Entries

Obama Takes Over Debt Limit Talks

The Associated Press reports : Struggling to break a perilous deadlock, President Barack Obama took direct control Friday of national debt-limit negotiations with both Republicans and Democrats. With the White House warning the nation's economic stability is at stake, it's one of the most …

Written by FrumForum News on Friday June 24, 2011

Clinton: No Decision On N. Korea Food Aid

The Associated Press reports : Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday the U.S. remains willing to engage with North Korea but only if the communist state improves relations with South Korea. Clinton was speaking after talks in Washington with South Korean Foreign Minister Kim …

Written by FrumForum News on Friday June 24, 2011

Military Court Upholds Gitmo Terror Conviction

The Associated Press reports : A military court has upheld the conviction of the first Guantanamo Bay prisoner to be tried for war crimes at the U.S. base in Cuba. The U.S. Court of Military Commission Review refused to overturn the August 2008 conviction of Salim Hamdan. The court rejected …

Written by FrumForum News on Friday June 24, 2011

Hacked AZ State Police Memos Released

The New York Times reports : A cache of internal documents released online on Thursday by hackers who gained access to the computer system of the Arizona Department of Public Safety revealed the array of potential outlaws on the state police’s radar screen, from international terrorists to …

Written by FrumForum News on Friday June 24, 2011

He's Back! Arnie's Austrian Comeback

His triumphant homecoming has led some to speculate whether Austria's most famous export since strudel might return to his birthplace to extend his political career. He’s back! After having fallen from grace back in the US due to revelations he fathered an out-of-wedlock child with a household …

Written by Robin Tim Weis on Friday June 24, 2011

Egyptians Hurt In Clashes Over Mubarak Trial

Reuters reports : Dozens of people were injured in clashes between two groups of protesters, for and against putting former president Hosni Mubarak on trial, Egypt's official news agency MENA reported Saturday. Mubarak, 83, was forced from office in February in a popular uprising driven by …

Written by FrumForum News on Friday June 24, 2011

Libyan Rebels Arm Tripoli Guerrillas

The New York Times reports : Having consolidated control over almost all of Libya’s western mountains, rebel leaders here say they are now pursuing a two-pronged strategy to bring down the government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi: starving it of resources while covertly arming a growing …

Written by FrumForum News on Friday June 24, 2011

Yemeni Security Forces Attack Protesters

The New York Times reports : Security forces fired at a funeral procession in the city of Aden on Friday and gunmen responded by attacking a military tank, the government and local journalists said. A total of five people were killed in the clashes. Thousands of people gathered for the …

Written by FrumForum News on Friday June 24, 2011

NY Senate Approves Same-Sex Marriage

The New York Times reports : Lawmakers voted late Friday to legalize same-sex marriage, making New York the largest state where gay and lesbian couples will be able to wed, and giving the national gay-rights movement new momentum from the state where it was born. The same-sex marriage …

Written by FrumForum News on Friday June 24, 2011

Growth Forecasts Down Sharply

The New York Times reports : A drumbeat of disappointing data about consumer behavior, factory sales and weak hiring in recent weeks has prompted economists to ratchet down their 2011 economic forecasts to as little as half what they expected at the beginning of the year. Two months …

Written by FrumForum News on Friday June 24, 2011

Olson: Is Supreme Court Too Individualist?

Walter Olson writes : Monday’s high court decision in Wal-Mart v. Dukes has predictably drawn a strong reaction from legal academia, much of it critical of the Court. Of particular interest are the comments of Richard Primus (Michigan) at the New York Times ‘s “Room for Debate” and …

Written by FrumForum News on Friday June 24, 2011

Coons: "Save As You Go" The Way To Go

Delaware Senator Chris Coons writes at Politico : Under our current budget process, the path of least political resistance is to keep revenues low while offering a high level of services. Balanced budgets are fundamentally against the short-term interests of politicians from both parties. …

Written by FrumForum News on Friday June 24, 2011

The Prowl: Dress To Impress, Not Distress

Ladies, if your shoes are made of the same material as Tupperware, you're not likely to end up in the bed of some staff assistant who thinks you're dreamy. So it is summertime in DC. How do I know this? The obvious answer is that it is a billion degrees and I would like to spend all of my time …

Written by Vivian Darkbloom on Friday June 24, 2011

The Fat Diaries: Charging By The Glass For Tap Water

An Australian restaurant wanted to reduce its carbon footprint by cutting back on plastic water bottles. So it started charging $5 a glass for tap water. Well it’s been another gross week of high temperatures, thunderstorms and migraines. Not that I’ve been exposed the heat part. You can …

Written by Monica Marier on Friday June 24, 2011

Plummer's Extraordinary "Beginners" Luck

Christopher Plummer is beguiling in "Beginners". He plays a widower who comes out of the closet as a liberated gay senior, landing a beefcake younger boyfriend. Spreading out after two weeks of very limited big-city release, writer/director Mike Mills' dramedy Beginners is kind of an in-joke, as …

Written by Telly Davidson on Friday June 24, 2011

Conrad Black Sent Back To Prison

Some outside lawyers believed the judge would take into account the frailty of the prosecution case, coupled with Black's model behavior in prison, and free him. While disappointing to most who have followed the case, it shouldn’t be surprising that Chicago Judge Amy St. Eve is sending Conrad …

Written by Peter Worthington on Friday June 24, 2011

Obama Starts New Jobs Push

Reuters reports : President Barack Obama on Friday launched an initiative to develop new U.S. manufacturing jobs by teaming up government with companies and universities to invest more than $500 million in advanced technologies. Obama, who must ease high unemployment to be confident of …

Written by FrumForum News on Friday June 24, 2011

U.S. Raises Pressure on Gaza Flotilla Activists

The Associated Press reports : The Obama administration on Friday stepped up pressure on American activists planning to challenge Israel's sea blockade of the Gaza Strip, formally warning they face action from Israeli authorities and may be violating U.S. law. The warning was the latest in …

Written by FrumForum News on Friday June 24, 2011

Christie: Washington Should Learn from NJ

The Associated Press reports : New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie starting taking victory laps Friday, touting a landmark employee benefits deal that requires public workers to contribute significantly more for pension and health benefits, bringing them in line with private sector workers. In …

Written by FrumForum News on Friday June 24, 2011

Hezbollah: CIA Recruited Our Members As Spies

The Associated Press reports : CIA officers at the U.S. embassy in Lebanon have recruited low-level members of Hezbollah to spy for Israel, the leader of the Iranian-backed militant group charged Friday. It was the first time Hezbollah has acknowledged that spies had penetrated the …

Written by FrumForum News on Friday June 24, 2011