In today’s news, Herman Cain has been accused of sexually harassing two women while head of the National Restaurant Association; online hackers threaten to expose Mexican drug cartels; and Apple and Android apps claim to cure acne with lights emitted by smartphones. In entertainment news, Amy Winehouse has one last CD, and the world sees the birth of its 7 billionth baby.
From everyone at Rock the Vote… Happy Halloween!
Coral + Caitlin
CRUCIAL
U.S. Seeks Aid From Pakistan in Peace Effort, http://nyti.ms/vmLQ6M
Only a month after the United States accused Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Agency of supporting the terrorist group Haqqani, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is asking the agency to take the lead role in Afghani peace talks. Clinton called the approach “Fight, Talk, Build.” It will continue strikes against the Taliban and Haqqani network, while at the same time pushing the ISI to get both groups to the negotiating table. The plan is, however, being met with skepticism by the ISI and the Obama administration.
Dozens of Occupy protesters arrested in Texas, Oregon, http://bit.ly/s7hP2r
In Austin, Texas and Portland, Oregon, police arrested Occupy protesters for trespassing and violating city rules. Police arrested more than two dozen people who refused to leave a park in northwest Portland after warnings that the park closed at midnight. Police also arrested 38 people in Austin who had set up a table with food and other items outside of City Hall two days after the city issued a rule that food tables must be put away between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. When the group was asked to leave, the 38 people refused and were arrested.
American Identified as Bomber in Attack on African Union in Somalia, http://nyti.ms/s0VeMD
On Sunday, American Abdisalan Hussein Ali’s suicide note was posted online by an Islamist militia aligned with Al Qaeda. Ali is the third American to become a suicide bomber for Somalia’s Shabab rebels. He is said to have blown himself up in an attack on African Union troops in Mogadishu. Shabab claims the attack killed several peacekeepers even though the exact number has not yet been confirmed. Ali was one of 30 Americans that the FBI believes has joined Al-Shabab, with at least 20 of them coming from Minneapolis. He was a caseworker at a prestigious law firm and a pre-med student at the University of Minnesota before disappearing in 2008.
Phoenix flight attendant found dead in Mexico City, http://yhoo.it/vfmlcs
American authorities are investigating the homicide of a US Airways flight attendant, based in Phoenix, who was found dead in a Mexico City hotel room while on a layover. Nick Aaronson, 33, was found early Saturday in his room at a downtown Hilton with his hands tied behind his back and evidence of him being beaten and choked. Prosecutors said no drugs, weapons or messages were found in the room.
(via CNN News) Crime, punishment, and the shame of being a Madoff, http://bit.ly/w3iQdc: When news broke that Bernard Madoff had swindled thousands of people out of billions of dollars, many assumed that his family must have known all along. But Madoff’s wife Ruth and son Andrew tell Morley Safer they were blindsided when Madoff finally confessed that he’d been running a giant Ponzi scheme.
Some college students feel targeted by TN voter ID, http://bit.ly/ulk6PI
Tennessee’s new voter identification law allows most state and federally issued IDs to be used to vote, including work IDs issued to the faculty of state-run colleges. But the student IDs issued at those same schools are specifically prohibited. This has caused Tennessee students to feel like they have been targeted by the law. “I think this is intended to keep in check the main people who voted our current president in,” Christopher Martin, vice president of Tennessee Federation of College Democrats and a junior at Tennessee State University, stated.
2 women accused Herman Cain of inappropriate behavior, http://politi.co/v0borN
While Herman Cain was the head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990′s, two women complained to colleagues and senior association officials about sexually suggestive behavior by Cain. They ultimately left their jobs at the trade group after accepting a payout. On Sunday, a reporter asked Cain, “Have you ever been accused, sir, in your life of harassment by a woman?” After being asked the question three times his only response was, “Have you ever been accused of sexual harassment?” Later today, Cain said he was falsely accused of the claims and has no knowledge of any settlement.
FTC obtains court orders against two acne-fighting apps, http://lat.ms/sNG6S7
The FTC has obtained a court order against AcneApp and AcnePwner from making acne-treatment claims. The apps were sold on Apple’s iTunes store and the Android Market and claimed to treat acne with colored lights emitted from phones. The app sold for $1.99 on iTunes and 99 cents on the Android marketplace. Nearly 15,000 people paid for the app.
‘Angry Birds’ Creator Will Open Its First Retail Stores in China This Year, http://bloom.bg/sfxsxE
Rovio Entertainment Oy, the creator of the “Angry Birds” mobile-phone games, will open its first retail stores this year in China, which is its fastest-growing market. The company aims to gross $100 million in sales during the first year of store operation.
Online hackers threaten to expose cartel’s secrets, http://bit.ly/v9Tt0h
A group of online hackers called Anonymous are demanding that Mexican drug cartels release one of their own kidnapped from a street protest. Anonymous is threatening to publish the identities and addresses of members of the drug group, Zetas associates. Anonymous has implied that the group will expose mainstream journalists who are in cahoots with Zetas and write negative articles about the military, which is the country’s biggest fist in the drug war.
CULTURAL
Natalie Jennings asks, “Obama and young voters: Why all the love lost? ” http://wapo.st/upsOvv
David Sessions tells us, “The World According to Michele Bachmann” http://bit.ly/upTsmy
Lauren Bravo wants to know, “Slutty Halloween: Why Can’t Women Just Wear Normal Fancy Dress?” http://huff.to/seDHWp
Amy Winehouse’s secret new album, http://bit.ly/vQxEtF
‘Puss in Boots’ takes Halloween weekend title, http://usat.ly/rXQrhd
World’s ‘seven billionth baby’ is born, http://bit.ly/sqTaSH
Justin Bieber: Klobuchar should be ‘locked up’ http://bit.ly/vT5e6U
JK Rowling reveals she nearly killed off Ron Weasley, http://bit.ly/u2bmLV
