DEMOCRACY NOW!
Headlines for July 07, 2009
Uyghurs Widen Protests as Xinjiang Unrest Flares
New protests have erupted in China’s western Xinjiang region, two days after at least 156 people were killed and over 1,000 wounded in China’s worst ethnic violence in decades. Earlier today some 200 ethnic Uyghurs took to the streets to protest the mass arrest of more than 1,400 people following Sunday’s clashes. The two sides blame each other for the unrest. We’ll have more on the clashes in Xinjang after headlines.
7 U.S. Troops Killed in Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, seven U.S. troops were killed Monday in four separate attacks. It was the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan in nearly a year. Meanwhile, a Taliban militant group is claiming it’s captured a U.S. soldier who went missing last week. The militants didn’t provide any proof but the U.S. military has said it thinks the soldier was captured. Meanwhile Monday, President Obama unveiled a new agreement with the Russia government to grant overflight rights to U.S. military shipments headed for Afghanistan.
President Obama: “I just want to thank again the Russian government for the agreement for military transit that will save U.S. troops both time and money, and it is, I think a gesture that indicates the degree to which in the future Russian U.S. cooperation can be extraordinary important to solving a whole host of this very important international issues.”
U.S., Russia Agree to Nuke Reductions
Obama was speaking in Russia, where he met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The two announced a modest cut to American and Russian nuclear stockpiles of at least one quarter and as much as one third. Talks have centered on a new treaty to replace the START agreement on nuclear arms reduction which expires in December. Earlier today Obama held meetings with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for the first time.
12 Killed in U.S. Drone Attack in Pakistan
In Pakistan, at least twelve people have been killed in a U.S. drone strike in the South Waziristan region. Pakistani officials say the attack hit an alleged Taliban training camp. The U.S. has carried out more than 40 drone attacks in South Waziristan in the last year.
Zelaya to Meet Clinton in Washington
Ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya is in Washington today for meetings with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. It’s Zelaya’s highest-level meeting with a U.S. official since his overthrow last month. A group of right-wing Hondurans meanwhile have also arrived in the nation’s capital in an attempt to win U.S. support for the coup government. The group is expected to report back to the coup leaders on what kind of backing it can expect from Washington The unofficial delegation includes former Honduran president Ricardo Maduro.
Protests Continue as Funeral Held for Slain Honduran Protester
Meanwhile in Honduras, a funeral was held Monday for one of two people killed when Honduran forces opened fire on a crowd of peaceful demonstrators who had come to the airport to support Zelaya’s attempted return. The protester, Isis Murrillo, was nineteen years old. His sister, Rebeca Murrillo, vowed to champion the cause her brother died for.
Rebeca Murrillo: “With the death of my brother I want to move forward and keep fighting and supporting Manuel Zelaya. The people chose him not like [Roberto] Micheletti … My brother will give me strength, for him I will continue fighting for the homeland.”
Despite the threats of more government violence, protests continued in Honduras Monday with several thousand marching on the presidential palace.
Emmanuel: Obama Open to Dropping Public Health Plan
The Obama administration continues to downplay its stated commitment to a government-run public health insurance program. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said he think it’s more important to inject competition between insurance plans than it is to create a plan run by the government. Private insurers have opposed the public plan because they feel its cheaper costs would provide too much competition and potentially put them out of business. Emanuel’s comments echo recent statements from President Obama. At a White House news conference last month, Obama refused to call the public health proposal non-negotiable and said he hasn’t “drawn lines in the sand.”
President Obama, speaking June 23rd: “We are still early in this process. So, you know, we have not drawn lines in the sand, other than that reform has to control costs and that it has to provide relief to people who don’t have health insurance or are underinsured. You know, those are the broad parameters that we’ve discussed.”
Hospital Payment Cuts $45B Less Than Figure Sought by Obama
The White House meanwhile has announced a deal with the nation’s hospital industry to cut $155 billion dollars in payments over ten years. The agreement comes as part of ongoing negotiations with the health care industry to help defray the costs of expanding medical coverage for the uninsured. The figure is $45 billion dollars less than President Obama recently called for. In a weekly address last month, Obama said his aides had identified $200 billion dollars in hospital reductions over ten years. An industry executive told the Washington Post*: “There was no way we could tolerate $200 billion.”
Justice Dept. Probes Wireless Carriers
The Justice Department has opened a preliminary probe into whether large U.S. telecommunications corporations are abusing their market power. According to the Wall Street Journal, investigators will look at whether firms are unfairly blocking users from such services such as the internet calling program Skype. The probe will also focus on whether wireless giants such as AT&T and Verizon are stifling competition through exclusive deals with handset makers. On Monday, the chair of Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee, Democratic Senator Herb Kohl, publicly called for an federal anti-trust probe of the wireless industry.
Financial Industry Lobbies Against Proposed Consumer Protection Agency
The financial industry is preparing to escalate a lobbying and public relations effort against the Obama administration’s proposal for a Consumer Financial Protection Agency. Lobbyists have begun meeting with members of the House Financial Services Committee ahead of the proposal’s expected introduction on Capital Hill later this month. The Washington Post reports industry groups are discussing a propaganda effort similar to the campaign that derailed health care reform efforts under President Clinton in the 1990s. Among the proposals include a campaign similar to the ‘Harry and Louise’ ads that depicted Clinton’s health plans as an attack on free consumer choice.
Study: Link Emission Cuts to Rich Populations
In environmental news, a new study is calling for targeting emission cuts at wealthy people since the wealthy account for the most pollution of greenhouse gases. In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the authors write that emissions cuts should be higher not just for wealthier nations but for wealthier people, no matter where they live. Less than one billion people are believed to be responsible for half the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.
Vietnam War Architect Robert McNamara Dies at 93
And former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara has died at the age of 93. McNamara was one of the key architects of the Vietnam war, which killed at least three million Vietnamese, around one million Cambodians and Laotians, and 58,000 American soldiers.
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