December 30, 2011

WORLD: North Korea's New Leader Called 'Supreme Leader'  Kim Jong-un, son of late Kim Jong-il, has been given the title of 'Supreme Leader' inside the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) (North Korea).  This naming follows the nation's tradition.  Kim Jong-il was known as 'Dear Leader' and his father, eternal president of the nation, Kim Il Sung is known as 'Great Leader'.  The nation has reassured the international community, through its national television channel, that there will be no change in policy under Kim Jong-un.  Read More: BBC News | EuroNews | Guardian


POLITICS: Campaign Updates  Mitt Romney and Ron Paul are in a virtual tie for first place in the Iowa caucuses.  Ron Paul will be spending the New Year's weekend in Texas.  Newt Gingrich is not longer in the top tier as Rick Santorum has taken third place in some polls.  Read More: Chicago Tribune | New York Times | KTIV | Los Angeles Times



WORLD: Samoa and Tokelau First Will Be First to Celebrate the New Year  In the past, Samoa and Tokelau were the last of nations around the world to celebrate the New Year.  That changes this year as the two nations have shifted to the other side of the time-line.  The two islands were encouraged to align closer to the U.S. controlled Samoa over 100 years ago.  The result however meant that they would operate about 24 hours behind their key trading partners in Asia.  With this change, they have lost an entire day, Friday, December 30.  But now, they will be the first nations in the world to celebrate the New Year.  Read More: Washington Post | Guardian | Forbes


WORLD: Ukraine's Former Prime Minister Sent to Remote Prison  Yulia Tymoshenko, who was sentenced for 7 years earlier this year, has been moved to a penal colony in Kharkov.  The was jailed for overstepping her boundaries as prime minister when negotiating a gas deal with Russia.  The case has seen international attention as most suspect the case is about politics and not about crime.  Tymoshenko was the primary opposition leader and faced off against President Yanukovich in the last election.  Read our post on August 17, 2011.  Read more: New York Times | Interfax | Ria Novosti

HIGHLIGHT: News Clip Discussing Time Change in Samoa and Tokelau  Watch: YouTube

November 14, 2011

NATIONAL: Supreme Court to Hear Case on ObamaCare  The Supreme Court will hear cases on the health care mandate this term, which means the decision will have a great impact on the presidential election.  One side is fighting for smaller government while the other is defending the law and defending larger government involvement in people's lives.  The last decision, made by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, ruled that the individual mandate was unconstitutional, however keeping in tact the remaining parts of the law.  Both sides have appealed.  Obama needs the individual mandate to make the law work, meanwhile the opposing side wants the law declared unconstitutional in full.  Read More: Forbes | Los Angeles Times | USA Today | The State Column


WORLD: Suspected U.S. Drone Strike Kills 6 Pakistani Militants  On Tuesday (time in Pakistan), 6 Pakistani militants were killed by a suspected U.S. drone strike.  Two missiles were fired by an unmapped airplane near the border of Afghanistan.  Pakistan has condemned these attacks as a violation of their sovereignty.  Read More: Voice of America | CNN | Washington Post



BUSINESS: Former MF Global Employees Sue  In a class action suit, former MF Global Employees allege that they did not receive a 60 day notice prior to their termination, as required by federal law.  The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act would require the employer to notify its workers if it knows in advance of it trouble.  The employees allege that MF Global would have to know of such trouble if such major action was taken.  Read our posts on November 4, 2011 and November 11, 2011.  Read More: CNN | Fox News | MSNBC

November 12, 2011

POLITICS: Campaign Updates  The CBS News / National Journal Republican presidential debate was held on Saturday.  The debate focused greatly on foreign policy and was formatted quite differently from previous debates.  Many views have complained because the debate was aired for 1 hour in most parts of the country, later viewers were asked to continue watching on-line for remaining 30 minutes.  That proved to be a failure because of a choppy feed.  Various candidates have also complained, including Michelle Bachmann and Ron Paul, because of unequal amounts of air time.  Ron Paul appeared to receive the most bias as he was only asked 1 question and had 1 follow-up during the televised portion of the debate.  Read More: Washington Post | Daily Caller | ABC News | Politico

November 11, 2011

WORLD: Updates on Iran  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton demands that Iran respond within days to the United Nation's report that suggest Iran has gotten closer to developing a nuclear weapon.   Read our posts on August 17, 2011, November 4, 2011, Personal Note: World War III and November 10, 2011  Read More: Radio Free Europe | Wall Street Europe | Reuters

WORLD: Egyptian Pyramid Closed Down on 11/11/11  Because of indications that groups would hold spiritual services at the pyramid on November 11, 2011 at 11:11 am, the antiquities authority in Egypt closed the largest pyramid.  The other two pyramids remained open.  While nothing out of ordinary occurred, there was increased security presence.  Read More: Fox News | USA Today | Sky News


BUSINESS: MF Global Fires All Workers  After declaring bankruptcy and the resignation of Jon Corzine, MF Global fired 1,066 employees on Friday.  Employees were furious, many of whom worked with the company for more than a decade, none of whom received a severance package.  MF Global filed for bankruptcy after Jon Corzine's bets on risky European bonds failed.  Jon Corzine is a former Governor of New Jersey, who lost in a re-election to Governor Chris Cristie.  Read our post on November 4, 2011.  Read More: Reuters | Fox News | Financial Times



WORLD: Putin Explains Presidential Run in Russia  Prime Minister of Russia, and former President, Vladimir Putin explained why he was running for President again.  He stated it was not for political reasons, but instead because he needs more time to improve living conditions in Russia.  He also talked about the latest events in Italy, praising the outgoing prime minister as "one of the greatest European politicians."  Read More: Reuters | BBC | RIA Novosti



HIGHLIGHT: One of MF Global's employees for 16 years calls Jon Corzine selfish and greedy.  Mentioning that everything happened because of one man and if he saw him in person, he would punch him.  Watch: YouTube

November 10, 2011

WORLD: Greece Gets a New Prime Minister  On Friday, the Greek parliament selected Lucas Papademos to be its new Prime Minister.  Papademos is a former banker, former European Central Bank vice president, and a former Harvard University professor.  The outgoing prime minister is George Papandreou.  President Obama and French President Sarkozy were overheard in a conversation where Sarkozy called Papandreou a "madman."  Read More: CNN | Washington Post | Reuters | Daily Mail


WORLD: Updates on Iran  The United Nations warned against any force used against Iran as the media has speculated.  Meanwhile, Iran has stated that if Isreal or the U.S. plans to attack Iran, they will be faced with an "iron fist."  Read our posts on August 17, 2011, November 4, 2011, Personal Note: World War III  Read More: Reuters | Politico | The Moscow Times 



HIGHLIGHT: As mentioned yesterday, Penn State students held a protest over the firing of their coach.  The video below shows the childish behaviors of those students as they flip over a news van.  Watch: YouTube

November 9, 2011

NATIONAL: Penn State Football Coach Fired  Football coach of Penn State, Joe Paterno, has been fired today upon charges of sexual abuse after 46 years with the school.  In addition, the president of the school lost his job as well.  The charges have brought a lot of negative light on the school in recent days, however, today students showed some support for the coach by a protest held outside against his dismissal.  Read More: Wall Street Journal | Reuters | CNN | USA Today | NJ Star Ledger


POLITICS: CNBC Presidential Debate Held Today  Romney and Paul seemed to dominate the opinion of the crowd outside the debate.  Inside, Romney, Gingrich, Paul, and Cain were seen as winners.  During the debate, Rick Perry forgot the third of three departments he would like to cut, causing an awkward moment.  Read More: CNBC | Christian Science Monitor | Detriot Free Press | USA Today



ECONOMY: Italy's Borrowing Spirals Out of Control  Italian 10-year bond yields rose above 7 percent on Wednesday.  This is considered unsustainable and means Italy has a good chance of default.  Unlike Greece, Italy is Europe's third largest economy and it probably cannot be bailed out.  Stock prices have fallen as a result of hte news.  Read More: Washington Post | Reuters | Wall Street Journal



WORLD: Palestinian Statehood Bid Stuck  A U.N. Security Council committee could not reach a decision on Palestine's bid for statehood.  The security council will meet on Friday to consider the Palestinian request to be admitted to the UN as a full member state. Because the U.S. has state it would veto a decision in Palestine's favor, the outcome does not look promising for Palestine.  Read More: Reuters | Guardian | AFP



HIGHLIGHT: Rick Perry's stumble, mentioned above, during the CNBC Republican Debate.  This is exceptionally funny because it seems like he attempted to prove a point to Ron Paul, at which he failed.

November 8, 2011

NATIONAL: Toddler Missing in Washington State  A toddler, left alone in the car for an hour, has been missing since November 6.  The mother said she left Sky Metalwala in the car on the side of the road when her car stopped running.  She walked to the nearest gas station with her daughter and when she returned, Sky was missing.  Police now say that the mother and her daughter are the only ones who have seen Sky in the past two weeks.  The father now believe the mother did something with her son.  Read More: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children | Los Angeles Times | Washington Post | ABC News


POLITICS: Cain's Sexual Harassment Accusers to Hold Press Conference  Herman Cain has denied knowing the fourth accuser, first to go public, Sharon Bialek.  Meanwhile, Bailek and Karen Kraushaar, another accuser, are going to hold a joint press conference.  The women have asked others sexually harassed by Cain to come forward, but said they will hold the conference even if no one else comes forward.  Read our posts on November 7, 2011, November 5, 2011, November 3, 2011, and November 2, 2011.  Read More: Politico | Los Angeles Times | Reuters

November 7, 2011

POLITICS: Fourth Woman Accuses Cain of Sexual Harassment  A fourth woman has accused presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment while he was president of the National Restaurant Association.  She is the first of the four women to come out publicly.  She alleges, in short, that Cain offered her sex in his car in exchange for a job.  Read our posts on November 2, 2011 , November 3, 2011 and November 5, 2011.  Read More: The Miami Herald | Des Moines Register | Washington Post | Los Angeles Times | Politico

DOMESTIC: Graphic Cigarette Warning Labels Blocked  A federal judge blocked a ruling that required tobacco companies to place graphic images on their products.  These graphic images would include people in hospitals or with health issues.  Visit Reuters link to view these images.  Read More: Reuters | USA Today | Fox News

DOMESTIC: Michael Jackson's Doctor Found Guilty  Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's doctor, was found guilty today in a California court by the jury.  His sentence could range from probation to 4 years in jail.  Sentencing will begin November 29.  Read our post on November 3, 2011.  Read More: Los Angeles Times | Reuters | Washington Post

WORLD: Liberia's Elections Cause Protests and Violence  Presidential elections in Liberia cause protest and violence as opposition alleges voter fraud.  The election will take place between Liberia's current president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and former Justice Minister Winston Tubman.  Presidential terms in Liberia last 5 years.  Sirleaf is currently serving her first term.  Read More: Reuters | Voice of America | Wall Street Journal


HIGHLIGHT: News conference of the fourth woman accusing Herman Cain of Sexual Harassment.  Watch: YouTube

November 5, 2011

POLITICS: Campaign Updates  Herman Cain says he will not answer to sexual harassment allegations.  Read our posts on November 2, 2011 and November 3, 2011.  Read More: Politico.  Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich, alone, hold a debate in Texas.  Read More: The Hill.  Ron Paul wrote an opinion article in The Washington Post titled "One Year To Go."  Read More: The Washington Post.


FOREIGN RELATIONS: Seven People Indicted In Relation to Bhutto's Assassination  Seven people have been indicted in relation to the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.  The assassination, which occurred nearly four years ago, is still left an open case.  Read More: CNN | Pakistan Observer | USA Today


POLITICS: Ron Paul Wins Illinois Straw Poll  Ron Paul was declared the winner of the Illinois Straw Poll, which lasted for a week and took place both on-line and in person, on Saturday.  Paul won the straw poll with 52% of the vote, Romney and Cain followed.  This straw poll was unique to prior in the year because it had multiple locations, had multiple forms of voting, and turned out the most voters, 3,649 in total.  This straw poll also had a relatively small fee, compared to others, of $5.  Read More: Reuters | Chicago Sun-Times | The Washington Post

BUSINESS: Bank Transfer Day Takes Place Saturday  Bank Transfer Day, which was a form of protest for individuals leaving large corporate banks and switching to local banks or credit unions, ended with long lines.  A Wells Fargo branch in Watsonville, California hired additional security and lets customers in one at a time.  Individuals began leaving their banks for credit unions in large quantities since September 29th in reaction to Bank of America's $5 monthly debit card fee.  Since that time, credit unions saw 650,000 new customers and $4.5 billion in deposits.  Read More: Watsonville Patch | Reuters | The Christian Science Monitor

HIGHLIGHT: In relation to the sexual harassment allegations of Herman Cain, above, the CNN clip below discusses the latest allegations and changes in the story.  Watch: YouTube

Personal Note: World War III?

Editor's Person Note:  This is not a light hearted story like all the others.  My personal opinion is that the NATO, which is ultimately controlled by the U.S. and Britain, needs to stop with clear hate of Iran and backing of Isreal regardless of the actions of either nation.  While Isreal remains a true ally of the U.S., that should not give them a right to begin wars that we will sponsor.  Some say the likely situation here is Isreal attacking Iran.  This would be brutal for both sides.  The fear is that the public will not get fair and honest information (as it did not in the Lybian war).  When that happens people will instantly take dangerous sides and cause a war that will not end for a very long time.  Unlike the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lybia, and now even Uganda‎, this war would be World War III.  It would at a minimum involve Iran, Isreal, the U.S., Britain.  It is very likely Russia would get involved and others will follow afterwards.  I think the public needs to do what it can to prevent this by educating itself.  Preventing wars at all times and advocating peace should be priority for all.  Certainly the politicians and media of our time (both on the U.S. side and in Iran) advocate wars.

Interesting note.  If you have ever researched the predictions of Baba Vanga, a Bulgarian psychic, it is time to fear.  She has accurately, in the past, predicted the fall of the Soviet Union, the Chernobyl disaster, the attacks of September 2011.  They say she has been accurate about 80% of the time.  She predicted World War III would start in November 2010.  Many argue that wars of sorts have begun around this time.  She said that the war would start as a normal war but then will involve nuclear and chemical weapons.  She said it would end in 2014.  If you read on, she says that many people will have skin diseases because of these chemical wars and Europe will be almost empty.  These are scary things to read, but this is why we need to do our best to prevent them by educating ourselves and not falling into the hands of politicians and always have our personal views on events.

Baba Vanga Bio on Wikipedia | Baba Vanga's Predictions

November 4, 2011

FOREIGN RELATIONS: World War III May Begin Soon With NATO and Iran  NATO, and U.S. in particular, may be planning an attack on Iran soon.  A report is expected to be released by NATO next week with a possible status of Iran's nuclear weapon status.  Isreal has tested a new ballistic missile possible in plans of an attack.  Another piece ties in to how many lives were killed in the Lybian war, and how the same could happen with the Iran war.  Read More: RT | Reuters | The Washington Post | RT

BUSINESS: Corzine Steps Down as MF Global Holdings Executive  Jon Corzine, who is well know on Wall Street and also a former governor of New Jersey, stepped down as MF Global Holdings Ltd's chairman and chief executive officer.  After Corzine lost his reelection campaign in New Jersey, he became CEO of MF Global Holdings.  In that role he invested in bonds of European countries and ultimately caused his company's ratings to drop and ultimately go into bankruptcy.  Read More: Wall Street Journal | Reuters | Financial Times


DOMESTIC: U.S. Unemployment Rate Drops to 9%  Although only 80,000 jobs were added in October, the unemployment rate dropped to 9%.  This is the first time it dropped since July.  September's number was 9.1%.  This is not entirely great news since only 80,000 jobs added (104,000 private add and 24,000 loss in government jobs).  The rate goes to regular small shifts up and down because of its reporting method.  Read More: The New York Times | The Washington Post | Politico


HIGHLIGHT: News clip, by RT, discussing the current tensions with Isreal and Iran and the possible outcome of the report to be released by NATO.

November 3, 2011

DOMESTIC: Case Against Michael Jackson's Lawyer Goes To Jury  On Thursday, the closing arguments in the case against Dr. Conrad Murray have been heard.  The jury will begin deliberation on Friday.  The trial has gone on for 22 days.  Read More: Washington Post | The New York Times | Sky News


BUSINESS: Groupon Sets IPO at $20 Groupon, a website that features daily deals and bargains, sets its initial public offering (IPO) Thursday.  It was initially expected to set the IPO in the range of $16 to $18.  Considering the actual IPO was higher than estimated, the stock had great interest.  Read More: The Wall Street Journal | The Christian Science Monitor | Los Angeles Times



DOMESTIC: Subpoena for White House Solyndra Documents  On Thursday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted on party line to subpoena the White House for more documents related to a loan guarantee given to Solyndra.  Solyndra was a solar panel manufacturer before it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  Read More: Los Angeles Times | Politico | Reuters


FOREIGN RELATIONS: ICC to Investigate NATO War Crimes  The International Criminal Court (ICC), the same body that issued warrants for Gaddafi and his son, will now investigate war crimes of NATO in the Lybian war.  The ICC will investigate alliance members whether civilians were targeted in Lybia instead of military targets.  In related news, the ICC is trying to secure a surrender of Gaddafi's son, Seif al-Islam.  Read More: RT | Voice of America | AFP



POLITICS: Perry Campaign Suspected of Being Involved in Cain Scandal  Herman Cain believes Rick Perry's campaign is responsible for bringing up Cain's sexual harassment allegations from the 1990s.  Rick Perry, meanwhile, stating he knew nothing about this story before it made the news and says his campaign had no involvement in it.  Ron Paul has spoken of the scandal as well, stating that scandals such as these should only be handled in the proper matter and not be treated as the story of the week.  Instead Paul suggested the campaigns focus on real issues instead of scandals.  Read our post on November 2, 2011.  Read More: Bloomberg Businessweek | Los Angeles Times | Politico | The Hill

HIGHLIGHT: Clip about yesterday's mention of the Federal Reserve and more buying of mortgage bonds.  Watch: YouTube

November 2, 2011

POLITICS: Cain Accused of Sexual Harassment  When Herman Cain was head of the National Restaurant Association (NRA), he was accused of sexual harassment by at least two women.  In the past few days, the Cain campaign hasn't been entirely clear on the circumstances.  Now, Cain admits that there was a settlement between the NRA and the two women.  Cain continues to deny these sexual harassment allegations.  Read More: Politico | SF Gate | Reuters | Los Angeles Times | Politico


ENTERTAINMENT: Kim Kardashian Gets Divorse  After being married for 72 days, Kim Kardashian announced that her marriage with basketball player Kris Humphries has come to an end.  Kim says the divorce was based on "intuition", knowing that things would not work out.  She has been criticized for not giving the marriage a chance.  In response, Rob Delaney, a comedian, is now suing Kim, Ryan Seacrest, E! and Comcast.  E! is the network that featured Kim's wedding and received its highest number of viewers that day.  Read More: TMZ | LA Weekly | Wall Street Journal | MTV



ECONOMY: Bernanke Says Further Mortgage Bond Purchases are an Option  The Federal Reserve is not taking any actions at the time, however it is lowering its expectations of the recovery from the economic crisis of 2008.  Bernanke has stated that further purchasing mortgage securities are a “viable option”.  Presidential Candidate Ron Paul has stated that the Fed is still in Quantitative Easing because it has guaranteed interest rates to remain at near zero rates.  Read More: CNBC | Bloomberg Business Week | New York Times | The Economic Times



DOMESTIC: Northeast Faces Loss of Electricity After Storm  One Million people were left without power after the latest storm facing the Northeast.  While the amount of snowfall was not great, it caused a lot of trees to fall.  Snow does not usually fall this early and since trees still have their leaves, the excess weight caused many to fall on power lines.  Read More: Reuters | USA Today | Wall Street Journal | MSNBC               

October 10, 2011

POLITICS: “Joe the Plummer” is Running for Congress Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, better known as “Joe the Plummer”, is running for congress in Ohio’s 9^th district.  His fame came in the 2008 presidential election after he spoke with candidate Barack Obama about his tax plan.  Senator John McCain later used the phrase “Joe the Plummer” in his campaign and during debates with candidate Barack Obama.  Read More: USA Today | The Washington Post | Fox News

TECHNOLOGY: Celebration of Steve Job’s Life to Be Held Wednesday Apple will hold a celebration of Steve Job’s life for Apple employees on Wednesday.  This would be a private event which would take place at 10 a.m. in Apple’s California campus.  In related news, Steve Jobs was laid to rest in a private gathering on Friday.  Read More: Apple Insider | Reuters | Gossip On This

TECHNOLOGY: Netflix to Drop Plan Separating DVD and Streaming Service After many customer complaints, low ratings, and loss of customers, Netflix has decided to drop a plan it previously announced three weeks ago.  The plan was to stream movies on Neflix.com and rent DVDs using Qwikster.com.  Customers complained because they would have to hold two separate accounts and receive two separate bills.  Now Netflix has said it will continue to stream movies and rent DVDs on Netflix.com, however it will keep the new pricing it announced.  Read More: The New York Times | Los Angeles Times | CNN

Highlight of the Day: The video from 2008 between Barack Obama and "Joe the Plumber"

October 8, 2011

POLITICS: Ron Paul Wins DC Straw Poll Presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul won the Voter Values Straw Poll in Washington DC this Sunday with 37% of the vote.  Herman Cain came in second place with 23%.  The Straw Poll was held on Friday and Saturday.  A total of 1,983 ballots were cast.  Read More: Los Angeles Times | Slate | The Washington Times

DOMESTIC: Protests Shut Down DC's Air and Space Museum The #OccupyWallStreet protests, which are spreading nationwide, have spread to Washington DC.  Protesters gathered against wars, among other views.  Protesters attempted to enter the museum at which point they clashed with guards.  Read More: Reuters | NBC Washington | MSNBC

POLITICS: Herman Cain Causes Hash Tag After stating "I don't have facts to back this up" in an interview when discussing the #OccupyWallStreet protests.  Since then, Jon Stewart created a hash tag on twitter, #IDontHaveFactsToBackThisUp.  Since then, the hash tag has been relatively active on Twitter.  Read More: Storyful | Rolling Stone

Highlight of the Day: Related to the #IDontHaveFactsToBackThisUp hash tag.  Watch: The Daily Show

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October 7, 2011

TECHNOLOGY: Steve Jobs Died at Age 56 Apple's co-founder and digital visionary, Steve Jobs, died Wednesday after his struggle with pancreatic cancer.  His death has been mourned by many followers outside Apple stores throughout the nation.  Apple's homepage features a black and white image of Jobs with the caption "1955-2011".  While most of the world mourns the death, the Westboro Baptist Church said it would picket the funeral, as it does with individuals that they claim go against God.  Read More: Apple | Reuters | International Business Times

ECONOMY: U.S. Jobless Rate Remains at 9.1% The U.S. unemployment rate remains at 9.1% for the third month in a row.  This news comes after President Obama proposed his Jobs Act in Congress, although it has virtually no chance of passing both houses.  The report also shows that 103,000 jobs were created in September.  Since the unemployment rate remains steady, it can show that while jobs are being created, they are simultaneously being lost in other fields.  Read More: USA Today | ABC News | Fox News

FOREIGN RELATIONS: U.N. Security Council to Review Palestinian Bid for Statehood The United Nations Security Council met on Friday to consider the Palestinian bid for statehood.  If the Security Council recommends the bid to the General Assembly and it becomes approved, Palestine will become the 194th state in the United Nations.  The United States has stated that it would veto the decision of the Security Council, which is expected to recommend the bid.  Read More: Voice of America | CBS News

August 22, 2011

FOREIGN RELATIONS: Rebels In Lybia Reach Capitol  Rebels have reached Tripoli and claim to have 95% control of the city.  A previous report claiming that they have arrested Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, son of Qaddafi, have been proven false.  President Obama has stated that Qaddafi's rule is coming to an end.  Read More: Fox News | Los Angeles Times

WORLD: North Korea's Leader To Meet Russia's President  Kim Jong Il arrived in Russia by train, which crossed Russia's border for the first time in nine years.  The train will continue on to Siberia where the two leaders are expected to meet.  Read More: Russia Today | The Wall Street Journal

POLITICS: GOP Presidential Candidates Neck-And-Neck With President  Mitt Romney leads Obama 48% to 46%.  Rick Perry ties with 47%.  Obama leads Ron Paul 47% to 45% and leads Michelle Bachmann 48% to 44%.  Read More: The State Column | MSNBC

POLITICS: Representative Maxine Waters Tells Tea Party To 'Go To Hell'  While speaking in Inglewood, California, the Representative stated that she is not afraid of anybody and told the Tea Party to 'go to hell.'  Members of the Tea Party has fired back.  Read More: Los Angeles Times | Washington Post

August 18, 2011

FOREIGN RELATIONS: U.S. Calls For Syrian President To Step Down  President Barack Obama called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.  The U.S. has also imposed more sanctions on Syria and has frozen the government's assets, although few in the U.S.  Read More: Xinhuanet | Bloomberg

DOMESTIC: U.S. To Review Deportation Cases  A new policy will put a low deportation priority on illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have graduated high school and intend on either going to college or enrolling in the armed forces.  Read More:  The New York Times | BBC 

August 17, 2011

SAFETY: BART Police Site Hacked An unknown hacker/group has attacked the BART Police Officers Association website exposing 100 names, addresses and passwords.  Read More: Wired | PC Magazine

FOREIGN RELATIONS: Russia Restarts Iran Nuke Talks The proposal would encourage Iran to open a Nuclear program step by step with international inspections.  Read More: Reuters | The New York Times 

WORLD: Tymoshenko Trial Continues, Former President Testifies In Trial Tymoshenko given one day to prepare her testimony.  Ukraine's former president Viktor Yushchenko testified against the former Prime Minister today.  Read More: AFP | Novinite.com

DOMESTIC: Threats Made Against David Letterman By Jihad American Muslims were told to "cut the tongue of this lowly Jew and shut it forever" by a frequent poster on Islamic jihadist forums.  Read More: The Herald Sun | UPI 

August 16, 2011

POLITICS: Update: Two Wisconsin Senators Keep Their Seats The last two senators, Democrats, facing a recall election in Wisconsin for leaving the state during protest to halt congressional proceedings, were not recalled today by Wisconsin voters.  As we mentioned on August 10th, four out of six Republicans kept their seats in the recall election held last week. Read our post on August 8 and August 10.  Read More: USA Today | The Wall Street Journal

DOMESTIC: Man Ends Six Day Standoff On Radio Tower Man in Tulsa, Oklahoma ended is six day standoff on a radio tower.  He stood on the tower for six day with no food or water and practically no sleep.  Read More: International Business Times | CNN

FINANCE: Fitch Rating Agency Says It Will Keep U.S. Rating At AAA Fitch Rating agency, unlike its rival Standard & Poors says the U.S. will keep its AAA rating from Fitch.  Fitch states it will review its decision at the end of the year.  Read More: The New York Times | The Boston Herald 

FOREIGN RELATIONS: U.S. Official Says Iraq Can Defend Itself  Major General Jeffrey Buchanan says Iraqi forces can defend their country from an insurgency on their own at this point.  Read More: USA Today | The Christian Science Monitor

POLITICS: Media Points Out Its Own Bias Of Ron Paul The media has ignored Ron Paul as a valid Presidential Candidate for weeks, and even years before that.  Now, instead of talking about his policies, the media talks about its own bias against Ron Paul.  Check out the "Highlight of the Day".  Read More: The Christian Science Monitor | Los Angeles Times

Highlight of the Day: Comedian Jon Stewart points out the media bias against Ron Paul and his exclusion of the "top tier".  Watch: Hulu

August 15, 2011

TECHNOLOGY: Google Buys Motorola Google agrees to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 million.  This deal includes lots of patents that Motorola has.  Read More: USA Today | Reuters

DOMESTIC: Wife Of Bernie Madoff To Divorse Husband Ruth Madoff will reportedly divorse Bernie Madoff.  Bernie Madoff is sentanced to 150 years in prison for defrauding investors of billions of dollars.  Read More: Los Angeles Times | Fox Business

POLITICS: President On Bus Tour President Obama is on a bus tour to explain how he plans to boost the economy, create jobs, and reduce the deficit.  His campaign is claiming this is not a campaign tour.  Read More: Los Angeles Times | Des Moines Register 

WORLD: Mubarak Trial Not To Be Televised Hosni Mubarak's trial in Egypt will no longer be televised as he laid in bed for the last time in front of cameras.  Read More: The New York Times | The Christian Science Monitor

Highlight of the Day: President Obama gets in a heated debate with the Director of Iowa's Tea Party about Vice President Joe Biden calling Tea Party members terrorists.  Watch: YouTube

August 13, 2011

POLITICS: Michelle Bachmann & Ron Paul Lead Iowa Straw Poll  Michelle Bachmann wins by 152 votes.  Ron Paul second place.  Pawlenty comes in third with about half votes of Paul.  Read More:  Los Angeles Times | The Christian Science Monitor

DOMESTIC: Bus Flips on Pennsylvania Turnpike A Greyhound bus flipped on the Pennsylvania Turnpike after the driver lost control.  The bus hit the center median then cut across the right lanes of traffic and later flipped over after it his the embankment.  The bus has 25 passengers on board of which 21 were taken to the hospital and 14 already released.  Read More: Chicago Tribune | New York Magazine

DOMESTIC: Philadelphia Enforces Teen Curfew Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter initiated a 9 pm curfew for teen under 19 to stop flash mobs around the city which attack individual and cause property damage.  50 teens were arrested on the first night of the curfew.  Read More: Fox News | The Washington Times

SAFETY: Stage Collapse In Indiana State Fair Kills Four A stage collapse in the Indiana State Fair kills four and injures 40.  Read More: Chicago Tribune | The New York Times

August 12, 2011

DOMESTIC: Parts Of Obamacare Ruled Unconstitutional By Federal Appeals Court  The Eleventh US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Congress exceeded its authority by requiring citizens to purchase health insurance or pay a fine.  Read More: The Christian Science Monitor | The Wall Street Journal

SAFETY: Casey Anthony Ordered Back To Florida For Probation Judge Belvin Perry ordered Casey Anthony, who was found not guilty of murdering her daughter, to report to Florida to serve one year probation.  Read More: Alaska Dispatch | WTSP 10 News

FINANCE: SEC To Review S&P Policies Used To Downgrade U.S.  The Securities and Exchange Commission will review the policies Standard & Poors used for their analysis to downgrades the U.S. credit rating to AA+.  Bloomberg | CNN

August 11, 2011

FINANCE: BNY Mellon Says Will Cut 1,500 Jobs  BNY Mellon has announced that it will cut 1,500 jobs or 3% of its job force.  Read our post on August 5.  Read More: CNBC | International Business Times

ECONOMY: United States Postal Service Seeks To Layoff 120,000 Workers  The United States Postal Service (USPS) is asking Congress for permission to layoff 120,000 workers. Read More: CNN | DailyFinance

FINANCE: Dow Surges Again  Dow surges 400 points today.  Read out post on August 10.  Read More: The Street | The Wall Street Journal

WORLD: Ukrainian President Claims Arrest And Trial of Prime Minister Is Not Politically Motivated  President Victor Yanukovich rejected the concern by Western nations that the trial of Yulia Tumoshenko, former PM, is not politically motivated.  Read our post on August 5.  Read More: Interfax | AFP

August 10, 2011

POLITICS: Update: Republicans Keep Control Of Wisconsin Senate in Recall Election Republicans have won four out of the six seats in Wisconsin's recall election.  With this overall victory, Republicans will be able to keep their majority in the state's senate.  Read our post on August 8.  Read More: The Washington Times | The New York Times

POLITICS: Update: Republicans Pick Their Appointees To Super Committee From House and Senate  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) appointed Senators Jon Kyl, Rob Portman, and Patrick J. Toomey as the Republican senators to join the Super Committee.  Speaker of the House John Boehner (R) appointed Representatives Jeb Hensarling, Dave Camp, and Fred Upton.  Representative Paul Ryan (R) asked Boehner to pass him as an appointee.  This now leaves three open seats to be picked by House Minority Leader , Nancy Pelosi (D).  Read our post on August 9 for Harry Reid's (D) three Senate choices.  Read More: Los Angeles Times | Fox News

FINANCE: Update: Dow Falls Again, 500 Points  In a rocky week, stocks fall again Wednesday.  Read our post on August 9.  Read More: International Business Times | The Wall Street Journal


DOMESTIC: Arizona Appeals Immigration Law Ruling Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has appealed to the Supreme Court a decision by a lower court putting certain parts of Arizona's immigration bill on hold.  Read More: Politico | Los Angeles Times

WORLD: Update: London Riots Riots continue as the Prime Minister, David Cameron, vows to "fight back."  Read our post on August 8.  The Washington Post | The Wall Street Journal

August 9, 2011

WORLD: Riots Near London Continue After three violent nights in London, Tuesday was peaceful within the city after the deployment of thousands of extra police.  However the violence continued outside of London.  Read More: Reuters | The Globe and Mail

FINANCE: Dow Soars Today, 430 Points After losing 600 points yesterday, the Dow got back 430 points today.  Part of the high close is attributed to the Federal Reserve's announcement today, that it would keep its interest rates at near zero for the next two years.  Read More: The Street | Chicago Sun-Times

POLITICS: Democrats Pick Their Three Choices for Senate Super Committee  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Senators Patty Murray, Max Baucus and John Kerry as his three choices for the senate super committee.  Republicans have until Tuesday to make their choice.  Read More: Los Angeles Times | Politico

DOMESTIC: Polygamist Leader Gets Life In Prison A Texas prison has sentenced polygamist leader Warren Jeffs to life in prison for assaulting two underage girls whom he considered his wives through spiritual marriages.  Read More: The Christian Science Monitor | The Statesman

TECHNOLOGY: Hacker Group Threatens To Hack Facebook On Nov. 5 The same group that we mentioned a few days ago, Anonymous, which has hacked 70 law enforcement websites, has threatened to "destroy" Facebook on November 5th.  Anonymous claims that Facebook sells private user data to government and security agencies.  It asks individuals to join in their cause to kill Facebook.  Read our post on August 6.  Read More: International Business Times |  PC Magazine

August 8, 2011

FINANCE: Dow Falls 600 Points, Worst Since 2008 Due to S&P's downgrade on Friday, the stocks fell today.  All three major markets, Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and NASDAQ experienced their worst drop since 2008.  Every sector and stock in the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished lower than Friday.  Read More: The Wall Street Journal | The Washington Post

WORLD: London Riots Spread For the third straight day, looting continues in England.  Youngsters set businesses and double decker buses on fire.  Read More: Reuters | The Washington Post

POLITICS: Wisconsin Faces Recall Election Tomorrow Eight lawmakers will face a recall election tomorrow started because of a push by Republicans to pass anti-union legislation.  After continuous protests by unions, the recall election will take place tomorrow which could shift the power of the parties in Wisconsin.  Read More: The Boston Globe | The Christian Science Monitor

FINANCE: Gold Hits All-Time High As stocks fall, Gold prices hit an all-time high today.  Read More: Reuters

ELECTIONS: Bachmann, Romney and Ron Paul ahead of Rick Perry  As Rick Perry considers announcing his run for Presidency, three candidates are ahead according to a Rasmussen poll.  Read More: Chron.com | The New York Times

August 6, 2011

WAR: U.S. Helicopter Shot Down in Afghanistan, 30 Killed (Including SEAL Team 6 Members)  The deadliest incident involving U.S. troops during the 10 year Afghanistan war.  25 of those killed were special operations forces and 22 of those were Navy SEALs.  While the SEAL count includes members of SEAL Team 6, none of the members who took down Usama Bin Laden were of those killed.  Read More: CNN | Los Angeles Times

SAFETY: Hacker Group attacks 70 U.S. Law Enforcement Websites The attack targeted rural law enforcement websites in the U.S.  The hacker group "Anonymous" stated that it stole 10 gigabytes of data as retaliation for U.S. and U.K. arrests of its members.  Read More: The Washington Post | The Daily Beast

FOREIGN RELATIONS: Some Libyan Neighborhoods Face Blackouts, No Water, and Gas Shortages The Libyan government has stated that NATO attacks on power stations and power lines has caused some neighborhoods to live without electricity and water, which cannot be pumped without the power.  The gas prices have also sored to nearly $13 per gallon in a nation has generally enjoyed low gas prices.  Read More: CNN

August 5, 2011

ECONOMY: U.S. Loses AAA Rating from S&P For the first time in U.S. history, one of the two major rating agencies, Standard & Poor (S&P) has downgraded the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+. Read More: S&P (Full Report) | The Washington Post | The Wall Street Journal

FOREIGN RELATIONS: Americans Urged to Leave Syria The State Department is urging Americans to leave Syria while commercial transport is still available.  As protests in the country continue, the Syrian government has limited travel of diplomats which limits their ability to assist Americans located in the nation.  Read More: The Washington Post


FINANCE: U.S. Bank Will Charge for Large Deposits The Bank of New York Mellon has announced that it will begin charging customers 0.13% for deposits in excess of $50 million.  This is the first time a bank has announced such a plan.  As a possible response to this, the stock price has fallen by 3.92% today.  Read More: The Wall Street Journal | The Street

WORLD: Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arrested Yulia Tymoshenko was arrested under a judge's orders.  The judge has ruled that she was "systematically" disrupting courtroom proceedings.  Supporters have showed at the courthouse in protest. Read More: The Boston Globe | Kyiv Post