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Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com

Top Story

Bush: 'Not Going To Pull Our Troops'
President Bush, under pressure to change direction in Iraq, said he will not be persuaded by calls to withdraw American troops before the "mission is complete." He also urged allies to increase forces in Afghanistan at the opening of the NATO summit.

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The Radical Fringe

The World

Sectarian violence kills 24 Iraqis
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Fierce fighting between coalition forces and insurgents shut down a city north of Baghdad on Wednesday and gunfire crackled across the capital, as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki prepared to travel to Jordan for a summit with U.S. President George W. Bush aimed at halting the country's escalating sectarian violence and paving the way for a reduction of American troops.

Bush focusing on Iraqi troop training
RIGA, LATVIA - President Bush will ask the embattled Iraqi prime minister in Jordan on Wednesday how best to train Iraqi forces faster so they can shoulder more responsibility for securing the nation, yet a top White House adviser has doubts that Nouri al-Maliki will be able to halt escalating sectarian violence.

Lebanese leaders move forward
Lebanon s Cabinet recently approved an international tribunal to try suspects accused of participating in the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri. Marwan Hamade, an outspoken anti-Syrian minister and Cabinet minister, discusses the current political landscape.

NATO seeks more troops in Afghanistan
RIGA, Latvia - NATO was divided at its summit Tuesday on deploying more troops to Afghanistan's volatile south, with Germany resisting any permanently expanded presence and Canada complaining of bearing the brunt of an increasingly bloody mission.

Canada warns public support at risk in Afghan role
RIGA (Reuters) - Public support in Canada for its participation in NATO peacekeeping in Afghanistan could dissolve if other allies do not help its troops in the violent south, Foreign Minister Peter MacKay said on Tuesday.

Bolivian Senate OKs sweeping land reform
LA PAZ, Bolivia - President Evo Morales signed ambitious land reforms into law late Tuesday night in a boisterous ceremony that packed the presidential palace with cheering Indian supporters.

Argentine protesters clash with police
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - A protest against Argentina's former military dictatorship turned into a clash Tuesday evening between police with tear gas and rubber bullets and demonstrators with Molotov cocktails.

Somali Islamists claim clash with Ethiopian troops, warn of importing jihadists
MOGADISHU (AFP) - Powerful Somali Islamists claimed to have fought Ethiopian troops in central Somalia and warned of importing foreign fighters to join their holy war if the United Nations authorizes peacekeepers.

The Nation

U.S. troop levels in Iraq stymie panel
WASHINGTON - Members of an independent commission on Iraq policy could not reach a consensus Tuesday on how many or how long U.S. troops should remain in Iraq, forcing the group to return for a third day of debate, according to an official close to the panel's negotiations.

Wars wearing down military gear at cost of about $2 billion a month
About $2 billion worth of Army and Marine Corps equipment from rifles to tanks is wearing out or being destroyed every month in Iraq and Afghanistan, military leaders and outside experts say.

Yes, and that’s exactly why the makers of rifles and tanks invest in politicians who support perpetual war. —Caro

Bush wants more countries in visa-waiver program
President Bush said Tuesday that he wants more countries in a program that allows foreigners to stay in the USA without visas, despite criticism that the move could open the door to terrorists.

Bush willing to work with Dems on trade
WASHINGTON - President Bush's top trade negotiator said Tuesday the president still hopes to achieve bipartisan support for an aggressive trade liberalization agenda in the next Congress even with Democrats in control.

You’re not the only one calling the shots this time, Junior. The Democrats will work with you on trade if the result is to reverse the tide that’s destroying the middle class. —Caro

U.S. bans sale of iPods to North Korea
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration wants North Korea's attention, so like a scolding parent it's trying to make it tougher for that country's eccentric leader to buy iPods, plasma televisions and Segway electric scooters.

Yeah, that’ll show ‘em. All three people in North Korea who could afford these things can’t have them. —Caro

Senate leader-elect sets agenda
WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader-elect Harry Reid said Tuesday he's doing away with the "do-nothing Congress" that Democrats campaigned against and plans to keep senators working long hours — focusing first on ethics, the minimum wage and stem cell research.

Democrats plan to revive stem cell bill
WASHINGTON - The same embryonic stem cell bill that prompted President Bush's only veto is headed to his desk again, this time from Democrats who have it atop their agenda when they take control of Congress in January.

Damn straight. Make him veto it. —Caro

Webb may test Senate s limits
At a recent White House reception for freshman members of Congress, Democrat James Webb declined to stand in a presidential receiving line or to have his picture taken with the man he had often criticized on the stump this fall.

Pelosi passes Hastings for Intel chair
WASHINGTON - In a decision that could roil Democratic unity in the new House, Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi passed over Rep. Alcee Hastings Tuesday for the chairmanship of the Intelligence Committee.

Judge strikes down Bush on terror groups
LOS ANGELES - A federal judge struck down President Bush's authority to designate groups as terrorists, saying his post-Sept. 11 executive order was unconstitutionally vague, according to a ruling released Tuesday.

Vague? VAGUE?? How about unconstitutional? How about we’re not a monarchy? How about we have the rule of law, not the rule of men? —Caro

Economy & Business

Cyber Monday Sales Look Strong
Predictions indicate online retailers could ring up $599 million in sales for that day.

Dow, Nasdaq close higher on housing gain
NEW YORK - Stocks advanced modestly Tuesday after Wall Street shrugged off a sharp drop in orders for manufactured goods and took comfort in the first gain in existing home sales in eight months.

Durables orders dip, but home sales rise
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New orders for U.S.-made durable goods registered their sharpest fall in six years last month and consumer confidence fell in November, reports showed on Tuesday, lending support to views the Federal Reserve will trim interest rates next year.

San Diego to ban Wal-Mart Supercenters
SAN DIEGO - The City Council here voted late Tuesday to ban certain giant retail stores, dealing a blow to Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s potential to expand in the nation's eighth-largest city.

The French Say Au Revoir to Microsoft Software
The French parliament has said au revoir to Microsoft. Starting in June of next year, French deputies will use desktops and servers running Linux, Mozilla's Firefox Web browser, and OpenOffice.org, a free open-source alternative to Microsoft's Office software.

Media

NBC Universal to go online for tree lighting
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - You won't need to be in New York this year to attend NBC Universal's annual Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center.

TiVo sets ads on programs to be deleted
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Before deleting that television show you just watched courtesy of TiVo, you'll be given the option to view a commercial, the latest in a series of enhancements the DVR pioneer will launch in an effort to profit from the proliferation of ad-skipping.

Wal-Mart to test movie downloads
BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is edging into selling video downloads by offering buyers of the "Superman Returns" DVD a chance to buy downloads of the same movie, beginning Wednesday.

DoCoMo, others plan multimedia for cellphones
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's NTT DoCoMo Inc. (9437.T), Fuji Television Network Inc. (4676.T), Nippon Broadcasting System Inc. and other firms will team up to develop new broadcast services for cellphones, the companies said on Wednesday.

Newspapers have survived technological challenges before
"They will survive this, too," writes Amanda Bennett in her last column as Philadelphia Inquirer editor. "This is a tough time for newspapers everywhere. Perhaps more so here than in most places," she says. "But it's not the end of journalism -- or of newspapers -- here or anywhere else. Reinvention is difficult and painful. But ultimately I am certain that the fundamental need people have for smart, timely, interesting and relevant information will prevail."

LAT started describing Iraq situation as "civil war" last month
NBC is the first television network to officially adopt the term "civil war," while the Los Angeles Times was the first major news outlet to formally adopt the description when it began to refer to the hostilities as a civil war in October -- "without public fanfare," the paper notes.

Science & Technology

A wind-powered skyscraper in Paris
Developers have selected a design for a new building nearly as tall as the Eiffel Tower and powered partly by the wind.

Violent video game effects linger in brain
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Teens who play violent video games show increased activity in areas of the brain linked to emotional arousal and decreased responses in regions that govern self-control, a study released on Tuesday found.

Canada experts find path round Internet firewalls
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian university researchers have developed software that will let users hop over governments' Internet firewalls, raising the prospect of unfettered Internet access in countries that have long tried to control how residents use the Web.