Obama: US Misjudged, Yes Means Yes

Nation: President Obama admitted last night during an interview with 60 Minutes that the US had underestimated the strength of the Muslim extremist force known as ISIS and overestimated the ability of the US-trained Iraqi army to fight. “That’s true, that’s absolutely true,” Obama said to Correspondent Steve Kroft. The president said the Sunni extremists went “underground” while the US was fighting al Qaeda in Iraq, “but over the past couple of years, during the chaos of the Syrian civil war, where essentially you had huge swaths of the country that are completely ungoverned, they were able to reconstitute themselves and take advantage of that chaos.”

Kroft pointed out that by bombing ISIS the US is fighting the enemy of Syria’s Assad regime, which the US would like to see removed. Obama said, “I recognize the contradiction in a contradictory land and a contradictory circumstance.”

US led air strikes overnight hit Islamic State positions and facilities in four Syrian provinces.

World: Thousands of people continue to block roads and streets in Hong Kong’s pro-Democracy demonstrations. The police use of tear gas over the weekend to disperse the crowds only seems to have angered more people and fed the demonstrations. The Los Angeles Times reports that while the Hong Kong unrest has had worldwide news coverage, the mainland population is under an information blackout, including social media.

>Ashraf Ghani has been sworn in as the new president of Afghanistan, replacing Hamid Karzai in a peaceful transition of power. Karzai leaves office under a shadow of corruption and intransigence in relations with the US.

>Two people were killed and 16 injured when a “monster truck” with giant wheels ran into the crowd at a car show in the Netherlands. The truck was driving over a row of cars when it veered into the spectators. One of the dead was a child.

Party: Fifteen people were wounded early Sunday during a shooting inside a Miami nightclub. About 100 people were in the club when the shooting happened at about 1 am. Notable is the ages of some of the victims. Five girls who were hit ranged in age from 11 to 17.

Mystery: A family of five was found dead in a Springville, Utah home Saturday night. There were no signs of violence and no apparent cause of death, although carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected.

Luckiest Man: Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter took his last at bat in Boston yesterday driving in a run. It was his 3465th hit in a 20-year career. Jeter was replaced at first base by a pinch runner and he stepped off the field for the last time, shaking hands with base coaches, and tipping his helmet to the crowd.

Say Yes: California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a law requiring all state colleges and universities to adopt policies of affirmative consent for students involved in sexual activity. It’s the so-called “yes means yes” bill. It also says silence or lack of resistance does not equal consent. The bill does not give a script for how the conversation should go in the heat of the moment but we’re certain it involves a pledge of undying love for the next half hour.

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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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