The article from the AFL-CIO Blog outlined how Rush Limbaugh was once again wrong.  Everyone knows that the Massey Energy Big Branch mine was not union.  Just read the blog post from the AFL-CIO and you will see.

Limbaugh Lies About Big Branch Mine: No, Rush, It Wasn’t Union

by Mike Hall, Apr 16, 2010

It was Sen. Al Franken (D- Minn.) in his previous incarnation as an author and comedian who called Rush Limbaugh “A big fat liar.” Well, others can address the first part, but Limbaugh himself has again offered solid evidence about the liar part.

Last week, Limbaugh lambasted the Mine Workers (UMWA) for not protecting their members who, he claimed worked at the Upper Big Branch mine in Raleigh County, W.Va., where 29 coal miners were killed when the Massey Energy Co. mine exploded.

Of course as we all know, and has been widely reported in mainstream media–and even on  Fox News–Upper Big Branch was non-union coal mine. While he never acknowledged his mistake, at least he piped down for a few days.

But yesterday, with a full bag of gas at the ready, Rush claimed he had irrefutable facts to back him up, that UMWA did certainly represent the miners at Upper Big Branch. He said the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) had ordered Massey to hire union coal miners.

There were union workers at this mine…You people, it’s been 21 years. At some point you are going to learn: If you go up against me on a challenge of fact, you are going to be wrong. It’s just that simple.

Let UMWA President Cecil Roberts throw the challenge flag on this one.

Yesterday, Rush said on his program, “But in 2009, the [NLRB] agreed with the decision that Massey Energy rehire 85 coal miners who said they had been discriminated against because they were union members. So there were union workers there. So the United Mine Workers should have been overseeing their safety, the United Mine Workers of America.”

Wrong again, Rush. The decision you refer to was AT ANOTHER MINE! And, Massey is appealing that decision, meaning the workers who were discriminated against at the Cannelton mine (in another county from the Upper Big Branch mine) have yet to reclaim their rightful jobs as the NLRB ordered.

Those are the facts. Who’s wrong now, Rush?

While Limbaugh may have lost a few pounds, that liar part still fits quite snuggly.

If you haven’t heard Larry Langford, Birmingham, Ala., Mayor, Convicted on 60 counts of Bribery and Corruption.  These charges alone can earn him 805 years in federal Prison not including the money he will have to return to the people of Jefferson County. Now that Langford is convicted felon he can not serve as Mayor of Birmingham City…

What happens to the Mayor’s office?

The president of the City Council takes over until a special election can be convened and certified.  Which has to be conducted within a certain period of time (perhaps 90 days) where the new mayor is chosen.

What does this mean for Birmingham?

Birmingham City Council President Carole Smitherman became Mayor after the first guilty conviction was announced today in Tuscaloosa, AL and Valerie Abbot Councilor Pro Tempore stepped up into the Council President position.  The problem with that a new city council will be sworn in the later part of November following an early October vote unseating a few current members and filling a couple vacant seats.

After the oath of office for the new and old members under the current Charter of the City of Birmingham’s Council President must be elected.  There is no guarantee that Mayor Carole Smitherman will be re-elected council president and in turn the newly elected council President would take the office of mayor until it can be filled by the special election. It is possible that the City of Birmingham have a 3 mayors in the span of only about 2 and a half months.

Analysis

Chaos in the making.  At this pivotal point in time a strong leader is needed not the in fighting and bickering of city officials.  Carole Smittherman has been much of the root of the in fighting and has a dwindling popularity rating with the city of Birmingham as she could have been unseated by an opponent in early October herself.  The likely hood of her winning the council president seat again is unlikely.  Interim governments or leaders are at best controlled chaos to add unpopular political figures in the mix is likely yo make matters worse.

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According to Sutton herself in an article from Facing South the health insurer delayed treatment.

Read the Facing South article for more information about her treatment and history as a labor activist.

Stories like these do nothing but advance the terrorist agenda…  But acts of inhumanity shouldn’t go untold or unpunished.

Terrorists kidnap, torture boy to bully Iraqi policeman

FALLUJA, Iraq (CNN) — Like many young boys, Khidir loves playing with toy cars and wants to be a policeman like his father when he grows up. But it was his father’s very job that caused the tiny child to suffer the unimaginable.

Khidir, now 8, was kidnapped and held hostage for two years by operatives with al Qaeda in Iraq.
Khidir was just 6 years old when he was savagely ripped away from his family, kidnapped by al Qaeda operatives in Iraq.

“They beat me with a shovel, they pulled my teeth out with pliers, they would go like this and pull it,” said Khidir, now 8, demonstrating with his hands. “And they would make me work on the farm gathering carrots.”

What followed was even more horrific, an ordeal that would last for two years in captivity. Khidir and his father spoke to CNN recently, more than half a year after his rescue by Iraqi police.

“This is where they hammered a nail into my leg and then they pulled it out,” he says, lifting up his pant leg to show a tiny wound.

He says his captors also pulled out each of his tiny fingernails, broke both his arms, and beat him repeatedly on the side of the head with a shovel. He still suffers chronic headaches. He remembers them laughing as they inflicted the pain.

“I would think about my mommy and daddy,” he replies, when asked how he managed to get through the agony. [...] Read the full story

This is the second such major rail catastrophe in recent history. The first was the crash in California that resulted in text messaging being banned from commuter rail. Hopefully history has not repeated itself with the situation in Washington, DC. The train crash hits home for me as I could have been one of the passengers on these trains or even my friends. I have not heard reports on who all was involved so I still may know someone. Please keep the victims and families of Washington DC in your thoughts.

Read the full Report from CNN.com

Six killed in Washington-area Metro train collision

WASHINGTON (CNN) — A rush-hour collision Monday between two Metro trains north of downtown Washington, D.C., killed at least six people and injured scores, Mayor Adrian Fenty said.

One train was stationary when the crash happened, according to Metro General Manager John Catoe.

He called it the deadliest crash in the history of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, known as Metro. One of the dead was the female operator of one of the trains, Metro officials said.

“The scene is as horrific as you can imagine,” Fenty said in a news conference. “One car was almost squeezed completely together.”

Seventy-six people were treated for injuries, including two with life-threatening injuries, said Chief Dennis Rubin of Washington’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. Two of the injured were emergency responders, Rubin said. See location of crash »

The crash happened just before 5 p.m. on an above-ground track on the Red Line in the District of Columbia near the border with Takoma Park, Maryland.

Both trains were on the same track, and one of them was stationary when the crash happened, said John Catoe, Metro general manager.Video Watch woman say she, fellow passengers “went flying” »

Video footage of the scene showed two cars of one train lying atop the cars of the other train. Emergency personnel carried injured passengers, some on stretchers, from the wreckage. Video Watch injured passengers limp from the scene »

“Metro officials do not know the cause of the collision and are not likely to know the cause for several days as the investigation unfolds,” a Metro statement said.

Fire department personnel cut through the trains to help people from the wreckage, officials said at a press briefing. Some three hours after the accident, fire department sources said rescue operations had ceased, with ongoing work focusing on recovery. Photo See pictures of crash site »

A survivor, Jodie Wickett, described feeling a bump on the track, and then being flung forward when the train suddenly halted a few seconds later. She said she hit her head, but managed to get out and go to where the collision occurred a few cars up, where one subway car lay atop another.

“There was debris, and people pinned under in-between the two cars,” Wickett said. “We were just trying to get them out and help them as much as possible, pulling back the metal.”

People were badly injured, she said. “Ones that could speak were calling back as we called out to them.”

One car was “about 75 percent compressed,” and recovery workers aren’t sure if any more bodies are inside, Fenty told CNN’s “Larry King Live” on Monday night.

“We just haven’t been able to cut through it to see if there’s bodies in there,” Fenty said.

A certified nursing assistant who was on one of the trains told CNN affiliate WUSA she was trying to help those in severe condition after the crash, including a lady who appeared to be in her 20s.

“She is very, very torn in her legs — the muscles and everything are torn, ripped through. She had metal pieces in her face,” said the nursing assistant, who said her name was Jeanie.

Other witnesses described seeing more blood than they had seen before.

Tom Baker, who was in the train that hit the stationary train, told WUSA that after the collision, he looked toward the front of the car, and when the smoke cleared, “all you could see was sky.”

Jasmine Gars, who also was on the moving train, told CNN’s “Larry King Live” that the collision “was like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”

“It was like we hit a concrete wall,” Gars said. “Almost immediately I fell off my seat. Another person — I don’t know who — flew off their seat. And the lights went off and smoke started filling the train car.”

Four people were taken to Providence Hospital in Washington, including two with back injuries, one with a hip injury and one complaining of dizziness from hitting her head, hospital officials said.

Washington Hospital Center reported seven patients from the crash with injuries ranging from serious to minor, while Howard University Hospital reported three and Suburban Hospital in Maryland reported two.

Groups of people wearing green plastic ribbons to show they had been checked by paramedics left the scene about 90 minutes after the crash. Some were crying, and a woman with her arm in a sling who gave her name as Tijuana described the crash as “an earthquake.”

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, NTSB spokeswoman Bridget Serchak said.

At least two FBI officials were at the scene, and the FBI confirmed it was assisting as part of the National Capital Response Squad.

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Amy Kudwa of the Department of Homeland Security said “at this early stage,” there was no indication of anything other than an accidental collision.

It was the second Metro crash to involve fatalities in the 33-year history of the transit authority. In January 1982, a derailment killed three people. The only other collision between Metro trains occurred in 2004.

“We are extremely saddened that there are fatalities as a result of this accident, which has touched our Metro family,” Catoe said in a statement.

“Our safety officials are investigating, and will continue to investigate until we determine why this happened and what must be done to ensure it never happens again.”

I am all for fair trade and globalization…  But the dumping of cheaper goods unfairly is dangerous to all involved, especially my family.  There are lots of problems in the US Steel Market all the way down to raw ores and scrap metal – I am not defending that.  But, what the Chinese have done over the past few years is detrimental to the global economy.  Not only in a monetary standpoint – also environmentally (see my Earth Day post “American-made steel is cleaner than steel made in China.”

I found an interesting article on United Press International titled “China dismayed over U.S. probe of steel”

According the Federal Railroad Administration the “vision is to transform the nation’s transportation system, by rebuilding existing rail infrastructure while launching new high speed passenger rail services in 100-600 mile corridors that connect U.S. communities. Similar to how interstate highways and U.S. aviation system were developed in 20th century: partnership between public sector and private industry, including strong Federal leadership that provided a national vision”.

The proposal was released yesterday (April 17, 2009) and by no means definite. Funds have been allocated to the tune of $8 Billion initially and $1 Billion annually over the next five years. These funds are considered a down payment on what is surely to require many more Billions of dollars from state and local governments. First round Federal Grants are expected to be awarded by the end of Summer 2009.

Obama’s administration is promising a transparent approach in development and outlines what appears to be a three phase plan to implement based on merit and benefits.

• First round of applications will focus on projects that can be completed quickly and yield measurable, near-term job creation and other public benefits.
• Next round to include proposals for comprehensive high-speed programs
  covering entire corridors or sections of corridors.
• Additional funds will be available for planning to help jump-start corridors not yet ready for construction.

Ten Major Corridors have been Identified.

• California Corridor (Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego)
• Pacific Northwest Corridor (Eugene, Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver BC)
• South Central Corridor (Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Little Rock)
• Gulf Coast Corridor (Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Birmingham, Atlanta)
• Chicago Hub Network (Chicago, Milwaukee, Twin Cities, St. Louis, Kansas City, Detroit, Toledo, Cleavland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville)
• Florida Corridor (Orlando, Tampa, Miami)
• Southeast Corridor (Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Macon, Columbia, Savannah, Jacksonville)
• Keystone Corridor (Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh)
• Empire Corridor (New York City, Albany, Buffalo)
• Northern New England Corridor (Boston, Montreal, Portland, Springfield, New Haven, Albany)

Also, opportunities exist for the Northeast Corridor (Washington, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Newark, New York City, New Haven, Providence, Boston) to compete for funds for improvements to the nation’s only existing high-speed rail service, and for establishment and upgrades to passenger rail services in other parts of the country.

The proposed high speed rail system is intended for immediate economic relief creating new jobs, specifically in the construction and manufacturing sector.  Proposals have also been made that this system will be a green system.  A date for breaking ground on the project was not proposed in the announcement.  Planning and funding application time line goes through February of 2009.  So the immediate impact on Middle-class workers isn’t likely until years to come.

From the Federal Railroad Administration on the Gulf Coast Corridor:

Major Cities: Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Meridian, Birmingham, Atlanta

Overview: The designated Gulf Coast Corridor would use New Orleans as its hub, with three spokes reaching (1) Houston, (2) Mobile, and (3) Birmingham and Atlanta. At Atlanta, the Gulf Coast Corridor would connect with the Southeast Corridor to Charlotte, Richmond, Washington, and Northeast Corridor points. At present, no corridor-type intercity rail service operates in this corridor, although Louisiana has been working with Amtrak and the Kansas City Southern to initiate a commuter service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The FRA has made study grants to the Southern High-Speed Rail Commission (SHSRC, formerly known as the Southern Rapid Rail Transit Commission), which comprises appointees of the three member states (Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama).

Status: Current activity includes a Baton Rouge to New Orleans conceptual engineering study and a New Orleans gateway rail improvement project.

For Further Reading on the High Speed Rail system from the Federal Railroad Administration:

• High Speed Rail Strategic Plan to Congress
• High Speed Rail Facts
• High Speed Rail Map
• High Speed Rail System Presidential Press Release

Other News articles:

• President’s plan boosts hopes for Pittsburgh Maglev project – Times Online
• Obama unveils high-speed passenger rail plan – CNN

[sniplet Billy-Bob-Thorton-interview]

Thorton’s Interview may be one of the most childish radio interactions I have ever heard.  Apparently Billy Bob no longer wants to be know as an actor and only a musician.

The CNN Story…

Billy Bob Thornton makes waves during music interview

By Alan Duke of CNN

(CNN) — Do not call Billy Bob Thornton an actor when you are interviewing him about his music.

Billy Bob Thornton’s interview on a Canadian radio show is garnering lots of attention.

A Canadian radio host learned that lesson when Thornton and his electric hillbilly band — the Boxmasters — visited his Toronto, Ontario, studio Wednesday morning.

When Jian Ghomeshi introduced the trio on his CBC show, he noted that its singer-songwriter-drummer was also an “Oscar-winning screenwriter-actor-director.”

Thornton’s publicist, Arnold Robinson, disputes suggestions that what followed was a breakdown by the actor — hmmm, musician.

He “simply elected not to engage with the interviewer because of the direction of the interview from the outset,” Robinson told CNN. Thornton took the reference to his movie career as an insult to his musical endeavor.

The radio interview, which also was recorded on video, may leave the audience wondering whether this was a controlled performance by Thornton or a public breakdown that revealed true anger over a perceived insult of his music.  Watch the interview with the actor-musician head south »

In their first exchange, Thornton stonewalled his questioner:

Ghomeshi: Billy Bob, you guys formed only in the last couple years, right?

Thornton: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Ghomeshi: How so?

Thornton’s radio rant

Was Thornton’s radio rant real? Or was it just an act? “Showbiz Tonight” tackles the story.
Tonight, 11 ET & PT on HLN

Thornton: I don’t know what you mean by that.

Ghomeshi: When did the band form?

Thornton: I’m not sure what that means.

Guitarist J.D. Andrew briefly rescued Ghomeshi by confirming the group came together two years ago.

The Boxmasters are on tour opening for Willie Nelson, which prompted Ghomeshi’s next question directed at Thornton.

Ghomeshi: What do you learn from Willie Nelson, Billy Bob?

Thornton: I’ve never met him

Ghomeshi: (laughing) Are you being ironic, or are you being serious?

Thornton: I don’t really know him.

Ghomeshi: You’ve never met Willie Nelson?

Thornton: I said hello to him once. He’s a nice guy.

Thornton’s band mates talked about how their music was a mix of Southern hillbilly influences and the 1960s British rock invasion. Ghomeshi tried to draw Thornton into the conversation again.

Ghomeshi: And that was true for you, Billy Bob, growing up it was sort of a combo of Stones and Monkees and Buck Owens?

Thornton: I just liked baseball when I was a kid.

Ghomeshi: And you almost became a professional baseball player, right?

Thornton: I don’t know. Maybe.

Ghomeshi: But you didn’t love music when you were a kid?

Thornton: I subscribed to a magazine called Famous Monsters in Filmland, which the publisher was a guy named Forrest J. Ackerman, who passed away recently.

The interviewer then asked Thornton if he remembered what music he listened to as a kid, but he rambled on about a monster model contest the magazine sponsored. Thornton said he entered but did not win.

The tension came to a head when Ghomeshi asked Thornton if his bizarre answers were a reaction to his brief reference to his movie career.

Ghomeshi: You would prefer me to only do this interview not mentioning at all, just to clarify, at all that you’ve ever done anything in terms of acting, screenwriting.

Thornton: That’s correct.

Ghomeshi: Part of the attention that you are getting is because of the great career you’ve had in other ways. What I’m explaining is I’m not trying to be insulting to your musical. …

Thornton: What I’m explaining is that we said do not talk about s**t like that. And we also said that we didn’t want to hear anything about how this is my first love. You wouldn’t say that to Tom Petty, would you? “I understand music is your first love.” Well, my first love was a chick named Lisa Cone. You know what I mean?

The two men then declared a truce so they could finally talk about the music Thornton called “cosmic cowboy music.”

No matter how good of a singer and drummer Thornton may be, his ability to create memorable characters is remarkable, as evidenced by his Oscar-nominated role of Karl, the mentally impaired convict in “Sling Blade.”

We now have a new Billy Bob Thornton character — the musician who wants you to forget he was ever an actor.

Image from abcrn.com/harvey/

“The rest of the story” we now know that 70 year radio legend Paul Harvey has died according to the Harvey family and CNN.com.

I have been a long time fan of Paul Harvey and sad to see one of the greatest radio host ever pass.

Legendary broadcaster Paul Harvey dies

(CNN) — Paul Harvey, the legendary radio host whose career sharing “the rest of the story” with listeners spanned more than 70 years, has died, according to ABC Radio Networks.

Paul Harvey receives the Medal of Freedom from President George Bush in 2005.

He was 90.

Known for his deliberate delivery and pregnant pauses, Harvey’s broadcasts were heard on over 1,200 radio stations and 400 Armed Forces networks and his commentaries appeared in 300 newspapers, according to his Web site.

He had been hosting his radio shows part-time for much of the past year, after recovering from physical ailments including pneumonia and the death of his wife, Lynne “Angel” Harvey in May 2008.

“My father and mother created from thin air what one day became radio and television news,” said Harvey’s son, Paul Harvey Jr., in a written statement. “So, in the past year, an industry has lost its godparents and today millions have lost a friend.”

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harvey began his radio career in 1933 at KVOO-AM there while he was still in high school, his Web site says. He helped clean the station and was eventually was allowed to fill in on air, reading news and commercials.

“Paul Harvey was one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our nation’s history,” ABC Radio Networks President Jim Robinson said in a written statement. “As he delivered the news each day with his own unique style and commentary, his voice became a trusted friend in American households.”

The statement did not give details about Harvey’s death.

Birmingham SEO an Alabama Based Search Engine Company

On Wednesday night Birmingham News Source CBS 42 the 10:00 broadcast announced that a boycott of Alabama had been started. The boycott is calling to boycott Alabama made goods and not patron Alabama’s tourism. The website was basing this off the fact that Senator Richard Shelby has made comments that aren’t pro bailout. While we are unsure at this time of these statements we do know that this is an attack on the good hard working people of Alabama.

In response to this atrocious action from a group in Michigan we have launched a response ourselves that is currently in development to help promote the business of Alabama. We started the site Buy Alabama. This site will be used to develop a place where Alabama Business can feature their products. We also plan to in the future open up a store showcasing some of the products to be bought and sold direct from the site. The store is just an idea and no plans are being made. Birmingham SEO will be providing the Search Engine Marketing and Optimization plan for the website for free as a duty to promoting our state.

We also believe as a duty that we help promote the whole of the US and buy American Made. You can find out more on American Made products from Made In The USA. We do not wish to boycott any state and only encourage buying American but Buying Alabama is Buying American.

I am not going to give a link to the group that is calling for the boycott but lets just say it is one crazy nut that doesn’t like Senator Shelby.  Though I know Joe Babisiaz is trying to earn support for bailing out the Big Three.  Which as you know I am fan of.

Message to Joe:

Calling for a ban on Alabama is down right un-American and wrong.  You state on your website “this is not an attack on the hard working people of Alabama”. Then what do you call it an attack on our Senator? The Senator is a hard working Alabamian and the same as attacking the car maker in Alabama. That’s right you may envy we are making good cars in Alabama that aren’t going through Financial Trouble.  But here in Alabama we buy American Made cars. We even buy Detroit made cars.  I can proudly say that most people I know in Alabama want to see the jobs of millions of American’s secure.  We all want secure jobs.  So don’t boycott Alabama buy American and build something Americans can be proud of.

I know you are just a front line worker that is afraid you may loose your job.  Senator Shelby doesn’t want you to loose your job.  He wants to ensure things are in order and bad business mistakes are not rewarded.  The cars you make are of top quality in your job.  But the problem is the decision makers – the management.  If it were up to you – you would build the best and only car on the road I get that.  But build something every kid wants, every grandmother is safe driving in and, something that gets good fuel economy and lowers emissions. Something where the bumper doesn’t fall off.  That is all Senator Shelby is saying.  He isn’t trying to punish you he is trying to right the company.

Senator Shelby is trying to protect Alabama.  He doesn’t want the citizens of Alabama to have to pay for the mistakes of a few greedy managment level automakers.  If true measures are in place that will benefit the overall life of Alabama voters Senator Shelby will support it.  But if measures in place are not there to safeguard us he will not.

There is no reason to call for a boycott of Alabama.  I kindly ask that you end the boycott and your fellow Americans for help in supporting your effort instead of dividing the country.  Because like you said we are all American’s and plenty of Alabamians support the Bailout with oversight.  Without oversight it is just like giving a college kid money  experiments or lab time or Beer and food?  So if there is some oversight we might be able to get something from it.  Like a stable auto market full of good paying jobs.

What I am telling you is your strategy is wrong.  You should be trying to unite everyone to get behind you instead of isolating and picking fights.  We are your brothers and sisters.  Embrace us and we can help.

Though my pocket will certainly enjoy the break in fuel prices, but gas prices this low will effect American Crude oil prices.  Oil and Gas producers likely can’t afford to produce at rates that low long-term.  I don’t want to give out any ideas – some company’s may not be able to weather the cost of production – thus creating another gap.  With prices so low the “Drill-Baby-Drill” days of Sarah Palin wont be feasible.

I’m not saying raise prices of fuel – I am pointing out the cost of inflation.  Also I would like to point out the obvious that when Wall-Street and the Auto Industry get bailed out the Oil and Gas industry will be next.  Just when hope is insight the real work has just begun.  I am no economist but throwing money at Wall-Street and the Auto Industry is only part of the solution – some fundamental change has to be made. When in times of peril we turn to the Government to solve the problem – to paraphrase Sharat (@ravehead) – “recovery will not come from expensive/shiny titles, but from the ranks”.

Deadlock over Detroit bailout may soon end

• Story Highlights
• Pelosi open to idea of tapping advanced technology fund for bailout
• November job loss news led to change in thinking, official says
• Talks on potential help for auto industry to continue through weekend
• Many options remain on the table, officials caution

From Dana Bash – CNN Congressional Correspondent

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Help may soon be on the way to the struggling U.S. auto industry after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi backed off her opposition to using funds from a fuel-efficiency research program for a bailout, two congressional officials said Friday.

News of November job losses “changed everything” for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an official said.

The significant move from Pelosi signals that the deadlock over rescuing Detroit may be over.

Congressional Republicans and President Bush support the idea of tapping the $25 billion advanced technology fund. Two officials familiar with compromise talks told CNN that the working target is $15 billion to $17 billion in bridge loans, intended to fund the struggling Big Three automakers through March.

However, one senior Democratic congressional source told CNN that House and Senate committee staff will meet over the weekend to write a bill to provide $20 billion to $25 billion in assistance to the U.S. auto companies.

This aide said the “mathematicians were working” at how to reprogram the money by reducing a subsidy to come up with a figure that would be available for loans, despite an earlier report that only $7.5 billion was available from the fund passed last year for fuel efficiency research.

This aide said the bill could be on the House floor as early as Tuesday, but thought it was more likely that the Senate would vote on the bill first.

“They need to get Republicans on board and send an important signal for House members to vote for this,” the aide said.

The officials cautioned that talks are still very fluid and that there are still other options on the table and many details to discuss.

Pelosi released a statement saying that Congress was “considering various short-term funding options” but added that no funds would be released from the research program “unless there is a guarantee that those funds will be replenished in a matter of weeks.”

Pelosi reversed herself because November’s devastating jobs report — more than a half-million jobs lost — “changed everything,” one official said.

The California Democrat spoke by phone with White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten on Friday afternoon to tell him of her change of heart, hours after Bush issued a fresh warning that without help, the automakers may not survive the economic crisis.

A senior administration official had no comment on Pelosi’s move.

A House Democratic leadership aide also said Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was on Capitol Hill Friday, speaking with House and Senate Democratic leaders. He discussed the automaker bailout among other things, the aide said.

Both Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid issued statements Friday saying they hope to have legislation ready by next week to pass and send to the White House for the president’s signature, another sign of sudden determination to bridge the deep divide over bailing out Detroit.

“It should never have come to this. The auto companies dug themselves into this hole and for years did nothing to climb out of it,” Reid said in a statement. “But we are not acting for executives’ sake; we are acting on behalf of the workers and their families. This week’s hearings have made clear that we cannot let these companies fail.”

Talks on all sides will continue throughout the weekend.

News of the jobs loss broke just before auto executives testified once again on Capitol Hill to plead for $34 billion from taxpayers.

At the start of the hearing, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank called the unemployment report evidence that Washington can’t let Detroit collapse.

“In the midst of the worst economic situation since the Great Depression, it would be an unmitigated disaster,” Frank said.

General Motors has warned that it will run out of money needed to stay in business this month without federal help. It says it needs at least $4 billion by the end of the month and another $6 billion in the first quarter as part of up to $16 billion of help it says it will need to survive until 2010.

Chrysler says it is also on the verge of running out of money and needs $4 billion by the end of March, part of $7 billion it is requesting in total.

Ford, which has more cash on hand, said it hopes to avoid borrowing money but wants access to up to $9 billion in loans as a backstop in case problems get worse than expected.

The auto industry CEOs ran into harsh criticism the last time they appeared before the House Committee in November, as lawmakers hammered them on their lack of details on how they would spend the $25 billion then being requested and their decision to each fly to Washington on their own private jets.

This time, the auto industry leaders came with detailed plans submitted this week on how they would return to profitability if they get the federal loans. They also drove hybrid vehicles to Washington and promised to work for $1 a year.

The hearing started an hour after the Labor Department reported the loss of 533,000 jobs in November, the biggest loss in nearly 34 years.

By the end of more than six hours of testimony, it was clear that the panel was far more open to the idea of a bailout than it had been just two weeks ago, even if a solution still seemed elusive.

“I think it’s fair to say the disastrous job report today has heightened the interest in doing something,” Frank said at the conclusion of the hearing. “If we are lucky, we’ll come out with a bill next week that nobody likes. Because any bill that any individual might like won’t pass. But there is a sufficient consensus that we need to so something acceptable to enough members of both houses so that we avert disaster.”

The CEOs’ appearance followed testimony they gave before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday.

Despite the apparent breakthrough, several House Republicans said they remained reluctant to sign on to any bailout. Some suggested that a bankruptcy filing would be a better way for the companies to become competitive, and others said they were concerned about other industries and businesses that might seek help if the automakers get aid.

NY Governor David Paterson has the task of appointing Clinton’s replacement.  If you remember Gov. Paterson replaced the embattled Elliot Spitzer after the prostitution scandal.

Read about Speculation about Caroline Kennedy’s appointment to the US Senate.  It isn’t so far fetched as ABC, the Boston Channel, and CNN are all buzzing about the News.

[sniplet cnn-student-loan-CB]

CNN’s Campbell Brown reported the story and video above and as follows:

(CNN) — It feels a little bit right now like we are all in a suspended state.

We are waiting for President Bush to leave office, waiting for Obama to take over, waiting for the automakers to come up with a bailout plan, waiting for the credit markets to unfreeze, waiting for the other shoe to drop in this terrifying economic environment.

All of us are trying to be patient to let all these various actors either depart or take the stage, to let all these various bailout plans do what they are supposed to. But while we wait, there are a lot of people falling through the cracks.

I was really struck by one college student telling his story to NPR over the weekend.

He owes the University of Arkansas $2,000 dollars. He has just a few weeks until the end of this semester to pay what he owes the school or he has to drop out.

He was counting on a bank loan, but with the credit freeze he can’t get one. He’s hardly the only one.
It is the topic du jour in dorm rooms right now as students pack up for the Thanksgiving holiday.

How many of them won’t be coming back because they can’t get loans to cover tuition or their basic expenses?

Paying off years of student loan debt might be a struggle at times, but not being able to get a student loan in the first place is a disaster.

We are all trying to be patient, but letting the education of our young people fall by the wayside right now is truly a disaster for all of us.

In case you haven’t been keeping up with the Big 3 Automakers request for $25 billion in Bail Out you should probably read these post:

• General Motors Return 2 Corporate Jets
• US Automakers CEO’s Grilled On Capitol Hill
• General Motors Video Scares up Support

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Gas prices slip below $2 nationally

• Average price in U.S. is below $2 for first time since March 2005, survey says
• All-time high average — $4.11 — was set four months ago
• Average price dropped 33 cents in the past two weeks
• Survey: Diesel prices are under $3 for the first time since September 2007

(CNN) — Gas prices dropped nearly 33 cents in the past two weeks, dipping below $2 for the first time since March 2005, a national survey said Sunday.
This station in Rio Vista, California, had gas prices below $2 on November 19. [pic to left]
The average price of self-serve, unleaded gasoline on Friday in the United States was $1.97, said Trilby Lundberg, publisher of the Lundberg Survey. The last time the price was below $2 was on March 4, 2005, she said.

The all-time high average was $4.11, set on July 11, according to Lundberg, and prices have been dropping ever since.

“The rate of decline has slowed somewhat, but it is still dramatic at 33 cents in two weeks,” she said.

Diesel prices averaged $2.93 on Friday, slumping under $3 for the first time since September 2007, she said.

Lundberg attributed the price reductions to a drop in crude oil prices and demand, and also because of low refining margins.

“Crude oil remains [the] main driver,” for the decline, she said, noting that crude oil futures settled on Friday below $50.

Demand is always low in November, she said, but the weakening economy is reducing it further.

However, Lundberg said that if crude oil prices do not fall further, “then the end of this [gasoline] price crash is either here or near.”

The Lundberg Survey is based on responses from more than 5,000 service stations nationwide.

On Friday, drivers in St. Louis, Missouri, paid the least at the pump — $1.61 — while drivers in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Anchorage, Alaska, paid the most, at $2.81.

Here are average prices in other cities:

• Detroit, Michigan — $1.76
• Houston, Texas — $1.78
• Atlanta, Georgia — $1.88
• Boston, Massachusetts — $2.01
• Chicago, Illinois — $2.10
• Washington — $2.19
• Los Angeles, California — $2.22

The Boston Herald is reporting that she is using the publicity for fame credit. But in here interview with People Magazine it appears to me that she was more trying to clear her name and apologize to Mrs. Spitzer and CNN.com gave more details and objective reporting of the situation and the interviews.

Prostitute to Spitzer’s wife: ‘I’m sorry’

Story Highlights

• Dupre’s message to Silda Wall Spitzer: “I’m sorry for your pain”
• She says she was stricken by the pained expression on Silda Wall Spitzer’s face
• Dupre, 23, said Spitzer was polite and businesslike when they met

NEW YORK (AP) — The prostitute at the center of the scandal that brought down former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has apologized to his wife.

Ashley Alexandra Dupre also sat down with Diane Sawyer for an ABC “20/20″ segment to be aired Friday.

Ashley Alexandra Dupre tells People magazine that the FBI informed her in early March that it was investigating one of her clients. A few days later, she found out which client when she recognized Spitzer on TV — resigning.

That was March 12, after revelations Spitzer had used Emperors Club VIP, where Dupre worked.

She says she was stricken by the pained expression on Silda Wall Spitzer’s face.

“I try not to revisit that place too often, but when I think about his speech, I think of her face, her eyes, the hurt,” Dupre said.

Her message to Silda Wall Spitzer: “I’m sorry for your pain.”

Dupre, 23, said Spitzer was polite and businesslike when they met. “Some guys, they want to have conversations and really get to know each other. With him, it clearly was not like that,” she said. “It was more of a transaction. Strictly business.”

Dupre, who was known then as Kristen, said she practiced safe sex with all her clients, including Spitzer. On her attorney’s advice, she would not elaborate on their liaison, or say whether Spitzer visited her more than once. She did say that he dressed casually and she did not see his security detail.

Dupre also sat down with Diane Sawyer for an ABC “20/20″ segment to be aired Friday. In that interview, ABC said, she describes how an “upper middle-class, girl next door got into the profession and the psychological journey she continues to experience.”

Four people have pleaded guilty to running the prostitution operation. Last week, federal prosecutors said they wouldn’t bring criminal charges against Spitzer.

Dupre, 23, envisions a future for herself in music, fashion and “writing books” — but not prostitution. “Never again.”

Big Three CEOs Flew Private Jets to Plead for Public Funds

Auto Industry Close to Bankruptcy But They Get Pricey Perk

By BRIAN ROSS and JOSEPH RHEE

The CEOs of the big three automakers flew to the nation’s capital yesterday in private luxurious jets to make their case to Washington that the auto industry is running out of cash and needs $25 billion in taxpayer money to avoid bankruptcy.

The CEOs of GM, Ford and Chrysler may have told Congress that they will likely go out of business without a bailout yet that has not stopped them from traveling in style, not even First Class is good enough.

All three CEOs – Rick Wagoner of GM, Alan Mulally of Ford, and Robert Nardelli of Chrysler – exercised their perks Tuesday by flying in corporate jets to DC. Wagoner flew in GM’s $36 million luxury aircraft to tell members of Congress that the company is burning through cash, asking for $10-12 billion for GM alone.

“We want to continue the vital role we’ve played for Americans for the past 100 years, but we can’t do it alone,” Wagoner told the Senate Banking Committee.

While Wagoner testified, his G4 private jet was parked at Dulles airport. It is just one of a fleet of luxury jets owned by GM that continues to ferry executives around the world despite the company’s dire financial straits.

“This is a slap in the face of taxpayers,” said Tom Schatz, President of Citizens Against Government Waste. “To come to Washington on a corporate jet, and asking for a hand out is outrageous.”

Wagoner’s private jet trip to Washington cost his ailing company an estimated $20,000 roundtrip. In comparison, seats on Northwest Airlines flight 2364 from Detroit to Washington were going online for $288 coach and $837 first class.

After the hearing, Wagoner declined to answer questions about his travel.

Ford CEO Mulally’s corporate jet is a perk included for both he and his wife as part of his employment contract along with a $28 million salary last year. Mulally actually lives in Seattle, not Detroit. The company jet takes him home and back on weekends.

Plants Closed, Company Jets Stay

Mulally made his case Tuesday before the committee saying he’s cut expenses, laid-off workers and closed 17 plants.

“We have also reduced our work force by 51,000 employees in the past three years,” Mulally said.

Yet Ford continues to operate a fleet of eight private jets for its executives. Just Tuesday, one jet was taking Ford brass to Los Angeles, another on a trip to Nebraska, and of course Mulally needed to fly to Washington to testify. He did not address questions following the hearing.

“Now’s not the time to do that sort of thing,” said John McElroy of the television program “Autoline Detroit.”

“Now’s the time to be humble and show that you’re sharing equally in the sacrifice,” McElroy said.

GM and Ford say that it is a corporate decision to have their CEOs fly on private jets and that is non-negotiable, even as the companies say they are running out of cash.

Private jet travel is perhaps the greatest perk of all for CEOs, who say it allows them to travel more efficiently and safely, even in a recession.

AIG, despite the $150 billion bailout, still operates a fleet of corporate jets. The company says it has put two out of its seven jets up for sale and is reviewing the use of others. Though there are no such plans by GM or Ford.

“It appears that the senior management of the automakers simply don’t get it,” said Schatz.

In a rare victory over the pirates the Indian Navy Won an encounter off the coast of Somalia.  When people think of Navy’s they think of floating cities and gun boats.  But the Indian Navy has a boat dedicated to fighting of Piracy.

ABC NEWS in New Dehli is reporting:

Indian navy sinks pirate ship

By Michael Coggan in New Delhi

The Indian navy says it has sunk a pirate ship in the Gulf of Aden after more ships had been hijacked in the region and as pirates continue to hold a Saudi supertanker.

An Indian Navy official says the frigate, INS Tabar, was fired on by pirates off the Somali coast late on Monday (local time).

The warship retaliated and sank the pirate ship.

The hit against pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden comes in the midst of a surge in hijackings.

Another group of pirates is demanding a ransom for a Saudi supertanker carrying $150 million worth of oil.

The East African Seafarers Association says a Thai fishing boat, a Hong Kong registered cargo ship and a Greek bulk carrier were also hijacked by pirates in the Gulf yesterday.

Because of the Pirating problem off the coast of Somalia is so bad other major Navies are weighting in to help also.  Bloomberg Japan is Reporting:

Japan May Use Navy to Protect Ships Off Somalia, Nikkei Says

By Toru Fujioka

Nov. 19 (Bloomberg) — Japan may use its navy to protect commercial vessels from pirates in waters off Somalia, Nikkei English News reported, without citing anyone.

A bill allowing the Maritime Self-Defense Force to conduct operations may be submitted to parliament early next year, the report said.

Japan’s navy would be charged with escorting oil tankers and commercial ships of all nationalities to prevent hijackings, the Nikkei said. The use of force in response to pirate attacks would be authorized, Nikkei said.

A Japanese-owned chemical tanker was seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said this week. Pirate attacks climbed fivefold in the region in the first nine months of this year as ransom payments spurred raiders to seize more ships, according to the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur.

To contact the reporter on this story: Toru Fujioka in Tokyo at tfujioka1@bloomberg.net

It seems that the situation off the coast of Somali is worsening. It is apparent the the worlds navies are coming together to ensure that the shipping lanes are open and free from the risk of piracy.

Hillary Clinton to accept Obama’s offer of secretary of state job

President-elect Barack Obama reaching out to former rivals to build a broad coalition administration

Hillary Clinton will be Barack Obama’s secretary of state. Photographs: AFP/Getty Images

Hillary Clinton plans to accept the job of secretary of state offered by Barack Obama, who is reaching out to former rivals to build a broad coalition administration, the Guardian has learned.

Obama’s advisers have begun looking into Bill Clinton’s foundation, which distributes millions of dollars to Africa to help with development, to ensure that there is no conflict of interest. But Democrats do not believe that the vetting is likely to be a problem.

Clinton would be well placed to become the country’s dominant voice in foreign affairs, replacing Condoleezza Rice. Since being elected senator for New York, she has specialised in foreign affairs and defence. Although she supported the war in Iraq, she and Obama basically agree on a withdrawal of American troops.

Clinton, who still harbours hopes of a future presidential run, had to weigh up whether she would be better placed by staying in the Senate, which offers a platform for life, or making the more uncertain career move to the secretary of state job.

As part of the coalition-building, Obama today also reached out to his defeated Republican rival, John McCain, to discuss how they could work together to roll back some of the most controversial policies of the Bush years. Putting aside the bitter words thrown about with abandon by both sides during the election campaign, McCain flew to meet Obama at his headquarters in the Kluczynski Federal Building, in downtown Chicago.

Obama, speaking before the meeting, said: “We’re going to have a good conversation about how we can do some work together to fix up the country.” He said he also wanted to thank McCain for his service to the country.

Asked by a reporter whether he would work with Obama, McCain, who has long favoured a bipartisan approach to politics, replied: “Obviously”.

Sources on both sides said Obama did not offer McCain a cabinet job, but focused on how the senator for Arizona could help to guide through Congress legislation that they both strongly favour.

Given Obama’s status as president-in-waiting, the two met in a formal setting, a room decked out with a US flag, and were accompanied by senior advisers. Obama appeared the more relaxed of the two, sitting with legs crossed, smiling broadly and waving to reporters, while McCain sat stiffly, with a seemingly fixed grin.

Although the two clashed during the election campaign over tax policy and withdrawal from Iraq, they have more in common than they have differences. They both favour the closure of the Guantánamo Bay detention centre, an increase in US troops to Afghanistan, immigration reform, stem cell research and measures to tackle climate change, and oppose torture and the widespread use of wire-tapping.

Although Democrats made gains in the Senate in the November 4 elections, they fell short of the 60 seats that would have allowed them to override Republican blocking tactics and will need Republican allies to get Obama’s plans through. This was highlighted today when the Democratic leadership in Congress announced that a broad economic stimulus package Obama sought was not likely to be passed because of Republican opposition.

Obama confirmed at the weekend that he would offer jobs to some Republicans. One of the names that crops up most often is Chuck Hagel, the former Republican senator who is a specialist in foreign affairs and a critic of the Iraq war.

Bill Clinton’s relationship with his foundation may prove to be a bump in the road during Senate Confirmation in addition to the Republican blocking tactics. CNN.com is reporting Bill maybe the biggest problem in filling Obama’s cabinet seats. None-the-less this is a fitting role for Senator Clinton.  With almost two decades of foreign policy experience the Clinton’s would be a welcome face in Embassies around the world.  Bill Clinton may have to abandoned his involvement in international business for the duration of Hilary’s Department of State administration.  Seeing how the conflict of interest is no less than Dick Cheney’s ties to the oil and gas industry all that needs to be established is a clear definite separation.  Since most of Bill’s business ventures are charity based the conflict should be genuine in nature but will still need to be abandoned.

No doubt the successful nature of Bill’s venture stems from name recognition and him being a former President since he is acting in no official US Government manner nothing can really be said.  But if he is the husband of the US Secretary of State it could prove to undermine the intentions of the US State Department.  One way to handle the conflict would be to merge organizations and release managment of all interest to another aide organization.  Or could just be like Dick Cheney and step down as CEO of the organizations and maintain a vested monetary interest which will no doubt cause as much trouble as Cheney.  The best and easiest thing to do would be to end all ties.