Commentary on Current Events - 7-03
Washington Post under fire for offering lobbyists access to politicians and reporters; US employers cut more jobs then expected in June; Chalmers Johnson on the US expansion of "so-called embassies"; Thomas Mucha on the important role of fake news; EPA grants California authority to develop its own greenhouse gas emissions standards; Mike Elk on the spread of factory sit-ins against Wells Fargo; Jodie Evans charts the plight of Iraqi women; Wal-Mart supports employer-mandated health coverage; new plan supports students struggling with federal loans; and more ... ... Browse the continually updating front page at http://www.truthout.org

U.S. And Russia Reach Agreement on Transport of Weapons
It is anticipated that a deal will be announced soon allowing the United States to transport military equipment by air across Russian territory to Afghanistan. Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev are expected to sign an agreement at their upcoming summit which would allow the transit of U.S. military equipment through Russian air space to Afghanistan for use in American military operations. The two countries already have an agreement that allows transit of non-lethal supplies across Russian territory by rail.

Soldier Sold to Afghan Clan
A U.S. soldier who was kidnapped along with three Afghan soldiers on Tuesday, is now being held by a notorious militant clan, the Haqqanis. The clan operates on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and are well known to the U.S. military. U.S., Afghan and Pakistani troops are sealing off the area and also are talking to tribal chiefs, village elders and leaders, urging them to help locate the kidnap victims.

Cause of Air France Crash a Mystery
The cause of the crash of the Air France plane early in June may forever remain a mystery without the vital information from the black box. There are lots of puzzling aspects to the crash that are noted HERE

Helicopter Crash Kills 26
A military helicopter crashed Friday in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 26 security personnel on board, the Pakistani military said. The military blamed the crash on technical problems.

Homeland Security Chief Visits Pakistan
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, on a visit to Pakistan, discussed with Pakistani leaders the fight against terrorism, as well as how the two countries share information. “The key concept is, you just can’t start protecting the homeland at the borders of the United States,” she said. Napolitano has met with President Asif Ali Zardari and was to meet with the country’s prime minister and interior minister. Napolitano said U.S. officials were working on several issues with Pakistani officials, including ways to monitor who is traveling from Pakistan to the United States, as well as the protection of Pakistan’s own borders.

Embassy Staff To be Tried in Iran
A top Iranian cleric said Friday some of the arrested employees from the British Embassy in Tehran would be put on trial. The employees have been accused of helping to incite some of the post-election protests in the country. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband issued a statement “urgently seeking clarification from the appropriate Iranian Authorities.” Iranian officials had said previously that all but one of the nine embassy staffers taken into custody on June 27 were released.

New Military Strategy in Afghanistan
As U.S. Marines continue their drive to push the Taliban out of its stronghold in southern Afghanistan, a new military strategy is taking root. They are now concentrating on taking a town and holding it, while keeping the enemy in the hills. They are also trying to make the local population feel more secure, and then cut the Taliban’s financial lifeline by convincing Afghan farmers to grow an increasingly lucrative wheat crop instead of poppies. Many U.S. military leaders wanted to pursue this strategy for years, but they didn’t have sufficient troop levels to implement it until now.

Statue of Liberty's Crown to Be Open for Fourth of July
The Statue of Liberty's crown will re-open to the public on July 4, after being closed since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks

Texas A&M Faculty Rewarded
The Texas A&M University System awarded $507,000 to outstanding faculty throughout the system in the second presentation of the Teaching Excellence Awards, a voluntary, student-selected honors program launched last fall. The 144 faculty winners will receive checks ranging from $2,500 to $10,000.

New Price Tag for Health Care Plan
A health care reform bill that includes a public insurance plan and requires most employers to pay for workers’ coverage would cost $611 billion over 10 years, far less than previous estimates, according to a new analysis from Congress. The figure is hundreds of billions of dollars less than two June estimates by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, including one that calculated the cost of a less-comprehensive program at $1.6 trillion over the same period. But the new CBO analysis does not include the cost of a proposed expansion of the federally funded Medicaid system for low-income families — a proposal expected to add several hundred billion to the tab.

Be Safe Over Holiday Weekend
Texas drivers are urged to drive safely during the July 4th holiday weekend. Starting Friday and going through midnight on Sunday, Texas Highway Patrol troopers will be out in force, looking for people who are driving drunk, speeding or not wearing safety belts.

Texas Gets More Clean-up Money
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a second and final increment of a National Emergency Grant, in the amount of $7,933,200, to assist in the continued clean-up and recovery efforts in Texas following Hurricane Ike.

TEA Parties in East Texas
TEA parties are scheduled around the country this holiday weekend to protest what organizers call “irresponsible government spending”. TEA is the acronym for “Taxed enough already”. Sulphur Springs TEA party will be held tomorrow night at 6:30 in front of the Hopkins County Courthouse, and will feature Governor Rick Perry and Congressman Ralph Hall as the keynote speakers. Mt Pleasant and Paris will hold their TEA parties on Saturday at noon, at their courthouses.

New Leadership at East Texas College
Dr. Christine Evans has begun her duties as the new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Texas A&M –Commerce. Two other new administrators will assume their duties on July 13th. Dr. Larry Lemanski will serve as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Randy Van Deven will be the new Vice President for Institutional Development.

Playing at the Whatley in East Texas
Theatre Northeast will conclude its¹ 24th season with the Tony Award-winning comedy, The Odd Couple, by Neil Simon July 9-12 at the Whatley Center for the Performing Arts at Northeast Texas Community College. The show will be performed July 9, 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m. and July 12 at 2:05 p.m. in the Studio Theatre of the Whatley Center.

East Texas Students Headed to MIT
Cory Ward of Yantis and Scott Landers of Cooper, Project STEEM mentors at Texas A&M University-Commerce, are headed to Massachusetts Institute of Technology this fall. Ward, 2009 valedictorian of Yantis High School in Wood County, and Landers, 2009 valedictorian of Chisum High School in Lamar County near Paris, have been awarded the scholarships needed to attend this elite Northeastern university.

Help the Animals
The recession is forcing a North Texas animal facility to make an agonizing choice: either euthanize one third of their shelter's dogs or let them starve because of a lack of food. The Human Society of Cedar Creek Lake in Tool says they have a month's supply of food left, and adoptions have been down. Anyone who would like to help can do so via the shelter's Web site .

Online Boat Registration
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has a new Web service that that allows boat owners to renew registration online. Owners also can update their address and order additional ID cards. Visit the TPWD Web site.