American Airlines and US Airways announce an $11 billion merger; Oscar Pistorius is arrested after allegedly shooting his girlfriend; a Clinton donor says Hillary will run in 2016; the Carnival Triumph finally docks in Mobile, AL; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says Republicans plan to block Chuck Hagel’s nomination; and Gen. John Allen may retire. Meanwhile, in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, love letters between LBJ and Ladybird are released; a new report says the ‘The Bachelor’ is celibate; and celebrities and environmentalists are arrested protesting the Keystone pipeline.
Caitlin
CRUCIAL:
AMERICAN, US AIRWAYS ANNOUNCE $11 BILLION MERGER, http://rtvote.com/15feZsB
US Airways and AMR, the owner of American Airlines, will take part in an $11 billion merger that will combine the two companies into the largest airline in the world. The company will keep the American Airlines name and be headed up US Airways CEO Doug Parker. In a statement Thursday Parker said, “The combined airline will have the scale, breadth, and capabilities to compete more effectively and profitably in the global marketplace.” 72% of ownership will go to AMR creditors with the rest going to US Airways shareholders.
PISTORIUS ARRESTED AFTER WOMAN SHOT AT HIS HOME, http://rtvote.com/XOV525
South African Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius was arrested Thursday after allegedly shooting his girlfriend in his home. Pistorius, who is a double-amputee, had reportedly mistaken Reeva Steenkamp for an intruder when he shot her with a 9 mm. The athlete, known as Blade Runner, will appear in court later today.
Big donor claims Bill Clinton told him Hillary’s running for prez in 2016, http://rtvote.com/XOWvKf
Angelo Tsakopoulos, a Greek-American real-estate mogul, said Thursday that Bill Clinton had revealed to him in a private conversation that Hillary would run for president in 2016. Tsakopoulos alleges a close relationship with the couple and has been one of the biggest donors to Clinton’s political campaigns.
Passengers count hours on ‘floating petri dish’ of a cruise ship as it limps to port, http://rtvote.com/15fjrax
The Carnival Triumph will dock in Mobile, AL today after an engine fire caused its systems to go down five days ago. The ship became a “floating petri dish” after electricity failure caused sanitary systems to go down and sewage to seep down the walls. Passengers were forced to defecate in bags and urinate in showers, as well as wait close to four hours for food. Carnival will refund passengers for the trip and compensate them an extra $500. The ship will no longer be in service moving forward.
(via POLITICO Breaking News) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday that Republicans are planning to block the nomination of Chuck Hagel to be secretary of Defense, and aides said Democrats don’t yet have the 60 votes to break a GOP filibuster on the nomination. That would leave the nomination in limbo as the Senate heads into a week-long recess.
Source: Gen. Allen may retire, http://rtvote.com/15flgEq
Rumors are circulating that Marine Gen. John Allen may retire as he feels he’s “being pushed out for a variety of reasons,” primarily the e-mail scandal between him and Tampa socialite Jill Kelley. Although Allen was cleared of wrongdoing in the situation that entwined him with General David Petraeus’ own scandal, he fears that it will taint his new post as NATO’s supreme allied commander in Brussels.
5.8M women have used ‘morning after’ pill, http://rtvote.com/Ygstib
The National Center for Health Statistics has conducted a survey of 12,279 women between 2006 and 2010 that shows 11% or 5.8 million American women ages 15 to 44 have used emergency contraception or “the morning after pill.” Half of the women used the pill because they feared their method of birth-control had failed, while the rest of the women surveyed had unprotected sex. 23% of women ages 20 to 24 said they had used the pill, while only 5% of women ages 30 to 44 fell into the same category.
CULTURAL:
LBJ AND LADY BIRD COURTSHIP LOVE LETTERS RELEASED, http://rtvote.com/15fk5Vw
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West touch off security breach at JFK Airport, http://rtvote.com/15fkcAv
‘The Bachelor’ star Sean Lowe is celibate, report says, http://rtvote.com/XP49nC
‘Die Hard’ lives on in fifth installment released Valentine’s Day, http://rtvote.com/11IIuUE
Celebs, enviros arrested at WH pipeline protest, http://rtvote.com/11IIyDO
Tags: american airlines, amr, angelo tsakopoulos, Bill Clinton, carnvial triumph, chuck hagel, david petraeus, die hard, doug parker, emergency contraception, filibuster, gen. john allen, general john allen, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, jfk airport, jill kelley, John Allen, Kanye West, keystone pipeline, Kim Kardashian, lady bird, lady bird johnson, lbj, Lyndon B Johnson, morning after pill, national center for health statistics, NATO, oscar pistorius, reeva steenkamp, sean lowe, secretary of defense, The Bachelor, the olympics, us airways, valentine's day
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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 |
