Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines http://www.truthdig.com/ Truthdig, a Web magazine that provides expert in-depth coverage of current affairs as well as a variety of thoughtful, provocative content assembled from a progressive point of view. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman. en editor@truthdig.com Copyright 2009 2009-11-21T18:13:01+00:00 http://www.truthdig.com/http://www.truthdig.com/images/rss_feed_promo.gifTruthdig.com logo This is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site, subject to copyright and fair use. Iran to Test Its Readiness http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Truthdig/~3/NGHqo1jWqQ8/ http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/iran_to_play_war_games_20091121/ enriched uranium, france, iran, nuclear, russia, uranium, war games,

Iran has announced it will conduct a weeklong round of air defense war games centered on the country’s nuclear sites as Western powers, especially the U.S., turn up the heat over Tehran’s nuclear program.

The Wall Street Journal:

State media quoted a senior air-defense commander saying the exercise, scheduled to start Sunday, was targeted specifically at training against potential missile and aircraft threats against the country’s nuclear facilities. Brig. Gen. Ahmad Miqani told state-run press on Saturday the exercise would be conducted with both the Iranian armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps over five days across a wide swath of northern, southern and western Iran.

The exercise comes as the West significantly increases pressure on Tehran following Iran’s refusal so far to accept a nuclear-energy deal hammered out between Iranian negotiators and counterparts from the U.S., France, Russia and the International Atomic Energy Agency last month. The deal called for Iran to ship out the bulk of its low-enriched uranium, to be further enriched in Russia and returned to Iran for use in a medical research reactor.

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]]> Iran has announced it will conduct a weeklong round of air defense war games centered on the country’s nuclear sites as Western powers, especially the U.S., turn up the heat over Tehran’s nuclear program. The Wall Street Journal: State media quoted a senior air-defense commander saying the exercise, scheduled to start Sunday, was targeted specifically at training against potential missile and aircraft threats against the country’s nuclear facilities. Brig. Gen. Ahmad Miqani told state-run press on Saturday the exercise would be conducted with both the Iranian armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps over five days across a wide swath of northern, southern and western Iran. The exercise comes as the West significantly increases pressure on Tehran following Iran’s refusal so far to accept a nuclear-energy deal hammered out between Iranian negotiators and counterparts from the U.S., France, Russia and the International Atomic Energy Agency last month. The deal called for Iran to ship out the bulk of its low-enriched uranium, to be further enriched in Russia and returned to Iran for use in a medical research reactor. Read more READ THE WHOLE ITEM 2009-11-21T18:13:01+00:00 http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/iran_to_play_war_games_20091121/ Obama’s Job Approval Slips Below 50 Percent http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Truthdig/~3/-ad_1P1InEE/ http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/obama_job_approval_drops_below_50_20091121/ economy, gallup, health care, job approval, jobs, obama, polls, survey, Obama

President Barack Obama’s on-the-job approval rating is slipping, with two polls in the past week showing that fewer than half of those surveyed are happy with the way he is conducting the business of the presidency.

Reuters:

President Barack Obama’s job approval rating has dropped below 50 percent in a second major poll in an indication he is suffering from the long healthcare debate and weakness in the economy, Gallup said on Friday.

Gallup said 49 percent of Americans approved of Obama’s job performance. A survey by Quinnipiac University on Wednesday had a similar finding, putting him at 48 percent support.

It was the first time he had fallen below majority support in those two polls. He had been polling in the low 50s for months after taking office in January with an approval rating just under 70 percent.

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]]> President Barack Obama’s on-the-job approval rating is slipping, with two polls in the past week showing that fewer than half of those surveyed are happy with the way he is conducting the business of the presidency. Reuters: President Barack Obama’s job approval rating has dropped below 50 percent in a second major poll in an indication he is suffering from the long healthcare debate and weakness in the economy, Gallup said on Friday. Gallup said 49 percent of Americans approved of Obama’s job performance. A survey by Quinnipiac University on Wednesday had a similar finding, putting him at 48 percent support. It was the first time he had fallen below majority support in those two polls. He had been polling in the low 50s for months after taking office in January with an approval rating just under 70 percent. Read more READ THE WHOLE ITEM 2009-11-21T18:05:05+00:00 http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/obama_job_approval_drops_below_50_20091121/ Brit Warns Against Leaving Afghanistan http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Truthdig/~3/Bx_jnQV6LFg/ http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/uk_warns_against_leaving_afghanistan_20091121/ ,

Britain’s foreign secretary visited Kabul this week and had a stark warning for opponents of the NATO effort in Afghanistan: The Afghan government could fall apart within weeks of a coalition pullout, David Miliband said.

The Guardian:

The Afghan government could fall within weeks if Nato pulled out troops now, David Miliband warned today as he urged British opponents of the war to give the fight to rebuild the country more time.

In an interview with the Guardian at the end of a visit to Kabul for the presidential inauguration of Hamid Karzai, the foreign secretary said: “If international forces leave, you can choose a time – five minutes, 24 hours or seven days – but the insurgent forces will overrun those forces that are prepared to put up resistance and we would be back to square one.”

At the end of a day spent visiting British troops and officials at the headquarters of the international military effort, Miliband said that Afghans were “sad that they need anyone, but they are passionate that my goodness they do – because if we weren’t here their country would be rolled over”.

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]]> Britain’s foreign secretary visited Kabul this week and had a stark warning for opponents of the NATO effort in Afghanistan: The Afghan government could fall apart within weeks of a coalition pullout, David Miliband said. The Guardian: The Afghan government could fall within weeks if Nato pulled out troops now, David Miliband warned today as he urged British opponents of the war to give the fight to rebuild the country more time. In an interview with the Guardian at the end of a visit to Kabul for the presidential inauguration of Hamid Karzai, the foreign secretary said: “If international forces leave, you can choose a time – five minutes, 24 hours or seven days – but the insurgent forces will overrun those forces that are prepared to put up resistance and we would be back to square one.” At the end of a day spent visiting British troops and officials at the headquarters of the international military effort, Miliband said that Afghans were “sad that they need anyone, but they are passionate that my goodness they do – because if we weren’t here their country would be rolled over”. Read more READ THE WHOLE ITEM 2009-11-21T17:33:06+00:00 http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/uk_warns_against_leaving_afghanistan_20091121/ Freedom’s Fight: Part II http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Truthdig/~3/MIim35hsFzo/ http://www.truthdig.com/arts_culture/item/freedoms_fight_part_ii_20091120/ black soldier, civil rights, fbi, freedom's fight, gary phillips, history, j. edgar hoover, novel, race, war, world war ii, Book Excerpt Freedom's Fight

Truthdig is pleased to present the second excerpt from Gary Phillips’ novel “Freedom’s Fight,” which interweaves real historical figures and situations in a fictive narrative about World War II, focusing not just on the black soldier’s struggle, but also on the debates various civil rights groups had about the war stateside.

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]]> Truthdig is pleased to present the second excerpt from Gary Phillips’ novel “Freedom’s Fight,” which interweaves real historical figures and situations in a fictive narrative about World War II, focusing not just on the black soldier’s struggle, but also on the debates various civil rights groups had about the war stateside. READ THE WHOLE ITEM 2009-11-21T00:46:51+00:00 http://www.truthdig.com/arts_culture/item/freedoms_fight_part_ii_20091120/ ‘Left, Right & Center’: The Geithner-Summers Backlash; Is Palin Dangerous? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Truthdig/~3/SnxyXdGjH2Y/ http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/left_right_center_the_geithner-summers_backlash_is_palin_dangerous_20091120/ aig, bailout, federal reserve, health care reform, larry summers, left right & center, sarah palin, tarp, timothy geithner, Left, Right & Center

At long last, it seems that members of Congress, of left- and right-leaning persuasions alike, are harboring serious doubts about a couple of key players on President Barack Obama’s economic task force. The right-leaning Tony Blankley thinks that this signals the cyclical, and helpful, breakdown of hyper-partisanship on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, Robert Scheer thinks Sarah Palin is still scary.

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]]> At long last, it seems that members of Congress, of left- and right-leaning persuasions alike, are harboring serious doubts about a couple of key players on President Barack Obama’s economic task force. The right-leaning Tony Blankley thinks that this signals the cyclical, and helpful, breakdown of hyper-partisanship on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, Robert Scheer thinks Sarah Palin is still scary. READ THE WHOLE ITEM 2009-11-20T22:49:31+00:00 http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/left_right_center_the_geithner-summers_backlash_is_palin_dangerous_20091120/ Lou Dobbs for President? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Truthdig/~3/cpOhq40w6NA/ http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/lou_dobbs_for_president_20091120/ anchor, birther, civil rights, cnn, immigration, lou dobbs, middle class, network, news, president, senate,

Now that he’s been cut loose from his contract at CNN, former anchor Lou Dobbs is free to do his thing unencumbered by any constraints imposed by media bosses or by archaic notions of journalistic objectivity. What, you might wonder, would “his thing” be? Well, it seems as if this self-declared champion of the middle class isn’t ruling out a run for office ... yes, even that office.  —KA

Reuters:

A week after abruptly quitting his longtime job as a CNN television news host and commentator, Lou Dobbs said on Thursday he is considering career options including possible runs for the White House or U.S. Senate.

“Right now I feel exhilaration at the wide range of choices before me as to what I do next,” Dobbs, whose outspoken views on immigration and other topics often angered liberals, told Reuters in a telephone interview from New York on Thursday.

Dobbs, 64, a veteran CNN anchor who had become one of the most divisive figures in U.S. broadcast journalism, announced last Wednesday he was leaving CNN after spending the better part of 30 years at the 24-hour cable news network.

He still hosts a daily radio show.

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]]> Now that he’s been cut loose from his contract at CNN, former anchor Lou Dobbs is free to do his thing unencumbered by any constraints imposed by media bosses or by archaic notions of journalistic objectivity. What, you might wonder, would “his thing” be? Well, it seems as if this self-declared champion of the middle class isn’t ruling out a run for office ... yes, even that office.  —KA Reuters: A week after abruptly quitting his longtime job as a CNN television news host and commentator, Lou Dobbs said on Thursday he is considering career options including possible runs for the White House or U.S. Senate. “Right now I feel exhilaration at the wide range of choices before me as to what I do next,” Dobbs, whose outspoken views on immigration and other topics often angered liberals, told Reuters in a telephone interview from New York on Thursday. Dobbs, 64, a veteran CNN anchor who had become one of the most divisive figures in U.S. broadcast journalism, announced last Wednesday he was leaving CNN after spending the better part of 30 years at the 24-hour cable news network. He still hosts a daily radio show. Read more READ THE WHOLE ITEM 2009-11-20T22:26:18+00:00 http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/lou_dobbs_for_president_20091120/ Obama Warns of Iran Sanctions http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Truthdig/~3/VjExirPdvuk/ http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/iran_faces_punishment_within_weeks_20091120/ enrichment, france, iran, nuclear, obama, punishment, punitive, russia, sanctions, uranium, Iran nuclear program

President Barack Obama has signaled an escalation in the ongoing nuclear dispute with Iran, warning that punitive measures could come soon after Tehran rejected a proposal to send its enriched uranium to Russia or France for further processing.

The Guardian:

Barack Obama has signalled a further escalation in the crisis over Iran’s nuclear ambitions by serving notice that punitive measures could be agreed “within weeks”.

Obama used a speech in South Korea’s capital, Seoul, to warn that the lesson of dealing with neighbouring North Korea was that Tehran must meet a deadline for complying with international demands and would face unspecified “consequences” if it did not.

The president’s remarks came a day after Iran appeared to definitively reject a proposal put forward in Vienna last month for sending enriched uranium to Russia and France for further processing, leaving negotiations at an apparent dead end.

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]]> President Barack Obama has signaled an escalation in the ongoing nuclear dispute with Iran, warning that punitive measures could come soon after Tehran rejected a proposal to send its enriched uranium to Russia or France for further processing. The Guardian: Barack Obama has signalled a further escalation in the crisis over Iran’s nuclear ambitions by serving notice that punitive measures could be agreed “within weeks”. Obama used a speech in South Korea’s capital, Seoul, to warn that the lesson of dealing with neighbouring North Korea was that Tehran must meet a deadline for complying with international demands and would face unspecified “consequences” if it did not. The president’s remarks came a day after Iran appeared to definitively reject a proposal put forward in Vienna last month for sending enriched uranium to Russia and France for further processing, leaving negotiations at an apparent dead end. Read more READ THE WHOLE ITEM 2009-11-20T18:34:26+00:00 http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/iran_faces_punishment_within_weeks_20091120/ YouTube Videos to Wear Captions http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Truthdig/~3/IGlkoSljG9A/ http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/reading_on_youtube_20091120/ ,

In a boon for the hearing-impaired as well as non-English speakers, Google has announced it will soon plug in new technology that automatically adds text captions to many videos on its YouTube site. It will allow videos to be searched through text, rather than keywords.

The New York Times:

In the first major step toward making millions of videos on YouTube accessible to deaf and hearing-impaired people, Google unveiled new technologies on Thursday that will automatically bring text captions to many videos on the site.

The technology will also open YouTube videos to a wider foreign market and make them more searchable, which will make it easier for Google to profit from them.

While the technology can insert captions only on English-language speech, Google is giving users the choice of using its automatic translation system to read the captions in 51 languages. That could broaden the appeal of YouTube videos to millions of other people who do not speak English but could use the captioning technology to read subtitles in their native language.

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]]> In a boon for the hearing-impaired as well as non-English speakers, Google has announced it will soon plug in new technology that automatically adds text captions to many videos on its YouTube site. It will allow videos to be searched through text, rather than keywords. The New York Times: In the first major step toward making millions of videos on YouTube accessible to deaf and hearing-impaired people, Google unveiled new technologies on Thursday that will automatically bring text captions to many videos on the site. The technology will also open YouTube videos to a wider foreign market and make them more searchable, which will make it easier for Google to profit from them. While the technology can insert captions only on English-language speech, Google is giving users the choice of using its automatic translation system to read the captions in 51 languages. That could broaden the appeal of YouTube videos to millions of other people who do not speak English but could use the captioning technology to read subtitles in their native language. Read more READ THE WHOLE ITEM 2009-11-20T18:09:33+00:00 http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/reading_on_youtube_20091120/ UC Fee Hikes Prompt Protests http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Truthdig/~3/IlgTUDOdojU/ http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/uc_fee_hikes_prompt_protests_20091120/ ,

After the UC Board of Regents approved a 32 percent increase in fees, a collection of university students occupied Campbell Hall at UCLA. The last of those students left the building peacefully Thursday evening, suspending protests that saw dozens arrested.

Los Angeles Times:

After a day of protests over student fee hikes that roiled the UCLA campus, a final group of students who had taken over Campbell Hall left the building peacefully [Thursday] evening.

There were about 25 students when the group dispersed shortly before 7 p.m. Students had been occupying the building since about 12:30 a.m. Students used a bike rack to block hallways and desks to block doors. Pizza boxes were strewn in the third-floor hallway.

“This is only the end of this moment,” said Patricia Torres, 30, a first-year graduate student in the School of Urban Planning. “We are still dialoguing, but not stopping.”

Earlier [Thursday], the UC Board of Regents approved a 32% increase in student fees.

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]]> After the UC Board of Regents approved a 32 percent increase in fees, a collection of university students occupied Campbell Hall at UCLA. The last of those students left the building peacefully Thursday evening, suspending protests that saw dozens arrested. Los Angeles Times: After a day of protests over student fee hikes that roiled the UCLA campus, a final group of students who had taken over Campbell Hall left the building peacefully [Thursday] evening. There were about 25 students when the group dispersed shortly before 7 p.m. Students had been occupying the building since about 12:30 a.m. Students used a bike rack to block hallways and desks to block doors. Pizza boxes were strewn in the third-floor hallway. “This is only the end of this moment,” said Patricia Torres, 30, a first-year graduate student in the School of Urban Planning. “We are still dialoguing, but not stopping.” Earlier [Thursday], the UC Board of Regents approved a 32% increase in student fees. Read more READ THE WHOLE ITEM 2009-11-20T17:43:51+00:00 http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/uc_fee_hikes_prompt_protests_20091120/ Battlefield in the War of Ideas http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Truthdig/~3/bvxptYC7BUA/ http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/battlefield_in_the_war_of_ideas_20091119/ 911, afghanistan, bush, eric holder, eugene robinson, history, iraq, justice, khalid sheikh mohammed, ksm, military, new york, nidal hasan, obama, robinson, terrorism, trial, war, war on terror, By Eugene Robinson

If killing a terrorist in Kandahar creates one in Killeen, we’ll never make progress.


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]]> If killing a terrorist in Kandahar creates one in Killeen, we’ll never make progress. READ THE WHOLE ITEM 2009-11-20T10:29:51+00:00 http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/battlefield_in_the_war_of_ideas_20091119/