Truthout - News

Rethinking Afghanistan: Alternatives to War

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:10:32 -0500

President Obama is reviewing the way forward in Afghanistan. His decision will define his presidency much as Vietnam defined the legacy of President Johnson's presidency in the 1960s.

At a time when so much opportunity and necessity for change is at stake from health care reform to climate change legislation, education and nuclear weapons policy and the economy, the war and its costs will trump all.

House Passes Sweeping Health Care Reform Legislation

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:12:03 -0500

Saturday began with a morning pep talk from President Obama during a private meeting with Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill and a public appeal from the presidential podium in the Rose Garden shortly thereafter.

"Rise to this moment," said Obama, who has made health care reform his top domestic priority. "Answer the call of history...finish the job."

At around 11:15 p.m. EST, more than 12 hours after they began to debate the historic $1.1 trillion health care reform bill, Democrats had

Obama Leaning Toward 34,000 More Troops for Afghanistan

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:59:29 -0500

Washington - President Barack Obama is nearing a decision to send more than 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan next year, but he may not announce it until after he consults with key allies and completes a trip to Asia later this month, administration and military officials have told McClatchy.

As it now stands, the administration's plan calls for sending three Army brigades from the 101st Airborne Division

NATO Air Strike Kills at Least 8 Allied Afghans

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:59:26 -0500

At least eight Afghans working with US forces have been killed in a Nato air strike in north-western Afghanistan, the defence ministry in Kabul says.

Nato confirms an air strike was ordered and is investigating whether it was the cause of the deaths on Friday.

It was launched as US and Afghan forces reportedly came under insurgent attack during search operations in Badghis province for two missing US soldiers.

US Seeks to Limit Warlords in Karzai Cabinet

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:54:36 -0500

Washington - The Barack Obama administration is talking tough to Afghan President Hamid Karzai about the need for decisive action on corruption and governance reform, but its main objective is to prevent particularly corrupt and incompetent warlords from getting plum ministries as rewards for helping clinch his fraudulent reelection, IPS has learned.

Many House Democrats Still Resist Health Care Bill

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:07:09 -0500

Washington - Democrats in the House of Representatives struggled Friday to find enough votes to pass sweeping health care legislation, as lawmakers prepared for an all-day debate and perhaps a final vote on the bill Saturday.

President Barack Obama was scheduled to visit Capitol Hill early Saturday to give the House's 258 Democrats a pep talk and a push to back the top priority on his 2009 domestic agenda - although White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Friday that Obama's schedule is subject to change.

Unemployment Hits 10.2 Percent, Economy Sheds 190,000 Jobs

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:39:08 -0500

The strong wage growth reported for October was probably an aberration.

The unemployment rate crossed 10.0 percent for the first time since early 1983, hitting 10.2 percent in October. The establishment survey showed the economy losing another 190,000 jobs, with most of the job loss in construction and manufacturing.

The October unemployment rate is still below the 10.8 percent peak reached in December of 1982, but the workforce is considerably older now and in age cohorts where workers are less likely to be unemployed.

Dead Last: Hawaii Gets an "F" in Education

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:46:38 -0500

Hawaii's public schools are in crisis.

Simply put, there isn't enough money to keep them open full-time. With the State of Hawaii facing a $1 billion budget deficit through the middle of 2011 and a $468 million budget cut to Hawaii's Department of Education, in September the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA) voted to accept a two-year contract that includes 17 furlough days for both the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 academic years.

How Patriotism Can Save America

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:48:19 -0500

As a soldier in the United States Army, I have often pondered what it means to be patriotic, what it means to serve our country and what it means to love America. In "Will War Ever End?" I described a dangerous misconception of patriotism that I witnessed while deployed in Baghdad.

Senate Rejects Effort to Block Civilian Trials for 9/11 Victims

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:46:05 -0500

Washington - After an emotional debate over how to keep Americans safe, the Senate Thursday narrowly defeated an effort to prevent civilian trials in U.S. courts for the accused planners of the 9/11 attacks.

The Senate's 54-45 vote to reject the measure by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., opens the door for President Barack Obama to bring Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-professed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, to trial in federal court, rather than the military commissions Graham helped create.

Obama has pledged to shutter the U.S.