Gazette 100113

Tuesday October 1st 2013

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 LET THE SHUTDOWN BEGIN: Congress fails to OK spending deal; ObamaCare exchanges to take effect

House Republicans were engaged in a last-ditch effort to avert a government shutdown Monday, calling on the Senate to negotiate with them directly and resolve their differences over ObamaCare.
But as Congress fast-approached a midnight deadline, the two sides appeared no closer to an agreement.
“Republicans are still playing games,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid declared on the Senate floor.
The Senate earlier in the night rejected the latest Republican counteroffer that would rein in ObamaCare while still funding the government past midnight.
House Republicans have started floating the possibility of taking their disagreement to what’s known as a conference committee – a bicameral committee where lawmakers from both chambers would meet to resolve the differences between the warring pieces of legislation.
“It means we're the reasonable, responsible actors trying to keep the process alive as the clock ticks past midnight, despite Washington Democrats refusal - thus far - to negotiate,” a GOP leadership aide said.
Reid, though, said the Senate would not agree to the approach unless and until the House approves a “clean” budget bill.
Related story : US begins government shutdown as budget deadline passes

Al Qaeda Gunmen Take Over Yemeni Military Base

SANAA, Yemen — Suspected al-Qaida gunmen dressed in fatigues and riding in military trucks overran a key army base in eastern Yemen on Monday, security officials said, holding captive high-ranking officers and soldiers inside in the latest bold attack by militants there.
Security officials said the base in the large but sparsely populated province of Hadramawt is supposed to be protected by several checkpoints leading to its main gate, but that no security was posted outside the military compound when the attack took place.
The military sent in reinforcements and troops are now surrounding the compound, intermittently clashing with the attackers, the officials and a Defense Ministry statement said.
The Ministry said it has managed to evacuate the building but other security officials say there are still an unknown number of officers and soldiers inside.
The attack underscores al-Qaida's ability to exploit security lapses in Yemen, despite a dramatic rise in the number of U.S. drone strikes on militants there – including in Hadramawt – since President Barack Obama took office.
The group was blamed for an assault earlier this month that killed 38 soldiers in the nearby province of Shabwa.
In the Monday attack, authorities believe at least 15 militants stormed into the base on the eastern outskirts of the city of Mukalla.

Syrian jihadists wreak havoc as violence spreads into Iraq

From his desert compound near the green banks of the Euphrates river, Ahmed Abu Risha has been nervously watching as the jihadists he helped oust from Iraq with the help of the US army once again grow in strength all around him.
In towns and villages on the flat lands south towards Baghdad and in the communities that dot the sprawling desert west towards the border with Syria, militant groups are imposing their influence with brutal efficiency.
Random, savage and relentless violence is once more a reality in this part of Iraq, with almost daily bombings and killings stirring ghosts of a time, not long ago, when Anbar province was almost lost to al-Qaida and when hopes for a civil and stable country seemed futile.
But with Anbar again immersed in anarchy, Abu Risha's eyes are fixed far away from the reborn troubles at home, on battlefields far from his purview – across the border in Syria. There, as in Iraq, jihadists are wreaking havoc, attempting to assert themselves in a revolution that aimed to reorient a nation state, but is now increasingly dragging the region into chaos.
Abu Risha, and the tribal leaders of Anbar who helped drive the anti-al-Qaida movement in 2007 known as the awakening (in Arabic, al-Sahawa) are deeply troubled by what they are seeing.
"If somehow a democratic state is not eventually established in Syria, there will be a problem for all the region," said Abu Risha. "It cannot be an Islamic state."

Venezuela expels three US diplomats

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP): President Nicolas Maduro announced on Monday the expulsion of the top U.S. diplomat in Venezuela and two other embassy employees for allegedly conspiring with the political opposition to sabotage the economy and power grid.

Maduro made the announcement during a live TV appearance and said they had 48 hours to leave the country.

"Out of Venezuela,'' the leftist leader said, then added in English: "Yankees go home.''

He did offer any details on the diplomats' alleged transgressions but said they had met with opposition and labor leaders in the southwestern state of Bolivar, is home to a number of troubled state-owned foundries and Venezuela's main hydroelectric plant.

"I don't care what actions the government of Barack Obama takes,'' Maduro said. "We're not going to permit an imperialist government to come and bring money and see how essential companies can be halted and see how to take away electricity and shut down all of Venezuela.''

The expulsions come as Venezuela's economy looks increasingly troubled during the approach to Dec. 8 municipal elections. Annual inflation is at more than 45 percent and the government is running short of foreign currency.

Netanyahu's positive ties with Obama worry Israel’s far Right over Iran, Palestinians

Current and former Knesset members on the far Right expressed concern Monday that ties between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama appeared to improve at their meeting at the White House.
The Right expressed satisfaction in the past when relations between Netanyahu and Obama appeared strained and even hostile. They saw problems between the two leaders as evidence that Netanyahu was resisting American pressure.
But now that Obama and Netanyahu got along before the cameras in Jerusalem in March and on Monday in Washington, current and former rightwing MKs said they are worried on both the Palestinian and the Iranian issues.
“They looked relaxed, for now,” deputy defense minister Danny Danon said. “With all due respect to their words, we will have to judge their actions. We know there is an obligation [to diplomatic talks] on Netanyahu’s part and the will to make the talks succeed.”
Danon said that the Right was surprised by the Oslo process and the Gaza Strip withdrawal, and another surprise must be prevented.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro expels three United States diplomats

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has ordered the expulsion of three United States diplomats, accusing them of plotting with the opposition to sabotage the economy and the power grid.
Maduro said on Monday he instructed Foreign Minister Elias Jaua to throw out the diplomats.

Yankees go home 

"The officials have 48 hours to leave the country. Yankees go home," the leftist leader said in a public address.
Maduro named the diplomats but did not disclose which posts they are holding. A US embassy official was unable to confirm if they worked there.

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The president said the diplomats had met with the "Venezuelan far-right" - as he calls the opposition - to finance his opponents and "encourage actions to sabotage the power system and the economy".
Venezuela has endured blackouts for years, and the government has accused the opposition of plotting outages before.
Earlier this month, Maduro blamed the opposition for causing a major power breakdown that affected much of the country.
"The actions of the government of Barack Obama do not matter," Maduro said on Monday, accusing the US president of fomenting sabotage.

Fifty Shia sentenced in Bahrain

A court in Bahrain has sentenced 50 Shia Muslims to up to 15 years in prison on charges of forming a clandestine movement, reports say.

The 14 February Coalition has been a key influence behind the Shia-led campaign for more rights in Bahrain which began in 2011.
Bahrain, ruled by a Sunni Muslim royal family, accuses the youth movement of terrorism.
Sixteen defendants were given 15-year sentences, reports say.
Four were jailed for 10 years and the remaining 30 for five, according to a judicial source quoted by the AFP news agency.
Thirty of those convicted plan to appeal. Twenty were tried in absentia for their involvement in the 14 February Coalition, a network of secretive groups that organise protests online. 
Prominent among those sentenced was human rights activist Naji Fateel, who was given 15 years, according to the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights.

Chinese ships in disputed waters on National Day: Japan

Chinese ships sailed into Tokyo-controlled waters on Tuesday as Beijing celebrated its National Day and as Japan and the United States prepare for talks on their defence pact.

Four vessels from the Chinese coastguard entered the territorial waters of the Senkaku islands at around 9:00 am (0000 GMT), the Japanese coastguard said. China calls the islands the Diaoyus and says they belong to Beijing.
It came as US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Secretary of State John Kelly prepare to head to Tokyo for a meeting Thursday with Japanese counterparts Itsunori Onodera and Fumio Kishida.
Japan's hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants Tokyo to play a more self-confident role on the world stage and for its military to shoulder more of the burden of the defence pact with Washington.
The so-called "2+2" meeting will discuss operational arrangements for the Tokyo-Washington alliance, which were last amended in 1997, officials have said.

US generals retire over Taliban raid

The head of the US Marine Corps has ordered two generals to retire because they failed to defend Camp Bastion in Afghanistan from a Taliban attack.

Gen James Amos said Maj Gen Charles Gurganus and Maj Gen Gregg A Sturdevant "did not take adequate force protection measures" to stop the 2012 assault.
Two Marines died and eight other personnel were wounded.
The Taliban also destroyed six Marine Harrier fighter jets and badly damaged several others.
Fourteen of the 15 attackers were killed and one was captured. US Marines and UK Royal Air Force gunners were involved in the counter-attack.
In June, Gen Amos asked US Central Command to carry out an investigation and said he decided to take action against the two generals after reviewing the results of that inquiry.

Endorsing the inquiry's findings, Gen Amos wrote: "While I am mindful of the degree of difficulty the Marines in Afghanistan faced in accomplishing a demanding combat mission with a rapidly declining force, my duty requires me to remain true to the timeless axioms relating to command responsibility and accountability."

He added that Gen Gurganus bore "final accountability" for the lives and equipment under his command, and had made "an error in judgment" in underestimating the risk posed by the Taliban in the Bastion area of Helmand province.
Gen Amos said that Gen Sturdevant - who was in charge of Marine aviation in the region - "did not adequately assess the force protection situation".
Gen Amos asked both men to retire on Monday, speaking personally to Gen Gurganus at the Pentagon and by video conference to Gen Sturdevant, a Marine Corps official told Reuters news agency.
Both men agreed to the request, the official added.
Gen Amos also recommended to the Navy secretary that Gen Gurganus' nomination for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General be rescinded and that Gen Sturdevant receive a letter of censure.
Correspondents say it is a rare public reprimand of senior US military officers.
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Why I Am Cancelling My Documentary on Hillary Clinton

In late 2012, CNN Films approached me about directing a documentary. We discussed a number of potential subjects, and eventually settled on Hillary Rodham Clinton. The film would be ambitious, controversial, and highly visible. But I felt that it was important, that I was qualified to do it, and that I could be fair. CNN gave me complete control ("final cut") over the theatrical version, and a generous budget.
And then the fun began. The day after the contract was signed, I received a message from Nick Merrill, Hillary Clinton's press secretary. He already knew about the film, and clearly had a source within CNN. He interrogated me; at first I answered, but eventually I stopped. When I requested an off-the-record, private conversation with Mrs. Clinton, Merrill replied that she was busy writing her book, and not speaking to the media.
Next came Phillipe Reines, Hillary Clinton's media fixer, who contacted various people at CNN, interrogated them, and expressed concern about alleged conflicts of interest generated because my film was a for-profit endeavor (as nearly all documentaries and news organizations are). When I contacted him, he declined to speak with me. He then repeated his allegations to Politico, which published them.
CNN and I decided to publicly confirm the film project to clear the air. Immediately afterwards, the chairman of the Republican National Committee announced that the Republicans would boycott CNN with regard to the Republican presidential primary debates in 2016. Shortly afterwards, the entire RNC voted to endorse this position. This did not surprise me. What did surprise me was that, quietly and privately, prominent Democrats made it known both to CNN and to me that they weren't delighted with the film, either.

Senate panel approves former First Daughter Caroline Kennedy as US ambassador to Japan

A Senate panel has approved the nomination of Caroline Kennedy to serve as U.S. ambassador to Japan.
By voice vote on Monday, the Foreign Relations Committee endorsed President Obama's choice, the former first daughter who has promised to carry forward John F. Kennedy's legacy with humility.
Caroline Kennedy helped propel Obama to the Democratic presidential nomination with her endorsement over Hillary Rodham Clinton, the only time she's endorsed a presidential candidate other than her uncle Ted in 1980.
If confirmed, Kennedy would replace John Roos, a former Silicon Valley lawyer and top Obama campaign fundraiser.
At her confirmation hearing, Kennedy noted the significance of her nomination 50 years since her father's presidency, focusing on his tenure rather than his assassination on Nov. 22, 1963.

IG: ‘No evidence’ EPA used private emails to keep records secret

The Environmental Protection Agency’s internal watchdog said Monday there’s “no evidence” that EPA officials used private email accounts in order to shield official business from public view.
But the inspector general (IG) report on use of personal and secondary, or “alias,” federal accounts also criticizes the agency’s internal records oversight and training practices.
“The EPA lacks internal controls to ensure the identification and preservation of records when using private and alias email accounts for conducting government business,” the report released Monday states.

The report follows allegations by Republicans and conservative activists that senior EPA officials, including former Administrator Lisa Jackson, thwarted transparency at the agency.“EPA senior officials said they were aware of the agency records management policies and, based only on discussions with these senior officials, the [inspector general] found no evidence that these individuals had used private email to circumvent federal record keeping responsibilities,” the report states.

Attorney General Eric Holder gets 'mad' about shutdown impact

It wasn't quite a "Network" moment, but normally mild-mannered Attorney General Eric Holder showed a flash of anger Monday as he discussed the impacts of a looming government shutdown and the so-called budget sequester on rank-and-file workers at the Justice Department.
"This has real-world consequences for the employees of this department, who have to pay mortgages, who have to pay car notes, who have to buy groceries and I think that is something that people as they're trying to make their political points need to keep in mind: there are good, hardworking Americans who are going to suffer because of this dysfunction—and I’m mad about that," Holder said, jabbing his index finger towards reporters as he expressed his ire.
Blame for the budget disorder lies "primarily" with the House of Representatives, said the attorney general—who found himself at such disagreement with the GOP-led House last year that it voted to hold him in contempt of Congress.
"I have to say that this is something it seems to me can be worked through. People are trying to make a polticial point and I’m trying to run a Justice Department," a frustrated Holder said. "We’re trying to keep the American people safe. We're trying to keep crime down."
"A substantial number of people in the Justice Department, assuming that the dysfunction is not worked out in the House today, are not going to be reporting for work tomorrow. That is going to have a disruptive effect on the work of the Justice Department," the attorney general added. "We will certainly make sure that national security is protected. On the criminal side, our lawyers, our investigators will still be in the field, but on the civil side and in a range of other things the Justice Department is entrusted to do, we will not do the job that the American people expect of us."
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