Here is your R&D for November 12th:
Four Lessons from Iraq’s New Government from Time
After eight months of negotiations, Iraq finally has a new government. Nouri al-Maliki was tapped for a second term as the nation’s prime minister. In this article, Time lays out four lessons that the world can learn from this parliamentary horse trading and discusses what the new government means for Iraq’s future.
Release of Myanmar Opposition Leader Anticipated from the New York Times
Now that Myanmar’s junta has won national elections, it is going to release democratic activist Aung San Suu-Kyi. Kyi has spent 15 of the last 21 years under house arrest.
The Blue State Budget Crisis from the Washington Post (courtesy of RealClearPolitics)
Extempers are likely to get questions about state budgets for the rest of the season. This article describes some of the budget problems that face Democratically-held states like California and New York.
President Obama on tax cuts: I’m not caving in to GOP pressure to extend cuts for wealthy from the New York Daily News
After some confusion, President Obama has said that he will not give in to the GOP’s move to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. This sets up a showdown for the lame duck session of Congress.
Unions urge pilots to avoid body scanners at airports from the Los Angeles Times
Full-body scanners are back in the news as unions for pilots that work for American Airlines and US Airways have urged their members to avoid full-body scanners because of radiation risks.
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