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Hillary Clinton is spreading an anti-terrorism message on her three-day visit to India, delivering a speech asking the country to do more to fight terrorism as well as global warming. Clinton is spending two nights at the Taj Mahal Palace & Towers hotel in Mumbai, a former target of the terrorist attacks that killed 166 last November. She called her decision to stay there a "rebuke to the terrorists," and met with business leaders in an area of the hotel that had only just been reopened since the attacks. “Americans share a solidarity with this city and nation," she wrote in the hotel's book. "Both our people have experienced the senseless and searing effects of violent extremism." Clinton is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit India, and she skipped a visit to Pakistan while in the area to show that India's relationship to the U.S. stands on its own.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Obama administration is discussing creating a specialized team with psychological expertise to deal with high-level terror suspects. The interrogators would reduce the CIA's involvement in interrogations—the intelligence agency is in the doghouse with Congress over allegedly withholding from them a secret plan to assassinate al Qaeda members. The team would recruit from the FBI, CIA, and Pentagon to find members who can "research, master, and conduct non-coercive interrogations of detainees." But should the CIA be running covert operations to assassinate Al Qaeda terrorists? Richard Clarke, national security official in the White House for three presidents, roiled the Bush administration when he apologized to the 9/11 families and said Bush and Cheney were so obsessed with Saddam Hussein they’d failed to protect America from the real threat. Now he enters the latest row by arguing that the CIA should be restricted to intelligence--but he still approves of assassinations if done sparingly. In a thoughtful piece in the Wall Street Journal he argues it’s the only way to reconcile national safety with democratic values.
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.
Tom Watson, oldest golf champion ever? The 59-year-old is leading the British Open after three rounds with a 4-under 206 total, only one stroke ahead of rivals Ross Fisher and Matthew Goggin. Watson was temporarily lagging behind on Saturday before he made a 30-foot-birdie putt at No. 16. Watson is just shy of 60 years old, and will become the oldest major champion in golf history if he picks up the win in the tournament's final round. Younger golfer Tiger Woods missed the tournament's cut on Friday for only the second time in his professional career.
Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation to the Supreme Court seems to be all but guaranteed as key Republican senators are breaking with Senate leadership to voice their support. After a solid performance in confirmation hearings, Republican Senators Richard Lugar, Olympia Snowe, and Mel Martinez said they planned on voting for her. “Judge Sotomayor is knowledgeable of the law, would be a fair and impartial judge and seems to have a good understanding of the limited role the judiciary plays in our democracy,” Martinez told the New York Times. While the news means that a Republican filibuster is now impossible without Democratic defections, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to vote against her confirmation. “Judge Sotomayor’s record of written statements suggest an alarming lack of respect for the notion of equal justice, and, therefore, in my view, an insufficient willingness to abide by the judicial oath,” McConnell said in prepared remarks he is expected to deliver Monday in the Senate.
Nelson Mandela's star-studded 91st birthday celebration just got a little more famous. French First Lady Carla Bruni will perform two duets with Dave Stewart, formerly of Eurythmics, at a high-wattage concert at Radio City Music Hall in honor of Mandela, The Times of London reports. The two will sing Bruni's composition "Quelqu'un m'a dit" (Someone told me) and Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind." Bruni is breaking her pledge not to perform until her husband leaves office because the concert will help fight AIDS, which killed her brother. The concert is the centerpiece of the worldwide celebration of Mandela, which organizers hope will turn into an annual Mandela Day. Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Queen Latifah, will.i.am, Wyclef Jean, and Cyndi Lauper will also perform. Unfortunately, Mandela is too frail to travel and will spend his birthday with friends and family at home.
Republican Party leaders are looking to Britain, to David Cameron's resuscitation of the Conservative party, for inspiration on how to revive their nearly comatose party. The Telegraph reports that three major conservative thinkers are on board. As the Telegraph put it, Bush speechwriter David Frum "advocated modernizing the Republican Party along Cameroonian lines" in his 2007 book. A year ago, New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote that Republicans should take cues from Cameron's Conservatives, who "want voters to think of the Tories as the party of society while Labour is the party of the state." Later, The Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes told party members to "pay attention" to Cameron because "What worked in Britain may work in America—probably a lot of it." Cameron's chief tactic? Appealing to moderate Republicans who think he's socially liberal and fiscally conservative.
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.
A little bit of history has vanished today. Henry Allingham, the world's oldest man and oldest surviving British veteran from World War I, has died at age 113. Allingham was the last known survivor of the Battle of Jutland, perhaps the greatest battle of World War I, reports CNN. The former soldier was dedicated to the military and the memory of fallen troops, and appeared at numerous memorial events in his later years. When asked how he'd want to be memorialized, Allingham said people should think of those who died in the war. "Remember them, not me" he said.
Barack Obama is following in the footsteps of former Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Bill Clinton by vacationing this summer in scenic Martha's Vineyard, playground for the rich and famous. According to The Boston Globe, it was confirmed by the first family's spokesperson that they will head to the Massachusetts island during the last week of August, and the Secret Service has already booked rooms at several hotels. Rumors were persisting for months about where Barack, Michelle, and the family would spend their vacation time. Obama has already had some quality time on the Vineyard: In 2004 he met Spike Lee in Chilmark after a fundraiser for his Senate race, and in 2007 he dined with Deval Patrick on the island before Patrick gave Obama his endorsement. The First Family will be quite popular during their stay—during the presidential primary, Obama won all six island towns—some by a 2-to-1 margin.
Paging Captain Planet: Yesterday, Britain was accused of dumping toxic household and industrial waste in Brazil and Ghana, The Times of London reports. The British Environment Secretary ordered an investigation into two companies linked to 90 containers of 1,400 tons of waste, including syringes, condoms, bags of blood, and diapers sent to Brazil. The companies receiving the waste said they were expecting recyclable plastic. A Brazilian official said, "We will ask for the repatriation of this garbage." In another case, The Times writes, "the Ministry of Defense was unable to explain how one of its computers was found by The Times on a notorious dump" in Ghana, where children as young as five dig for scrap metal and are exposed to harmful chemicals.
Are Iraqi officials forcing U.S. troops to fight with one arm tied behind their backs? According to The Washington Post, soldiers are chafing against new restrictions that stop joint patrols in Baghdad and allow U.S. supply convoys to travel only at night. With a recent uptick in attacks from Shiite extremists against American soldiers, one senior intelligence officer warned the Post that "some of the limitations that we have, that's a vulnerability they could use against us." The rules are another source of tension surrounding the June 30 withdrawal of American troops from Iraqi cities, a crucial transition in the broader plan to end the war. "Maybe something was 'lost in translation,'" Maj. Gen Daniel P. Bolger wrote in an e-mail discussing the restrictions. "We are not going to hide our support role in the city. I'm sorry the Iraqi politicians lied/dissembled/spun, but we are not invisible nor should we be."
NASA scientists working on plans to set up a lunar outpost by 2020 must first confront one serious issue: jagged, meteorite-fused space dust. The Wall Street Journal reports that the dust is far different than any found on Earth, thanks to constant bombardment by "micrometeorites," which generate intense heat and fuse particles into bits of glass, creating a dangerous material that threatens space suits and equipment. The lunar surface's unique character generates high demand for the stuff among scientists (imagine the envy around the office!) but therein lies the problem: only 227 pounds of it is on Earth, while NASA may need as many as 500 tons for research.
Did Mischa Barton crack up? The New York Post reports that the former star of The O.C. was allegedly so high on coke during a three-day bender that her friends called the cops because they were afraid she would kill herself. On Wednesday, the police took the 23-year-old star out of her Los Angeles home and put her under an involuntary psychiatric hold. California law allows authorities to hold a person for up to 72 hours if they are a danger to themselves or others--and Section 5150 is the same code used to hospitalize Britney Spears last year. Barton was due to fly to New York for the premiere of her critically-panned new flick Homecoming.
Out of power in the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, and facing a tough electoral landscape in 2010, the GOP received a rare—and much-needed—bit of good news with their latest fundraising numbers. According to The Washington Post, FEC reports have some key Senate candidates for the Republicans pulling in large hauls. Rep. Roy Blunt, running for an open seat in Missouri, raised $1.4 million from April through June, giving him a $400,000 lead over his likely Democratic opponent, Robin Carnahan. In Florida, Governor Charlie Crist has pulled in $4.3 million in the last quarter, the most of any candidate nationwide, and nearly four times as much as his leading Democratic opponent, Rep. Kendrick Meek. Still, the Democrats have some boasts of their own: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took in $3.3 million and has $7.3 million total, crushing his top potential opponent, Rep. Dean Heller, and his paltry $250,000.
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.”
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