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12 Dec 2011 14:36

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U.S.: Obama holds press event with Nouri al-Maliki to mark end of Iraq war

  • A war is ending. A new day is upon us. And let us never forget those who gave us this chance: the untold number of Iraqis who’ve given their lives; more than 1 million Americans, military and civilian, who have served in Iraq; nearly 4,500 fallen Americans who gave their last full measure of devotion; tens of thousands of wounded warriors and so many inspiring military families. They are the reason that we can stand here today. And we owe it to every single one of them, we have a moral obligation to all of them to build a future worthy of their sacrifice.
  • President Obama • In remarks to the press pool, joined by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Obama has pledged that U.S. forces will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of the year, saying in October that “our troops in Iraq will definitely be home for the holidays.” The U.S. presence in Iraq is not, however, going away completely — while some 8,000 active duty military personnel are returning home, along with nearly 5,000 private military contractors, the U.S. embassy in Iraq still boasts a personnel staff of 15,000, making it the largest U.S. embassy in the world. Obama has said he intends to cut that number substantially, but that given Iraq’s situation immediately following the war, the embassy’s security staff will by necessity remain higher than most. source
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12 Dec 2011 14:15

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World: Notorious former leader Manuel Noriega returns to Panama

  • An unhappy homecoming: Former Panamanian military leader Manuel Noriega, as we mentioned yesterday, has returned to his native country, this time as a prisoner. He is expected to stand trial over human rights violations and the murder of his political opponents during his six-year rule; due to Noriega’s advanced age (77), however, he would qualify for house arrest rather than a prison term. This only occurs if he accepts the verdict from a previous trial conducted in absentia, though, which would halt any effort by him to mount a further legal defense. source
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08 Dec 2011 15:10

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Politics: Senate GOP blocks vote on Cordray CFPB nomination

  • It’s not about Richard Cordray. That has become abundantly clear in the recent political jockeying over President Obama’s efforts to appoint a head to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which came into existence via the Dodd-Frank financial reform law from 2010. Republicans have made it clear their reason for this blockage isn’t so much Cordray himself, who was a quite popular Attorney General in Ohio, but rather the structure of the bureau itself; they want a board to be in charge, as opposed to a single director, which many Democrats have dismissed as a means of muddying or weakening the bureau’s regulatory ability. In any event, the final vote tally was 53 yeas, 45 nays, which due to the Republican vow to filibuster the nomination is insufficient (a 60 vote super-majority is required to override the filibuster process). source
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08 Dec 2011 14:14

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World: Inaction feared at climate change conference in Durban, South Africa

  • In a time of constraints, in a time of crisis, in a time of tough budgets, people are saying that charity starts at home, that we cannot deal with something noble but medium and long-term like the environment.
  • Angel Gurria, chief of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development • Discussing the stumbling inaction by the global community in adequately addressing the issue of climate change. 194 nations are currently convened in Durban, South Africa for a major conference on climate change, one which strives to reach agreements on carbon control to continue the process begun by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol; the EU has said they will not renew their emissions reduction standards unless measures are adopted so that all countries (most importantly the United States and China, the world’s worst polluters) must hold to certain emissions standards as well. This has caused turmoil in the discussions, as many less developed nations insist they haven’t been to blame for the surge in carbon to date, and thus shouldn’t be penalized as they now strive to industrialize. source
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07 Dec 2011 15:10

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Politics: Corruption in the Illinois governor’s office is not uncommon

  • nine different governors of Illinois have served since 1961
  • four have been convicted and sent to prison — that’s 44% source
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07 Dec 2011 14:48

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Politics: Rep. Peter King not sold on Gingrich candidacy

  • You know there is enough crises in the world, without inflicting crisis on ourselves. Or again, I keep saying ‘putting himself at the center’. The reason the Republicans lost the government shut down debate with President Clinton in 1995, is because Newt gave the impression it was all about being made to get off of Air Force One. I meant, that’s how he puts himself at the center of everything.
  • Rep. Peter King • Expressing his doubts about the prospect of a Newt Gingrich nomination or presidency. King is an extremely conservative member of congress, and served under the Gingrich speakership in the 1990s. It’s comments like these that give voters and analysts reason to pause when considering the Newt 2012 effort, as various figures within the GOP establishment do seem to have serious doubts about Gingrich’s suitability to the Presidency, and his legacy in Republican politics. Gingrich is well aware of this, too; when the House in 1998 voted to reprimand him over ethics charges, 196 Republican congressman voted against him. source
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07 Dec 2011 14:23

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U.S.: Jerry Sandusky arrested on two more child sexual abuse charges

  • The charges keep coming: Former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested today (he was first arrested on November 5th) on the strength of two new accusations of child sexual abuse against him. The charges were the result of the two accusers presenting testimony to a grand jury; both of them were members of Sandusky’s charity program for at-risk youths, The Second Mile. As this case has worn on, especially following two rather disastrous media interviews by Sandusky (with the bizarre approval of his defense attorney, Joe Amendola), it seems like the total number of his alleged victims may continue to increase at an illuminating, grim, and chilling rate. source
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07 Dec 2011 13:57

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U.S.: Disgraced ex-governor Rod Blagojevich given tough sentence

  • 14 year prison sentence for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich source
  • » The hammer drops: It’s been a long, twisting road to get to this point; it was three years ago Friday that then-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on federal corruption charges. The charges (that he was attempting to profit from his selection of a Senate replacement for Barack Obama) were grave, and captured the national attention for some time, not least of all because of the flamboyant, aggressive, and crusading defense Blagojevich mounted for himself. Despite the three years of legal and public relations maneuvering, though, the slick-haired ex-politico has failed in his bid to dodge incarceration.
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06 Dec 2011 22:22

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U.S.: Sec. Of State Clinton calls for international LGBT rights

  • Gay rights are human rights and human rights are gay rights. It is a violation of human rights when people are beaten or killed because of their sexual orientation, or because they do not conform to cultural norms about how men and women should look, or behave… To LGBT men and women worldwide, let me say this: wherever you live and whatever the circumstances of your life, whether you are connected to a network of support, or feel isolated, and vulnerable, please know that you are not alone. People around the globe are working hard to support you, and to bring an end to the injustices and dangers you face. That is certainly true for my country. And you have an ally in the United States of America. And you have millions of friends among the American people.
  • U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton • Giving vocal support to the plight of oppressed LGBT persons worldwide, at a meeting of diplomats in Geneva. Clinton’s speech is being hailed as a landmark event in terms of U.S. foreign policy towards LGBT rights, and dovetails with the Obama administration’s memo earlier today pledging foreign aid support for the same cause. After her speech, she received a standing ovation. This could well be worth marking down on your calendar for future reference, everyone; this could be a big, big deal, whether Rick Perry likes it or not. source
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06 Dec 2011 21:53

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Biz: Drunken RIM flight disruptors pay the price

  • 2 RIM executives fired for drunken airplane disruption source
  • » The perils of airborne inebriation: As reported recently, two executives with RIM (the company behind the BlackBerry), George Campbell and Paul Wilson, were en route from Canada to China last week, whereupon they became aggressively drunk. Ultimately, passengers and crew members had to restrain them with plastic handcuffs, and the plane turned around near the North Pole and returned to Canada to offload the troublemakers. Both plead guilty and had to pay over $30,000 apiece, as well as being put on probation for a year. Today, the other shoe dropped; RIM has fired the pair.
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