Western countries believe that Putin – who has whipped up the passions of Russians with a nationalist campaign in state-controlled media since annexing Crimea from Ukraine in March – could now send his forces into the east to head off a humiliating rebel defeat…
Do we prefer an earlier form of ‘leadership’?
The Wall Street Journal calls “Days of Fire; Bush and Cheney in the White House” by Peter Baker. “A journalistic miracle: [Baker] has written a thorough, engaging and fair history on the Bush- Cheney White House.”
Iraqi President appoints new prime minister
CNN: Iraq’s president appointed a new prime minister on Monday, further complicating the country’s intense power struggle amid a dire humanitarian crisis and a militant threat strong enough to draw U.S. air power back to the fray. President Fuad Masum appointed Haider al-Abadi as the country’s prime minister, replacing a defiant Nuri al-Maliki with a […]
Corbett lived by political sword, now may …
WE.CONNECT.DOTS: Is there a major patronage scandal erupting in Gov. Tom Corbett’s administration on the eve of the November election?
Hillary: Obama’s ‘Failure’ to Help Syrians Topple Assad Tragic Mistake
NEWSMAX: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has put the largest amount of space yet between herself and a rapidly more-unpopular President Barack Obama, calling his refusal to “build up a credible fighting force” in Syria to battle the Assad regime a “failure” that led to jihadists such as the Islamic State (ISIS) moving in. […]
DEP gets 2nd dour report on gas well oversight
■ has failed to consider the cumulative health impacts from shale gas development;
■ keeps incomplete permitting and enforcement records that make it impossible for residents to assess their exposure to air and water emissions;
■ has increased inspections, but they still don’t meet even the voluntary goals the department set;
■ poorly tracks, records and responds to citizen complaints;
■ puts a higher premium on speedy permitting than enforcement.
Capitalizing on U.S. Bombing, Kurds Retake Iraqi Towns
One senior Iraqi official said that overnight Mr. Maliki had also positioned more tanks and extra units of special forces soldiers loyal to him in the fortified Green Zone of government buildings in Baghdad. The official said Mr. Maliki had “gone out of his mind, and lives on a different planet — he doesn’t appreciate the mess he has created.”
Palestinians accept new72-hour cease-fire offcer
DAILY BEAST / AP: Palestinian negotiators on Sunday said they had accepted an Egyptian proposal for a new 72-hour truce with Israel, clearing the way for a possible resumption of talks on a long-term cease-fire arrangement in the Gaza Strip. Israel had walked away from cease-fire talks over the weekend, after militants resumed their rocket […]
Democrats have no hope of taking over the House
USA TODAY: Democrats say they expect to make gains in the House, but Republicans have a host of built-in advantages this year, including: • Recently redrawn districts have resulted in fewer competitive seats. • Historical midterm-election-year trends indicate a limited Democratic turnout. • President Obama’s waning popularity is part of a political climate suggesting that […]
For Mergers, a Shadow of Antitrust Challenges
NEW YORK TIMES: …“If you look at the five-and-a-half years of the Obama administration, from Day 1, the message has been that if there’s a problematic transaction, we’ll be prepared to go to court to challenge it,” Mr. Baer, the assistant attorney general for the antitrust division, told me this week. “Having shown the willingness […]
U.S. Productivity Rose 2.5 Percent in the 2nd Quarter
NEW YORK TIMES: Productivity at nonfarm businesses rebounded strongly in the second quarter, giving the Federal Reserve room to keep interest rates low for a while. The Labor Department said on Friday that productivity increased at a 2.5 percent annual rate after contracting at a revised 4.5 percent pace in the first quarter. The first […]
McDonald’s global sales hit by food supply scandal
FORTUNE: July wasn’t exactly magical for McDonald’s, as the fast-food chain saw global sales plunge, pulled down by weakness in the U.S. and the effects of a food safety scandal in China. The world’s biggest hamburger chain said global comparable sales, a key measure, decreased 2.5% in July. This is more than double the 1.1% […]
Almost 20 percent of people near retirement age have no retirement savings
WASHINGTON POST: …The sobering statistic was one of many released by the Federal Reserve on Thursday as part of its report on the economic well-being of U.S. households, which surveyed more than 4,100 people online last year between mid-September and early October… …The lack of preparedness is not signaled by a lack of planning alone. […]
Obama: We won’t be dragged into another war
USA TODAY: …”As Commander-in-Chief, I will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq,” [President Barack] Obama said during his weekly radio address. The president said that “combat troops will not be returning to fight in Iraq, because there’s no American military solution to the larger crisis there.” The […]