johnhanblog

The Bush administration will ask Congress for enlargements of foreign
aid to Israel and Egypt, and a proposed arms sales package to Persian
Gulf nations including Saudi Arabia. The White House intends to
strengthen its allies and counteract Iran. 

# posted by John @ 7/28/2007 06:04:00 PM 0 comments

DJIA

13,265

-208.10

S&P

1,458

-23.69

NASDAQ

2,562

-37.10

10Yr

4.79%

+0.011

U.S. stocks sharply lower, Dow hit with 4.2% weekly losses

NEW YORK
U.S. stocks accelerated their losses into Friday's close as ongoing
worries about deal-financing overshadowed largely positive economic
data, with the Dow losing more than 200 points to close with weekly
losses of more than 4%.

Corporate bond markets volatile as rough week winds up

NEW YORK
The corporate-bond market remained shaky Friday after a morning effort
at stabilization gave way to volatility and fairly heavy selling, as a
very rough week for the debt markets drew to a close with fresh rumors
about hedge-fund troubles.

MarketWatch First Take: Blackstone's fall signals the end for
alternative investments

NEW YORK
Blackstone Group LP's June offering was the first mainstream initial
public offering for a private equity fund. It also may have been the
last.

Economic Report: U.S. second-quarter GDP rises 3.4%, fastest since early
2006

WASHINGTON
After hitting a pothole in the first quarter, the U.S. economy rebounded
in the second quarter, growing at an annual rate of 3.4%, the fastest
pace since the first quarter of 2006, the Commerce Department said
Friday.

# posted by John @ 7/27/2007 06:56:00 PM 0 comments

Panel Finds Space Disgrace: Drunk Astros

An independent panel's report says NASA was told twice that crew members
were intoxicated, but let them fly anyway. The report doesn't say if the
incidents involved shuttle missions. It's the latest in a series of
embarrassments for NASA. 

# posted by John @ 7/27/2007 05:07:00 PM 0 comments

Wall Street ends lower across the board amid jitters over oil prices,
corporate credit and housing.

# posted by John @ 7/27/2007 04:59:00 PM 0 comments

DRUNK ON LIFTOFF: NASA LET ASTRONAUTS FLY DRUNK ON AT LEAST TWO
OCCASIONS ACCORDING TO AN INDEPENDENT PANEL

# posted by John @ 7/27/2007 02:10:00 PM 0 comments

NEWS

Troops battle Shiite militia in Karbala
---------------------------------------------
Shiite militiamen battled with U.S. and Iraqi troops Friday in the holy
city
of Karbala, and the fighting left nine people dead and nearly two dozen
wounded, local officials said.

Afghanistan clashes claim dozens of lives
---------------------------------------------
NATO and Afghan troops clashed with Taliban insurgents and called in
airstrikes, killing at least 50 suspected militants and dozens of
civilians,
including women and children, local officials and villagers said
Friday.

Afghans, Taliban negotiate over Korean hostages
---------------------------------------------
Afghan clerics and tribal elders on Friday intensified negotiations for
the
release of 22 South Koreans kidnapped a week ago by the Taliban, as the
latest
of several deadlines set by the militants approached.

MONEY

Asian markets fall after Dow's plunge
---------------------------------------------
Most Asian markets tumbled Friday in the wake of one of Wall Street's
biggest
losses of the year, with Japanese stocks also taking a hit on the yen's
recent
strength and uncertainty about weekend elections. Markets in Hong Kong,
Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines
also
fell sharply.

# posted by John @ 7/27/2007 09:19:00 AM 0 comments

U.S. economy grew at 3.4% annual rate in second quarter, Reuters
reports; above forecasts.

# posted by John @ 7/27/2007 09:13:00 AM 0 comments

Breaking News

3 Dead, 3 Injured In Mojave Desert Blast

An explosion at a Mojave Desert airport left three workers dead. Three
others remained injured, two in critical condition. The blast occurred
during the testing of a propellant system for a new space tourism
vehicle.

# posted by John @ 7/27/2007 09:12:00 AM 0 comments

NASA says it has found wires which may have been deliberately cut on
computers bound for the international space station.

# posted by John @ 7/26/2007 06:35:00 PM 0 comments

DJIA

13,435

-349.54

S&P

1,473

-45.05

NASDAQ

2,574

-73.78

10Yr

4.78%

-0.125

Dow slides over 300 points amid credit woes

NEW YORK
Stocks plunged Thursday, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average down
over 300 points for its second worst day of the year, as anxiety about
shaky credit markets and the troubled housing sector swept Wall Street.

Economist: world is one hedge-fund collapse away from crisis

WASHINGTON
The problems in the U.S. subprime mortgage market could spiral out of
control into a global financial crisis, economist Mark Zandi said
Thursday.

# posted by John @ 7/26/2007 05:35:00 PM 0 comments

Dow ends down 284 points in second-biggest point loss of the year,
spurred by credit and housing fears.

# posted by John @ 7/26/2007 04:22:00 PM 0 comments

The Dow Jones industrial average plunges more than 400 points on
continued credit and housing fears.

# posted by John @ 7/26/2007 04:11:00 PM 0 comments

http://www.bloglines.com/blog/johnDispatch

# posted by John @ 7/26/2007 01:14:00 PM 0 comments

Dow tumbles 2%, or nearly 300 points, in midday trading on deepening
worries about credit and housing markets.

# posted by John @ 7/26/2007 12:43:00 PM 0 comments

One of the 22 South Korean hostages being held by Taliban militants in
Afghanistan made a desperate plea for help in an interview. The woman
calls her situation "exhausting" and "very difficult."

# posted by John @ 7/26/2007 12:08:00 PM 0 comments

DEMOCRATS CALL FOR A SPECIAL COUNSEL TO INVESTIGATE IF ATTORNEY GENERAL
ALBERTO GONZALES PERJURED HIMSELF DURING TESTIMONY ABOUT THE FIRINGS OF
U.S. ATTORNEYS

# posted by John @ 7/26/2007 12:05:00 PM 0 comments

Breaking News
S. Korea Races To Save Surviving Captives

South Korea has sent an envoy to Afghanistan to try and negotiate the
release of 22 hostages held by the Taliban. The bullet-riddled body of
one captive has been found. The 22 still held are in good condition,
according to the militants. 

# posted by John @ 7/26/2007 08:49:00 AM 0 comments

Breaking News
S. Korea Races To Save Surviving Captives

South Korea has sent an envoy to Afghanistan to try and negotiate the
release of 22 hostages held by the Taliban. The bullet-riddled body of
one captive has been found. The 22 still held are in good condition,
according to the militants. 

# posted by John @ 7/26/2007 08:48:00 AM 0 comments

NEWS

U.S. general: Iran training improves aim of Green Zone attacks
---------------------------------------------
The U.S. military has noted a "significant improvement" in the aim of
attackers firing rockets and mortars into the heavily fortified Green
Zone in
the past three months that it has linked to training in Iran, a top
commander
said Thursday.

Vietnam returns suspected remains of 3 U.S. soldiers
---------------------------------------------
The suspected remains of three American soldiers killed during the
Vietnam War
have been sent back to the United States, a U.S. official said
Thursday.

Rampaging elephants kill 8 in India
---------------------------------------------
Two domesticated elephants went on a rampage in India's remote
northeast, killing eight people and wounding five others before being
shot dead by police, officials said Thursday.

MONEY

Apple: 270,000 iPhones sold in first 2 days
---------------------------------------------
Apple posted a higher quarterly profit Wednesday as the company saw
strong
sales of its Macintosh computers and sold 270,000 iPhones.

# posted by John @ 7/26/2007 08:46:00 AM 0 comments

A presidential commission urged broad changes to veterans' care that
would boost benefits for family members helping the wounded, establish
an easy-to-use Web site for medical records and overhaul the way
disability pay is awarded. 

Obama's Strategy: Emulate Reagan

Barack Obama's strategy for overtaking Hillary Clinton to win the
Democratic nomination — based around victories in key early states —
borrows a page from an unlikely source: Ronald Reagan's 1980
campaign. 

# posted by John @ 7/25/2007 04:18:00 PM 0 comments

Fed's 'Beige Book' cites further declines in home building, real estate
weakness in most regions, Reuters reports.

# posted by John @ 7/25/2007 02:44:00 PM 0 comments

The House Judiciary Committee has approved a contempt citation against
White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former presidential legal
counsel Harriet Miers.

# posted by John @ 7/25/2007 12:33:00 PM 0 comments

Ghastly Details In Conn. Home Invasion

Local newspapers report that the two suspects in a gruesome home
invasion raped a mother and two daughters before strangling mom and
leaving the girls to die in a fire. "It's by far the worst thing any of
us have ever seen," said a police officer. 

# posted by John @ 7/25/2007 12:28:00 PM 0 comments

NEWS
Sunni group stops participation in Iraq Cabinet
---------------------------------------------
Iraq's largest Sunni Arab bloc said Wednesday it has suspended its
membership
in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's coalition government, dealing a
serious
blow to the Shiite leader's efforts to achieve national reconciliation.

House refuses to cut rail subsidy
---------------------------------------------
The House on Tuesday rejected moves by conservatives to cut taxpayer
subsidies
for Amtrak as backers of the money-losing passenger railroad cemented
their
position in the Democratic Congress.

Taliban spokesman: 'A few' hostages to die
---------------------------------------------
A purported Taliban spokesman said Wednesday that negotiations for the
lives
of 23 South Korean hostages have stalled and that the militants planned
to
kill "a few" of the captives immediately.

MONEY

Nintendo profit jumps fivefold
---------------------------------------------
Surging sales of Nintendo's Wii and DS video games lifted the company's
quarterly profit fivefold, prompting the Japanese game maker to raise
its
annual earnings forecast 40%.

# posted by John @ 7/25/2007 10:39:00 AM 0 comments

U.S. officials commenting on a leaked TSA advisory talking about
suspicious items seized at airports call it "routine" and say it's an
effort to remind security workers to watch out for anyone who might be
practicing techniques for a terror attack. 

Teacher Known For Nazi-9/11 Remarks Fired

The Univ. of Colorado's board fired a professor whose essay likening
some 9-11 victims to a Nazi leader provoked outrage and led to an
investigation of research misconduct. Ward Churchill had called victims
of the WTC attacks "little Eichmanns."

# posted by John @ 7/25/2007 09:01:00 AM 0 comments

Stocks bleed as housing fears and earnings reports disappoint. Dow ends
about 1.5% lower. Nasdaq, S&P tumble about 2%.

# posted by John @ 7/24/2007 04:35:00 PM 0 comments

July 24, 2007

Lohan arrested for DUI...again

Eyewitness News has learned that actress Lindsay Lohan was arrested for
DUI early Tuesday morning in California. It is her second such arrest in
less than a year.

# posted by John @ 7/24/2007 10:49:00 AM 0 comments

Americans belonging to both major political parties disapprove of the
way Congress is handling the war in Iraq, according to a new CBS
News/New York Times poll. The majority of Americans also think U.S.
troops should begin to withdraw.

# posted by John @ 7/23/2007 08:10:00 PM 0 comments

http://www.bloglines.com/blog/johnDispatch

# posted by John @ 7/23/2007 08:06:00 PM 0 comments

Taliban militants have given the Afghan government a matter of hours to
free at least 23 prisoners in exchange for an equal number of South
Korean hostages being held in a region which U.S. and Afghan troops have
now surrounded.

# posted by John @ 7/23/2007 10:01:00 AM 0 comments

July 23, 2007

Breaking News: 'Mad Hatter' possibly in custody

The man who robbed 17 banks while wearing an array hats may have been
arrested, authorities announced Monday.

# posted by John @ 7/23/2007 09:58:00 AM 0 comments

An infant was kidnapped at gunpoint from her adoptive home in
Mississippi by two women and a man wearing masks, but was found unharmed
three states away. Her biological mother and aunt have been arrested;
authorities are seeking accomplices.

# posted by John @ 7/22/2007 05:33:00 PM 0 comments

An infant was kidnapped at gunpoint from her adoptive home in
Mississippi by two women and a man wearing masks, but was found unharmed
three states away. Her biological mother and aunt have been arrested;
authorities are seeking accomplices.

# posted by John @ 7/22/2007 05:33:00 PM 0 comments