Gooood Wednesday morning!

Does it seem like its been a WHOLE WEEK since my last Morning News? I can't believe it either. Time sure flies when you are getting older, but for LEADING Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, it could not go fast enough.

But Mr. Cain was not the biggest news yesterday (more on him later). Believe it or not, yesterday was Election Day.

No, yesterday’s elections weren’t a huge deal nationwide; in fact, this is the lesser of the two off-year elections that occur during every presidential term. But that doesn’t mean that there weren't worth watching, especially since there was also a couple of huge bills and  a constitutional amendment that was on the ballot.

Ohio collective bargaining law repealed.
Working families won an incredible victory as Ohioans overwhelmingly voted to repeal Senate Bill 5—Gov. John Kasich’s attack on middle-class jobs that was designed to destroy collective bargaining rights of unions, giving unions a big victory in their continuing fight with Republican governors and state legislatures.

Republicans, meanwhile, scored a victory on a largely symbolic ballot measure on the controversial individual mandate portion of President Obama’s health care bill. But earlier in the day, a federal appeals court in the District of Columbia upheld the constitutionality of the 2010 health-care law Tuesday.

Anti-abortion 'personhood' amendment fails in Mississippi.
A constitutional amendment that would define a fertilized egg as a person failed to win the approval of Mississippi voters Tuesday. Mississippi would have been the first state to adopt the so-called "personhood" amendment. A measure that could have criminalized birth control and affected in vitro fertilization practices.

There was two ballot initiatives on voters rights: Maine voters have repealed a law requiring voters to enroll at least two days before an election, restoring a four-decade policy of allowing registrations as late as Election Day. In Mississippi, a constitutional amendment to require voter ID was approved . There are now six states that have passed strict photo ID laws since 2010.

Now back to Herman Cain. It was only a week a go that I reported that two women accused Cain of sexual harassment.  Since then, two more women have came forward and one of them has a name and face -Sharon Bialek. She even had a live press conference.

Also, one of the women who accused GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassment in the 1990s said she wants to go public now that her name has been revealed and hold a joint news conference with all of the women who claim to have been harassed by Cain.

Treasury Department employee Karen Kraushaar said she never wanted her name to be made public as an accuser of presidential hopeful Herman Cain. But on Tuesday, she said she is ready to go before cameras after a news outlet published her name.

Kraushaar said she wanted to appear at a joint press conference with Bialek and two other unidentified accusers.

The circus show that is Herman Cain needs to call it quits. How much more does it take? Remember Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York infamous picture? Enough is enough.

In World News: the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, published a report that found "credible" intelligence showing Iran's interest in nuclear weapons -- the first time it has so openly supported claims initially raised by Israel and the United States.

Iran won't retreat "one iota" from its nuclear program but the world is being misled by claims that it seeks atomic weapons, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday in his first reaction since a U.N. watchdog report that Tehran is on the brink of developing a warhead.

It looks like we maybe exiting one war only to enter a new. We have to keep that war machine rolling you know.

 

In the SAY WHAT? category: an asteroid, known as 2005 YU55, which is as big as an aircraft carrier, zipped by Earth on Tuesday in the closest encounter by such a massive space rock in more than three decades.

Its closest approach to Earth was pegged at a distance of 202,000 miles at 6:28 p.m. EST. That's just inside the moon's orbit; the average distance between Earth and the moon is 239,000 miles.

 

In Quick News:

A historic, massive  storm lashing western Alaska with snow and hurricane-force winds. The storm is predicted to have sustained winds of 80-100 mph, waves more than 40 feet high, and blinding snow.

I'm sure you know by now that Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's doctor,  was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and now faces up to four years in jail.. What you might not know is that a juror breaks her silence to reveal the three reasons why they convicted the doctor.

Good Wednesday morning!  I bet your already had your morning coffee so, lets see what's going on in the world.

Lets start once again with Herman Cain. As I reported yesterday, the Republican presidential had a horrible Monday and yesterday was not much better

In an interview with PBS, Cain appears to suggest that Americans should consider China dangerous in part because they’re pursuing “nuclear capability.” 

Mr. Cain actually said this with a serious straight face. SCARYYYY! China tested its first nuclear device in 1964 and has had a stockpile of warheads for decades. And this man wants to be president?

The day didn't get an better. The Republican presidential candidate initially said he knew
nothing about the settlements, then said he was aware of it, then said the payments covered “three months” salary, and then said “three to six months’ severance pay.”

The truth is more interesting.

Making matters slightly worse for Cain, Attorney says woman who accused Cain wants to tell her story. Lawyer Joel P. Bennett called on the National Restaurant Association to release the woman from her written promise not to talk about the allegations or disparage the trade group.

Asked Tuesday night on the Fox News Channel whether he would ask the association to comply with Mr. Bennett’s request, Mr. Cain said, “I can’t give you a definitive answer on that until we consult with our attorneys.”

If this happens, I believe this will be Herman Cain's political demise .


In news from other countries that could cause the US to go into a double dip recession: Greece was supposed to accept the Eurozone deal. It didn’t: “The Greek government was plunged into chaos on Tuesday, as lawmakers rebelled against Prime Minister George Papandreou’s surprise call for a popular referendum on a new debt deal with Greece’s foreign lenders.” Since the referendum would fail, international anxiety is rising quickly.

If Greece defaults, investors would fear the same thing from Ireland and Portugal and perhaps Italy and Spain. That's the meltdown scenario investors fear, and
nobody's sure how bad it would get.

If this happens, it would cause panic in financial markets and mayhem in the streets of Europe. U.S. banks own a portion of the debt issued by the most troubled European nations. Plus,  a recession and financial crisis in Europe would weaken demand for American goods and services in one of the world's biggest markets, at a time when the U.S. economy is struggling, too.


In the latest move in the “We Can’t Wait” campaign by President Obama, the White House is designating Virginia’s Ft. Monroe a national monument, a move intended to create jobs in the area.


Remember when Bank of America recently announced a controversial move: it would start charging customers $5 a month to use their debit cards. This, despite BofA’s $6.2 billion quarterly profit. Well, they have done a quick reversal.


Is drinking alcohol good for you or bad for you? That depends, according to a pair of new studies.


In the SAY WHAT? category: Pregnant mom arrested and loses custody of toddler over sandwiches.
A mother lost custody of her toddler after snacking on groceries before going through the checkout aisle.


In Entertainment News: Did this surprise you? Kim Kardashian filed for divorce Monday morning, after 72 days of not-so-wedded bliss to Kris Humphries.


The Picture Of The Day:

And finally - The Best Of Last Night Late TV:

Good Monday morning (is there such a thing?) and, of course, Happy Halloween! I guess since it is Halloween, it does make the day more bearable. Then again, as a parent, it does bring more stress! But no one deserves the kind of anxiety a Northeastern storm which delivered a different type of Halloween chills.

A historic October storm blamed for 11 deaths, and states of emergency were declared in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and parts of New York.

A feak nor'easter storm knocked out power to more than 3 million homes and businesses across the Northeast on Sunday in large part because leaves still on the trees caught more snow, overloading branches that snapped and wreaked havoc. 

The storm smashed record snowfall totals for October and worsened as it moved north. Communities in western Massachusetts were among the hardest hit. Snowfall totals topped 27 inches in Plainfield, and nearby Windsor had gotten 26 inches by early Sunday.

Check out records from the major snowstorm that significantly impacted the Northeast. The records for the month of October have been shattered. Below I some of the new records set from the Mid-Atlantic to New England. Some spots have seen an astonishing, by October standards, 1 to 2+ feet of snow!

Hartford, CT - 12.3" on Saturday crushed the previous single day record snow total in October of 1.7" set on October 10, 1979.

Worcester, MA - 11.4" (Storm total: 14.6") on Saturday beats the previous single day record snow total in October of 7.5" set on October 10, 1979.
 
Peru, MA - Received 32", which is the biggest snow total from this storm as of early Sunday morning.


Enough of hearing about the white stuff. Lets move onto my favorite topic - Politics!

Herman Cain had another tough week and it doesn't look like this week will be any better.
In a POLITICO Exclusive: Two women accused Herman Cain of inappropriate behavior. The women complained of sexually suggestive behavior by Cain that made them angry and uncomfortable, the sources said, and they signed agreements with the restaurant group that gave them financial payouts to leave the association. Cain has failed to respond directly to the allegations.

Cain has been on or in second in all the polls lately, but after this, I think this will give Mitt Romney the nomination.


You probably know by now the slogan: “We are the 99  percent.” This slogan refers to an economic struggle between 99 percent of  Americans and the richest 1 percent of Americans, who are increasingly accumulating a greater share of the national wealth to the detriment of the  middle class. But what you might not know is the Wealthy is earning much faster than middle-, low-income groups as income gap widens quickly in U.S.

A recent Congressional Budget Office report on inequality has been drawing headlines for finding that inequality is on the rise. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found after-tax income for the top 1 per cent of U.S. households almost tripled, up 275 per cent, from 1979 to 2007. For people in the middle of the economic scale, after-tax income grew by just 40 per cent. Those at the bottom experienced an 18 per cent increase.

This is one of the sad facts why the American dream is dying.


I found this graph by Informed Comment which I believe you will find interesting: if American Land were Distributed the way American Wealth Is. Just to be clear, the 1% are about 3 million, the 9% are about 27 million, and everyone else crowded into that little torrid strip is about 278 million.

On a positive outlook, atleast the 90% own the south! Wait a second, is that a good thing?


As you mostly likely know, all the troops in Iraq are coming home by years end. The President has received nothing  but grief from Republicans and others saying this withdrawal could leave instability or worse in its wake. 

I was one of those "others" until I saw this article: US Planning Troop Buildup in Gulf After Exit From Iraq by Truthout.
"The Obama administration plans to bolster the American military presence in the Persian Gulf after it withdraws the remaining troops from Iraq this year, according to officials and diplomats. That repositioning could include new combat forces in Kuwait able to respond to a collapse of security in Iraq or a military confrontation with Iran."


According to a new report from the Center for American Progress: House GOP’s ‘Job Creating’ Spending Cuts Destroyed 370,000 Jobs.
Instead of focusing on job creation, as Americans wanted them to, the GOP turned its attention to slashing funds for programs that funded assistance for women and children, local law enforcement, the social safety net, environmental protections, and many other programs they deemed as either too expensive or unnecessary.
Worse, when challenged on why they hadn’t made the effort to tackle high unemployment, Republicans insisted that their slash-and-burn budget cuts were meant to create jobs, but instead, destroyed 370,000 jobs. Thank you Republicans!


One more story on politics - I promise. 

Is Social Security still solvent? In other words, is the stream of payroll taxes large enough to cover the cost of benefits? According to The Washington Post the answer is no.

How Social Security went ‘cash negative’ earlier than expected.

"For most of its 75-year history, the program had paid its own way through a dedicated stream of payroll taxes, even generating huge surpluses for the past two decades. But in 2010, under the strain of a recession that caused tax revenue to plummet, the cost of benefits outstripped tax collections for the first time since the early 1980s."

Now, Social Security is sucking money out of the Treasury. This year, it will add a projected $46 billion to the nation’s budget problems, according to projections by system trustees. Replacing cash lost to a one-year payroll tax holiday will require an additional $105 billion. If the payroll tax break is expanded next year, as President Obama has proposed, Social Security will need an extra $267 billion to pay promised benefits."

As I mentioned on October 26 - the Justice Department announced that it would be targeting medical-marijuana dispensaries in California. Well, some House Reps Say Medical Marijuana Crackdown Should Stop. "Members of Congress are calling on the Obama administration to end the federal crackdown on marijuana dispensaries in California, citing Attorney General Eric Holder's past promise to maintain a hands-off approach toward pot clinics operating in compliance with state law."


Speaking of marijuana, do you think Steven Tyler was on something stronger when he did this to his face?

According  to Spinner, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler had a nasty fall in a hotel bathroom in Paraguay over the weekend. The singer was rushed to the hospital where he underwent treatment for a busted lip, cut forehead and two broken front teeth. And from the ghastly picture that Tyler sent NBC's 'Today Show


In other Entertainment News:

Did you see Chris Daughtry's National Anthem? One of the best I have ever seen.

By the way, have you seen Jessica Simpson  HOT new pictures!

Do you think Jessica my have a bun in the oven?


The Picture Of The Day.

And finally, instead of The Best Of Last Night Late TV, I have for you - A NEW BAD LIP READING VIDEO!

Taking the weekend off....watching game seven of the World Series (baseball) and football on Sunday. But I will be back on Monay with new EVERYTHING. What do I mean? If you have been a follower (thank you....it is very much appreciated), you may have noticed this blog is product of evolution. You may have noticed that I have been adding catergories like SAY WHAT, Entertainment News, Picture Of The Day, ect... Keep a eye out as I try to give you even more! Once again - thank you and I'LL BE BACK (on Monday).

Lets start this morning with some really, really good news: as reported yesterday, 24-year old Iraq War veteran Scott Olsen suffered from a fractured skull after being struck by a by a projectile during an Occupy
Wall Street protest in Oakland, California. He was listed in critical condition.
.
Did you notice? Noticed that I used the word was? Yes, thank god, Mr. Olsen is now listed in fair condition and is now breathing on his own.

Continuing with the good news theme and Occupy Wall Street protest: Oakland Mayor Jean Quan says she will minimize police pesence and that she supports the movement. After the first heavy-handed police crackdown on demonstrators in Oakland, Mayor Jean Quan wrote a statement on her Facebook page praising police for closing down the Occupy Oakland protest encampment. Now, facing anger from across the world, Quan is backing down on her aggressive language and even says she supports the goals of the movement. She is committing to minimize police presence in the plaza and “build a community effort to improve communications and dialogue with the demonstrators.” View her full statement:


Even more good news: voters want to elect Democrats to Congress next November. According to the new Reuters/Ipsos poll voters would support a Democratic candidate over a Republican candidate in their district by 8 points (48 percent – 40 percent). A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that voters prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress to a Republican-controlled Congress by 4 points (45 percent – 41 percent). HELL YEAH!


Good Medicare news: “Medicare’s basic monthly premium will rise significantly less than expected next year, the government announced Thursday. That could pay political dividends for President Barack Obama and for Democrats struggling to win over seniors in a close election.”
 

Do you check your email or sports scores at work? If so, you should read this article:Is checking sports scores or personal e-mail at work a crime?
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has agreed to reconsider a 2-1 ruling issued in April that critics said made it a crime to violate an employer's computer access policy.


An ex-Ohio Teacher,Stacy Schuler was convicted of having sex wth 5 student and sentenced to a total of four years in prison for the encounters with the
Mason High School students at her home in Springboro in southwest Ohio in 2010.


Remember when the President said, “This is a matter of priorities. And it’s a matter of shared sacrifice. And, by the way, if you ask most wealthy Americans, they’ll tell you they’re willing to do more. They’re willing to do their fair share to help this country that they love.” 

As it turns out, Obama’s assessment is accurate. Warren Buffett isn’t the only rich guy willing to pay more in taxes. A new survey from Spectrem Group found that 68% of millionaires (those with investments of $1 million or more) support raising taxes on those with $1 million or more in income. Fully 61% of those with net worths of $5 million or more support the tax on million-plus earners.

George Walper of Spectrem: “What this tells us is that there are a number of wealthy folks who said: ‘Gee, we need to increase taxes to stimulate the economy. No one likes to be taxed more, but the reality is maybe it has to be done.’”

Ordinarily, this is about the time that Republicans start arguing that if some wealthy Americans want to pay more, they should just pick up their checkbooks and voluntarily contribute more to the treasury. No need to change tax rates, the right argues, when the government will just accept donations.

And in case that is the conservative response to the latest survey data, let’s also note just how weak the argument really is. We’re a massive, modern nation with a vast economy. We face real challenges, and they’re not the kind of challenges individuals can hope to resolve on their own through arbitrary contributions --
we need cooperative solutions built around shared action.

Let’s also note the larger context about public attitudes. The vast majority of Americans believes millionaires and billionaires should pay a little more in taxes; the clear majority of self-identified Republicans believe millionaires and billionaires should pay a little more in taxes; and now the clear majority of millionaires and billionaires believe millionaires and billionaires should pay a little more in taxes.

The only people on the other side are congressional Republicans.


In Entertainment News: Lindsay Lohan to pose FULL FRONTAL for Playboy. The money she will make - 1 million dollars.
You will never guess who has a new TV series. The total bitchin’ rock star from Mars - Charlie Sheen. FX Network Pickup a TV version of the 2003 Adam Sandler/Jack Nicholson film, "Anger Management." Sheen will play the Nicholson role in the show, an infuriating therapist who draws the rage out of his patients.


In other news: Health care at the high court: “The Supreme Court will take its first look at the challenges to the new federal health care law at its Conference on Thursday, November 10. Five of the six pending petitions (the sixth is not ready yet) were distributed to the Justices’ chambers on Wednesday, for consideration at that private session.”


In the SAY WHAT? catergory:Rick Perry Raising Large Sums From Children
If this is legal, then we desperately need better laws: The last week of August was a very generous one at the Smitherman household in Austin, Texas. Barry Smitherman had recently been appointed commissioner of the Texas Railroad Commission by Gov. Rick Perry, following a stint as chairman of the Texas Public Utility Commission. That week, Smitherman, his wife Marijane, and three of their four children each donated thousands of dollars to Rick Perry’s presidential campaign.

Barry, Marijane, and their son Wyatt, a sophomore at Texas A&M University, donated the maximum allowed, $2,500, according to campaign finance disclosures. Their only daughter, who appears to be of middle school age judging from her dad’s campaign website, also donated $2,500. And one
of her brothers, who is a junior in high school according to his Twitter feed, donated $1,000. Smitherman declined to respond to questions from The Huffington Post about whether the money belonged to his children or to him.

I think it’s pretty clear what’s going on here, and it stinks.


The Picture Of The Day.

Has the first amendment been repealed?  You know the one that goes: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; OR THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE PEACABLY TO ASSEMBLE, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Oct. 25, 2011, 24-year old Iraq War veteran Scott Olsen lays on the ground bleeding from a  fractured skull after being struck by a by a projectile during an Occupy Wall Street protest in Oakland, California. The demonstrators had been making an attempt to re-establish a presence in the area of a disbanded protesters' camp when they were met by officers in riot gear.

The terrible economy hasn't pummeled everyone. How is this for a one quarter of profit - Exxon Mobil rode higher oil and natural gas prices to a third-quarter profit of $10.3 billion -- a surge of 41% from a year earlier, CNNMoney reports


Keeping with the non-pummeling - which young executives at public companies brought home the most bacon this year? And, exactly how much bacon are we talking about? 20 of highest paid under 40.


In the SAY WHAT? catergory - Four children were removed from what authorities described as a filthy Nebraska trailer home where a 3-year-old boy and his 5-year-old brother were kept in a wire dog kennel, police said Tuesday. I think prison is to good for some people.


Are you between the ages of 30 and 50? If so, are you happy?
A new report says Generation X is balanced and happy most of the 84 million Americans ages 30 to 50 are "active, balanced and happy," according to the authors of "The Generation X Report," a research report from the University of Michigan's Longitudinal Study of American Youth.

And finally - The Best Of Last Night Late TV.

Even though in early October, the Justice Department announced that it would be targeting medical-marijuana dispensaries in California, never before have more Americans believed legalizing marijuana was the right course for the country.

In a new Gallup poll, 50 percent of respondents in a nationwide survey said they believed it was time to make pot legal. About 46
percent came out against it.

National support for medical marijuana is at a high, at about 70%,  and more and more advocates are calling for total legalization of the
drug.

Time magazine has a great article - Obama's Misguided Crackdown on Medical Marijuana

“We Can’t Wait” for Congress is the White House’s favorite new slogan. As part of its new theme, on Monday President Obama  used  an executive order to help troubled home owners, on Tuesday, even though college prices are up as states slash budgets, the President announced a plan to cut the student loan payments of millions of Americans, and now, has announced an initiative to help veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars get back to work.


Do you think these two items have anything in common? U.S. consumer confidence unexpectedly dropped to its lowest level in two-and-a-half years in October as consumers fretted about job and income prospectsThe public's approval rating of Congress just keeps sinking lower and lower. Only 1 in 11 approve of Congress.


A government panel is recommending that young boys also get the controversial HPV shot. That's the vaccine now given to girls to prevent cervical cancer.


In the SAY WHAT? catergory - The richest Americans — the top "1 percent" targeted by the Occupy Wall Street movement — saw a huge 275 percent increase in income over the last three decades, according to a new Congressional Budget Office report.


Speaking of Occupy Wall Street movement - New Poll: Do you agree or disagree with views of "Occupy Wall Street. Also, Occupy Oakland had clashes with the cops as authorities have reportedly used tear gas and percussion grenades. Police raided the Oakland movement earlier in the day and arrested 85 because of a lack of “safe and sanitary” conditions. Some reports say that as many as 500 people have been tear gassed. Meanwhile, police in Atlanta have also started evicting protesters.


Can you believe this? Federal Reserve [U.S. taxpayers] Now Backstopping $75 Trillion Of Bank Of America’s Derivatives Trades.


The Picture Of The Day

And finally - The Best Of Last Night Late TV

A 2-week-old baby girl, her mother and grandmother were pulled alive from the rubble of an apartment building on Tuesday in a dramatic rescue, 48 hours after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake toppled some 2,000 buildings in eastern Turkey.

Television footage showed rescuers in orange jumpsuits applauding as the baby, Azra Karaduman - her first name means desert flower in Turkish, reports CBS News  correspondent Mark Phillips - was removed from the hulk of crushed concrete and  metal.

Police are looking for the person they say threw a chemical bomb at the Occupy Maine encampment in Portland. 


Can we say 4th Fourth Amendment privacy rights? A federal judge ordered a temporary halt Monday to a Florida law backed by Gov. 
Rick Scott that requires those seeking welfare benefits to pass a drug test,the  AP reports.

GOP backs tax hike -- for the poor. Conservatives have become fixated on the notion that largely because of the Earned Income Tax Credit — passed under Ronald Reagan and expanded under Bill Clinton — almost half of all Americans pay no income taxes.


Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry unveiled a sweeping economic agenda Monday highlighted by a plan to level a voluntary 20 percent "flat tax" on all  taxpayers who will accept it in place of what they're paying now.


In the SAY WHAT? category - The world’s millionaires and billionaires now control 38.5% of the world’s wealth. The U.S. has been the largest wealth generator over the past 18 months, according to the report, adding $4.6 trillion to global wealth.


Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-K.Y.) defended his opposition to President Obama’s now dead jobs bill, saying that the federal government should instead focus on decreasing regulations.(like the ones that caused this financial crisis) McConnell spun the issue in a different light, telling Crowley that saving emergency responders from unemployment shouldn’t be a federal responsibility because we can’t afford “to be bailing out states.”

Keith Olbermann: Fox News Is A 'Political Whorehouse'  (VIDEO).

Olbermann ran a clip that featured the hosts commenting on Stacy Hessler, a 38-year-old mother of four who left her home in Florida with the support of her family to participate in the Occupy Wall Street protests in Zuccotti Park. The "Fox and Friends" hosts, who Olbermann described as "the B-team to the weekday dingbats" and as "astoundingly bad," harshly criticized Hessler for associating her decision to temporarily leave her family and participate in Occupy Wall Street with military personnel who have to leave their families to serve. They called it "disgusting" and Camerota said that Hessler "must be having a midlife crisis of some sort to
leave [her] kids."