Obama's AG Choice was Key Figure in Clinton Terrorist Clemency Controversy
Eric Holder, the long-time Washington lawyer chosen by President-elect Barack Obama to be the next attorney general, was a central figure in the controversy surrounding the clemency petitions of 16 convicted terrorists during the Clinton administration.
Supremes to review Barack's citizenship
A case that challenges President-elect Barack Obama's name on the 2008 election ballot citing questions over his citizenship has been scheduled for a "conference" at the U.S. Supreme Court.
GMAC Applies for Status as Bank, Begins Debt Swap
GMAC LLC, the largest lender to General Motors Corp. car dealers, has applied for status as a bank holding company so it can get access to the Treasury's $700 billion rescue fund for the financial industry.
Inhofe: Paulson Used Scare Tactics to Force Bailout Legislation
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., revealed on “The Pat Campbell Show” on 1170 KFAQ, a talk radio station in Tulsa, Okla., where some of these ideas in Congress may have originated. He divulged details of a conference call with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson from mid-September, which may be behind why some members of Congress were warning of catastrophe.
Honeybee Wipeout May be Averted with Flower Recovery Zones
If the honeybee populations continue collapsing, you can kiss the food supply good-bye. One-third of every bite you stuff into your mouth comes from foods pollinated by honeybees.
Zogby won’t duplicate Obama poll
Pollster John Zogby has rejected a conservative commentator’s offer to sponsor a poll to test the knowledge of people who voted for John McCain.
The commentator was proposing to mirror a poll of Obama voters that caused a political uproar when it suggested that Obama supporters didn’t know what they were voting for.
Undercover officers use Taser on pallbearer
A North Carolina sheriff's official has apologized for plunging a funeral into chaos when undercover agents tried to arrest the dead man's son—and used a Taser on him in the process.
Financials need at least $1-1.2 trillion: analyst
The U.S. financial system still needs at least $1 trillion to $1.2 trillion of tangible common equity to restore confidence and improve liquidity in the credit markets, Friedman Billings Ramsey analyst Paul Miller said.
Buffett's Berkshire Falls Most in at Least 23 Years
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. fell the most in at least 23 years, dropping for the eighth straight day since reporting a 77 percent decline in third- quarter profit.
US seeks 300 billion dlrs from Gulf states: report
The United States has asked four oil-rich Gulf states for close to 300 billion dollars to help it curb the global financial meltdown, Kuwait's daily Al-Seyassah reported Thursday.
IMF approves $2.1bn Iceland loan
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $2.1bn (£1.4bn) loan for Iceland, after the country's banking system collapsed in October.
U.S. confirms it held 12 juveniles at Guantánamo
The Pentagon reversed course and conceded that human rights groups had correctly counted a dozen juveniles among the detainee population at the prison camps at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
One of two spiders sent to the orbiting laboratory aboard the space shuttle Endeavour last week was added to the lost property list after the crew checked its tank and found it empty.
Plame, Wilson Seeking Supreme Court Review
Lawyers for former CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson plan to petition the Supreme Court to review a lawsuit against Vice President Dick Cheney and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, among others, after a federal appeals court this week rejected a rehearing en banc.
Jobless Claims Hit 16-Year High; Where The Cuts Are
The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose by 27,000 last week to their highest level in 16 years, according to the Labor Department.
US judge orders Algerians freed
Five Algerians held at Guantanamo Bay for almost seven years must be freed, a US judge has ruled.
Guantanamo Detainee Who Was Tortured Faces New War Crimes Charges
A Guantanamo Bay detainee who was tortured by military interrogators is again being charged with war crimes by Pentagon prosecutors, six months after those charges were dropped because of the coercive techniques used to obtain information were likely to be revealed at his trial.
A ‘Big Three’ Failure and U.S. Auto Making
Some argue that the jobs shed by the Detroit Three would be shipped abroad — where labor is cheaper — never to return to America again. A contraction of the Detroit Three would represent the end of the American industrial base, they say. That’s not necessarily the case.
A draft of the compromise being worked on by Michigan Sen. Carl Levin and Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., would use the $25 billion set aside by Congress in September for retooling auto plants over the next several years and lend it to auto makers immediately, the Detroit Free Press said.
Prosecutor Who Indicted Cheney and Gonzales; Disappeared
Willacy County prosecutor Juan Angel Guerra stumped a presiding judge and attorneys for clients as high up as Vice President Dick Cheney when he failed to show up to court on his own grand jury’s indictments.
The no-show infuriated attorneys who’d spent the day milling about with what they’d hoped would be slam-dunk motions to quash the cases.
GM Tumbles to Lowest Since '30s, Ford Falls as Aid Plan Falters
General Motors Corp. fell toward its lowest since the 1930s after U.S. lawmakers deadlocked on an auto-industry bailout, raising the prospect it could run out of cash before a new Congress can come to the rescue next year. Ford tumbled to a 28-year low.
Afghan article says US Bin-Ladin hunt phoney
The USG Open Source Center translates an article from the Persian Afghan press alleging that French troops were at one point close to capturing Usamah Bin Ladin in Afghanistan, but that American forces stopped them from doing so.
Putin vows to prevent 'collapse'
Russia's government will do "everything" it can to prevent another financial collapse in the country, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said.
Janet Napolitano will head Homeland Security
Arizona Demcratic Gov. Janet Napolitano has been chosen to serve as secretary of the vast and troubled Department of Homeland Security for President-elect Barack Obama, Democratic officials said.
Head of Interpol Mexico arrested for drug ties
Mexico arrested its head of Interpol on Tuesday for allegedly working for a powerful drug cartel and sent the military to take over police duties in the city of Tijuana in another step to flush out corrupt law enforcement.
NASA's curious climate capers
There have been a few red faces at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in recent days, to match the predominant color of its October global temperature map.
Cow tax proposal would threaten agriculture viability
“This is no laughing matter,” Krause said. “The cow tax and the pig tax are parts of a larger scheme by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.”
Obama and the Great Depression
By Mickey Z.
No, I don’t mean that Great Depression. I’m talking about the inevitable moment — maybe next week, maybe next year when the Kool Aid wears off and the Obamatrons wake up to realize their hero offers nothing even approximating hope or change.
How the State Co-opts the Opposition
By Anthony Gregory
At the twilight of one president’s term and with the ascent of the next we see our neighbors’ attitudes toward the nation’s politics dramatically shift. Conservatives now claim that dissent is patriotic. Liberals now see the presidency as the best proxy for American progress.
Al Qaeda scorns Obama, urges attacks on United States
Al Qaeda's second-in-command urged Muslims to keep up attacks on the "criminal" United States and criticized U.S. president-elect Barack Obama for promising to back Israel.
Democrats edge close to magic 60 seats in Senate
Democrats edged closer to total dominance in the US Senate after their challenger ended the longest Republican career in the chamber's history by unseating corruption-tainted veteran Ted Stevens.
According to a press release from the American Independent Party, former presidential candidate Alan Keyes and other members of the party have filed suit in California Superior Court in Sacramento to stop the state from giving its electoral votes to President-elect Barack Obama until documentary evidence is provided to prove Obama is indeed a natural born citizen of the United States.
Iraq story buried by US networks
The three major US networks spend on average 2 minutes per week covering the Iraq war, this according to the New York Times. The networks aren't telling the public about the deaths of Iraqi civilians since the invasion (anywhere from 600,000 to 1.2 million) or about the displaced Iraqis both internally and outside the country (more than 5 Million). The Real News Network Analyst Pepe Escobar comments.
Obama promises leadership on climate change
Calling climate change an urgent challenge, President-elect Barack Obama promised Tuesday that Washington would take a leading role in combating it in the United States and throughout the world. "My presidency will mark a new chapter in America's leadership on climate change," Obama said in a video message to governors and others attending a Los Angeles summit on the issue.
Judge decides to make anthrax rercods public
A federal judge decided on Monday to make public sealed court records relating to a former U.S. Army scientist who initially was named as a person of interest in the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks and later cleared.
Consumer Prices in U.S. Decline 1%, Most on Record
The cost of living in the U.S. fell by the most on record as fuel costs plummeted and retailers used discounts for cars and clothing to entice consumers hobbled by job losses and sinking home values.
Paulson resists Democrats' call to rescue homeowners
Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson told unhappy congressional Democrats on Tuesday that, barring a new catastrophe, the Bush administration intended to stand pat on its existing effort to stabilize financial markets -- and leave the next stage of economic recovery to the new administration.
Pirates Seize 7 Ships in 12 Days, Latest From Iran
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on Tuesday condemned the hijacking of a Saudi supertanker carrying $100 million in crude oil, calling piracy "a disease that has to be eradicated.
Japan economists call for 'Obama bonds'
Japanese economists, increasingly concerned that the United States might seek to pay its enormous and growing debt obligations in a weakened US dollar, are looking to the possibility of US Treasuries being issued in yen.
China Passes Japan as Biggest U.S. Treasuries Holder
China surpassed Japan in September to become the biggest foreign holder of U.S. Treasuries, as foreign investors sought the relative safety of government debt as stocks plunged 9.1 percent that month.
Life's Photo Archive Living Online, Via Google
One of the biggest photo collections in the world is now available to the public online, thanks to Life Magazine and Google. Most of the photographs, which range from the 1750s through the present day, have never been seen before.
Charts Predict: Dow 6,400 in Less than a Month
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is set to sink to 6,400 within the next few weeks, Nicole Elliott, technical analyst at Mizuho Corporate Bank told CNBC.
U.S. Seeks New Supply Routes Into Afghanistan
A rise in Taliban attacks along the length of a vital NATO supply route that runs through this border town in the shadow of the Khyber Pass has U.S. officials seeking alternatives, including the prospect of beginning deliveries by a tortuous overland journey from Europe.
'Israeli Air Force ready to attack Iran'
Israeli Air Force Commander General Ido Nehushtan claims his forces are ready to follow any order to thwart Iran's nuclear programs.
Star Wars & False Flag Terror
Is Obi-Wan Kenobi a Whacko Conspiracy Theorist? This video summarizes the 'Star Wars' prequel trilogy's political storyline, which is that of false flag war and terror.
Not All News Is Bad
By Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.
The headlines say that a deal to bail out automakers stands little chance of success. One might hope that common sense alone would have killed it (it's never a good idea to throw good money at failing enterprises), but the Democrats are citing intense Republican opposition.
Stevens loses Alaska Senate race
The longest-serving Republican in the history of the Senate trailed Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich by 3,724 votes after Tuesday's count.
Child Hunger In US Rose 50 Percent In 2007
New government figures show that almost 700,000 children went hungry in the United States at some point in 2007, up more than 50 percent from the year before to mark the highest point since 1998. And that's even before this year's sharp economic downtown, the Agriculture Department reported Monday.
Top judge: US and UK acted as 'vigilantes' in Iraq invaiosn
One of Britain's most authoritative judicial figures last night delivered a blistering attack on the invasion of Iraq, describing it as a serious violation of international law, and accusing Britain and the US of acting like a "world vigilante".
Dick Cheney, Alberto Gonzales indicted by south Texas grand jury
A grand jury in Willacy County, Texas, has indicted Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on charges related to alleged abuses of prisoners at federal detention centers, CNN and the Associated Press reported.
According to the Associated Press, the indictment is connected to Mr. Cheney's investment in the Vanguard Group. The company reportedly holds interests in the prison companies in charge of the federal detention centers.
Obama picks first African-American attorney general: media
US president-elect Barack Obama has named longtime lawyer Eric Holder to be attorney general, which if confirmed would make him the first African-American ever to hold the post, US media said.
Russian defense minister warns of another, worse Georgian war
The Russian defense minister warned on Tuesday that Georgia's military buildup and drive to join NATO could cause a conflict worse than the five-day war over South Ossetia in August.
GOVERNMENTS CAN'T HANDLE GLOBAL RUN ON GOLD COINS
Even as the price of the precious metal itself comes under pressure along with commodities like oil and copper, people around the world are demanding so many of the valuable coins that government mints are having difficulty filling orders.
November 19 - National Ammo Day!!
The goal of National Ammo Day is to empty the ammunition from the shelves of your local gun store, sporting goods, or hardware store and put that ammunition in the hands of law-abiding citizens. Make your support of the Second Amendment known--by voting with your dollars!
Paulson, Congress Clash Over Use of Bailout Fund
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and members of Congress locked horns over a $700 billion financial bailout fund, with lawmakers demanding money to stem foreclosures and Paulson arguing it was meant for investing in financial companies.
Depression 2009: What would it look like?
Lines at the ER, a television boom, emptying suburbs. A catastrophic economic downturn would feel nothing like the last one. And the insiders that orchestrated this crisis will be laughing all the way to the bank.
Financial Crisis Tab Already In The Trillions
Given the speed at which the federal government is throwing money at the financial crisis, the average taxpayer, never mind member of Congress, might not be faulted for losing track.
CNBC, however, has been paying very close attention and keeping a running tally of actual spending as well as the commitments involved
Try $4.28 trillion dollars. That's $4,284,500,000,000 and more than what was spent on WW II, if adjusted for inflation, based on our computations from a variety of estimates and sources*.
Iraq war 'violated rule of law'
Legal advice given to Tony Blair by the attorney general prior to the Iraq war was fundamentally "flawed," a former law lord has claimed.
October producer prices fall by record 2.8 percent
Producer prices fell a record 2.8 percent in October as energy prices slid, government data on Tuesday showed, but a measure of core inflation at the farm and factory gate rose more than forecast.
Dutch Insurer May Buy Thrift to Get US Bailout Funds
Dutch insurer Aegon said it may buy a small U.S. thrift company to qualify for potentially more than $1 billion in U.S. government support, sending its shares down more than 8 percent.
Charts Predict: Dow to 6,700 in 'Accelerated' Slump
The Dow Jones Industrial Average could sink as low as 6,700 before the year is out, in another accelerated down move similar to October's slump, Roelof van den Akker, chartist from ING Wholesale Banking, told CNBC.
Obama unlikely to charge interrogators
Barack Obama's incoming administration is unlikely to bring criminal charges against government workers who authorized or used harsh interrogation techniques during the George W. Bush presidency. Obama, who has criticized the use of torture, is being urged by some constitutional scholars and humans rights groups to investigate possible war crimes by the Bush administration.
When It's a Clear Day and You Can't See GM
By Paul Craig Roberts
"The prospects of a government rescue for the foundering American automakers dwindled Thursday as Democratic Congressional leaders conceded that they would face potentially insurmountable Republican opposition,” reported the NY Times last Friday.
Taliban: We may attack Paris
The Taliban has threatened to carry out attacks on the capital city of Paris unless French troops are withdrawn from Afghanistan.
Time ripe for US-Iran talks: Israel intelligence chief
Israel's military intelligence chief has said the time could be right for Washington to open a dialogue with Tehran as a means to halt Iran's nuclear drive, media reported on Tuesday.
Iraq, U.S. sign pact on troops withdrawal deadline
Iraq and the United States signed a long-awaited accord on Monday requiring Washington to withdraw its forces by the end of 2011, eight years after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Agent Orange’s toxic legacy lingers on
More than 30 years after it ended, the Vietnam War is still having a devastating impact on the lives of ordinary people. Up to five million Vietnamese were exposed to Agent Orange, a deadly herbicide sprayed by the U.S. Army over wide areas.
Murdoch to media: You dug yourself a huge hole
With newspapers cutting back and predictions of even worse times ahead, Rupert Murdoch said the profession may still have a bright future if it can shake free of reporters and editors who he said have forfeited the trust and loyalty of their readers.
Obama Wrote Federal Staffers About His Goals
In wooing federal employee votes on the eve of the election, Barack Obama wrote a series of letters to workers that offer detailed descriptions of how he intends to add muscle to specific government programs, give new power to bureaucrats and roll back some Bush administration policies.
Housing starts expected to hit half-century low
Few observers have ever seen anything like the economic data that will be released in the coming week, with the consumer price index and housing starts each expected to breach records dating back to the late 1940s.
Mexican Gangsters Converting America's National Parks Into Gigantic Marijuana Patches
Vast tracts of our most treasured public lands, supposedly set aside in perpetuity for Americans, are no longer controlled by the United States government. Instead, they have been invaded and taken over by Mexico's violent criminal drug organizations to grow marijuana.
The Six Unknowns That Are Roiling the Stock Market
The stock market's behavior is downright strange lately. Professionals with decades of market experience scratch their heads as the market falls to its lowest point of the year, then surges almost 7% in an afternoon all for no apparent reason.
Afghan Taliban Leader Rejects Karzai's Safety Vow
A Taliban militant leader rejected Monday an offer from Afghan President Hamid Karzai of safe passage for insurgent leaders who wanted to talk peace.
Tuberculosis: A new pandemic?
Many people think of tuberculosis as being a disease from the past. The truth is far from it: Tuberculosis is mutating into dangerous new strains for which there is no known cure.
Gulf War illness is real, new federal report says
An extensive federal report released Monday concludes that roughly one in four of the 697,000 U.S. veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War suffer from Gulf War illness.
FOIA docs show feds can lojack mobiles without telco help
Courts in recent years have been raising the evidentiary bar law enforcement agents must meet in order to obtain historical cell phone records that reveal information about a target's location. But documents obtained by civil liberties groups under a Freedom of Information Act request suggest that "triggerfish" technology can be used to pinpoint cell phones without involving cell phone providers at all.
Sooner Than We Thought
By Yuri N. Maltsev
The new Obama regime is taking shape in Washington and provinces eager to take power and secure the "change you can believe in" using humungous propaganda machine of both government radio and television and still privately owned, so-called "mainstream media."
Blind leading the one-eyed
By Chan Akya
My worst fears about the weekend gathering in Washington of world leaders to discuss the financial crisis were realized overnight when the statement after their meeting was released. It contained a host of generic fluff and very little mention of the specific actions required to tackle the gargantuan economic problems of today.
Gangs in the Military
Video proof our military is being infiltrated by members of street gangs.
Investigation finds gang members are joining the military to train for war on the streets in America.
At least two fund managers complained verbally to officials of the Loan Syndications and Trading Association, saying they believe Goldman helped drive down prices by using the technique, according to people with knowledge of the objections. New York- based Goldman is acting against its clients by trying to profit at their expense, the investors said.
AIG to Pay Millions To Top Workers
American International Group plans to pay out $503 million in deferred compensation to some of its top employees, saying it must tap the funds to keep valuable workers from exiting the troubled insurance giant.
Al-Qaeda declares war on Iran?
The abduction of an Iranian attaché in Pakistan can be interpreted as the onset of war between Iran and al-Qaeda, says a senior militant.
Al Qaeda says order given for US attack “far bigger than 9/11”
DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources report that US president-elect Barack Obama, European and Russian heads of state in Washington for the G20 conference over the weekend were briefed about a probable early al Qaeda attack.
Traders to collect big on slick bet
Investors who placed summer bets that oil prices would fall below $100 a barrel are set to make huge profits on Monday, with some speculators reaping a return of more than 2,000 per cent in less than six months.
Inhofe: Cancel the 'blank check'
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe said Saturday that Congress was not told the truth about the bailout of the nation's financial system and should take back what is left of the $700 billion "blank check'' it gave the Bush administration.
Game beware: it's the return of the poacher
As times get harder in Britain's cities, armed gangs are heading for the countryside – and stealing deer, salmon and rabbits to feed a burgeoning black market in food.
Spam Turns Serious and Hormel Turns Out More
The economy is in tatters and, for millions of people, the future is uncertain. But for some employees at the Hormel Foods Corporation plant here, times have never been better. They are working at a furious pace and piling up all the overtime they want.
Even as consumers are cutting back on all sorts of goods, Spam is among a select group of thrifty grocery items that are selling steadily.
Pancake mixes and instant potatoes are booming. So are vitamins, fruit and vegetable preservatives and beer, according to data from October compiled by Information Resources, a market research firm.
“We’ve seen a double-digit increase in the sale of rice and beans,” said Teena Massingill, spokeswoman for the Safeway grocery chain, in an e-mail message. “They’re real belly fillers.”
Kraft Foods said recently that some of its value-oriented products like macaroni and cheese, Jell-O and Kool-Aid were experiencing robust growth. And sales are still growing, if not booming, for Velveeta, a Kraft product that bears the same passing resemblance to cheese as Spam bears to ham.
The world has never seen such freezing heat
A surreal scientific blunder last week raised a huge question mark about the temperature records that underpin the worldwide alarm over global warming.
Democrats Move Cautiously on DHS Appointment
As Democrats for the first time take over the five-year-old Department of Homeland Security, the watchword for Obama transition aides is caution.
Why MSNBC Shills for Obama
Is MSNBC being rewarded for having backed Obama? That's what Jim Pinkerton suggests. On this evening's Fox News Watch, the columnist and New America Foundation fellow cited the news that GE Capital, a subsidiary of MSNBC's parent company GE, has received a $139 billion government loan guarantee.
Sex, Lies, and Subprime Mortgages
The sexual favors, whistleblower intimidation, and routine fraud behind the fiasco that has triggered the global financial crisis
Sunspots spell end of climate myth
It is disturbing that many recent statements on climate change by influential people are not supported by hard evidence.
Report: Immigration Officials Freed Criminal Aliens
Federal immigration officials let thousands of inmates in the nation's third-most populous county walk out of jail despite the suspects admitting they were in the U.S. illegally, a newspaper investigation found.
