August 27, 2005
Roberts Supreme Court Nomination Roundup
:Democrats continued their demand for more documents this week – this time for more memos from his work in the Reagan administration. The memos’ topics, which range from Presidential pardons, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Iran Contra scandal, are known but not the contents. National Archive officials have said that the reason the memos have not been released is not political, simply that sensitive information are on the pages and that it will take time to remove them. Meanwhile, homosexual rights groups announced on Friday opposition to Judge Roberts despite his pro bono work in the 1996 Supreme Court Romer v. Evans case that solidified legal protections for gays.
(Filed under: Supreme Court, Bush Administration, Roberts Nomination)
Hurricane Katrina
:The Category-One storm hit southern Florida Thursday night causing millions to lose power and multiple deaths. The storm is now in the Gulf of Mexico and regaining strength. The storm is expected to hit land again this weekend and cause more damage somewhere between Louisiana and the Florida panhandle.
(Filed under: Natural Disasters, Hurricane Katrina)
Israeli Withdraw
:By Monday, the historic withdraw from the entire Gaza Strip and four settlements in the West Bank were completed by the Israeli military. While there were protests, no one was killed during the controversial and emotional pullout of Israeli settlers. Around the world, there was much hope that this would lead to a return to the peace talks by showing the commitment of Israelis to the peace process. But these hopes may be dashed by an Israeli confirmation later in the week that they were seizing more land in the West Bank. This land will link current settlements and create a more defensible border.
(Filed under: Israel/Palestine, Gaza Withdraw, Middle East)
War Protests Continue
:President Bush responding to declining poll numbers (36% approval rating, which is about the rate of LBJ’s rate during the turning point in the Vietnam War) and a large protest led by grieving mother Cindy Sheehan at his vacation ranch, went on the road to boost the war’s popularity. In Idaho and Utah this week, Bush spoke with veteran groups to reiterate his mission to fight terrorists abroad instead of at home and more references to 9/11. “So long as I’m the president, we will stay, we will fight, and we will win the war on terror.” This weekend pro-war and anti-war protests are expected in Crawford, Texas.
(Filed under: Iraq, America at War, War Protests, Politics)
Iraq Constitution
:By the end of the week and two missed deadlines, it appeared that any chance of a compromise on the Constitution in Iraq was dead. Sunnis refuse to yield on the issue of federalism and the Shiite leadership is ready to take the Constitution to an October vote with or without a compromise. The Shiite and Kurdish leaderships have agreed to a constitution with a large degree of federalism and independence, with Sunnis (who make up a large part of the insurgency and about 20% of the population) largely protesting this agreement. Late in the week, these disagreements seemed to flame fights along ethnic lines and even some Shiite infighting. Two days of fighting has led to over 100 deaths.
(Filed under: Iraq, Iraq Constitution, Middle East)
Week of August 20-27, 2005
:The weeks of August are supposed to be slow in hard news. So, it seemed to be an ideal time to come back from an extended vacation (more on that later). Instead, the news from across the ocean just seemed to keep coming. So after much pairing down, here are a few of the most important stories of the week.
(Filed under: Uncategorized)
Earlier Reports /