Necessary News

All you need to know to sound brilliant

Bush’s Newest Speech Crusade

• The President is kicking off another series of speeches to counter opposition to the war in Iraq, Americans’ impatience with the rising U.S. death toll, and anxiety about possible terrorist attacks. [AP]
• The first speech will be on Thursday to the annual American Legion convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. After that, the appearances will continue non-stop through the fifth anniversary of 9/11.
• The purpose of this series of speeches, according to the White House, is to remind Americans of steps the administration has taken to protect the nation. Oh, you mean Iraq?
• It’s the third time in less than a year that Bush has launched a series of speeches on Iraq and terrorism, and it’s not surprising he’s so eager to get out there. His approval rating is now at 33 percent, and the approval of his handling of Iraq is just as low, at 33 percent in the latest poll.

We ask that you hold your applause ’till the end of the last speech. Thanks.

People Are Talking About: Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld’s Speech

• President Bush, on how his speeches aren’t political: “My series of serious speeches, they’re not political speeches. They’re speeches about the future of this country.”
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• President Bush on Rumsfeld comments not being political. Nope, nobody being a bit political here today. No-pe. “If we retreat before the job is done, this nation will become even more in jeopardy. These are important times. And I seriously hope people wouldn’t politicize these issues that I’m going to talk about. We have a duty in this country to defeat terrorists. That’s why we’ll stay on the offense to bring them to justice before they hurt us and that’s why we’ll work to spread liberty in order to achieve the peace.”
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• Howard Dean on the Rumsfeld speech: “I believe Donald Rumsfeld is essentially an object of ridicule at this point. These ridiculous promises, they were going to pay for the war with Iraqi oil revenues. That money’s coming out of American taxpayers. For three months in Iraq, we could have totally fixed Mississippi and Louisiana as a result of what happened in hurricane Katrina. These folks who are leading this country have priorities that are wrong for America.”
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With 11 days until the anniversary of the attack, get ready for the politics to kick into high gear.

Plamegate: Armitage Confirmed As Source Of CIA Leak

• It’s getting more and more official. Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage was the source who revealed the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame to Robert Novak in 2003 [CNN] [New York Times]
• Lawyers say he acknowledged it himself, and two sources familiar with Armitage told CNN that the official revealed Plame’s role at the CIA almost inadvertently in a casual conversation with the syndicated columnist."Almost inadvertently.” Brilliant.
• Luckily for him, Armitage was not indicted by the federal grand jury that investigated the disclosure of Plame’s name to many journalists. But we hear that could change soon.

Geez, what does a villain working in the administration gotta do to get some credit around here?

Retailers Start Offering Affordable Homes For Katrina Victims

• When FEMA can’t get the job done, turn to Home Depot. [Reuters]
• Turns out that do-it-yourself retailers like Lowe’s Co. and Home Depot, Inc. are offering up new ideas about “how to build low-cost homes are giving Katrina victims an alternative to flimsy trailers provided by FEMA.”
• The new “Katrina Cottages” feature a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a front porch. They’re equipped with tin roofs, and walls that are resistant to mold and nasty termites. Another plus? They can withstand harsh rains and winds up to 140 mph.
• The cottages — being sold by Lowe’s — start at 544 square feet, though they can be expanded, and are built in a matter of weeks.
• More good news: Home Depot said it is backing a group that is providing factory-built modular houses to residents who lost their homes in the coastal town of Pass Christian, Mississippi. Even better: the company is providing $60,000 to $80,000 toward the cost of each home to make new mortgages more affordable.

Good people doing good things always makes us smile.

Study: Oil CEOs Make More Than You Ever Will

• Yesterday: Census Bureau declares 37 million Americans are living in poverty and that there’s been a reduction of median income since 2000 of 2.7% [Mic Check]
• Today: two watchdog groups released a report saying that the top executives at the 15 largest oil companies earned a total of $512.9 million last year alone. [Bloomberg]
• According to the study, conducted by United for a Fair Economy and the Institute for Policy Studies, pay packages for oil CEOs are nearly *three times* the size of CEO’s of similarly sized businesses.
• More comparisons: in 2005, the CEOs of the 15 largest oil companies averaged $32.7 million in compensation, compared with $11.6 million for all large U.S. firms.

In other news, we’re paying an average of $2.84 per gallon at the pump.

Thanks To Its New Counterterrorism Database, The FBI Knows You Like Twinkies

• Earlier this week, the FBI revealed its new counterterrorism database to reporters, in an effort to silence criticism that the agency’s technology is failing and outdated as 9/11’s fifth anniversary nears. [Washington Post]
• Some of the database’s highlights: its got 659 million records “including terrorist watch lists, intelligence cables and financial transactions — culled from more than 50 FBI and other government agency sources.”
• The giant data warehouse is part of the FBI’s effort to “connect the dots” between different pieces of information. The database allows searchers to cross-reference names and records, and has been called the strongest tool available to law enforcement and counterterrorism agents.
• But not everyone’s happy. Privacy advocates are saying that the database calls into question how long the government can store personal information, not to mention the citizens’ right to know what records are kept and correct information that is wrong.
• “It appears to be the largest collection of personal data ever amassed by the federal government,” said David Sobel, senior counsel of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “When they develop the capability to cross-reference and data-mine all these previously separate sources of information, there are significant new privacy issues that need to be publicly debated.”

One more reason to be embarassed for buying that Jessica Simpson CD.

Good News, Bad News

Next time your boss asks you to come in to the office on a Saturday, point him to this recent study: “Workers who clocked more than 51 hours at the office each week were 29 percent more likely to have high blood pressure than those who worked 39 hours or less.” Let’s check out the pros and cons. [Reuters]

GOOD NEWS

One more (legitimate) excuse to punch out at 4:59 PM.

BAD NEWS

Between your BlackBerry, your cell phone, your pager, and your laptop, something tells us shorter work days aren’t exactly in the cards.

Quote Of The Day

“Believe me, you could check, there are four or five different strains of venereal diseases more popular than Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld.”

— Paul Begala, cracking us up.

Speed Round

AUDIO: GEN. CASEY

Gen. George Casey sang a very familiar song today: “I don’t have a date but I can see over the next 12 to 18 months, I can see the Iraqi security forces progressing to a point where they can take on the security responsibilities for the country with very little coalition support.”

AUDIO: REP. SHAYS

Rep. Chris Shays, former war supporter, on the situation today in Iraq: “We made some huge mistakes that have cost the lives of our men and women and have extended this war and even raised the question of whether we’ll succeed.”

IRAQ

And we were *sure* we heard the Prime Minister say violence was on the decline. Several bombings across Iraq kill at least 39. [AP]

MIDDLE EAST

Kofi Annan demands that Israel lift its blockade of Lebanon. [AP]

MILITARY

Uh-oh. U.S. troops charged in Iraqi killing face hearings [AP]

SMOKING

I wanna see you quit now. The level of nicotine found in U.S. cigarettes has risen about 10 percent in the past six years. [AP]

HURRICANES

TODOS SE ATIERRA: Hurricane John upgrades to category 4 and heads for Mexico. [AP]

MANIAC

A mentally unstable man kills 1 and injures 14 around San Francisco. Cause of rage: the devil was coming to kill him. [AP]

YOUTUBE

Frustrated that no one was willing to listen to him, a whistleblower turns to YouTube to spread the message of Lockheed Martin’s flaws in the upgrade of security on Coast Guard vessels. [CBS]

IRAQ

Whatever politicians say, a civil war is going on in the most unlikely of places. In Iraqi hospitals, operated by the Shiite-run Health Ministry, Sunni patients are being abducted and killed at disturbing rates, according to doctors, government officials, and families. [The Washington Post]

WEATHER

Don’t mess with Florida: Ernesto drops to tropical depression. [AP]

DRIVE TIME

Your commute’s getting shorter. In other news you won’t believe, pigs fly. [AP]

DROUGHT

Feds ready $780 million for drought aid in the Midwest. [AP]

CALIFORNIA

Is L.A. the new Vegas? Deal in CA government may allows Indian tribes to increase number of slot machines in the state. [Washington Post]

LAW AND ORDER

Looks like someone needs to take a look at the 10 Commandments again...Lawyer charged with murdering neighbor. [AP]

GOOD-BYE

Actor Glenn Ford, famous for roles in iconic films like Gilda, The Blackboard Jungle and The Big Heat, dies at age 90. [USA Today]