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Afghanistan War. G.O.P. Support May Be Vital to Obama on Afghan War “Congressional Democrats are reporting disenchantment among constituents with a long Afghanistan conflict, but national security hawks still back.” Deputy Chief of Intelligence Is Slain in Afghanistan “Dr. Abdullah Laghmani was killed in a suicide blast east of Kabul, highlighting the lack of security even in areas without significant Taliban influence.”
Kennedy Memoir. Kennedy Memoir Doesn’t Ignore Lows “In a memoir being published this month, Senator Edward M. Kennedy does not shy from some of the less savory aspects of his life.” Kennedy expressed remorse over Chappaquiddick in his memoir “Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, in a memoir being published this month, writes of fear and remorse surrounding the 1969 car accident.”
Health-Care Reform. Obama Aides Aim to Simplify and Scale Back Health Bills “White House officials are looking for ways to simplify and scale back the major Democratic bills, lower the cost and drop contentious but nonessential elements.” States most likely to win under healthcare overhaul are home to its biggest foes “Wyoming, with an economy marked by farming, ranching and small businesses, has a disproportionate number of people without medical insurance.” How Obama's Push On Health Went Astray “Two problems have plagued the Democrats' health-care push: A skeptical public that sees little value in a new national plan and its perceived cost.” Obama to Address Congress on Health-Care Reform “After spending weeks on the defensive in the fight over his top legislative priority, President Obama will attempt to regain the initiative in the health-care debate with an address to a joint session of Congress next Wednesday night.”
S.E.C. The Madoff Files: A Chronicle of SEC Failure “Washington's top cop for Wall Street, hamstrung by bureaucracy and inexperienced investigators, failed to thoroughly pursue multiple warnings about Bernard L. Madoff's multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme, according to a scathing new critique of the Securities and Exchange Commission.”
Pfizer. Drugmaker Pfizer to Pay Record Penalty In Improper-Marketing Case “The Obama administration intensified its public campaign against health-care fraud Wednesday, putting drugmakers on notice that they will be forced to atone for improper marketing practices as prosecutors unveiled a record $2.3 billion settlement with Pfizer.”
Justice Stevens. Justice Stevens Hires Just One Clerk for 2010 Term “Justice John Paul Stevens has hired only one clerk for the Supreme Court term that begins in October 2010, and in the tea-leaf-reading world of the court, that is being taken as a sign he is considering retirement.”
Government Jobs. Federal Government Needs Massive Hiring Binge, Study Finds “The federal government needs to hire more than 270,000 workers for "mission-critical" jobs over the next three years, a surge prompted in part by the large number of baby-boomer federal workers reaching retirement age, according to the results of a government-wide survey being released Thursday.”
Swine Flu. Many U.S. Colleges and Universities Are Reporting Swine Flu “More than half of the nation's colleges and universities tracking swine flu cases are reporting infected students, with more than 1,600 cases within the first weeks of classes, a medical group said Wednesday.”
Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad Wins Approval of Key Cabinet Slots “Iran’s parliament approved all but three of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s 21 nominees for his cabinet Thursday, handing a victory to the beleaguered president.”
Japan. Japan’s New Leader Reassures U.S. on Alliance “Yukio Hatoyama told President Obama that the U.S. alliance was the basis of Japanese foreign policy.”
Diane Sawyer. At ABC, an Anchor Shift; for TV, an Image Shift “Diane Sawyer’s arrival at ABC’s ‘World News’ will alter the image of an avuncular male nightly news anchor.”
China Protests. New Protests Reported in Restive Chinese Region “Thousands of Han Chinese converged for a protest in Urumqi, the ethnically fractious city in western China that was wracked by deadly riots in July.” Chinese Protesters Gather in Urumqi “Protesters took to the streets in Urumqi -- the Chinese city torn by ethnic riots in July – criticizing the government for failing to protect people after attacks by assailants wielding syringes.”
Indonesia. Indonesian Quake Toll Reaches 57 “The death toll from a earthquake and its aftershocks continued to rise and officials said the figure was likely to increase significantly in the coming days.”
South Korea. S. Korean President Shakes Up Cabinet “President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea replaced his prime minister in a reshuffle that also removed the country’s defense minister, who had criticized Mr. Lee’s plans to curtail military spending.”
L.A. Fires. Officials are trying to push the blaze north into wild lands “At more than 150,000 acres, the Station fire is the largest in L.A. County history. Firefighters are working to direct the eastern front away from homes in Pasadena, Monrovia and Sierra Madre.”
Israel-Palestine. Israelis, Palestinians Hold High-Level Talks on Economic Cooperation “Israelis and Palestinians on Wednesday held their first cabinet-level talks since conservative leader Binyamin Netanyahu took over as Israeli prime minister in March, a tentative overture as the United States pushes for a full resumption of peace talks.”
Laura Ling & Euna Lee. Freed U.S. Journalists Give Public Account of Capture by North Korea “The American journalists detained by North Korean authorities for nearly five months admit in a newly published account that they briefly entered North Korean territory while reporting a story, but say they were "firmly back inside China" when North Korean border guards dragged them back across the frozen Tumen River into North Korea and 140 days of captivity.” Hostages of the Hermit Kingdom “Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the two American journalists released last month after being imprisoned in North Korea, tell their story -- and remind people of the story they wanted to cover.” Reporters Tell of North Korea Arrest Two American journalists freed by North Korea after four and half months of captivity have admitted that they did cross into North Korea.
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