Cheney defends Israeli ground operation…U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday Israel did not consult the United States before invading Gaza.

Cheney: Financial Crisis ‘Developed’ Only ‘Over The Last Six Months’…CHENEY: That there’s no question about what the new administration, President Obama, are going to have their hands full with the new set of problems, if [...]

Reported Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Way Up…A new government report showing huge increases in the incidences of domestic violence, rape, and sexual assault over a two-year period in the United States deserves immediate attention from lawmakers and the incoming administration, Human Rights Watch said today. The statistics show a 42-percent increase in reported domestic [...]

http://www.nytimes.com…
By ROBERT PEAR
ASHLAND, Ohio — As jobless numbers reach levels not seen in 25 years, another crisis is unfolding for millions of people who lost their health insurance along with their jobs, joining the ranks of the uninsured.

http://www.nytimes.com…
By TAMAR LEWIN
The rising cost of college — even before the recession — threatens to put higher education out of reach for most Americans, according to the biennial report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

http://www.nytimes.com…
By PETER S. GOODMAN
From the Great Depression, we remember the bread lines. From the oil shocks of the 1970s, we recall lines of cars snaking from gas stations. And from our current moment, we may come to remember scenes like the one at a Long Island Wal-Mart in the dawn after Thanksgiving, when 2,000 frantic [...]

http://business.theage.com.au…
THE world’s international financial institutions will be reshaped and worldwide regulatory and accounting rules reformed as a result of the G20 meeting.
The global leaders’ 11-page statement spoke of broad principles, leaving the details to be worked out by aides before another summit meeting in April, after Barack Obama assumes the US presidency.
But the gathering in [...]

1. Targeted L.A. restaurant donates to group challenging Prop. 8…
El Coyote Mexican Cafe came under fire after a manager gave $100 to the campaign to ban same-sex marriage. Employees make an online donation of $500 to an advocacy group challenging the ban.
2. El Coyote: Anger, Tears–and Maybe Hope?…
But protesters, the majority of whom were El [...]

1. More than sixty groups call for revocation of presidential secrecy directive…
The groups’ recommendations demand efficiency and openness from the Freedom of Information Act process, reforms in the classification system to reduce overclassification and ensure that presidential records are handled in accordance with US law and congressional intent.
2. Suspicious package at Bank of Canada shuts [...]

http://www.americablog.com…
Joe Sudbay (DC)
This shouldn’t be a surprise. The Bush administration provided no oversight of Iraq. No oversight of the economy. No oversight of the country. So, this shouldn’t be a surprise:
In the six weeks since lawmakers approved the Treasury’s massive bailout of financial firms, the government has poured money into the country’s largest banks, [...]

http://www.moscowtimes.ru…
The ruble may have shed 10 percent of its value in two months, but both President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin are clinging onto their rubles in favor of the U.S. dollar.
The government is pumping billions of dollars into propping up the ruble, with the Central Bank saying Thursday that it had spent [...]