Tag: extemp files Page 16 of 23

Here is your R&D for September 15th:

O’Donnell Wins, Bad Blood Simmers in DE GOP from Real Clear Politics
Tea Party candidate Christine O’Donnell scored an upset in Delaware’s Republican Senate primary last night, defeating Congressman Mike Castle, who was likely to win the seat in a general election.  After O’Donnell’s victory, Castle supporters are not happy and it will make O’Donnell’s chances of pulling an upset in the general election virtually impossible.

Iran’s slide to the bottom from the Asia Times
This is the first article of a two-part report from the Asia Times on the state of the Iranian economy.  Years of international sanctions and poor management have taken their toll.  Since extempers will run into questions on Iran’s nuclear program and political environment, keeping the nation’s economy in mind is never a bad idea.

How Adrian Fenty lost his reelection bid for D.C. mayor from the Washington Post
Last night, incumbent Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty lost in the District’s Democratic primary.  Fenty was a champion of education reform, but that wasn’t the only cause of his defeat according to this piece.

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Here is your R&D for September 14th:

Cuba to cut 500,000 from state payroll from the Financial Times of London
In a sign that the Cuban economy is changing, the country’s trade union federation announced Monday that more than a million state employees are going to lose their jobs.  It constitutes the biggest shift to private enterprise since 1968.

Is Delaware the key to the Senate majority? (And four other storylines to watch in the Sept. 14 primaries) from the Washington Post
Today is primary day in seven states (Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin).  The race that has the most attention is the Republican Senate primary where Representative Mike Castle, who has led most of the way, is now in a dead heat with tea party candidate Christine O’Donnell.  An O’Donnell victory would give the Democrats new life in a race that they might lose if Castle is the nominee in November.

Bush tax cuts 101: What changes could be in store for taxpayers? from the Christian Science Monitor
Don’t quite understand the debate about the Bush tax cuts?  This article from the Christian Science Monitor clarifies a lot of issues.

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Here is your R&D for September 13th:

China, Japan, America from the New York Times
America’s trade relationship with China has been a contentious political issue for quite some time. In this New York Times op-ed piece, Paul Krugman writes that it is finally time for America to get tough on China’s trade practices.

Republican leader hints at tax concession from the Financial Times of London
Noticing the detrimental impact to the economy if the impasse over the Bush tax cuts is not resolved, House Minority Leader John Boehner says that he is open to extending only the middle class portion of the tax cuts if that is all that President Obama offers.

South Korea Offers Aid to North from the Wall Street Journal
Despite issuing a final report that blames North Korea for sinking a South Korean warship in March, South Korea has offered $10 million in assistance to North Korea to deal with recent flooding. Find a quick overview of the report here.

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Here is your R&D for September 10th:

Roma expulsions must stop now, MEPs tell France from the UK Telegraph
The European Parliament has requested that France stop its forced deportations of Roma back to their home nations.  Although parliament can’t force France to stop the deportations, it may be a precursor to stronger action that can be taken by the European Commission.

Amnesty International Criticizes Extension of U.S. Sanctions on Cuba from the Latin American Herald Tribune
Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has critized the Obama administration’s decision to extend U.S. economic sacntions against Cuba for another year.

Serbia backs compromise U.N. resolution on Kosovo from Reuters
The status of Kosovo remains a controversial issue in the international community.  Find out where things stand on Kosovo and how the European Union is impacting Serbian-Kosovo ties in this article.

Rahm Emanuel begins to test the waters from Politico
Will White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel be the next mayor of Chicago?  He’s reportedly testing the waters for a run after Mayor Richard Daley announced earlier in the week that he would not seek another term.

US pastor cancels burning of Koran after mosque ‘deal’ from the Irish Times
Pastor Terry Jones has called off his plan to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of September 11th after reportedly working out a compromise with Imam Muhammad Musri that will lead to the relocation of the planned mosque site two blocks from Ground Zero.  However, other sources say that there are no plans to relocate the mosque.

Here is your R&D for September 9th:

Imam Says Moving Center Could Embolden Radicals from the New York Times
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who is behind plans to build the controversial mosque two blocks from Ground Zero, says that if the mosque is not built it will create a security problem for America.

Fidel Castro says Cuban model doesn’t work from the Associated Press
In a startling revelation, former Cuban President Fidel Castro told a visiting American journalist that Cuba’s communist model is a failure.  Find out facts about the Cuban economy in this article.

Americans Support Federal Involvement in Education from Gallup
By an eight point margin, Americans support more federal involvement in education.  The poll shows that parents of children in school are more supportive of more active government role.

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Here is your R&D for September 8th:

BP Report Says Many Factors Caused Macondo Oil Spill from Business Week
BP has released a recent report on what caused the Deepwater Horizon rig disaster.  The report blames BP engineers as well as rig owner Transocean Ltd. and Halliburton.

Sarkozy Stands Firm on Retirement Age from the Wall Street Journal
As protests increase in France against President Nicolas Sarozy’s pension reform plans, Sarkozy is standing his ground, unlike past French presidents.  Check out Extemp Central on Friday for a topic brief on this issue.

‘Europe Needs a Directly Elected Leader with Charisma’ from Der Spiegel
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso’s “state of the union” speech yesterday pitched a transaction tax to finance EU operations, but his bland speaking style probably won’t win over new converts.  Find reviews of Barroso’s speech in this article.

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Here is your R&D for September 7th:

Petraeus Condemns U.S. Church’s Plan to Burn Qurans from the Wall Street Journal
Plans by a Florida church to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of September 11th has outraged Muslims in Afghanistan.  David Patreus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan warns that this could hamper U.S. efforts in the region.

Julia Gillard to lead Australian minority government from the Guardian
It’s official:  Australia will have its first minority government in almost 70 years after Prime Minister Julia Gillard won the support of two independent MP’s.  This makes her the country’s first elected female prime minister.

CNN Poll: GOP can handle budget slightly better than Democrats from CNN
A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey shows that 46% of Americans believe the Republicans would do a better job with the economy versus 43% who support the Democrats.  The poll doesn’t give a lot of hope to Democrats, who only lead the GOP on Social Security and healthcare.

Should the Bush tax cuts be extended? from the Economist
How do economists feel about extending the Bush tax cuts?  Get various opinions in this roundtable discussion courtesy of the Economist.

Brazil extends sovereignty over undersea continental shelf from MercoPress
In this really short news piece, read about Brazil’s new naval order that expands the offshore area where drilling for oil and conducting mineral prospecting requires government approval.

Here is your R&D for September 6th:

Iran accused by UN watchdog of hampering nuclear inspections from the Guardian
The Iranian nuclear saga continues as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports that Iran is not cooperating with inspectors.  Reports that Iran is breaking the seals on some of its low enriched unranium worries experts, who think that it is diverting the uranium for military purposes.

Lambasting the GOP, Obama proposes $50 billion for road, rails and runways from the Miami Herald
In Milwaukee, President Obama unveiled his latest proposal to get the economy moving:  $50 billion in new federal spending for infrastructure projects.

Why School Reform Fails from Newsweek (courtesy of Real Clear Politics)
Since the 1960s, the federal government has poured billions of dollars into the education system but why are results not growing with the pace of spending?  This article examines some reasons why.

Unions gear up to push agenda at the polls from the Detroit News
Unions are increasing spending for the upcoming midterm elections, which they see as pivotal to their influence in Washington.  Unions fear that a Republican takeover of Congress would hamper their legislative priorities.

Push for common approach on bank tax in EU from the Financial Times of London
Efforts to have a common bank tax in the EU are continuing, but Germany continues to resist.  This article provides a quick overview of the EU’s latest economic manuevers.

Here is your R&D for September 3rd:

How Barack Obama Became Mr. Unpopular from Time Magazine
Barack Obama entered the White House with record approval ratings.  However, the last year has taken a toll on his popularity.  Find out why in this article.

Obama planning new package of economic aid from the Associated Press
Under fire for the state of the economy, President Obama is planning to unveil a series of proposals to boost job growth and keep the economy going.

Wilders pulls out as Dutch talks fail from the Financial Times of London
Controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders have pulled his support from a right-wing majority government.  Find out more about Wilders and why negotiations failed in this article.

120 Days to Go Until the Largest Tax Hikes in History from Americans for Tax Reform
There has been a lot of talk about tax increases that will hit Americans on January 1st of next year.  This provides an efficient listing of those tax increases.

UN calls meeting on food price concerns from the BBC
After Russia extended its ban on grain exports, the United Nations has called for a meeting on global food prices.  The fear is that wheat prices will continue to surge and hurt developing nations.  Excellent article on the global food market.

Here is your R&D for September 2nd:

Republicans Remain Disproportionately White and Religious from Gallup
Although the GOP leadership has tried to enhance the ethnic diversity of the party over the last several years, Gallup’s latest breakdown of the Democratic and Republican parties illustrates that the GOP remains heavily white and that its members attend church in greater numbers than Democrats.

World Bank raises Pakistan funding from Al Jazeera
In light of recent flooding, the World Bank pledged an additional $100 million for Pakistani flood relief.  This comes without interest as Pakistan also discusses its $11 billion in outstanding loans with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

CBO analysis confuses ‘assumption’ with ‘conclusion’ from the Christian Science Monitor
The Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of whether President Obama’s stimulus package helped the economy is coming under fire because it assumed that the stimulus did work rather than presenting evidence that it actually did work.  A short and interesting article for speeches about the effects of last year’s stimulus package.

Schools lengthen student supply lists to help meet higher costs from the Seattle Times
As states cut back on their educational budgets, parents are being left with the bill for classroom supplies that range from tissues to flash drives.  A good article for a domestic social question on US education.

Striking unions reject S Africa pay offer from the Financial Times of London
Tension between Jacob Zuma’s government and public sector workers remains high after unions rejected the government’s offer of a 7.5% wage increase and 800 rand housing allowance.  The unions want a 8.6% increase with a 1,000 rand housing allowance.

Here is your R&D for September 1st:

You Ain’t Seen This Before from the New York Times
Renowned New York Times columnist and author Thomas L. Friedman discusses the upcoming Middle East peace talks and the divide between moderate and radical forces in the Middle East.

Murkowski Concedes GOP Senate Race to Miller from the Anchorage Daily News
In one of the major shockers of the 2010 election cycle, Alaska’s incumbent Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski has been knocked off by tea party candidate Joe Miller in the party’s primary.  The race attracted national attention because of abortion being a major campaign issue and former Governor Sarah Palin’s decision to endorse Miller.

Germany Needs More Foreigners from Der Spiegel
Although Germans are turning against high levels of immigration, the nation needs it because of a shrinking and aging population.  In this commentary, Reiner Klingholz of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development, discusses the benefits to the German economy from higher levels of immigration and how Germans don’t need to fear the erosion of their culture.

Doubts grow over N.Korea Kim succession from the Agence France Presse
North Korean experts speculate that North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong Il may pass power to his song Kong Jong-Un by october 10th, at the North Korean Communist Party’s 65th anniversary.  However, the nation’s economic problems and some skepticism about Jong-Un’s experience might wreck Jong Il’s hopes of having a second dynastic succession.

Announced U.S. Job Cuts Fell 55% From Year Ago, Challenger Says from Business Week
The U.S. labor market is gradually improving, with planned firings dropping 55 percent from last year.  However, is it improving fast enough to get the economy going?

Here is your R&D for August 31st:

Australia PM Rejects Fresh Election Call from the Wall Street Journal
Despite Australia’s crazy election result, Prime Minister Julia Gillard refuses to call for a new election.  The alternative, a gridlocked parliament, could leave major national policy issues from taxes to a national Internet overhaul in limbo.

Obama speech on Iraq has risks from the Washington Post
Tonight, President Obama will address the nation about the end of America’s combat mission in Iraq.  However, the security situation there might make this speech a political liability in the coming months.

Review Finds Flaws in U.N. Climate Panel Structure from the New York Times
Critics of climate change have used problems with the UN’s climate panel as evidence for their argument that the impacts of climate change are overstated.  An independent review has recommended that the UN change the way it handles its climate change assessments.

UN says Lebanon caused deadly border clash from Reuters
The UN has weighed in on a deadly border clash between Israeli and Lebanese troops on August 3rd.  The UN has concluded that Lebanon’s army caused the clash, which violates the terms of the peace agreement that ended the 2006 war between both nations.

The Folly of Holding Afghan Elections from the Council on Foreign Relations
Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections are scheduled for next month, but will they be legitimate and should they be held in the first place?  These are the questions that South Asia Senior Analyst Candace Rondeaux answers in this interview.

Here is your R&D for August 30th:

Record number in government anti-poverty programs from USA Today
Usually, I’m not a big fan of USA Today, but I couldn’t help but notice this article concerning the impact of the recession on working Americans.  This is a good article when trying to understand the personal impacts of an economic downturn.

In Israel, Settling for Less from the New York Times
One of the issues extempers ignore when discussing the Middle East peace process is what the state of Israel would look like with or without a peace settlement.  This New York Times op-ed piece, Gadi Taub, an assistant professor of communications and public policy at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, speaks of the need for a peace settlement so that Israel does not have to make tough decisions about its growing Arab population.

Teachers blast L.A. Times for releasing teacher effectiveness rankings from the Los Angeles Times
In the latest fight over education reform and accountability, national teacher unions have blasted the Los Angeles Times for publishing reports on the effectiveness of elementary school teachers in the city.  Unions say the measurements are flawed while reform advocates say that transparency will lead to a better education system.

CIA paying numerous Afghan officials, report says from the Christian Science Monitor
Recent reports indicate that members of the Afghan government are on the CIA’s payroll, worrying some experts who believe that the payments are only undermining America’s efforts to crack down on corruption.  Experts also worry that it means more CIA control over the Afghan war.

Has Zuma played his last cards? from the BBC
South African President Jacob Zuma is locked in a vicious battle with public sector workers, which could undermine his re-election hopes.  Find out why continuing public sector strikes are causing South African political writers to write Zuma’s political obituary.

Here is your R&D for August 27th:

Wyclef Jean’s disqualification leaves Haiti in political uncertainty from the Los Angeles Times
After being deemed ineligible by the Haitian electoral council, hip hop star Wyclef Jean’s presidential bid appeared lost.  However, he has alleged that the council is not impartial and it has thrown Haiti into an uproar.

Democrats privately fear House prospects worsening from Politico
Are Democrats conceding the House of Representatives?  Some close races in conservative districts show that Democrats are moving away from their party’s leadership.  However, Democrats remain better financed than their GOP counterparts and that may make a difference this fall.

In South Africa, ANC Youth League bouncers send local journalists scurrying from the Christian Science Monitor
As pressure upon the governing African National Congress (ANC) increases from opposition groups, the South African government has become more hostile towards the free press.  A great article about South Africa’s latest anti-press incident.

Americans Oppose Renewing U.S. Combat Operations in Iraq from Gallup
Even if the situation gets worse in Iraq, Americans do not favor renewing combat operations there.  This is a boon to President Obama, who plans to take credit for the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Aggression in the Court from Foreign Affairs Online
Is the International Criminal Court (ICC) the best place to try national leaders for war crimes?  This is the question that this article seeks to answer.

Here is your R&D for August 26th:

What I learned from Jared Diamond from Foreign Policy
Jared Diamond’s recent book Collapse:  How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed describes why certain societies prosper and others decline based on a myriad of political, social, and economic factors.  In this article, the author applies Diamond’s work to the United States and lays out five reasons that the United States is in danger of collapsing.

Human Rights Kowtow from the Wall Street Journal
In this critical op-ed, the Wall Street Journal bashes President Obama’s recent Universal Periodic Review report to the United Nations.  Since criticism of this report is circulating in the news, this is a quick summary of what critics of the President are saying.

Japan DPJ powerbroker to bid for PM in party vote from Reuters
Major Japanese political player Ichiro Ozawa has announced that he will challenge sitting Prime Minister Naoto Kan for the leadership of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) next month.  Ozawa’s job is on the line because the DPJ lost its majority in Japan’s upper house last month.  An Ozawa-Kan contest runs the risk of splitting the DPJ.

Housing Clouds Economic Recovery from the Council on Foreign Relations
In a useful economic briefing, the Council on Foreign Relations summarizes the problems of America’s housing market and how they are weighing down the economy.

Kenya:  Police Ordered to Learn Bill of Rights from the Daily Nation (courtesy of AllAfrica)
Kenya formally declares its new constitution tomorrow and in anticipation of this monumental change, the nation’s police has been informed that officers need to understand the Bill of Rights.  This articles offers a quick summary of how police will need to change their practices because of the new constitution.