Headlines

Politics

• Clinton: I Maybe Never Said Obama Cannot Win General Election
• Obama Has Another Blockbuster Month Raising $40 Million In March
• Clinton: Sniper Fire Is Funny

US

• 81% Of Americans Dissatisfied With Country’s Direction
• House Votes To Triple Funding To $50 Billion For AIDS Fight In Africa
• FAA Whistleblowers Were Threatened To Not Talk

International

• New Intelligence Assessment Upbeat On Iraq Progress
• Prepared? 1,000 Iraqis Deserted During Basra Fight
• Mugabe Launches Crackdown On Opposition And Journalists Over Vote Results
• China Dissident Crackdown: Essays Earn Activist A 4-Year Prison Term
• NATO Backs US Missile Defense Shield Over Russia’s Objections
• Uighur’s Protest Chinese Oppression By Disrupting Olympic Flame In Turkey
• Naomi Campbell Arrested For Attacking, Spitting On Police
• Venezuela’s Chavez Seizes Another Industry: Cement

Business & Economics

• Regulators: Bear Bailout Saved Taxpayers More Than It Cost
• ATA Unexpectedly Implodes, Leaving Passengers Stranded And Furious
• iTunes Becomes Nation’s Biggest Music Retailer As MySpace Launches Music Venture
• Merger Architect: Citi Merger A Mistake
• Rapper Jay-Z Signs $150 Million Deal With Live Nation

Video of the Day

Reuters news brief: Naomi Campbell arrested after attacking police in Heathrow, Madonna gets good adoption news, Seinfeld’s near-death experience, Britney Spears to appear on “How I Met Your Mother” again, Jay-Z signs $150 million contract with Live Nation.

Politics

Clinton: I Maybe Never Said Obama Cannot Win General Election

After ABC News reported that Hillary Clinton said Obama “cannot win the general election” to Bill Richardson during the call in which he told Clinton that he was endorsing Obama, Clinton’s campaign denied yesterday that she ever said it, though did so in a manner that gave her room to claim she was saying “no” to disclosing private conversations, not “no” to making the comment to Richardson.

Obama Has Another Blockbuster Month Raising $40 Million In March

Following a $55 million February, Obama reported raising $40 million in March, doubling Clinton’s $20 million take. Obama’s February rake is the highest ever in a Presidential primary, while his March represents the second-highest.

Clinton: Sniper Fire Is Funny

Appearing on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show, making fun of the debacle in which she claimed to have arrived in Bosnia under sniper fire as First Lady but was later embarrassed by news footage that showed her arriving to a flower-bearing welcoming party, Hillary Clinton joked that she was worried she wasn’t going to make it to the show taping because she was “pinned down by sniper fire”. Clinton’s original comments were condemned by ex-military officers, saying it was an insult to US troops who are actually in harm’s way and that nobody would forget what it was really like to be dodging sniper fire.

US

81% Of Americans Dissatisfied With Country’s Direction

“Americans are more dissatisfied with the country’s direction than at any time since the New York Times/CBS News poll began asking about the subject in the early 1990s, according to the latest poll. In the poll, 81 percent of respondents said they believed that ‘things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track,’ up from 69 percent a year ago and 35 percent in early 2003.” President Bush’s approval ratings remained essentially unchanged at 28%. In a dramatic turn in popular opinion, over the past year, the war on terror / Iraq and the economy have basically swapped positions in terms of being the most important issues with voters. Last year, the war was the most important issue, 40-12 over the economy, but now the economy is the most important issue, 37-17 over the war.

House Votes To Triple Funding To $50 Billion For AIDS Fight In Africa

“The House of Representatives voted 308-116 on Wednesday to more than triple, to $50 billion over the next five years, the money available for a program fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa and other stricken areas of the world. House Democrats, who voted unanimously in favor of the bill, were effusive in their praise of President George W. Bush, who promoted the global AIDS program that Congress originally enacted in 2003 and backed the House bill.”

FAA Whistleblowers Were Threatened To Not Talk

FAA whistleblowers testified before Congress yesterday that they were alternately threatened and ignored when they tried raising concerns over lapses in safety inspections and required maintenance. After it surfaced last month that Southwest Airlines was flying dozens of planes that had failed to undergo required structural inspections, the FAA fined the airline a record $10 million and ordered an audit of all maintenance and inspection records at all domestic carriers.

International

Middle East

New Intelligence Assessment Upbeat On Iraq Progress

“A new National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq cites significant security improvements and progress toward healing sectarian political rifts, but concludes that security remains fragile and terrorist groups remain capable of initiating large attacks, several American government officials said this week. The classified document provides a more upbeat analysis of conditions in Iraq than the last major assessment by United States spy agencies.”

Prepared? 1,000 Iraqis Deserted During Basra Fight

As more information comes to light from the failed Iraqi assault on Shia militias in Basra last week, the worse the Iraqi government and military appear. US military officials are now saying that during the heat of the battle, more than 1,000 Iraqi police and soldiers deserted the fight. The hastily-planned battle was initiated by the government to crack down on the militias, the first time the Shia-dominated government took a hard stance against who had previously been treated as allies.

Africa

Mugabe Launches Crackdown On Opposition And Journalists Over Vote Results

As election results increasingly point to a loss for Zimbabwe’s longtime dictator Robert Mugabe, government forces launched a crackdown against opposition advocates and journalists, perhaps telegraphing the government’s intention to remain in power, resorting to force if necessary. The opposition party has for days been reporting results showing a decisive loss for Mugabe, but the government’s delay in reporting official results has fueled speculation that it’s rigging the results.

Asia

China Dissident Crackdown: Essays Earn Activist A 4-Year Prison Term

Cracking down on dissidents after a series of embarrassing public relations debacles caused by human rights activists exploiting the international attention bestowed upon the Olympics, China sentenced an activist to a four-year prison term yesterday for a series of essays critical of the Communist Party that the government called “inciting subversion”.

Europe

NATO Backs US Missile Defense Shield Over Russia’s Objections

The Bush Administration won a critical NATO vote yesterday, with the security alliance agreeing to support the US missile defense system that the Pentagon wants to partly base in eastern Europe. Russia has fiercely opposed the system, fearing it will diminish their nuclear capability, despite US offers to collaborate with Russia and assurances the system is solely intended to protect against rogue nations such as Iran, Syria, and North Korea. Russia’s President Putin has threatened Poland and the Czech Republic over their cooperation with the US, saying Russia will point new nuclear missiles at the countries if they allow missile defense installations within their borders.

Uighur’s Protest Chinese Oppression By Disrupting Olympic Flame In Turkey

Uighur Muslims disrupted the Olympic flame relay in Turkey yesterday, protesting China’s brutal oppression of Uighur Muslims - relatives of Turks - in the northwestern portion of the country. Like Tibetans, the Uighur’s are using the Olympics to highlight their plight and press for human rights and autonomy from China. Much of western China consists of independent countries and ethnic groups that China has annexed and ruled with force.

Naomi Campbell Arrested For Attacking, Spitting On Police

Supermodel Naomi Campbell was arrested in London’s Heathrow Airport yesterday after launching into a rage when told one of her bags was not going to make the flight to LA and proceeding to physically assault and spit on police. Campbell is famous for her temper and inability to control it, and just last year was sentenced to community service after throwing a phone at her maid. Heathrow’s Terminal 5 has been a site of chaos since it opened last week, with problems ranging from not enough parking for employees to sophisticated baggage handling systems that don’t work.

Americas

Venezuela’s Chavez Seizes Another Industry: Cement

Venezuela’s Socialist President Hugo Chavez announced he is nationalizing the country’s cement industry with a plan to “modernize it” to ensure domestic availability as the nation faces a housing shortage. Chavez previously nationalized the oil industry, seizing all foreign oil companies’ operations, causing investment to flee the country and driving huge inefficiencies into the market. Chavez also announced he is seeking to impose a new windfall tax on oil, ostensibly to make up for the revenue lost by his ill-advised nationalization plan.

Business & Economics

Regulators: Bear Bailout Saved Taxpayers More Than It Cost

“The government sought a low sale price for Bear Stearns Cos. to send a message that taxpayers wouldn’t bail out firms making risky bets, a top Treasury Department official testified, as regulators offered Congress the first detailed explanation of the unprecedented rescue.” The regulators went on to say that the expense to the taxpayer would have been far greater had Bear been allowed to collapse.

ATA Unexpectedly Implodes, Leaving Passengers Stranded And Furious

ATA Airlines unexpectedly imploded yesterday after filing for bankruptcy on Wednesday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports after turning up for their flights. Many travelers learned of the carrier’s demise only after arriving at the airport to find signs saying the company had ceased operations.

iTunes Becomes Nation’s Biggest Music Retailer As MySpace Launches Music Venture

“Apple said on Thursday its iTunes online music store has surpassed Wal-Mart Stores to become the largest music retailer in the United States. Apple’s statement, citing industry data, came on the same day that iTunes faced a new challenge as MySpace said it had formed an online music venture with three record labels.”

Merger Architect: Citi Merger A Mistake

“The landmark merger that created Citigroup Inc. was a ‘mistake’ that failed to benefit the financial services conglomerate’s investors, customers and employees, said John Reed, who masterminded the $166 billion deal with Sandy Weill in 1998.”

Rapper Jay-Z Signs $150 Million Deal With Live Nation

“Jay-Z plans to depart his longtime record label, Def Jam, for a roughly $150 million package with the concert giant Live Nation that includes financing for his own entertainment venture, in addition to recordings and tours for the next decade. The pact, expected to be finalized this week, is the most expansive deal yet from Live Nation, which has angled to compete directly with the industry’s established music labels in a scrum over the rights to distribute recordings, sell concert tickets, market merchandise and control other aspects of artists’ careers.”