Overview for The Feed

Secret US-Afghan Talks: Troops Could Stay for Decades

The Guardian reports : American and Afghan officials are locked in increasingly acrimonious secret talks about a long-term security agreement which is likely to see US troops, spies and air power based in the troubled country for decades. Though not publicised, negotiations have …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 14, 2011

Bartlett: Defense Budget Too High?

Bruce Bartlett writes : Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates gave a speech in Brussels on Friday in which he berated our allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for not carrying their weight in terms of providing resources for the common defense. “For all but a handful of allies, …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 14, 2011

Obama: Family Would Be Happy With One Term

The Associated Press reports: President Barack Obama says his wife and daughters aren't "invested" in him being president and would have been fine had he decided against running for re-election. But he says they believe in what he's doing for the country. Asked about his family's …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Tuesday June 14, 2011

N. Korea Steps Up Nuke Program

The Daily Telegraph reports: North Korea is feared to be accelerating its nuclear programme after US satellite images captured new buildings at the country’s Yongbyon nuclear facility. The discovery of the new buildings has sparked concern that they may be part of a drive by …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Tuesday June 14, 2011

Japan Compensates Nuke Victims

The Guardian reports: Japan's government has approved a plan to help the owners of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant provide trillions of yen in compensation, but political manoeuvring could delay payments to tens of thousands of victims of the country's nuclear crisis. The …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Tuesday June 14, 2011

Hackers Attack Senate Website

Reuter reports: The Senate's website was hacked over the weekend, leading to a review of all of its websites, in the latest embarrassing breach of security to hit a major U.S.-based institution. The loosely organized hacker group Lulz Security broke into a public portion of the Senate …

Written by FrumForum Editors on Tuesday June 14, 2011

Filing Let Bachmann Seize Spotlight

The Hill reports: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) announced during Monday evening's presidential debate that she'd filed paperwork to run for president. "I filed today my paperwork to run for president of the United States … I wanted you to be the first to know," she said. She added …

Written by Frum Forum Editors on Tuesday June 14, 2011

Qaddafi: No Endgame With NATO

The Associated Press reports: The Russian head of the World Chess Federation said Tuesday after playing chess with Moammar Gadhafi that the Libyan leader is open to talks with NATO and the country's rebels. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov said Gadhafi had told him that he was ready to immediately start …

Written by Frum Forum Editors on Tuesday June 14, 2011

Medicare Remains A Potent Political Weapon

NPR reports: Just how powerful is Medicare as a political weapon? So powerful that for the past two election cycles it's been a favorite cudgel for both Republicans and Democrats. And the election of Democrat Kathy Hochul to fill a traditionally GOP seat in upstate New York in May is just …

Written by Frum Forum Editors on Tuesday June 14, 2011

CIA to Launch Drone Strikes in Yemen

The Daily Beast reports : Here we go again. Officials said Monday that the CIA is preparing to launch predator drone strikes in Yemen to kill al Qaeda militant, taking advantage of that country’s power vacuum. The U.S. previously has operated strikes against militants in Yemen—the …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 13, 2011

Obama Touts Energy-Efficient Lightbulbs

The Hill reports : President Obama said Monday that advanced lighting technology is an essential component of his administration’s push to make commercial buildings more energy efficient. LED lighting is “going to make a huge difference, not just for businesses who use the technology, …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 13, 2011

NY Gay Marriage Bill Gains Momentum

Slate Magazine reports : New York appears to be inching closer to becoming the latest state to legalize same-sex marriage. The New York Times reports that three wavering Democratic state senators have agreed to support the proposal, leaving gay marriage advocates only three …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 13, 2011

Bachmann Officially Running for Prez

The Washington Post reports : Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) announced Monday night that she has filed the necessary paperwork to run for the presidency in 2012. After months of weighing a campaign and making frequent visits to the early-voting states, Bachmann said at the beginning …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 13, 2011

Congress Grants Weiner Leave of Absence

The Huffington Post reports : The House has approved without objection a two-week leave of absence for embattled Rep. Anthony Weiner. Weiner's request was approved by unanimous consent at the close of legislative business Monday night. The New York Democrat is receiving treatment at an …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 13, 2011

Bank of America Hindered Federal Investigation

The Huffington Post reports : Bank of America, the largest U.S. bank by assets, "significantly hindered" a federal investigation into the firm's faulty foreclosure practices on potentially billions of dollars worth of taxpayer-backed loans, a federal auditor told an Arizona court. The …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 13, 2011

Romney's Best Political Month in Years

POLITICO reports : Everyone just might have underestimated Mitt Romney. Serious competitors for the Republican presidential nomination have dropped out of the running. Romney has flexed his financial muscle with a $10 million-plus one-day fundraising haul . Most of all, his narrow, …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 13, 2011

Summers: The Economy is Sick

The Huffington Post reports : Safely removed from the Obama White House, where he was a prime architect of economic policy, Larry Summers now tells us what most regular people have known for too long: The economy is ailing and in grave need of help. In a sobering and clarifying opinion …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 13, 2011

Obama: "I Would Resign" In Weiner's Situation

MSNBC reports: In an exclusive interview with Today’s Ann Curry that will air on Tuesday’s show, President Barack Obama said that if he were Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner right now, he would resign in the wake of the scandal in which Weiner admitted to sending explicit photos of …

Written by Frum Forum Editors on Monday June 13, 2011

Islamists and Liberals Form Coalition in Egypt

The Washington Post reports: Egypt’s most organized and powerful Islamist movement on Monday announced it intends to join forces with one of the nation’s oldest liberal parties, presenting a formidable coalition for upcoming parliamentary elections. The alliance would unite the Muslim …

Written by Frum Forum Editors on Monday June 13, 2011

Congress: Expect Less In Ag Subsidies

The Washington Post reports : HILL CITY, Kan. — This is what Washington’s new austerity has brought. A freshman Republican congressman, himself a fifth-generation corn farmer and his family a longtime beneficiary of government agricultural subsidies, drove through the endless fields …

Written by FrumForum News on Monday June 13, 2011