Headlines

Politics

• Obama, Clinton Spar Over Obama’s “Working Class Are Bitter” Comment (Video)
  
• Clinton: Last Time She Went To Church, Fired Gun Not Relevant
• DNC Sues McCain Over Public Financing

US

• White House Condemns Olympic Boycotts
• Pope’s First Visit To America This Week, Bush Plans Unprecedented Welcome (Video)
  
• Artillery Shrapnel Lands Two Miles Away In Little Girl’s Bedroom, Kills Cat
• Polygamous Sect Mothers Appeal To Texas Gov. Perry For Return Of Children
• South Africa’s Immelman Holds Off Tiger And Wins Masters
• Yankees Dig Up Red Sox Jersey Cemented Into New Stadium By Construction Worker

International

• World Bank Calls For Immediate Action On World Food Prices
• UK Prime Minister Offers To Host Darfur Talks
• Dalai Lama Indicates Talks With Beijing Under Way
• Kenya Implements Peace Agreement, Names Opposition Leader Prime Minister
• African Summit Calls For Release Of Zimbabwe Election Results, Doesn’t Condemn Mugabe (Video)
• Iraq Fires 1,300 Soldiers And Policemen Who Refused To Fight In Basra
• Carter To Meet With Hamas Leaders On Peace Trip
• Explosion In Iranian Mosque Kills 12, Wounds 200 (Video)
• Iran Denies Provoking US Navy Again

Business & Economics

• GE Battering Sends Shocking Notice To World Markets
• Delta-Northwest Merger May Be Announced - Would Create World’s Biggest Airline
• Housing Bubble Burst Going Global
• There Will Be More Blood: Citi, Merrill To Announce Another $15 Billion In Writedowns

Photo of the Day

Hillary Clinton downs a shot of whiskey in a northwest Indiana bar on Saturday night.

Politics

Obama, Clinton Spar Over Obama’s “Working Class Are Bitter” Comment (Video)

Focusing on Pennsylvania’s critical primary next week, Obama spoke about the plight of the working class voter at a California fundraiser last week, saying, “So it’s not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations”. Clinton seized on the comment and has pounded Obama with it for days, calling the statement divisive, elitist, and condescending, and that “people don’t need a President who looks down on them, they need a President who stands up for them.” Clinton also said the comment only serves to reinforce stereotypes that Democrats are out of touch with working class voters - stereotypes she says contributed to Democrat defeats in 2000 and 2004. Obama apologized, saying, “Obviously, if I worded things in a way that made people offended, I deeply regret that”. He went on to mock her attacks, saying “Clinton ‘knows better’ than to attack him as elitist and out of touch. ‘This is the same person who took money from financial folks on Wall Street and then voted for a bankruptcy bill that makes it harder for folks right here in Pennsylvania to get a fair shake.’”

Clinton: Last Time She Went To Church, Fired Gun Not Relevant

“After a weekend spent making direct appeals to gun owners and church goers, Hillary Clinton said Sunday a query about the last time she fired a gun or attended church services ‘is not a relevant question in this debate’ over Barack Obama’s recent comments on small town Americans.”

DNC Sues McCain Over Public Financing

“The Democratic National Committee announced today it will file a lawsuit in U.S. District Court Monday to force Sen. John McCain to stay in the public financing system until he formally accepts the Republican presidential nomination in September.” The DNC claims McCain opted in to the public financing system de facto when he used the prospect of public funds as collateral for a campaign loan. McCain opted not to use public funds during the primaries after his campaign independently raised the money he needed. The lawsuit is not likely to succeed due to a number of tactical and substantiative issues with it.

US

White House Condemns Olympic Boycotts

“A top White House official on Sunday criticized foreign leaders who plan to skip the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing following China’s crackdown in Tibet, calling such actions a ‘cop out’ far less effective than the ‘quiet diplomacy’ the United States is pursuing. ‘The whole issue of opening ceremonies is a nonissue,’ said the official, Stephen J. Hadley, the national security adviser. ‘I think it is a way of dodging what really needs to happen.’” Britain’s Prime Minister Brown and Germany’s Chancellor Merkel have both announced they will not be attending the opening ceremonies.

Pope’s First Visit To America This Week, Bush Plans Unprecedented Welcome (Video)

“Pope Benedict’s first trip to the United States as pope begins Tuesday - a five-day visit to Washington and New York, including a speech at the United Nations. Benedict will deliver an unwavering message that society needs religious values, but this intellectual pontiff will do it in the most positive way possible. After making relatively little headway in his efforts to re-ignite the faith in Europe, America’s roughly 65 million Catholics seem anxious to hear him.” Only one other Pope has visited the White House - John Paul II during Carter’s Presidency - “and President Bush is pulling out all the stops: driving out to a suburban military base to meet Pope Benedict XVI’s plane, bringing a giant audience to the South Lawn and hosting a fancy East Room dinner. Bush has never before given a visiting leader the honor of picking him up at the airport. In fact, no president has done so at Andrews Air Force Base, the typical landing spot for modern leaders.”

Artillery Shrapnel Lands Two Miles Away In Little Girl’s Bedroom, Kills Cat

“A fragment of a two-pound artillery shell plummeted through the roof of [a New Jersey] home around 2:30 p.m. Friday, landing on their little girl’s bed - ultimately killing the family’s cat. The shell was fired off from the Picatinny Arsenal, the U.S. Army’s sprawling weapons research facility in Picatinney, 2.5 to 3 miles away. Ironically, the Army says the accident occurred while it was testing safer way to dispose of unwanted artillery shells.” Weapons testing has been suspended until an investigation is completed.

Polygamous Sect Mothers Appeal To Texas Gov. Perry For Return Of Children

“The mothers of children removed from a polygamous sect’s ranch in West Texas are appealing to Gov. Rick Perry for help, saying some of their children have become sick and even required hospitalization. Some 416 children were rounded up and placed in temporary custody 11 days ago after a domestic violence hot line recorded a complaint from a 16-year-old girl. She said she was physically and sexually abused by her 50-year-old husband.”

South Africa’s Immelman Holds Off Tiger And Wins Masters

Twenty eight-year old Trevor Immelman because the first South African to win the Masters since Gary Player did so in 1978. Immelman led the tournament for all four days of it and held off by three strokes Tiger Woods, who placed second again, as he did last year. Immelman was able to keep his game together better than his opponents, who with the exception of Woods repeatedly gave strokes to the challenging course and windy conditions.

Yankees Dig Up Red Sox Jersey Cemented Into New Stadium By Construction Worker

“A construction worker’s bid to curse the New York Yankees by planting a Boston Red Sox jersey in their new stadium was foiled Sunday when the home team removed the offending shirt from its burial spot.”

International

World Bank Calls For Immediate Action On World Food Prices

“The president of the World Bank on Sunday urged immediate action to deal with rapidly rising food prices that have caused hunger and deadly violence in several countries. Robert Zoellick said the international community has ‘to put our money where our mouth is’ and act now to help hungry people - ‘It is as stark as that.’ He called on governments to rapidly carry out commitments to provide the U.N. World Food Program with $500 million in emergency aid it needs by May 1.”

Europe

UK Prime Minister Offers To Host Darfur Talks

“British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has offered to hold peace talks on Darfur in London, his office said Saturday. News of the offer was timed to coincide with the Global Day for Darfur on Sunday, a day of events meant to raise awareness of the suffering in the Western Sudanese region.”

Asia

Dalai Lama Indicates Talks With Beijing Under Way

“The Dalai Lama said Sunday that ’some efforts’ at diplomacy were under way between his representatives and those of the Chinese government even as officials in Beijing continue to portray him as having orchestrated protests in Tibet that have led to a crackdown and violence there. As recently as Saturday, President Hu Jintao echoed other Chinese leaders who have accused the Dalai Lama of encouraging violence. Mr. Hu left open the door for dialogue but only if ‘the Dalai side stops activities splitting the motherland, stops activities scheming and instigating violence, and stops activities sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games.’” The Dalai Lama repeated his assertions that he had nothing to do with the violence, and noted that many Tibetans were unhappy with his nonviolent approach.

Africa

Kenya Implements Peace Agreement, Names Opposition Leader Prime Minister

“President Mwai Kibaki named rival Raila Odinga as prime minister Sunday, implementing a power-sharing deal after protracted negotiations over the agreement they signed more than a month ago. The two leaders had agreed to share power after weeks of deadly violence following the country’s disputed presidential election in December left more than 1,000 people dead and around 300,000 displaced.”

African Summit Calls For Release Of Zimbabwe Election Results, Doesn’t Condemn Mugabe (Video)

“A summit of Southern African leaders, meeting to discuss Zimbabwe’s electoral stalemate, concluded Sunday with a weak declaration that appealed for a quick release of the results and the conclusion that the country is not in crisis. The 14-member group has failed in the past to condemn President Mugabe for alleged electoral fraud and human rights abuses. The summit released a two-page report that said the elections were free and that the current government was legitimate as all the results have yet to be counted. The report did not condemn the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s decision to recount votes in at least 23 districts — where Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party claims discrepancies — even before the release of results of all votes cast.” Meanwhile, “Zimbabwe’s opposition has moved to block the recount of votes from nearly two dozen parliamentary races, saying the recount is aimed at helping Robert Mugabe, the president, to rig the election.”

Middle East

Iraq Fires 1,300 Soldiers And Policemen Who Refused To Fight In Basra

“The Iraqi government has dismissed 1,300 soldiers and policemen who deserted or refused to fight during last month’s Shiite-on-Shiite battles in Basra, it said Sunday. The announcement followed the admission that more than 1,000 members of the security forces had laid down their weapons during the fight, which Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki characterized as a campaign to restore law and order to Basra, a strategic and oil-rich southern city.”

Carter To Meet With Hamas Leaders On Peace Trip

“Former President Carter said he feels ‘quite at ease’ about meeting Hamas militants over the objections of Washington because the Palestinian group is essential to a future peace with Israel. Carter, interviewed Saturday for ABC News’ ‘This Week,’ airing Sunday, also said he would oppose a U.S. Olympic boycott and hopes all countries will join in the Beijing games.” Israeli officials are refusing to meet with him on the trip because of his planned meeting with Hamas and for his comments that compared Israel’s policies to South Africa’s apartheid.

Explosion In Iranian Mosque Kills 12, Wounds 200 (Video)

“An explosion in a southern Iranian mosque killed 12 people and wounded more than 200 after evening prayers Saturday night, Iran’s Fars news agency reported. While an initial report said a homemade bomb exploded, a local police commander said it appeared to be a case of negligent handling of live munitions inside the mosque. The local prosecutor and an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman suggested the possibility of sabotage had not been ruled out.”

Iran Denies Provoking US Navy Again

“Iran denied a report that several of its boats taunted a U.S. Navy vessel in the Persian Gulf on Thursday night. A U.S. military official told CNN Friday that the USS Typhoon, a small patrol craft, was approached by three small Iranian boats in a ‘taunting manner.’ ‘There has been no confrontation between Iranian boats and the U.S. [Fifth] Fleet,’ [Iran’s state controlled media] quoted an unnamed Iranian source as saying. The U.S. military source said U.S. Navy officers conducted bridge-to-bridge communications with the Iranian boats and two of them then turned away.”

Business & Economics

GE Battering Sends Shocking Notice To World Markets

General Electric Co.’s disappointing results, not just in its finance arm but throughout its businesses, put investors on notice that the problems with the U.S. lending system is sowing trouble throughout the economy. That threatens the bounce-back in the U.S. stock market, which had seemed to be on the mend after its deep winter plunge. Investors had hoped problems in the stock market would be confined to financial companies. Instead, the soft results from several of GE’s nonfinancial businesses serve as a reminder that a variety of companies had become dependent on cheap and widely available loans. GE reported an unexpected six percent drop in first quarter earnings on Friday, sending the stock down 13% and shocking world markets.

Delta-Northwest Merger May Be Announced - Would Create World’s Biggest Airline

“Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. may unveil their long-delayed merger announcement as early as Tuesday, said people familiar with the matter, in the latest move by airlines to grapple with high fuel prices and a softening economy.” The merger would create the world’s biggest carrier.

Housing Bubble Burst Going Global

“The collapse of the housing bubble in the United States is mutating into a global phenomenon, with real estate prices down from the Irish countryside and the Spanish coast to Baltic seaports and even in parts of India. This synchronized global slowdown, which has become increasingly stark in recent months, is hobbling economic growth worldwide, affecting not just homes, but also jobs.”

There Will Be More Blood: Citi, Merrill To Announce Another $15 Billion In Writedowns

“Citigroup and Merrill Lynch will heap further pain on Wall Street this week as they reveal additional sub-prime write-downs totalling $15 billion or more. In another sign of the intense pressure on leading banks, Deutsche Bank is attempting to offload some of its €35 billion of toxic debt to a consortium of private-equity firms.” Some analysts were hoping the worst of the writedowns were over. Since last year, banks have written off over $250 billion in bad loans and the IMF projected the total may reach nearly $1 trillion.