FOX NEWS MEXICO: … [Mexican President Enrique ] Peña Nieto committed himself to doing everything necessary to free the country “from criminality, (and) combat corruption and impunity,” calling on Mexicans not to become pessimistic and not to resort to violence or vandalism to demand justice. Peña Nieto also announced that on Monday he will present […]
Month: November 2014
Conflicting Policies on Syria and Islamic State Erode U.S. Standing in Mideast
NEW YORK TIMES: …Inside and outside Syria, a growing refrain from Mr. Assad’s supporters and opponents alike is that American policy makes little sense — that by trying to avoid taking sides, the United States is neither having its cake nor eating it. Supporters of Mr. Assad say that the United States should ally with […]
Oil plunges as Opec tests the mettle of US shale industry
The cartel said it was leaving its output ceiling of 30m barrels a day unchanged, in a significant departure from its traditional policy of cutting production to prop up falling oil prices. Any further fall in the price of crude, which has dropped by nearly 40 per cent since mid-June, will mean more pain for […]
Who Will Save the Democratic Party From Itself?
NEW YORK TIMES COLUMN: Not everyone agrees that Hillary Clinton’s selection as the Democratic nominee is unstoppable. The first to challenge her is Jim Webb, a one-term former senator from Virginia… The Democrats, Kotkin believes, need “someone — Sherrod Brown, Webb, Jon Tester, somebody! — who speaks to the issues of upward mobility and incomes.” […]
In France, New Review of 35-Hour Workweek
NEW YORK TIMES: …More than a decade after it was introduced, the 35-hour workweek still projects an image of France as being one of the most laid-back places in the world to work. In most of the rest of the eurozone, the 40-hour workweek is standard. But in reality, France’s 35-hour week has become largely […]
Ex-Spanish Pres. Aznar: US Striking ‘A Very Bad Deal’ With Iran
NEWSMAX: Western leaders routinely declare that no nuclear agreement with Iran would be better than a bad one. For the most part, it is empty rhetoric, according to former Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar, who says the United States and five other international powers are caving in to the Iranians on virtually every key issue. […]
What Happened in Ferguson?
12:01 p.m. Officer Darren Wilson arrives, alone in his police vehicle. Speaking through his window, he tells the two men to move to the sidewalk. He sees that Mr. Brown fits the description of a suspect in a convenience store theft…
LETTER: Walmart workers announce a massive one-day strike
For years, Walmart has paid wages so low that employees are forced to survive on food stamps.1 The company has also been incredibly anti-union.2 Many of the workers who participate in the walkout will lose wages. Some may get fired.
Third parties, independents see vote totals erode
USA TODAY: By most accounts, Americans are tired of the Democratic and Republican parties, and yet: At the ballot box on Nov. 4, Americans cast fewer votes for independent or third-party candidates for senator and governor than in any other midterm election since 1998. In senatorial and gubernatorial races this year, just over 4% of […]
With trial looming, parties in Penn State sanctions case will try again for a ‘diplomatic resolution’
“We have an obligation to see if we can resolve this matter in a way that is other than spending the Commonwealth’s money at a trial, especially if an early resolution results in a favorable outcome,” said Corman’s attorney, Matthew Haverstick…
The Craving For Democracy
The trend toward lower voter turnout is a general one, present in many contemporary democracies. There are many explanations for this phenomenon, but an important factor is people’s disaffection toward the current political system.
San Francisco passes first-in-nation limits on worker schedules
POLITICO: San Francisco is now the country’s first jurisdiction to limit how chain stores can alter their employees’ schedules. Other states and cities are considering similar statutory restraints. Work scheduling rules are therefore poised to follow localized minimum wage increases and paid leave mandates as the newest instance of state and local government stepping in […]
Michèle Flournoy Takes Herself Out of Running for Top Pentagon Job
FOREIGN POLICY: Michèle Flournoy, widely seen as the front-runner to replace Chuck Hagel as the next secretary of defense, abruptly took herself out of the running for the job Tuesday, complicating what will be one of the most important personnel decisions of President Barack Obama’s second term. Flournoy, the co-founder and CEO of the Center […]
70 percent of Americans with HIV don’t have virus under control
SUN HERALD / MCCLATCHY: Amid ongoing fears of an Ebola outbreak in the United States, Americans got a grim reminder on Tuesday about the ongoing public health threat posed by another deadly virus: HIV. Seventy percent of Americans who have HIV do not have the disease in check, and many of them are no longer […]