Arab Fall and the Italian Job

Arab Fall: Thousands of protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square and around the country are demanding the resignation of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. Opponents claim the country’s first Islamist president is too focused on an Islamist agenda while allowing the economy to flounder. Morsi supporters are ask marching. Military helicopters flew over the demonstrations in Cairo.

> Syrian aircraft hit Homs in one of the more violent attacks on rebels in that city. Government forces also attacked with tanks and mortars. The Syrian government claims to have “killed many terrorists.”

National: Lawyers for the group behind California’s Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage filed papers Saturday asking the Supreme Court to stop the marriages once again. The motion says the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals acted too quickly when it lifted the stay on gay marriage after the Supreme Court let Prop 8 die. Supreme Court rules allow the losing side 25 days to ask for a re-hearing. San Francisco’s City Hall has stayed open through the weekend to let celebrating couples get married.

The Italian Job: An Italian monsignor who is an accountant in the Vatican financial office is under arrest accused of trying to help rich friends smuggle $26 million into the country to dodge financial controls. The plot failed. Msgr. Nunzio Scarano, a banker before he became a priest, was already under investigation for illegally moving $730,000 out of his personal account in the Vatican Bank into a regular bank.

The Chicago Way: Federal prosecutors are moving to seize the Chicago and Washington homes owned by former Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. and his wife Sandi. They also want to take an $80,000 retirement account. Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday for bilking his campaign accounts of $750,000. Ho wife, a former Chicago alderman, will be sentenced for failure to report $600,000 in income.

Hot: The National Weather Service says temperatures in the Southwest will continue to approach or exceed record highs, hitting at least 100 in parts of California, Nevada, and Arizona. The death of an elderly man in Las Vegas is attributed to the 115-degree temperature. The high for the nation yesterday was 127 in Death Valley, Calif.

Kicks: The Mizuno Wave Rider 16 running shoe worn by Texas State Sen. Wendy Davisduring her 13-hour filibuster of abortion legislation last week is now the top selling women’s shoe on Amazon. The hot pink sneakers have collected rave online political reviews, one of which says they are “Guaranteed to outrun patriarchy on race day.”

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Friday, March 29, 2024

Page Two

The Most Corrupt Justice

Monday, October 2, 2023

Democracy and Video in the Dark

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Page Two: Do the Right Thing

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Page Two: Sound Recall

Monday, September 13, 2021

Page Two: Cuomo Must Go

Friday, August 13, 2021

Trump and the Truth

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

The “Great” President

Monday, March 30, 2020

The Wright Stuff

Saturday, February 29, 2020

It's Been Said

"In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn. There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate, and I should have, no excuses."

-Andrew Cuomo, resigning as governor of New York after accusations of sexual harassment

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