Entries

JPMorgan Pays $153.6 Million Settlement

The Associated Press reports : JPMorgan Chase & Co. has agreed to pay $153.6 million to settle civil fraud charges that it misled buyers of complex mortgage investments just as the housing market was collapsing. J.P. Morgan Securities, a division of the powerful Wall Street bank, failed …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

Netanyahu Reaches Out to Turkish PM

Reuters reports : Benjamin Netanyahu has written to Tayyip Erdogan in a bid to repair Israel's relations with Turkey, an Israeli official said on Tuesday, a year after a deadly Israeli raid on the high seas caused a crisis in ties. An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

Geithner: EU Can Avoid Debt Crisis

Reuters reports : Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Tuesday said the European Union has the ability to avoid a worsening crisis and urged EU members to speak with one voice about plans to solve their debt problems. "The simple rule in crisis management is, you want to have a simple, …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

Jon Huntsman Takes Reagan's Stage

One-time rock musician-turned-politician Jon Huntsman has something most of his rivals in the GOP presidential pack lack -- a low-key but genuine star quality. Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman officially launched his 2012 presidential bid this morning with an expertly stage-managed piece of …

Written by Robert Lee on Tuesday June 21, 2011

Poll: Most Pakistanis Think Bin Laden's Death Bad

The Associated Press reports : Pakistanis largely disapprove of the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden, with a majority believing the al-Qaida chief's death is a bad thing and relations between Washington and Islamabad will suffer as a result, new polling data show. The findings of two …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

Pawlenty Plans First Iowa Ad Buy

The Associated Press reports : Republican presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty plans to run the first television advertisement of the 2012 campaign by a GOP candidate. His introductory spot is scheduled to begin Wednesday in several markets across Iowa. The former Minnesota governor is …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

NY Gay Marriage Vote Likely Wed.

The Associated Press reports : It's now likely the gay marriage debate in New York will reach a critical showdown on Wednesday after two other major issues were resolved before the end of the legislative session. The Republican leader of New York's Senate says a "framework" for an agreement …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

Gates: Domestic Concerns Shaping Withdrawal

Politico reports : Concerns in Congress and that Americans are “tired of a decade of war” are swaying President Barack Obama’s decisions about the drawdown of troops in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday as the president prepares to announce his plans on Wednesday. …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

Obamacare Glitch Gives Some in Middle Class Free Care

The Associated Press reports : President Barack Obama's health care law would let several million middle-class people get nearly free insurance meant for the poor, a twist government number crunchers say they discovered only after the complex bill was signed. The change would affect early …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

Michelle Obama Meets Mandela

The Daily Telegraph reports : Michelle Obama has met Nelson Mandela at his home, in a rare visit with the ageing former president. The meeting with the 92-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner was discreetly arranged after Mrs Obama and her daughters visited archives chronicling some of …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

Calls Grow For Greek Marshall Plan

The Associated Press reports : As budget cuts and tax increases push Greece deeper into recession, politicians, economists and business leaders are calling for a new approach — a Marshall Plan that would jolt its economy back to life and give its citizens new hope. Debt-ridden Greece is …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

Sudan Cracks Down on Rebels as Secession Nears

The New York Times reports : The Sudanese Army and its allied militias have gone on an unsparing rampage to crush rebel fighters in the Nuba Mountains of central Sudan , bombing thatch-roofed villages, executing elders, burning churches and pitching another region of the country into …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

Newt's Fundraising Team Quits

The Associated Press reports : The top fundraisers for Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign have abandoned his struggling bid amid anemic fundraising and heavy spending. Campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond is confirming to The Associated Press that fundraising director Jody Thomas and …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

Fitch Warns U.S. On Credit Rating

Politico reports : The Fitch ratings agency said on Tuesday it will place the U.S. credit rating on watch negative if Congress and President Barack Obama don’t agree to raise the nation’s debt ceiling by Aug. 2, Reuters reported. “If we reach the second of August without a lifting of the …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

House GOP Mulls Cuts to Tax Breaks

Politico reports : Last week’s resounding votes on ethanol subsidies were just the start. Republicans are now starting to eye all sorts of tax breaks and special-interest loopholes once considered sacred cows as they seek ways to increase government revenue without actually raising tax rates. …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

US, Japan Agree to Delay Air Base Relocation

The Associated Press reports : The U.S. and Japan have pushed back the deadline for completing the costly relocation of a U.S. Marine air station on the southern island of Okinawa. A joint statement issued by the close allies after high-level security talks in Washington on Tuesday …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

How Orrin Hatch Enabled the Snake-Oil Industry

Snake oil produced by the nutritional supplement industry can be huckstered in the most truth-defying ways thanks to a law co-sponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch. The New York Times this morning features a very appropriate scolding of Senator Orrin Hatch for his close ties to the dubious nutrition…

Written by David Frum on Tuesday June 21, 2011

Clinton Backs Saudi Women Driver Protest

The Associated Press reports : Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is lending her support to women in Saudi Arabia protesting the kingdom's ban on female drivers. A day after the State Department said it was handling the issue through quiet diplomacy and not public pronouncements, …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

McCain: Troop Cuts Should Be "Modest"

The Associated Press reports : Sen. John McCain says U.S. troops in Afghanistan are seeing "significant success," and any plans to withdraw forces should be "modest." McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Tuesday that with "one more fighting season, we can …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011

NATO: U.S. Role in Libya Essential

Reuters reports : NATO responded on Tuesday to a Congressional threat to cut off funding to the U.S. military involvement in Libya by saying the United States was providing unique assets essential for the success of the mission. U.S. lawmakers have questioned the legality of continued use …

Written by FrumForum News on Tuesday June 21, 2011