Clem’s Chronicles: Obama in the Arab World/Plane Mystery/Automakers and Legal Claims

Howdy folks-Clem Lane here. The President's "speech to the Muslim world" tomorrow is an early one for us Yanks…6:10am ET in case you'd like to set your alarm. Here's what's going on…

PRESIDENT OBAMA IN THE ARAB WORLD-President Obama arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this morning for meetings with King Abdullah. A range of topics were discussed-peace in the Middle East, the Iranian nuclear program, the situations in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and of course oil. One other matter discussed? The President’s speech in Cairo tomorrow to the Muslim world. It’s that speech that may have led to the release of today’s new audio message from Osama bin Laden, “Saudi Arabia’s most infamous son” as Jake Tapper called him on WORLD NEWS. What’s in the message? Tapper: “Bin  Laden said President Obama ‘has followed  the steps of (Bush) who established wars with other nations’…assailing the pressure Mr. Obama has put on Pakistan to fight the Taliban in Swat Valley.” White House officials dismissed the Bin Laden message and said its’ release today was “because al-Qaeda finds President Obama and his outreach to the Muslim world threatening”. Tapper continues: “One White House official said Bin Laden is trying to ‘shift attention away from the president’s historic efforts to have an open dialogue with the Muslim world.” So what’s in tomorrow’s speech? Tapper: “Obama’s speech will address the need for the US and the Muslim world to get to know each other better.” Tapper sent an excellent, extensive note after he and his ABC NEWS White House colleagues were briefed on the speech by White House officials that will give you lots more particulars. One mention from that note- “Officials today highlighted that the president would use the foundation of ‘mutual respect’ and ‘mutual interest’ to speak ‘very openly and candidly’ about a range of issues that have ‘caused some tensions’ between the US and the Muslim world.” It seems pretty evident that President Obama is perceived differently than his predecessor.Jim Sciutto, reporting from Cairo for WORLD NEWS, noted “the excitement is palpable…from Cairo University where they’re sprucing up to the markets where Obama t-shirts are on sale…to the Arabic news channels where the President is getting unusually favorable coverage.” This is no love fest however-Sciutto says “across the Muslim world, President Obama faces a long list of demands.” Some of those demands were voiced by ordinary citizens across the Arab world-the creation of a Palestinian state, an end to American air strikes in Pakistan and perhaps most telling, an end to “promises, promises, promises. We want to hear an action plan.” Tapper notes that the White House “wants as many Muslims as possible to hear the speech, so people can sign up for text messages of excerpts of the speech in Urdu, in Persian, in Arabic. The White House will be translating the speech into thirteen different languages and they’re going to be sending it out on Facebook, which, the White House says, has 20 million users in the Arab world.” 
 
AIR FRANCE 447:  Searchers are in a race against time to recover wreckage and the black boxes from Air France 447, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean three days ago.  Lisa Stark reports the plane’s black boxes are certified for depths up to 20,000 feet and are designed to emit “pingers” – or signals – for 30 days but the maker of those boxes, Honeywell Aerospace, said it could last longer.  So far searchers have found a 23-foot section of the plane, as well as a 12-mile long oil slick, a possible indication the plane broke apart in mid-air.  Also today, there are new clues as to what may have caused the jet to crash. Lisa Stark reports: “ABC News has learned that at 10pm eastern time, the pilot sent a computer text message to Air France saying the plane was experiencing thunderstorms and turbulence.  Ten minutes later the plane began sending automatic maintenance messages to the airline- indicating a cascade of failures…the automatic alerts indicated the auto pilot had disengaged…pilots would have manually taken the controls.  Primary systems that help control the plan and run the instruments were lost, pilots had to switch to back-up systems.  Controls needed to keep the plane stable failed, and then a loss of cabin pressure.”  At the request of the French, the National Transportation Safety Board is putting together a team of NTSB investigators and advisors from the FAA, General Electric and Honeywell to assist in the investigation. (thanks to Marisa Bramwell for this entry)
 
CHRYSLER/GENERAL MOTORS LIABILITIES:  Consumer advocacy groups held a news conference today to express concern over an unsettled issue with the bankruptcy filings of General Motors and Chrysler: what happens with all of the legal claims owners have filed on the companies’ defective automobiles?  Both Chrysler and General Motors’ bankruptcy plans relieve the companies from liabilities that may arise from defective products, and today a judge ruled that a post-bankruptcy Chrysler will not be liable for any past problems.  It’s all bad news for the hundreds of accident victims who’ve filed suit against the car companies.  Brian Ross/Joseph Rhee report: “It’s devastating news for many…Until now, Chrysler had been paying out a quarter billion dollars a year in such lawsuits.  GM even more.  Chrysler says it will take into account all legal claims, but unless the Treasury department changes course, executives say, victims will get no more than half a penny.”  The Treasury department has denied involvement in the decision. (thanks to Marisa Bramwell for this entry)
 
CHINA ANNIVERSARY:  June 4, 1989 is a date many would like to forget. Demonstrators, mainly students, had occupied Beijing’s Tiananmen Square for close to two months.  They refused to move until their demands for democratic reform were met.  The Chinese government repeatedly attempted to persuade the protestors to leave and finally, on the night of June 3, the army sent tanks through the streets of the capital. As the army moved into the square, troops began to fire at random on the unarmed protesters. When the military offensive ended it was estimated that hundreds of people, perhaps even thousands, were killed.  Now, twenty years later,Clarissa Ward tells us: “There will be no official commemoration of the brutal crackdown at Tiananmen Square tomorrow. No memorials to the dead. No discussion of what happened.”  Not only that, but foreign journalists have been told they can’t enter the square; there’s a clampdown on internet sites such as Twitter, Flickr and a number of blogs; and dissidents have been confined to their homes or forced to leave Beijing.  The U.S. thinks it’s time for China to change its ways, as Secretary of State Clinton said in a statement: "A China that has made enormous progress economically and is emerging to take its rightful place in global leadership should examine openly the darker events of its past and provide a public accounting of those killed, detained or missing, both to learn and to heal." But Clarissa says the Chinese leadership is standing fast: “The government has never veered from its position that it was absolutely right to repress the Tiananmen protests and it uses strong arm tactics to ensure it does not have to.” On the other hand, Clarissa reminds us: “Twenty years later, massive economic growth has catapulted this country to superpowerdom and the government has pushed through some of the very economic and social reforms that students in Tiananmen Square demanded.” (thanks to Ed Bailey for this entry)

OTHER STUFF-
–CLINTON/SYRIA-We found out today that on Sunday, Secretary Clinton spoke by phone with her Syrian counterpart, a rare occurrence, to discuss trips by US delegations to Damascus over the coming weeks, according to US and Syrian officials. No set dates for visits. (Kirit Radia/Luis Martinez)
–NEXT SHUTTLE-STS 127 Endeavour given the go to launch Saturday June 13th at 7:17am ET. Endeavour is flying a 16 day mission to continue work on the International Space Station. (Gina Sunseri)
–GAY MARRIAGE/NEW HAMPSHIRE-New Hampshire Governor John Lynch(D) signed legislation today making New Hampshire the sixth US state to legalize same-sex marriage. The other states? Massachusetts/Connecticut/Iowa/Vermont and Maine (David Chalian)
–FDIC/TOXIC ASSETS- The FDIC announced today that the test start of the government’s program to get toxic assets off of banks’ balance sheets will be postponed, but the program’s development will continue. In explaining the delay, FDIC chairman Sheila Bair pointed to banks’ recent ability to raise capital without the Legacy Loans Program even starting. Therefore, banks and supervisors can now take more time before launching it, enabling them to push back the planned June pilot sale of these toxic loans. (Matt Jaffe/Charlie Herman)
–CANCER DRUG FOR DOGS- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first cancer treatment specifically designed to treat dogs, Pfizer and the agency announced on Wednesday. The drug Palladia was approved to treat canine mast cell tumors, a potentially serious type of cancer that accounts for about 20 percent of canine skin tumors, and one that can spread to other parts of the body, including lymph nodes, if not treated. (Lisa Stark)
–LITTLE ROCK SHOOTER/OTHER TARGETS- An FBI-Homeland Security intelligence assessment document suggests that the alleged Little Rock Army Recruitment Center shooter Abdulhakim Muhammad, may have considered targeting other locations, including Jewish and Christian sites. The FBI said Muhammad "conducted Internet searches related to different locations in several U.S. cities" including Atlanta, Little Rock, Louisville, Ky., Memphis, Tenn., New York and Philadelphia and notified authorities in those locations. (Rich Esposito)
–OAS/CUBA- The Organization of American States on Wednesday lifted a decades-old ban on Cuba's participation in the group and cleared the way for the island's return despite initial U.S. objections. Those U.S. objections were alleviated at least partly by a compromise- Cuba's suspension would be lifted but it would have to begin steps towards adopting the OAS's values, which include a commitment to democratic principles and human rights. The action doesn't mean Cuba will return to the 34-member body that helps coordinate policies and mediates disputes throughout the Americas. Cuban officials have repeatedly insisted they have no interest in returning to an organization they consider a tool of the United States. (Kirit Radia)
–KOKO TAYLOR DEAD-Legendary blues singer Koko Taylor has died in Chicago at the age of 80. Known as “The Queen of the Blues”, she is probably best known for the song “Wang Dang Doodle”, the Willie Dixon-penned blues chestnut covered by the Grateful Dead and thousands of bar bands across the country.