Today’s Headlines

Today’s headlines brought to you by

Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com

Top Story

Bush speech to have few new ideas
WASHINGTON - In a bow to political reality, President Bush's final State of the Union speech will skip bold proposals in favor of ones the country has heard before, a modest approach for a White House that prides itself on big ideas.
Bush hasn’t had a new idea in 30 years. That may come as news to the junior senator from Illinois. The House Democratic Caucus has a chart on the Bush legacy.—Caro

Buck Fush

The World

Iraq to go after al-Qaida in Mosul
BAGHDAD - Iraq's prime minister announced Friday that the government was launching a major offensive against al-Qaida in the northern city of Mosul after two days of deadly bombings that killed nearly 40 people.
This is a huge PR shift, in case you didn’t notice. This is the first time the announcement is that the Iraqi government is mounting a military offensive, not the U.S. military.—Caro

U.S. to Insist Iraq Grant It Wide Mandate in Operations
WASHINGTON — With its international mandate in Iraq set to expire in 11 months, the Bush administration will insist that the government in Baghdad give the United States broad authority to conduct combat operations and guarantee civilian contractors specific legal protections from Iraqi law, according to administration and military officials. This emerging American negotiating position faces a potential buzz saw of opposition from Iraq, with its fragmented Parliament, weak central government and deep sensitivities about being seen as a dependent state, according to these officials. At the same time, the administration faces opposition from Democrats at home, who warn that the agreements that the White House seeks would bind the next president by locking in Mr. Bush’s policies and a long-term military presence.
And that’s exactly the point, isn’t it? Bush wants his war to live on and on and on.—Caro

Explosion rocks Beirut, 5 dead
BEIRUT, Lebanon - A car bomb exploded in a Christian neighborhood of Beirut on Friday killing at least five people, including a top police official who dealt with terrorist bombings and had previously been targeted, authorities said.

US says Iran sanctions will be 'punitive'
A top US official inisted on Thursday that a new UN sanctions resolution against Iran over its contested nuclear programme would be "punitive." "This is a punitive resolution. I say this because I saw some comments yesterday from Moscow that it wasn't. It is," the US State Department's third highest diplomat Nicholas Burns told reporters after talks with Israeli officials in Jerusalem.
The Bush administration is big on punishing people—except for its own wrongdoing.—Caro

UN powers agree on more Iran sanctions
Major U.N. Security Council powers have agreed on an incremental increase in sanctions on Iran, including a new restriction on exporters doing business with the country, diplomats said Thursday.

Iran no longer wants to talk to U.S.
BAGHDAD — Despite repeated offers from the United States, Iran has refused to set a new date for further talks between the two countries in Baghdad, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Thursday. The U.S. and Iranian ambassadors held three meetings last August in an effort to defuse tensions, but since then Iran has backed out of a follow-up session on three occasions, Iraqi officials said.

10 Die in Mistaken Afghan Firefight
At least nine Afghan police officers and a civilian were killed early Thursday in a firefight between American forces and the officers in Ghazni Province, just south of the capital, local officials said.

Pakistan tests missile, rejects nuclear safety worry
Pakistan's army chief dismissed on Friday fears that the country's nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of Islamist militants as the military test fired a nuclear-capable missile.

France, India to fire up military cooperation, nuclear energy ties
NEW DELHI (AFP) - India and France said they would push their military ties beyond weapons sales and open up nuclear power cooperation as soon as New Delhi is able to enter the global atomic energy market.

Gates gives Forum optimism
DAVOS, Switzerland - Microsoft chairman Bill Gates announced Friday at the World Economic Forum that his foundation would give $306 million to use green technology and farming techniques to boost millions out of hunger and poverty.
A tiny drop in a gigantic bucket.—Caro

The Nation

Senate pressured to OK stimulus deal
WASHINGTON - A much-anticipated deal between the White House and once-warring House leaders to speed tax rebate checks to workers starting in May has the Senate in a bind over whether to try to add to the measure.

Like FBI, CIA Has Used Secret 'Letters'
Newly released documents shed light on the use of national security letters by the CIA. The spy agency has employed them to obtain financial information about U.S. residents and does so under extraordinary secrecy, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Phone Firms' Bid for Immunity in Wiretaps Gains Ground
The Senate signaled in a key vote yesterday that it supports giving some of the nation's largest telephone companies immunity from dozens of privacy lawsuits related to a federal domestic eavesdropping program initiated after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. In a 60 to 36 vote -- with 12 Democrats joining Republicans in the majority -- the Senate rejected a version of the proposed legislation sponsored by Democrats on the Judiciary Committee. That bill omitted immunity for the telecommunications firms involved in warrantless eavesdropping.

Key Cloture Vote Set For Monday On FISA
With Senate Republicans blocking Democratic attempts to amend the FISA reauthorization bill, the Senate has set a cloture vote from early Monday afternoon, just hours before President Bush gives his final State of the Union address.

Paul Wolfowitz named to chair advisory panel
Paul Wolfowitz, an architect of the Iraq war who was forced to resign from the World Bank because of an ethics scandal, will chair a U.S. advisory panel on arms control, the State Department said on Thursday. The former deputy secretary of defense (war criminal) and advocate of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq will head the State Department's International Security Advisory Board, which gives the department independent advice on arms control, disarmament, international security and other matters.
You can only fail up in the Bush administration.—Caro

Moussaoui tipsters overlooked for $5 million reward
WASHINGTON — In a private ceremony at the State Department Thursday, Clarence Prevost, a Minnesota flight instructor, was presented with a $5 million check for flagging suspicious behavior by al Qaida operative Zacarias Moussaoui, who was learning to fly a jumbo jet before the Sept. 11 terror attacks. Two other former employees of the Pan American International Flight Academy who tipped the FBI that a terrorist might be in their midst were overlooked, however. Both men, who were honored by a Senate resolution in 2005, reacted with disbelief at learning they'd been left out.
Maybe they made the mistake of contributing to Democrats instead of Republicans.—Caro

Immigration officials detaining, deporting American citizens
FLORENCE, Ariz. — Thomas Warziniack was born in Minnesota and grew up in Georgia, but immigration authorities pronounced him an illegal immigrant from Russia. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has held Warziniack for weeks in an Arizona detention facility with the aim of deporting him to a country he's never seen.

Judge wants answers on CIA videotapes
A federal judge said Thursday that CIA interrogation videotapes may have been relevant to his court case, and he gave the Bush regime three weeks to explain why they were destroyed in 2005 and say whether other evidence was destroyed. The decision is a legal setback for the Bush regime, which has urged courts not to get involved.

Arrested critic seeks Cheney testimony
DENVER - An attorney for a man arrested after telling the vice president that his policies in Iraq were "disgusting" asked U.S. marshals Thursday to force Dick Cheney to testify about the matter.
Wow, that’s a HUGELY serious crime!—Caro

SurveyUSA Poll: Edwards Makes Gains in South Carolina
A new SurveyUSA poll in South Carolina finds Sen. Barack Obama leading the Democratic presidential race with 45%, followed by Sen. Hillary Clinton at 29% and John Edwards at 22%. The margin of error is 3.8%. In the last week, Obama's support has remained flat while Clinton is down 7 points and Edwards is up 7 points.

Democrat Kucinich quits White House race
CLEVELAND - Democrat Dennis Kucinich is abandoning his second, long-shot bid for the White House as he faces a tough fight to hold onto his other job — U.S. congressman.
Almost every Democrat agrees with almost every position Kucinich holds on the issues. But he can’t get any traction. What better proof do we need that the presidential race is a beauty contest, and not a contest of issues?—Caro

Signing Your Economic Stimulus Over to the Saudis?
President Bush's economic stimulus plan would put $800 in the pocket of almost every taxpayer. Given that Congress is pretty much on the same page, why isn't that prospect buoying everyone's hopes? Maybe one reason is that Wall Street and consumers alike realize that unless oil prices drop significantly--which may well happen if we fall into a recession--many will be emptying that newfound stash just to pay for the increase in gasoline and other energy prices this year.

Media

Permanent link to MTA daily media news

I will be a guest on Head-On with Bob Kincaid today at 6:00 PM ET. Listen to Bob from 6:00 to 9:00 PM ET every weekday on the Head-On Radio Network.

Crooks and Liars nominated for a 2008 Bloggie Award: Best Political Blog (by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
We interrupt this blogging day with a little blogging awards news. The Weblog awards are the oldest of the online awards I believe (2001) and are really very cool. Readers are exposed to some very interesting sites all over the world. Thanks to all the C&L readers who voted us in. I enjoy all the other political sites (except one) that are nominated for Best Political Blog, but if you can—throw a vote to C&L that would be so kewl. (scroll down to find the category.)
Please take a moment to vote for Crooks and Liars. It’s the only high-traffic progressive blog that consistently links to less well-known blogs, including MakeThemAccountable.—Caro

Stimulus Gone Bad (by Paul Krugman)
(N)o economic theory or evidence I know of says that upper-middle-class families are more likely to spend rebate checks than the poor and unemployed. Instead, what seems to be happening is that the Bush administration refuses to sign on to anything that it can’t call a “tax cut.”… (T)he result is a plan that not only fails to deliver help where it’s most needed, but is likely to fail as an economic measure… And the worst of it is that the Democrats, who should have been in a strong position — does this administration have any credibility left on economic policy? — appear to have caved in almost completely.

Strains on the I.R.S. Could Delay Rebate Checks for Months
President Bush’s plan to send payments to 117 million households to stimulate the economy would impose major strains on the Internal Revenue Service… Even as the negotiators crunched the numbers, the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation warned that the tax-filing season could be disrupted and hinted that it might be June before checks were issued.
Will they outsource the work to a Republican contributor? This article doesn’t even mention the cost of processing these checks. If they just cut payroll taxes a bit, it wouldn’t cost the government anything, it would be immediate, and much more of it would go to people who would actually spend it. Oh, right, that all just makes too much sense.—Caro

I See What You Mean, It Is Broken (by Mark Thoma at Economist’s View)
When regular old workers are thrown out of work and their lives are thrown into turmoil, we're told that's capitalism functioning as it should, creative destruction, dynamism, able to respond quickly to changes in conditions and all of that… However, when executives face the same dynamism and their income falls (so that they also face a reduction in their income, say from a million to half a million), global capitalism is broken and needs to be fixed (e.g. "Market Bloodbath Highlights Cracks in Capitalism," one of many along these lines).

Radical Centrists (by dday at Hullabaloo)
(The) fetishism for moderation is disturbing, but it seems that, much like Rick Perlstein noted that conservatism and liberalism are not random governing philosophies but actual expressions of human nature, "centrism" also springs from some deep-seated urge to split the difference and make oneself look or feel somehow superior or above political gamesmanship in the process. So the goal for the progressive movement must be to shift the political center and force those predisposed to the badges of centrism and bipartisanship to move to the left to save their political skins. And indeed, we're doing some good work, albeit limited, on that score.
As long as the right has it’s mighty media infrastructure and progressives refuse to build a counter structure, the problem with how issues are presented by the mainstream media won’t change.—Caro

WHAM! BOOM!.... (by Kevin Drum at Political Animal, the Washington Monthly)
Did Barack Obama have a "testy" exchange with a reporter on Tuesday? No. Did Hillary Clinton almost let loose with a "Dean scream" on Wednesday? No. Do reporters routinely inflate minor campaign trail incidents in an effort inject color and conflict into their coverage? Yes indeed. The lesson of the day is: Always remember to take conflict stories with a great big shaker of salt until you see the video, the full exchange, or corroborating testimony yourself. There will be a quiz tomorrow.

Clinton campaign fires back at Obama team over 'attacks' on Bill Clinton (On Politics, USA Today)
The war of words between the presidential campaigns of Democratic senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama continues. Earlier, the Obama campaign had several surrogates talk about what they see as the unfair attacks their guy has been hit with from Clinton and her husband the former president. A short while ago, the Clinton campaign responded with a conference call of its own during which several former officials of Bill Clinton's administration and two of the senator's top campaign aides argued that it's the Obama team that has been on the attack and has some explaining to do.

Blood Sport (by Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo)
TPM Reader RA… “Politics is blood sport, it is about the lesser of two evils, and it was ever thus. I am sure the Romans and the Greeks and the Sumerians had this exact same conversation. Bill and Hillary are not going to destroy the Democratic party. In fact I would argue Clinton is more suited than either Obama or Edwards to take on the Republican machine. She seems to be the only Democrat that understands the way to win an election is to make your opponent seem worse than you, at every opportunity, in every state, and in every way. It's not pretty and it's not right, but it is what it is.”

Keeping with A-initialed Readers (by Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo)
TPM Reader AJ ... “Josh-What, exactly, is Bill Clinton supposed to have said that is so 'venomous?' I've noted many pro-Obama commenters and surrogates, including Claire McCaskill and Michelle Obama today, complaining in a very non-specific way about Bill Clinton's supposed 'distortions' and 'attacks' against Obama, but I can't find any specific credible charges of the same. The Iraq charge against Obama, he opposed the war in the beginning, but didn't offer consistent opposition to the war after that, is defensible, if debatable in terms of relavence and nuance. Same with Obama's infamous 'Party of Ideas' comments. I am not even sure what the other 'distortions' are supposed. However, tt seems like there's an effort by the Obama team to avoid addressing the charges by just crying 'unfair!' and creating an impression of unseemliness about an ex-President campaigning, which again, is debatable. That's fine, it's politics, on both sides. But, either way, on February 5th I am voting for John Edwards.”
Me, too, AJ.—Caro

Exclusive: After Obama Complaints, CNN Bans James Carville And Paul Begala From Appearing As Analysts Until Dem Primary Is Settled (by Greg Sargent at TPM Horse’s Mouth)
I've just learned that CNN has told top Dem strategists James Carville, Paul Begala, and Robert Zimmerman -- who are CNN mainstays but are all Hillary supporters -- that they will not be doing any more political analysis on the network until the Democratic primary has reached a conclusion. I'm also told that this move came after the Obama campaign repeatedly complained to high level officials at CNN about the presence of Carville and Begala on the network.

BOX OF ROCKS, TOGETHER AGAIN: (by Bob Somerby at Talking Points Memo)
Margaret Carlson stopped by (Wednesday)’s Tucker, together again with her old pundit partner… Here’s what happened when Margaret Carlson was asked about the press corps’ outlook. Her comments deserve to be pondered: “… Well, I’ve never seen tough, hard, mean press people be so taken at an event as they are at an Obama event when he gives one of his really good speeches. I mean, you can`t help but be—have you been at them?”… She showed no sign of understanding that her remarks might seem a bit “unprofessional”—her description of a swooning press corps… If you want to understand the shape of the current Dem campaign, we’ll suggest you consider those remarks.

Time for Obama to come clean (by Mark Brown, Chicago Sun-Times)
Barack Obama just keeps bobbling the Tony Rezko hot potato, and if he doesn't get a handle on it soon, his campaign for the presidency is going to be badly burned. On Wednesday, the Illinois senator fumbled again as he continued to try to minimize his relationship with Rezko while making the rounds of the morning news shows… This was not some guy he used to hang with in high school. This is somebody who spotted Obama's raw talent and offered him a job while he was still in law school, somebody who gave him one of his very first campaign donations for his first political race. This is somebody for whom Obama and his law firm performed legal work, not a great deal of it by Obama personally perhaps, but enough to know how the man made his money and that he was one of the major developers of low-income housing in his state legislative district.

"Not Raise Taxes" (by Brock Lorber at Freedom’s Phoenix)
Governor Mitt Romney was asked how he would save social security in the January 24th GOP debate in Florida. MSNBC's First Read notes that one audio channel picked up a ghostly, "not raise taxes." Now, First Read has apparently decided that information was not for public consumption. The link goes to an error page.
Click here to watch the video of that part of the debate. I had to turn the sound way up. Romney should have gotten an earpiece, as Bush did.—Caro

Rush Limbaugh is in a funk and someone's gonna pay (Top of the Ticket, Los Angeles Times)
Good news for Rush-haters. Not only has the controversial conservative radio talk-show host got a sore throat, but he's anguishing over the inadequacy he sees in the current field of Republican presidential candidates. You can actually hear the pain, the mounting impatience, the frustration in his voice. It's kinda sad, if you believe in talk-radio. Monday on the air, he'd had enough of these impure candidates and enough of all these questions about his endorsement and when it would come and how he'd make his decision and he just blurted out to Jim in Kansas City and a few million others listening in: "I can see possibly not supporting a Republican nominee."
Aw, the Republicans aren’t doing what the big baby wants them to do? He’ll take his toys and go home. Heh, heh, heh.—Caro

Technology & Science

Hot New Trend Allows Computers to Get Faster
Currently, chip speeds have topped out at a little under 4 gigahertz (4 billion cycles per second) because they get hotter as they run faster, and at higher speeds they fry themselves. The industry's answer: adding more "cores" (i.e. copies of the processor circuitry itself) that run at today's speeds. Vendors are offering two, three and four processors per chip, while eight-core versions are expected.

Schools to Increase Spending on Open-Source Software
Educational institutions will increase spending on open-source software and services over the next few years, but that doesn't mean proprietary software will be left in the dark, according to a new report covering 14 countries.

Mouse teaches reading in computer adventure
On the computer, anything is possible including having a mouse teach reading games to kids.

Professor: Fractions should be scrapped
A few years ago, Dennis DeTurck, an award-winning professor of mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania, stood at an outdoor podium on campus and proclaimed, "Down with fractions!"
There’s not a school child in the world who will disagree with this professor.—Caro

Researchers a step closer to synthetic life
It's another step in the quest to create artificial organisms: Scientists have synthesized the complete DNA of a type of bacteria. The experiment, published online Thursday by the journal Science, isn't a living germ, just its genetic structure.

DNA molecules display telepathy-like quality
Double helixes of DNA can recognize matching molecules from a distance and then gather together, all seemingly without help from any other molecules, scientists find.

Camera In A Pill Offers Cheaper, Easier Window On Your Insides
ScienceDaily (Jan. 25, 2008) — What if swallowing a pill with a camera could detect the earliest signs of cancer? The tiny camera is designed to take high-quality, color pictures in confined spaces. Such a device could find warning signs of esophageal cancer, the fastest growing cancer in the United States.

Pancreatic stem cell breakthrough could offer treatment for Type 1 diabetes
WASHINGTON (AFP) - An international team of scientists has isolated pancreatic stem cells in adult mice, a breakthrough that could lead to treatment for juvenile or Type 1 diabetes, researchers said in a study published Thursday.

Protein Discovered That Prevents HIV From Spreading
(S)cientists at Rockefeller University and the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center have pinned down a molecule on the surface of human cells that helps keep particles of mutant strains of HIV from spreading. Rather than floating off to infect more cells, the protein contains the virus particles by keeping them attached to the parent cell’s outer membrane, as if stuck there with glue.

Surprise in Lab Helps ID Drug to Fight ALS
Study shows apocynin almost doubles life span of mice with inherited Lou Gehrig's disease

Oral Contraceptives Cut Ovarian Cancer Risk
The Pill prevents as many as 30,000 deaths each year, study says.

Discovery Of New Cause Of Mental Retardation Simplifies Search For Treatments
This is the first time that scientists have found that duplication of a protein leads to mental retardation. The discovery offers promising possibilities in the search for remedies, because it's easier to reduce an over-production of a protein than to repair a defective protein or to replace a missing protein.

Spectacular Sky Show: Venus, Jupiter and the Moon
The most spectacular celestial sights over the next couple of weeks are reserved for the early morning sky. Two bright planets will converge, then be joined by the moon.

Female Figure on Mars Just a Rock
The idea that there may be life on Mars has been around for centuries, but the theory got a dubious boost from recently released photos of the surface of Mars (taken by the NASA robot Spirit) apparently showing a human-like figure. Several Internet sites have glommed onto the image and suggested the figure could be alive.

Environment

GM forms team for hybrids, electric vehicles
DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp said on Thursday it formed a new organization to speed up the implementation of advanced battery technology for hybrid and electric vehicles. The world's largest automaker, which plans to produce the Chevrolet Volt plug-in by the end of 2010, said the global team will be based in Warren and Milford, Michigan, Mainz-Kastel, Germany and Shanghai, China.

Burning Grease
When the French fries are fried, what happens to the grease? Some might toss it out, but Michael Cohen has a use for it ... to fuel his car. It's gas that costs just 25 cents a gallon, and is good for the earth, Richard Schlesinger reports.

Biofuel investments seen good bet with pricey oil
Biofuels made from plants and waste will prove an increasingly efficient and cheap substitute for oil in many areas over the coming five years, industry analysts said. As long as crude sells at prices towards $100 per barrel, there will be strong demand for cheaper biofuels and manufacturing technology will improve, Vinod Khosla, founder of venture capital firm Khosla Ventures, told Reuters.
But we need to be careful that farming for biofuels doesn’t increase the price of food.—Caro

Analysis: Banning “Bad” Biofuels, Becoming Better Consumers
Casual observers might consider it a setback for proponents of ethanol and biodiesel now that Europe is planning to ban biofuels made from crops grown on high-value conservation lands. But the truth is, shunning biofuels produced on wetlands, grasslands, and deforested land is good for both critics and supporters. Overall, it’s even good for the biofuel industry because it might restore some faith in their product, which has been attacked from all corners in recent months. The main problem with Europe’s new law, in fact, may be that it is not stringent enough.

Alcoa, Baxter, G.E. Ranked Among Most Sustainable U.S. Corporations
DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 25, 2008 -- One-hundred global corporations were named to the fourth annual list by Global Knights and Innovest Strategic Value Advisors.

Wal-Mart Announces Next Steps in its Green Evolution
BENTONVILLE, Ark., Jan. 25, 2008 -- Wal-Mart wants to make its most energy intensive products 25 percent more efficient in the next three years, as well as set higher environmental standards for its suppliers.

Electric Trucks Deliver Coca-Cola in Uruguay
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, Jan. 25, 2008 -- A Coca-Cola distributor is integrating electric trucks into a new delivery network.

First 100% organic, 'green' restaurant opens in NYC
Gunning for a national presence, New York City's first green- and organic-certified restaurant has opened its doors. Gusto Grilled Organics is a Greenwich Village eatery serving 100 percent, organic, Latin-inspired cuisine for eat-in, takeout and delivery.

For more headlines, visit MakeThemAccountable.com.

Caro