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Walter Cronkite, the legendary news anchor at CBS News, passed away on Friday night from cerebrovascular disease at the age of 92 with his family by his side in his New York home. "This country has lost an icon and a dear friend, and he will be truly missed," President Obama said in a statement. Cronkite died on the anniversary weekend of the first moon landing, which many Americans experienced through his narration. "He had a passion for human space exploration, an enthusiasm that was contagious, and the trust of his audience," Neil Armstrong said. Cronkite was originally recruited to CBS in 1950 by Edward R. Murrow, and took over CBS Evening News in 1962. He covered such events as the Cuban missile crisis, the assassination of JFK, the Vietnam War, Apollo 11, and Watergate. When Cronkite said that, after the Tet Offensive, the Vietnam War was unwinnable, President Johnson famously announced, “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America.” He retired from the CBS Evening News in 1981, and was succeeded by Dan Rather.
At a quickly scheduled press conference Friday afternoon, Barack Obama encouraged Congress to continue to work on health care legislation and resist the fatigue that comes close to the “finish line.” Bills passed committees in both houses Friday. "I believe that members of Congress are prepared to work as hard as it's going to take to make this happen," the president said. "We're going to be putting in a lot more hours and there are going to be a lot more sleepless nights, but eventually this is going to happen." Obama's enthusiasm runs up against a report released by the Congressional Budget Office saying that the Congressional plans will actually increase health care costs, rather than diminish them. Another possible hitch in his plans: a group of centrist Democrats and Republicans urged a slower timetable for the debate in an open letter.
The House Intelligence Committee announced today it will formally investigate the CIA's concealment from Congress of an anti-terrorist program authorized by former Vice President Dick Cheney. CIA Director Leon Panetta recently quashed the program, which involved an effort to capture or kill al Qaeda operatives overseas and was authorized by President Bush after 9/11. The investigation, Democratic Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes said in a statement, will look into “whether there was any past decision or direction to withhold information from the committee" about the intelligence program, which the CIA says was never operational. Republicans argue that the investigation is meant to shield Nancy Pelosi from accusations she was informed about CIA "enhanced interrogation" tactics. Democrats have formerly said the investigation would look into the CIA's possible violation of the National Security Act, which could result in criminal charges.
The two men suspected of killing eight and injuring 53 in Jakarta suicide bombings on Friday checked into one of the two targeted hotels two days before the attacks in order to evade hotel security. The men assembled the explosives in their room, the Wall Street Journal reports. The two targeted hotels, The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriot, are symbols of the country's newly found economic strength. Economic optimism for South Asia’s largest country was the highest it’s been in a decade prior to Friday's attacks, which killed some top Western and Indonesian businessmen present at the Ritz Carlton for an 8 a.m. breakfast meeting. The U.S. dollar hit its highest level against Indonesian rupiah in about three weeks on Friday and Australia's foreign ministry dissuaded citizens from traveling to the country, releasing a statement saying the government continues “to receive credible information that terrorists could be planning attacks in Indonesia and that Bali remains an attractive target for terrorists.”
Some unhappy numbers: Federal data released today says that national unemployment rates, currently at a 26-year high of 9.5 percent will top 10 percent by the end of the year. Unemployment rates in 15 states, as well as the District of Columbia have already surpassed 10, with Michigan, leading the pack at 15.2 percent--the first time any state has hit that mark since 1984. Federal policymakers are not too optimistic either, suggesting that it could take five or six years for the labor market and economy to stabilize.
Leaders of the Episcopal Church agreed to consider liturgies for same-sex unions and to give bishops more freedom in meeting the needs of gay and lesbian couples, adding to a decision this week to end a de facto ban on the ordination of gay bishops. The resolutions for change highlighted deep theological differences among the church’s 2.3 million members. Attempting to calm members angry over the new policies, presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and another church leader said in a letter the changes merely honor the church’s constitution and canons, which prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. "We remain keenly aware of the concerns and sensibilities of our brothers and sisters in other churches across the communion,” the letter said. Bishops may bless same-sex couples, especially in states where unions are legal, but the leaders stopped short of writing new liturgical writes for same-sex marriage ceremonies.
The twin bombings that killed at least eight people at the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott in Jakarta on Friday may have been the work of a terrorist group linked to al Qaeda, reports ABC News. Jemaah Islamiya is "the only group intent and capable to pull off an attack like this," a terrorism expert told ABC. The group's chief bomb maker, Noordin Top, is at large and was rumored to be preparing a new attack. Top and his group are believed to be behind the Bali disco bombing in 2002 and an earlier attack on the same JW Marriott. Friday's attacks reportedly caught the U.S. intelligence community off guard, as they had thought the group was dismantled after many of its leaders had been imprisoned. But The Australian reports that at least 100 JI members have been recently released from jail, and experts categorize them now as "homegrown" terrorists operatives who don't conform to a single profile. Jakarta police are probing whether the attacks have anything to do with opposition to the July 8th election, as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono acknowledged that the attacks were an act of terrorism, and has issued an investigation. Leaders from the European Union, Britain, and Australia have all condemned the attacks. On a refueling stop in Prague on her way to India, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered sympathy to the victims and their families, saying that the attacks reflect the "the viciousness of violent extremists" and "remind us that the threat of terrorism remains very real."
Baffled, Tiger Woods missed a major tournament cut for only the second time in his professional career by shooting an ugly 74 Friday, four over par. Yesterday, he finished one over and has missed the cut by one stroke. Among the leaders going into the weekend rounds at the 138th British Open is the 59-year-old Tom Watson, who is ranked 1,373 places behind Woods, the world's best golfer. "It was just problem after problem. I kept compounding my problems out there," a frustrated Woods told reporters.
Like Sarah Palin, we can only speculate as to what prompted him to leave a high-profile state job: The Associated Press is reporting that Mark Sanford’s press secretary, Joel Sawyer, is resigning from his job effective August 5. “Sawyer said he is leaving to pursue unspecified opportunities in the private sector and that his boss's revelation of an extramarital affair has nothing to do with his departure.” He has worked for Sanford for more than six years, and was the voice of the administration during Sanford’s disappearance to Argentina.
Iranian opposition demonstrators were pushed back by security forces with tear gas and batons on Friday, as tens of thousands of Iranians gathered downtown for a sermon by the former president, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Rafsanjani was, however, "more conciliatory than confrontational," according to Time, though he called for the release of protesters from jail and said Iran was "in crisis." Mir Hossein Mousavi also appeared at the sermon, causing chants of support to break out in the crowd. There hasn't been an opposition rally since July 9, and, according to BBC, this could be an important moment in the confrontation between Ahmedinejad's new government and that of the opposition. At least 15 were arrested, including the leading women's rights advocate and lawyer Shadi Sadr, who was "beaten and dragged into a car in front of a crowd of her friends."
Pay-for-play, in action: Politico has obtained a letter showing that “The American Conservative Union asked FedEx for a $2 million check in return for the group’s endorsement in a bitter legislative dispute, then flipped and sided with UPS after FedEx refused to pay.” In return for the money, the ACU offered to write op-eds on behalf of FedEx and mobilize its grassroots network. The legislative dispute at the heart of the matter is one that you would think the ACU would take FedEx’s side on: FedEx was trying to block a provision in Congress that would expand union power. The ACU calls itself “the nation's oldest and largest grassroots conservative lobbying organization.”
The Khmer Rouge, which ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 and murdered 2-million people while in power, has entered the history books alongside the vile regimes of Germany, Rwanda, and Yugoslavia. And, like those other countries, the Khmer Rouge is finally being put on trial. In August's GQ, Michael Paterniti tries to find out what took so long. He writes, "By 'smashing' (their word) the populace, by pathologically replacing the individual with the collective (and making sure that the collective knew how to do only one thing: grow rice), they'd instilled a paralysis and fear that had so far, thirty years later, saved them from retribution. They'd effectively lobotomized their own country." Its a haunting story of a country that "abolished money and holidays and love" and killed its own citizens by torture and execution. (The Khmer Rouge's motto was, "Better to destroy ten innocent people than to let one enemy go free.") Now, finally, the country is examining those responsible for that philosophy and its ensuing destruction.
This is fishy: Citigroup and Bank of America have made money. “Bank of America reported a $3.2 billion profit for the second quarter,” according to The New York Times. “Citigroup said it earned $4.3 billion during that period.” But the two whipping boys of the financial crisis are not as sound as those numbers make them seem: “Behind the figures was a sober reality: Those happy results were driven by billions of dollars in one-time gains — in the case of Bank of America, by a profit from the sale of a stake in a big Chinese bank and, in the case of Citigroup, by a bonanza from a new joint venture for its Smith Barney division.” This is more like it: “Without those one-offs, the banks, despite two taxpayer-financed bailout dollars apiece, would have lost billions.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in India on Friday. She'll go straight to meetings with key business leaders in Mumbai, visit with education experts and a woman's group—and even meet a Bollywood actor, Aamir Khan, the Associated Press reports. Clinton will also pay tribute to the 166 victims of the terrorist attacks in the city last year. She stated that she wants to renew commitment to the India-U.S. civil nuclear agreement on her trip. "I hope a new era of stronger cooperation between India and the United States will be one signature accomplishments of our new governments," she said. "The world has a lot riding on our cooperation."
Maybe the voluble Mark Cuban will take it easier on referees these days. On Friday, a federal referee of sorts, U.S. District Court Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater, dismissed a Securities and Exchange Commission insider-trading suit filed against Cuban. The government alleged that Cuban illegally offloaded shares of the search-engine company, Mamma.com Inc. in 2004. Cuban appears to have been let off on a technicality: The judge ruled that the SEC didn't accuse him of promising not to trade based on confidential information and therefore could not hold him responsible for insider trading. The commission has 30 days to file a new complaint against Cuban.
Federal agents have arrested a convicted felon for providing the gun that was used to kill former-NFL quarterback Steve McNair, according to the Associated Press. Prosecutors in Nashville will announce the charges later Friday, the newswire says. McNair, who appeared in the Pro Bowl three times, was shot to death on July 4 by his 20-year-old mistress Sahel Kazemi. Kazemi killed herself after shooting McNair. Officials have yet to name the suspect who provided the gun.
Every day, loved ones of troops who've been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan leave personal mementos and artifacts—from photographs and letters to flags and birthday presents—on the graves in Arlington National Cemetery. Yet instead of collecting and preserving these items, as staff has done for decades at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, both out of respect for the dead and cultural preservation, most are left to elements. They rot or droop and are eventually trashed, Salon reports. "They really should archive those treasures—and that really is what they are to the families that leave them," said a mother whose son was killed in Iraq, when told about the poor treatment. The report is part of a series of articles on grave offenses at the cemetery.
Martin Amis weighs in on the situation in Iran in Friday’s Guardian. What’s the famous author’s take? Here’s the heart of the piece: “For the mullahs now know that they are afloat on an ocean of illegitimacy. The great hawzers of the revolution of 1978-79 are all either snapped or fraying. Of the four foundational narratives, three are myths: the ‘Islamic Revolution’ was not an Islamic revolution; the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), which destroyed a generation, was not the ‘Imposed War’, as it is still called; and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, was not a great man (Khomeini, as every inquisitive Iranian has long understood, was a world-historical monster). Perhaps most importantly of all, for now, the fourth narrative, or thread (anti-Americanism—‘Westoxication’, in the old battle cry), has been severed by the person of Obama. The Islamic Republic is also doomed by modernity (in the form of instant communications) and by demographic destiny. Persia, one of the oldest nations on earth, is getting younger and younger.” And here’s Amis’s most provocative claim: “The American politician whom Ahmadinejad most closely resembles —in one vital respect—is Ronald Reagan.”
Like Sonia Sotomayor and Hillary Clinton before him, the pope has taken a spill. According to CBS, “Hospital officials and the Vatican say Pope Benedict XVI broke his right wrist in a fall during his vacation in the Alps.” An X-ray of the 82-year-old’s wrist showed a small fracture. Two journalists traveling with the pope say it’s possible that his holiness also sprained his ankle.
Somebody found Orlando Bloom's treasure chest: $500,000 of jewelry, cash, and art have been stolen from the Pirates of the Caribbean star's home in Hollywood Hills. The burglars, police say, were clearly familiar with the home, and according to TMZ, officials report that the heist doesn’t look like a “typical burglary.” Bloom is the latest in a string of celebrity victims: Paris Hilton, Paramount Pictures head Sherry Lansing, and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have all been burglarized recently.
Well, this would surely look good on a college application: Southern California teen Zac Sunderland recently became the youngest person to sail around the world alone, after docking in Marina del Rey on Thursday, where he was greeted by roaring applause. Throughout the yearlong journey—on a 36-foot sailboat he bought with his own money—the 17-year old braved pirates off the coast of Indonesia, severe storms, loneliness, and exhaustion. "The hardest constantly was the tiredness," he said. "Half the time I haven't slept in 48 hours and it's just hard to get enough rest." Still, he called the 27,500-mile voyage an "amazing year." Next up? "Yeah, I don't know, just go chill with my friends," he said. "Go skate. Go do something normal for a change, you know."
Evan Smith, the editor-in-chief of Texas Monthly, announced on Friday that he will be stepping down from the magazine’s helm. Smith started at the magazine 17 years ago and became editor in 2000. Under his leadership, the magazine produced a mountain of great narrative journalism and aced out the glossies back east to win two National Magazine Awards for General Excellence. Smith is leaving to work at Texas Tribune, a non-profit media organization. Bidding his staff adieu in a letter, Smith wrote, “We've entertained, enlivened, and enlightened a generation of Texans, always showing them and the state they (and we) love a proper level of respect but never once flinching from telling the truth about the problems we face and the people responsible for them.”
The New York Times is calling it a "fiery sermon": President Obama's speech to the NAACP on Thursday broke from the executive's usual cool speaking style, as he passionately urged fellow African Americans to take responsibility for themselves and others in their communities. He said parents' responsibilities range from "putting away the Xbox and putting our kids to bed at a reasonable hour" to urging children to aspire not "to be the next LeBron or Lil Wayne" but "to be scientists and engineers, doctors and teachers, not just ballers and rappers." He continued with a political twist: "I want them aspiring to be Supreme Court justice. I want them aspiring to be president of the United States." Though Obama acknowledged the "pain of discrimination," he touted individual responsibility. As for his speaking style, the Times writes, "He was one part politican and one part black preacher." When audience members shouted back at Obama, he "threw back his head and laughed" and said "I've got an amen corner back there." He also found common ground with Newt Gingrich, Al Sharpton, and Mike Bloomberg in prioritizing education.
It’s survival of the fittest on Wall Street: The rest of the economy may still be in the gutter, but after posting stellar profits this week, Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan have risen to the top of the heap. Their positions show how the federal bailout has caused a consolidation of power among the elite. As Goldman and J.P. Morgan continue to grow and smaller banks like CIT near bankruptcy, it’s beginning to look like the government is feeding the rich and letting the poor go hungry. The New York Times reports these banks are capitalizing on the financial meltdown and the plight of their smaller competitors. But while they may be on top of the world for now, some experts predict that the two banks are enjoying a “fragile dominance.” There’s still an uphill battle ahead: J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon will take to Washington to argue against more regulation of derivatives and a new consumer-protection agency.
Whilst the South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was turning down President Obama’s stimulus money because he said it wasted taxpayer funds: The Associated Press reports that Sanford has charged the state $37,600 for one first-class and four business-class flights since November 2005, including one trip to Argentina that included time with his mistress. But don’t worry, South Carolina taxpayers: Sanford saved money where he could, making his aides fly coach. When he ran for governor in 2002, Sanford attacked state officials who charged taxpayers for travel. "This kind of lavish spending with taxpayers footing the bill just doesn't make any sense to me," Sanford said in a campaign ad. "If I become your governor, I'll fix that problem."
An important moment for civil rights: The Senate voted on Thursday to expand federal hate-crime protections to cover those physically attacked because of their gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disabilities. Senator Edward Kennedy originally proposed such an expansion to the 1968 hate-crimes act in 1997. President Obama strongly endorsed the measure, and the vote came after Democrats cleared a 60-vote hurdle to overcome Republican opposition to the bill. It passed the Senate floor 63-28. According to the Associated Press, “The hate-crimes bill was offered as an amendment to a must-pass defense spending bill that the Senate is expected to finish some time next week.”
You call this model behavior? Joshua Walter, a 20-year-old Hugo Boss model who became famous for being the “boy toy” of a 37-year-old teacher (with whom he still shares an apartment), was charged Thursday for involvement in a criminal ring that’s robbed 15 gas stations and delis in the last month. The model and his gang had mastered the holdup like a walk down the runway: They would allegedly go into a store—from a Dunkin’ Donuts (where the model apparently pistol-whipped a victim), to vegetable markets and gas stations around Brooklyn and Queens—steal the cash from the register, and then empty the pockets of everybody in the place. The gang was busted in its van on Thursday night, and was taken straight to a lineup. The slammer may be a far cry from the catwalks of Milan, but it looks like Wallace will have to get used to prison chic.
This should be something for conspiracy theorists to run with: NASA has released newly refurbished video of the July 20, 1969 moon landing, which it scrubbed with the help of the same company that restored Casablanca. According to the Associated Press, “The $230,000 refurbishing effort is only three weeks into a months-long project, and only 40 percent of the work has been done. But it does show improvements in four snippets: Armstrong walking down the ladder, which includes the face visor image; Buzz Aldrin walking down the ladder; the two astronauts reading a plaque they left on the moon; the planting of the flag on the moon.”
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