Cut to the News . . . Your Daily News Briefing
Friday, January 23, 2009 Make us your homepage
Leading the News
Obama Orders Guantanamo Bay Prison Closed . . . Wants it done within a year. Also puts end to aggressive torture techniques. McClatchy Newspapers
Gillibrand Chosen as Senator for New York . . . Gov. Paterson selects Rep. Kirstin Gillibrand, a 42-year-old upstate centrist known for bold political moves, to fill Clinton's seat.
New York Times
Politics
Obama to Lift Family Planning Group Funding Ban . . . Overseas groups that advocate, counsel or offer abortion will be able to receive U.S. funding. Wall Street Journal
TARP Will be Expanded . . . Administration plan will add to $350 billion financial bailout package. Wall Street Journal
Geithner Clears Senate Panel . . . But his confirmation could be delayed until next week as Republicans seek to delve deeper into his personal finances. McClatchy Newspapers
Mounting GOP Opposition to Stimulus Plan . . . Republicans accuse Democrats of ignoring Obama's call for bipartisan comity by writing the $850 billion legislation themselves. Washington Post
McCain the Maverick is Back . . . After failed presidential bid, GOP senator has returned to his unpredictable self, colleagues say.
Washington Post
Milli Vanilli Strikes at the Inaugural! . . . The beautiful classical music you heard and saw. . . was taped. Washington Post
Cheney Says Libby Should Have Been Pardoned . . . Breaks with Bush, calls prosecution a "serious miscarriage of justice." Weekly Standard
National Security
Freed Gitmo Prisoner Became al Qaeda Chief . . . The emergence of a detainee as leader of Yemeni branch underscores complications of closing Guantanamo Bay. New York Times
Intel Pick Says Torture Doesn't Work . . . Retired Adm. Dennis C. Blair, nominee for director of national intelligence, tells Congress torture "is not moral, legal or effective." Washington Post
Two Special Envoys for Clinton at State . . . Richard C. Holbrooke for Afghanistan-Pakistan and George J. Mitchell for the Middle East.
Washington Post
He Feels Better . . . Kim Jong-Il meets a senior Chinese official in Pyongyang in first known session with a foreign visitor since reports he suffered a stroke in August. New York Times
Business
U.S. Gets Tough on the Yuan . . . Geithner accused China of manipulating its currency, taking a harder rhetorical line than Treasury did during Bush era. Wall Street Journal
Microsoft Cuts 5,000 Jobs . . . After three decades of unfettered growth, the software giant has met an economy it can't muscle through.
Seattle Times
Merrill Lynch Chief Forced Out . . . John Thain, slammed for questionable expenditures, exits three weeks after firm was sold to Bank of America. New York Times
Pfizer in Talks to Acquire Rival Wyeth . . . Merger would create $60 billion drug giant. Financial Times
International
Gaza's Tunnels Up and Running . . . One day after the last Israeli soldier left, Palestinian smugglers and tunnel diggers were back in business. McClatchy Newspapers
Congolese Rebel Leader Seized . . . The fearsome Gen. Laurent Nkunda's national ambitions and brutal tactics threatened to destabilize eastern Congo. New York Times
United Kingdom in Recession . . . Economy shrinks 1.5 percent in final quarter of 2008. Financial Times
Also Today. . .
Yes, We Have Table for You . . . Restaurants bracing for a tough years. High-profile closings abound. Many rolling out dramatic discounts.
Wall Street Journal
Major Internet Infection Underway . . . New digital plague has hit, infecting millions of personal and business computers in what seems to be the first step of a multistage attack. New York Times
'Benjamin Button' Nabs 13 Oscar Nominations . . . Indie hit "Slumdog Millionaire," earned ten. Pitt and Jolie both get nods.
Los Angeles Times
Trees Dying Fast in the West . . . You guessed it - it's global warming. San Francisco Chronicle
U.S. Allows Use of Embryonic Stem Cells . . . Geron will perform first-ever human trial. Wall Street Journal
Today's Video
The Body Language of the Botched Oath . . . Fox
