Interests: Politics, Government, Media, Transportation, Space, Social Media, Civic Engagement, Washington, DC Following: The Obama Presidency, Decision 2012, The 112th Congress Work: myImpact.org- a non-profit working at the intersection of social media & citizen engagement
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
The Evening Report for Tuesday November 15, 2011
TOP STORY: Zuccotti Park in New York City’s Lower Manhattan is open again at this hour, per a court order, after being cleared and closed by the New York City Police Department in an early morning raid.
Zuccotti is considered the birthplace of the “Occupy” movement, which began two months ago this week under the name “Occupy Wall Street” and has grown to encompass cities across the United States- including Washington, DC, Portland, Ore. and Oakland, Calif.- and the world.
Shortly after 1am, Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave the order to clear the park. Over 150 people were arrested and the operation concluded before daybreak. The Mayor’s office released a lengthy statement just before 7am and Bloomberg appeared on camera just after 8am. Throughout the day, lawyers for the city and the protestors have battled in court over when and in what manner protestors should be allowed to return to the park.
This evening, the New York State Supreme Court sided with the city and said that protestors are allowed to return to the park but may be prohibited from carrying tents inside, thus making it impossible to replicate the conditions that have come to define Occupy Wall Street over the last eight weeks. Tonight, there are reports that over 750 people have crowded- standing- into the park.
The New York Times has a compelling account of the carefully planned police operation, including below:
“Officials had prepared by watching how occupations in other cities played out. A major disaster drill was held on Randalls Island, with an eye toward Zuccotti. Officials increased so-called disorder training — counterterrorism measures that involve moving large numbers of police officers quickly — to focus on Lower Manhattan.”
“The last training session was on Monday night, on the Manhattan side of the East River. The orders to move into the park came down at the “last minute,” said someone familiar with the orders, which referred to the assignment only as “an exercise.”
“The operation on Tuesday involved officers from various police units, including boroughwide task forces — scores of mobile officers who are usually used to flood high-crime neighborhoods.”
“Emergency Service Unit trucks with klieg lights and loudspeakers gathered at Pike Slip and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive, near the Manhattan Bridge, before moving out. The lights and prerecorded messages booming from the loudspeakers seemed to cow many protesters. As the community affairs officers moved into the park in their light-blue windbreakers, many protesters simply gathered their belongings and left.”
“No tents were touched until 1:45 a.m., the police said, giving the protesters time to gather their belongings. Other teams of officers were seen gathering on the perimeter to move in if arrests were needed in the park.”
“As the police moved west through the dense tangle of protesters’ personal belongings, including luggage and plastic lawn and leaf bags stuffed with clothing, crews from the Sanitation Department followed, scooping up what was left behind.”
“No arrests were made in the park until about 3:30 a.m., Mr. Kelly said. The clearing operation was complete about 75 minutes later, the police said.”
“…About 142 people were arrested in the park. Most of the arrests were for “disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.”
THE WASHINGTON POST now has a countdown clock on its homepage until the time when the Congressional Supercommittee is charged with reaching a minimum $1.2 trillion deficit reduction agreement. 8 days remain.
A BLOOMBERG POLL released this morning finds a statistical four-way tie in the Iowa Caucuses (now just six weeks away). As we mentioned last night, this poll is the latest to suggest that NEWT GINGRICH has improbably revived a struggling campaign to within striking distance of front-runner status.
Of course, Gingrich is just the latest candidate to claim this mantle in the 2012 race. Recall that frontrunners thus far have included Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain and, now, Newt Gingrich.
The Bloomberg Iowa Poll:
- Cain 20%
- Paul 19%
- Romney 18%
- Gingrich 17%
- Perry 7%
- Bachmann 5%
- Santorum 3%
- Huntsman 1%
REAL CLEAR POLITICS provides an average of all recent polling data. Mitt Romney still leads the field, but only by 0.7 points, over Herman Cain. Gingrich is strongly in third place and, Perry is struggling to prevent falling in the abyss of lower-tier candidates.
- Romney 22%
- Cain 21.3%
- Gingrich 17.6%
- Perry 9.9%
- Paul 7.3%
- Bachmann 4.1%
- Santorum 1.9%
- Huntsman 1.3%
WALL STREET:
- Dow up 17 to 12,096
- Nasdaq up 28 to 2,686
- S&P 500 up 6 to 1,258
APPLE today named Arthur Levinson, who is chairman of the pharmaceuticals company Genentech Inc, as its new board chairman. The chairman’s position was one created for (and by) Steve Jobs when he stepped aside as CEO in August of this year. The Board also named Rober Iger, who is President and CEO of Disney, as a director. Tim Cook remains Apple’s CEO.
GIFFORDS: In his new book published this week, Mark Kelly, the astronaut husband of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, openly blasts Speaker of the House John Boehner who, Kelly says, has only sent a single get-well card in the 11 months since the shooting and did not visit Giffords when he was in Houston in April to attend a NCAA college basketball game.
As The Hill reported this afternoon, Kelly writes in the book, “Considering that she was a member of Congress and he was the highest-ranking member, we thought he’d ask to visit Gabby or at least give a call to see how she was doing. Our only contact with him had been a simple get-well card he’d sent a few days after Gabby was injured.”
Kelly and Giffords sat for their first television interview last night on 20/20 with Diane Sawyer.
CBS: After a first report by Brian Stelter in Monday’s New York Times, CBS News announced today that they are completely revamping the morning program The Early Show, which is set to relaunch on January 09.
The new program- which will go by a new name- will be co-hosted by late night PBS staple and veteran journalist Charlie Rose and Gayle King, a former Connecticut local news anchor who went on to work with her best friend, Oprah Winfrey, on her daytime talk show.
King will co-host the second hour of the 7-9am program with Rose, and Rose will co-host the first hour with current co-host Erica Hill. Under new management, CBS is attempting to refocus the morning program, which as been chronically stuck in third place in the ratings, with a more “hard news” format, while also keeping it conversational. Chris Licht, the former Executive Producer of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, is now the EP of the new CBS morning broadcast.
FINALLY: Duke’ men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski tonight set a new record for wins as a Division One coach, with a 74-69 win over Michigan State. It was Krzyzewski’s 903rd victory. His lifetime record is now 903-284, including four national championships. He surpasses former Indiana & Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight, who has held the record since 2008.
The Evening Report for Thursday November 03, 2011
JUST IN: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to bring a veterans tax break bill to the floor for a vote on or close to Veterans Day, the latest component of the President’s proposed American Jobs Act to be considered in a piece-meal approach. In doing so, Reid is all but daring Republicans to vote against a popular tax break on a symbolic holiday. Today, the Senate failed to reach 60 votes to cut off debate on a transportation and infrastructure bill, one day after President Obama went to Washington’s Key Bridge to urge its passage.
TOP STORY: Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou appeared to walk back today on his proposal earlier this week to put the EU-brokered financial rescue package for his country up for a vote by popular referendum. Tomorrow, Papandreou faces a vote of no confidence in the Greek Parliament and it is not clear if he and his ruling political party will survive the vote. This comes as leaders of the G-20 nations are meeting this week in Cannes, France to discuss the proposal and its effects, should it pass or fail.
TOMORROW MORNING: The Labor Department releases its monthly employment report which will show the jobs situation for the month of October. Bloomberg is predicting that 95,000 jobs were added last month and the unemployment rate is expected to be unchanged at 9.1%. The numbers are released at 8:30am EST.
WALL STREET:
- DOW up 208
- NASDAQ up 58
- S&P 500 up 23
STILL IN THE DARK: As of this hour, 318,212 customers in Connecticut remain without power after Saturday’s historic and unusual snow storm. Tonight, the Connecticut National Guard has been dispatched to some areas of the hard-hit Farmington Valley. Many school districts have been closed for the entire week. Connecticut Light & Power, the state’s primary utility company, predicts that all customers will have power restored by Sunday night.
TOP POLITICAL STORY: the developing scandal over allegations of sexual harassment by Republican frontrunner Herman Cain. The story has taken a number of new developments: with now three accusers coming forward, at least one asking permission from the National Restaurant Association to go public with her story and an accusation by the Cain campaign that a staffer with the Rick Perry campaign reportedly leaked this story to POLITICO. In an interview with CNN tonight, Perry strongly denied that, saying, “You know, I don’t know how to tell it any other way except we knew nothing about it.”
SO FAR, Cain is holding his own against a growing media firestorm. But as each day goes by, more and more details are coming out that, when compared against Cain’s prior statements, and the statements that he has made this week, don’t appear to add up. The biggest unknown right now is what kind of damage this story may have in the eyes of Cain’s supporters. However, his campaign reported this week that they have been raising on average of $1 million a day, a sign that Cain’s base of support may not be weakened- but rather emboldened- by this controversy. And with Rick Perry being drawn into the story, the Romney campaign is having a very good week. Although their candidate is not attracting any media attention, he also isn’t attracting any scrutiny while his chief obstacle (at the moment) for frontrunner status is fighting hard to get his campaign back on track.
THE NEXT DEBATE is Wednesday night in Rochester, Michigan. Its focus is slated to be jobs and the economy, although it is hard to see at this point how the Cain scandal could not be brought up.
RASMUSSEN POLL out today:
- Cain 26%
- Romney 23%
- Gingrich 14%
- Perry 8%
- Paul 7%
- Bachmann 2%
- Huntsman 2%
- Santorum 1%
QUINNIPIAC POLL out Wednesday:
- Cain 30%
- Romney 23%
- Gingrich 10%
- Perry 8%
- Paul 7%
- Bachmann 4%
- Huntsman 2%
- Santorum 1%
FINALLY..SERIOUSLY…”Siri” the voice activated network on Apple’s new iPhone 4S, encountered a major glitch today resulting in its first outage. According to TechCrunch, which is compiling some of the best tweets from users experiencing the problem, “When you try to use Siri on the iPhone 4S right now, the usually perky virtual assistant just responds: “Sorry, I am having trouble connecting to the network” and does nothing.”
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg Statement on Death of Steve Jobs
New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg issued the following statement on the death of Apple co-founder and Former CEO Steve Jobs: “Tonight, America lost a genius who will be remembered with Edison and Einstein, and whose ideas will shape the world for generations to come. Again and again over the last four decades, Steve Jobs saw the future and brought it to life long before most people could even see the horizon. And Steve’s passionate belief in the power of technology to transform the way we live brought us more than smart phones and iPads: it brought knowledge and power that is reshaping the face of civilization. In New York City’s government, everyone from street construction inspectors to NYPD detectives have harnessed Apple’s products to do their jobs more efficiently and intuitively. Tonight our City – a city that has always had such respect and admiration for creative genius – joins with people around the planet in remembering a great man and keeping Laurene and the rest of the Jobs family in our thoughts and prayers.”
White House Statement on Death of Steve Jobs
THE WHITE HOUSE ____________________________________________________________
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2011
Statement by the President on the Passing of Steve Jobs
Michelle and I are saddened to learn of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.
By building one of the planet’s most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.
The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steve’s wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him.
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The Golden Report for Wednesday October 05
SPECIAL EDITION: THE DEATH OF STEVEN P. JOBS
Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, Inc., died today at the age of 56.
Jobs was born February 24, 1955 in San Francisco and adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs of Mountain View, California. He graduated from Homestead High School in Cupertino, California in 1972 and attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon, but dropped out after one semester. Jobs co-founded Apple with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne in 1976. Eight years later, he led the team that founded the Macintosh Computer. All told, Jobs’ name is attached to 338 United States patents or pending patent applications.
In 1982, Time Magazine named the Computer as the “Machine of the Year” and, in a profile of Jobs, called him “the most famous maestro of the micro.” During a 12-year gap from working at Apple in the late 1980s and 1990s, Jobs started a company called NeXT and another animation company called Pixar and later partnered with Disney to create the iconic movie “Toy Story” which Jobs worked on for over half a decade. Jobs returned to Apple, which purchased NeXT, and became Chief Executive Officer- a position he held until his resignation in August of this year. In 2006, Disney purchase Pixar for $7.4 billion and Jobs became one of the largest shareholders of the Walt Disney Corporation- holding approximately 7% of the company’s stock. Until his death, Jobs remained Chairman of the Apple Board of Directors. Jobs had battled pancreatic cancer since 2004 and underwent a liver transplant in 2009.
New York Times Obituary: “Steven P. Jobs, the visionary co-founder of Apple who helped usher in the era of personal computers and then did nothing less than lead a cultural transformation in the way music, movies and mobile communications were experienced in the digital age, died Wednesday in Palo Alto, Calif.. He was 56.”
New York Times Graphics- Steve Jobs’ Patents
Wall Street Journal Obituary: “Steven P. Jobs, the Apple Inc. chairman and co-founder who pioneered the personal computer industry and changed the way people think about technology, died Wednesday at the age of 56.
Statement from Bill Gates: “I’m truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs’ death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work. Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely”
Statement from Michael Bloomberg: “Tonight, America lost a genius who will be remembered with Edison and Einstein, and whose ideas will shape the world for generations to come. Again and again over the last four decades, Steve Jobs saw the future and brought it to life long before most people could even see the horizon. And Steve’s passionate belief in the power of technology to transform the way we live brought us more than smart phones and iPads: it brought knowledge and power that is reshaping the face of civilization.”
White House Statement of the President, in part:
“Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.
By building one of the planet’s most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. By making computers personal and putting the internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun. And by turning his talents to storytelling, he has brought joy to millions of children and grownups alike. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries, and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: he changed the way each of us sees the world.
The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Steve’s wife Laurene, his family, and all those who loved him”
APPLE.COM’s homepage is a picture of Steve Jobs and, in boldface type on the left hand side, simply, “Steve Jobs: 1955-2011”. It links to apple.com/stevejobs, which reads “Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.”
“If you would like to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences, please email rememberingsteve@apple.com”
APPLE STOCK (AAPL) closed today up 5.75 points (1.54%) to $378.25 on the NASDAQ. Jobs held 5.426 million shares of Apple.
In 2010, FORBES MAGAZINE estimated Jobs’ net worth at $8.3 billion, making him the 42nd wealthiest American. Jobs did not engage in public philanthropy, at least in the traditional sense, in his life. Although several large gifts are rumored to have come anonymously from Jobs he did not, for example, establish a personal foundation, focus on specific initiatives, or join public initiatives such as The Giving Pledge.
In June 2005, Jobs delivered the commencement address at STANFORD UNIVERSITY. The YouTube clip of the 15-minute speech has been watched over 6 million times. In the speech, Jobs talked publicly about his health condition for the first time, saying,
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
Full Transcript
YouTube
THE OTHER TOP STORY:
Former Alaska Governor and Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin announced tonight that she will not seek the 2012 Republican Presidential Nomination, putting to rest persistent speculation since 2009 that she would return to public life after resigning as Alaska’s Governor and mount a bid for The White House. The announcement came on the Mark Levin Show this evening and in a statement released afterwards, Palin said, “As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.”
Republicans who were seriously considering a presidential bid this cycle but declined: Former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, Former South Dakota Senator John Thune, Former New York Governor George Pataki, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Indiana Rep. Mike Pence, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and billionaire Donald Trump
With Palin’s announcement today- and Christie’s yesterday- the Republican field is now set, with 89 days before the Iowa Caucuses.
WALL STREET TODAY:
- DOW up 131
- NASDAQ up 55
- S&P 500 up 20
The Golden Report for Tuesday October 04
JUST IN: In tonight’s special election for West Virginia Governor, sitting incumbent Ray Tomblin has defeated a challenge from Republican oil executive Bill Maloney. With 65% of the precincts reporting, its Tomblin 50%, Maloney 46%, according to the Associated Press. This special election fills the term vacated by now Senator Joe Manchin, who won the seat left vacant by the late Senator Robert Byrd. Tomblin is elected to fill out the remainder of Manchin’s term, and is expected to seek election to a term in his own right in 2012.
2012:
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie today put to rest rampant speculation over the last 10 days that he was rethinking a possible run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. In a 1pm news conference from the New Jersey Statehouse in Trenton, Christie said, “In the end, what I’ve always felt was the right decision remains the right decision today. Now is not my time.” He went on to say, “New Jersey, whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me.”
Christie’s move, expected in recent days, especially with Florida and South Carolina announcing earlier dates for their primaries- now within 100 days- finally solidifies the Republican presidential field. Or as the New York Times’ Jeff Zeleny put it this afternoon “With Christie Out, Republican Race Begins For Real” or as POLITICO puts it tonight, “It’s Mitt’s Moment” as the former Massachusetts Governor is now considered to be the front-runner.
The race that seemed slow to start is now entering a new, fast-paced, mid-phase before the first primary votes are cast. The first candidate to formally declare his candidacy was former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson on April 21st. In May, Newt Gingrich (5/11), Ron Paul (5/13), Herman Cain (5/21), and Tim Pawlenty (5/23) declared. In June, Mitt Romney (6/2), Rick Santorum (6/6), Jon Huntsman (6/21) and Michele Bachmann (6/27) formally entered the race. And, finally, on August 13th, Texas Governor Rick Perry declared his candidacy. Now, with Pawlenty already having withdrawn from the race, there are nine candidates remaining.
A Washington Post/ABC News Poll out this morning sheds some light on where the race stands:
Perry’s support has eclipsed dramatically over the last month while, surprisingly, some of that support has gone to former Godfather Pizza executive Herman Cain, who is now in third place and ties Perry in percentage of support. Cain’s new book “This is Herman Cain!: My Journey To The White House” went on sale today. $13.75 on Amazon. Finally, the Romney campaign announced today that the candidate will deliver what they are calling a “major foreign policy address” in South Carolina on Friday.
APPLE announced today the forthcoming release of the iPhone 4GS- a new version of its popular mobile phone to be released next month. The company was widely speculated to announce the highly anticipated iPhone 5 today- but it did not. From the Apple description, “Apple’s dual-core A5 chip for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics; an 8MP camera with advanced optics; full 1080p HD resolution video recording; and Siri, an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking. iPhone 4S also ships with iOS 5 — the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, with over 200 new features — and iCloud”. The iPhone 4GS will be available for pre-order October 7th for shipping on October 14th.
The WHITE HOUSE announced today that Angella Reid, currently the General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City, will be the first female Chief User in history. The Chief User is the head of all household staff and operations at The White House. There have been eight previous Chief Users, dating back to 1901.
On WALL STREET today, news that European finance ministers may be readying a (new) rescue plan, helped to send the Dow higher in the final hour of trading. Interestingly, Apple shares were down 2% even with the excitement around the new iPhone product.
A dramatic scene in NEW YORK this afternoon as a helicopter crashed into the East River, killing one and injuring three other passengers. In a press conference tonight, Mayor Michael Bloomberg explained where the investigation is being centered now, “From what we know so far, the pilot reported having trouble keeping aloft, and he tried to turn back but crashed into the water just north of the landing pad,” he said. NBC New York has video of the helicopter, a Bell 206 Ranger, being lifted from the water tonight.
The NATIONAL CATHEDRAL formally announced today they will reopen on November 12th following damage suffered during the East Coast’s late August earthquake. “While we are proud of our ability to continue our historic mission under trying circumstances, we look forward to returning to our home—and welcoming those seeking a spiritual refuge to join us. Reopening is only the first step down a long path toward restoring the Cathedral to its previous state,” Right Rev. John Bryson Chane, interim dean of the Cathedral said in a statement. Total repairs are expected to cost $25 million and could take nearly a decade to complete, due to the unique and complicated nature of the Cathedral’s architectural design.
The HOUSE passed a continuing resolution today that funds the federal government through November 18th. The final vote was 352-66 with 53 Republicans again defying Speaker Boehner and voting against the bill. On his way back from a fundraiser in St. Louis tonight (after earlier attending a fundraiser and speaking at a school in Texas), President Obama will sign the bill when he returns to the White House, thereby averting a government shutdown that would otherwise begin at midnight.
FINALLY…An interview with former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsefeld aired on Al-Jazerra English today. It contained a heated exchange that is sure to soon make the rounds on cable news and the late night talk shows. Full video via the Huffington Post.
“You keep making assertions that are fundamentally false,” [Rumsfeld] said. “Correct me,” Washington Bureau Chief Abderrahim Foukara replied. Rumsfeld insisted that all of the troop levels had been highly vetted on multiple levels. “Does that make the numbers right?” Foukara interjected.
“Do you want to yell or do you want an interview?” Rumsfeld shot back. “I’m having an interview, and I’m actually enjoying this interview,” Foukara said, almost cheerfully. “You have a choice,” Rumsfeld said. “You’re being true to form.”
“Why should I do everything you want and you won’t do anything I want?” Rumsfeld asked. “Because I’m the interviewer!” Foukara said
