Cheat Sheet
The Best In Brief
Please register to manage your email preferences and comment on the site.
As if health care, green energy, and a (failed) Olympic bid weren't enough: The Obama administration plans to unveil a 35-page report pushing for sweeping changes to America's immigration detention system on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reports. Under George W. Bush, immigration-detention expanded sharply due to Dubya's tough stance on illegal immigrants; Obama's team will tackle a range of problems that have cropped up with the rising numbers of immigrant detainees, including medical care and phone access. The White House plans to seek private-sector solutions, while Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano plans to unveil a new classification system that will keep criminal and non-criminal detainees separate and will screen for medical and mental problems among the detainee population. America's immigration detainee system includes 32,000 beds at 350 local jails, prisons, and private facilities; 400,000 people cycle through the system each year.
Did the Secretary of Defense chastise General Stanley McChrystal, America’s top commander in Afghanistan, for publicly rejecting a suggestion—favored by Vice President Biden—to narrow American focus in the war? Sec. Robert Gates, speaking at a meeting of the Association of the United States Army, told an audience that “all of us taking part” in the discussion about U.S. options for the war in Afghanistan “provide our best advice to the president candidly but privately.” Gates’ statements, along with comments made by National Security Adviser James L. Jones on Sunday on CNN, were parsed as a subtle scolding of General McChrystal, who spoke out last week in London against scaling back the military’s effort in Afghanistan and focusing on the fight against al Qaeda over the Taliban. The Obama administration is continuing to debate McChrystal’s request for 40,000 more troops to the country on top of the 68,000 already deployed.
After a suicide bomber killed five people at the United Nations food agency's Pakistan headquarters on Monday, the U.N. has announced that it will temporarily close down the offices. The bombing, which U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called a "heinous crime," came one day after the new leader of Pakistan's Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud, pledged retaliation against Pakistan and the U.S. for a recent increase in attacks along the Afghanistan border. The bomber reportedly entered the building dressed as a security guard and was armed with 18 pounds of explosives.
In an effort to “lead by example,” President Obama signed an executive order today requiring agencies to “measure, manage and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions toward agency-defined targets.” The executive order aims to lessen the government’s carbon footprint by setting strict targets in a variety of categories, including a 30 percent reduction in petroleum use for fleets of vehicles and a 26 percent improvement in water efficiency by 2020, as well as a requirement that 95% of applicable government contracts meet certain sustainability prerequisites. “As the largest consumer of energy in the U.S. economy,” said Obama, “the federal government can and should lead by example when it comes to innovative ways to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.”
Expect to hear a lot of jokes about “green apples” over the next few days. Joining Nike, Exelon and PG&E, Apple left the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Monday over the group’s conservative attitude toward climate change and opposition to the EPA’s attempts to reduce greenhouse gases. Catherine A. Novelli, the company’s vice president of world-wide government affairs, wrote that Apple “supports regulating greenhouse gas emissions” and described the Chamber’s stance as “frustrating.” The business group recently called for a “21st-century Scopes trial” to determine the truthfulness of climate change.
Could Letterman's show get any more awkward? After last week's televised acknowledgement of having sexual relations with staff members, David Letterman apologized to his wife and staff during the taping of Monday night's episode. “I’m terribly sorry I put the staff in that position,” Letterman said, referring to the media attention garnered by his on-air admission. After thanking the staff for “once again putting up with something stupid I’ve gotten myself involved in,” the married host turned his attention to his wife, saying that she’d “been horribly hurt by [his] behavior” and that he “had [his] work cut out for him.” He closed the rambling interlude with a tongue-in-cheek item: "I'd like to apologize to the former Governor of Alaska."
The White House may be vigorously debating its options in Afghanistan, but one choice appears to be off the table. “I don’t think we have the option to leave,” Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday. “That’s quite clear.” On Tuesday, President Obama confers with a bipartisan group of congressional leaders at the White House about the war. “They’re an important part of this and the president wants to hear from them,” Gibbs said. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert Gates held back on his opinion on the Afghanistan strategy, saying only that "once the commander in chief makes his decisions, we will salute and execute those decisions faithfully and to the best of our ability."
In light of the decidedly mixed reception of his proposed health-care bill, Barack Obama has now turned to doctors for support on the issue. The president met today with doctors from each state, and sought to both encourage and publicize the support he's received from the American Medical Association and much of the medical community. "Nobody has more credibility with the American people on this issue than you do," Obama told the assembled doctors. The president conspicuously made no mention of the controversial public option, instead focusing on established parts of the bill such as capping patient costs and his promise that reform would enable doctors to spend more time with patients. "Every one of you here today took an oath when you entered the medical profession. It was not an oath that you would spend a lot of time on the phone with insurance companies," he said.
The tyrannosaurid family just keeps growing. Following the surprise discovery last month of a human-sized Tyrannosaurus ancestor, paleontologists have unearthed yet another T. rex cousin from the Gobi desert. Previously unknown to scientists, Alioramus altai had eight horns, a long snout, and a sleek physique: "Instead of [its] big bad boy... relatives, this one is more like a ballerina," said American Museum of Natural History’s Stephen Brusatte. Alioramus had two horns above each eye and two extended downwards from each cheek—a first for carnivorous dinosaurs. The cheek horns likely served as sexual ornamentation for attracting mates, much like a peacock's feathers. National Geographic reports that alioramus had an "unusually airy skeleton" and "thinner, steak knife-like teeth," suggesting a more diverse picture of the tyrannosaurids than scientists had previously imagined.
You can stop savoring the irony now: The Guardian is reporting that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not Jewish by blood, after all. Contrary to an earlier report in The Telegraph, the Guardian reports that the meaning of his family’s original surname, Sabourjian, is not “weaver of the Jewish tallit shawl,” but rather derives from “thread painter”—a profession not associated with the Jews in Iran. Two experts tell the Guardian that Ahmadinejad’s father was a religious Shia and that his mother is a Seyyede, the title given to women believed to be in the direct bloodline of the Prophet Muhammad.
Finally, a sports owner worthy of Marge Schott's mantle: Rush Limbaugh may be adding football team owner to his roster of controversial credits, according to Politico blogger Michael Calderone. Three groups have reportedly submitted bids for the St. Louis Rams, and the Limbaugh Group is one of them. The last time Rush made big sports headlines was when he stepped down from his role as an ESPN commentator in 2003 after claiming that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb’s popularity with the media was because he’s black. Seventy-five percent of the current league owners must approve the winning bidder, and keeping the team in St. Louis is a stipulation of the sale.
After months of speculation outside Condé Nast and nervous anxiety inside the magazine conglomerate, the company announced Monday morning that four titles are ceasing publication—Gourmet, Cookie, Modern Bride, and Elegant Bride—and 180 jobs will be cut. The decision comes after a three-month study by McKinsey & Co. designed to cut costs nearly company-wide. The end of Gourmet is the biggest surprise, as it has a storied history dating back to 1940 and Bon Appétit was believed to be the weaker of the food magazines. Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl also maintains clout within the industry. Cookie, the parenting magazine, was launched in 2005. Modern Bride and Elegant Bride were spinoffs of Brides, which will continue on.
Should parents be worried? A new parent survey indicates that the number of American children with autism has doubled since 2003, to 1 in 91. The National Survey of Children’s Health, which is largely based on unconfirmed information from parents on the health of 78,000 kids, is less official than the U.S. government study of six years ago, causing a debate over how many children actually suffer from autism. If the current figures are accurate, 1.1 percent of children have some kind of autistic disorder compared to 0.57 in 2003. Regardless of the exact numbers, researchers are concerned: "The study shows that the increase in autism is real—you can't have a genetic epidemic—there are environmental factors in play," said Rebecca Estepp, national media manager for Talk About Curing Autism (TACA). "This is a national health crisis. ... I don't know how it hasn't been declared a national health emergency."
Next stop, reality show? Levi Johnston has shot a television commercial as part of Wonderful Pistachio’s $15 million ad campaign. The ad features Levi cracking a nut “with protection,” referring to—calm your horses, Sarah Palin—the bodyguard standing by his side. Other B-listers starring in the ad campaign include Wee-Man, Christopher Knight and Adrianna Curry, and the Denny quintuplets.
Can some of Obama's trademark rhetoric heal hurt feelings in the gay community? Obama is set to speak at a gay-rights dinner on Saturday, the day before a rally at which he may be criticized. His speech for the Human Rights Campaign will make him the second sitting president, after Bill Clinton, to address the HRC. Obama has drawn a great deal of criticism from the gay community for not overturning the ban on gays and lesbians who acknowledge their sexuality from serving in the military and may be seeking to alleviate tensions in the lead-up to the National Equality March on Sunday.
All a late night host needs for an affair is a fold-out couch and a kitchen in his office. The New York Post reports that David Letterman has a secret bachelor pad inside his office in the Ed Sullivan Theater. The pad is "off limits to pretty much everybody" according to a Late Show insider, and if Letterman invited a paramour round, "she wouldn't be noticed coming on or out, or seen as something strange because she worked there." Last week, 48 Hours producer Robert "Joe" Halderman was arrested for allegedly blackmailing Letterman for $2 million. Letterman admitted on air to sleeping with staff members.
RNC Chairman Michael Steele has stepped in it… again. According to Politico, Steele found himself the subject of a stern talking to in a private meeting with Republican congressional leaders last month. The GOP’s congressional leaders—John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, and John Kyl, among others—summoned Steele to Boehner’s office to reprimand him for meddling in policy: Steele had recently authored an op-ed unveiling a seniors’ “bill of rights” without consulting them. According to people in the room, Steele grew defensive during the 10-minute discussion, perhaps because the RNC was planning to roll out more policy initiatives, but ended up insisting that he was a “fighter” who grew up in the streets, and would continue to defend the party.
It's a terrible time to be gay in Iraq. New York magazine reports that gay men are being hunted, blacklisted, beaten, tortured, raped, and murdered—with their mutilated corpses dumped on the street. The historically low-grade violence against gays (men mostly) escalated this February as a wave of anti-gay hysteria hit the country, possibly as an unintended consequence of broader peace in the region, which allowed Sunni and Shia militias to reposition themselves as moral enforcers, trading on anti-gay prejudice to garner public support. Gay Iraqis are an easy target, as they have no allies in Iraqi society. Although the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch rarely intervenes directly in a situation, the extreme nature of the violence against Iraqi gays has moved them to create a sort of underground railroad to ferry men to safety in less violent cities in Iraq, and from there to other countries in the Middle East and Europe.
Two months after his unexpected death, DJ AM has a new show coming to MTV. The network received permission from the late DJ’s family to air the documentary series filmed before his death, called Gone Too Far, which tracks addicts in the midst of addiction and rehabilitation. "Adam felt strongly that by doing this series he could help other addicts who were at a crisis point to get sober," said his family, in a statement. DJ AM was well known as a recovering addict, and reportedly struggled after surviving a plane crash last year which left four other people dead. At the time of his death, he had ingested a lethal combination of eight different drugs, which was later ruled to be an accidental overdose.
Always classy, Jon Gosselin has allegedly cleared $230,000 out of his joint bank account with estranged wife Kate. “He took $230,000 of the $231,000 we had,” Kate said on the Today show this morning. The move apparently came after last week’s announcement that Jon and Kate Plus Eight would continue without Jon, simply as Kate Plus Eight. Yet another point of contention between the couple is Jon’s request to halt filming on the show, something that Kate said has “ended our income and our paychecks and our opportunities.” Even so, Kate’s income will likely be bolstered by her upcoming show on the Food Network, rumored to feature Paula Deen and none of the eight Gosselin children.
Whither Gen. David Petraeus? The New York Times reports that Petraeus has “largely muzzled himself” from the war debate, and that his aides have taken to calling him “Dave the Dull.” Though Petraeus has not hinted he is interested in political life, “It is other people who are looking at his popularity and saying that he would be a good presidential candidate, and I think rightly that makes the administration a little suspicious of him,” says his former executive officer. Another reason for his quiet is that he is allowing Gen. Stanley McChrystal to be the administration’s face of the war, though The Times notes that Petraeus and McChrystal, along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen, are “united” in the view that the U.S. should boost its effort in Afghanistan.
Add this to the list of reasons to take candy machines out of schools. A recent study by British researcher Simon Moore of Cardiff University suggests that children who eat a lot of candy are more likely to become violent criminals, Time magazine reports. The study took data from the British Cohort Study, a long-term survey of 17,000 people born during one week in April 1970. Moore plumbed the data and discovered that 69 percent of people convicted of a violent act by age 34 ate candy almost every day as children, while only 42 percent of non-criminals reported the same. Moore said that he then adjusted the figures "parental permissiveness, economic status, whether the kids were urban or rural. But the result remained." It's unclear whether sweets contain compounds promoting antisocial and aggressive behavior or whether undisciplined children tend to eat sweets to excess, evidencing a lack of impulse control that carries through into adulthood. "This study really raises more questions than answers," Moore said.
A report by Neil M. Barofsky, the inspector general overseeing the government's bank bailout, isn't likely to make the TARP program more popular. According to the report, regulators incorrectly told the public that early bailout recipients were healthy, The New York Times writes, when in fact regulators were concerned with the health of several banks. The report charges the Treasury Department allocated billions of dollars to Wall Street banks in an inconsistent manner: Bank of America, for example, was given $15 billion last October, and $10 billion for Merrill in January, but if BofA hadn't bought Merrill, it probably would have received the full $25 billion in October. In contrast, Wells Fargo, which was acquiring Wachovia, received bailout money for both companies early on.
Internet users may flame each other, mock celebrities, and debate politics with rancor, but apparently they lose their critical eye when it comes to product reviews. The Wall Street Journal reports that according to Bazaarvoice Inc., which provides review software used by nearly 600 sites, the average online review is 4.3 stars out of five. According to the chief executive of Power Reviews, Inc., reviews are "like gambling. Most people remember the times they win and don't realize that in aggregate they've lost money." Web sites such as eBay have adjusted to the trend by switching to a system that counts just the number of one- and two-star reviews. Merchants with 3 to 4 percent low ratings could get kicked off.
Gustavo Dudamel made his debut as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic with a free concert at the Hollywood Bowl Saturday night. The 28-year-old from Caracas, Venezuela wowed critics, including Variety’s Richard S. Ginell, who wrote: “If the unprecedented level of hype and the equally unheard-of format for Gustavo Dudamel's debut as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic is any indication of the future, the music world may never be the same. Yes, the music world—not just the classical ghetto.” Tickets to the concert were sold out within one hour of availability back in August—and scalpers put them on sale for as much as $999. The concert included music from Alfredo Rodriguez, Andrae Crouch, and Stevie Wonder. Flea, the bassist from Red Hot Chili Peppers, took the stage along with teen musicians from his Silverlake Conservatory Ensemble. The night closed with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and fireworks.
Americans may have come home from Copenhagen empty-handed last week, but it appears we’ve had better luck in Stockholm: Americans Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider, and Jack Szostak were named the winners of the Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for their research chromosome replication, which has implications for cancer and aging research. According to the citation, they showed how chromosomes can be "copied in a complete way during cell divisions and how they are protected against degradation." The laureates discovered the solution in the ends of the chromosomes—the telomeres—and in an enzyme that forms them.
Things are getting testy in the war room: According to The Telegraph, Obama was “furious” over a speech in London by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, where the Afghan commander rejected proposals to rely more heavily on drone missile strikes and special ops against al Qaeda, saying Joe Biden’s preferred plan would lead to “Chaos-istan.” The next day, McChrystal was summoned for a 25-minute face-to-face meeting on board Air Force One on the tarmac in Copenhagen. “People aren't sure whether McChrystal is being naïve or an upstart,” says the Telegraph’s source inside the administration. “To my mind he doesn't seem ready for this Washington hard-ball and is just speaking his mind too plainly.”
Perhaps the Mona Lisa is smiling at the irony. The first thing tourists will see when they enter the Louvre won't be the Nike of Samothrace, but the golden arches. McDonald's is slated to open an eatery inside the Louvre at a new ticketing area, the New York Daily News Reports. Museum workers are worried that "very unpleasant odors" from the burger joint might waft through the museum. Although France venerates traditional recipes and haute cuisine, in 2007 it became McDonald's biggest market outside of the U.S.
For the first time in 18 years, the Dalai Lama will visit Washington this week without visiting the U.S. president. The Washington Post reports that the U.S. has persuaded the Tibetans to postpone a meeting between the Dalai Lama and Obama until after the president's summit with Chinese President Hu Jintao next month. The delay is part of a new policy toward China termed "strategic reassurance" which aims to convince China that the U.S. is not out to contain it. U.S. officials have explained to their Tibetan counterparts that they want to work with China on important issues such as nuclear weapons in North Korea and Iran. It's unclear whether the administration is responding to a particular Chinese demand, or simply throwing the Chinese a bone.
Lindsay Lohan may be an actress, party-girl, heck, even a singer – but after a disastrous fashion show in Paris, there’s one thing she’s definitely not: a designer. LiLo recently became the Creative Director at Emanuel Ungaro, and its ready-to-wear show in Paris was her big debut. And, in the words of Women’s Wear Daily, it was “an effort that was, quite simply, an embarrassment.” Lohan worked with the brand’s designer, Estrella Archs, “who probably got the job in part of her willingness to sketch in Lohan’s shadow.” The clothes that came down the runway were tight pink confections which looked “cheesy and dated."
Bonus time. Goldman Sachs will receive $1 billion if the troubled commercial lender CIT files for bankruptcy protection, the Financial Times reports. U.S. taxpayers, meanwhile, would lose $2.3 billion if the lender files for Chapter 11. Goldman extended a financial rescue package to CIT in 2008, just a few months before the U.S. Treasury bought over $2 billion in CIT shares to prevent it from going under during the height of the crisis. Goldman is entitled to demand the full billion under their agreement, but would probably agree to a delay in the payment, sources say. CIT is working to stave off bankruptcy through a debt exchange offer that would wipe out its equity holders. Goldman also holds credit insurance that would be paid off in the event CIT goes under. “The credit default swaps Goldman Sachs purchased to prudently manage the risk associated with the CIT financing are not a directional ‘bet’ on CIT, but were bought to protect against the possibility of a precipitous decline in the value of the collateral,” Goldman said.
President Obama took his chances on a high-profile visit to Copenhagen because the White House was getting a "clear message" that his presence could clinch the Olympics for Chicago, The Chicago Tribune reports. "The intelligence that we had from the U.S. Olympic Committee and Chicago bid team was that it was very close and therefore well worth our efforts," said Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House adviser. "The message was that...a personal appeal from the president would make a huge difference." President Obama first tried lobbying quietly through phone calls, and had not decided until a few days before getting on Air Force One that he would appear to make his bid in person. His failure to secure the Olympic bid has become fodder for the president's critics.
