FDA lifts salmonella warning

However, authorities were never able to locate the source of the problem. Adding traceability will go a long way towards addressing future problems so the sooner it is added, the sooner confidence can return for consumers, which means business as usual for the food industry. Read the rest of this post...

EU to give $1.6 billion to Africa for farming

Anyone who thinks that farming problems are just a local problem is not paying attention. We're all in this together as we are now so painfully discovering as food costs skyrocket. The EU deserves praise for this impressive move.

The European Commission has backed a plan to give 1bn euros (£800m) of unspent EU farm subsidies in aid to African farmers.

The cash could help farmers boost output, thereby tackling food shortages and soaring prices.

The money has been allocated to the EU agriculture budget, but not spent.

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Harold Ford thinks homophobia is politically expedient. Great, so how is he on racism?

Former Democratic congressman Harold Ford spoke today at the Netroots Nation conference. Ford explained to the audience that sometimes you just have to embrace positions that a lot of Democrats don't like, in order to win conservative districts. For example, Ford decided to go anti-gay in the last week of his losing Senate race in 2006.

So, here's my question for Harold Ford. How's he feel about a Democrat using racism in order to win a race in a conservative district? I'm guessing Ford is against race-baiting in order to win conservative southern voters. But he has no problem with homophobia. Isn't that interesting. How about bashing Asians (you know, Harold, those folks that John McCain calls "gooks")? How about bashing women? Or people with disabilities? Would you tell a "polock joke" if you knew it would win you votes, Harold?

I just get very tired of people like Harold Ford, who I suspect have a few personal issues in their own lives, lecturing me about how homophobia is a necessary and acceptable political strategy for Democrats. Ford would never suggest that it's okay for Dems, or anyone, to use racist tactics to win a race, so why is it okay to use homophobia? Or are gays lower down on the totem pole to people like Ford? Then again, I shouldn't be so presumptious. Perhaps Harold Ford does think racism is an acceptable campaign tactic. Either way, the guy is a bit messed up. Read the rest of this post...

McCain blabs details of Obama's trip to Iraq

Shocking display of indiscretion:

Republican presidential candidate John McCain commented on Friday on the unannounced timing of a high-security trip by Barack Obama to Iraq, saying he believed his Democratic rival was going this weekend.

But McCain's spokesman said the Arizona senator knew nothing about Obama's schedule. Obama said last month he would go to both Iraq and Afghanistan soon. But his campaign has given no dates, seeking to cloak the trip in a measure of secrecy for security reasons.

"I believe that either today or tomorrow -- and I'm not privy to his schedule -- Sen. Obama will be landing in Iraq with some other senators" who make up a congressional delegation, McCain said at a Republican fund-raiser.

Imagine the uproar if any Democrat ever leaked details of an upcoming trip to Iraq by Bush or Cheney or McCain or any of that crowd. There'd be hell to pay.

NOTE FROM JOHN: There's a reason these trips aren't announced in advance. We don't want to give our enemies in Iraq a heads up on when to attack the coming American dignitaries. It's beyond indiscrete. It's obscene that McCain would leak something like this. Just more evidence that McCain is no longer the level-handed man that many once thought him. Read the rest of this post...

EPA: climate change poses risk to health and way of life

If this wasn't coming from the Bush-EPA it might be less alarming. The Bush-EPA has consistently downplayed climate change, siding with whatever nutty nonsense industry promotes so it's surprising to see.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under fire for apparently discounting the impact of climate change, on Thursday said global warming poses real risk to human health and the American way of life.

Risks include more heat-related deaths, more heart and lung diseases due to increased ozone and health problems related to hurricanes, extreme precipitation and wildfires, the agency said in a new report.

"Climate change poses real risk to human health and the human systems that support our way of life in the United States," the agency's Joel Scheraga said in a telephone briefing.

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Netroots, BBQ and some amazing congressional candidates

There are many great things about this year's Netroots Nation conference. One of the best is the ability to meet so many congressional candidates. I just got back from lunch -- another bbq fest -- with five stellar candidates from across the nation.



I've become convinced that sharing barbecue is one of the best ways to get to know candidates. I'm in the picture with Charlie Warner who is running against David Drier in CA-26; Ben Ray Lujan is who running for the open seat in NM-03; Dan Seals who is challenging incumbent Mark Kirk in IL-10; Annette Taddeo (a favorite of AMERICAblog) who is working to defeat Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in FL-18; and Jim Himes, running against Chris Shays in CT-04.

Great group with great energy and solid progressive credentials.

When I asked Lujan if Obama would win New Mexico, without a hesitation, he said, "Absolutely."

I also got to meet Matt Reichbach from New Mexico FBIHOP, a great state-based blog. New Mexico is a hopping with political activity: Battleground for president; open Senate seat; and all three House seats are open. We'll keep in touch with Matt for the news from New Mexico. Read the rest of this post...

McCain & Phil Gramm: Happy Together, again

You didn't actually think that McCain would ditch his best friend who called Americans "whiners", did you? You didn't really think that the media would question the Phil Gramm failed economic policies that McCain preaches every day on the campaign trail. If they did that, they might not get a good seat on the plane and then what would happen? Who would hand out the Dunkin Donuts, with sprinkles and coffee? From Robert Novak:

After Sen. John McCain publicly repudiated his close friend and adviser Phil Gramm's comments about a "nation of whiners" and a "mental recession," the two old political comrades patched up their relationship.

Gramm apologized to McCain for his remarks that gave Democrats an opening against the Republican presidential candidate and provided several days of ammunition for blogs, cable television and radio talk shows. McCain told Gramm not to worry about the expected pitfalls of a campaign surrogate. Gramm will continue as an adviser and surrogate.

Gramm remained a steadfast supporter last year when it appeared that McCain's campaign had collapsed. McCain was a loyal backer of Gramm's failed 1988 campaign for president and did not leave until the candidate dropped out of the race.

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More on John McCain's opposition to birth control

Seems the media is, again, doing it's best to ignore stories that hurt McCain. Where is Mrs. Greenspan? Fresh out of outrage, are we?

John McCain is so opposed to contraception he voted against requiring insurance plans to cover [birth control] like [Viagra], and either so indifferent to women's health and rights or just so out of it he doesn't even remember how he voted. That's the way to show American women you really care....

The story heated up on the blogosphere, but a Nexis search at the beginning of this week found only 61 mentions in print and on TV, and most of those were passing references in stories about McCain's bad week—Phil Gramm calling Americans "a nation of whiners" obsessed with a "mental recession" got most of the attention—or focused on the effect Fiorina's off-message remark will have on her vice-presidential prospects.

Where is the discussion of the real issue, which is that for over 20 years John McCain has voted against contraception every time it came up and—now he tells us!—he doesn't even care or know enough to explain why?

Women—and men—need to know where he stands on this issue so basic to health and human flourishing if they are going to make informed decisions in the polling booth. But so far the media has refused to present McCain's anti-contraception record as a big, coherent story that tells us a great deal about who he is and what policies he would pursue in the White House.

Maybe The New Yorker could do a cover about it. Then the media might find it interesting enough to discuss. Read the rest of this post...

Counterterrorism funds for "Comfort capsules"?

Okay, this does make one wonder about the priorities of the leadership of the United States Air Force. A new term for your lexicon -- "comfort capsules":

The Air Force's top leadership sought for three years to spend counterterrorism funds on "comfort capsules" to be installed on military planes that ferry senior officers and civilian leaders around the world, with at least four top generals involved in design details such as the color of the capsules' carpet and leather chairs, according to internal e-mails and budget documents.

Production of the first capsule -- consisting of two sealed rooms that can fit into the fuselage of a large military aircraft -- has already begun.

Air Force officials say the government needs the new capsules to ensure that leaders can talk, work and rest comfortably in the air. But the top brass's preoccupation with creating new luxury in wartime has alienated lower-ranking Air Force officers familiar with the effort, as well as congressional staff members and a nonprofit group that calls the program a waste of money.

Air Force documents spell out how each of the capsules is to be "aesthetically pleasing and furnished to reflect the rank of the senior leaders using the capsule," with beds, a couch, a table, a 37-inch flat-screen monitor with stereo speakers, and a full-length mirror.

Trying to figure out how "aesthetically pleasing" and "37-inch flat screens monitors with stereo speakers" and "full-length mirrors" help in the fight against terror. Read the rest of this post...

The Rape Talk Express

McCain campaign refuses to deny that McCain used to like to tell rape jokes. In fact, they say rape jokes are the kind of thing that Americans love him for.

"He's long said that he's said and done things in the past that he regrets. You've just got to move on, and be yourself - that's what people want. They want somebody who's authentic, and this kind of a stuff is a good example of McCain being McCain." - McCain spokesman yesterday. See Keith Olbermann's take.

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In Iraq, U.S. soldiers killed and injured by electrical shocks -- no surprise, KBR was in charge

As if Iraq hasn't been dangerous enough for U.S. soldiers:

Shoddy electrical work by private contractors on United States military bases in Iraq is widespread and dangerous, causing more deaths and injuries from fires and shocks than the Pentagon has acknowledged, according to internal Army documents.

During just one six-month period — August 2006 through January 2007 — at least 283 electrical fires destroyed or damaged American military facilities in Iraq, including the military’s largest dining hall in the country, documents obtained by The New York Times show. Two soldiers died in an electrical fire at their base near Tikrit in 2006, the records note, while another was injured while jumping from a burning guard tower in May 2007.

And while the Pentagon has previously reported that 13 Americans have been electrocuted in Iraq, many more have been injured, some seriously, by shocks, according to the documents. A log compiled earlier this year at one building complex in Baghdad disclosed that soldiers complained of receiving electrical shocks in their living quarters on an almost daily basis.

Electrical problems were the most urgent noncombat safety hazard for soldiers in Iraq, according to an Army survey issued in February 2007. It noted “a safety threat theaterwide created by the poor-quality electrical fixtures procured and installed, sometimes incorrectly, thus resulting in a significant number of fires.”

The Army report said KBR, the Houston-based company that is responsible for providing basic services for American troops in Iraq, including housing, did its own study and found a “systemic problem” with electrical work.

No one who truly supports the troops would allow this to happen. George Bush deserves most of the blame. But where the Senate's leading investigators -- Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins? They all let this happen. Read the rest of this post...

Netroots Nation calls out FOX: It's not news, it's opinion media.

Almost everybody knows FOX NEWS isn't a real news channel. It's a GOP TV. Last year, pundit Ron Brownstein wrote FOX "generally functions more like a cog in the Republican message machine." Exactly. But, almost everyone plays along and pretends FOX is like other news outlets. Not, however, Netroots Nation:

It may be the blogosphere’s equivalent of the scarlet letter, and the organizers of Netroots Nation, a gathering of liberal bloggers that is taking place this week, say they will be more than happy to pin it on Fox News.

Planners of the conference want to force representatives of the cable news network to wear credentials identifying them as opinion media rather than providing them with the regular press passes other news outlets will receive.

“Fox News calls itself fair and balanced, but it’s not,” Josh Orton, political director for Netroots said in an interview. He accused the network, which is popular among conservatives, of misrepresenting itself.

The Netroots, however, may not get their way.

A spokeswoman for Fox News called the policy a “predictable stunt and a moot point” since the network would not be sending anyone to cover the four-day conference that kicked off in Austin, Texas, on Thursday.

But if anyone from the network were to show up, Mr. Orton said they would have to wear a press pass with the words “Opinion Media” printed on it. The credential would not restrict Fox’s ability to cover the conference, but Mr. Orton said that journalists from other media organizations like Air America, the liberal radio network, and the National Review, a conservative journal, would receive regular credentials. The difference, Mr. Orton said, is that those outlets are “explicitly progressive or explicitly conservative. They don’t have a branding problem.”

And, don't let the denials from FOX fool anyone. They were planning to come to cover a couple speeches. Now, apparently, they've chickened out. Read the rest of this post...

Friday Morning Open Thread

Good morning from Austin.

Netroots Nation is getting into full swing today.

I'm continually struck by how confident the Texas Democrats are about turning Texas blue. They are working it - and their energy is infectious. Check out Turn Texas Blue and add the most excellent Burnt Orange Report to your blog bookmarks. Because, I can tell you, after spending a couple days meeting the people who are making it happen, the GOP should be very afraid. If it can happen here, it can happen everywhere.

Now, thread the news. Read the rest of this post...

US sending more military aid to Africa

Bravo! This is precisely what the African continent needs, more guns and less food aid. In my own travels throughout Africa, I've always noticed how people were living at such a high standard with food flowing through the streets. Yep, the one thing missing every time was guns and lots of 'em. Heck, it's OK to send more guns there because nobody really cares what happens in Africa anyway because it's over there and out of sight for most Americans. But remember, the US is a compassionate, giving country that cares about the world. Oh right, don't forget, every life matters. Gotta give a wink to the religious right.

As soon as the most recent threats are defeated we can properly go back to ignoring the continent and let trouble brew again for a few decades until it boils over. Rewind. Repeat. Something tells me I've seen this story play out before and I can guess the ending or is it the beginning?

The Pentagon, which controlled about 3 percent of official aid money a decade ago, now controls 22 percent, while the U.S. Agency for International Development's share has declined from 65 percent to 40 percent, according to the 56-page report.

"The danger is this strategy will not achieve the security objectives of addressing the root causes of terrorism," said Mark Malan, author of the report. "And it certainly won't address the developmental objectives of U.S. foreign policy."

Refugees International, based in Washington, provides aid to refugees and advocates for solutions to end conditions that create displacement.

Malan said the militarization has been driven by the U.S. focus on counterterrorism, though the trend dates to the Cold War era. The more fundamental problem, he said, is a lack of consistent, coherent U.S. foreign policy attention to Africa.

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Chertoff: FEAR, FEAR, FEAR, we're all going to die!

I was starting to get worried that it's been much, much, much too long since his last "we're all going to die" warning. If only he could show us color coded warnings just like Tom Ridge because nothing works the American public into a frenzy like color coded fear messages. Read the rest of this post...

Sovereign wealth funds trimming US investments

Is this a sign of concern about the US economy or is diversifying just good business? It's tough to be bullish on the US economy though the red flags are there for Europe as well. Investments in China are likely to be lower since their stock market has been cut in half since late 2007. The advantage in Europe is that it rarely sees the same highs or same lows as the US so could the driving factor is stability. Whatever the reason, this is not a vote of confidence from the world.

The report, published during the Asian day on Thursday, said one large sovereign fund in the Gulf had cut its dollar-denominated holdings from more than 80 percent a year ago to less than 60 percent, but gave no source.

The FT also said China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) had been looking to strike deals with private equity firms in Europe as a part of a plan to reduce its U.S. dollar holdings, citing people familiar with the matter.

The shift at China's SAFE was significant because it manages all of the country's $1.8 trillion in foreign currency reserves.

Traders said the U.S. dollar eased a little on Thursday morning as the report circulated, though investors have long suspected that sovereign funds would be inclined to trim their holdings given the long fall in the currency.

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