July 14, 2009

Secret CIA assassination plans:

CIA Director Leon Panetta canceled a secret program in which CIA operatives were to be sent to kill senior members of al-Qaida.

News of the program was broken Monday by The Wall Street Journal. Panetta told Congress about the program recently. He said he put a stop to it once he learned of it last month. The plan had started in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks but, The New York Times said, was never used because of physical and political logistics.

Panetta's revelation was the first Congress learned of the program, leading Democrats to claim the Bush administration CIA lied to them. Panetta told Intelligence Committees in Congress the program was hidden from them on orders from Vice President Dick Cheney, the Times reported.

Democrats in the House of Representatives are expected to announce this week they will call hearings on allegations the CIA misled members of Congress.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has charged the CIA lied about enhanced interrogation techniques. Cheney said at that time references to those allegations should be declassified to disclose how useful the techniques, considered torture by some, were and whether Congress had been informed properly.

'Trillion' with a 't':

For the first nine months of fiscal 2009, the U.S. government spent $1.086 trillion more than it took in.

It is the first time the U.S. budget deficit topped $1 trillion -- the record was last year when the 12-month figure was $454.8 billion.

Some analysts said with the recession refusing to ease and unemployment likely to move to more than 10 percent, the fiscal 2009 deficit could top $2 trillion. The White House figures see the deficit for this year at $1.8 trillion. There are three months remaining in the current fiscal year.

The U.S. Treasury said the government spent $2.67 trillion in the last nine months with Social Security payments totaling $511.6 billion and Defense spending at $492 billion. Some $149 billion more went to national debt interest payments.

Revenues -- $1.59 trillion -- were off about $340 billion from a year ago. About $192 billion of that was due to reduced individual income-tax receipts and another $135 billion from a drop off in business-related payments.

The soaring deficit could affect interest rates, further slowing economic recovery.

Sotomayor hearings:

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor faces Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for a second day.

There were no bombshells in the first day of hearings. In her opening statement Sotomayor looked to "strengthen both the rule of law and faith in the impartiality of our judicial system."

The questioning period is set for Tuesday and Republicans are expected to ask the nominee about her comments on how her background influences -- or not -- her view of the law.

There is little chance Sotomayor's nomination will be short-circuited during the Senate advise-and-consent process.

Bastille Day:

The annual National Celebration marking the 1789 storming of the Bastille -- an occasion cited as the start of the French Revolution -- was marked with the usual official pomp but other gatherings are becoming part of the annual affair.

However, the holiday in recent years has been marred by riots. This year more than 300 vehicles were burned and 13 police officers injured in Paris in the pre-Bastille Day time period, the BBC said. About 250 people were arrested.

The unrest seems to lie in housing projects near major French cities where youths see the holiday as an appropriate background for protests regarding high unemployment and ethnic integration.

The huge Bastille Day parade itself featured Indian military personnel who led the march down the Champs-Elysees.

All-Star Game:

Major League Baseball's celebration of itself takes place Tuesday in St. Louis with the 80th All-Star Game.

U.S. President Barack Obama is to be on hand to throw the ceremonial first pitch with St. Louis slugger Albert Pujos doing the catching.

This is Pujos' showcase. The local hero leads the National League in home runs and runs batted in and is second in batting average. He is considered a have a true chance at winning baseball's Triple Crown -- the highest home run and RBI totals and average in the same season. It has been accomplished 15 times since 1878 but not once since 1967.

In an era where performance enhancing drugs have grabbed as much baseball attention as the game itself, Pujos is apparently untainted. He has been tested many times and always comes up clean. He has a wholesome image that he doesn't threaten with actions that could be taken the wrong way. He is what baseball wants to show off.

Milwaukee's Prince Fielder won Monday's home run derby with six home runs to five by Texas' Nelson Cruz in the final round.