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01 Jul 2011 16:08

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U.S.: Remember: The Dominique Strauss-Kahn case still isn’t closed

  • Our concern is that the Manhattan district attorney is too afraid to try this case. We believe he’s afraid he’s going to lose this high-profile case.
  • Lawyer Kenneth Thompson, who represents Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s accuser • Describing the issues currently clouding the Dominique Strauss-Kahn rape trial. If you read the document, it notes a few things which could damage the victim’s credibility in a court of law — meaning that, even if the French politician actually did assault her (Thompson claims that the physical evidence still supports her case), there are inconsistencies which could damage her case in the eyes of a jury. These inconsistencies show up both in her backstory and her story of the moments before and after the alleged assault, and have been documented in this letter the New York Times posted earlier. All of this is to say that this may be an issue of perception — an assault may still have taken place. But purely circumstantial reasons could hurt the prosecutor’s ability to get a conviction. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jun 2011 16:01

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U.S.: David Petraeus unanimously confirmed as new CIA chief

  • 94-0 Senate vote confirming Petraeus as CIA director source
  • » The big shuffle continues: With Robert Gates’ retirement, and Leon Panetta imminently poised to become the new Secretary of Defense, the Senate has voted to confirm General David Petaeus to take Panetta’s old job. Petraeus had been serving as the Commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, but will be departing to become the number one man of the government agency we all think of when we think about high-level secrecy. Of note in this confirmation — ninety-four to nothing! Even in a thoroughly divided Washington, it’s clear Petraeus is still one of the most politically popular people to stand in support of, no matter the political party.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jun 2011 15:24

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U.S.: Robert Gates awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

  • Last day on the job: The path Robert Gates took as a defense secretary for successive administrations (under the control of different parties) is very unique, and as such you can understand President Obama wanting to give him this sort of an honored send-off. You can be sure that Gates feels the love. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jun 2011 14:05

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U.S.: FDA decides against controversial breast cancer drug

  • 6-0 vote to take the breast cancer indication off Avastin source
  • » Even though lots of people liked the drug, the FDA has decided that it shouldn’t be used to treat breast cancer. However, European regulators allowed its use (as long as it was with another drug) at essentially the same time — which begs the question, why would the FDA be taking a drug off the market that so many people felt so passionate about?
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jun 2011 13:18

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Tech, U.S.: Obama’s high-tech version of Fireside Chats — via Twitter

Obama is really embracing this whole Twitter thing. On July 6, he’s going to be on Twitter talking about the economy, hashtags and all. Be sure to tune in to talk to our prez … virtually. source
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jun 2011 11:12

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U.S.: Today is Robert Gates’ last day at the Pentagon. *sniff*

We’re sitting in this coffee shop, blaring Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye To Yesterday” from our tinny MacBook speakers. And crying. We’re getting weird looks, but WE DON’T CARE! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jun 2011 10:56

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U.S.: Dude who managed to stow away on flight passed security check

  • fail Last Friday, some dude managed to stow away on a Virgin America flight from New York to Los Angeles; he was only caught after passengers started telling flight attendants that his seat was supposed to be empty.
  • double-fail However, Olajide Oluwaseun Noibi’s total security breach went undetected by TSA officials — in fact, despite holding an outdated ticket that wasn’t in his name, he passed through security checks with no issues. *facepalm* source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

30 Jun 2011 00:35

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U.S.: California Governor: No more tax-free Amazon shopping

  • YES Californians must pay sales tax at Amazon.com source
  • » Starting Friday, California residents (including the author of this post!) will have to pay sales tax on items purchased on Amazon, Overstock, and Internet retail giants located out-of-state. The new rule comes in the form of budget legislation signed into law Wednesday by Governor Moonbeam Jerry Brown. The gov’nah called it a “common-sense idea;” Amazon.com called it “unconstitutional.” The measure could pull in $317 million, but that doesn’t make me feel any less grumpy about having to pay an extra two dollars for my Puddle of Mudd album.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

29 Jun 2011 18:03

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U.S.: Cost of last decade’s wars much higher than Obama said

  • $3.7 trillion cost for the United States’ post-9/11 wars source
  • » The wages of war: When President Obama referred to a $1 trillion price tag for America’s wars in the last decade, he clearly hadn’t spoken to the folks running the Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson Institute. The project determined the above figure through calculations that included future costs, such as health services for wounded veterans returning home, as well as counting what’s generally referred to as our “secret” war in Pakistan.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Jun 2011 22:33

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U.S.: Arlington National Cemetery faces more record-keeping scrutiny

  • bad Arlington National Cemetery, the iconic military cemetery, reported, after an inquiry, that a number of its graves were mishandled. How does that happen?
  • worse The cemetery faced harsh congressional from Sen. Scott Brown, who unfavorably compared their paper-based record-keeping abilities to those of an iPad.
  • worser Now the situation at the cemetery is so bad that  the Justice Department is investigating possible criminal activity — ticking up the case’s severity to a whole new level. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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