The Golden Report

WELCOME to a new look and feel for THE EVENING REPORT. Let me know what you think

HAPPENING NOW: Game Five of the World Series. After four innings. its CARDINALS 2, RANGERS 1

TOP STORY: In Nevada late this afternoon, Pres. Obama announced a new plan for homeowners facing foreclosure or living in homes that are “under water,” easing federal regulations to make it easier for homeowners to refinance their mortgages

As the Washington Post’s ZACHARY GOLDFARB (who had a piece in today’s paper highly critical of the Administration’s housing policy to date) reports tonight, “Housing regulators say that 1 million borrowers might be eligible, but that is only one-tenth of the number of homeowners who need help. And while estimates cited by the administration suggest the average homeowner might save $2,500 per year, other projections from housing regulators were in the range of $312 per year, depending on upfront fees the borrower pays, which may include several thousand dollars in closing costs.”

The housing policy announcement was the first in the Administration’s new “We Can’t Wait” campaign- the new rhetorical theme- replacing the “Pass The Bill” mantra the President has used since the mid-September introduction of the American Jobs Act in a primetime Address to Congress

TOMORROW’S TOP TALKER..TONIGHT.. “Republicans Embrace Twitter for ‘12” by the New York Times’ JENNIFER STEINHAUER:

“It’s a bit of a table turn on Mr. Obama, whose 2008 campaign capitalized on social media in a way that left Republicans bruised and scrambling. Now, after a post-election order from Speaker John A. Boehner that year, House Republicans have embraced Twitter as their karaoke microphone to push their message against the White House bullhorn.

The insta-Tweet has revolutionized rapid response operations that just two years ago relied heavily on cable television, e-mails and news conferences to spread the word of the opposition, which often took a day or two to gain momentum. That time lag could delay the message from taking hold, a result Republicans were eager to undo.”

Republican House members have more than twice as many followers as their Democratic counterparts — about 1.3 million versus roughly 600,000 — and are far more active on Twitter with more than 157,000 individual Twitter messages, versus roughly 62,000 for Democrats.

“The Republicans in Congress are using new media technology to compete for the attention of Beltway reporters,” said Josh Earnest, the White House deputy press secretary. “We use it to compete for the attention of the American people,” he said, pointing to interactive forums that the White House conducts. “These are two different goals.”

At a daily meeting in Mr. Boehner’s office, the communications staff decides what they should be Twittering and blogging about, said Don Seymour, the speaker’s digital communications director. He sits at a desk with one computer for his e-mail and another monitor for his Tweet Deck, his iPad on his lap and a Coke in one hand. A half-dozen televisions show various stations and the House and Senate floors above, where someone might say something that begs for instant reaction.”

THE FULL ARTICLE is a Must-Read

WALL STREET today: All eyes on BRUSSELS two days before 17 European nations meet to reach a decision on a Eurozone bailout, bank restructuring and a solution to the debt crisis in Greece

• DOW up 105
• NASDAQ up 62
• S&P 500 up 16

TUNISIA yesterday held its first elections since the revolution at the end of last year that sparked the Arab Awakening. The widely-watched elections were the first in the region since interim governments took control following the deposition of longtime dictators. Official election results in Tunisia are expected tomorrow- but early returns show that the moderate Islamist party Ennahdha is on track to be declared the victor. This government will draft the country’s new constitution

JOHN PODESTA announced today that he was stepping aside as the President of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress. President Bill Clinton’s former Chief of Staff will remain the Chairman of CAP and also volunteer one-day a week as an advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, POLITICO reports. Podesta chaired the Obama/Biden transition effort in 2008 and 2009. In 1998, John and his brother Tony Podesta co-founded the powerhouse DC lobbying firm The Podesta Group. CAP’s Chief Operating Officer Neera Tanden will become the next President

MEET THE PRESS Executive Producer BETSY FISCHER and POLITICO reporter JONATHAN MARTIN are engaged, the couple announced on Saturday. Fischer posted to her Facebook page yesterday, “Excited to change my FB status to engaged - can’t wait to marry my best friend Jonathan Martin. Makes me happy every day. A surprise propsal Friday night at the Inn at Perry Cabin on MD Eastern Shore = smiling all weekend.”

ABC POLITICAL REPORTER RICK KLEIN and his wife, Laine Kaplowitz, welcomed their third child, Max Rubin Klein, into the world on Saturday. Klein is co-host of ABC’s midday “Topline” broadcast and a frequent staple of the ABC News Washington bureau (and the Twitterspehere,@RickKlein)

OBAMA Campaign Manager Jim Messina today announced that BRODERICK JOHNSON will be joining the 2012 campaign as a senior advisor and national surrogate. Johnson served as an informal advisor in 2008 but did not join the Administration upon President Obama’s election, instead choosing to go to K Street as a lobbyist. Johnson is married to NPR’s MICHELE NORRIS, co-host of All Things Considered. Norris announced today that she will take a leave of absence while her husband works on the campaign, saying in a statement , “Given the nature of Broderick’s position with the campaign and the impact that it will most certainly have on our family life, I will temporarily step away from my hosting duties until after the 2012 elections.I will be leaving the host chair at the end of this week, but I’m not going far. I will be wearing a different hat for a while, producing signature segments and features and working on new reporting projects. While I will of course recuse myself from all election coverage, there’s still an awful lot of ground that I can till in this interim role.”

RICK PERRY may be preparing for a campaign re-launch. TIME’s MARK HALPERIN reported this morning that Perry was adding new staff to his campaign- including George W. Bush’s 2000 campaign manager JOE ALLBAUGH (who later went on to serve as Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency). Also, the campaign’s first television ads in Iowa are expected to air as early as Wednesday of this week- which will make Perry the first candidate to go up on the air with paid advertisements in the 2012 cycle

FINALLY.. Netflix announced today that it has lost more than 800,000 subscribers over the past three months- after the company initially announced it was splitting its DVD-by-mail and online streaming businesses into two, with a price hike, and then rescinded that decision after public criticism several weeks later

BUT as the New York Times reports in a story tomorrow co-written by media correspondent BRIAN STELTER, the company actually reported good results for the third quarter, “Despite the decline in subscribers, the company did well financially in the quarter. It reported net income of $62.5 million, or $1.16, a share, compared with $38 million, or 70 cents a share, in the year-earlier quarter. Revenue rose 49 percent to $822 million. Both revenue and income topped analysts’ expectations,’ they write. The company also announced today a planned expansion into the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2012.

The story chronicles Netflix’s dramatic rise and fall- all in the course of the last two years, and Stelter describes it as a “cautionary tale for other companies that try to transform to new media from old.”

This afternoon, I took a walk down on the National Mall to see the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. It was supposed to have been dedicated on Sunday by President Obama- but the ceremony, and the accompanying week of activities, was postponed due to Hurricane Irene.

The memorial is a moving addition to those that dot the Washington skyline. Inspirational quotes from Dr. King are etched in granite along the side, including my personal favorite:

The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice 

I couldn’t help but noticing that the statue of Dr. King, with arms crossed and in a tie, is erected to face the Jefferson Memorial. Jefferson, of course, like almost all of the Founding Fathers, was a slave owner. So what a bend in the arc of our universe to have Dr. King now face Jefferson across the Tidal Basin. 

Later this fall, the official memorial dedication will be held and presided over by President Obama, a man who embodies Dr. King’s dream.

Hurricane Irene: Preparations & Precautions
Update E-mail #4
Saturday 8/27/11 11am EDT

Hurricane IRENE came ashore Cape Lookout, North Carolina as a Category One hurricane approximately 7:30 this morning. Now, the storm is going to follow a track up the East Coast over the next 24 to 36 hours. Now is the time to finish any preparations and begin to hunker down. 

THE LATEST from the National Hurricane Center, 11am: Winds- 85mph (Category One), Located 50 miles West of Cape Hatteras, NC & 120 miles South of Norfolk, VA. Moving NNE at 15mph. Pressure 952 mb.

DC FORECAST: Already, humidity and scattered showers are affecting the metropolitan region. Thunderstorms are expected this afternoon. Heavy rain should start around 4pm, continuing through the overnight hours. The worse of the storm may impact between 12-5am, with rain continuing into Sunday morning. Watch the wind- but the real story may be the multiple inches of rain. 

POWER OUTAGES REPORTED:
North Carolina: 200,000
Virginia: 42,000

WHAT A WEEK: With an earthquake, aftershocks, and a hurricane, this week has reminded us all of the importance of emergency preparation. If you’ve stocked up on bottled water & non-perishable foods- considering stocking some in an emergency “go bag,” and put those flashlights and extra batteries in an emergency kit. David Alpert makes this point in Greater Greater Washington this morning- and it’s good advice. 

THE STORY TO OUR NORTH: Brian Williams brought NBC Nightly News to the Jersey Shore last night- once the storm passes through DC- that will be the big story, with coastal erosion and flooding possible. 

NEW YORK CITY mass transit systems shut down in one hour, at noon. They are expected to remain closed through, at least, Monday. Mayor Bloomberg has ordered mandatory evacuations for residents living in low-lying ‘Zone A’- which includes areas of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. In a press conference this morning, Bloomberg suggested that ConEd (local power utility) may decide to pre-emptively cut power to areas of Manhattan where there is the threat of salt water storm surge damaging utility cables. 91 shelters are currently open throughout the City. 

TWO PARTS to this story…the coastal story (storm surge, winds) and the inland story (heavy rain, flash flooding). Not helping- astronomically high tides- which, again, make this an unusually strong Cat 1 storm. 

It is very unusual to have Hurricane WARNINGS in effect up the entire East Coast- literally from North Carolina to Maine. States of Emergency have been declared in: North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine. Interests in Southeastern Canada have been urged to watch the movement of Irene- she is expected to remain a hurricane or strong tropical storm while moving the entire coast.

FINAL POWER OUTAGE TIPS:

If the power goes out, report it to PEPCO at 1-877-737-2662
If you see downed powerlines, report it to PEPCO at 1-877-737-2662, press 2
Do NOT attempt to move powerlines or tree limbs that may be tangled in power lines, in a life-threatening situation report it to 911
For tree limbs that do not pose a life-threatening situation, report it to 311

Remember- never drive through standing water or flooded roads. 1/ You don’t know if there is a current and 2/ You don’t know how deep the water is. 

RECAPPING- from the 11am National Hurricane Center Forecast: Slight weakening is expected as Irene moves crosses Eastern North Carolina but Irene is expected to remain near Hurricane strength as it moves near or over the Mid-Atlantic states and approaches New England. 

For a storm that made landfall 3.5 hours ago, Irene shows no signs of immediate weakening. Unusual for a Category One system. 

FOR THE LATEST:

National Hurricane Center Twitter: @NHC_Atlantic 
Weather.com/MSNBC Interactive Hurricane Tracker Twitter: @WeatherChannel 
FEMA Twitter: @FEMA & @CraigATFema
DC Dept of Homeland Security Emergency Management Twitter: @DC_HSEMA
NYC Office of Emergency Management  Twitter: @NotifyNYC

Stay safe today & tonight.

Hurricane Irene: Preparations & Precautions
Update E-mail #3
Friday 8/26/11 11am EDT

DC is likely to see TROPICAL STORM Conditions tomorrow and Sunday. Veteran DC Meteorologist Bob Ryan tweets there is only a 5% chance of 60mph (hurricane-force) winds, but a very good chance of 40mph+ winds.

IRENE, although downgraded overnight to a Category Two storm is a large, powerful and dangerous storm with the potential to cause billions of dollars of damage and large scale disruptions. Today is the day to finish your final preparations. Tips below. 

THE LATEST…11am advisory from the National Hurricane Center: Winds, 105mph (Category Two), Located 330 miles SSW of Cape Hatteras, NC, Moving N at 14mph, Pressure 946mb

STATES up and down the East Coast have declare States of Emergency: North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut [watch for Rhode Island & Massachusetts to join, now that both states are in the watch area] 

• Hurricane WARNINGS are in effect from from Little River Inlet, NC north to Sandy Hook, NJ (includes Delaware & Chesapeake Bays).
• Hurricane WATCHES are in effect from Sandy Hook, NJ to mouth of Merrimack River, MA (includes New York City, Long Island, Boston, Nantucket & Martha’s Vineyard)
• Tropical Storm WARNINGS are in effect from Edisto Beach, SC to Little River Inlet, NC and the Chesapeake Bay northward and the Tidal Basin, including Washington, D.C.

SO..this is only a Category 2 storm. Why is it being described as a “nightmare” event? 

Irene is following a very rare path- it is uncommon for hurricanes to impact the Upper East Coast of the United States and the major population centers up the I-95 corridor. Upwards of 60 million Americans are now potentially in the path of the storm. With the exception of North Carolina, the remaining states that will experience Irene have no recent tropical experience. This is not like a Category Two storm crossing the state of Florida. It’s not fair to compare them.

Meteorologically, Irene is a very large storm- at some 600 miles across, with Tropical Storm force winds extending 300 miles from the center. It is also a very slow moving system- which means that once it starts to rain, it will rain for a long time- increasing potential for flooding and damage from storm surge. 

PREPARATION TIPS- what you should be preparing for:

• Travel Plans- Plans for travel this weekend should already be canceled; transportation will likely be severely impacted.
• High Winds- secure all loose objects that could become projectiles
• Power Outages- Prepare for the possibility of long-term power outages. This morning, PEPCO called customers with a pre-recorded message saying they expect significant outages as a result of the storm. Have bottled water and non-perishable food items on hand. Charge cell phones prior to the power going out. Fill bathtubs with water to be used for toilet flooding. Make sure you have extra batteries and flashlights. 

NEW YORK CITY- This will be one of the biggest parts of this story. At 8am tomorrow, Mayor Bloomberg will make a decision about evacuating over a quarter-million residents from “Zone A”- below flood levels. Already, the Mayor has ordered the evacuation of hospitals, senior centers and nursing homes, to be completed by 8pm tonight. 
@NYPDNews: Police boats have been deployed to precincts in low-lying areas, on stand by for hurricane response. #Irene http://twitpic.com/6bhonk

MTA can not safely operate with sustained winds over 39mph, as is currently forecast late Saturday and Sunday. It takes about 8 hours to shut down the entire system- and because equipment will have to be moved to hire ground, it is not possible to do a partial shutdown of the system. That means that ALL subways, trains and busses in New York City could be shut down late Saturday through, at least, Monday. Officials say they estimate it will take 10-12 hours to re-start the system when it is safe to do so. 

NEW JERSEY- the National Hurricane Center says storm surge could raise water levels by 3 to 6 feet above ground level on the Jersey Shore

NORTH CAROLINA- Is going to be hit first. At this hour, the first outer rain bands are approaching the coast. 

RECAPPING:

• It doesn’t matter where the storm makes landfall, or what it’s category is when it does. This is a large storm impacting an area that isn’t used to it. States from North Carolina through New England will experience Irene.
• Prepare now. It is imperative that you use the remaining hours before the storm begins to make preparations- especially for power outages. Also- make a plan for transportation disruptions. There is going to be a domino effect from this storm that will extend well into next week.

PRESIDENT OBAMA, still on Martha’s Vineyard (currently under a Hurricane Watch) will deliver a statement at 11:30am. National Hurricane Center issues an intermediate update at 2pm and the next complete update at 5pm. 

FOR THE LATEST:

National Hurricane Center Twitter: @NHC_Atlantic 
Weather.com/MSNBC Interactive Hurricane Tracker Twitter: @WeatherChannel 
FEMA Twitter: @FEMA & @CraigATFema
DC Dept of Homeland Security Emergency Management Twitter: @DC_HSEMA
NYC Office of Emergency Management  Twitter: @NotifyNYC

Hurricane Irene: Preparations & Precautions
Update #2
Thursday 8/25/11 11am EDT

TODAY: A Flash Flood Watch goes into effect at noon. Showers and thunderstorms are expected this afternoon, some of which could be severe. [Unrelated to Irene]

ALL EYES ON IRENE: Here’s how ABC 7’s KRIS VAN CLEAVE put it last night: “Normally I would not stress any one model run, but the government is deploying ALL its resources to get the best data into the models, and this run joins the European in moving west… tracking right along the coast into NYC. Frightening to see. The main point it, the storm AND the models are now trending west and subsequent model runs have moved the storm north into population centers, NOT out to sea. [Today] will be a big day of decisions.”

11am ADVISORY: WINDS 115mph (Category Three), Location: 75mi NNE/Nassau, Bahamas, 645mi S/Cape Hatteras, NC; Moving NNW at 13mph, Pressure 951mb
Echoed by ABC7’s BOB RYAN, who tweeted an hour ago, in all caps “THE OFFICIAL TRACK HAS BEEN SHIFTED VERY SLIGHTLY TO THE WEST OF THE PREVIOUS ONE” 

THREE IMPORTANT POINTS:

1. Computer models are indicating Irene is shifting more to the West. That is bad news for interests along the East Coast, but there is still a lot of uncertainty.
2. Irene is a large storm. Hurricane Force winds extend 70 miles from the center; Tropical Storm force winds extend 290 miles. That means the actual track is less important..even if the storm moves to our east, we will still be impacted in some way
3. Today is a critical day for the path of the storm. If Irene moves 100 miles to the east of the current forecast- we may only have some rain and wind. 100 miles to the west of the forecast- and we could have extreme hurricane conditions.

TO RECAP: From NBC4 Meteorologist TOM KIERNAN: There is some indication that there is a possibility the storm could track even farther west than it currently appears… As a result, we could have even stronger winds and heavier rain into the Washington metro area Saturday night and Sunday…The margin of error on forecast tracks this far ahead is still fairly large…It could be off by 100 miles or so, so if the error is 100 miles farther west than the current track is, then we will have extreme hurricane conditions for the immediate D.C. metro area on Saturday night and Sunday. On the other hand, there is a possibility that if the forecast track is 100 miles farther east, we would have minor effects from the storm.
PICTURE of New York City’s Emergency Command Center- opened yesterday- and will stay open through the storm. Tweeted from @NYCMayorsOffice http://yfrog.com/kgezwloj 

PREPARATION TIPS:

1. Be prepared to cancel plans Saturday night, Sunday and Monday. The crucial hours look to be early Saturday evening through the night and into the day on Sunday. Regardless of where the storm hits, travel WILL be impacted along the East Coast. If you must travel this weekend, consider going earlier or changing your plans and be prepared to wait out the storm (especially if in New York City or Boston). It looks like Monday will be recovery day. 
2. Prepare for power outages. High winds will likely cause outages in the DC area. Stock up on bottled water (for drinking and flushing toilets) and non-perishable food items. Keep your cell phones charged throughout the day on Saturday so they can be used as long as possible in an outage. Prepare flashlights, batteries and anything else you need to ride out the storm (aka beverages). 
3. Remember the blizzards. We all recall how DC was paralyzed for several days, store shelves were bare, supply chains disrupted and transportation (especially Metro) difficult. Be ready for this again, especially after the storm early next week. 
4. Other tips: consider keeping a full tank of gas in your car and bringing inside any objects (trash cans, chairs, umbrellas, etc) that may become projectiles in high winds.

Although we’re preparing for the worse here in DC- it does look like our friends up the East Coast- New York, Connecticut and Boston- will experience an even worse storm. Right now, Irene is impacting the Bahamas. 

FOR THE LATEST:

National Hurricane Center Twitter: @NHC_Atlantic 
Weather.com/MSNBC Interactive Hurricane Tracker Twitter: @WeatherChannel 
FEMA Twitter: @FEMA & @CraigATFema
DC Dept of Homeland Security Emergency Management Twitter: @DC_HSEMA
NYC Office of Emergency Management  Twitter: @NotifyNYC

As if yesterday’s earthquake wasn’t enough, it looks like we’re in for an interesting weekend. Latest projections show that Hurricane Irene, this morning a Category 3 major storm, will come very close to the DC area Saturday night into Sunday.

At this point, it is very important to stay informed of the movements of the storm and its potential effects on the region. As we saw yesterday, emergencies can happen at any time and we have to be prepared, for anything. 

Couple of tips for right now:

• Change your plans. If you have plans or travel Saturday night, Sunday or Monday, please begin to make preparations to change/adjust them. Travel will likely be very difficult or imperiled with any tropical system. It’s not a smart idea to be caught up in what could be massive gridlock or backups. 
• Think about where is a safe place to ride out the storm. For just about everyone, that’s your house/apartment. At this point, the storm does not look powerful enough to knock out windows but give some thought to an inner room, stairwell or basement you could go should a severe thunderstorm or tornado develop within the landfalling system.
• Stock up now on supplies: bottled water (to drink & to flush toilets in a power outage), non-perishable foods, batteries for flashlights, etc. Remember during the blizzards two years ago how quickly the supply chains were knocked out and grocery store shelves were bare. That’s likely to happen again. So stock up early- today or tomorrow. 
• Charge your cell phones on Saturday. In the event of a power outage, you want your phone to work as long as possible..so keep it charged & plugged in on Saturday during the day and night. 
• Stay informed. Tropical systems are unpredictable. At this point, it’s hard to know exactly where Irene will fall on the cone of uncertainty. Remember- even if we don’t get a direct hit (which looks unlikely), we will still feel the effects of the storm- either as a weak hurricane, or a strong tropical storm. 

Keep this in mind

• Tropical Storm: Winds 39-73mph
• Category One: Winds 74-95mph
• Category Two: Winds 96-110mph
• Category Three: Winds 111-130mph
• Category Four: Winds 131-155mph

As of 11am this morning, Hurricane Irene is a Category Three storm with winds of 115mph. It is forecast to strengthen today and could possibly reach Category Four status. At this point, no watches or warnings have been issued for the US mainland. That is likely to change late today or early tomorrow. 
While it is important to not sound alarmist, it is equally important to take Irene very seriously. 

DC experienced a 5.8 magnitude earthquake shortly before 2pm this afternoon. 

I was in our office building at 1875 K Street downtown when the earthquake shook. It started lightly- I thought something had fallen on the floor or there was loud music playing on the floor below us. Then the entire building started to shake and, almost naturally, my co-worker and I got up and moved to the center of the building. There was a lot of confusion “what just happened?” “what should we do?” After a few minutes, we decided to evacuate and join hundreds of other people on 19th Street. After about a half-hour, we were allowed re-entry to the building. 

Living through this earthquake exposed what happens in an emergency situation- some of it distributing and frustrating, 10 years after the 9/11 attacks. Here are some quick observations on what happened today that could have complicated a more genuine and urgent emergency. 

Overloading of Phone System

This includes data on mobile phones. The networks were overloaded. There was no quick way of relaying information once we had evacuated and were reliant on our phones. My phone didn’t work for the first 45 minutes- then I started receiving data, including Twitter. Finally, after nearly an hour and a half or two hours, phone calls started working again. 

Social Media is the best way to distribute information

Better than any alert system that I’m subscribed to (Alert DC, AU Alerts, Breaking News alerts from news organizations), Twitter got news spread quickly. It is invaluable in a crisis situation.

Contra-Flow Plans needs to be rethought

Traffic snarled on city streets almost immediately as people got into their cars to leave. The Metro system was necessarily slowed to allow for structural inspections. I decided to walk home up Connecticut Avenue. I saw how gridlocked the traffic was. If this was a true emergency, and downtown DC had to be evacuated in an immediate fashion- today revealed that it would not go smoothly. Few police or traffic control officers were deployed. Worse, motorists were not obeying four-way stops at intersections without working traffic signals.

Emergency plans need to be tested

My first thought “what should I do” was the wrong one. I have read my building’s “Life Safety Plan” - ironically as recently as this past weekend. But I have never printed it out. I have never assembled an emergency kit at my desk- an office “go bag.” And I would assume that I’m not alone in this. Even though I work in downtown DC- a few blocks from The White House- the complacency of the post 9/11 years has never made me think that seriously about doing so. It’s a wake-up call, for sure. 

DC may have an opportunity to test its emergency preparedness plans again this weekend- as Hurricane Irene threatens a landfall close by.