Morning Media Summary
Tech:
Sen. Rockefeller: FCC Should Take Fox News, MSNBC Off Airways:
“SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV): “There’s a little bug inside of me which wants to get the FCC to say to FOX and to MSNBC: ‘Out. Off. End. Goodbye.’ It would be a big favor to political discourse; our ability to do our work here in Congress, and to the American people, to be able to talk with each other and have some faith in their government and more importantly, in their future.”
50 ISPs harbor half of all infected machines worldwide:
“As the classic method of combating botnets by taking down command and control centers has proven pretty much ineffective in the long run, there has been lots of talk lately about new stratagems that could bring about the desired result.”
Amazon goes Hollywood with new online movie studio:
“Amazon.com is getting into the movie business by opening Amazon Studios, with the goal of using the Internet to put fresh movies on the big screen.”
Call of Duty: Black Ops shatters more records:
“Following in last week’s unsurprising news, Activision have just announced that Call of Duty: Black Ops has smashed still more records. This time, it was the five-day worldwide sell-through record, formerly held by (you guessed it), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. That only sold $550 million worth of copies, making it the biggest theatrical box office / book / video game launch in history. This year, Treyarch‘s offering has sold through a terrifying $650 million, according to Activision‘s internal estimates.”
NYU professor to have camera surgically installed in back of his head:
“Ever have someone ask what you did over the weekend, only to draw a blank? Next time that happens to NYU assistant professor Wafaa Bilal”
Global Warming / Environment / Energy:
Professor Richard Lindzen’s Congressional Testimony:
“The House Testimony on global warming yesterday had a number of excellent presentations, and you can watch the entire video here.”
Insurance / Gambling:
Ireland: Gambling laws look likely to be overhauled:
“Gambling reform is on the cards in Ireland, The Irish Independent reported.”
Health / Safety:
New Obama Administration Health Care Guru: Double Counting? What Double Counting?:
“Is Donald Berwick, the controversial new head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, standing by the Obama administration’s double counting of savings in the new health care law? At a Senate hearing this morning, he declined to engage with official criticism of the administration’s claim that the the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act extends the Medicare Trust Fund.”
Economics:
FEC Likely to Allow Obama Bailout for Biden:
“In a flashback to the campaigns of yesterday, the Federal Election Commission released a draft opinion to allow President Barack Obama’s campaign committee to transfer money to pay for campaign finance penalties left over from Vice President Joseph Biden’s 2008 White House run.”
China’s SAIC buys nearly 1 percent stake in GM:
“General Motors Co. (GM)’s main joint venture partner in China, SAIC Motor Corp., says it has bought a nearly 1 percent stake in the American automaker through its initial public offering.”
GM’s Audit Flubs:
“Investors should steer clear of GM’s IPO due to auditing problems, says Francine McKenna, re: The Auditors”
How about a top income tax bracket of 91%:
“The highest tax rate is currently 35%, and if the George W. Bush tax cuts are allowed to expire, this rate will return to 39.6%. But charging the same tax rate for all levels of income above $380,000 is unfair. The highest marginal tax rate should be what it was during the Eisenhower years — 91% — and one way to reach it would be in steps of, say, a 1% increase for every $1-million increment in family income. That would mean that a family’s second million would be taxed at 40.6%, and the third at 41.6%. A family whose income exceeds $53 million a year would pay the maximum rate of 91% on each dollar above this sum.”
Chicago City Pensions are Broke:
“Why doesn’t this surprise me? Nice expose at the Chicago Tribune on city pensions. Click there and read the whole thing. We knew Illinois was broke. Now Chicago pensions are broke too.”
Congressional Members’ Personal Wealth Expands Despite Sour National Economy:
“Despite a stubbornly sour national economy congressional members’ personal wealth collectively increased by more than 16 percent between 2008 and 2009, according to a new study by the Center for Responsive Politics of federal financial disclosures released earlier this year.”
Legal:
First conviction unlikely to help Obama shut Gitmo:
“The first court conviction of a Guantanamo Bay detainee did little to push President Barack Obama closer to shuttering the island prison, making it increasingly likely his campaign promise will remain unmet by the time his current term expires.”
Airport staff ‘exposed woman’s breasts, laughed’:
“A WOMAN is suing over an incident where airport staff allegedly pulled down her top and joked about her breasts in public view.”
Sanford Airport to opt out of TSA screening:
“The backlash continues over those new TSA screening measures, and now one Central Florida airport has decided to go with a private security screening firm.”
Saying Enough is Enough Regarding TSA Airport Screening:
Video via Ron Paul
It Begins… Ohio Woman With Baby Describes Sexual Assault by TSA Agent (Video):
“An Ohio woman traveling with a baby was sexually assaulted by a TSA agent. She described her horrible experience with airport security agents on FOX News earlier today.”
Bills aim to use tobacco settlement money for school districts:
“Robert Bobb, the emergency financial manager for the Detroit Public Schools, has found a lawmaker to sponsor four controversial bills to help DPS and other deficit districts get out of the red in exchange for what some called “union-busting” reforms.”
Labor:
Workers picket against hospital:
“About 200 service workers — housekeepers, nurse’s aides and others — had walked a picket line at McKenzie-Willamette hospital by midafternoon Wednesday during a one-day strike against the hospital, a union leader said.”
Examiner Editorial: No union for Transportation Security workers:
“If you’ve flown lately, the odds are good that you had a rubber-gloved Transportation Security Administration agent touch you in places that would otherwise result in the issuance of an arrest warrant for unwanted groping. Even so, despite years of imposing increasingly invasive new security procedures, the TSA has yet to catch one terrorist. By contrast, the Washington Post reported in May that “at least 23” TSA agents have been fired since 2007 for stealing from passengers. There were also “at least eight unrelated incidents involving practical jokes played on air passengers, drug use, leaving a security post and falling asleep on the job.””
Transportation/ Land Use:
Appeals panel says Long Branch must pay $2M eminent domain award for 3 properties:
“Calling a jury’s verdict “unassailable,” an appeals panel refused today to reduce an eminent domain award and said Long Branch must pay $2 million for three properties in its redevelopment zone.”
High-Speed Rail Opposition and Support:
“If you ask 1000 people if they like the sun, some will probably say no. Now, high-speed rail may not be as important as the sun, but it is pretty darn important — it can save us tons of money and time, can create greatly-needed jobs, and can help us address environmental problems such as climate change, bad air quality, and water pollution.”