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Egyptian authorities launched a systematic crackdown on the press today, rounding up journalists and sending armed gangs through the streets to attack anyone with camera equipment. Two New York Times journalists were detained overnight, and then released this morning, the paper reports . In addition to the gangs, the government has…

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Senate Dems Vote Unanimously To Block Health Care Law Repeal

Click here to view this media In news that will surprise no one, Senate Dems voted unanimously to defeat the GOP attempt to repeal the health care bill. This one will be decided in the courts: Senate Democrats remained united on Wednesday in killing a Republican effort to repeal the health care bill signed into law last March. As expected, no Democrats voted against a procedural motion that effectively defeated a GOP amendment — sponsored by Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and tacked on to an unrelated aviation bill — to repeal the health legislation. All Republicans voted together in favor of the McConnell-sponsored amendment. The vote was 47-51. The House passed the repeal measure last month. But the defeat of the equivalent legislation in the Senate means that the ultimate fate of the health care bill will likely not be settled until the Supreme Court hears an expected constitutional challenge to the law — particularly its mandate that most Americans buy insurance. The high court would likely hear the case in its next term, which begins in October of 2011, although some would like to see the matter addressed sooner. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., urged the court today to expedite the ruling. As John Thune and Orrin Hatch told Greta Van Susteren last night, Republicans aren’t giving up or going away on this. Indeed, they intend to try a piecemeal approach of a death by a thousand cuts. They also clearly are pinning most of their hopes on a Supreme Court decision.

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ABC Sets Up Sting Operation to Find Racism in AZ Immigration Law, Hires Actor to Play Bigot

ABC and reporter John Quinones on Thursday stretched the bounds of journalism, hiring an actor to play a racist security guard as a way of testing how the people of Arizona would react to the state's “anti-immigration law.” Previewing the network's ” What Would You Do? ” segment for Friday's 20/20, Quinones explained the undercover concept: “So, I go undercover, pretending to be someone who is about to be arrested and deported, simply by the way I look.” The piece featured a cartoonish “security guard” harassing Mexican actors in Tucson, Arizona. Presumably, ABC chose a security guard because impersonating a police officer is illegal. The actor walked into a restaurant and spewed, ” I'm just looking to make sure these guys are legal citizens. And if they're not legal citizens, they shouldn't be here. They should be deported. They look Mexican .” Of course, having this man pretend to be a security guard really makes no sense. (A security guard is going to deport people?) Secondly, for journalists that often attack conservative sting operations, it's rather odd to see ABC manipulate such a scenario. The Radio, Television and Digital News Association ethics guide states: “Use surreptitious newsgathering techniques, including hidden cameras or microphones, only if there is no other way to obtain stories of significant public importance and only if the technique is explained to the audience.” Was this the only way ABC could do such a story? Previewing the segment, Quinones misstated what Arizona's law actually is. He asserted, “So, we took our cameras down to Arizona, where a controversial, new law would give police the authority to question and perhaps deport anyone who, in their eyes, appears to be in the U.S. illegally .” This is false. Byron York of the Washington Examiner explained in an April 26, 2010 column: Critics have focused on the term “reasonable suspicion” to suggest that the law would give police the power to pick anyone out of a crowd for any reason and force them to prove they are in the U.S. legally. Some foresee mass civil rights violations targeting Hispanics. What fewer people have noticed is the phrase “lawful contact,” which defines what must be going on before police even think about checking immigration status. “That means the officer is already engaged in some detention of an individual because he's violated some other law,” says Kris Kobach, a University of Missouri Kansas City Law School professor who helped draft the measure. “The most likely context where this law would come into play is a traffic stop.” After playing clips of the “security guard” arguing with patrons as he harassed Mexicans, Quinones lectured, “And what we kept hearing over and over from folks was that they all knew about the anti-immigration law. What they didn't realize until we staged our scenario was how it might affect innocent people, Latinos, George who are in this country legally.” Notice the use of “anti-immigration” rather than anti-illegal immigration. A previous “What Would You Do?” segment featured “ugly Americans” in Paris. In January of 2009 , overweight and wearing George W. Bush t-shirts, these actors showcased obnoxious behavior in Europe. Quinones smeared, “They're the ugly Americans. And for more than a century, they've been fixtures in American literature and film.” A transcript of the February 3 segment, which aired at 7:44am EST, follows: 7:30am tease ROBIN ROBERTS: Also this morning, imagine being threatened with deportation, even though you haven't committed a crime and it's all because of how you look. John Quinones goes undercover to Arizona's controversial immigration law. GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: His ultimate, “What would you do?” 7:44 GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: We're going to turn now to our undercover report from the front lines of the border wars. Arizona's immigration law passed last year. It stirred up a lot of controversy. So, John Quinones went to Tucson to put people's attitudes to an unusual test. And as I said earlier, this is sort of an ultimate, “What would you do?” JOHN QUINONES: Yes. We took it all the way to Arizona. You know, what does, George, an illegal immigrant look like? What does he sound like? So, we took our cameras down to Arizona, where a controversial, new law would give police the authority to question and perhaps deport anyone who, in their eyes, appears to be in the U.S. illegally. So, I go undercover, pretending to be someone who is about to be arrested and deported, simply by the way I look. [Video of protests.] These people are protesting for and against Arizona's new immigration law. We travel 70 miles north, to Tucson, Arizona and install our hidden cameras at this popular restaurant. BK. Carne Asada and Hot Dogs. This security guard is an actor hired by What Would You Do? And so are the people he's harassing. WHITE “SECURITY GUARD”: Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt. If I could see some identification. You don't belong here. QUINONES: How will patrons react to the guard asking for identification from a Latino man, a Latino family or even me? WHITE “SECURITY GUARD”: I just want to see some ID and make sure everything's okay. Everybody's like, “Oooh!” It's no big deal. I'm just looking to make sure these guys are legal citizens. And if they're not legal citizens, they shouldn't be here. They should be deported. They look Mexican. QUINONES: The wheels in this woman's head are turning. But, wait until you hear her plan. WHITE WOMAN: He just called for a ride. He's going to try and get him deported because he doesn't have any papers. You gotta get those two guys out of here. WHITE “SECURITY GUARD”: All I'm doing is I'm just looking out for everyone's safety. WHITE WOMAN: You're racial profiling. You totally racial profiled! WHITE “SECURITY GUARD”: Looks like a duck, smells like a duck. WHITE WOMAN: Looks like [bleeped] is [bleeped]. QUINONES: She then unveils her incredible plot to help me escape. WHITE WOMAN: You guys have to get out of here. Do they need to go out the back door, do you think? Where's your car? Where's your car? Where's your car? I can drive over there and meet you right there. QUINONES: Did she really say what we think she said? WHITE WOMAN: You run out that door. And I'll bring your car right over there. QUINONES: I'm a reporter. I'm with ABC News. I'm John Quinones. WHITE WOMAN: Oh. I know who you are. QUINONES: You jumped right in. You were going to take us in your car. WHITE WOMAN: I was actually going to get your car and bring it around and meet you over there. QUINONES: Why get involved? WHITE WOMAN: Maybe you have family, mothers, children. And I would feel bad if you got separated from them and shipped across the other direction. QUINONES: It's amazing how people responded. And what we kept hearing over and over from folks was that they all knew about the anti-immigration law. What they didn't realize until we staged our scenario was how it might affect innocent people, Latinos, George who are in this country legally. STEPHANOPOULOS: Boy, it looks like a fascinating report. Okay, thanks, John. You can see it tomorrow night on Primetime. What Would You Do?”at 9/8 central. — Scott Whitlock is a news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter .

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Goosen celebrates his birthday on top

Al Jazeera’s Joanna Gasiorowska reports on a tough first day at the Qatar Masters in Doha. Strong winds made it a testing day for Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer as they commenced their battle for the world number one spot, while Retief Goosen headed the leaderboard on his 42nd birthday.

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Egypt protests: the view from the Middle East

Middle East correspondents from the Guardian, Der Spiegel and Le Monde report from around the region on reaction to protests in Egypt In an effort to provide the most comprehensive coverage of the seismic events in Egypt and the shockwaves they are sending through the region, the Guardian has teamed up with leading European newspapers Der Spiegel and Le Monde . In the coming days we will be exploring ways to share our reporting from the region, so that you can read dispatches from their highly respected correspondents alongside reports from our own team on the ground. Kicking off this collaboration here are a series of audio reports from correspondents for the three papers in Cairo, Sana’a, Tunis and Beirut. Egypt: Volkhard Windfuhr, from Der Spiegel, reports from Cairo Windfuhr, who has lived in Egypt since the 1950s and been chairman of the Cairo foreign press association since 1994, confirms there has been a change of attitude from the army today, although reports that there are rumours of a split in the military’s leadership. Yemen: Tom Finn reports Thousands of anti-government demonstrators gathered in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a to take part in a “day of rage” against the ruling regime. Finn says protesters had planned to protest in Sana’a’s Tahrir Square, but the pro-government supporters got there first. Tunisia: Mathieu von Rohr, from Der Spiegel, reports People in Tunisia, where mass demonstrations saw the ex-president Ben Ali flee last month , feel “very proud” that Egyptians have risen up in protest against Mubarak, von Rohr reports. Der Spiegel’s foreign affairs correspondent says the mood in Tunisia has become more tense in the last couple of days, with clashes in the streets between police and protesters. Lebanon: Ghaith Abdul-Ahad reports Abdul-Ahad says “all is quite now” in Lebanon after the clashes of last week. There is huge interest in the Egyptian protests from people in the country, however he says Lebanon is “so sectarian” that any potential protests in the country are unlikely to be united. Jordan: Martin Chulov reports There’s a “tense calm” in Oman, Chulov says, where “all eyes” have been on Egypt. There is a lot of support for the protesters in Egypt, and talk about how protests may follow on on the streets of Jordan – where demonstrations are planned for Friday 4 February. So far the demonstrations have been carefully planned, but people are watching to see if tomorrow’s protests are have more spontaneous elements, Chulov reports. Egypt Middle East Lebanon Jordan Tunisia Yemen United Arab Emirates Hosni Mubarak Ghaith Abdul-Ahad Martin Chulov Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk

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Sony posts $1.64 billion profit, PlayStation has strong holiday quarter

Sony had quite a good holiday during its third quarter for fiscal year 2010, posting a

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Barack Obama said his faith has deepened during his two years in the White House, and directly addressed questions about his religion, saying his Christianity has been a “sustaining force” during times when he and his family’s faith has been questioned. More highlights from today’s National Prayer Breakfast in Washington:…

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Middle East unrest according to Glenn Beck and friends

Bored of balanced coverage from the lamestream, so-called news media? What you can learn about the Middle East protests from US rightwing commentators ‘Tunisia is our Archduke Ferdinand moment’ Says Glenn Beck, Fox News host: This is not just happenstance. This is not just poor people mad at rich people. This is coordinated. Tunisia was the beginning. I think there is chance Tunisia was our Archduke Ferdinand moment that I’ve been telling you about, warning that it would start in some place that wouldn’t look like anything – and most of us wouldn’t understand it. He was the guy assassinated in Sarajevo. Month later Austria and Hungary declared war against Serbia and the rest is called World War One Beck, the apocalyptically-minded TV host, has the most complete theory on Egypt: the protests there are part of what he calls the “coming insurrection”. He illustrates how it will happen in the clip below using blackboards featuring maps of Europe and the Middle East. He marks friends with a yellow smiley face (Israel), “Frenemies” (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc.) with blue faces and enemies (Iran) with red. Through the use of stick-on fires to illustrate riots he announces to his American viewers: “I’m going to show you how all this cascades over to us”. Key to all it all is that Europe, as his map shows, is already in flames because of some of our recent street protests. Beck never explains the connection between the Greek government’s austerity programme, tuition fees demonstrations in the UK and radical Islam (which no one on the ground in Egypt says is behind the protests there). Do I need to? Because I can’t. To cut to the chase, a new caliphate will emerge in the Middle East and push further east until China, as Beck puts it, says “Knock it off guys” and takes over India, reaching some way into Pakistan. The caliphate will then push north, which is when it will absorb the UK: What happens to the overwhelming radical population of the UK, of radical Islamicists. What happens? Do they just sit around on their hands or do they see an opportunity? When you take the Marxists and you combine them with the radical in Islam the whole world begins to implode So there you have it, an “Archduke Ferdinand moment” which will split Europe, the Middle East and Asia into Chinese and radical Islamic zones. In the full Beck, he also introduces Bill Ayers (who Sarah Palin had in mind when she accused Barack Obama of “palling around with terrorists”), Hizbullah and Code Pink, a feminist antiwar group. But that’s enough for now. ‘It has spread, as we predicted it would’ Says a Glenn Beck radio show co-host: Even when the French riots were going on, this was before Greece. The rioting in France – Paris was on fire virtually every night – we said this is coming to other countries That’s right. The origins of Egypt’s protest lie not in Mubarak’s dictatorship, a languid economy and lack of opportunity for young people but the 2005 unrest in Paris’s banlieues. Does Greece have something to do with it too? Here is Beck – this time on the radio – expanding on his theme of what the Egypt protests mean for Europe: The Muslim radicals in Europe and England rise up. You’ve got the communists and the Muslim radicals, they are not one and the same, they are not coordinating or anything else. But once they start to work together – whether it is coordinated or not, and I don’t believe it would be – once they start to work together in concert Europe is done. It is done. Where is the police force that is going to be able to police the entire world like that. Russia? The United States? How are you going to quell the Middle East? Watch the two of them below: ‘It tracks with this administration’s views on the economy’ Says David Asman, Fox host : President Mubarak sent a message by camel to President Obama today … Mubarak was telling Obama to mind his own business, that he will leave on his own terms, not on terms or timetables dictated by the White House The administration’s inability to have any sway there is what happens when you desert your allies and try to apply Robert’s rules of order to the raw power plays of the Middle East. We saw the same thing happen with the Carter administration’s mishandling of Iran in 1979 and we are shocked that this administration thinks the same lofty ideals will have better luck in Egypt. It is a fairyland, it is an academic view of the world that frankly tracks very closely with this administration’s views on the economy. Take healthcare, for example … To a man with a hammer every problem is a nail, as the saying goes. To a man with a problem with Obama’s healthcare reform, every problem looks like it has something to do with healthcare reform. (via Media Matters for America ) ‘Use our military power’ The strangest thing I’ve seen on the internet for a while: footage of JFK unconvincingly voiced-over by someone who cannot do a JFK impression. Recently the fires of discontent in the Middle East have been inflamed by the aid and comfort that have been given to America’s enemies by our 44th president The 44th president and Joseph Biden [should] be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanours. At that point the speaker of the house, John Boehner, will become the 45th president of our nation. I’m asking john Boehner to use our military power to quell the uprising that is currently threatening the government of Hosni Mubarak I have no idea whether this is serious or satire. None at all. ‘Obama is on the side of radical Islam’ Michael Savage, who calls Obama the “socialist-in-chief”, talks over the US president’s recent statement calling for a transition to democracy in Egypt. Obama: … people want the same things that we all want. A better life for ourselves and our children … Savage: What the heck does that mean? This is the rhetoric you would have heard from the Black Panthers And here is a key quote: Grievances? Here is the community organiser now using community organisational mentality for a nation of Egypt, which is flooded with the Muslim Brotherhood. This is astounding. We are listening to the biggest mistake is US diplomatic history. This fool. This pinheaded fool running this country either doesn’t know his history or is on the side of radical Islam. There’s no two ways about it ‘What the Bible has already said’ Joseph Farah of WorldNetDaily: Iran’s quest serves a second purpose of eliminating all of Israel’s supposed Islamic allies and replacing them with like-minded radical government heads that will renounce their alliance with the US and harden hatred toward Israel. Of course, this scenario only strengthens what the Bible has already said – that the enemies of Israel will one day attack them, thereby giving occasion for God to destroy their enemies From about 4 mins, we get a Biblical reading of contemporary Middle Eastern politics ‘Muslim Brotherhood has infiltrated the US government’ Frank Gaffney, neoconservative: There are questionable people who are sympathetic to the program of the stealth jihadists who have influence with the United States government. Some I think are actually working for it, but for sure people who are persuaded that the folks that they need to work with to reach out to the Muslim-American community, for example, who incessantly turn to Muslim Brotherhood organisations for that purpose, are a very real problem (Via Think Progress / Gawker ) ‘We will have a world war on our hands’ Bill O’Reilly forsees a domino effect where, aided by al-Jazeera, the Muslim Brotherhood takes charge in Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt and Jordan and gives al-Qaida free reign. ‘Al-Jazeera is British intel’ Another take on al-Jazeera: Alex Jones talks Egypt with author and host of GCN’s World Crisis Radio, Webster Tarpley. I have no idea what is going on here, there is an Anglo-American imperialist plot, they say, aided by al-Jazeera, to overthrow Mubarak. China and Russia might get involved somewhere down the line. Here is one exchange: Jones: People are opening saying what al-Jazeera is: British intel Tarpley: Yeah, that’s for sure To clear things up (joke!) at around the 3 mins mark Pink Floyd’s Money comes in to provide a sonic backdrop to the Jones-Tarpley chat. ‘The US should not fear Egypt regime change’ This may not fit the narrative but the US right is not speaking with one voice on Egypt. There are those (mainly above) who fear the consequences if Mubarak was to fall, but others who support the possibility that Egypt may transition to democracy. The quote heading this section comes from an article for Forbes by Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Institute (also home to Paul Wolfowitz) while a Bush administration official, Elliott Abrams, claims in the Washington Post that the Egypt protests are a vindication of his former boss. And then there are more non-partisan positions, such as Glenn Beck’s Egypt protest theories show he’s finally lost the plot . Egypt United States Simon Jeffery guardian.co.uk

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Residents of Suburb Designed Around Transit Don’t Want It, Say It Offers "No Benefit"

Image Credit Dan Reed As Kaid Benfield notes, it is getting harder to tell reality from The Onion. Here is the bucolic New Urbanist community of Kings Farm, outside of Washington DC. It won all kinds of design awards for being “designed around a light rail line linking the town center to the subway station. Similar to Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, the light rail will be built along the principal boulevard. The town square, town center neighborhood and the office neighborhood are located along this street and mark the proposed stops on the rail… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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NBC Fires The Guy Who Posted The "What Is The Internet" Video Of Katie Couric And Bryant Gumbel

NBC has fired the person who posted the video of former Today Show anchors Katie Couric , Bryant Gumbel, and Elizabeth Vargas asking “What is the Internet’,” according to WaPo’s Rob Pegoraro (via TechDirt ). Ridiculous. The video was off-air footage taken from 1994 of the three hosts trying to define the “Internet.” Again, the video was from 1994 – a time when the Internet hadn’t yet taken over our… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Silicon Alley Insider Discovery Date : 03/02/2011 17:36 Number of articles : 4

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