October 21, 2007 No Talking Heads

Guests on the show will be Olivia Hart and Geov Parrish

National
* An Assault on Media Diversity and Democracy, The Nation
     * Senators Seek to Delay FCC Vote; Chairman Wants to Change TV Ownership Rules by Year-End, AP via Washington Post
* 70 punished in accidental B-52 flight, AP via Olympian
* US demands air passengers ask its permission to fly, The Register, UK
* Retirement season hits GOP hard, LA Times

"So far in the GOP, five senators and 12 House members have announced they will retire. Among Democrats, no one in the Senate is retiring, and two have said they will leave the House -- to run for the Senate . . . Of the 12 seats opening, eight are ranked as potentially competitive by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report -- including five it identifies as tossups."

I personally think Republicans will go into private industry where they can make a killing on government contracts related to the war in Iraq.

* House Sustains President’s Veto on Child Health, NY Times

“It was an ambiguous victory,” said John J. Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College in California, “because Democrats may have lost on the legislation, but they won themselves a campaign issue.”

* Veteran stress cases up sharply; mental illness is now No. 2 injury, USA Today

"Mental health is the second-largest area of illness for which Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seek treatment at VA hospitals and clinics. It follows orthopedic problems and is increasing at a faster rate, the VA says . . . PTSD cases often surface long after troops leave combat. A VA study in 1988, 13 years after the last U.S. troops left Vietnam, showed that 31% of the 3.1 million male Vietnam veterans had PTSD at some point after their service."

* Senate and Bush Agree On Terms of Spying Bill; some Telecom Companies Would Receive Immunity, Washington Post

"The collapse marked the first time since Democrats took control of the chamber that a major bill was withdrawn from consideration before a scheduled vote. It was a victory for President Bush, whose aides lobbied heavily against the Democrats' bill, and an embarrassment for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who had pushed for the measure's passage. It will include full immunity for those companies that can demonstrate to a court that they acted pursuant to a legal directive in helping the government with surveillance in the United States. Such a demonstration, which the bill says could be made in secret, would wipe out a series of pending lawsuits alleging violations of privacy rights by telecommunications companies that provided telephone records, summaries of e-mail traffic and other information to the government after Sept. 11, 2001, without receiving court warrants. Bush had repeatedly threatened to veto any legislation that lacked this provision."

* Plan Would Ease Limits on Media Owners, NY Times

"But in recent days, Mr. Martin has proposed to expedite the rule-making and hold a final vote in December. In part, he has told commission officials, he was reacting to criticism by Mr. Copps about temporary waivers that have allowed companies to own newspapers and stations in the same market."