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The Obama administration has drafted an executive order that would give the president the power to detain terrorism suspects indefinitely, according to three senior government officials with knowledge of the decision. The Washington Post reports that the choice to reinstate this authority comes as a result of growing fears that Congress could stall plans to close Guantanamo by President Obama’s January deadline. Most civil liberties groups are against long-term incarceration, arguing that prisoners should either be tried or set free, but one government official said waiting for legislation on Guantanamo “could kill Obama’s plans.” The executive order could give Obama’s opposition reason to accuse him of neglecting the legislative branch of government. If the White House follows through with its decision, the detention center would be at a military facility on U.S. soil and prisoners’ detention would be reviewed annually. U.S. citizens would not be held in the system. Prisoners eligible for indefinite detention would be those whose witnesses could not, for one reason or another, testify against them, making their trial unbalanced.
The cause of Michael Jackson’s premature death will remain a mystery for six to eight weeks: At a press conference Friday afternoon, a Los Angeles County coroner's spokesman said determining the cause will require further tests. Authorities have already conducted an autopsy and said there were no signs of foul play or trauma to the body. Many suspect that prescription painkillers played a role in Jackson’s death, and the spokesman said the star was taking unspecified medications. A former attorney of his said, "I said one day, we're going to have this experience. And when Anna Nicole Smith passed away, I said we cannot have this kind of thing with Michael Jackson. The result was, I warned everyone, and lo and behold, here we are. I don't know what caused his death. But I feared this day, and here we are." In 2007, Jackson settled a lawsuit with a Beverly Hills pharmacy that claimed he owed more than $100,000 for prescription drugs purchased over a two-year period.
A spooky bit of news: Michael Jackson’s ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley blogged Friday on her MySpace page that while talking 14 years ago with Jackson about the death of her father, Elvis Presley, he paused and said, “‘I am afraid that I am going to end up like him, the way he did,’” referring to Elvis’s fatal overdose of prescription drugs. “I promptly tried to deter him from the idea,” Presley continues, “at which point he just shrugged his shoulders and nodded almost matter of fact as if to let me know, he knew what he knew and that was kind of that.” During her relationship with Jackson, Presley said, she grew exhausted from “her quest to save him from certain self-destructive behavior,” but she assures fans the marriage was not a sham, though it ended quickly in divorce. “His family and his loved ones also wanted to save him from this as well but didn’t know how and this was 14 years ago. We all worried that this would be the outcome then.”
An artist’s stock traditionally soars posthumously, so it’s no surprise that Michael Jackson has dominated the charts in the past 24 hours. But his sales are still huge: Two hours after his death Thursday afternoon, the Thriller album reached No. 1 on iTunes. As of Friday evening, his CDs were nine of the top 10 most popular albums on the site and a quarter of the top 100 songs are either by Jackson or The Jackson Five. On Amazon, every one of the top 15 albums is Jackson’s. Additionally, items once owned by the King of Pop will be auctioned off, some valued at thousands of dollars. Let’s hope these sales can serve to “make a change” in his massive pile of debt, rumored at $400 million.
In an incredibly close vote—219-212—the House of Representatives passed a climate change bill Friday, despite concerns among the GOP that the country’s economic problems would be worsened by a “national energy tax.” The divisions throughout Congress ran deep: Calif. Rep. James Sensenbrenner, a Republican, called the bill a “massive transfer of wealth” from the United States to foreign countries; Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan said that without the bill, the country would stay energy dependent on people who want to “fly planes into our buildings.” Republicans fear the bill will raise the average family’s energy bills by thousands of dollars a year, despite an analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency that said it would equal an annual increase of $80 to $111. The passage marked a huge victory for President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as well as a “unique historical opportunity” for lawmakers to improve the environment, boost the economy and protect the country’s national security, said House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman.
Police say they will question Michael Jackson’s cardiologist about whether drugs were to blame for the star’s death, after 911 tapes released Friday afternoon revealed the doctor was present at the time of Jackson’s collapse. Dr. Conrad Murray, who briefly disappeared Thursday after the singer was pronounced dead, was hired months ago to treat Jackson ahead of his upcoming tour. Investigators later briefly interviewed Murray and towed a car registered to Murray’s sister near Jackson’s home in the hopes that it may contain medication or other clues. LAPD Officer Robert French stressed that Murray is not the target of a criminal investigation, but said he may provide important information before Jackson’s toxicology results are returned. Jackson’s addiction to prescription drugs has led to suspicions about whether they were to blame for his untimely death.
South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford won’t be disappearing for good: He said today that he will not resign. “I remain committed to rebuilding the trust that has been committed to me over the next 18 months, and it is my hope that I am able to follow the example set by David in the Bible—who after his fall from grace humbly refocused on the work at hand,” Sanford said in a statement. “By doing so, I will ultimately better serve in every area of my life, and I am committed to doing so.” According to a poll by InsiderAdvantage, 50 percent of South Carolina voters wanted Sanford to resign, while 42 percent thought he should stay in office.
The day after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad demanded that President Obama “show your repentance,” Obama advised Ahmadinejad “to consider looking at the families of those beaten or shot or detained. That’s where Mr. Ahmadinejad and others need to answer their questions.” Obama was at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who announced that Germany and the United States stand side-by-side in opposing the Iranian violence and Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. Of the protesters, Obama said "Their bravery in the face of brutality is a testament to their enduring pursuit of justice.”
In an apparent attempt to smooth over the Obama administration’s relations with the gay community, Vice President Joe Biden spoke Thursday morning at an LGBT fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee. Citing Obama’s slowness at fulfilling campaign promises—including repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act—several prominent and deep-pocketed Democrats boycotted the meeting, and protesters harangued gay Representatives Tammy Baldwin, Barney Frank, and Jared Polis for being “Gay Uncle Toms.” Nonetheless, Biden spoke passionately about the president’s commitment to making good on his promises. "I don't blame you for your impatience," Biden said during his 20-minute speech. "I hope you don't doubt the president's commitment.” According to several reports, Biden received several standing ovations, and he concluded with a daring statement about gender inequality: "I promise you with your help we'll get there in this administration,” adding that if it is achieved, “I will have marked my term as vice president as being truly worthwhile."
Feel like the Republican Party has taken one too many hits lately? So do the founders of “Call Me, G.O.P.,” a site launched this week that aims to rebrand the party. Calling on their advertising background at ad agency Story Worldwide, the founders set out to do a “brand-discovery-expression” exercise (as it’s known in the business) aimed at rebuilding the Republican Party “brand”: They are inviting both Democrats and Republicans to engage in a constructive dialogue, via the site’s blogs and comment, about how the Republican Party should tackle its problems, what steps it should take, and ultimately, “what a brand means and should mean to people.” This isn’t just another conservative vs. liberal bashing forum—one founder is a registered Democrat and another is an unregistered conservative. This is business: It’s about building the best product they can in their eight-week timeline. Though the GOP is not a client of Story Worldwide, and thus is not paying the advertising company for the work, it will be interesting to see where this social experiment leads.
The news doesn’t get any better for Boeing: The beleaguered airplane giant got word Friday that Australian airline Qantas is canceling an order for 15 of its 787 Dreamliners and putting off delivery of 15 more. Financially strapped airlines have already canceled more than 70 orders and deferred many more for the plane maker’s oft-delayed next-generation plane. “The operating environment for the world’s airlines has clearly changed dramatically” since Qantas placed its order in 2005, the Aussie company’s CEO said in a statement. Even worse: All the cancellations give rival Airbus time to study Boeing’s missteps ahead of the 2013 release of its A350 plane, BusinessWeek reports.
The latest in the Michael Jackson saga: The chilling, frantic phone call to 911 has been released to the public. In the tape, released by the Los Angeles Fire Department, an unidentified male caller can be heard pleading with the operator to send an ambulance, not identifying Jackson by name, only saying, “There is a 50-year-old in his bed who is being given CPR by his personal physician. He’s pumping his chest and he’s not responding to anything.” When the operator tries to ask the doctor via the caller if he saw what happened, there is a muffled voice, followed by the caller’s even more urgent plea, “Sir, if you could please…” The operator reassures caller that paramedics are on their way. And though EMTs arrived within minutes of the phone call, their attempts to revive Jackson failed; he was transported to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m.
Does Vijay Singh need a golf partner? The world-class golfer apparently offered to help pay the $500,000 bail of alleged Ponzi schemer R. Allen Stanford, but a federal judge denied the motion because According to CBS Sports, “Singh has an endorsement deal with Stanford Financial reportedly worth $8 million. Although no longer being paid, Singh has continued to wear the Stanford logo on his visor and shirt.” Standford stands accused of swindling investors out of $7 billion.
Americans’ health care bill may not reach the Senate floor before the Fourth of July weekend, as some had originally hoped, but at least we have a price tag: Senate Finance committee Chairman Max Baucus said on Thursday that "We have options that would enable us to write a $1 trillion bill fully paid for.” Senators spent the week trimming almost $600 billion in costs from the bill. According to Politico, “Democratic Senate Finance staff said bill would still cover 97 percent of Americans. The bill is likely to include a mandate on individuals to purchase insurance, a requirement that employers offer coverage or subsidize the costs of a plan in a new health-care "exchange," and the creation of nonprofit insurance cooperative to compete with private insurers.”
Apparently they got to the lesson on fidelity a little too late. A Congressional Bible study group called C Street is drawing attention after two of its most high profile members, Senator John Ensign (R-NV) and Governor Mark Sanford, became embroiled in sex scandals within a week of each other. In his news conference announcing his infidelity, Sanford, specifically cited C Street as a place where he faced "hard questions" and sought counsel. According to the Washington Post, at least five lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, live in the group's brick house on C Street SE, and at least one resident reportedly confronted both Sanford and Ensign about their affairs upon learning of them before the scandals broke and urged them to make amends.
Michael Jackson spent the last night of his life doing what he did best: singing and dancing. According to his manager, Frank DiLeo, he rehearsed for his upcoming show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Wednessday night. “The show at the Staples Center was amazing,” DiLeo said. “Michael rehearsed10 or 11 songs. He sang and danced, not always at full power, but the way you do for a run-through. When the show was over, he called me, but I was in the back getting something. He found me, and said, ‘Frank, I am so happy. He said he was just so happy. He said, This is really our time. He put his arm around me.”
Swine flu has now hit as many as one million Americans, U.S. health officials report—and in some areas, 6 percent or more of urban populations are affected. The estimate was reached through mathematical modeling, based on surveys from health officials. The U.S. represents roughly half the world's swine-flu cases, with nearly 28,000 reported to the CDC so far—these cases include 3,065 hospitalizations and 127 deaths. The percentage of cases hospitalized has been growing, though health officials point out that this trend may be due to closer scrutiny of very sick patients. Keeping it all in perspective, however: Regular seasonal flu sickens anywhere from 15 million to 60 million Americans each year. Also, a vaccine for H1N1 may be on the way.
It's been a hard day in entertainment news, and it's about to get harder. The New York Times reported today that Walter Cronkite is gravely ill with cerebrovascular disease and, according to his family members, "not expected to recuperate." "He is resting at home surrounded by family, friends and a wonderful medical team," his three children said. Cronkite's family told TVNewser, a blog, that he had been suffering from his disease for several years. The CBS News anchor was oftentimes described as "the most trusted man in America" during his work on CBS Evening News from 1960-81.
While analysts largely regarded this year's NBA draft as a weak one, there was nonetheless plenty of drama last night as teams supplemented their new prospects with a series of blockbuster trades. Oklahama University's Blake Griffin was selected first by the Los Angeles Clippers, while UConn's Tanzanian bigman Hasheem Thabeet went second to the Memphis Grizzlies. But the bigger news came earlier in the day when word got out that Shaquille O'Neal had been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers to team up with MVP Lebron James. Later trades saw Vince Carter moving to Orlando to join Dwight Howard and Richard Jefferson going to San Antonio, both of which help bolster the already-elite teams with additional star power.
Is Venezuela's firebrand president, Hugo Chavez, finally getting on President Obama's good side? In an effort to restore their tattered relationship, the U.S. and Venezuela have agreed to restore full diplomatic relations, the State Department reports, formalizing pledges that Obama and Chavez made at the Summit of the Americas in April to reinstall September’s expelled ambassadors. The move reflects Obama's push for better Latin American relations, to alleviate suspicions and work cooperatively with nations in the area, and Chavez's push to improve his image abroad. U.S. Ambassador Patrick Duddy and his Venezuelan counterpart, Bernardo Alvarez, soon will resume their former posts in Caracas and Washington, respectively. The restoration came a day after the State Department said it was sending an ambassador back to Syria, a post that had been recalled in 2005 after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Farrah Fawcett, the famed actress, passed away at 62 after a lengthy and public battle with cancer at 9:30 am on Thursday, June 25. Fawcett was in a Los Angeles hospital. Most famous for her role in Charlie’s Angels, Fawcett achieved icon status with a famous poster of her in a red bathing suit and feathered bombshell-blonde hair. After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away," Ryan O'Neal, a longtime companion of Fawcett's said. "Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world."
In the wake of Michael Jackson’s passing on Thursday night, some of the biggest names in Hollywood shared their reactions. “I can’t stop crying over the sad news,” Madonna said to People. “I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats.” Jackson’s ex-wife—and daughter of fellow “king” Elvis Presley—Lisa Marie Presley said, “I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken for his children who I know were everything to him and for his family. This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me.” Music producer Quincy Jones, who produced Jackson’s Thriller album, said that Jackson “had it all—talent, grace, professionalism and dedication.” He added, “I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.” Jackson was preparing for a 50-date tour in London at the time of his cardiac arrest, for which $85 million in tickets had already been sold. Some fans paid into the multi-thousands for their tickets to Jackson’s first major performance in more than a decade.
Where to begin in telling Michael Jackson's story, whose influential and tumultuous career spanned five decades of continuous fame and reinvention, with many bizarre sidetracks along the way? Obituaries appear to be split on whether to emphasize Jackson's celebrated musical and cultural achievements or the depressing and grotesque spectacle that followed them. The LA Times leads by noting Jackson's own fascination with celebrity flameouts, including his marriage to Elvis' daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, and his interest in dead icons like Marilyn Monroe, and discusses how "more than any of those past icons, he left a complicated legacy." The New York Times takes a more positive approach to memorializing Jackson, focusing on his incredible impact on pop culture and the entertainment industry in general. "As with Elvis Presley or the Beatles, it is impossible to calculate the full effect Mr. Jackson had on the world of music," the Times piece reads. Meanwhile, the Northwest Indiana Post-Tribune of Jackson's Gary, Indiana hometown offers a bitter take that contrasts the King of Pop's meteoric rise with the sad decline of his birthplace, which was largely abandoned by the superstar.
Cutting off yet another avenue that Iranian protesters hoped could yield results, Iran's Guardian Council said Friday that no significant fraud had taken place in this month's disputed elections. "The Guardian council has almost finished reviewing defeated candidates' election complaints ... the reviews showed that the election was the healthiest since the revolution ... There were no major violations in the election," the council's spokesman said, according to Reuters. The decision comes as the mass protests of last week have dwindled thanks to a violent police crackdown. Nonetheless, Iranians upset with the election still are finding ways to register their displeasure, chanting "Allahu Akbar!" at night from their rooftops, for example. On Friday, supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi, who has not given up his challenge of the election results, release thousands of green and black balloons in tribute to Neda Agha Soltan, who was killed during the protests.
Better late than never. Apparently deciding that two wrongs don’t make a right, Governor Mark Sanford said in a statement today that he would reimburse the state of South Carolina for a trip to Argentina on which he met his mistress. “While the purpose of this trip was an entirely professional and appropriate business development trip, I made a mistake while I was there in meeting with the woman who I was unfaithful to my wife with,” Sanford said. “That has raised some very legitimate concerns and questions, and as such I am going to reimburse the state for the full cost of the Argentina leg of this trip.” According to documents released by the state Department of Commerce, airfare for the trip was $8,644.03 and more than $9,000 on Sanford’s expenses alone.
After Michael Jackson's shocking death on Thursday, those close to the Jackson family are already speculating—and speaking out—on what (and who) could have caused the King of Pop's untimely death. Some point to exhaustion, but Brian Oxman, the Jackson family's spokesman and attorney, alleged in a CNN interview that Jacko's entourage was "enabling him" and that Oxman had "warned" about prescription drug abuse. Oxman said he was with Jermaine, LaToya, and Randy Jackson as well as other family members and friends at Michael's hospital room in the UCLA Medical Center during Jackson's final moments. Meanwhile, The Wrap reports details from Jacko's hospitalization: a paramedia was summoned to Jackson's home at 12:26PM and CPR was administered. He arrived the hospital in a "deep coma" and was declared dead at 2:26. declared dead. An autopsy has been scheduled for Friday.
A recent surge of violence in Iraq flared up again on Friday when a motorcycle loaded with nails and ball bearings exploded in a crowded Baghdad market, killing 13 people and wounding dozens, Iraqi officials reported. The blast occurred just after 9 a.m., when the the bazaar was crowded with young people buying and selling motorcycles. "I saw a ball of fire and some motorbikes were lifted about 10 meters [yards] into the air," an eyewitness said. "When the smoke from the explosion vanished, I saw a large number of young men lying on the ground soaked in blood." The bombing was the latest in a week of attacks that have killed more than 200 people, in the lead-up to next week's deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq's urban areas.
The rhetoric continues to worsen in Iran: A leading cleric declared in a nationally broadcast sermon on Friday that some of the country’s reform leaders are “worthy of execution.” The Associated Press reports that “Iran's ruling clergy has widened its clampdown on the opposition since a bitterly disputed June 12 presidential election, and scattered protests have replaced the initial mass rallies.” Also on Friday, Mir Hossein Mousavi’s official website was hacked, leaving it blank.
How do Michael Jackson’s peers in the top echelon of celebrity feel about his death? Salon has rounded up celebrity reactions to the sad news. “I can’t stop crying over the sad news,” Madonna said. Justin Timberlake said, “We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only Pop music but of all music.” Paul McCartney said, “I feel privileged to have hung out and worked with Michael. He was a massively talented boy-man with a gentle soul.” Steven Spielberg said, “Just as there will never be another Fred Astaire or chuck Berry or Elvis Presley, there will never anyone comparable to Michael Jackson.”
Who is South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s lover? Several local media outlets in Argentina have identified Sanford’s mistress as Maria Belen Chapur. “She lives in a 14-story apartment building next to the Buenos Aires Zoo, in a trendy neighborhood that is also near the U.S. Embassy,” according to Fox News, and she apparently speaks English, Spanish, Portugues, and Chinese. “Reports said she devotes much of her time to working out and that she ran in two 10-kilometer races this past year.” Also, McClatchy reports that Chapur worked as a journalist and covered the September 11 attacks for an Argentinean station.
As the initial shock of the King of Pop's death yesterday slowly wears off, concerned fans and people alike wonder what will become of Michael Jackson's three young children: Prince Michael Jr., 12 and Paris Katherine, 11--both of whom were born via artificial insemination to Debbie Rowe, his ex-wife--and Prince "Blanket" Michael II, who was born to a surrogate mother in 2001. Michael's mother, Katherine, reportedly wants the kids. (She and Michael's dad, Joe, had offered to adopt the children in 2005, should MJ lose custody of them during his molestation trials.) But others say that MJ wanted Grace Rwaramba, the 42-year-old nanny who worked for him for almost two decades, to have custody. There is also the possibility that Rowe--whose 1998 divorce gave Jackson full custody--will try to win custody over her two biological children, although it is still too early to tell, as her rep will only say, "Debbie is absolutely inconsolable." According to US Weekly, the children are currently with their grandmother and "are doing fine."
South Carolina First Lady Jenny Sanford doesn’t apparently turn down interview requests. Speaking with the Associated Press again, she said that she was shocked to learn that her husband was in Argentina because he had told her he had ended the affair in January, after she had discovered a letter that his mistress had written him. Apparently, she was not simply covering for him when she said he had disappeared to write: He had actually told her that that was what he was doing.
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