Posts Tagged
‘Justin Bieber’

In today’s news, President Obama is preparing for a supercommittee failure; Penn State coach Mike McQueary claims he went to the police about Sandusky; shots were fired at the White House late last week; the Occupy Seattle movement turns violent; and GOP candidate Newt Gingrich received $1.6 million from Freddie Mac. In entertainment news, Justen Bieber’s paternity suit has been dropped, and Duke’s Coach K wins a record 903 games.

Coral + Caitlin

CRUCIAL

Supercommittee on the brink, http://politi.co/u7WxKF
The November 23rd deadline for the supercommittee’s deficit plan is quickly approaching, and it seems the powerful panel will not have anything ready by then. Speculation started when it became clear that no one has seen any plan language. The Washington Post says the Obama administration is quietly preparing for the debt-reduction supercommittee to fail, while The Wall Street Journal says the panel is turning to accounting gimmicks to reach its goal of $1.2 trillion in savings over 10 years. On Tuesday, John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid met, causing some to speculate that they are also worried about the committee’s inaction.

Jolted, Wall St. Protesters Face Challenge for Future, http://nyti.ms/uJ65yn
Occupy Wall Street protesters returned to Zuccotti Park on Tuesday. The demonstrators showed up without tents after a judge upheld that portion of Bloomberg administration’s Monday-night eviction. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he OK’d the eviction after hearing from an EMT who injured his ankle while trying to assist a mentally disturbed man last week but according to The New York Times, the raid had been in the works for more than two weeks.

McQueary email: I stopped Sandusky, went to police, http://nyp.st/s2417K
In an email sent on November 8th, Penn State coach Mike McQueary told a friend that he stopped Jerry Sandusky from the alleged rape of a ten-year old boy and then phoned the police. “I did not stop it, physically … but made sure it was stopped when I left the locker room.” McQueary goes on to say that he “discussed” the situation with the police and the university official in charge of the police. The email contradicts McQueary’s testimony to the grand jury where he said that he did not stop Sandusky and also did not phone the police.

Secret Service says bullet hit exterior window of White House, http://nydn.us/uwLXc9
The Secret Service discovered two bullets on the White House grounds Tuesday, one of which hit a window and was stopped by ballistic glass. On Friday, witnesses reported hearing gunfire near the White House; they said they saw two speeding cars, and an AK-47 was eventually recovered. Police have issued an arrest warrant for Oscar Ortega-Hernandez in relation to the incident.

Solyndra: Energy Dept. pushed firm to keep layoffs quiet until after midterms, http://wapo.st/uLUvWt
The Obama administration, which gave Solyndra a half-billion dollar loan, asked the company to delay announcing layoffs until after the 2010 midterm election. The company waited until November 3rd to make the announcement, but it is not clear if this was due to pressure from the administration. The White House declined to comment, but said the emails had been taken out of context by House Republicans.

Giffords’s husband scolds Boehner for not visiting wounded lawmaker, http://bit.ly/tlYDUT
Representative Gabrielle Giffords’s husband, Mark Kelly, has slammed Speaker John Boehner for not visiting Giffords while she was recovering, even though he attended the NCAA tournament in Houston where she was rehabilitating. “Considering that she was a member of Congress and he was the highest-ranking member, we thought he’d ask to visit Gabby or at least give a call to see how she was doing,” Kelly writes. “Our only contact with him had been a simple get-well card he’d sent a few days after Gabby was injured.”

Obama: U.S. to expand military in Australia, http://bit.ly/tPgBTW
Seen as a response to China’s growing aggression, President Obama announced that the U.S. will expand its military presence in Australia at the beginning of his Asia visit. Obama said the U.S. is “stepping up its commitment to the entire Asia-Pacific,” and that 250 Marines will be stationed in northern Australia starting next year, with 2,500 personnel eventually staffing the region. Obama said the decision will send a message to China saying “with their rise comes increased responsibility. It is important for them to play by the rules of the road.” China is wary of the decision, saying it may not be appropriate and requires further review.

Pregnant woman pepper sprayed at Occupy Seattle, http://bit.ly/svInbO
The Occupy Seattle movement has turned violent as police pepper sprayed the crowd on Tuesday night. The incident reportedly injured an 84 year-old woman and sent a pregnant woman to the hospital. Protesters denounced the use of force and said that police used the spray on a peaceful protest. Seattle police spokesman Jeff Kappel said that pepper spray is not harmful and is not age specific. That it is no more dangerous to someone who is 10 or someone who is 80.

U.S. Senate panel agrees to look at Florida’s new voting law, http://bit.ly/rquuPo
A U.S. Senate panel tasked with overseeing civil rights will hold a hearing in Florida regarding the state’s new election law. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D – Fla., requested the hearing, and fellow Democrat Dick Durbin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights, supported the request.

Ohio’s election law foes fall short on signatures, http://bit.ly/vsG3qM
Opponents of Ohio’s new election law have fallen short in their efforts to get a ballot repeal question before voters next fall; however, they still have time to get more signatures. The law would shorten the number of early voting days in the swing state, and the Monday ruling by Secretary of State Jon Husted comes after election officials reviewed the more than 333,000 signatures that opponents submitted in late September.

Gingrich Said to Be Paid $1.6M by Freddie Mac, http://bloom.bg/vzkzES
Newt Gingrich might not be leading in the polls for much longer. Bloomberg reports that Gingrich received between $1.6 million and $1.8 million from Freddie Mac for consulting fees. The dollar amount is significantly more than Gingrich was questioned about during the GOP CNBC debate. He was asked what he did to earn $300,000, and he responded that he gave advice on what the company didn’t do, noting that its lending processes were “insane.” Freddie Mac executives, however, disagree. Since he ended his retainer in 2008, Gingrich has been quite vocal in his criticism of Freddie Mac.

(via CNN) Facebook: Attack identified, most spammed porn removed: ‘Facebook says a hack that exploited some Web browsers was responsible for a flood of porn, violent images and other graphic content that spread across the site over the past couple of days. Spokesman Frederic Wolens said Facebook’s security team had been working to identify the cause of the spam and that, by Tuesday afternoon, “we have eliminated most of the spam caused by this attack.”‘ http://bit.ly/vTalN7

CULTURAL

Andrew Rosenthal says “Maine Republicans Want to Get There (Vote Suppression) From Here (Vote Turnout),” http://nyti.ms/t8NThV

Erwin Chemerinsky asks “Will partisanship shape the healthcare ruling?,” http://lat.ms/sVLVgU

Ross Douthat discusses “The Second Coming of Gingrich,” http://nyti.ms/sWiTPY

The Washington Post says “U.S. foreign policy turns toward Asia,” http://wapo.st/tZKmHS

Justin Bieber Alleged Baby Mama DISMISSES Paternity Lawsuit, http://bit.ly/sBMBVi

Coach K alone atop Division I list, http://apne.ws/veLa3x

Bradley Cooper Named People’s Sexiest Man Alive, http://on.mtv.com/tj1BqS

Russell Simmons, ?uestlove React To Zuccotti Park Raid, http://on.mtv.com/u9K9L8