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NEWS TUESDAY,
FEBRUARY 7, 2012 NEWS
EARLY EDITION
Obama
Says He Deserves A Second Term
President Barack Obama joined NBC "Today" show anchor Matt Lauer on
Sunday for a pre-Super-Bowl chat. when the talk inevitably turned to politics,
Lauer asked the president about his comment three years ago, that if he
couldn't turn the economy around in three years, he wouldn't deserve a
second term. Yesterday, Obama said he does deserve a second term -- but
"we're not done." "When you and I sat down (three years ago), we were losing
750,000 jobs a month...Now we're creating 250,000," Obama told Lauer. "We
created 3.7 million jobs over the last 23 months. We created the most jobs
since 2005... the most factory jobs since 1990. But we're not finished."
CNS
News
VOA VIEW: Obama's lies can't cover-up
his deficiencies.
Romney
Campaign Takes Aim At Santorum
Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney on Monday focused his
campaign's firepower on Rick Santorum to head off his surge in two of three
states with nominating contests this week. Coming off a runaway victory
in Nevada on Saturday, Romney hopes to cement his front-runner status on
Tuesday in caucuses and primaries in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri -
the next battlegrounds in the state-by-state fight to pick a challenger
to face Democratic President Barack Obama in November. Romney's attention
has been focused heavily on former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich but
he is no longer a big threat in this week's contests. Reuters
Child
Abuse Bigger Threat Than SIDS
Nearly 4,600 U.S. children were hospitalized with broken bones, traumatic
brain injury and other serious damage caused by physical abuse in 2006,
according to a new report. Babies younger than one were the most
common victims, with 58 cases per 100,000 infants. That makes serious abuse
a bigger threat to infant safety than SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome,
researchers say in the report. "There is a national campaign to prevent
SIDS," said Dr. John Leventhal of Yale University, who led the new study.
"We need a national campaign related to child abuse where every parent
is reminded that kids can get injured." The new study, published Monday
in the journal Pediatrics, is the first broad U.S. estimate of serious
injuries due to child abuse. MSNBC
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Obama
Orders New Sanctions Against Iran
President Obama Monday morning signed an executive order freezing all
assets of the Iranian government, including its Central Bank, held in the
United States even as he continued to try to ease fears that Israel is
preparing to carry out a unilateral strike on the Islamic Republic. The
presidential order is the latest in a string of sanctions the U.S. has
pursued against Iran in recent months as Tehran steps up the development
of its nuclear capabilities despite warnings from the U.S. and other members
of the international community to halt its activity. Washington
Times
"Hidden"
Mortgage Fee Paying For Payroll Tax Cut
Just before Christmas, American workers got a rare gift from Washington
politicians - the current payroll tax cut would be extended for two more
months. At the time, both President Barack Obama and House Speaker John
Boehner lauded the move to avoid a tax increase for millions of working
Americans. But there's something the politicians weren't bragging about
- the fact that they're paying for the two-month tax cut with what has
turned into a brand new fee on home buyers. The new fee is a minimum of
one-tenth of 1 percent on Fannie Mae- and Freddie Mac-backed loans, and
is likely to go much higher. It will be imposed for the next 10 years on
most mortgages and refinancings and it lasts for the life of the loan.
For every $200,000, it amounts to an extra $15 dollars a month. CBS
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Move
Over Robo-Calls, States Sell Email Addresses For Campaigns To Reach Voters
If your email inbox starts overflowing with messages from political
campaigns this election season, it could be because your state sold you
out. A Fox News study has found 19 states plus the District of Columbia,
now ask for an email address on voter registration cards. In nine of those
states, email addresses from the cards are then sold to political parties,
organizing groups, lawmakers and campaigns who can use them to send unsolicited
emails. If it were a Viagra ad, it be considered a crime in some states.
But a political message, that's all perfectly legal. The CAN-SPAM (Controlling
the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing) law enacted in
2003 puts restrictions on commercial mass emailing, but not on political
mass emailing. Politicians can "spam" and do. Political messages of any
kind, including electronic, are protected free speech under the First Amendment.
Fox
News
The
Romney Kids' $100 Million Trust Fund
Mitt Romney's five sons -- Matt, Tagg, Craig, Ben and Josh -- are sitting
pretty with a trust fund worth $100 million. Getting there took investments
that produced great growth, according to the Romney campaign. It also took
smart tax strategies. Romney and his wife Ann have been giving to the boys
since 1995, and, according to a spokesperson for the Romney campaign, all
of their contributions have been below gift-tax contribution limits. The
limit for a couple in 1995 was $20,000 and has since grown to $26,000.
In addition, there's a "lifetime gift-tax exclusion" for all the boys that
totaled $1.2 million back in 1995 and has since grown to $10 million. Add
it all up, and the Romneys could have gifted $1.3 million in 1995, and
a total of $10.6 million through 2011. All tax free. To get to $100 million,
the account would have needed a 26% average annual compound rate of return,
said Jonathan Bergman, chief investment officer at Palisades Hudson Asset
Management. Stocks over that same time have gained about 10%. CNN
Foreclosure
Deal Deadline Arrives
U.S. states that balked at liability releases in a proposed $25 billion
nationwide settlement over bank foreclosure practices must decide today
whether its mortgage relief and reforms are worth legal claims they’ll
lose. While some states have already announced their intention to sign
the deal, others including California Attorney General Kamala Harris have
yet to publicly commit in part due to terms that protect the banks from
future litigation. Without Harris, the deal’s value will drop by several
billion dollars, according to a person familiar with the matter. The agreement
is “beyond fixing,” said George Goehl, executive director of National People’s
Action, a network of community organizations which advocates for fair lending
and affordable housing. Bloomberg
Illinois’
Audio Recording Law Under Scrutiny
Illinois residents don't have the right to record audio of their conversations
with police, a law that some state legislators say needs to be changed,
especially with the likelihood of protests at this spring's NATO and G8
summits in Chicago. Illinois' strict eavesdropping law requires all parties
in a conversation to give consent in order for it to be audio-recorded.
Rep. Elaine Nekritz, D-Northbrook, is sponsoring a bill that would allow
for exceptions. She says she doesn't believe there is an expectation of
privacy for public officials on public property doing public duties. The
current law faces multiple challenges in state and federal court. Illlinois
Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed for the state Supreme Court to address
the law after a Crawford County judge declared it unconstitutional last
September. Las
Vegas Sun
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Chinese
Nod For Citi Cards May Signal Market Opening
China’s decision to allow Citigroup Inc. (C) to issue credit cards
in its own name may signal a step toward the government in Beijing opening
its banking industry. New York-based Citigroup is the second foreign bank,
and the first Western one, to be permitted to issue credit cards in China.
The announcement yesterday came as the World Trade Organization, acting
on a U.S. complaint, probes the legality China’s refusal to let foreign
companies issue their own bank cards denominated in its currency or to
permit companies such as Visa Inc. (V), American Express Co. (AXP), MasterCard
Inc. (MA), Discover Financial Services (DFS) and First Data Corp. (FDC)
to process card transactions in China. Bloomberg
Casinos
Generated $125B Spending In 2010
A new report shows U.S. casinos and the industries that depend on them
made a $125 billion economic splash in 2010 _ the equivalent of 1 percent
of the total U.S. gross domestic product. The study released Monday by
the American Gaming Association counts direct casino industry spending
and tallies the indirect spending that comes from industries supported
by casinos and activities spawned by casinos. "There is no doubt the commercial
casino industry is a significant and vital part of our nation's economy,"
association president and CEO Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., said in a statement.
"The industry generates and supports economic activity that stretches far
beyond the communities that host casinos." The report shows 566 casinos
in 22 states supported about $125 billion in spending and nearly 820,000
jobs in the U.S. in 2010. Las
Vegas Sun
Ga.
Court Overturns Assisted Suicide Restrictions
Georgia's highest court concluded Monday that a state law restricting
assisted suicides violated free speech rights, a ruling that destroyed
a long-running criminal case against members of a suicide group and could
reshape the state's end-of-life policy. The Georgia Supreme Court's unanimous
ruling struck down the 1994 law, which bans people from publicly advertising
suicide. It was adopted by lawmakers hoping to prevent right-to-die supporters
from offering their services in the state. The ruling means that four members
of the Final Exit Network who were charged in February 2009 with helping
a 58-year-old cancer patient die won't have to stand trial. The group,
which was once based in Georgia, was at the center of a lengthy investigation
by state authorities who infiltrated its operations. Newsday
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Green
Tea Could Be Secret To Healthy Old Age
Elderly adults who regularly drink green tea may stay more agile and
independent than their peers over time, according to a Japanese study that
covered thousands of people. Green tea contains antioxidant chemicals that
may help ward off the cell damage that can lead to disease. Researchers
have been studying green tea's effect on everything from cholesterol to
the risk of certain cancers, with mixed results so far. For the new study,
published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers decided
to examine the question of whether green tea drinkers have a lower risk
of frailty and disability as they grow older. Yasutake Tomata of the Tohoku
University Graduate School of Medicine and his colleagues followed nearly
14,000 adults aged 65 or older for three years. MSNBC
Obama
Frets Over Super PAC Spending
President Obama predicted an onslaught of negative campaigning by “super
PACs” during the general election, although he did not disavow his own
fundraising machine or the outside groups backing him for president. “One
of the worries we have, obviously, in the next campaign is that there are
so many of these so-called ‘super PACs,’ these independent expenditures
that are going to be out there. There’s going to be just a lot of money
floating around,” he said during an taped interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer
that aired Monday. “And I guarantee you a bunch of that’s going to be negative.”
Despite his concerns, Mr. Obama declined to say whether he would call on
the groups not to run negative campaigns on his behalf or try to convince
the Republican nominee to elevate the political discourse. Washington
Times
Romney
Continues Republican Line Of Attack On Obama Over "Religious Liberty"
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Monday stepped up
the Republican charge that President Obama is infringing upon "religious
liberty" by requiring faith-based organizations provide birth control coverage
for their employees. The Romney campaign on Monday was promoting a petition,
which says, "The Obama administration is at it again. They are now using
Obamacare to impose a secular vision on Americans who believe that they
should not have their religious freedom taken away... If you have had enough
of the Obama administration's attacks on religious liberty, stand with
Mitt and sign the petition." CBS
Ron
Paul: ‘Hard To Say’ When He Will Win A Caucus Or Primary
Coming off of a back-of-the-pack finish in the Nevada caucus Saturday
night, Ron Paul said Sunday morning that it is “hard to say exactly when”
he expects to score a victory in an upcoming caucus or primary. “Of course
you set [your target] for victory, but you have to live within the real
world,” Paul told me on “This Week”. “But we have three or four caucus
states that we believe our numbers are doing pretty good and we have to
wait and see and keep doing exactly what we’re doing.” Paul, who is the
only 2012 GOP presidential candidate who has not won a primary or caucus,
said despite his losing record, he has already achieved his goal igniting
a “big change in this country.” ABC
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US
Closes Embassy In Syria, Pulls Out Diplomats
The U.S. closed its Syrian embassy Monday and Britain recalled its
ambassador to Damascus in a dramatic escalation of Western pressure on
President Bashar Assad to give up power, just days after diplomatic efforts
at the United Nations to end the crisis collapsed. The U.S. evacuated all
its diplomats from the country as Syrian forces intensified a shelling
assault on the restive city of Homs. The offensive began Saturday, the
same day Syria's allies in Russia and China vetoed a Western- and Arab-backed
resolution aimed at trying to end the brutal crackdown on dissent. Fox
News
Obama
vs. Reagan: A Tale Of Two Recoveries
Faced with a strong jobs report Friday, Republicans tried out a new
rhetorical message: This isn't a disaster, but Ronald Reagan could have
done better. "It didn't have to be this way," said Rep. Cathy McMorris
Rodgers of Washington. "There is a different approach that we could've
taken. President Reagan took a very different approach." On the other side
of the aisle, Democrats have been careful not to compare the recovery to
anything like Reagan's fabled "Morning in America." Alan Krueger, chairman
of the White House's Council of Economic Advisers, said that while the
jobs report "provides further evidence that the economy is continuing to
heal," it is "important not to read too much into any one monthly report."
So the parties are in agreement: The recovery of today is not like the
recovery of 1983 and 1984. CNN
WH:
Women ‘Deserve’ To Have Catholic Church Buy Them Sterilizations, Contraceptives
And Abortifacients
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Monday that American women
“deserve” to have their employers buy them health insurance plans that
cover sterlizations and all FDA-approved contraceptives, including those
that cause abortions, with no fees or co-pay, even if the employer is a
Catholic or Catholic organization that adheres to the church teaching that
sterilization, artificial contraception and abortifacients are morally
wrong and that Catholics cannot be involved in them. CNS
News
U.S.
Court To Rule Tuesday On California Gay Marriage
A U.S. appeals court will rule on Tuesday on the constitutionality
of California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage, the court said.
The ruling on California's same-sex marriage ban, passed by voters in 2008,
could set national policy, if the Supreme Court takes the case. Both sides
have indicated they will appeal if they lose the case in the 9th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals. About 40 U.S. states have outlawed same-sex marriage,
but the issue has been decided on a state-by-state basis. Reuters
Romney
Keeps Focus On Obama While Surrogates Slam GOP Rivals
While one of his chief surrogates lobbed attack after attack on GOP
rival Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney himself stayed entirely focused on President
Obama today, providing a laundry list of reasons why he does not deserve
to be elected to a second term. “President Obama three years ago was on
the today show and he said if he couldn’t turn the economy around in 3
years, he’d be looking at a one term proposition,” Romney said at a rally.
“We are here to collect, and by the way, he was on the ‘Today’ show again
this morning on the anniversary of that statement and he said he deserves
a second term. “No, Mr. President you do not deserve a second term,” he
said, speaking in the ballroom of the Country Inns of America hotel.
ABC
Tax
Reform In This Election Year: It's Not Likely
Tax reform sounds like a good idea to lots of people, but where to
start? Eliminate the popular deduction for home mortgages? End the write-off
for charitable contributions? How about expanding the Social Security payroll
tax? Not likely. Politicians of all stripes in this presidential election
year are clamoring for simplifying the tax code and closing loopholes.
But that would... Newsday
New
Tension In Iran Standoff
World concern that Israel could soon launch a pre-emptive strike against
Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities is rising amid new bellicose statements
from Tehran. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said a "great
event" was coming that would demonstrate Iran's power, and that "the Zionists
and the Great Satan" would soon be defeated. Israel, he added, was a "cancer"
that "should be cut and will be cut." Israeli Vice Prime Minister and Minister
of Strategic Affairs Moshe Yaalon said Tehran is building a missile with
a distance of 6,000 miles "aimed at America," while Defense Minister Ehud
Barak warned that Iran is moving steadily to place its facilities in so-called
"immunity zones" -- areas such as underground bunkers and within mountains
where they cannot be hit by missiles and bombs. UPI
Recall:
Hard-Cooked Eggs Sold In 34 States
Michael Foods says it's recalling buckets of hard-cooked eggs in brine
sold for institutional use from its Wakefield, Neb., facility due to potential
Listeria. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported 150,000 pounds of eggs
were involved in the recall and KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, said that amounted
to 1 million eggs. Michael Foods, based in Minnetonka, Minn., said no illnesses
had been reported as a result of the potentially tainted eggs. UPI
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'Egyptian
NGO Crackdown Could Impact US Aid'
The White House said on Monday that an Egyptian crackdown on pro-democracy
non-governmental groups that has enmeshed a number of US citizens could
threaten the country's $1.3 billion in annual US military aid. Nineteen
Americans are among 40 foreign and Egyptian activists whose cases have
been referred to criminal court by the country's army-backed government.
A number of the US citizens involved have sought refuge in the American
embassy. The end of a beautiful friendship?"These actions could have consequences
for our relationship and for our assistance programs," White House press
secretary Jay Carney told reporters. The row has strained ties between
Cairo and Washington, which backed the overthrow last year of Egypt's longtime
ruler Hosni Mubarak, upon whom it relied for decades to uphold a peace
treaty with Israel vital to US strategy in the Middle East. Jerusalem
Post
Netanyahu:
Fatah-Hamas Deal Will End Diplomatic Process
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu blasted the emerging reconciliation
agreement between Hamas and Fatah on Monday, sending a clear message to
the international community that if the deal is consummated, the Israeli-Palestinian
diplomatic process is over. One reason for Netanyahu's extremely sharp
response to reports of a deal – he made it a point to make his remarks
both in Hebrew and in English – was to get the international community
to pressure Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas not to implement
it, one government official acknowledged. Anyone in the international community
concerned about the peace process should be intervening now with the Palestinians
to prevent the consummation of this marriage," the official said. Jerusalem
Post
ExoMars
Co-operation Between Nasa And Esa Near Collapse
The American space agency looks set to pull the plug on its joint missions
to Mars with the European Space Agency. Nasa has told Esa it is now highly
unlikely it will be able to contribute to the endeavours, which envision
an orbiting satellite and a big roving robot being sent to the Red Planet.
The US has yet to make a formal statement on the matter but budget woes
are thought to lie behind its decision. Europe is now banking on a Russian
partnership to keep the missions alive. A public announcement by Nasa of
its withdrawal from the ExoMars programme, as it is known in Europe, will
probably come once President Obama's 2013 Federal Budget Request is submitted.
BBC
US
And Israel Working Together On Iran, Says Obama
The US is working closely with Israel to prevent Iran from becoming
a nuclear power, President Barack Obama has said. He told NBC he believed
Israel had not yet decided how to deal with the issue, amid reports that
Israel may strike Iran as early as spring. Mr Obama said the aim was to
resolve the crisis diplomatically, but added that no option was off the
table. The US and Israel suspect that Iran is building a nuclear bomb.
Iran says its programmes are for peaceful purposes. Last November, the
UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said it had information suggesting Iran
had carried out tests "relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive
device". BBC
Disbelief
As Greek Politicians Delay Deal On €130Bn Rescue Package
Greece appeared intent on taking make-or-break talks over a €130bn
(£108bn) rescue programme for the debt-choked country down to the
wire tonight as officials announced that the discussions would be delayed.
Confounding market expectation and European hopes, the government said
agreement over the conditions attached to further aid could not be reached
as a meeting between political chiefs and the prime minister, Lucas Papademos,
had been deferred until today. "All parties have basically accepted the
deal," said a well-briefed source, referring to the three elements in Papademos's
national unity coalition. "But it is felt that the details have to be fine-tuned.
The leaders want to know what they are signing up to." Guardian
USAid
Now Free To Buy Goods From Companies In Poor Countries
The US agency for international development, USAid, will no longer
have to "buy American", thanks to a policy change that will open up the
agency's contracts to firms in developing countries and could herald a
significant shift in how the world's largest aid donor does business. The
US, which spent $30.4bn in official development assistance in 2010, is
known for its policy of "tied aid" – foreign aid that must be spent on
goods and services purchased from companies in donor countries. But last
month, USAid revised its procurement regulations. The new rules, which
come into effect on Monday, will allow the agency to purchase most goods
and services from developing countries, with notable exceptions including
US-funded food aid, motor vehicles and US-patented pharmaceuticals. Guardian
Roman
Catholic Leaders Criticise Barack Obama Over Healthcare
Roman Catholic leaders have furiously criticised President Barack Obama
for approving new regulations that compel religious organisations to include
morning-after pills and other contraceptives in employee health insurance
coverage. New rules, introduced under Mr Obama's overhaul of the US healthcare
system, mean that religious charities, universities and other groups must
now provide contraception in staff insurance packages. Failure to do so
would result in fines being levied by the federal government that larger
Catholic organisations claim would cost them millions of dollars a year.
Telegraph
Costa
Concordia: Capt Francesco Schettino 'Could Be Sentenced To Over 2,500 Years'
The captain of the capsized Costa Concordia could be sentenced to a
cumulative total of more than 2,500 years in prison if convicted of causing
a shipwreck, abandoning ship and multiple counts of manslaughter, it emerged
on Monday. The length of sentence was calculated by Italian newspapers,
which totted up the jail terms that Capt Francesco Schettino could face
if convicted on all the charges that are expected to be brought against
him. He could face an eight year jail sentence for every one of the 300
passengers and crew he allegedly left on the crippled vessel when it grounded
on the shores of Giglio island on the night of Jan 13. Telegraph
UN’s
Global Report On Youth Highlights Rising Concerns Over Lack Of Job Prospects
A lack of job opportunities, inadequate education, vulnerable working
conditions and insufficient government investment are some of the main
concerns of young people around the world, according to a United Nations
report on youth published today. The latest World Youth Report, released
by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), for the first
time included inputs from young people – with many participating in an
online discussion on youth employment. UN
News
Ban
‘Appalled’ By Escalating Violence Across Syria
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the escalating violence
in Syria today, calling on President Bashar al-Assad’s Government to immediately
cease all hostilities against the country’s civilian population. According
to media reports, Syrian troops have continued their assault on the city
of Homs, using heavy artillery and shelling against civilians as part of
their wider crackdown against a public pro-democracy movement that emerged
early last year. “Such violence is totally unacceptable before humanity,”
Mr. Ban said in a statement issued by his spokesperson, which noted that
the Secretary-General was particularly “appalled” by the mounting death
toll in the country. The UN recently reported that more than 5,000 people
have perished.No government can commit such acts against its people without
its legitimacy being eroded. UN
News
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