“[I]n a marked shift from his usual upbeat economic assessments,” President Bush “conceded…that the nation faces ‘economic challenges’ due to rising oil prices, the home mortgage crisis and a weakening job market.” Though Bush insisted he “recognize[d] the reality of the situation,” the White House has refused to say that the economy might be heading towards a recession.
In a “controversial” report, Merrill Lynch “said that Friday’s employment report, which sent shares tumbling worldwide, confirmed that the US is in the first month of a recession.” Yesterday, White House spokesman Tony Fratto claimed he didn’t “know of anyone predicting a recession.”
“Two rockets fired from Lebanon exploded in northern Israel before dawn today, according to the Israeli military, part of growing violence in the region ahead of a visit by the US president, George Bush.”
“For seven years, President Bush has been a distant defender of Israel,” but when “he arrives here Wednesday on his first presidential visit, however, Bush will find an ambivalent Israeli public” that is “critical of U.S. setbacks that have made the region feel more threatening.”
“Alarmed at the increasingly populist tone of the 2008 political campaign,” U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue said his organization “would spend in excess of the approximately $60 million it spent in the last presidential cycle” to defeat “anti-business” candidates. The organization will be “so strong that when it bites you in the butt, you bleed,” said Donohue.
A bipartisan group of former top lawmakers and government officials convened yesterday to discuss the “excessive partisanship” in politics today. But rather than support an independent candidate for president, “several leading participants took pains to say that they had no intention of abandoning their own parties in the election.”
Sibel Edmonds, a former FBI translator who has been under a Bush administration gag order, told the Sunday Times that foreign intelligence agents had enlisted the support of U.S. officials to obtain nuclear secrets. Brad Blog has much more.
“A Canadian government panel recommended Monday that prices be set for greenhouse gas emissions and that taxes, caps and emissions trading plans be quickly established.”
And finally: According to the web site CelebStoner.com, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) is the “stoners” top pick for President. Ben Widdicombe writes: “Site editor Steve Bloom tells me: ‘Ron Paul is the stoners’ Republican Prez candidate of choice.’”
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section.
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