Graphic Video, NSA Cracks, Tokyo Summer

Syria: The White House has released graphic video of victims in the Aug. 21 Syrian gas attack as the administration continues to press its case for an attack. The pictures show victims, some of them children, convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

  Secretary of State John Kerry announced today that Saudi Arabia supports a military attack on Syria. Kerry said he believes more countries will sign a statement calling for a strong international response, but not specifically military action. About a dozen have signed so far.

President Obama is scheduled to make a national address Tuesday night. In advance of that he is granting individual interviews with PBS, CNN, Fox News, ABC, CBS and NBC that should air Monday night as part of his campaign to convince voters and Congress that it’s necessary to hit Syria.

National: The NSA can crack the data on iPhones, Blackberries, and Android devices, according to a report in the German weekly Der Spiegel. The magazine described the source of its reports as secret documents, but one of the authors of the article is a close associate of NSA leaker Edward Snowden. The NY Times reported earlier this week that the NSA is able to defeat most encryption on the Internet that guards bank transactions, net searches, trade secrets and emails.

World: Tokyo won the 2020 summer Olympics, beating out Istanbul and Madrid. The Japanese were glowing when they heard the news. Today the IOC will reveal whether wrestling, one of the original ancient Olympic sports, will be eliminated from the games.

  • Australia’s new conservative Prime Minister Tony Abbott promises to cut taxes and crack down on illegal immigration. Oddly, his party is called the Liberal-National coalition. Abbott handed the ruling Labour Party its worst defeat in 100 years.

Do You Know Me?: London Metropolitan police this week, vigilant after a palace break-in, stopped a man walking on the grounds of Buckingham Palace and demanded his proof of identity. It was Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, brother of the next in line for the throne.

The Yachting Set: The America’s Cup team Oracle lost the first two races of the final series on San Francisco Bay yesterday. Eleven wins take the cup. Racing in 50 mph catamarans, New Zealand clearly had the faster boat for the day. The Americans started the series with a two-race penalty after having made illegal modifications to their boat. The team backed by software billionaire Larry Ellison had one sailor ejected and was levied a $250,000 fine. Basically, they cheated.

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Wednesday, May 8, 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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