posted on May 4, 2011 by asbigo. Wе hаνе already seen thе unhappy news ɡο down per Eva Longoria’s real-life matrimony tο Tony Parker — now, thе male whο plays hеr father οn … Desperate Housewives Actor Ricardo Chavira Arrested for DUI … Christina Milian Christina Ricci Chyler Leigh Ciara. Ricardo Chavira Arrested For DUI | Free Deals and People In The News Ricardo Chavira Arrested For DUI . Posted on May 4, 2011 by Admin. American actor,Ricardo Chavira was arrested for DUI this morning in Los Angeles,California. The of Desperate Housewives actor who plays Eva Longoria’s husband on the hit … dhousewives says: 'Desperate Housewives' actor Ricardo Chavira arrested for DUI : We have already seen the sad news go down regardi… http://bit.ly/k7dStd
Continue reading …Kelly Preston on Charlie “My Heart Just Goes Out To Him” Kelly Preston – Charlie Sheen’s Ex-Fiancee Prays For Charlie Kelly Preston Calls Charlie Sheen a ‘Great Man’ Charlie Sheen: Kelly Preston Shot Herself | TRACK NEWS Kelly Preston, Charlie Sheen’s Ex-Fiancee, Prays For Him. Twenty years ago, Kelly Preston almost became Mrs. Charlie Sheen. And while their engagement ended with a bizarre, still mysterious incident in which Sheen . … Did Charlie Sheen Really Shoot Kelly Preston? 21 Years Later, We … Kelly Preston, Charlie Sheen Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage. By now, everyone’s heard that infamous pop-culture anecdote about how, back in 1990, Charlie Sheen allegedly (and accidentally) shot then-fiancée Kelly Preston in the arm, right? … Did Charlie Sheen Really Shoot Kelly Preston? 21 Years Later, We … Kelly Preston, Charlie Sheen By now, everyone’s heard that infamous pop-culture anecdote about how, back in 1990, Charlie Sheen allegedly (and accidentally) shot then-fiancée Kelly Preston in the arm,… E! Online (US) – Top Stories … Charlie Sheen: Kelly Preston Shot Herself | The Sexy Model … Filed under: Charlie Sheen , Kelly Preston Charlie Sheen claims he did not shoot Kelly Preston … and that it was Kelly herself who caused the gun to fire and injure herself in the infamous 1990 incident. Sheen gave his version of … Charlie Sheen: Kelly Preston Shot Herself | XPOZO Filed under: Charlie Sheen , Kelly Preston Charlie Sheen claims he did not shoot Kelly Preston … and that it was Kelly herself who caused the gun to fire and injure herself in the infamous 1990 incident. Sheen gave his version of … spellgod says: What the ┌П┐(►_◄)┌П┐ RT @eonline : Did Charlie Sheen Really Shoot Kelly Preston? 21 Years Later, We Get the Answer http://eonli.ne/jKfkf2
Continue reading …Photos and video of Osama bin Laden’s grisly end and voyage to a watery grave will probably be released at some point, but the final decision will be made by the White House, says CIA Director Leon Panetta. The White House has received three sets of photos, including one that…
Continue reading …The May-November romance of sexy celebs Scarlett Johansson and Sean Penn is hotting up. Scarlett’s moving her clothes to Sean’s Malibu digs, reports the Sun . She’s spending most nights with Penn, and two believe they’ve “found their perfect match,” says a Scarlett pal. The news comes after a slightly disconcerting…
Continue reading …Portugal pleaded for a bailout , and now it’s got one. The hard-up nation has negotiated a bailout from the EU and IMF worth about $116 billion. The three-year loan is a “good agreement that defends Portugal,” according to caretaker PM Jose Socrates, who added that Portugal would receive an extra…
Continue reading …DIY chain calls in Ernst & Young following poor performance during recession and failure to secure rescue deal Nearly four thousand jobs are at risk after Focus DIY, Britain’s fourth-largest DIY chain, today called in administrators after failing to clinch a rescue deal. Ernst & Young will be appointed at midnight after the company, which struggled during the recession, admitted that it was close to a default on huge debts and “that there were no alternatives that could be explored any further”. “The directors have sought consent from the business’s lenders to appoint E&Y as the administrators. All stakeholders including staff are being informed,” Focus said in a statement. Its website stopped taking online orders this afternoon, citing a “technical issue”. The chain has 178 stores and employs 3,919 people. The company was reportedly in talks with restructuring firm GA Europe, but failed to agree a deal. Its US private equity owner Cerberus began to look for a buyer for the chain last autumn. Focus was born in 1987 when its founder, Bill Archer, quit Crown Paints to set up a DIY business with £300,000 from remortgaging his house. He and a former business partner bought two small chains, Choice DIY and Focus, and rebranded all 12 stores as Focus DIY. Four venture-capital firms subsequently backed him in a £4.5m buyout of the Focus DIY chain. The business grew rapidly by acquiring rivals Do It All, Great Mills and Wickes (the latter sold no to Travis Perkins in 2005). The group was bought by Cerberus, which took on debts of £180m, for £1 in 2007 and hired former Wickes boss Bill Grimsey to turn it around. Job losses Retail industry Julia Kollewe guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Liberian mercenaries in Abidjan still resisting three weeks after Alassane Ouattara deposed beaten president Dozens of people have died in Ivory Coast’s commercial capital as the remnants of a militia loyal to Laurent Gbagbo fight on – three weeks after he was deposed . The stubborn resistance in Abidjan is said to come from mainly Liberian mercenaries hired by Gbagbo as a last throw of the dice after he suffered election defeat and his army crumbled. Persistent clashes underline the fragility of post-war security after the power struggle between Gbagbo and his rival Alassane Ouattara , who succeeded him as president. Franck Kodjo, a Red Cross official, told Reuters: “We have seen many dead. We recovered 40 bodies over two hours, but we were forced to stop because we had no room left in our van.” Gbagbo’s refusal to cede power to the democratically-elected Ouattara triggered a renewed civil war which is believed to have killed more than 3,000 people and displaced more than a million. Gbagbo was arrested on 11 April by forces loyal to Ouattara , with assistance from the French military. A commander for the Ivorian army, the FRCI, said the remaining pro-Gbagbo fighters in the Abidjan neighbourhood of Yopougon were mostly Liberians who had crossed the border as guns for hire in the aftermath of the election dispute. Efforts to disarm them have so far failed. “We are in the process of securing the town but there are heavy weapons,” the commander told Reuters. “We’re not the ones firing them, it is those we oppose, the Liberians.” Other parts of Ivory Coast’s main city are reviving after the conflict, with banks reopening and traffic slowly returning to normal. Ivory Coast’s main industry, the cocoa sector, is poised to resume exports of nearly half a million tonnes of beans, exporters said. Ouattara’s government is investigating Gbagbo and his inner circle for alleged human rights abuses during the conflict. He has pledged to set up a South African-style truth and reconciliation commission and has already filled the key post of chairman. Gbagbo is under house arrest in a presidential villa in the northern town of Korhogo, guarded by UN peacekeepers and former rebel forces who supported Ouattara. The former president called for his supporters to allow the country to restart its economy in peace. Gbagbo met a team of mediators including former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan and South African archbishop Desmond Tutu. After the meeting, Tutu said: “We were very thrilled that the former president looked forward to the country returning to normalcy. “This is what we are urging all parties – that the country should become the country it was – peaceful, with security for everyone.” Annan said he encouraged Gbagbo to address the Ivorian people “sooner rather than later” to call for reconciliation. Gbagbo had not given any sign that he disputed Ouattara’s presidency, he added. Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo Alassane Ouattara David Smith guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …If you bought a WiFi-only Galaxy Tab , you probably assumed you were getting the same seven-inch slate that others have been enjoying since November , just without a 3G radio and burdensome two-year contract. Turns out it’s worth poring over those specifications on the rear of the packaging. We’ve yet to get a confirmation from Samsung, but it appears the company swapped out its Hummingbird processor for an older “1GHz Cortex A8″ chip with a slower GPU. The Galaxy Tab carriers have been hawking packs a PowerVR SGX 540, but some folks over at the XDA Developers forums have discovered that its WiFi-only sibling is rolling with the previous-gen SGX530. The specs on the Samsung site also lists Bluetooth 2.1 instead of 3.0 — yet another significant downgrade. We guess the company had to make some trade offs to hit that $350 price point , but we don’t have to like it. WiFi Galaxy Tab running on an older CPU than its 3G siblings? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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