political action news politics protest protesta action activism democratic good patriotism
July 6th - July 12th, 2008
Published every Sunday
@ HIGH NOON, USA/EST (5PM/GMT)

American Citizens Together politics political action news democratic activism activist progressive protest protesta
Click here for A.C.T. HomePage,
ACT A.C.T. American Citizens Together peace organizing resistence protest protesta politics political action democratic 
Click here for '5-Part Patriot Plan

Peace means no war no occupation no permanent bases no SOFA no trainers no advisors no counter-insurgent forces no violence no excuses

 

 political action news politics protest protesta action activism democratic Political_Action_News

Peace patriotic

 

Suspect in Anthrax Attacks Dead

After seven years a new suspect in the anthrax attacks on memebers of Congress and others was identified and found dead.

The sending of biological weapons through the mail started one week after 9/11.

anthrax_videoClick here for AP report on YouTube

After tainted envelopes were discovered on Capitol Hill and in several newsrooms in October 2001, the sight of hazmat teams clad in puffy space suits and gas masks became a common spectacle on the evening news, details.

The anthrax-laced letters that killed five people and severely rattled the post-9/11 nation may have been part of an Army scientist's warped plan to test his cure for the deadly toxin. The brilliant but troubled scientist committed suicide this week, knowing prosecutors were closing in, details.

The Anthrax Mystery Deepens

After suicide, feds consider closing anthrax case

U.S. Debt Now Highest in History

The Gross National Debt:

The U.S. federal deficit may reach a record $490 billion in 2009, not even counting the cost of the wars.

The new deficit estimate for this fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 is $83 billion or about 20 percent higher than President George Bush estimated earlier in the year, details.

Bush inherited a surplus of $128 billion when he took over the Oval Office. The deep debt is expected to challenge some campaign promises, esp. McCain's promise of a balanced budge and trillions in tax cuts for higher income citizens, details.

The estimate, besides not including the costs of the wars also takes no account of the potential costs of a full-scale Federal bail-out of the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who have been given a Federal guarantee in the housing bill that has just passed Congress, a government bailout that could costs billions or even tens of billions of dollars, nor consider the expected crisis in Social Security,  and the rising cost of Medicare, details.


The current National Debt exceeds $9.4 trillion

The per capita debt (debt averaged out for each person in the USA) exceeds $30,000

Debt has grown from $5.6 trillion to $9.5 trillion during the Bush Administration. details.

 

Bush's Debt Legacy

A Federal Court Rejects Bush's "Executive Privilege" Claims

Decision Likely to Reignite Investigations

Top Bush advisers may now be forced to appear at congressional hearings as early as next month.

A federal judge today flatly rejected one of the White House's most audacious legal claims: that presidential advisers have absolute immunity from congressional oversight. The White House claim of "absolute immunity," the judge ruled, "rests upon a discredited notion of executive power and privilege." details.

The ruling has implications for White House advisors Harriet Miers, Joshua Bolton and Karl Rove (see item about Rove,below). Most current accusations concern attempts to influence the Justice Dept.on who they hired and who was singled out for prosecutions., details.


This Week's Top Election Stories & Events
Vote
 Vote

 

For interactive state-by-state information poll info, check out USAToday's Electoral-Vote-Tracker

Justice Officials Repeatedly Broke Law on Hiring

Politics illegally influenced Justice Dept. jobs

Former Justice Department counselor Monica M. Goodling and former chief of staff D. Kyle Sampson routinely broke the law by conducting political litmus tests on candidates for jobs as immigration judges and line prosecutors, according to the government's inspector general's report released this week, details.

Blame places on top aides to former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

In one instance, Justice investigators found, Goodling objected to hiring an assistant prosecutor in Washington because ''judging from his resume, he appeared to be a liberal Democrat.''

In another, she rejected an experienced terror prosecutor to work on counterterror issues at a Justice Department headquarters office ''because of his wife's political affiliations,'' the report found. details.

Other Prime Time Issues

Iraq Suicide Blasts Cause Carnage


Afghan Farmers Killed in NATO Training Exercise



 

Anti-terror squads in India carry out raids


Petraeus: 'Long, Hard Slog' In Iraq




Congressional Committee Votes to Cite Rove for contempt

Charges against Rove for defying subpoena

A committee of the House of Representatives recommended contempt charges on Wednesday against Karl Rove, who was President George W. Bush's top political adviser., details

What happens now?

Since Rove is claiming executive privilege, it is unlikely the DOJ will take any action , details

Is it justice or a witch hunt?

Rove failed to appear before the committee, citing executive privilege, and the session came to be known as "the empty chair hearing, details

Pelosi says House approval of Rove contempt citation is possible, here.

 
Congressional Issues in the News
Congress in knots over energy;


Countdown TV Report on Steven's Indictment


More >>
Republican Sen. Ted Stevens indicted on corruption charges
The deadlocked is a over whether to give oil companies permission to drill in new areas, particularly offshore.

Bush and Republicans pushes for offshore drilling (and nuclear power plants),
Pelosi says "No." here

The stalemate also has also turned debate on a bill that would curb oil speculation into a parliamentary fistfight.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) Senator Stevens had just gained a star in the World Wide Web by a rather vigorous speech in Congress  concerning Internet Consumer Bill of Rights, where he declared: "The Internet is not a big truck."

"The Internet," Senator Stevens declared, "was a series of tubes," which led to flame of viral videos on YouTube. His position on Net Neutrality may have been the best but like many debates in Congress it was hard to tell for sure.

YouTube DJ Ted Stevens Techno Remix: "A Series of Tubes", here

 

 
This Weeks 'Viral Video Specials,
a unique contrast between newly released 'hard core,' hip-hop support and laid-back effete-satire support.

one_world
Our Multi-media collection is: Here.
Our Political Action News issues archive is: Here.

This Week's Editorial :
What could prove to be the greatest
and most foul lie in United States history.
 


If you like our weekly presentation of the news, pass on the link to others.

Discussion/Comment A.C.T. Email

 
To Bookmark this specific page, it's permanent link is: www.americancitizenstogether.org/ACT/ACT_080803