President Obama says that Democrats and Republicans are not far apart on a debt ceiling agreement, there has been no vote on Boehner’s deficit reduction plan, a soldier admits to planning another attack on Fort Hood, the U.S. believes that Iran has an alliance with al Qaeda, conservatives are angry over the Pell Grant funding in Boehner’s debt bill, and the 2012 London Olympic medals have been unveiled. Also, Tiger Woods will return to the green, and the Seattle Police Department tweeted nearly every emergency call it received this past Tuesday.
In Rock the Vote news: today is Katie and Perry’s, our wonderful interns, last day! Everyone at RTV wants to thank them for doing such a great job on the press clips all summer!
Caitlin, Katie, + Perry
CRITICAL:
(via POLITICO Breaking News) President Barack Obama said Friday that Democrats and Republicans are not far apart on an agreement to raise the debt ceiling, but they must work together to forge a bipartisan compromise that can win approval in both the House and Senate. “There are plenty of ways out of this mess, but we are almost out of time,” Obama said in a brief statement at the White House.
(via POLITICO Breaking News) There [was no] vote [last night] in the House on Speaker John Boehner’s deficit reduction plan, as Republicans were unable to come up with the votes to pass the bill after hours of arm twisting and vote whipping.
AWOL Soldier Condemned ’09 Fort Hood Shootings, http://abcn.ws/nCsin0
After previously condemning the ’09 Fort Hood shootings, it’s been revealed that Pfc. Naser Abdo had planned an attack on Fort Hood. After a tip from a gun shop where he bought 6 pounds of smokeless gunpowder, three boxes of shotgun ammunition and a magazine for a semi-automatic pistol, Abdo was found and arrested. He had a bomb in his backpack and weapons stashed in his motel room.
U.S. Sees Iranian, al Qaeda Alliance, http://on.wsj.com/qgm7ys
The U.S. believes that Iran has an alliance with al Qaeda. Specifically, the U.S. suspects Iran of allowing al Qaeda to use its land to move money, arms, and fighters to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Officials at the Iranian mission in New York called the allegations “totally baseless,” but the U.S. has suspected an alliance for years.
Eric Cantor’s glaring conflict of interest, http://bit.ly/mxRlL6
The No. 2 Republican in the House, and the GOP’s chief debt ceiling negotiator has thousands of dollars invested in a fund that would skyrocket if those negotiations failed. The trust “aggressively” shorts Treasury bonds, essentially betting against the country’s debt.
Conservatives angry over Pell Grant funding in Boehner debt bill, http://bit.ly/pRSGXJ
One of the reasons Speaker Boehner’s debt ceiling bill had been unceremoniously postponed last night was the supplemental Pell Grant funding it preserved. Some Republicans called the college aid money “welfare” for people who “don’t have to graduate from college.”
2012 London Olympic medals unveiled, http://bit.ly/qcl1ev
In exactly one year, the Olympic opening ceremonies will begin in London. The Olympic committee has marked the occasion by unveiling the medals, which are the biggest ever at 400 grams. The front of the medal has the traditional image of the Greek goddess of Nike; the back shows the controversial 2012 logo over a ribbon that represents the River Thames.
It’s back to work for Tiger Woods, http://yhoo.it/n5H5FH
The ups and downs of the world’s best golfer have been widely publicized; he’s had affairs, undergone knee surgery, fired his caddie, missed tournaments and plummeted in the rankings. But yesterday Woods tweeted that after an 11-week break, he will return for the Bridgestone Invitational.
Twitter as Police Scanner Draws Feedback in Seattle, http://nyti.ms/ogvYQo
For 12 hours this past Tuesday, the Seattle Police Department tweeted nearly every emergency call it received. The 478 tweets, or 40 an hour, were meant to show the public what an average day was like for the city’s police force. The wave of tweets made some Twitter users angry enough to unfollow @SeattlePD.
CULTURAL:
Amy Winehouse family fear she was killed by giving up alcohol, http://bit.ly/pSmHcM
Movie Review: Crazy, Stupid, Love All Kinds of Crazy, Stupid Fantastic, http://eonli.ne/prNl2q
The Good, the Bad, and the Slimy, http://slate.me/qM5o6q
Teen Moms’ Graduation Triumph, http://bit.ly/rl0mcO
