Iran announces key nuclear achievements to the public; Vice President Biden chides China VP Xi Jinpig; a prison fire in Honduras kills at least 350 inmates; a fake cancer drug is circulating US marketings; and Pew releases research about the US’s outdated voter registration system. Meanwhile, Malachy the Pekingnese wins Westminster’s Best in Show, and Adele will take a five-year hiatus from making music.
Caitlin
CRUCIAL:
Iran Leader to Announce Atomic Steps, http://nyti.ms/xUyo0r
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will announce “key nuclear achievements” today. Iranian news outlets are reporting that Ahmadinejad will probably speak about Fordo, a uranium enrichment plant located inside of a mountain, that is now “fully operational.” Meanwhile, Iran’s largest banks have been sanctioned by the EU and the US; however, the EU is going one step further by stopping Iran from using SWIFT, a financial clearinghouse that it has been using for wire transfers to facilitate oil sales.
With Edge, U.S. Greets China’s Heir Apparent, http://nyti.ms/wxkUXW
Vice President Biden apparently lectured Xi Jinping, China’s vice president and likely future president, during his visit to the US. “As Americans, we welcome competition,” Biden said during a State Department lunch. “But cooperation, as you and I have spoken about, can only be mutually beneficial if the game is fair.” He also lectured Xi on China’s artificially deflated currency, the jailing of Chinese dissidents, and the country’s opposition to a UN intervention in Syria. President Obama made similar points in his meeting with Xi; however, he apparently spoke more diplomatically. Xi meets with Congress today.
Honduras prison fire kills more than 350 inmates, http://reut.rs/yVCaWt
At least 357 prisoners have been killed in a fire in Honduras. Some prisoners escaped by breaking off the roof and leaping off the building; however, most died from suffocation in their cells when a guard with keys was nowhere to be found. The fire took more than an hour to put out. The prison held 800 inmates, which is much more than its allowed capacity.
Fake Cancer Drug Found in U.S., http://on.wsj.com/zdLBN1
The pharmaceutical company Roche has warned hospitals that a counterfeit version of the cancer drug Avastin has been distributed in the United States. These fake versions contain no active ingredients to help fight cancer. The FDA is investigating whether or not any patients have been given counterfeit Avastin and how much of it has been distributed in US markets. The packaging of the fake version has French text and the numbers are off. Once confined to developing countries, counterfeit drugs have become a growing trend in the US.
(via New York Times) Voter Rolls Are Rife With Inaccuracies, Report Finds: The nation’s voter registration rolls are in disarray, according to a report released Tuesday by the Pew Center on the States. The problems have the potential to affect the outcomes of local, state and federal elections. One in eight active registrations is invalid or inaccurate. At the same time, one in four people who are eligible to vote — at least 51 million potential voters — are not registered. The report found that there are about 1.8 million dead people listed as active voters. Some 2.8 million people have active registrations in more than one state. And 12 million registrations have errors serious enough to make it unlikely that mailings based on them will reach voters,http://nyti.ms/wDepDC
Why Mitt Romney needs to own Michigan, http://politi.co/yT6HAH
Mitt Romney is working overtime to win his home state of Michigan after Santorum has shown a surge in the polls. Yesterday, Romney’s campaign purchased $1.3 million in airtime in the state, while Super PAC Restore our Future is planning on funding an anti-Santorum ad. Romney has also written an op-ed in The Detroit Newsthat defends his opposition to the auto bailout. Romney has said he doesn’t expect the outcome in Michigan “to be a landslide,” while a Santorum adviser has said they are “under no illusions” that their candidate will win the state.
Swiss craft janitor satellites to grab space junk, http://apne.ws/Aoo0s4
Switzerland has announced that it will launch a “janitor satellite,” called CleanSpace One, that will clean up outer space’s debris or “space junk” left over from Earth’s satellites. NASA has reported that 500,000 pieces of debris are orbiting earth and traveling at 17,500 mph.
CULTURAL:
Pekingese Becomes America’s Top Dog at Westminster, http://abcn.ws/yZJrL4
Fighting Whitney’s Family To See Bobbi Kristina, http://bit.ly/xo06Hu
Whitney Houston Sells 1 Million Albums, Singles Since Death, http://on.mtv.com/wdIWRB
Singer Adele announces shocking five-year hiatus from music industry, http://fxn.ws/wROONy
Playmate Claire Sinclair Describes Scene of Alleged Domestic Dispute With Marston Hefner,http://eonli.ne/zaGfTH
Tags: adele, avastin, Barack Obama, bobbi kristina, claire sinclair, cleanspace one, fordo, janitor satellite, Joe Biden, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, malachy, marston hefner, Mitt Romney, Pew research, playboy, restore our future, rick santorum, roche, westminster dog show, Whitney Houston, Xi Jinping
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Caitlin Maguire Bio: Caitlin is the Marketing & Operations Manager for Rock the Vote @caitlinmagu Email the author at: blog(at)rockthevote.com |
