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Older News Archivescom0116
NEWS THURSDAY,
AUGUST 28, 2008 NEWS
EARLY EDITION
Louisiana
Officials Declare State Of Emergency In Advance Of Gustav
Forecasters warned that Gustav could grow into a dangerous Category
3 hurricane in the next several days and hit somewhere along a swath of
the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Texas — with New Orleans smack
in the middle.Taking no chances, city officials began preliminary planning
to evacuate and lock down the city in hopes of avoiding the catastrophe
that followed the 2005 storm. Mayor Ray Nagin left the Democratic National
Convention in Denver to return home for the preparations. Gov. Bobby Jindal
declared a state of emergency to lay the groundwork for federal assistance,
and put 3,000 National Guard troops on standby. Fox
News
VOA VIEW: Overreaction!
Americans
See Both Need, Potential Dangers Of Vaccines
Most Americans believe vaccinating our children is best for all, but
a majority also say parents should be allowed to refuse the shots. Although
two-thirds of the nation's adults have heard concerns that vaccines might
produce dangerous side effects, nearly three-quarters say the benefits
outweigh the risks, according to a survey of 811 adults conducted by Scripps
Howard News Service and Ohio University. They overwhelmingly report that
it's a "very serious concern" that nearly a quarter of the nation's youth
are not fully immunized against polio, mumps and measles. SHNS
Iraq
Says U.S. Sought Troop Presence To 2015
The United States asked Iraq for permission to maintain a troop presence
there to 2015, but U.S. and Iraqi negotiators agreed to limit their authorization
to 2011, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said. Details have been slowly
emerging about negotiations for the bilateral security pact, which U.S.
and Iraqi officials say are close to conclusion. ABC
News
VOA VIEW: The U.S. can leave when it wants.
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New
York's HIV Rate 3 Times Higher Than Nation's
New York City's rate of HIV infection is about three times the national
rate, according to estimates released Wednesday by the New York City Department
of Health and Mental Hygiene. Rapid HIV test swabs incubate at the Iris
House in New York in 2007. The agency estimates that 72 of every
100,000 New Yorkers -- a total of 4,800 individuals -- contracted HIV in
2006, more than triple the national rate of 23 per 100,000. The findings
are based on new lab technology and a newly derived statistical model developed
by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The lab technology enables
health officials to determine whether HIV-positive individuals contracted
the virus within the past five months, and the statistical model allows
researchers to then make projections about a population's infection rate.
CNN
Judges
Consider Whether FBI Violated Free Speech
A panel of federal appeals court judges pushed a U.S. government lawyer
on Wednesday to answer why FBI letters sent out to Internet service providers
seeking information should remain secret. A panel of three judges from
the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on whether a provision
of the Patriot Act, which requires people who are formally contacted by
the Federal Bureau of Investigation for information to keep it a secret,
is constitutional. Reuters
VOA VIEW: The FBI more than violated free
speech, they trounced it.
Western
Nations Warn Russia To `Change Course'
The Russian president has suggested the troops may stay in south Ossetia.Western
leaders warned Russia on Wednesday to "change course," hoping to keep a
conflict that already threatens a key nuclear pact and could affect the
U.S. meat and poultry industry from broadening into a new Cold War. Moscow
said it was NATO expansion and Western support for Georgia that was causing
the new East-West divisions, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin lashed out
at the United States for using military ships to deliver humanitarian aid
to Georgia. ABC
News
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Bill
Clinton: Obama Is Ready
Former President Clinton has pledged to cheering Democratic National
Convention delegates to strongly support Barack Obama's campaign for the
White House. Mr. Clinton told the convention Wednesday night that Obama
"has a remarkable ability to inspire people." The former president's speech
had been eagerly awaited by Democrats in view of his own past criticism
of Obama and his ambivalence about the Illinois senator. CBS
News
VOA VIEW: Political hypocrisy - the Clintons
loath Obama.
Obama
Wins Democratic Presidential Nomination
Hillary Clinton makes a motion that Barack Obama be chosen by acclamation
as the party's nominee for president during the Democratic National Convention
in Denver on Wednesday. Barack Obama won the Democratic Party’s presidential
nomination Wednesday, becoming the first black nominee of a major U.S.
party, as former rival Hillary Clinton moved for acclamation during a symbolic
roll call vote. Over the din of roaring applause and booming music, House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, chairman of the Democratic National Convention, twice
had to offer Obama’s response. Fox
News
Democrats
Hope Economy Trumps Workers' Doubts On Race
Union leaders know that ringing speeches at this week's Democratic
Party convention will not in themselves win over white working-class Americans
reluctant to elect Barack Obama the first black president of the United
States. That's going to take one-on-one persuasion and a closer focus on
pocketbook issues that the party hopes will trump racial concerns and win
backing from critical blue-collar swing voters before the November 4 election,
they said. Reuters
VOA VIEW: American will not elect an ultra
liberal black - regardless how much the liberal media try to brainwash
them.
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Bush's
Faith-Based Initiative Gave Obama's Former Church $1.5 Million
Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Ill. – where Democratic
presidential candidate Barack Obama worshipped for two decades – has received
more than $1.5 million in federal tax money since 2003 through the Office
of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (FBCI), according to data provided
to CNSNews.com by the White House and confirmed by Rebecca Neale, spokesperson
for the FBCI. Obama and his wife officially left Trinity United in May
2008 after their friend, the former long-time pastor of the church, Rev.
Jeremiah Wright, gave a controversial press conference in Washington, D.C.
CNS
VOA VIEW: American taxpayers supported
a rogue group.
Obama Counterattacks
On 'Swift Boat'-style Ads
Sen. Barack Obama's campaign and its allies, mindful of the lessons
of the Swift boat attacks of 2004, have begun an aggressive, multi-pronged
attack on an advertisement running in swing states that seeks to link the
Democratic presidential candidate to former domestic terrorist William
Ayers. With threats of legal action, boycotts and a response ad launched
quietly to avoid publicity, the Obama campaign has put conservative donors
and television stations on notice that 2008 will not be 2004, when Sen.
John F. Kerry, the Democratic nominee, waited weeks to respond to attacks
on his Vietnam War record and ultimately did so ineffectively. Christian
Pinkston, a spokesman for the American Issues Project, which is airing
the anti-Obama ad, called the response intimidation and harassment. MSNBC
VOA VIEW: Black pickets, demonstrations,
marches and boycotts will turnoff whites.
Border
Patrol Struggles To Retain New Hires
Law enforcement officers wanted: must work graveyard shifts alone in
remote towns along the Mexican border, put in long hours and perform well
in triple-digit temperatures. That message is never touted in U.S. Border
Patrol recruitment brochures, but the sobering reality of working on the
border has created an environment in which about 30 percent of agents leave
their jobs in less than 18 months. Newsday
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Obama
Losing Support Among Conservative Democrats
The Gallup daily tracking poll indicates that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.)
has been losing support among conservative Democrats as his presidential
race with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has tightened into a dead heat. In
June, according to Gallup, Obama enjoyed the support of 71 percent of conservative
Democrats. As of August 24, according to the same poll, Obama’s support
among conservative Democrats had dropped 8 points to 63 percent. At the
same time, Obama has also been losing support among moderate and liberal
Republicans. CNS
Russia-U.S. Nuclear
Deal Placed On Hold
A key civil nuclear agreement between Russia and the U.S. looks likely
to be shelved until next year at the earliest amid mounting tensions over
the fate of Georgia's breakaway republics. The nuclear pact — signed last
May — set the framework to give the U.S. access to Russian state-of-the-art
nuclear technologies, while helping Russia establish an international nuclear
fuel storage facility for spent fuel. Russia cannot achieve that goal without
the deal, since the U.S. controls the vast majority of the world's nuclear
fuel. MSNBC
Nassau
Voters Soured On Special Districts
Nassau voters' attitudes toward special districts - the tiny units
of government that have come under political fire in the past year - have
flipped dramatically, according to a new poll paid for by the Port Washington-based
Hagedorn Foundation. Last year, 44 percent of voters said they were satisfied
with the system of special districts, which handle services such as water,
fire and garbage pickup for specific areas. This year, the poll said, the
pattern has reversed. Nearly half of voters, or 46 percent, said they were
dissatisfied with special districts. Newsday
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Obama's
Swing Leads
An exclusive TIME/CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll reveals that
Barack Obama leads John McCain by several percentage points in three crucial
battleground states—Nevada, New Mexico and Pennsylvania—while McCain tops
Obama by 1% in Colorado. Obama's widest margin is in New Mexico, where
53% of registered voters said they prefer the Democrat to 40% who favor
McCain. Obama also holds a five-point advantage in Nevada (49% to 44%).
Both states went narrowly to George W. Bush in the 2004 election. In Pennsylvania,
Obama leads 48% to 43, while McCain topped Obama in Colorado 47% to 46%.
In all state polls. Times
VOA VIEW: The polls are wrong - Obama
is not in the lead.
Bankruptcies
Soar For Seniors
While the bankruptcy filing rate for those under 55 has fallen, it
has soared for older Americans, according to a new analysis from the Consumer
Bankruptcy Project, which examined a sampling of noncommercial bankruptcies
filed between 1991 and 2007. The older the age group, the worse it got
- people 65 and up became more than twice as likely to file during that
period, and the filing rate for those 75 and older more than quadrupled.
CBS
News
VOA VIEW: Bankruptcies soar for all seniors.
Durable
Goods Orders Unexpectedly Rise
Orders for U.S. durable goods unexpectedly increased in July, indicating
that growing demand from abroad is still helping companies weather a slump
in domestic spending. The 1.3 percent gain in bookings of goods meant to
last several years matched the previous month's rise, the Commerce Department
said today in Washington. The gains may have been aided by foreign demand
for automobiles, aircraft and telecommunications gear as exports climbed
to a record. Bloomberg
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Russia
To Up Naval Presence In Syria
Russia plans to increase its military presence in the Mediterranean
by using Syrian ports more frequently, Reuters reported a Russian diplomat
as saying on Wednesday. "Our Navy presence in the Mediterranean will
increase," Igor Belyaev, the Russian charge d'affaires, told reporters
in Damascus. "Russian vessels will be visiting Syria and other friendly
ports more frequently." "The visits are continuing," he added. The comments
come despite a recent phone call between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in which the latter reaffirmed Moscow's
commitment to maintain strong ties with Jerusalem amid tensions which surfaced
between the two states as a result of the conflict in Georgia. Jerusalem
Post
Egypt
Urges End To Israel Threats
Egypt has urged Israel to stop making threats against Lebanon, its
foreign minister said on a visit to Beirut. Ahmed Abul Gheit has been holding
talks with Lebanese leaders about the rising tensions with Israel. Israel's
prime minister warned last week that his country would hit all of Lebanon
harder than in the 2006 war if Hezbollah guerrillas attacked again. BBC
News
Sudan Plane
Hijackers Surrender
Two hijackers of a Sudanese plane flown to Libya have given themselves
up in the desert town of Kufra. The surrender comes almost 24 hours after
they seized the plane, shortly after it left Nyala in Darfur. The crew
have also been freed - earlier all 95 passengers on board the Sun Air Boeing
737 had been released. There are some reports that the hijackers were members
of a Darfur rebel group but this was strongly denied by the group's leader.
BBC News
Royalist
Protesters Storm Offices Of Thai Premier
Thousands of royalist protesters stormed the compound of the Thai Prime
Minister Samak Sundaravej, a TV station and several ministries yesterday
in a co-ordinated attempt to unseat his seven-month-old coalition government.
Mr Samak urged the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to pack up and
go home, accusing them of breaking the law after three months of hitherto
peaceful demonstrations in central Bangkok. Independent
News
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