Tag: extemp files Page 15 of 23

Here is your R&D for October 6th:

Taliban in talks with Karzai government from the Washington Post
Reports indicate that Afghan President Hamid Karzai is meeting with Taliban representatives to negotiate an end to the war in the country.  These talks build on failed ones held by Saudi Arabia last year.

Could California’s Prop. 19 Lead to Pot Legalization Across the U.S.? from Time
This November, California will vote on Proposition 19, which would make the recreational use of marijuana legal and allow California cities to tax it.  Since the measure has a decent chance of passing it could lead to the legalization of marijuana across the U.S.

Faisal Shahzad, French terror arrests, and drone strikes: evidence of a working strategy? from the Christian Science Monitor
There have been many recent successes by intelligence services in thwarting terror plots.  Is this a sign that policing and inteligence-sharing have greatly improved since 9/11?

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Here is your R&D for October 5th:

Cuba’s Pre-Existing Condition from Foreign Policy (Online)
In this piece, Foreign Policy argues that the Castro brothers cannot effectively reform the Cuban economy and that those who believe that Cuba is moving to a free market system are misguided.  An excellent article on the Cuban economy.

The Democrats should run on Social Security from the Washington Post
Faced with a hostile political environment and voter anger at some of the measures passed over the last two years, do the Democrats have a chance at winning the midterms if they run on Social Security?  This op-ed piece from the Washington Post says they do.

Experts say Rahm Emanuel not a legal resident of city from the Chicago Sun-Times
Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is launching his bid to become the next mayor of Chicago.  However, he may not satisfy a residency requirement to run for the office.

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Here is your R&D for October 4th:

Brazil election goes to runoff after Rousseff falls short from the Los Angeles Times
Brazil’s frontrunner, Dilma Rousseff, failed to win 50% of the vote in Sunday’s general election and will have a runoff with Jose Serra in four weeks to determine who will be the country’s next president.

Could Kirsten Gillibrand Lose in New York? from RealClearPolitics
New York’s Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who replaced Hillary Clinton when she left for the State Deparment, was expected to easily win re-election several months ago.  However, recent polls show that the race is tightening.  Could she lose?

Recusals could force newest justice to miss many cases from the Washington Post
Elena Kagan, the Supreme Court’s newest justice, has recused herself from a myriad of cases confronting the Court in its newest term.  Find out what cases she is not going to hear and how that may impact the Court’s decisions.

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Here is your R&D for October 1st:

Rahm Emanuel leaving, Pete Rouse in on Friday from Politico
President Obama is expected to announce today that Rahm Emanuel will leave the White House to run for mayor of Chicago and that senior adviser Pete Rouse will become his new chief of staff.  Rouse was Obama’s chief of staff when he was in the Senate.

Ecuadorean soldiers rescue besieged president from the Guardian
Ecuadorean soldiers stormed a hospital today and rescued President Rafael Correa after police mutinied over austerity measures and prevented him from returning to the presidential palace.

The red ink war from the Economist
Spending and taxes will play a large role in the 2010 midterms.  This article from the Economist breaks down the debate over both issues and how it may impact America’s economy.

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Here is your R&D for September 30th:

Pakistan Halts NATO Supplies to Afghanistan After Attack from the New York Times
After a NATO cross-border attack on a Pakistani security post, Pakistan has closed the most important border crossing that supplies NATO troops in Afghanistan.  The move signals a worsening military relationship between Pakistan and the UNited States.

McDonald’s May Drop Health Plan from the Wall Street Journal
As a consequence of President Obama’s healthcare reform bill, McDonald’s Corporation announced yesterday that it may drop its health insurance plan unless federal regulators allow it to waive requirements of the new law.  The move could impact 30,000 workers nationwide.

EU to Launch Legal Action Against France from Der Spiegel
The European Commission has launched legal action against France over its expulsion of Roma migrants.  The EU alleges that France is violating EU rules on freedom of movement.

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Here is your R&D for September 29th:

Friend says sacked Moscow mayor to file lawsuit from Reuters
Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov was sacked from his position by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.  Russian experts see this as part of a political game behind the scenes between Medvedev and former President Vladimir Putin to see who will be the leading candidate for the 2012 presidential elections.

Colombia: The Significance of the Killing of FARC Leader “Mono Jojoy” from the Colombia Journal (Courtesy of Upside Down World)
Left-leaning think tank Upside Down World presents a different perspective on Jorge Briceno, a FARC commander who was killed by Colombian forces on September 23rd.

Anti-outsourcing bill fails in Senate from the Washington Post
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate took up a new jobs bill that sought to punish companies that outsourced jobs overseas.  The bill was blocked when Republicans and four Democrats voted to block the bill from coming to the floor.

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Here is your R&D for September 28th:

Five most competitive Senate races from Politico
Need some help identifying major Senate races this election cycle?  This Politico article can help you out.

Austerity whips up anger, protests mount in Europe from the Agence France Presse
Spending cuts by EU nations are causing trade unions across Europe to revolt.  Over 100,000 people from 30 countries are set to converge on Brussels in a sign of protest against EU austerity measures.

He’s been compared to Kinnock, to Duncan Smith. But what about Thatcher? from the UK Independent
Ed Miliband, the new leader of Britain’s Labour Party, has said that he wants Britain be a fairer country.  Can he succeed and does his vision make him too radical to make it to Downing Street?

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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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Here is your R&D for September 20th:

Swedish Greens say won’t support centre-right govt from the Associated Press
Sweden’s Green Party has announced that it will not support the centre-right Alliance government, a move that complicates the political climate because the Alliance does not want to govern with the Sweden Democrats, a small nationalist party that will enter Parliament for the first time.

Obama Aides Weigh Bid to Tie the G.O.P. to the Tea Party from the New York Times
Seeking to energize the Democratic base for the midterm elections, the White House is considering launching ads that tie the GOP to the Tea Party movement.

Red shirts’ redux from the Economist
Just when you thought things were stabalizing in Thailand, you are quickly proven incorrect as supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra gathered Sunday to mark the anniversary of the 2006 coup that toppled him from power.

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Here is your R&D for September 17th:

Rising Midterm Economic Pressures from the Council on Foreign Relations
This analysis brief, which links to other valuable news articles, describes how the Obama administration is struggling to show the American people that its economic policies are working.

Should the media be punished over Philippines bus siege? from CNN
As Filipino officials are leaving no stone unturned in an effort to punish those responsible for the bungled rescue of Hong Kong tourists taken hostage last month.  Some officials are pointing their fingers at the nation’s media.  This article analyzes the political fallout of such a move and if it is a threat to free press in the Philippines.

Senate passes small-business jobs bill, opening tax cut battle from the Christian Science Monitor
Find out what is in the Senate’s small-business jobs bill and what it means for the upcoming debate over the Bush tax cuts.

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Here is your R&D for September 16th:

Foreclosure rates hold steady from CNN
Although the number of properties entering the foreclosure process dropped 30% last month, lenders repossessed a record 95,000 homes.  Find out what this says about the health of the housing market.

New START nuclear treaty faces key US Senate test from the Agence France Presse
Today, the START treaty with Russia faces a test vote in the U.S. Senate.  The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will take up the treaty and send it to the floor for approval.  67 votes are needed for ratification, but only two Republicans are on board to vote for it because of concerns that it will hamper plans for a missile defense system.

Obama reportedly to name Warren special adviser from the Boston Globe
President Obama reportedly plans to appoint Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren to a Treasury Department post that lets her create the consumer protection bureau, which is part of the financial overhaul Congress passed earlier in the year.  Republicans have threatened to filibuster Warren’s formal nomination to the bureau, making the appointment necessary.

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