Lawrence O’Donnell Goes Ballistic On Birther Orly Taitz, Cuts Off Her Camera
April 27, 2011 No Comment
MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell abruptly ended an interview with queen birther Orly Taitz Wednesday after screaming at her for several minutes. Things turned ugly when “The Last Word” host refused to allow his guest to discuss President Obama's Selective Service certificate and Taitz responded by saying, “Your program is nothing but Obama propaganda machine” (video follows with commentary): This wasn't the first time an MSNBC host got heated with birthers today. Hours earlier, Chris Matthews got into a bit of a shoutfest with Tea Partier Judson Phillips and Arizona state Sen. Steve Smith about this very issue. This clearly demonstrates how MSNBC's Obama-lovers are just too close to this subject to be interviewing folks that still wonder if the President was born in Hawaii, especially queen birther Taitz. On the other hand, MSNBC could be looking to somehow keep this issue alive. As TVNewser reported Wednesday, MSNBC has practically spent more time on Trump and Obama's birth certificate than CNN and Fox combined. Maybe they're secretly sorry the President finally showed the nation his birth certificate. If they keep inviting on birthers in the coming days, we'll know won't we?
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He failed as a footballer, but David Leon will be playing to millions in new primetime TV series Vera Northumberland in November can be bleak, but a more perfect backdrop for a crime drama you will not find. Happily for local lad David Leon, his days off from filming Vera here provided the opportunity to introduce his dog to the wild, empty beaches of his childhood. This is the lull, you sense, before prime-time ITV drama makes him famous. In Vera, based on Ann Cleeves ‘s Vera Stanhope novels, Brenda Blethyn plays the dishevelled but brilliant detective inspector; Leon is Sergeant Joe Ashworth, her young colleague. “They have this mother-son dynamic,” he says over tea in the Savoy hotel in London. “They bicker, but there’s a mutual respect.” Blethyn is as marvellous as you would expect, her accent perfected by watching Cheryl Cole on The
Continue reading …Stephen Colbert isn’t too impressed with most of the field of potential Republican presidential candidates, but he has decided he likes tough-talking Donald Trump. Colbert also thinks Trump is the only one who can cut into Obama’s base, because of his relationship with “the blacks.” COLBERT: See? He has a great relationship with the blacks. He must. How else could he get away with calling them “the blacks?”
Continue reading …Bob Schieffer Says Donald Trump Is Racist For Wanting To See Obama’s Grades
April 27, 2011 No Comment
CBS's Bob Schieffer said Wednesday that Donald Trump is racist because he wants to see Barack Obama's college grades. Such was told to Katie Couric on the “Evening News” (video follows with partial transcript and commentary): BOB SCHIEFFER: I want to go on to what, to what Donald Trump said after he said this is out and everything. He said, “We need to at [Obama’s] grades and see if he was a good enough student to get into Harvard Law School.” That’s just code for saying he got into law school because he was black. This is a ugly strain of racism that’s running through this whole thing. We can hope that that kind of comes to an end, too, but we’ll have to see. To be sure, this is the kind of idiocy one expects from the shills on MSNBC, but the host of “Face the Nation” should know better than to get into the gutter this way. PBS's Tavis Smiley said Tuesday that the upcoming presidential race is going to be the most racist in history. This is a perfect example of just how right Smiley was because everything any opponent of Obama's says in the next eighteen-plus months will be deemed by some media member as racist. As David Byrne said many decades ago, same as it ever was.
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Janek Schaefer missed out the all-important banter in his meditation on the locker-room experience I felt a bit let down by this. Sound artist Janek Schaefer has made an installation inside Bath University , inspired by his exploration of sports changing rooms: what they look like, what they sound like, what they signify. I was really interested to see what he’d come up with – most changing-rooms I’ve used are pretty disgusting – so I took three of the people I coach: a rugby player, a runner, and my seven-year-old son. The first problem we had was that we couldn’t actually find the exhibition – Schaefer has installed his changing room (just two walls, some pegs and a locker) in an empty space between the foyer and the cafe. We got there and thought, “Is this it?” Two doors in one of the exhibition’s walls lead to the toilets: my girlfriend went to the loo without realising it was meant to be part of the show. Most people were wandering past oblivious, but we stayed and pressed the buttons Schaefer has installed, each of which emits a different sound. Press one, and you hear a woman talking about training on her bike; press another, and you hear a motivational slogan: “Winners finish when they finish; losers finish when they’re tired.” I imagine that is the kind of slogan coaches use with elite stars, though I wouldn’t try it on the young people I coach – they’d find it too off-putting. I like the idea of using sound in art, and the changing room is a really interesting place for an artist to explore – but I think Schaefer could have done much more. I’d have liked to see the show installed in a real changing room: there’d have been more of an atmosphere. He could have compared the way a changing room feels when a team has just won a match, with how it feels when they’ve just lost. Or he could have recorded all the sounds you’d hear over one whole day. Changing rooms are all about the people, the smells, and the banter – all of which are
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David Sokol stepped down from board of Berkshire Hathaway after disclosure of controversial share deal Warren Buffett’s former heir apparent misled the investment guru’s senior management and violated company policies, according to a report from the audit committee of the board of Berkshire Hathaway. David Sokol, once seen as the executive most likely to succeed Buffett, stepped down last month after the disclosure of a controversial share deal involving chemicals firm Lubrizol. Sokol bought shares in the firm shortly before recommending that Berkshire acquire the company outright. Buffett originally said that neither Sokol nor he felt that “his Lubrizol purchases were in any way unlawful” and that they were not a factor in Sokol’s decision to resign. “I don’t believe I did anything wrong,” Sokol told CNBC. “I made an investment that I believed in. If I didn’t believe in the company, I wouldn’t have invested in it.” After an internal investigation, Berkshire said Sokol could face legal action from the board. The report examined Sokol’s disclosures to the Berkshire chairman, who is the world’s most famous investor. Buffett said in March that Sokol bought $10m of Lubrizol shares about a week before he suggested it as a potential takeover target for Berkshire. The value of Sokol’s shares rose by about $3m when Berkshire bought the firm. Sokol met investment bankers representing Lubrizol before his share purchase and told them that Berkshire was interested in a takeover. After the deal was done, a Citigroup banker phoned Buffett to congratulate him on the deal. “This was the first time Mr Buffett heard that investment bankers played any role in introducing Lubrizol to Mr Sokol, and did not square with Mr Sokol’s remark in January that he had come to know Lubrizol by owning the stock,” the report said. The report concludes: “His misleadingly incomplete disclosures to Berkshire Hathaway senior management concerning those purchases violated the duty of candor he owed the company.” Sokol’s remarks “did not satisfy the duty of full disclosure inherent in the Berkshire Hathaway policies and mandated by state law,” the report added. “His remark to Mr Buffett in January, revealing only that he owned some Lubrizol stock, did not tell Mr Buffett what he needed to know … [I]ts effect was to mislead: it implied that Mr Sokol owned the stock before he began considering Lubrizol as an acquisition candidate, when the truth was the reverse.” The internal report follows the threat of legal action from Berkshire shareholders. Last week, shareholder Mason Kirby filed the lawsuit in Delaware seeking to recover any allegedly improper gains that Sokol made on the Lubrizol shares. “Sokol’s trades and Buffett’s failure to fully inform himself about these trades are in direct violation of the company’s policy and amount to a breach of the duty of loyalty and due care owed to Berkshire and its shareholders,” the lawsuit said. Sokol had been viewed as a top contender to take over from Buffett, 80. Sokol has said that the disclosure of the purchases of Lubrizol shares and his resignation were unrelated. He has also said that he was not a decision maker on the Lubrizol purchase and did nothing wrong. The report comes ahead of Berkshire Hathaway’s annual genneral meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, where Buffett is expected to face more questions about the affair. Warren Buffett Banking United States Dominic Rushe guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …And so it continues: The Afghan officer, who was a veteran military pilot, fired on the Nato Forces after an argument, which prompted a “gunfight”. The shooting occurred in an operations room of the Afghan Air Corps at Kabul airport. A Pentagon spokesman confirmed that the eight NATO service members and their civilian colleague were all americans. Five Afghan soldiers were wounded, with at least one Afghan soldier shot – in the wrist – but most of the soldiers suffered broken bones and cuts, officials said. It was the seventh time this year that members of the Afghan security forces, or insurgents impersonating them, have killed coalition soldiers or members of the Afghan security forces. The attack comes less than a month after nine people died during protests in Kandahar and and an attack on the UN office in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif , which resulted in the deaths of seven UN workers. The Taliban claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack. In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the gunman, who was killed during the shooting, was impersonating an army officer and that others at the facility helped him gain access. War is hell.
Continue reading …Maddow Shows Paul Ryan Grilled by Constituents – And Airbrushes Ryan’s Responses
April 27, 2011 No Comment
Congressman Paul Ryan was rendered nearly speechless last night by Rachel Maddow — due entirely to the wonders of editing. In a segment that could serve as template for what liberals deem a robust exchange of ideas, Maddow ran clips of Ryan's constituents peppering him with questions about the GOP budget plan, while she showed hardly any of what Ryan said in response. Here's what was asked of Ryan, and his abbreviated answers as sliced by Maddow (video after page break) — FIRST CONSTITUENT: You want to take a publicly-administered program such as Medicare and turn it over to a private corporation. … Tell me how my grandma's going to benefit from that, please. RYAN: Yeah, that's, it's a fair question … SECOND CONSTITUENT: You're asking the elderly to take on the insurance companies when we can't take on the insurance companies. RYAN:
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Obama must address debt quickly, warns Federal Reserve chief, while interest rates will stay low to protect recovery Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke used his historic first conference to warn that the US deficit is “not sustainable” and tell political leaders they must address it “as quickly and effectively as they can”. Speaking at what was the first ever press conference on interest rate policy to be given by a Fed chairman, Bernanke confirmed that the US will keep interest rates low and continue its huge programme of buying back government bonds in order to keep the fragile economic recovery on track. The conference followed a statement from the federal open market committee, which stated that the US recovery was “proceeding at a moderate pace, and overall conditions in the labour market are improving gradually”. Household spending and business investment were picking up, but construction and the housing sector remained depressed, said the committee. The committee’s report was backed by government figures showing that orders for durable goods rose in March for a third consecutive month, demonstating that businesses are spending to update equipment. With the recovery still fragile, the committee said it would continue with a policy that has seen short-term interest rates driven down to near zero, but finish its controversial $600bn (£360bn) bond-buying programme designed to pump cash into the US economy. At the press conference, Bernanke acknowledged fears that inflation could be a threat, but said interest rates were unlikely to change in the next few months. The committee played down inflationary fears in its statement. “Commodity prices have risen significantly since last summer, and concerns about global supplies of crude oil have contributed to a further increase in oil prices since the committee met in March. Inflation has picked up in recent months, but longer-term inflation expectations have remained stable and measures of underlying inflation are still subdued.” As the Fed winds down its stimulus programme, attention is shifting to when and how it should start raising interest rates to prevent inflation from getting out of control. Two weeks ago, the European Central Bank raised its key policy rate to 1.25% in response to inflationary fears. But Bernanke seemed more concerned about the size of the US deficit. Last week credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s threatened to cut the US’s top-tier credit rating. Asked about S&P’s move, Bernanke said: “I’m hopeful this event will provide one more incentive for Congress and the political leaders to take action … it’s the most important economic problem in the long term that the US faces,” said Bernanke. If the S&P’s warning “goads” action by political leaders, he said, “that’s constructive”. Paul Davies, at Capital Economics, said that having a press conference was a step in the right direction: “The more information out there, the better.” He believed it would attract more attention than the short statement the Fed traditionally gave out. “It gives the Fed a chance to correct any misconceptions it thinks have found their way into the markets. This is a great soapbox from which to do that,” he said. But Davies warned that the press conference was likely to put more emphasis on Bernanke, and detract from the fact that that decisions are made by a committee and not an individual. Putting the Fed chairman in front of the cameras would put more pressure on whoever held the job to be media-savvy, he said. “I think that is the direction that things have been travelling in for some time. We see that with Mervyn King in the UK, who has become very adept at press conferences.” Ben Bernanke US economy Economics United States Dominic Rushe guardian.co.uk
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The two sides say an interim national unity government will be established, with elections within a year Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah are on the verge of a historic reconciliation which will put them on a collision course with Israel. A deal between the two organisations, bitter adversaries for four years, was agreed in Cairo on Wednesday after a series of secret meetings brokered by Egypt. The two sides said “all points of differences have been overcome”, and an interim national unity government would be established, leading to Palestine-wide presidential and parliamentary elections within a year. The Israeli government immediately sounded the alarm over the prospect of having to deal with Hamas. “The Palestinian Authority must choose either peace with Israel or peace with Hamas. There is no possibility for peace with both,” said prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The US, which hopes to facilitate a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians this year, reacted cautiously to the news. “The United States supports Palestinian reconciliation on terms which promote the cause of peace. Hamas, however, is a terrorist organisation which targets civilians,” said a spokesman. Any Palestinian government must renounce violence and recognise Israel’s right to exist if it is to play a constructive role, he added. The details of the deal, expected to be formally signed in Cairo next week, were not spelled out. But Hamas said it included a combined security force and the release of prisoners held by both sides, as well as a unity government and elections. The unexpected accord follows mounting pressure in Gaza and the West Bank, driven by non-affiliated youth groups, for reconciliation between the factions. Large demonstrations calling for unity were held in March, with more planned for May. The youth groups were inspired by pro-democracy movements in the region, principally in Egypt, which has close ties to Gaza. The strength of mood alarmed the factions’ leaders, who sought to co-opt the protests in an attempt to contain them. The deal is likely to be viewed with suspicion by extreme hardline Islamist groups in Gaza, who have accused Hamas of abandoning armed resistance against Israel under its de facto ceasefire agreement. Such groups may try to sabotage the agreement by launching violent attacks on Hamas and Fatah as well as Israel. Fatah, the largest group of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, and Hamas have failed to find a way of working together since Hamas won legislative elections in 2006. Disagreement escalated into a violent confrontation in which Hamas defeated forces of the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority in 2007. Hanan Ashwari, a veteran Palestinian legislator, said: “Every Palestinian will be delighted by this agreement which will signal a new phase in internal Palestinian relations. It’s good for peace and stability and it’s good for the region and democracy. This will help us heal the rifts and empower all Palestinians to end the occupation and embody statehood.” Hassan Zomlot, a senior Fatah official, said the deal was “great news for Palestinians”. He added: “I hope the international community will react positively because political unity, combined with the institutional reform that we have been working hard at, will bring about the establishment of a Palestinian state.” Netanyahu warned that the deal could lead to a Hamas takeover of the West Bank. “Hamas aspires to destroy the state of Israel and says so explicitly. The idea of reconciliation with Hamas demonstrates the weakness of the Palestinian Authority and makes one wonder whether Hamas will seize control of [the West Bank] the way it seized control of the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli prime minister said. The US and EU both view Hamas as a terrorist organisation although both have had informal contacts with representatives of its government. When Hamas took over the government in 2006, the EU and the US refused to fund the Palestinian Authority, which resulted in staff not being paid for almost a year. However, Hamas’s continued hold on the Gaza Strip and its successful imposition of law and order have persuaded many international diplomats and commentators that peace between Israel and Palestinians is impossible without its involvement. Hamas has taken over governmental roles in the Gaza Strip but it also maintains armed forces, in regular conflict with Israel. In recent months scores of Palestinians have been killed in Israeli artillery and air strikes. Fatah is seen as the more secular organisation, which has supported the Oslo Accords which led to the formation of the Palestinian Authority in 1994. Hamas, an Islamic group, opposed the Oslo Accords and continues to refuse to honour past agreements with Israel. The accord agreed on Wednesday was first reported by Egypt’s intelligence service, which brokered the talks. In a statement carried by the Egyptian state news agency Mena, the intelligence service said the deal was negotiated by a Hamas delegation led by Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of the group’s political bureau, and Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad. “The consultations resulted in full understandings on all points of discussions, including setting up an interim agreement with specific tasks and to set a date for election,” the statement said. Hamas Palestinian territories Fatah Israel Middle East Conal Urquhart Harriet Sherwood guardian.co.uk
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