Thursday, October 15, 2009

SPB News for Thursday



Harry Reid's Son Begins Campaign For Nevada Governor




Bush In South Korea: Gov't Intervention Helped Save World Economy
In South Korea at the World Economic Forum, an annual conference sponsored by a South Korean business paper, former President Bush defended the unprecedented government interventions into the economy and added that he hopes that "over time" the government "gets out of the ownership position in those vital industries."

Palin Plans New Political Group — Michael M. Phillips reports on the doings of conservative favorite Sarah Palin. — Sarah Palin fans can expect to see a new Palin political organization surface as her memoir, “Going Rogue: An American Life,” hits the shelves next month.

GOP senator's protest grinds Senate to a halt — Oklahoma's Coburn tries a filibuster after pet idea dropped from bill — WASHINGTON - The Senate ground to a halt Wednesday in a display of what an individual senator can do to protest his treatment by some of Capitol Hill's most powerful barons.

Why GOP Leader Opposes Hate Crimes Protections for Gays — Last week, House Republican Leader John Boehner objected to House passage of a bill that would expand hate crime laws and make it a federal crime to assault people on the basis of their sexual orientation.

Stewart calls out Fox News for ignoring gay rights march

Judge Blocks Public From Blackwater Hearings A federal judge Wednesday blocked the public from attending a critical set of pretrial hearings in the prosecution of five U.S. security contractors accused of killing 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians in a 2007 shooting. The hearings, which are expected to last through Friday of next week, will examine whether the government improperly used immunized statements by the Blackwater Worldwide mercenaries in its investigation. U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina said Wednesday that he was closing the hearings because he wanted to shield witnesses and potential jurors from pretrial publicity.

United Arab Emirates: Court Convicts American The Supreme Court convicted an American citizen on Monday of terrorism-related charges after claims that torture had been used to extract a confession. The court sentenced the American, Naji Hamdan,to 18 months in prison, but he should be freed soon because the sentence counts time served and he was detained last year. Mr. Hamdan faced charges of supporting terrorism, working with terrorist organizations and being a member of a terrorist group.

Goldman Sachs ponders $1bn charity donation --Goldman Sachs is considering donating in excess of $1bn (£627m) to charity in an attempt to quell the growing furore over the likely size of its 2009 bonus pot. The investment bank, which is set to report its results for the three months to September on Thursday, is understood to be giving serious thought to some form of large philanthropic donation. [By] the end of the year, Goldman's total compensation pot is expected to be a record $22bn, delivering average pay and bonuses of more than $700,000 per employee, higher even than the average $661,000 paid out in 2007 – its last record year.

Less than half of AIG bonuses returned --Audit says more than half still out American International Group Inc. employees have returned less than half of the $45 million in bonuses they promised to repay in a good-will gesture after the company received tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer aid, according to the Treasury Department's independent watchdog. A public outcry erupted in March when news broke that AIG paid out at least $165 million in executive bonus pay - after being awarded $180 billion in taxpayer loans and incentives to keep the company from collapsing.

Obama Seeks $250 Check for Retirees and Veterans President Obama urged Congress on Wednesday to authorize a second $250 stimulus check to be sent early next year to an estimated 57 million Social Security recipients, veterans and people with disabilities. In effect, the payment would be in lieu of a cost-of-living increase for Social Security beneficiaries next year.

Schwarzenegger approval slumps to all-time low California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's popularity has slumped to an all-time low after a budget crisis that has left the state near bankruptcy, a new poll showed Tuesday. The Field Poll showed the former Hollywood action hero turned Republican politician's approval rating had dipped below 30 percent for the first time in his six-year reign, plunging to 27 percent from 33 percent in April.

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