Month: September 2010 Page 2 of 5

Here is your R&D for September 27th:

Wiretapped phones, now the Internet? from the New York Times (courtesy of the Minneapolis Star Tribune)
In a move that alarms privacy advocates, national security officials are pushing for the ability to wiretap criminal and terrorism suspects on the Internet.

Elections a Blow for Chávez? from the Council on Foreign Relations
Venezuela’s recent National Assembly elections have curtailed the power of Presidnet Hugo Chavez.  His political opposition won 61 seats, which takes away Chavez’s two-thirds majority in the legislature.

Drug shortage prompts U.S. executions “Russian roulette” from the Los Angeles Times
The shortage of sodium tripental, used in the legal injection process, has forced several states to delay scheduled executions.

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Here is your R&D for September 24th:

Congress Punts on Taxes from the Wall Street Journal
In the midst of a very politicized environment, Democrats have abandoned plans to extend the Bush tax cuts to the middle class until after the November elections.

Teresa Lewis executed in Virginia despite protests from the Guardian
Early this morning, Virginia executed Terea Lewis for the plotting the murders of her husband and stepson in 2002.  Lewis is the first woman to be executed by the state of Virginia since 1912.  The execution was controversial because of Lewis’s low IQ.

Israel ‘ready to compromise’ on settlements from the Agence France Presse
With Israel’s settlement freeze set to expire shortly, the Israeli government has signaled that it would be open to compromising with the Palestinians on settlement construction.  However, the Israeli government refuses to freeze all settlement construction in the West Bank.

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Here is your R&D for September 23rd:

Bill Clinton offers formula for Barack Obama success from Politico
Former President Bill Clinton has some advice for President Obama and Democrats heading into the 2010 midterms:  find a national message that independent voters will find more attractive than the Republican alternative.

House Republicans to Present Their Plan from the New York Times
Today, House Republicans will present their “Pledge to America”, which outlines their positions on spending, entitlements, government reform, health care, and national security.

Upping the Ante in China-Japan Clash from the Council on Foreign Relations
Japan’s arrest of the captain of a Chinese fishing boat has sparked a diplomatic crisis.  Sheila A. Smith, a Senior Fellow for Japan Studies, discusses why this issue is important for U.S. foreign policy.

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Here is your R&D for September 22nd:

Obama presidency ‘hobbled by discord’ according to book from the Guardian
Extempers might receive questions soon about Bob Woodward’s new book Obama’s Wars, which chronicles the way that President Obama has fought the war in Afghanistan.  This article summarizes the arguments made in the book and argues that it may hurt Democrats in the midterm elections.

Obama’s top economic adviser leaving from the Washington Post
Under fire because of the country’s economic problems, President Obama’s top economic advisor, Lawrence H. Summers, has announced that he will step down after the midterms and return to Harvard University.

Sudanese fear future as historic referendum looms from the Agence France Presse
By January 9th, Southern Sudan will vote on whether to become an independent nation.  The vote, taking place in sub-Sarahan Africa’s third largest oil producing nation, has citizens in the North and the South on edge and some experts fear a return to civil war.

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Here is your R&D for September 21st:

Obama Hints at High-Level Changes from the Wall Street Journal
With bad results forecast for the 2010 midterms, President Obama is looking to shake up his economic team.  Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers are rumored to be on the chopping block.

Netanyahu Seeks Military Force on Any Palestinian State’s Eastern Border from Bloomberg
In a move that could complicate the Middle East peace process, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a peace agreement with the Palestinians must allow for an Israeli military presence on the eastern side of an independent state.

Would ‘one term’ pledge get Jerry Brown past Meg Whitman in California? from the Christian Science Monitor
With the California governor’s race in a dead heat, political analysts are speculating whether Attorney General Jerry Brown would benefit by promising voters that he would only serve one term.

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