President Obama says leaders in both parties have reached a deal on a debt-reduction plan. Obama also said, is this the deal I wanted, no.
Democrats do not seem to be happy. More to come...
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Sunday, July 31, 2011
BREAKING NEWS: Obama To Make Statement
President Obama will make a statement from the White House briefing room at 8:40p.m. ET regarding the ongoing debt talks.
From Fox News
From Fox News
Final 'Harry Potter' Film Tops $1 Billion
Movie being carried mainly by strong international box-office results
On the eighth try, Warner Bros.' highly lucrative Harry Potter franchise passed the $1 billion mark.
Not that the domestic market has been indifferent to the film -- it has taken in $318.5 million through this weekend.
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Senate Negotiators Scramble To Finalize Debt Deal After Reid Bill Tanks
Washington – Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid has signed off on a tentative debt-ceiling compromise, saying he hopes lawmakers can finalize a deal and move to a vote as early as Sunday.
At the same time, concerns were spreading on the conservative side that the emerging plan could cut too deeply into defense spending, raising questions about whether the framework can attract enough bipartisan support.
Reid, becoming the first congressional leader to publicly endorse the plan, said late Sunday afternoon through a spokesman that he had signed off on it "pending caucus approval."
Why Republicans Should Not Compromise On Raising the Debt Ceiling
There is a 24 trillion dollar Budget gap over the course of the next 10 years between the Tea Party's debt ceiling plan and the Democrats plan. The Democrat's plan proposes to make cuts in spending in the range of 7 trillion dollars over the next 10 years - and the Tea Party's plan proposes 31 trillion. So the two sides are 24 trillion dollars apart. Actually - that is not entirely accurate as the Democratic proposal is 'loaded' or 'stacked' with artificial spending cuts.Here at SBYnews we try to keep our reading audience informed as to what will actually transpire if the budget ceiling is not raised. Back in 1995 - under Clinton - a similar scenario played out and all of the non-essential federal employees were temporarily furloughed. However - what most of the public doesn't know is that when the debt ceiling was raised - these same furloughed federal workers were issued back-pay for not working. In other words they were paid for not working.
So for those individuals who saw John McCain on FOX news TV the other night complain about the Tea Party's position - make no mistake about it - I was there to - and John McCain was one of the federal individuals who was also issued back-pay for not working during the furlough period.
BREAKING NEWS: Live Debt-Crisis Special On FBN Tonight
The FOX Business Network will offer a one-hour special Sunday night, hosted by Neil Cavuto, looking at the latest developments in the ongoing debt crisis. Watch it live starting at 9 p.m. ET.
From Fox News
From Fox News
Breaking News-Reid's Debt-Ceiling Bill Fails in Test Vote, Negotiators Polish Alternative Package
Washington – Democrats' debt-ceiling bill failed to clear a key Senate hurdle Sunday afternoon, putting the onus on bipartisan negotiators to come up with an alternative plan with just two days to go until the Treasury runs out of ways to pay all of America's bills.
The vote on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's plan was expected to fail. Sixty votes were required to advance the proposal, and it fell far short in a 50-49 roll call.
Bay Bridge Drivers To Get Toll Hike Reprieve
Reacting to a deluge of public comment, the Maryland Transportation Authority says its board is still working to tweak the plan that would have seen tolls double on the Bay Bridge beginning Oct. 1, with a second hike planned to begin July 2013.
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'Very Close' To Debt Deal; Boehner Plan With An Escape Hatch
A Republican source close to the negotiations tells NBC News that both sides are "very close" to agreement on a two-step debt-ceiling deal.
It is essentially the original Boehner plan -- without the balanced-budget amendment and with modified triggers, what amounts to an escape hatch if a joint committee can't get the cuts needed. The plan would get enough in cuts, roughly $1 trillion, to last about six or seven months.
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It is essentially the original Boehner plan -- without the balanced-budget amendment and with modified triggers, what amounts to an escape hatch if a joint committee can't get the cuts needed. The plan would get enough in cuts, roughly $1 trillion, to last about six or seven months.
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Big Federal Cuts Would Ravage Maryland
Report: Cutting 22 percent would cost 150,000 jobs
While Congress and the White House were fighting last week over spending cuts, tax hikes and the debt ceiling, a business group released a report examining what would happen to Maryland if federal spending were cut by 22 percent, as suggested by a bipartisan commission.More
Are Both Parties - Republican & Democrats in Cahoots?
Late on Saturday, Reuters laid out these elements of a possible deal: $2.8 trillion deal. It would raise the debt ceiling by that amount through 2012 and make equal spending cuts.
Most commercial FDIC lending practices require that once an initial commercial loan term has expired - they will usually extend the loan term for a period of 6 months for a nominal fee. So why is it then that the Obama Administration wants to circumvent established industry guidance standards by allowing the debt ceiling to be raised to a date until after the next Presidential 2012 election? Talk about a hypocritical stand! And why are the Republicans going to cede this concession away? Aren't 'We The People' suppose to send these representatives up there to represent us and not their own self interest. Isn't it interesting that the people who hold these key elected positions are being derelict in their duties by requiring such preconditions to raising the debt ceiling. I believe it is high time for the Tea Party to take sweeping action once again - and clean both chambers. As for the nation defaulting - let it default - I believe the US will emerge much stronger in the end.
Prospects For A Debt Deal Darken As Republicans Point Finger At Obama
House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell attempted to lay Washington’s debt-ceiling debacle squarely at President Obama’s feet in a press conference on Saturday, making public their effort to drag Obama back into the center of frenzied negotiations to cut spending and increase borrowing authority ahead of a Tuesday deadline. “He’s the leader of the Democratic party and the President of the United States,” McConnell said. “He needs to tell us what he’ll sign.”
“It’s time for them to tell us what they’re for,” echoed Boehner, repeating the Republican canard that suggests Obama, who’s endorsed Majority Leader Reid’s latest bill and put forward a series of proposals himself behind closed doors, has no plan. “It’s time to tell us how they’re going to get us out of the cul-de-sac they’ve driven our country into.”
The spin session, which came just hours after word leaked that McConnell was turning away overtures from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and demanding to negotiate directly with the President, marked an escalation in an already fraught standoff that has the U.S. Treasury preparing drastic measures should the debt ceiling not be raised by Tuesday.
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“It’s time for them to tell us what they’re for,” echoed Boehner, repeating the Republican canard that suggests Obama, who’s endorsed Majority Leader Reid’s latest bill and put forward a series of proposals himself behind closed doors, has no plan. “It’s time to tell us how they’re going to get us out of the cul-de-sac they’ve driven our country into.”
The spin session, which came just hours after word leaked that McConnell was turning away overtures from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and demanding to negotiate directly with the President, marked an escalation in an already fraught standoff that has the U.S. Treasury preparing drastic measures should the debt ceiling not be raised by Tuesday.
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Why Girls Should Grill
There is still a certain gender stereotype aflame when it comes to manning the grates - the "women cook, men grill" attitude, as recently coined by Forbes.
But, plenty of ladies like Elizabeth Karmel are lighting the way as beer can chicken equal opportunists.
Karmel is the Executive Chef of Hill Country Barbecue Market and Hill Country Chicken, where she bestows her low-and-slow knowledge on brisket, sausage, ribs and all the fixin's.
She is also the creator of Girls at the Grill: a group to encourage women to grab their tongs and grill with the best of 'em.
Five Reasons Girls Should Grill: Elizabeth Karmel
1. It’s fun!
"Why do you think the guys kept it to themselves all these years?!"
Federal Judge Rules Florida Drug Law Unconstitutional
ORLANDO, Fla. – A federal judge has struck down a Florida drug law that convicts suspects of a drug offense even if they are unaware that the controlled substance is illegal.
U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven found the 9-year-old law unconstitutional in a decision Wednesday and called for the resentencing of Mackle Shelton, who had faced 18 years in prison.
The ruling could pave the way for drug cases currently in the courts to be thrown out.
"Obviously, we are immediately drafting motions and pursuing this line on behalf of our own clients' (cases) that are pending, but we can't do much retroactively since those cases are closed," said Bob Wesley, public defender for Orange and Osceola counties. "I think it will be a robust line of litigation for all of us who appear in Florida criminal courts."
Tampa attorney James Felman, who won the landmark case, says the Florida legislature went too far.
"What the legislature attempted to do was essentially presume guilt and then let you come in and prove your innocence if you wish to avoid being imprisoned," Felman told MyFoxTampaBay.com.
Huge Pot Farm Bust In California National Forest
UKIAH, California - Law enforcement officials said Friday they struck a major blow against illegal marijuana cultivation on public lands in the heart of Northern California pot country.
The two-week operation to purge the Mendocino National Forest of illicit pot gardens uprooted 460,000 pot plants and led to more than 100 arrests, U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag said.
About 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms) of processed marijuana, 27 guns and 11 vehicles were also seized.
The 900,000-acre (364,225-hectare) forest — larger than Rhode Island — spans six counties in a region of mountains and forests known as the Emerald Triangle for its high concentration of pot farms. Agents raided more than 50 gardens teeming with trash, irrigation pipes and chemicals that damage forestland and waterways, authorities said.
"The Mendocino National Forest is under attack by drug traffickers," Haag said.
The operation was part of an annual summer effort to eradicate marijuana from public lands across the state. Six sheriff's departments, the state anti-narcotics bureau and at least a half-dozen federal agencies took part in the effort in the forest.
Spearheading the raids was Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman, who in his years on the job has had to balance county medical marijuana ordinances with state law and the complete federal ban on the drug. Allman said none of the gardens busted showed any sign of being used to grow medical marijuana.
Entire South Dakota Town Goes Up For Sale
Thinking of buying some land? How about owning a whole town along with it?
Evidently in South Dakota, a whole town counts as a sellable property. Because in the tiny town of Scenic, S.D., the owners are packing up and moving out, selling the entire town in the process.
Which means this showcase – including a saloon, dance hall, museum and a jail – can be yours if the price is right. The town, 46 acres in total, is on the market for $799,000. Located 40 miles southeast of Rapid City, S.D. in the Badlands, NewsFeed has every reason to believe that the small town of Scenic indeed lives up to its name. And for the price, there's no better way to put your own mark on the map.
The amenities that come with the asking price sound like they're plucked straight out of a western film. A trading post, a general store, and a post office, all remnants of a town that saw its heyday decades ago, and contained in a three-block town that sits 30 miles from its nearest neighbor. Its population sits at fewer than 10 people, down from a couple hundred in past Census reports. The town's decline started as early as the Great Depression, when the town hit a rough patch and businesses were forced to close.
South Carolina Distillery To Legally Produce Moonshine
The distillery is to be called Dark Corner, but this is one operation that no longer has to keep itself hidden in one.
Thanks to loosened small-batch laws in South Carolina, Joe Fenten and Richard Wenger will be setting up shop in Greenville, the state's second-largest city. According to Reuters, it's the first time moonshine will be legally produced in the state. They're able to do so because of reduced taxes on micro-distilleries.
So break out the still and pour in some corn mash and sugar. They plan to produce their moonshine in the style of yore, producing the un-aged corn whiskey in a custom-designed copper still, a brew that will measure 100-proof, or 50% alcohol.
Of course, this begs the question if it can still be called moonshine if produced under legal (taxable, that is) circumstances. Though the two entrepreneurs will abide by the law in their operation, they are also planning to memorialize all the not-so-legitimate moonshiners that came before them.
Their Dark Corner Distillery will include a museum dedicated to the eponymous Dark Corner region of the country, a mountainous region of North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee that is the home of hooch.
Student Aid At Stake In Debt Crisis
College students heading back to school in the next few weeks could get caught in financial limbo if Congress doesn't make a deal to keep United States from defaulting on its debt.
Nobody knows for sure what will happen. But student financial aid will be among the tough choices for Treasury, as it figures out what bills get paid, if Congress fails to meet an Aug. 2 deadline to raise the cap on federal borrowing and defaults on its debt.
At stake is some $800 billion in student financial aid, ranging from Pell Grants to direct student loans.
Even though many students have already gotten word of their grant or loan levels for fall semester, in many cases, the money hasn't been dispersed and won't be available until school starts this fall.
"I don't think anyone's certain, exactly, what will happen," said Haley Chitty, spokesman for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
Department of Education spokesman Sara Gast said the agency is working with the Treasury Department, and can't yet offer details as to how financial aid could be impacted.
Lawyer: 2 Americans Held In Iran Could Be Released
TEHRAN, Iran – Two Americans jailed in Iran on charges of espionage could be released after a court hearing slated for Sunday, their lawyer said.
Masoud Shafiei said Saturday the fact that the session in the trial of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal would coincide with the second anniversary of their arrest may indicate that they will be freed.
The Muslim world also has a tradition of pardoning prisoners for the holy month of Ramadan, which starts early in the week ahead.
The two men and Bauer's fiancee, Sarah Shourd, were detained on July 31, 2009, and Iran accused them of illegally crossing the border to spy. Shourd was released last year on $500,000 bail and has said she won't return to Iran for trial.
They deny the charges and claim they were only hiking in a scenic, mountainous area in the semiautonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, near the Iranian border.
The lawyer said Shourd has not been summoned for Sunday's trial session, and he thinks that's another indication that the case is almost over and his clients will be freed.
Shafiei suggested the court could convict the two but then sentence them to time served.
MoreLouisiana Troopers: Dad Sleeps While 8-Year-Old Drives
An intoxicated man was arrested early Saturday morning when Louisiana state police determined he took a snooze while his 8-year-old son took the wheel, authorities said.
The man allegedly told police he was letting his son drive while the family traveled between Mississippi and Texas. The boy was doing the speed limit, 70 mph, and pulled over when the police cruiser turned its lights on, authorities said. The boy apparently sat on the edge of the driver's seat in order to reach the gas.
The boy’s father, Billy Joe Madden of Hattiesburg, Miss, rode in the passenger’s seat and his 4-year-old daughter sat in the back when police pulled the truck over in Livingston Parish, near Baton Rouge. The child’s driving was apparently so erratic that it alarmed motorists, who called authorities.
Madden, 28, was booked on charges including Child Desertion and Allowing a Minor to Drive. It was not clear Saturday afternoon if he had an attorney.
The children have since been handed over to Louisiana Child Protective Services and are awaiting the arrival of family members. There were no injuries.
Are Baby Boomers To Blame For Debt Crisis?
Washington (CNN) -- Baby boomers -- those born between 1946 and 1964 -- have been described as "the pig in the python" and the "sandwich generation."
They lived well, grew up in relative abundance and, some say, expected their Social Security, health care and government support to be there as they grew old.
Now, as the future of the country's economy is up in the air, is this group of 80 million aging Americans -- many of whom are sprinting toward retirement age -- the ones to blame for the nation's shaky economic system?
The answer is not so simple.
Baby boomers grew up during relative prosperity, from the economic boom of the post-World War II '50s to the "Me" generation of the '60s through the lucrative uptick in the Reagan '80s. And then there were the budget surpluses they enjoyed during the Clinton '90s.
As a result, many were able to buy second homes, take out loans at low interest rates, buy cheap gas and pump money back into the economy.
Life was good, many say, until September 2008.
In the last days of the Bush administration, the economy went belly-up, forcing Washington to bail out Wall Street in order to prevent another Great Depression.
It’s A Great Time To Be In The Thrift Store Business
How’s this for an unorthodox economic indicator: Stores selling secondhand merchandise on the cheap are absolutely booming.
Thrift stores run by the likes of Goodwill, St. Vincent De Paul, the Salvation Army, Savers, and independent operators have all been reporting better-than-average business lately.
The Los Angeles Times, for instance, reports that Goodwill stores in southern California are on pace to record-breaking sales this year, while sales at one St. Vincent De Paul store were up 16.5% in April, compared to the year prior.
This isn’t merely a SoCal phenomena. Thrift stores are booming everywhere from Modesto, California, to Kansas City, Missouri, and beyond. The Savers chain of non-profit thrift stores opened its 250th store last fall, and at least 19 more locations are opening in 2011.
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Thrift stores run by the likes of Goodwill, St. Vincent De Paul, the Salvation Army, Savers, and independent operators have all been reporting better-than-average business lately.
The Los Angeles Times, for instance, reports that Goodwill stores in southern California are on pace to record-breaking sales this year, while sales at one St. Vincent De Paul store were up 16.5% in April, compared to the year prior.
This isn’t merely a SoCal phenomena. Thrift stores are booming everywhere from Modesto, California, to Kansas City, Missouri, and beyond. The Savers chain of non-profit thrift stores opened its 250th store last fall, and at least 19 more locations are opening in 2011.
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San Francisco Judge Removes Circumcision Ban From Ballot
San Francisco residents will not be voting on whether male circumcisions should be banned in the city this fall.
A Superior Court judge ordered Thursday that the proposed measure, which had initially made it onto the November 8 city ballot, be removed entirely.
The measure proposed banning male circumcisions with the penalty of jail time or a $1,000 fine. It would not have granted religious exemptions.
From the beginning, the controversial ballot measure faced strong resistance from medical, religious and civil liberties groups.
Should teens make circumcision decision?
Superior Court Judge Loretta Giorgi wrote that male circumcision is "a widely practiced medical procedure" and that medical services are left to the regulation of the state, not individual cities.
The judge's ruling was hailed by the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Anti-Defamation League and others who had sued to remove the measure from the ballot.
Are Middle-Aged Local Anchorwomen A Target For Downsizing?
Drilling deeper in news of Marianne Banister leaving WBAL-TV
The departure last week of Marianne Banister from WBAL-TV after 15 years of co-anchoring a team that always finished first or second in its time period raised big questions about the changing face of television news in Baltimore.In the past year and half, several long-time anchors have signed off the local airwaves, including Sally Thorner at WJZ, and Mary Beth Marsden at WMAR.
By long-time, we’re talking 15 years or more of coming into Baltimore homes every night with the local news. And some of those who have left the airwaves have some very definite opinions about the changes taking place.
Banister spoke candidly with The Baltimore Sun about her departure, saying it was not her idea.
“I want to make this clear: This is not my choice,” she said. “I’m not retiring. I’m not leaving to ‘spend more time with my family.’”
According to what the 51-year-old Banister says she was told, her non-renewal was strictly a matter of dollars and cents
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Smallest Med School In U.S. To Open With 8 Students
University of Kansas' satellite school aims to help fill need for rural doctors
KANSAS CITY, Kan — A Kansas college hopes young doctors will be more willing to practice in small towns if they go to a medical school in a rural area.
The University of Kansas will have what it says is the smallest four-year medical education site in the country when eight students begin taking classes on Monday on a satellite campus in Salina, Kansas. The move is in response to a shortage of rural doctors in the United States.
Cancer StrickenGround Zero Worker Gets $0 Settlement Check
Cancer-stricken Ground Zero worker Edgar Galvis has finally received a compensation check -- for zero dollars.
The 51-year-old Queens man, who suffered sinus problems and then throat cancer after months of removing toxic debris from the World Financial Center, was relieved to get a check in the mail for his court settlement with Merrill Lynch, whose offices he had cleaned.
But he was stunned when he saw the amount: $0.00.
His award had been $10,005, but his lawyers at the firm Worby, Groner, Edelman & Napoli Bern lopped off $2,579 for unitemized legal expenses.
Then they took a 33.3 percent fee of $2,124.
They also subtracted $352, a fee to the lawyer who referred him.
The remaining $4,950 was withheld for unspecified "liens," the letter says. Galvis thinks this was repayment of workers' compensation for aid.
"I have hit rock bottom," said Galvis, who is jobless and $30,000 in debt. "I was expecting a check, and you can imagine how I felt when I opened it. I couldn't believe it. I thought it was a joke."
The father of two, who lives in Glendale with his fiancée and her two kids, said he had to sell his car and relies on relatives for rent. "I get collection agencies whenever I open the mail. What little credit I had I don't have anymore," he said.
Executive Branch Late Attempt At Debt-Limit Deal To Avert Default
Washington – The White House and Republican congressional leaders made significant progress toward a deal to avert a potentially catastrophic first-ever government default threatened for early next week, according to officials familiar with the talks.
Under a plan negotiated late Saturday night, the nation's debt limit would rise in two steps by about $2.4 trillion and spending would be cut by a slightly larger amount, the officials said. The first stage -- about $1 trillion -- would take place immediately and the second later in the year.
Congress would be required to vote on a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, but none of the debt limit increase would be contingent on its approval. The officials who described the talks did so on condition of anonymity, citing their sensitive nature.
President Barack Obama is seeking legislation to raise the government's $14.3 trillion debt limit by enough to tide the Treasury over until after the 2012 elections. He has threatened to veto any legislation that would allow a recurrence of the current crisis next year but has agreed to Republican demands that deficits be cut -- without tax increases -- in exchange for additional U.S. borrowing authority.
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