Democratic Underground Latest Breaking News

Senate sets Toyota hearing over recalls

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:45:01

Source: [b]The Detroit News[/b]

Washington --The Senate Commerce Committee set a hearing on Toyota's recall woes for March 2, while the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee canceled a hearing set for Wednesday because of another snowstorm headed for the capital.

"I look forward t...

Congress opens probe into Anthem Blue Cross rate increases

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:19:47

Source: [b]L.A Times[/b]

Congress opened an investigation Tuesday into Anthem Blue Cross' rate increases in California as President Obama cited the company's premium hikes -- some as high as 39% -- in his bid to pass national healthcare legislation.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce and...

State Farm says it warned NHTSA on Toyota in 2007

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:16:11

Source: [b]Associated Press[/b]

WASHINGTON � The nation's largest auto insurer said Tuesday it alerted federal safety regulators in late 2007 about a rise in reports of unexpected acceleration in Toyota vehicles, the latest warning sign to emerge about the massive recall.

State Farm insurance ...

Italy embassy in Iran 'targeted by Basij militia'

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:51:43

Source: [b]bbc[/b]

Dozens of people including pro-government militia have tried to attack Italy's embassy in Iran, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini says.

Basij militia dressed as civilians hurled stones and shouted "Death to Italy" and "Death to Berlusconi", he told a senate hearing.
....

S.F.'s broad jail strip-search policy ruled OK

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:41:38

Source: [b]San Francisco Chronicle[/b]

San Francisco acted legally in strip-searching thousands of new jail inmates over a 21-month period, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday, sparing the city from millions of dollars in potential damages and allowing the sheriff to reinstate a policy he suspend...

Fabricated quote used to discredit climate scientist

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:36:12

Source: [b]The Independent[/b]

For climate sceptics it was a key piece of evidence showing that the scientists behind global warming could not be trusted. A quotation by one of the world's most eminent climate scientists was supposed to demonstrate the depths to which he and his ilk would stoop to ...

Former Va. governor urges DNC chairman's firing

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:31:29

Source: [b] Associated Press[/b]

Democratic former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder is urging President Barack Obama to fire Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine, another former Virginia governor.

Wilder wrote of Kaine, in a column for the Politico news Web site, that "the chairmanshi...

Senator From NJ Urged Fed to Aid Home State Bank

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:19:32

Source: [b]Associated Press[/b]

Sen. Robert Menendez wrote to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke last summer seeking help for a home state bank operated by campaign contributors, specifically asking for approval of an acquisition that would have rescued the institution.

Requests on behalf of ...

Republicans flex new power, block Obama nominee

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:57:24

Source: [b]Reuters[/b]

By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans flexed their new political muscle on Tuesday and blocked President Barack Obama's nomination of a union lawyer to help referee labor disputes. Obama's fellow Democrats in the Senate fell far short of ...

State Department rebuffs call for Clinton intervention in Haiti case

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:54:54

Source: [b]CNN [/b]

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will not get directly involved in the case of the 10 Americans detained in Haiti on child abduction charges, a State Department spokesman said Tuesday.

"It would be highly unusual for the secretary of state to intervene in a case involving t...

Toyota seeks damage control, in public and private

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:48:12

Source: [b]AP[/b]

WASHINGTON (AP) - In public, Toyota is running apologetic TV ads and vowing to win back customers' trust. Behind the scenes, the besieged carmaker is trying to learn all it can about congressional investigations, maybe even steer them if it can.

It's part of an all-out drive by...

US Trade Representative Says Mexican Trucks May Return To US

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:34:17

Source: [b]DOW JONES[/b]

By Laurence Iliff, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

MEXICO CITY -(Dow Jones)- The Obama administration has taken the first step toward renewing a pilot program that allows Mexican truckers to operate within the U.S., as stipulated in the North American Free Trade Agreement, ...

Obama Won't Drop Potential Use Of Reconciliation On Health Care

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:12:46

Source: [b]Huffington Post[/b]

President Obama wants to keep the option of using reconciliation to pass health care reform despite calls from Republican lawmakers that he agree to drop the parliamentary maneuver as a "good faith" gesture" before their bipartisan health care summit.

White House ...

House suspends votes this week, Senate may be out Wednesday

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:48:55

Source: [b]The Hill[/b]

Washington�s latest snowstorm forced the House to cancel its voting schedule for the rest of the week, while the Senate plowed ahead but was considering canceling votes on Wednesday.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) moved up the Senate�s Tuesday vote from 5 p.m....

Cheney, Ridge Pioneered Miranda Attack On Obama

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:09:34

Source: [b]Talking Points Memo[/b]

Cheney, Ridge Pioneered Miranda Attack On Obama
Justin Elliott | February 9, 2010, 3:43PM

It turns out that the criticism surrounding the decision to read Miranda rights to the attempted Christmas bombing suspect didn't originally come from any office-holding ...

Top Pelosi Aide Says Reconciliation Process Is �The Only Way� To Save Health Reform

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:08:08

Source: [b]Think Progress[/b]

Top Pelosi Aide Says Reconciliation Process Is �The Only Way� To Save Health Reform

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)This morning, during a panel discussion at the Academy Health National Health Policy Conference, a top Pelosi policy aide said that the reconciliatio...

Committee Rejects Bills To Reverse (New Hampshire) Same-Sex Marriage Law

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:59:32

Source: [b]WMUR[/b]

CONCORD, N.H. -- A House committee has recommended that two bills attempting to reverse New Hampshire's same-sex marriage law be killed.

One bill called for the repeal of the same-sex marriage law, while the other called for a public vote on the matter.

By a margin of 2-1,...

Eastern Syria faces �catastrophe�

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:53:07

Source: [b]The National[/b]

Free market economic reforms have helped create a �catastrophe� in eastern regions of Syria, greatly exacerbating the effects of a devastating drought, according to leading critics of government policy.

Speaking at a weekly meeting of the Syrian economics society, a g...

UN appeals for $538M in Pakistan humanitarian aid

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:53:02

Source: [b]AP[/b]

The Associated Press
Tuesday, February 9, 2010; 5:47 AM

ISLAMABAD -- Aid groups in Pakistan need nearly $538 million over the next six months to help hundreds of thousands of people displaced by army clashes against the Taliban, the U.N. said in an international appeal Tuesd...

Obama Warns GOP He Will Use Recess Appointments

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:34:14

Source: [b]Huffington Post[/b]

In a surprise appearance before the White House press corps on Tuesday, President Barack Obama announced he would consider using recess appointments to get his nominees to their posts if Senate Republicans deny them an up-or-down vote.

"In our meeting I a...

Obama says both sides have to give on health care

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:34:13

Source: [b]Associated Press[/b]

WASHINGTON � President Barack Obama's says he's willing to start from scratch on health care - as long as the final bill meets his goals.

Answering reporters' questions on Tuesday after a meeting with congressional leaders of both parties, Obama said both sides ha...

Job Openings Plunged By One-Quarter Last Year

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:09:44

Source: [b]AP[/b]

1:56 pm EST February 9, 2010

WASHINGTON -- Finding a job got much tougher last year, as the number of available openings fell by nearly one quarter.

At the same time, the unemployed population soared by more than one-third, leaving more laid-off workers competing for fewer j...

Robert Gibbs Scrawls Notes on Hand, Mocking Sarah Palin

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:06:03

Source: [b]CBS News[/b]

Following President Obama's surprise appearance at the White House press briefing, press secretary Robert Gibbs garnered laughter from the press corps by holding up his hand to reveal that he had written notes on his palm in black marker.

Gibbs' move was a jab at Sarah Pa...

Reid Hopes for Vote on Jobs Bill by This Weekend

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:57:42

Source: [b]CQ Politics CQ TODAY MIDDAY UPDATE Feb. 9, 2010 � 1:59 p.m.[/b]

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., said Tuesday he intends to push for a vote by this weekend on job creation legislation, though another winter storm bearing down on Washington made the Senate schedule increasin...

Stocks rise on Greek bailout hopes

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:04:08

Source: [b]CNNMoney.com[/b]

By Alexandra Twin and Hibah Yousuf, staff reportersFebruary 9, 2010: 1:04 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks surged Tuesday afternoon on bets that the European Union will rescue Greece from its debt problems

snip

News that European leaders will meet to di...

First lady details obesity campaign

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:41:03

Source: [b]Politico[/b]

Michelle Obama on Tuesday outlined a campaign to curb childhood obesity, her signature issue, by changing the way foods are labeled and served and urging families to make healthier choices.

The �Let�s Move� initiative seeks to add more fruits, vegetables and whole grains...

Lt. Dan Choi Back on Active Duty

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:38:21

Source: [b]Advocate[/b]

Dan Choi Back on Active Duty
By Michelle Garcia
DAN CHOI X390 (BILERICO) | ADVOCATE.COM

http://www.bilerico.com/assets_c/2010/02/image-1-thumb-450x338-9853.jpg

Gay military rights advocate Lt. Dan Choi has been reportedly called back into active duty. Photographer ...

Iran jails opposition leader Behzad Nabavi

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:37:44

Source: [b]BBC[/b]

An Iranian appeals court has upheld the sentence of a senior reformist figure convicted for his role in unrest after elections last year.

Former industry minister Behzad Nabavi was given a five-year sentence by the court, the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency reported...

Saudi Arabia upholds 'sex boast' conviction

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:35:07

Source: [b]BBC[/b]

A Saudi Arabian appeals court has upheld a sentence of five years in jail and 1,000 lashes for a man who boasted on TV of his sex life, reports say.

Mazen Abdul Jawad was convicted in October of immoral behaviour under the country's strict Islamic law code.

Sentences of tw...

Philippines charges 196 over Maguindanao massacre

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:29:34

Source: [b]BBC[/b]

The Philippines has charged 196 more people with murder over a pre-election massacre in Maguindanao province in November which left 57 dead.

Those charged include Andal Ampatuan Snr, formerly a provincial governor and ally of President Gloria Arroyo.

Mr Ampatuan's son of t...

President Rajapaksa dissolves parliament, anger grows over Fonseka arrest

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:25:55

Source: [b]Times of India[/b]

Sri Lanka�s President dissolved parliament tonight and announced fresh elections as the opposition called for nationwide protests over the arrest of Sarath Fonseka, the former army chief.

Opposition leaders accused President Rajapaksa of ordering General Fonseka�s a...

Congressional Democrats point finger of blame at Rahm Emanuel

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:36:23

Source: [b]The Hill[/b]

Democrats in Congress are holding White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel accountable for his part in the collapse of healthcare reform.

The emerging consensus among critics in both chambers is that Emanuel�s lack of Senate experience slowed President Barack Obama�s top d...

Insurer State Farm says it warned gov't about Toyota acceleration in 2007

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:31:36

Source: [b]Chicago Trib/AP[/b]

WASHINGTON (AP) � The nation's largest auto insurer said Tuesday it alerted federal safety regulators in late 2007 about a rise in reports of unexpected acceleration in Toyota vehicles, the latest warning sign to emerge about the massive recall.

State Farm insuranc...

French accuse Tony Blair of �Soviet-style' propaganda in run-up to Iraq war

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:06:50

Source: [b]this is london[/b]

Tony Blair was accused by the French government of �Soviet-style� black propaganda in the run-up to the Iraq war, secret memos obtained by the Iraq inquiry have found.

The Chilcot committee has obtained confidential phone records showing that then foreign secretary ...

Dutch cabinet admits errors of Iraq invasion

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:00:46

Source: [b]RNW[/b]

Giving its response to an official inquiry branding the Iraq war illegal the Dutch cabinet admits it gave parliament too little information ahead of the 2003 conflict.

Responding to the Dutch Committee of Inquiry on Iraq � also known as the Davids Inquiry - Prime Minister Jan-...

House/Senate reject GOPs marriage efforts

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:50:47

Source: [b]Des Moines Register[/b]

What Republicans wanted was the right to pull House Joint Resolution 6 out of a committee so that it would be placed on the debate calendar and avoid a legislative deadline this week.

The effort failed in the Senate where all 18 Senate Republicans signed a peti...

Protectionism Worries Indian Outsourcers

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:47:54

Source: [b]PCWorld[/b]

February 09, 2010 5:30 AM

India's leading software trade body said on Tuesday that protectionism in key markets could affect the growth prospects of the country's outsourcing industry.

Although market conditions are improving, the industry has to watch out for protecti...

US Wholesale Inventories Unexpectedly Fall 0.8% in Sign of Higher Demand

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:24:36

Source: [b]BLOOMBERG[/b]

By Courtney Schlisserman

Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Inventories at U.S. wholesalers unexpectedly fell in December following the biggest increase in more than five years, indicating distributors had trouble keeping up with demand.

The 0.8 percent decrease in stockpiles ...

NATO to Afghan assault villagers: keep heads down

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:02:04

Source: [b]Reuters[/b]

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan villagers should stay inside and "keep their heads down" when thousands of U.S. Marines launch a massive assault on a densely-populated district in coming days, NATO's civilian representative to Afghanistan said Tuesday.

...........

NATO forces ...

UK's Iraq inquiry turns focus to Bush officials

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:56:48

Source: [b]Washington Post[/b]

UK's Iraq inquiry turns focus to Bush officials

By DAVID STRINGER
The Associated Press
Monday, February 8, 2010; 4:18 PM

LONDON -- Britain's inquiry into the Iraq war will seek meetings with former members of the Bush administration after taking evidence from ...