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July 28, 2011 (San Diego's East County)--ECM World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflecting all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views.
Top world and U.S. headlines include:
U.S.
• The debt ceiling battle: where things stand (CNN)
• Republicans seek big cuts in environmental rules (New York Times)
• U.S. accuses Al Qaeda of secret deal with Iran (USA Today)
• McCain blasts “bizarro” Tea Party debt limit demands (CBS)
• An end to Bush-era tax cuts near? (CNN)
• House Dems to Obama: Require contractors to disclose political donations (Washington Post)
WORLD
• Norway mourns, ponders impacts of terror attacks (Christian Science Monitor)
• Somali famine: fighting in Mogadishu after ‘aid threat’ (BBC)
• Mubarak trial to open next week, Egypt says (CNN)
U.S.
THE DEBT CEILING BATTLE: WHERE THINGS STAND
July 28, 2011 (CNN)— The federal government has five days left to raise the nation's current $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, the Treasury Department said. A failure to do so will risk an unprecedented national default.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/28/the-debt-ceiling-battle-where-thing...
REPUBLICANS SEEK BIG CUTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL RULES
July 28, 2011 (New York Times)--With the nation’s attention diverted by the drama over the debt ceiling, Republicans in the House of Representatives are loading up an appropriations bill with 39 ways — and counting — to significantly curtail environmental regulation.
One would prevent the Bureau of Land Management from designating new wilderness areas for preservation. Another would severely restrict the Department of Interior’s ability to police mountaintop-removal mining. And then there is the call to allow new uranium prospecting near Grand Canyon National Park.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/science/earth/28enviro.html
U.S. ACCUSES AL QAEDA OF SECRET DEAL WITH IRAN
July 28, 2011 (USA Today) — The Obama administration accused Iran on Thursday of entering into a "secret deal" with an al-Qaida offshoot that provides money and recruits for attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Treasury Department designated six members of the unit as terrorists subject to U.S. sanctions.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-07-28-US-Iran-Al-Qaida-Obam...
MCCAIN BLASTS “BIZARRO” TEA PARTY DEBT LIMIT DEMANDS
July 27, 2011 (CBS News)-- Republican Sen. John McCain today railed against conservatives who stand in opposition to House Speaker John Boehner's plan to raise the debt ceiling and reduce the deficit. He called their insistence on passing a balanced budget amendment "worse than foolish" and "bizarro."
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20084416-503544.html?tag=stack
AN END TO BUSH-ERA TAX CUTS NEAR?
July 24, 2011 (CNN)— -- A leading anti-tax-increase crusader says he doesn't think that letting Bush-era tax breaks expire is violation of a no-tax-increase pledge. So do Republicans now have a way out of the debt ceiling deadlock?
Democrats sure seemed to think so Thursday. Grover Norquist, president and founder of Americans for Tax Reform, told The Washington Post's editorial board this week that he wouldn't consider voting to let the Bush-era tax cuts expire at the end of 2012 to be breaking his organization's pledge that most Republicans and some Democrats signed.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/07/21/bush.tax.cuts.expire/index.html?h...
HOUSE DEMS TO OBAMA: REQUIRE CONTRACTORS TO DISCLOSE POLITICAL DONATIONS
July 28, 2011 (Washington Post)--More than 60 House Democrats have signed a letter asking President Obama to issue an executive order requiring federal contractors to disclose political contributions.
The proposed executive order was one of a handful of policies that have been floated in the wake of last year’s landmark Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which loosened restrictions on corporate political advocacy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/house-dems-to-obama-require-contr...
WORLD
NORWAY MOURNS, PONDERS IMPACT OF TERROR ATTACKS
July 24, 2011 (Christian Science Monitor)--In the wake of Norway’s deadly bombing and shooting rampage, residents of Oslo said they would stand against allowing the tragedy to alter their country’s culture of openness and tolerance.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2011/0724/Norway-mourns-ponders-im...
SOMALI FAMINE: FIGHTING IN MOGADISHU AFTER ‘AID THREAT’
July 28, 2011 (BBC)--Africa Union peacekeepers say they have seized key territory from Islamist insurgents in Somalia's capital after they allegedly threatened aid camps.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14323426
MUBARAK TRIAL TO OPEN NEXT WEEK, EGYPT SAYS
July 28, 2011 (CNN)-- Ousted Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak's trial on charges of corruption and ordering police to kill anti-government protesters will open Wednesday at a Cairo convention hall, Egypt's justice minister announced Thursday.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/07/28/egypt.mubarak/index.html?hpt=w...
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