Headlines For 7-14-08

The Bush Administration asks Congress to back Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, while the Federal Reserve said the two companies can borrow directly from it. What does it mean? “The government [is] effectively the only lender for millions of Americans engaged in the largest transactions of their lives.” New York Times

From Russia (and China) with Love. The two countries veto Zimbabwe sanctions proposed by the U.N. Security Council. The West isn’t happy, especially since Russia agreed to impose sanctions at the G8 Summit. Telegraph Do sanctions actually work? BBC

This could be a bit of scare-mongering, but here’s a worst-case analysis of last week’s Iranian missile test. Economist And a profile of Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: (London) Times.

There were problems during the first weekend of the “Second Coming” of the iPhone. Fortune

This Bud’s for you! Anheuser-Busch, the U.S. beer leader, agrees to be bought by the Belgian-Brazilian company InBev. Wall Street Journal

The Date Is Off

Dems back off on a date to withdraw from Iraq, but they - and some Republicans - still want some conditions for war funding. Washington Post It’s al-Qaeda again? Washington Post Take a look at another effort by King George to execute warrantless searches. New York Times

7/7 bombing victims call for an inquiry on how MI-5 missed the bombers. After the attack investigators said the suicide bombers were “clean skins” - unknown to MI-5. (London) Times Police were pursuing the 7/7 leader five months before the attacks. Guardian

What’s going on with the secularists in Turkey? BBC

Arrests warrants have been issued by the International Criminal Court for a Sudanese minister and a militia leader for war crimes in Darfur. Let’s see if this warrant has teeth and the men are arrested. AP/The Australian

Do you bank with JP Morgan-Chase? According to this video, they don’t dispose of their customer information properly. CNN Money

That contaminant that got into your pet’s food may have also gotten into YOUR food. Reuters (video)

Why did NASA refuse a partnership with Russia on the second Moon shot? Telegraph Meanwhile, be healthy on your trip to Mars or you might get voted off the spaceship. AP/CNN

How much do countries give in aid. Maybe a little. Maybe a lot. It depends on how you count it. Economist

Enjoy a few pints beer over the course of the week? It could make your brain smaller. (Melbourne) Age But making that pint could be good for the environment. BBC

The big De La Hoya-Mayweather fight is on Saturday night. And it will continue on Sunday, and Monday..

After The VA Tech Massacre..

The issue isn’t better campus security. It’s gun control, and that’s the debate that’s not happening. Economist Americans are divided by race, gender and political party over gun control according to a new poll. AP/MSNBC Vigil bulimics: The Daily Truth/(Melbourne) Age

The Food and Drug Administration knew about problems at the places where the recent peanut butter and spinach contaminations occurred. Critics say those problems show “the agency is incapable of adequately protecting the safety of the food supply.” Washington Post

A major breach in security at the Los Alamos nuclear lab by someone who had a history of drug use and a meth lab in their trailer. Time

Why do straight people “hate gay people so much?” Los Angeles Times

Fruit is good. If you add alcohol, it’s better. Reuters

You ever noticed it’s hard being Harrison Ford’s wife and family in his movies?

UK Hostages On Video

Iran releases a letter said to be written by the captured female sailor and a video in which she said the sailors were in Iranian waters. There’s no way to know if she was coerced into speaking. The letter’s included here. Guardian Here are video clips of her and the other captives: CNN (video) Britain says it has evidence showing the marines and sailors weren’t in Iranian waters. BBC ..And steps up the pressure on Iran. Telegraph

We’ll know soon if funding for the Iraq war will be cut. If it is, the effects won’t be felt for several months. Los Angeles Times

If you have the name that even resembles a name or alias of a terrorism suspect, you could be on a list available online that private businesses who can decide whether or not they want to deny you business. Washington Post

Ninety years ago on April 6, the U.S. entered World War I. One of the last four surviving U.S. veterans of “the war to end all wars” talks about serving. Many of the issues of in the world today can be traced back to WWI. USA Today

Certain people can carry a gun in the U.S. Capitol, but they can’t carry it to the Capitol. Besides offering insight on why nothing gets done Washington, do congressmen and senators need to be packing heat? Washington Post

What you drink and your health. New York Times

Shed pounds. Watch porn.. Panda porn. Just another day in life of a panda getting ready to mate. AP/The Australian

JibJab’s new video breaks down breaking news, runaway broncos, President Bush and “Brit’s putty-tat.” It’s what they call The News.

Further Isolation

Iran is in the news on two fronts. Britain is getting less diplomatic about insisting Iran return its 15 marines. Guardian Background on Iran’s seizure of the marines. Time And after U.N. sanctions were imposed this weekend, Iran said it would limit cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency on its nuclear program. Reuters

Here’s how one of those government databases that collects names and information works. The “bar for inclusion is low, and once someone is on the list, it is virtually impossible to get off it.” Washington Post

In other citizen surveillance news, the NYPD kept records on people who intended to protest at the 2004 Republican National Convention in NYC. They included people around U.S. and in other countries “who had no apparent intention of breaking the law.” New York Times

Could this be Zimbabwe’s Mugabe’s last stand? (London) Times Why is South Africa noticeably quiet on this? New York Times

Why political rights (you know the old favorites: free speech, due process, etc.) trump economic and social rights. Economist

This guy is trying to sell Moonshine as a premium spirit. Do you order that neat or on the rocks? Los Angeles Times

When Ctrl + Alt + Del = $38 Billion loss! AP/(Melbourne) Age

What Do You Think? John and Elizabeth Edwards announced her cancer has returned and he’s going to stay in the race for President. They were interviewed on 60 Minutes (video) and he told Katie Couric he’s in the race for the “duration.” Should he stay in it? If he’s elected president, will Elizabeth’s illness be too much of a distraction? Cynically speaking, will this boost his poll numbers? Who’s place is it to judge? Let us know at Joe.


Ever want to watch all six Rocky movies in a row, but didn’t have the time? We’re assuming the answer is no, but here’s the entire series in five seconds.

Gone Fishing

The FBI has been playing fast and loose with it’s Patriot Act Powers by fishing for info on U.S. citizens. Between 2003 and 2005, the Bureau “issued more than 143,000 requests for information on more than 52,000 people” about half of whom were U. S. citizens and asked the phone companies for “more than 3,000 phone numbers -- often without a subpoena, without an emergency or even without an investigative case” by using National Security Letters. Washington Post What is a National Security Letter? AP/Houston Chronicle

“First Step:” The U.S. and Iran met with other countries to figure out what to do about Iraq. New York Times Iran may already be in Iraq (not how you might think). And why would they be so happy to get the U.S. out of Iraq? Independent Iran wants to take its nuclear case to the U.N. Security Council. AP/MSNBC Bush asks for more troops for Afghanistan and even more troops for Iraq. He wants to cut some domestic programs to pay for it. USA Today

Good news from the Bureau, considering the top post today: The FBI has set up a task force to prosecute the “last of the lynchers” thought to be involved in Civil Rights Era crimes. Guardian

There are very few ways to escape that 2-year sentence known as a cell phone contract, but it’s not impossible. New York Times

The game of darts is under fire in - of all places - England, where only 10% of bar-goers surveyed have thrown a dart in the last year. Telegraph

It’s NCAA Tournament Time.. And therefore Tournament Pool Time. Here’s the bracket: Sports Illustrated


The criminally-minded folks that used to produce “The Man Show” put a smart-mouthed boy scout in front of a liquor store to see if people would buy him beer. We wonder if a “contributing to the delinquency of a minor” charge followed this clip.

180

After Senate Republicans stopped a floor debate on Iraq, a group of them turned around and support the debate. Washington Post Why are so many helicopters going down in Iraq? Time

Rudy is the GOP favorite. Time ..but does he need an attitude adjustment? Newsweek

One of the world’s top four greenhouse gas emitters, China says wealthier nations need to step up and do something about global warming before it does. New York Times Talk is cheap, and this writer says talking is all that will be done about the environment. Newsweek

In another 180, Apple’s Steve Jobs said he wants to remove copy protection from music sold on i-Tunes. Remember, it was Apple who made a ton of money because the i-Pod only plays music downloaded from i-Tunes. CNET Will the major labels risk removing copy-protection from their music? Guardian

Renters will end up paying more this year, even though paychecks won’t increase by the same amount. USA Today

Tour de France champion Floyd Landis will not defend his title. BBC

A-Rod can opt-out of his contract at the end of the 2007 season. He hasn’t said if he’ll do it, but let’s take a look at a few scenarios. ESPN

Think you might have beer-goggles? Researchers have looked into it and come up with a formula you can use to figure it out.. if you’re still sober enough. BBC

Being tied up with a sexy stranger might seem like a good idea, but you could lose an arm or two.