Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Daily News Clips for Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Daily News Clips for Tuesday, January 4, 2011


HEADLINES

The Washington Post

Members of public speak out against Metro bag inspections
Ann Scott Tyson
Members of the public spoke out against Metro's decision to start random bag inspections, with speaker after speaker condemning the initiative at a meeting held by the Metro Riders' Advisory Council on Monday evening.

Scalia: Constitution does not protect women against discrimination
Emi Kolawole
Justice Antonin Scalia has weighed in on the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, leaving women's rights activists seething.

D.C. Council chairman exerts control, sends leadership message to skeptics
Tim Craig
As a D.C. Council member for six years, Kwame R. Brown (D) had a fifth-floor suite at the John A. Wilson Building with six office slots for him and his staff.

What it took to get the defense spending bill passed
Walter Pincus
It's quite amazing what Congress can do when there is bipartisan agreement among the leadership and public attention is focused elsewhere.

John P. Wheeler III, early supporter of Vietnam Memorial found dead in Delaware landfill
Paul Duggan
A former Army officer and longtime government and business consultant who played a key role 30 years ago in erecting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was found dead in a Delaware landfill Friday in what police said was a homicide.

U.S.-funded infrastructure deteriorates once under Afghan control, report says
Josh Boak
Roads, canals and schools built in Afghanistan as part of a special U.S. military program are crumbling under Afghan stewardship, despite steps imposed over the past year to ensure that reconstruction money is not being wasted, according to government reports and interviews with military and civilian personnel.

Shattered glass offers clues that may improve weather and climate forecasts
Studying the way glass and other brittle objects shatter can help scientists hone their weather forecasts and climate predictions, according to a study released last week.

Book details prejudice in health care; article shows how to trim sugar intake
Augustus White, a professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School, says there's a quick way to get the very best medical care in case of a heart attack: Be a white, straight, middle-class male.

Meet D.C.'s Twitterati
We're starting the new year by taking a look at some of your favorite D.C. area Twitter users.

Apps and other electronic fitness aids
Vicky Hallett
Let me guess: You've resolved to get healthier in 2011. That goal is nothing new, but the technology you can use is.

The New York Times

Navy Captain to Lose Command Over Videos
Elisabeth Bumiller
A series of coarse and sexually explicit videos produced several years ago and shown to the crew of a Navy aircraft carrier by an officer who is now the ship’s captain will apparently cost the officer his command.

Strained States Turning to Laws to Curb Labor Unions
Steven Greenhouse
Faced with growing budget deficits and restive taxpayers, elected officials from Maine to Alabama, Ohio to Arizona, are pushing new legislation to limit the power of labor unions, particularly those representing government workers, in collective bargaining and politics.

Prominent Ally of Pakistan’s President Is AssassinatedS
alman Masood and Carlotta Gall
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The governor of Pakistan’s most important and populous province was assassinated by an elite police guard in Islamabad on Tuesday, plunging the already unstable national government into an even deeper crisis.

G.O.P. Sets Up Huge Target for Budget Ax
Jackie Calmes
The incoming Republican majority in the House is moving to make good on its promise to cut $100 billion from domestic spending this year, a goal eagerly backed by conservatives but one carrying substantial political and economic risks.

Obama May Bypass Guantánamo Rules, Aides Say
Charlie Savage
President Obama’s legal advisers, confronting the prospect of new restrictions on the transfer of Guantánamo detainees, are debating whether to recommend that he issue a signing statement asserting that his executive powers would allow him to bypass the restrictions, according to several officials.

Japan to Propose Closer Military Ties With S. Korea
Martin Fackler
TOKYO — Responding to recent provocations by North Korea, Japan’s defense minister will soon visit Seoul with several proposals aimed at strengthening military ties despite South Korea’s lingering bitterness over Japan’s colonial past, Japanese news media reported on Tuesday.

Democrats Plan Push to Curtail Use of Filibusters
Carl Hulse
A band of Senate Democrats signaled on Monday that it would press forward when Congress convenes this week with a proposal to curtail filibusters and other methods of slowing the chamber’s work, but a bit of procedural sleight-of-hand could delay any floor fight over the contentious rules changes until later in January.

Japan Is on High Alert as a Virus Infiltrates Bird-Heavy Regions
Donald G. McNeil Jr.
Japanese bird sanctuaries, poultry farms and zoos went on high alert last month after several species of migratory birds in different regions were found dead of what appeared to be H5N1 avian influenza.

CNN

Obama to sign food safety bill
Wire Staff
President Barack Obama is expected to sign into law the most-sweeping overhaul of America's food safety system since 1938 after he returns to Washington on Tuesday from a family vacation in Hawaii.

Boehner staff gets private swearing-in by Chief Justice Roberts      
Dierdre Walsh
John Boehner will be sworn in Wednesday as the new House Speaker, but his congressional aides were sworn in Tuesday morning by Chief Justice John Roberts in a private ceremony in the Capitol.

Obama to meet with Sarkozy
Wire Staff
U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the White House on January 10, according to a White House statement released Tuesday.

BREAKING: Biden chief of staff leaving White House
Alexander Mooney
Vice President Joe Biden's top aide is departing the White House to become president of Case Holdings, the holding company of AOL co-founder Steve Case.

Tea Party group hopes to hold new lawmakers' feet to the fire - in a "supportive" way
Shannon Travis
A prominent Tea Party group intends to send a message to those lawmakers it helped elect: we intend to hold your feet to the fire – in a "supportive way."

USA Today

Obama to increase engagement with Africa in 2011
HONOLULU (AP) — President Obama is quietly but strategically stepping up his outreach to Africa, using this year to increase his engagement with a continent that is personally meaningful to him and important to U.S. interests.

U.S. officials: White House picks special-ops chief
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top Pentagon job overseeing the secret special operations war on terrorist groups has been offered to former U.S. counterterrorism ambassador Michael Sheehan, according to two senior U.S. officials.

Blood test to spot cancer gets big boost from J&J
BOSTON (AP) — A blood test so sensitive that it can spot a single cancer cell lurking among a billion healthy ones is moving one step closer to being available at your doctor's office.

Sudan president: I'll support south if it secedes
JUBA, Sudan (AP) — Sudan's president says he is ready to welcome and assist Southern Sudan as a new country if it votes for independence in a referendum scheduled to begin Sunday.

In 24 states, be careful how you throw away your old computer
Dave Gram
MONTPELIER, Vt. — Get a new flat-screen TV for Christmas and wondering what to do with the old console? Finally replacing that turntable with an MP3 player?

Web and other options are shaking up how we watch TV
David Lieberman
If you gave or got a TV set, game console, Blu-ray player or DVR for the holidays, you might become the kind of person who scares executives who run movie and television production studios, broadcast and cable channels, and cable and satellite systems.

DNA clears Texas man who spent 30 years in prison
DALLAS (AP) — Prosecutors declared a Texas man innocent of a rape and robbery that put him in prison for 30 years, more than any other DNA exoneree in Texas.

Hearing begins for Michael Jackson's doctor
Linda Deutsch, AP Special Correspondent
LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors are set to unveil their case against the man hired to look after Michael Jackson's health during rehearsals for his comeback tour as a judge determines whether the doctor should stand trial in the superstar's death.

Oprah's OWN gets off to good ratings start
The Oprah Winfrey Network debuted on 1/1/11. Have you checked out any of the shows yet?

LA Times

7 insurers sue Toyota in attempt to recover money paid to cover sudden-acceleration crashes
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Seven insurance companies have sued Toyota Motor Corp. in an attempt to recover money paid to cover crashes they blame on sudden acceleration.

Doctors trying to avoid risky leg amputation for Zsa Zsa Gabor, publicist says
Doctors treating Hollywood legend Zsa Zsa Gabor gave the actress a massive dose of antibiotics Monday in an effort to avoid a risky amputation of her infected lower leg, her publicist said.

Politico

House to vote on health care law repeal next week
Carrie Budoff Brown
The House will vote next week to repeal the new health care law, making good on a top-tier GOP campaign promise and setting up a showdown with President Barack Obama over his signature domestic policy achievement.

Sarah Palin hints support for 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal
Andy Barr
Former Alaska GOP Gov. Sarah Palin – whose lips have been sealed about the recent repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” – is now hinting that she supports the move.

House freshman throws a party – and GOP cringes
Kenneth P. Vogel and Marin Cogan
With Republican leaders anxious to set an austere tone for their ascendance into the House majority this week, the lavish fundraiser scheduled for Tuesday night at a trendy Washington hotel to benefit a dozen GOP freshmen is not exactly the populist image leaders are anxious to project.

Let kids rock the vote
Michael Kinsley
Just when you think there is nothing new under the sun, and you’re going to have to write about Sarah Palin every week for the rest of your life, someone comes along with a truly fresh idea to write about. Not necessarily a good idea, but a fresh one for sure.

William Daley in running for top White House job
Glenn Thrush and Carol  E. Lee
Former Clinton Commerce Secretary William Daley – a scion of Chicago’s powerful political dynasty — is being considered for a top slot in the Obama administration, perhaps White House chief of staff, according to two people familiar with the situation.

The Huffington Post – Most Popular

The Islamic Notion of Beauty
William C. Chittick, Ph.D.
Anyone with the vaguest knowledge of Islamic culture knows that it has produced extraordinary works of art and architecture -- Persian miniatures, the Taj Mahal, the Alhambra.

Australia Floods Turn Deadly: 'A Disaster Of Biblical Proportions' (PHOTOS)
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — A woman drowned after trying to cross a flooded causeway in Australia, becoming the first victim of relentless flooding that one official has described as reaching "biblical proportions," police said Sunday.

11 Outrageous Pop Culture Predictions for 2011 That Sadly Might Happen
Jordan Zakarin
Irony is dead. The predictable is now mundane, and the unpredictable often reality. Look at 2010: who would have thought that a bunch of aimless dumb party animals would rise to the top of the pop culture zeitgeist, an 88-year old semi-forgotten comedian would hit an unprecedented cultural wave to come back; and Lindsey Lohan and Mel Gibson would finally break down into complete chaos?

Massive Caves In Vietnam, Some Large Enough To Fit Skycrapers, Explored By National Geographic (PHOTOS)
This month's National Geographic features an in depth look at a mammoth series of caves discovered in Vietnam. Inside one of the caves, there's enough room to park a 747.

The 50 Funniest People Of The Decade (PHOTOS)
Comedy changed for the better from 2001-2010, offering more outlets for funny people to be funny than ever before. In addition to TV and movies, comedians have taken to the Internet to show off their sketches, stand-up, music, and of course tweets to show us how funny they really are.

Reading In Public: Books We Spotted You Reading In The Final Days Of 2010 (PHOTOS)
It's the ingenious way to get real life book recommendations: spying on people reading in public. You can read reviews all you like, but you will never know from them what people are actually reading.

'Panda Cow' PICTURE: Rare Animal Born In Colorado
CAMPION, Colo. — A rare miniature cow with markings similar to a panda bear was born on a farm in northern Colorado.

TBD

Why Metro's new bag inspections are here to stay
Dave Jamieson
There was no shortage of passionate testimony at last night’s meeting of the Riders’ Advisory Council addressing Metro’s new bag screening policy.

Maryland health department expands Fort Detrick cancer cluster investigation (video)
Haley Harrison
The Maryland Department of Health is taking a closer look into a possible cluster of cancer cases around Fort Detrick in Frederick. Health officials say some types of cancer are appearing in people at an earlier age in that area compared to other parts of Maryland.

New forecasting model suggests D.C.'s winter will be abnormally cold
Rob Ryan
Right now, the prediction of a reasonably mild East Coast winter made by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last year is looking like a bust.

How films shot in D.C. fared in 2010Ryan Kearney
Some film bloggers seem to derive genuine satisfaction from explaining box office numbers, though I don't know of anyone, personally or professionally, who cares beyond which movies did well and which didn't.

Bellamy to serve as interim head of DDOT
Dave Jamieson
Terry Bellamy, currently DDOT's deputy director of operations, has been asked to helm the agency following former director Gabe Klein's exit last week.

Slate

Does International Aid Keep Haiti Poor?
Maura O’Connor
More than 150 countries and donor groups met in New York City on March 31, 2010, to figure out how to rebuild Haiti after the Jan. 12 earthquake. Eleven billion dollars was pledged for the task, including $1.15 billion from the United States.

Will The Gulf Ever Be Oil-Free?
Brian Palmer
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was, by far, the biggest environmental story of 2010. We're turning our minds and diaries toward 2011, but nature doesn't abide by the Gregorian calendar.

What's So Great About Israeli Security?
Brian Palmer
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano arrived in Tel Aviv on Monday to study the Israeli airport security system, widely considered the best in the world. Terrorists haven't penetrated Ben Gurion International Airport's security since 1972. What makes Israeli airport security so great?

In 2011, America should resolve to ignore politicians calling for austerity.
Joseph E. Stiglitz
Economically speaking, 2010 was a nightmare on both sides of the Atlantic. The crises in Ireland and Greece called into question the euro's viability and raised the prospect of a debt default. In Europe and the United States, unemployment remained stubbornly high, at around 10 percent.

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