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December 15, 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.
- Made in America gift ideas (ABC)
- Possibility of government shutdown looms (Washington Post)
- House passes payroll tax bill packed with poison pills (Huffington Post)
- President Obama: The economy, the Congress, the future (CBS 60 Minutes interview)
- Lawmakers in showdown over payroll tax cuts (Reuters)
- Attorney General vows to protect U.S. voters’ civil rights (BBC)
WORLD
- As troops leave, Iraq wants surge of American business (CNN)
- Far fewer enter U.S. illegally from Mexico (Wall Street Journal)
- Company once known as Blackwater ditches XE for yet another name (Wall Street Journal)
- Gunman turns Belgian Christmas market into bloodbath (Reuters)
- Chained students rescued in Pakistan (Reuters)
Scroll down for excerpts and links to full stories.
U.S.
Made in America gift ideas (ABC)
December 14, 2011 -- In the last 24 hours we have added 19 new companies to the gift list.
Table of Contents:
Page 1 - Sports and Games; Toys; Clothing and Accessories; Jeans; Shoes; Socks; Christmas Decorations and Ornaments
Page 2 - Jewelry; Cosmetics, Soaps, and Hair; Candles; Stationary and Prints; Bags and Backpacks
Page 3 - For the Kitchen; For the Home; Electronic Accessories; Music
Page 4 - Food; Candy and Desserts; Beverages; Arts and Crafts; Pets; Car Accessories; Made in America Stores; Miscellaneous
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/MadeInAmerica/made-america-gift-ideas/story?id=15041794&fb_ref=abc-fb-recs#.TumfIGOnfzN
Page 1 - Sports and Games; Toys; Clothing and Accessories; Jeans; Shoes; Socks; Christmas Decorations and Ornaments
Page 2 - Jewelry; Cosmetics, Soaps, and Hair; Candles; Stationary and Prints; Bags and Backpacks
Page 3 - For the Kitchen; For the Home; Electronic Accessories; Music
Page 4 - Food; Candy and Desserts; Beverages; Arts and Crafts; Pets; Car Accessories; Made in America Stores; Miscellaneous
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/MadeInAmerica/made-america-gift-ideas/story?id=15041794&fb_ref=abc-fb-recs#.TumfIGOnfzN
Possibility of government shutdown looms (Washington Post)
December 13, 2011 -- Prospects for a year-end congressional compromise on key tax and spending legislation grew more complicated Tuesday, as the Republican House passed a controversial version of a payroll tax cut extension despite a veto threat from the White House.
The increasingly contentious tax dispute threatens to derail what had been an emerging compromise on separate legislation to fund the government through next September, raising the specter of a possible government shutdown this weekend if the conflict is not resolved by Friday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress-debates-payroll-tax-cut-government-funding-omnibus/2011/12/13/gIQAUgAqsO_story.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress-debates-payroll-tax-cut-government-funding-omnibus/2011/12/13/gIQAUgAqsO_story.html
House passes payroll tax bill packed with poison pills (Huffington Post)
December 13, 2011 -- A GOP plan to pay for a payroll tax cut by docking federal workers and cutting Medicare passed the House Tuesday, but appeared headed for quick failure in the Senate as both parties jockeyed for political advantage. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted 234 to 193 for the bill, in spite of a White House promise to veto it and a warning from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) that it would never pass in his chamber.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/13/house-passes-payroll-tax-bill_n_1147021.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/13/house-passes-payroll-tax-bill_n_1147021.html
President Obama: The economy, the Congress, the future (CBS 60 Minutes interview)
December 11, 2011 -- Steve Kroft interviews the president on a wide range of critical topics, including Obama's performance in office; the U.S. economy and the state of unemployment; congressional gridlock; and the mounting deficit. President Obama also sizes up his competition in the 2012 presidential race as he begins his own quest for re-election.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57341032/president-obama-the-economy-the-congress-the-future/?tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57341032/president-obama-the-economy-the-congress-the-future/?tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel
Lawmakers in showdown over payroll tax cuts (Reuters)
December 14, 2011President Barack Obama and fellow Democrats are considering dropping a surtax on millionaires to pay for a payroll tax cut for U.S. workers, a move that would remove a major stumbling block to a compromise deal with Republicans.
Obama discussed the possibility of abandoning the millionaire tax, which Republicans strongly oppose, at a White House meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and fellow Democrats, a Senate Democratic leadership aide told Reuters.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/14/us-usa-taxes-idUSTRE7B827K20111214
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/14/us-usa-taxes-idUSTRE7B827K20111214
Attorney General vows to protect U.S. voters’ civil rights (BBC)
December 13, 2011 -- The US attorney general has vowed to enforce civil rights protections for voters in next year's US elections.
Eric Holder's speech in Texas took aim at new voting laws passed in a number of US states that critics say are designed to suppress minority turnout.
Supporters of the Republican-backed measures say they will help combat voter fraud, but they are being scrutinized by the justice department.
Minorities turned out strongly to vote for Barack Obama in 2008.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16171491
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16171491
WORLD
As troops leave, Iraq wants surge of American business (CNN)
December 13, 2011 -- As the United States completes its withdrawal of all military forces from Iraq by the end of the month, Iraq's prime minister made a pitch to leaders of American commerce and industry Tuesday - Iraq is open for business.
In an address to American executives at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said his country offers "limitless" opportunities for American companies.
http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/13/as-troops-leave-iraq-wants-surge-of-american-business/
http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/13/as-troops-leave-iraq-wants-surge-of-american-business/
Far fewer enter U.S. illegally from Mexico (Wall Street Journal)
December 13, 2011 -- Arrests of people trying to sneak into the U.S. from Mexico have plunged to the lowest level in four decades, the latest sign that illegal immigration is on the retreat even as legislatures, Congress and presidential candidates hotly debate the issue.
Behind the historic drop is a steep decline in the birthrate in Mexico and greater opportunities there relative to the weak U.S. economy. Stepped-up U.S. patrols along the border make it both riskier and more expensive for Mexicans to attempt to enter the country.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203518404577094722741385882.html?mod=WSJ_article_forsub
Company once known as Blackwater ditches XE for yet another name (Wall Street Journal)
December 12, 2011 -- Despite new ownership, a new board and new management, security contractor Xe Services LLC could never shake a troublesome nickname: the company formerly known as Blackwater.
Now, it's the company formerly known as Xe.
On Monday, Virginia-based Xe plans to unveil a new name—Academi—and new logo. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Ted Wright, president and chief executive, said the name change aims to signal a strategy shift by one of the U.S. government's biggest providers of training and security services.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204319004577089021757803802.html?grcc=ba13928aade07887af8ccb8ad2598d7aZ3&mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_management
Gunman turns Belgian Christmas market into bloodbath (Reuters)
December 14, 2011 -- Belgian investigators found the apparent first victim of a gunman who attacked Christmas shoppers and schoolchildren in the city of Liege, and expressed bafflement on Wednesday over why a small-time criminal turned into a multiple killer.
The body of a cleaning woman was found at a warehouse used by gunman Nordine Amrani, killed before he headed on Tuesday for a central Liege square to attack people around a bus station with an assault rifle and grenades.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/14/us-belgium-explosions-idUSTRE7BC10820111214
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/14/us-belgium-explosions-idUSTRE7BC10820111214
Chained students rescued in Pakistan (Reuters)
December 13, 2011 -- Police raided the basement of a Karachi madrassa to rescue 54 students --- many of whom were chained to the floor. The young men cheered as the officers entered. Many said they were beaten and given just morsels of food each day. SOUNDBITE: Unidentified young man saying (Urdu): "They would tie us up and cane us 200 times. And that too, not with an ordinary cane, but a well-oiled and spiced cane." The students -- ranged from young boys to men in their early 40s were kept 30 to a room. Two clerics were arrested. Anxious family members waited outside the police station as news of the raid made its way around the city. Police said there were sere several drug addicts among the rescued --- likely sent to the madrassa to be rehabilitated. Many poor families also send their children to the schools which typically offer free boarding and the promise of a religious education.
http://www.reuters.com/video/2011/12/13/pakistani-police-rescue-chained-students?videoId=226759022&videoChannel=117760&refresh=true
http://www.reuters.com/video/2011/12/13/pakistani-police-rescue-chained-students?videoId=226759022&videoChannel=117760&refresh=true
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