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Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com

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Gonzales Memo Widened Cheney's Office Access to DoJ Case Info
(A) May, 2006 memo which Gonzales himself had signed while attorney general … memo widened White House access to case information even more and seemed to have been crafted with special attention to enabling the Vice President's staff, specifically his chief of staff and counsel, to have the unambiguous authority to discuss ongoing cases with Department officials.

Steve Bradenton

The World

US: Attackers in Iraq have improved aim
BAGHDAD - The U.S. military has noted a "significant improvement" in the aim of attackers firing rockets and mortars into the heavily fortified Green Zone in the past three months that it has linked to training in Iran, a top commander said Thursday.

Bombings strike soccer fans in Baghdad
BAGHDAD - The dream run of Iraq's national soccer team captivated an otherwise despairing nation. But even in its moment of joy — the Iraqis are in the Asian Cup finals for the first time ever — violence struck Wednesday.

UN Mideast envoy warns of Gaza collapse
UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Mideast envoy warned Wednesday of impending economic collapse in the Gaza Strip unless Israel reopens the Hamas-led territory's main commercial crossing to the outside world to ease international isolation.

Afghan, US forces kill 60 Taliban in fierce clashes
KABUL (AFP) - Afghan and US-led forces killed more than 50 Taliban in a 12-hour battle in the country's opium-growing heartland, while ten rebels and a policeman died in separate fighting, officials said Thursday.

Military talks between two Koreas end in rancor
SEOUL (Reuters) - Military talks between the two Koreas to ease tensions on the Cold War's last frontier broke down in acrimony on Thursday over a nautical border set more than a half century ago.

Australia considers selling uranium to India
SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia is considering selling uranium to India after New Delhi finalises a landmark civilian nuclear deal with the United States, the government said.

The Nation

The Whitehouse Coup
Document uncovers details of a planned coup in the USA in 1933 by right-wing American businessmen. The coup was aimed at toppling President Franklin D Roosevelt with the help of half-a-million war veterans. The plotters, who were alleged to involve some of the most famous families in America, (owners of Heinz, Birds Eye, Goodtea, Maxwell Hse & George Bush’s Grandfather, Prescott) believed that their country should adopt the policies of Hitler and Mussolini to beat the great depression.
Click through to listen to this BBC program. The Bushes were an embarrassment to the nation even way back in the 30s. And Robert Novak is now saying that today’s Bush is a “Connecticut liberal” like his grandfather.—Caro

House Votes to Ban Permanent Bases in Iraq
Today, the House passed H.R. 2929, Banning Permanent U.S. Bases in Iraq. This bill states that it is the policy of the United States not to establish any military installation or base for the purpose of providing a permanent stationing of United States Armed Forces in Iraq. It also states that it is the policy of the United States not to exercise U.S. control of the oil resources of Iraq. The measure bars the use of any funds provided by any law from being used to carry out any policy that contradicts these statements of policy.

Murtha proposes new redeployment bill.
Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) said today that he will soon propose legislation that calls for troop withdrawals from Iraq to begin in November and take about a year to complete. “This is big time,” Murtha told reporters of the upcoming war debate in September. “When you get to September, this is history. This is when we’re going to have a real confrontation with the president trying to work things out.”

Allegations of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse at the New U.S. Embassy in Iraq
On Thursday, the Committee will hold a hearing to examine the performance of the State Department and its contractors in the construction of the new $600 million U.S. embassy in Baghdad. The Committee will be reviewing questions regarding the embassy compound construction as well as allegations of labor abuse through improper contracting practices.

Documents contradict Gonzales' testimony
WASHINGTON - Documents indicate eight congressional leaders were briefed about the Bush administration's terrorist surveillance program on the eve of its expiration in 2004, contradicting sworn Senate testimony this week by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
That’s the mainstream media’s way of saying that Gonzales lied.—Caro

Senate passes ‘Wounded Warrior’ bill.
The Senate passed legislation today to overhaul military health care and increase troop pay by 3.5 percent for members of the military. The pay raise would take effect at the beginning of 2008.

Senate standoff may doom border funding
WASHINGTON - A standoff in the Senate on Wednesday seemed to doom $3 billion in widely backed funds aimed at gaining control over the porous U.S.-Mexico border.

Massive farm bill opposed on all sides 3:31AM ET
The White House has threatened to veto the legislation, saying it doesn't do enough to cut farm subsidies. At the same time, Republicans who previously supported the bill have said they will oppose it because of a last-minute proposal to tax certain foreign-owned companies with U.S. subsidiaries. Those taxes would pay for $4 billion in food stamps and other nutrition programs.

Media

Permanent link to MTA daily media news

Secret Service looking into anti-Hillary threats on Bill O'Reilly's Web site
The Secret Service, already protecting Senator Clinton, has reportedly taken an interest in the threats against the Senator posted on Bill O'Reilly's Web site. Of even greater concern, O'Reilly claims that his Web site is not an open forum, meaning that no one can just walk in and post hate on his Web site. Does this mean that Bill O'Reilly or his proxies approved of the threats against Hillary?

Would a Vast Supply of Top Notch Columnists Willing to Work for the Minimum Wage Help Nicholas Kristof?
Of course low-income families benefit from being able to buy cheaper imported goods, just as Mr. Kristof would be able to pay less for his newspaper and for the products that are advertised there, if NYT columnists would work for $15,000 a year. But, he would lose far more from having to accept a lower salary as a result of foreign competition, just as less educated workers are likely to lose out as a result of being placed in direct competition with low-paid workers in the developing world.

Wash. Post reprinted online user comment attacking Clinton and Obama
On July 25, The Washington Post published a user comment from its website attacking Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) following the most recent Democratic presidential debate … The section did not feature any other comments from The Trail blog, although numerous other comments to Balz's entry complimented Clinton and Obama.

DeLay's Politico column on "failures" of the Democratic Congress rife with falsehoods
At no point … did DeLay acknowledge that the immigration bill was actually written by a bipartisan group of Republican and Democratic senators, as well as Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez.

Wash. Post: Cong. "Democrats in particular" have high disapproval -- in fact, disapproval of GOP much higher
(A)ccording to the Post/ABC poll, congressional Republicans have a substantially higher disapproval rating than congressional Democrats.

Why a Murdoch-owned WSJ will be bad for conservatives
From Eugene Robinson's (washingtonpost.com) chat: Falls Church, Va.: Whether Murdoch meddles with the editorial control of the WSJ or not, the perception will be after a period of time that the conservative nature of the paper is nothing more than an extension of the Fox News model. Whether that's right or wrong, it ultimately will be a big plus for left-wingers and liberals. It will, at the end of the day, be a bad thing for conservatives in general.

Technology & Science

Intel Claims Breakthrough In High-Speed Computing
Data-carrying light can transmit terabits of data per second on a single chip, making it possible to download full-length movies in seconds.

Dancing atoms hold prospect of superfast computing
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Suspended in laser light, thousands of atoms pair up and dance, each moving in perfect counterpoint to its partner.

Phones let you reach out and show someone
Ever want a friend's opinion before buying an outfit, but the buddy whose advice you cherish is not with you in the store? Wish you could share your kid's Little League game as it's happening with grandparents who live far away? Now, you can call them on your cellphone and show them live, streaming video of what you are seeing — while continuing to carry on a conversation.

Study: Obesity is Socially Contagious
People who notice their friend packing on pounds might want to steer clear if they value their sleek physiques.

Nursing home cat can sense death, ease passing
CHICAGO (Reuters) - When Oscar the Cat visits residents of the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island, the staff jumps into action -- Oscar can sense within hours when someone is about to die.

Quadruple Sunsets Possible
Astronomers have spotted a dusty disk in a four-star solar system that could be home to a planet in the making.

Environment

Experts amazed as storms propel tropical birds to Canada
OTTAWA (AFP) - An exhausted tropical bird that landed unexpectedly in eastern Canada recently has wildlife experts amazed and climatologists predicting more will show up in the north in the coming decades.

Did Cheney interfere with Endangered Species Act?
Congress and the Interior Department investigate whether the Bush administration undermined federal ESA protections.

U.S. launches new reforestation efforts
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Forest Service is teaming with a nonprofit foundation to allow consumers to participate in a voluntary program to "offset" their carbon dioxide emissions.

Study: Nevada has big temperature gains
RENO, Nev. - Nevada is among the states with the most dramatic increase in average temperatures the last 30 years, according to a new study that examines the impact of global warming across the country.

For more headlines, visit MakeThemAccountable.com.

Caro ;-)

and he's a very old man man.

He got to witness what America no longer has the strength of character to do