NDN Blog

Leader: Carbon Trouble

- The G-8 countries agreed to an 80% reduction of carbon emissions by 2050, but failed to reach an agreement on near-term limits on carbon. The failure caused the leaders of major developing countries-- led by China and India-- to walk away from the deal, retracting the limits they had planned to announce today.  The negotiations were significantly complicated by the departure of Chinese President Hu, who left Italy on Wednesday to attend to the situation developing in the restive Xinjiang province in Western China.

Politics

- Chuck Schumer says he'll have an immigration reform bill ready by Labor Day.

- Even though most Americans live in or near cities, and even though their roads get used more than any other roads in the country, those areas are receiving less than their fair share of transportation funding.

- The NY Times editorial board applauds Gov. David Paterson for his legally questionable choice of  Richard Ravitch to step in as Lt. Gov and rescue the State of New York from itself.

Economy

- Jeff Immelt of GE argues in an op-ed in the Financial Times that innovation is the key for America to regain its greatness.  I concur.

- Perennial downer (yet perennially accurate) Nouriel Roubini sees not green shoots but yellow weeds that will likely turn into brown manure-- the job picture, he says, is way worse than we realize.

International

- DFID, the British version of AID, released a new white paper that sets a new course on aid and development for the British government in coming years. The Guardian wonders if Douglas Alexander, our friend and director of DFID, can end world poverty.  Here's the paper itself, if you'd like to check it out.

- The WaPo reports on some seriously harsh tactics being used by the Mexican government in the prosecution of the drug war going on within their borders.

- Hillary Clinton will be giving a major speech on foreign policy, centered around the concept of "smart power." This is a pretty clear attempt to raise not just her worldview, but also to raise herself onto the stage of players in the foreign policy community-- from which she, as Secretary of State, has been notably absent.

New From NDN

- We've got an all-star lineup coming to NDN next week for an event on the power of Twitter and other new social media to change politics here in the US and overseas.

- Jake wondered yesterday if the G-8 summit is even worthwhile anymore.

One More Thing

- Last, Warren Buffett tells us what it's like to take half a tablet of Viagra:

Leader: Healthcare is Hard

- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid jumped splashing into the health care reform debate yesterday, calling on Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus to quit trying to write a bi-partisan bill that taxes health benefits and kills a public option. Evidently, Baucus's attempts to accommodate moderate Democrats and centrist Republicans were leading to a bill that was uncomfortable for liberal Dems. 

- One of the trickiest questions lingering in the health care debate, according to the WaPo, is the question of how we'll decide when enough is enough with expensive procedures like MRIs.  If "rationing" isn't allowed, then who will say no to more care?

- The NY Times looks at the much-ballyhooed summits President Obama has been holding with the major stakeholders in the health care system, and wonders if the supposed deals we're making with each group to save billions of dollars might come with some kind of cost.

 - David Leonhardt of the NY Times explains his litmus test for health care reform: If the new system fixes the contradiction of high cost and mediocre care-- and he looks at prostate cancer care as a case study in the deficiency of the current system.

Politics

- A bipartisan task force assembled by the Council on Foreign Relations will recommend today that we need to overhaul our immigration system for national security reasons.  A big part of their reasoning is that, to maintain our technological, scientific and military edge, we more of the high-skilled immigrants who are currently capped by tight quotas.

- Reacting to the wild swings in the price of oil, federal regulators are considering restrictions on the speculative trading of oil, natural gas, and other energy products.

- The stimulus package passed back in February has been slow to have its effect on the economy, and rumors abound of a second stimulus.

- CQ finds that Arlen Specter has been a loyal Democrat since his switch-- more loyal than he was as a Republican.

Economy

- Google plans to introduce an operating system for small "netbooks," but believes the software will be able to power  full-sized PCs-- this is a big escalation in the Microsoft-Google software war.

- There's abundant speculation that India may come out of this economic crisis all right.  Martin Wolf explains what India needs to do to get there.

International

- Chinese President Hu Jintao has left the G-8 summit to return to China as unrest in Xinjiang province continues.  Clashes between Uighur and Han civilians rage on, with brawls and fights between men of the two ethnic groups in public areas within Urumqi, and Uighur women out in the streets, demanding the release of their husbands-- over 1,400 men have been rounded up by the state. So is this an Iranian-style crackdown, or were the Iranians conducting a Chinese-style crackdown?

New From NDN

- The White House announced yesterday that our own Joe Garcia would be joining the Administration as Director of the Office of Minority Economic Impact in the Department of Energy.  Simon did a roundup on our blog of all NDN's friends in the Federal government.

One More Thing

- Shortly past noon today, the time will be 12:34:56 7/8/9... Celebrate with me!

- Last, Zbig speaks on the nuclear agreement with Russia:

Leader: Nuclear Free World

- President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev came to a joint agreement yesterday to reduce their respective nuclear stockpiles by at least one-quarter, and possibly as much as one-third.  The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which was signed in 1991, expires this December, and this new agreement will replace it. The objective is to bring stockpiles down to around 1,500 from the ceiling of 2,200 imposed by START. Obama and Medvedev also made progress on what has been a hot subject-- missile defense.  The U.S. and Russia agreed to work together to assess the threats posed by North Korea and Iran, and to move toward creating a "joint center for early detection of hostile launches."

- President Obama also met with former Russian President and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, in what was a decidedly more restrained meeting. Obama came out of it with positive things to say, though he apparently didn't look deep into his eyes and see a man he trusted.

- The NY Times looks at how Obama's youth shaped his vision of a nuclear-free world.  And in other news reminiscent of the Cold War, Robert McNamara, one of the chief architects of the American engagement in Vietnam, died yesterday at the age of 93.

Politics

- Ezra Klein is glad to have Al Franken in Washington, but is more interested to see Franken the comedian than Franken the policy wonk.  Here's why:

There are a lot of policy wonks in this town. There are even a couple in the Senate. They don't seem very influential. In part, that's because policy wonks are better at being right than making other people look wrong. Franken, however, is sort of professionally-skilled at making people who believe foolish things look foolish. That's a toolkit that would be pretty useful in this town.

- Over at the Fix, Chris Cillizza counts the winners and losers in the wake of the Palin bombshell.

Economy

- GM and Chrysler went through bankruptcy proceedings much, much faster than most expected.

- Paul Krugman writes on the paradox of thrift, a subject Rob Shapiro discussed last week.

International

- Seven American soldiers were killed in Afghanistan yesterday, the deadliest single-day death toll in months.

- Unrest in Urumqi, in western China, carries on, as the state has deployed 20,000 troops to maintain order.  Approximately 156 have been killed, and over 1,000 have been injured in recent days.  The White House is deeply concerned about the unrest, but is waiting to make any comment.

New From NDN

- Zuraya took the Fourth of July as an excuse to tell you why immigration reform is our patriotic duty in her weekly immigration roundup.

- Mark your calendar for July 23-- the next time Simon will be giving a public presentation of his Dawn of a New Politics presentation.

One More Thing

- Speaking in Russia, President Obama forgot where he met his wife.  He's a mortal husband, after all.  Now all YOU have to do is fly your wife to New York for dinner and a show AND remember where you met her, and you'll be a better husband than Barack Obama!

- Last, Sarah Palin is a crazy lady:

Leader: Bewaracuda, Embarracuda

- Sarah Palin vaulted back into the national spotlight on Friday when she announced that, not only would she not be seeking reelection, but she would resign her post as governor of Alaska in the coming weeks.  Rumors and speculation immediately began to swirl-- was this in advance of a coming scandal? (the FBI says no), would she move into the media, perhaps host a show on Fox? (seems possible), or, most jarringly, is this the beginning of her presidential run?

- Andrea Mitchell had an early report that Palin has no presidential ambitions, but this has not been otherwise corroborated, and a media consensus seems to be growing that this must be the first, misguided step in a presidential bid. In Palin's breathless, aggressive speech on Friday, Jon Alter saw hints of help from minor league political professionals, and suggestions of national ambitions.

- Palin was surprisingly silent over the weekend, but did get in touch with the world via Twitter and Facebook. But her Lt. Governor did speak, and gave a more convincing reason for her resignation than she was able to muster: legal fees.

- Karl Rove is perplexed by Palin.  Mike Huckabee thinks it's a risky move. Ross Douthat thinks she blew it 10 months ago by accepting McCain's offer.  Bill Kristol thinks she's as qualified as President Barack Obama.

- Michael Tomasky no longer thinks Sarah Palin is a liar; now, he thinks she's so enamored with herself that she thinks she's telling the truth.  Ruth Marcus lays into Palin for being a quitter.

Economy

- VP Joe Biden went on This Week yesterday, and said, among other things, that the administration "misread" the economy back in January. This could be the beginning of the case for a second stimulus.

- The NY Times looks at the wild fluctuations in the price of oil over the past year, and identifies a problem of forecasting costs for businesses.

- Paul Krugman calls attention to the CBO's scoring of the latest draft of health care legislation-- the news is good, and health care reform is feasible.

International

- In Xinjiang, westernmost province of China, clashes between Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese left 140 dead yesterday. Xinjiang has a long history of unrest, but this is the largest incident in years.

- President Felipe Calderon of Mexico took a political blow yesterday, when his party lost control of the legislature. His party will likely be part of the majority coalition in congress, but the loss will likely hamper his legislative agenda.

- Deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya tried to return to his country yesterday, but his plane was unable to land, as the military had occupied the airport.  Clashes between Zelaya supporters and military forces following the event left 30 wounded.

New From NDN

- Simon rounded up recent musings on the economy on Friday.

- All-star blogger Jessie Singleton commented on President Obama's weekly YouTube address on Saturday.

One More Thing

- Last, our President speaks on Michael Jackson:

Leader: Helmand

- Early this morning, thousands of U.S. Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade pushed into Afghanistan's Helmand River valley, to attempt to retake the valley from the Taliban.  The Helmand valley is one of the hotbeds for poppy growth and opium production in Afghanistan, which serves as a major source of finance for the Taliban. Pakistani soldiers fanned out along the Afghan border to cut off a likely escape route for Taliban militants. 

- Shortly after the campaign began, the military reported that a Marine had been taken captive by Taliban insurgents in eastern Afghanistan-- an incident unrelated to the new offensive.  The U.S. military is doing what they can to retrieve him.

Politics

- Ed Luce writes for the FT that President Obama has entered "the most decisive phase of his presidency." He quotes Simon at length:

President Obama was elected to make Washington work in the national, not the special, interest... The greatest threat to his personal brand would be the sense that rather than taming Washington, it had tamed him - that rather than the visionary leadership he promised, he was just another politician.

- President Obama held a virtual town hall meeting in Virginia yesterday, taking seven questions on health care, including one via Twitter!

Economy

- The unemployment rate has risen to 9.5%, and the economy lost more jobs in June than anybody expected.  The LA Times looks at the possibility that we're headed into a "jobless recovery."

- In the past three months, the WTO has counted 83 new trade-restricting measures, despite promises around the world to avoid protectionism in this economic crisis.  The WTO has a full-time job combating these new measures.

International

- The opposition leaders in Iran continue to stand up to the leadership, refusing to accept Ahmadinejad's victory in the presidential election. Mir Hussein Mousavi was joined in his opposition by Mehdi Karroubi, another presidential candidate, and Mohammed Khatami, a former president and cleric.

New From NDN

- Rob Shapiro has a new essay on America's rising savings rate, asking whether it's a good thing for our economy.

- Simon has a new piece that excerpts from David Leonhardt's recent article, and stresses the importance of keeping our focus on the economy.

One More Thing

- Last, Stephen Colbert is just hilarious, and that's all I have to say:

Leader: The Honorable Al Franken

- The Minnesota Supreme Court roundly rejected former Senator Norm Coleman's arguments against the validity of the vote count from November's election, and he finally conceded defeat, eight months later.  Al Franken, the former comedian and author, will, this time for real, become the new junior senator from Minnesota, and could be seated as soon as Monday. Franken will be the 60th Democrat in the Senate, giving the Dems, if only theoretically, the power to overcome the filibuster.

- Politico sees two basic reasons that Norm Coleman had to give up: he was running out of money, and the courts had rejected every one of his arguments. The Hill runs an article on a separate subject that gains new relevancy from Franken's accession: In the House, a big Democratic majority means more defections.  Might the same be true in the Senate?

Politics

- The Treasury Department unveiled legislation yesterday that would establish the Consumer Protection Agency that President Obama described last week.  Banks have immediately made the destruction of this proposed agency a top priority.

- The WaPo and the NY Times both run pieces chronicling the Supreme Court's slant to the right since Roberts took over the court.  It seems unlikely that President Obama will have the chance to replace a conservative justice with a liberal one, so this trend will likely continue for years.

- Todd Purdum published a massive profile of Sarah Palin in the latest Vanity Fair.  I blogged about it yesterday. The article has apparently set off feuding among GOP leaders.

Economy

- Walmart has come out in support of President Obama's plan to overhaul health care. The nation's largest private employer supports the concept of requiring employers to provide health care for all their employees.

- Planned layoffs at U.S. firms hit their lowest level in June since March 2008.  This is the fifth consecutive month planned layoffs have fallen.

International

- The Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai, the chief political rival of President Robert Mugabe, said yesterday that an official he had appointed within the government had negotiated a deal with China for nearly $1 billion in loans.  Zimbabwe needs about $8 billion to rebuild its economy, but Western governments have been loath to pony up while President Mugabe remains in power, perpetrating the human rights abuses he is so famous for.

- Sweden takes over the helm of the European Union today, and has some big challenges in the coming months.  On the top of their agenda is keeping the Lisbon treaty alive, and they'll also be trying to bring the U.S. and China into a global carbon emissions reduction scheme at December's Copenhagen climate summit.

- Argentina has declared a Swine Flu emergency, after at least 26 people have died from the disease in recent days.

New From NDN

- Michael Moynihan notes two recent announcements from the Department of Energy that indicate the Administration is on the smart grid case.

- Simon and Morley had a knockout session at the Personal Democracy Forum on Monday.  Keep your eye on this space for a recap, possibly with pictures and things!

One More Thing

- Kathleeen Sebelius is surprisingly hilarious... perhaps she'll be giving Al Franken a run for his money as DC's funniest pol?

- Last, today's installment from the department of awesome clouds:

Todd Purdum drops ten thousand words on Sarah Palin in the latest Vanity Fair, and they hit pretty hard.  The profile is anything but flattering, and casts an image of Palin as a cagey, egocentric, aggressive politician characterized by a deep mistrust of others and a very informal relationship with the truth.

Purdum's new reporting focuses on her record as Governor of Alaska-- a tenure dominated by personality conflicts and a bulldozer approach to getting what she wanted. Her record in Alaska was a pretty clear predictor of her behavior on the campaign, and Purdum concludes that John McCain could have learned everything he needed to make a better decision if he had done a more careful review of her gubernatorial record.

A few gem quotes from the article:

This sort of slipperiness—about both what the truth was and whether the truth even mattered—persisted on questions great and small...

In every job, she surrounded herself with an insular coterie of trusted friends, took disagreements personally, discarded people who were no longer useful, and swiftly dealt vengeance on enemies, real or perceived...

More than once in my travels in Alaska, people brought up, without prompting, the question of Palin’s extravagant self-regard. Several told me, independently of one another, that they had consulted the definition of “narcissistic personality disorder” in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—“a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy”—and thought it fit her perfectly.

The whole epic article is worth a read.

Leader: Bern, Baby, Bern!

- Bernard Madoff, the maestro of a Ponzi scheme that swindled $13 billion from unsuspecting investors, has been sentenced to 150 years in prison-- should be long enough. The defense pled for leniency on account of Madoff's cooperation with investigators, but District Judge Denny Chin was unmoved, saying he didn't get the sense that Madoff had shared all there was to share, and described Madoff's actions as "extraordinarily evil."

- The sentence, which is three times longer than what the federal probation office suggested, has offered some solace but little relief for Madoff's victims, many of whom lost much of their life savings to his scheme.

Politics

- The Supreme Court ruled on the New Haven firefighters case yesterday, overturning a ruling endorsed by Judge Sonia Sotomayor, nominee for the SCOTUS. Our highest court decided that white New Haven firefighters were unfairly denied promotions when the city cancelled the results of a test that skewed to the disadvantage of minority firefighters.

- The White House is seeking to move the health care debate off the Hill and out to the people, the NY Times reports.  President Obama met yesterday with a bipartisan group of governors, who are presumably closer to the people they represent than their counterparts in the Capitol, and more in tune with the need for serious health care reform. 

- President Obama announced yesterday that his administration would be focusing like a laser on energy efficiency standards, to end the light bulb as we know it. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar stepped up yesterday as well, announcing that he would hasten the development of solar power fields in the West.

Economy

- The British economy shrank faster in the first quarter of this year than at any point in the last 50 years.

International

- Iran's Guardian Council certified the results of the June 12 elections yesterday, saying there was minimal evidence of fraud, and ending the recount more quickly than many had predicted.  The announcement touched off protests throughout Tehran, as people took to the streets to protest what they see as the theft of the election. 

- Protests broke out in the streets of Honduras yesterday, as demonstrators demanded the return of the deposed President, Manuel Zelaya.  They were chased and beaten back by the government's security forces.

- Today, the US concludes its withdrawal of troops from urban centers in Iraq.  Writes the WaPo: "This is no longer America's war."

New From NDN

- Dan has been live-tweeting from the Personal Democracy Forum conference.  Lots of cool stuff, lots of hilarious commentary.

- In her Weekly Immigration Update, Zuraya argues that immigration reform is a crucial part of any sensible legislative strategy.

One More Thing

- You are what you drive? Apparently.  A new study finds that the car you drive is as good a predictor as any of your political leanings.

- Last, Barack Obama charms the world by making fun of people's funny ringtones:

Leader: Recount and Protests

- A partial recount of the election results in Iran has begun, and the authorities in Tehran have extended the deadline to investigate electoral fraud.  But nobody expects this official results to yield any positive results for the protesters. After several quiet days, thousands of protesters clashed with government forces at a Mosque in Tehran on Sunday.  Still, the WaPo notes a weakening of the uprising in Iran, as the government has intensified its crackdown.

- The Iranian government arrested nine Iranian citizens working at the British Embassy on Sunday, accusing them of helping to foment the uprising in recent weeks.  They have released five of the nine already.

Politics

- President Obama praised the Waxman-Markey climate change bill that passed the House late Friday.  Obama spoke out against one provision in the bill that would impose sanctions on other countries that failed to cap their own carbon emissions, arguing that, in our current weakened global economy, such a measure would hurt everyone even more.

- The Hill takes a look at the GOP's uphill battle in the northeast... if they're to make any gains, it will probably be on the heels of an Obama stumble.

Economy

- Bernard Madoff will appear in court today to receive his sentence for his $65 billion Ponzi swindle.  Prosecutors are pushing for up to 150 years, but Madoff's lawyers are hoping for just 12.  I vote for 150.

- The WaPo reports that GE has received all the benefits of the government's bank bailout program, without any of the restrictions or conditions imposed on the other recipients (which is to say, actual banks).

- Christina Romer has an upbeat view of the American economy, expecting that the stimulus package passed earlier this year will have a big effect in the coming months.

International

- President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras was ousted in a military coup yesterday.  Zelaya had spent months trying to lift the term limits that prevented him from seeking office again, and the military stepped in just before a national referendum on those term limits.  The US government said it had been working for days to prevent this coup.

- Israel is open to halting new construction of settlements in the West Bank, as part of a broad peacemaking effort with the Palestinians.  The concession would not affect settlements already under construction, as President Obama had asked for, but it still represents a positive step.

New From NDN

- Dan wrote in his weekly New Tools post on an interesting information age quandary:  who is in charge of the internet? Who polices this 21st century Wild West?

- Meg put together all our recent work on healthcare and climate change legislation in a new backgrounder.

One More Thing

- The US Men's National Soccer Team lost a heartbreaker to Brazil in the Confederations Cup final yesterday.  After beating Spain 2-0 last week, the USMNST went up 2-0 in the first half on Brazil, only to give up three goals in the second half for the loss.  Still, this tournament marks another step forward for American soccer.

- While we're on the subject, here's an interesting video from after the US scored their second goal against Spain.  What you're listening for comes around 0:45 (h/t slev):

Leader: Speaking Out in Iran

- After four days of silence, Iranian opposition leader Mir Hussein Mousavi emerged and spoke out against the government on Thursday, vowing to continue his protests against the government's repression. He issued a rare direct attack on Ayatollah Khamenei himself, accusing the leader of "not acting in the interests of the country." The suppression of all kinds of media in Iran has made it extremely difficult for Mousavi to communicate with his followers in recent days, and for the opposition to organize themselves in any way. Likewise, the restrictions have made it difficult for us in America to glean any information about what's going on inside Iran currently. 

- Ayatollah Khamenei's harsh repression in the two weeks since the election have led to a loss of legitimacy not just within Iran, but across the the Shi'a world, reports the WSJ. The WaPo writes, meanwhile, that all over the Arab world, pro-democracy opposition movements are forced to take account and wonder why they have been so much less successful.

- Foreign ministers of the G8 countries are meeting presently, and Iran is at the top of the agenda.

Politics

- President Obama hosted a meeting of congressional leaders at the White House yesterday to discuss immigration reform. The president made clear he wants comphrehensive immigration reform by "early next year," though one major sticking point will be the question of what to do about the future influx of foreign workers.  Simon responded to the meeting with this post.

- The Senate draws closer to a compromise healthcare reform bill, though the question of a public option still lingers. Politico reports that Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus has pulled together a "coalition of the willing" -- seven Finance Senators with the task of finding a compromise.  We're glad to see our friend Jeff Bingaman on the list.

- In one of the most curious SCOTUS cases of the term, the court found unconstitutional a public school's strip-search of a 13 year-old girl suspected of hiding ibuprofen in her underwear.  In the 8-1 ruling, Justice Clarence Thomas was the one hold-out.

Economy

- Japan has put sanctions on Citibank, accusing the bank of conducting "suspicious transactions, including money laundering."

- Paul Krugman tells us the tale of two Baracks.  There's Barack the Wonk, who has glorious command of the issues.  And then there's Barack the Post-Partisan, whose primary sin is to seek compromise with an unreasonable opposition, where no such common ground exists.

International

- The American withdrawal from Iraq is, to everyone's surprise, going ahead on schedule, though a recent uptick in bomb attacks-- presumably meant to foster instability as US troops pull out-- is causing concern. 

- The Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has offered amnesty to the militants who have caused so much havoc for the oil industry in the Niger Delta.

New From NDN

- Michael Moynihan writes about Waxman-Markey, the little bill that could.  It's not perfect, but it's a good compromise.

- Morley Winograd and Mike Hais draw comparisons between Millennials here in America and those in Iran.  We're out to save the world!

One More Thing

- Last, it is my sad duty to report to you something you already know: Michael Jackson, the king of pop, has died.  A man who spent his early life in the limelight, and the prime of his life as a global pop icon, this marks the sad end of a life that had become a sad spectacle in recent years, as the oddity of Jackson's personal life overtook his success as a singer.  His passing, however, gives us the chance to remember him as we loved him best, and as he would surely hope to be remembered.  He was, at his best, nothing less than a thriller: