June 26, 2009

Michael and Farrah:

Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett both died Thursday. Fawcett, 62, following a long fight with cancer; Jackson, 50, of apparent cardiac attack.

Jackson was pronounced dead at a Los Angeles hospital. An autopsy was ordered to determine the cause of death but preliminary word from officials suggests a heart issue. Jackson died shortly before he was to begin a series of 50 sold-out concerts in London.

Jackson's career began at age 11 with his brothers as The Jackson Five and reached its zenith with his solo "Thriller," an album that, at 100 million-109 million copies, is the best-selling record ever. The album won eight Grammys and included seven singles, all of which were Top 10 hits.

"Thriller's" success was driven by a series of videos that were in heavy rotation on MTV and showed off Jackson's dancing abilities. Those moves became centerpieces of Jackson's stage appearances.

He had a series of legal woes related to alleged child abuse and a lifestyle -- he once lived at his own amusement park "Neverland" -- that placed him on the edge of bankruptcy at least once.

Jackson's sudden death overshadowed Fawcett's but Fawcett had strong influence of her own. She made her name as Jill Munroe in "Charlie's Angels" and a cheesecake poster that sold millions of copies. She also sent important social messages in her roles in "The Burning Bed" and "Extremities." She was credited in recent years as a cancer activist and helped in the filming of the documentary "Farrah's Story."

Merkel visits White House:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel travels to Washington for a brief news conference and working lunch with U.S. President Barack Obama.

The fighting in Afghanistan and the global economy are expected to top the agenda. There's also North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, climate change and the upcoming Group of Eight summit.

The two leaders haven't always seen eye-to-eye, most pointedly on how to reverse the recession. Obama's plan for the United States included a $787 billion stimulus package; Merkel argued against spending on a large scale. Germany has also been hesitant to send additional troops to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan while Obama is seeking more U.S. and international personnel to help stop the insurgency there.

The media appearance will likely play up the ways they agree, such as actions on climate change.

Cap and trade:

Climate change is at the center of debate on Capitol Hill Friday with the House of Representatives scheduled to vote on an energy bill that includes an attempt to limit greenhouse gases through a "cap-and-trade" strategy. The White House supports the measure.

The bill is 1,201 pages long and each side has its economic forecast as to the cost to the U.S. taxpayer. (A Wall Street Journal editorial Thursday called it the "biggest tax in American history.") Democrats are having a hard time keeping complete party unity as representatives from agricultural and industrial districts fear their constituents -- and the companies that employ them -- will be adversely affected.

Passage is unclear but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is still expected to order a vote.

Two weeks after Iran's vote:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned Obama to stop interfering with Iran's internal politics. The White House countered that this was a ploy by Ahmadinejad to keep attention off the suppression of demonstrations and international media in Iran.

Iranians voted two weeks ago and official results -- even now the stance is that there was no fraud in the election -- gave Ahmadinejad a landslide victory. His opponents cried foul and set off a string of demonstrations that were often violently quashed by police.

Election runner-up Mir Hossein Mousavi has called for the protests to continue.

U.S. arming Somalia:

The U.S. State Department confirmed the United States was sending arms -- exactly what wasn't disclosed -- to the Somali government, which is attempting to hold off Islamist insurgents believed linked to al-Qaida.

The insurgent group al-Shabab controls large sections of Somalia. A sign of the group's brutality was apparent Thursday when hands and feet were cut off suspected thieves and paraded around Mogadishu.