Defense hawks insist on sparing military from cuts (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Congress' defense hawks insist the military should be spared from automatic cuts triggered by the failure of the supercommittee to reach a deal on reducing the deficit.

No way, says President Barack Obama, who Monday vowed to veto any effort to undo the roughly $1 trillion in across-the-board cuts, half from domestic programs and half from defense.

"There will be no easy off-ramps on this one. We need to keep the pressure up to compromise, not turn off the pressure," the president said. "The only way these spending cuts will not take place is if Congress gets back to work and agrees to a balanced plan to reduce the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion."

The confrontation will play out in a politically charged atmosphere, with Obama's Republican presidential rivals Mitt Romney and Rick Perry already criticizing the commander in chief for the looming defense cuts.

Actually, those big federal deficit reductions wouldn't begin until January 2013. That allows plenty of time for lawmakers to try again to produce a debt plan, rework the cuts or hope that a new post-election cast of characters ? with possibly a different president ? will reverse them.

Protectors of the Pentagon budget argue that last summer's debt accord between Obama and congressional Republicans already inflicted enough damage. That law set in motion some $450 billion in cuts to Pentagon accounts over the next decade.

Defense hawks are backed up in part by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who warned of a hollow fighting force but implored Congress to produce a debt plan avoiding "cuts that will tear a seam in the nation's defense."

Now the supercommittee's failure sets the stage for the automatic cuts Panetta had feared. Combined with the earlier reductions, the Pentagon would be looking at nearly $1 trillion in cuts in projected spending levels over 10 years.

"Those who have given us so much have nothing more to give," said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., promising to introduce legislation to prevent the cuts.

Sens. John McCain of Arizona, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a member of the panel, said they would "pursue all options" to avoid deeper defense cuts.

"As every military and civilian defense official has stated, these cuts represent a threat to the national security interests of the United States, and cannot be allowed to occur," the two said in a joint statement.

But there's hardly unanimity in Congress. Deficit-cutting tea partyers in the GOP are siding with liberal Democrats in signaling they're ready to allow military reductions. In addition, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said they would abide by the consequences of last summer's deficit-fighting law ? and they control what legislation moves forward.

Freshman Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a tea party favorite, even questioned the legitimacy of the outcry over the military reductions.

"I think we need to be honest about it," Paul said in an interview on CNN Sunday. "The interesting thing is there will be no cuts in military spending. This may surprise some people, but there will be no cuts in military spending because we're only cutting proposed increases. If we do nothing, military spending goes up 23 percent over 10 years. If we sequester the money, it will still go up 16 percent. So spending is still rising under any of these plans."

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the planned Pentagon budget for 2021 would be some $700 billion, an increase over the current level of about $520 billion. The cuts already in the works plus the automatic reductions would trim the projected budget by about $110 billion.

If the automatic cuts go through, the Pentagon would face a 10 percent cut in its $550 billion budget in 2013. On the domestic side, education, agriculture and environmental programs would face cuts of around 8 percent.

Social Security, Medicaid and many veterans' benefits and low-income programs are exempt from automatic cuts. Medicare is limited to a 2 percent reduction.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said it is imperative for Obama "to ensure that the defense cuts he insisted upon do not undermine national security," as Panetta has warned.

McCain and Graham have been working on legislation that would undo the automatic defense reductions and instead impose a 5 percent across-the-board reduction in government spending combined with a 10 percent cut in pay for members of Congress.

The Senate resumes work next week on a massive defense bill, a possible vehicle for any effort to rework or undo the cuts. Prospects are still unclear.

"Flat out repeal of sequester? No," said G. William Hoagland, a former top GOP Senate budget aide.

Instead, Hoagland suggested that Obama could use Republican demands for an extension of the tax cuts enacted under President George W. Bush as leverage in negotiations to soften the automatic spending cuts. Congress must decide by the end of next year whether to extend the Bush tax cuts. Democrats want to allow them to expire for wealthy Americans.

Congressional Republicans and Democrats must also decide in the coming weeks whether to extend unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless and leave in place a payroll tax cut enacted last year to prop up the economy.

Another costly question is whether to fix Medicare's payment formula to prevent a 27 percent cut in doctors' pay starting Jan. 1.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111122/ap_on_go_co/us_supercommittee_automatic_cuts

cl p cl p andy rooney andy rooney groupon ipo groupon ipo breeders cup 2011

Italy's Monti gears up for key week of debt talks (AP)

ROME ? Italian Premier Mario Monti began on Monday what promises to be a whirlwind first week in office with a phone call with President Barack Obama and his first Cabinet meeting, during which he pledged speedy new measures to combat the country's debt crisis.

Monti's inaugural week will continue with meetings with key European officials to map out a strategy for combatting the debt crisis.

During a "cordial" phone call, Obama said he hoped to meet Monti soon and asked the premier to remain in close contact on the financial crisis and international issues, noting they both have forces in Libya, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Kosovo, Monti's office said in a statement. "President Obama expressed his full confidence in the premier, also in light of his recognized experience on the European and international stage, as well as the high competence of the members of the new government," the statement said.

Earlier Monday, during his first formal meeting with his ministers, Monti outlined the agenda and possible approaches to find efficient measures "to ensure the stability of the euro," according to a separate statement, which didn't provide details. He also briefed the ministers ? all experts including bankers, professors and business executives without previous governmental experience ? on procedures to agree "in the shortest possible period" on specific measures to present to Parliament.

The ministers approved a decree concerning the administrative functions of the capital Rome, as well as extending states of emergency for areas hit by recent flooding and measures to deal with an influx of illegal migrants.

Monti has pledged to reform the pension system, re-impose a tax on homes annulled by Berlusconi's government, fight tax evasion, streamline civil court proceedings, get more women and youths into the work force, and cut political costs.

While the deeper reforms will take more time, Monti has said the government would decide new austerity measures to address the crisis "in the coming weeks."

On Tuesday, Monti heads to Brussels for a first meeting with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy. On Thursday he is due to join German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicholas Sarkozy in Strasbourg for what Monti has said will be a permanent club of the eurozone's three largest economies to confront the debt crisis.

Monti is under enormous pressure to boost Italy's stagnant growth and bring down high debt, which at 120 percent of GDP is among the highest in the eurozone. This is not only to save Italy from succumbing to the debt crisis but to prevent a catastrophic disintegration of the common euro currency.

Monti was tapped last week to lead the country after Italy's spiraling financial crisis brought down media mogul Silvio Berlusconi's 3 1/2 year-old government. Monti's government of professors, bankers and business executives won back-to-back confidence votes in Parliament.

Yet debt worries continued to stalk the eurozone Monday, with Italy's 10-year bond yield up 0.09 percentage points at 6.64 percent while stocks were down 4.5 percent on the Milan stock index.

Europe has already bailed out three small countries ? Greece, Ireland and Portugal ? but the Italian economy, the third-largest in the 17-nation eurozone, is too big for Europe to rescue.

The European Central Bank has been buying up Italian government bonds in a bid to keep borrowing rates down. The ECB said Monday its purchases picked up last week to nearly euro8 billion ($10.8 billion), up from euro4.48 billion the previous week. The ECB doesn't break down what countries' bonds it buys, but traders say it focuses on Italy to keep the country's markets stable.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111121/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_italy_financial_crisis

bad lip reading gilad shalit gilad shalit santonio holmes john edward psychic john edward psychic brandon marshall

Missing millions at MF may be double initial estimate

By Patrick Rizzo

More than?$1.2 billion of customers' funds may be missing from?the accounts of a brokerage formerly?run by former New Jersey Gov.? Jon Corzine, double?previous estimates, the court-appointed trustee overseeing the brokerage's bankruptcy said Monday.

"At present, the Trustee believes that even if he recovers everything that is at U.S. depositories, the apparent shortfall in what MF Global management should have segregated at U.S. depositories may be as much as $1.2 billion or more," the trustee, James W. Giddens said in a statement.

The statement?released by the trustee's office said?even?that estimate was preliminary and could change.

MF Global filed for bankruptcy Oct. 31 after succumbing to a slew of bad bets on European debt. A bevy of regulators, including the FBI, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission?and the Securities and Exchange Commission, is probing whether MF Global tried to stave off its losses by using funds in clients' accounts. If the firm did so, it may have violated securities regulations.

Neither the firm nor Corzine, a former Goldman Sachs CEO, have been?accused of wrongdoing.

Last week, Commission Bart Chilton of the CFTC,?said that while he could not comment specifically about the investigation, the activity at MF Global?prior to its bankruptcy looked "suspicious as heck."?A spokesman?for the CFTC said Chilton was?gathering more information and could not comment yet on the announcement by the trustee.?

The SEC declined to comment.

????

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/21/8932762-missing-millions-at-mf-may-be-double-initally-thought

braxton miller braxton miller noreaster noreaster steve miller band boston weather kara dioguardi

Criminal probe into online mortgage scams widens (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO ? A criminal investigation into mortgage swindlers has expanded beyond deceptive advertising on Google's Internet search engine to root out con artists who were luring their victims on Bing and Yahoo, too.

Monday's news of the widening probe confirmed that the Internet's three largest search engines had been turned into tools of prey for crooks looking to bilk homeowners scrambling to avoid foreclosure. The scams involved online ads making bogus promises of help people hold onto their homes under a government-backed program to modify mortgage payments.

After finding their victims using ads triggered by phrases such as "stop foreclosure," the swindlers extracted upfront fees or arranged to have the mortgage payments sent them without providing any assistance. The ruses had become increasingly common.

The crackdown had shuttered 125 mortgage scams by Monday, up from 85 last week, when the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program announced it was cleaning up the misconduct on Google. The U.S. Treasury Department division said many of the con artists bought ads on all three search engines.

The identities of the alleged swindlers haven't been disclosed, partly because the criminal investigation is still open. A spokesman for agency steering the investigation declined to provide any further details Monday.

Like Google Inc., Microsoft Corp.'s Bing search engine agreed to stop accepting ads from hundreds of Internet advertisers and agencies tied to the scams. The ban also applies to Yahoo Inc., because it depends on Microsoft to sell its search advertising as part of a revenue-sharing partnership.

"Microsoft is committed to preventing fraud within its advertising network and online community and is working closely with the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program to help tackle the problem of fraudulent mortgage-modification advertising," the software maker said in a statement.

The mortgage scams are the latest example of marketing malfeasance on large Internet advertising networks. Critics have complained the largely automated systems for buying ads next to Internet search results are vulnerable to abuse and that the companies running them aren't doing enough to screen the marketing pitches before they appear on websites.

The criminal investigation into fraudulent mortgage ads is surfacing three months after Google agreed to pay $500 million to avoid prosecution in Rhode Island for profiting from online ads from Canadian pharmacies that illegally sold drugs in the U.S.

Consumer Watchdog, a group that published a study about mortgage ad scams nine months ago, is calling for criminal charges and financial penalties against the major search engines in the current investigation.

"These Internet company executives were active enablers of fraud against vulnerable homeowners," said John Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog's privacy project. "They cannot be allowed to benefit from these ill-gotten gains."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111121/ap_on_hi_te/us_microsoft_yahoo_mortgage_fraud

there will be blood there will be blood super committee rich rodriguez rich rodriguez verlander verlander

Washington Redskins Should Tank the Remainder of the 2011 NFL Season

The Washington Redskins have looked abysmal over the past few weeks. Their offense has been unable to move the ball and score points. In the past three weeks, they have scored one touchdown and only 20 points.

Is there any hope that they turn it around and finish the season strong? To put it quite frankly, no and any true fan wouldn't want them to.?

The Redskins? best hope for next season is to tank this season. The Redskins need to reload, and to best do so, they need high draft choices.

Right now the Redskins are a team without depth and without offensive playmakers. Roy Helu is the most explosive player for the Redskins currently. Leonard Hankerson showed a flash of brilliance before he suffered a season-ending injury. Fred Davis has been a quality find as well.

Despite these bright spots, the Redskins still have too many holes. Their offensive line depth is weak. They don?t have a No. 1 receiver. Most importantly, they don?t have a franchise quarterback or, quite frankly, a NFL starting quarterback.

Instead, Washington has John Beck and Rex Grossman, two journeymen who will likely part ways with the 'Skins after this season. The biggest mistake in last year?s draft was passing on Ryan Mallett in both the late second and third round. Having a viable rookie would have at least been interesting this time of year.

Rest assured that the Redskins will not make the same mistake again. They will draft a quarterback whom they believe can be the franchise player that Washington has needed.

In order to get the best possible quarterback, we need the highest possible pick. If the Redskins lose the remainder of their games, it would not be unreasonable to expect the second or third overall pick in the draft.

This pick could be packaged to make a run at Andrew Luck or, most likely, would be used to select either Landry Jones of the Oklahoma Sooners or Matt Barkley. Either of these quarterbacks would be excellent selections.

It is better to suffer one season of ignominy than five of mediocrity. In the NFL, the only thing that matters is who is under center.

Look at the last few Super Bowl teams. Every single champion had an elite talent at QB: Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger.

If the Washington Redskins wish to be regarded as one of the elite teams, they need to grab an elite QB. To do so, they must tank this season and devote their resources to scouting.

I believe that Landry Jones will be a better NFL quarterback than Matt Barkley because of his quick release and accuracy. While Barkley has the bigger arm, arm strength isn?t everything, accuracy and a quick release are.

The Washington Redskins should do everything in their power to try to get Andrew Luck, but if that is impossible, Landry Jones is a great second prize.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/947487-washington-redskins-should-tank-the-remainder-of-the-2011-nfl-season

chris harris peter schiff matt holliday project runway winner project runway winner hunter s thompson hunter s thompson

NYC police arrest "lone wolf" in bomb plot (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? New York police arrested a 27-year-old man they called a "lone wolf" militant on charges of plotting to build bombs to kill American soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Jose Pimentel, a follower of late Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, made his first appearance in state court on Sunday night on terrorism-related charges.

A U.S. citizen born in the Dominican Republic, Pimentel was arrested on Saturday in a Manhattan apartment while assembling a bomb, police said.

"We had to act quickly because he was in fact putting this bomb together," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Pimentel admitted he "took active steps to build the bomb, including shaving the match heads and drilling holes in the pipes" and was "one hour away from completing it," said the criminal complaint filed by the Manhattan District Attorney.

Authorities called him a "lone wolf" who had converted to Islam and became a radical.

Pimentel, who has not been charged in federal court, faces life in prison if convicted.

He was under surveillance since May 2009 and considered New York police cars, a New Jersey police station and U.S. post office among his potential targets, officials said.

As a reader of the online magazine "Inspire" published by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Pimentel took instructions from an article "How to Build a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom," Kelly said.

"We think an event that really set him off was the elimination of Anwar al-Awlaki," Kelly said. "His actions became a lot more intense after September 30."

A U.S. drone strike killed Awlaki, a U.S. citizen, in Yemen in late September, ending a two-year hunt. U.S. intelligence called him the "chief of external operations" for al Qaeda's Yemen branch and an Internet-savvy propagandist.

Kelly said Pimentel "talked about changing his name to Osama Hussein to celebrate his heroes Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein."

He also talked about killing U.S. military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the complaint said.

It said a police informant recorded meetings with Pimentel over several months and accompanied him as he bought materials for the bomb, including a drill and a clock.

Since the September 11 attacks by al Qaeda in 2001, New York City has considered itself a prime target and has developed extensive intelligence and counterterrorism divisions that employ 1,000 officers within the police department.

No suspects have yet been convicted under New York state anti-terrorism laws passed after the attacks 10 years ago.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the Pimentel case the 14th plot against the city since 2001. Most of these have been deemed "aspirational." But some, such as the failed May 2010 attempt to set off a bomb in Times Square, were closer to being carried out.

Counterterrorism officials in the United States and Europe say "lone wolf" militants are of particular concern because they can become radicalized via the Internet and prepare for an attack without leaving traces that might draw attention.

(Additional reporting by JoAnne Allen in Washington; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

(This story was corrected to show court appearance was not an arraignment)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/terrorism/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111121/ts_nm/us_usa_security_newyork

vincent brown vincent brown willow smith tom bradley tom bradley penn state riot penn state riot

Sony VAIO VPCS135FX/B 13.3" LED Notebook - Intel Core i5 i5-480M 2.66 GHz - Black

There's something unique about every VAIO notebook. Constantly evolving, each model in the lineup features innovative design elements and a rare blend of colors and textures that cannot be overlooked.

?Manufacturer Website Address:www.sony.com
?Product Type:Notebook
?Product Series:S
?Manufacturer Part Number:VPCS135FX/B
?Manufacturer:Sony Corporation
?Product Line:VAIO
?Product Name:VAIO VPCS135FX/B Notebook
?Brand Name:Sony
?Product Model:VPCS135FX/B
?Processor Type:Core i5
?Processor Manufacturer:Intel
?Processor Speed:2.66 GHz
?64-bit Processing:Yes
?Processor Core:Dual-core
?Cache:3 MB
?Hyper-Threading:Yes
?Direct Media Interface:2.50 GT/s
?Processor Model:i5-480M
?Bus Speed:Not Applicable
?Standard Memory:4 GB
?Maximum Memory:8 GB
?Memory Standard:DDR3-1066/PC3-8500
?Memory Card Support:Memory Stick
??Secure Digital (SD) Card
?Memory Card Reader:Yes
?Memory Technology:DDR3 SDRAM
?Optical Drive Type:DVD-Writer
?Hard Drive Capacity:500 GB
?Optical Media Support:DVD-RAM/?R/?RW
?Backlight Technology:LED
?Display Screen Type:Active Matrix TFT Color LCD
?Graphics Controller Manufacturer:Intel
?Screen Resolution:1366 x 768
?Graphics Controller Model:Graphics Media Accelerator HD
?Screen Mode:WXGA
?Graphics Memory Accessibility:Shared
?Screen Size:13.3"
?Graphics Memory Technology:DDR3 SDRAM
?Aspect Ratio:16:9
?Bluetooth Standard:Bluetooth 2.1
?Wi-Fi:Yes
?Bluetooth:Yes
?Wi-Fi Manufacturer:Intel
?Ethernet Technology:Gigabit Ethernet
?Wi-Fi Standard:IEEE 802.11n
?Expansion Slot Type:ExpressCard/34
?Microphone:Yes
?Finger Print Reader:Yes
?Webcam:Yes
?HDMI:Yes
?VGA:Yes
?Total Number of USB Ports:3
?Number of USB 2.0 Ports:3
?Network (RJ-45):Yes
?Operating System Architecture:64-bit
?Operating System:Windows 7 Home Premium
?Software Included:

Supplied Software:

  • Microsoft Office Starter with reduced-functionality versions of Word and Excel
  • VAIO Care
  • Media Gallery
  • PMB - VAIO Edition
  • Anti-Virus Software:

  • Norton Internet Security 2011 30-Day Trial Offer
  • ?Keyboard Backlight:Yes
    ?Keyboard:Yes
    ?Pointing Device Type:TouchPad
    ?Battery Chemistry:Lithium Ion (Li-Ion)
    ?Battery Capacity:5000 mAh
    ?Maximum Battery Run Time:5.50 Hour
    ?Height:1.24"
    ?Color:Black
    ?Depth:9"
    ?Width:13"
    ?Weight (Approximate):4.40 lb
    ?Green Compliance:Yes
    ?Package Contents:
  • VAIO VPCS135FX/B Notebook
  • Lithium Ion Battery
  • AC Adapter
  • Power Cord
  • ?Green Compliance Certificate/Authority:EPEAT Gold
    ??RoHS
    ??Energy Star
    ?Standard Warranty:1 Year Limited

    Source: http://www.nextdaypc.com/main/products/details.aspx?PID=B179707&rsmainid=ND0263974

    meteor shower tonight district 9 district 9 pandaria pandaria artie lange baby lisa irwin

    Jeremy London Wanted by Police for Alleged Domestic Abuse

    Actor and Celebrity Rehab graduate Jeremy London is wanted by police for questioning after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend. The Palm Springs Police Department reports that London's girlfriend called them on Friday morning, claiming that London, 39, assaulted her outside of her home after an argument over custody of their child.

    Source: http://www.ivillage.com/jeremy-london-wanted-police-alleged-domestic-abuse/1-a-404412?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Ajeremy-london-wanted-police-alleged-domestic-abuse-404412

    natalie wood james arthur ray james arthur ray elisabeth shue erin brockovich avastin avastin

    Sand Dunes On Mars In Motion

    TheNextCorner writes with news that NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has detected ripples and shifts in the sand dunes on Mars, which means the surface of the planet is more dynamic than previously thought. Planetary scientist Nathan Bridges said, "Mars either has more gusts of wind than we knew about before, or the winds are capable of transporting more sand. We used to think of the sand on Mars as relatively immobile, so these new observations are changing our whole perspective." The article explains, "The air on Mars is thin, so stronger gusts of wind are needed to push a grain of sand. Wind-tunnel experiments have shown that a patch of sand would take winds of about 80 mph to move on Mars compared with only 10 mph on Earth. Measurements from the meteorology experiments on NASA's Viking landers in the 1970s and early 1980s, in addition to climate models, showed such winds should be rare on Mars."

    Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/U3qSkhY2enw/sand-dunes-on-mars-in-motion

    ny jets ny jets jets broncos nfl scores nfl scores thursday night football demi moore