Clem’s Chronicles: Federal Building Security/G8/China Unrest

Hi there folks-Clem Lane here. Another very busy news day…….

SECURITY AT FEDERAL BUILDINGS-Disturbing story out today courtesy the Government Accountability Office-seems security at federal buildings ain’t what it’s cracked up to be, in fact, Pierre Thomas told us on WORLD NEWS, “at some locations…security is laughable.”Thomas explains-“Congressional investigators easily snuck (powerful explosives) into federal buildings across the country. Undercover video shows one investigator toting a bag full of bomb components-liquid explosive and a detonator. He places it on the X-ray machine and then walks through a metal detector. Security breached in 27 seconds.” Yikes-Thomas adds that “investigators went to 10 federal buildings at undisclosed locations across the country and got the same result.” At an emergency Congressional meeting, reaction from Senators underscored the severity of the problem-members used words like “stunning” “shocking” and “unacceptable”. To make matters worse, investigators had additional outrageous examples of government security guards at work. Thomas: “One guard discovered sleeping at his post. They learned that another guard accidentally fired his weapon while apparently playing Quick Draw in the bathroom. And they found that one guard was so distracted he actually ran a baby in a carrier through an X-ray machine.” Gary Schenkel, the head of the Federal Protective Service (that’s the group overseeing security at most U.S. government buildings), admitted that he’s trying to fix problems saying “it’s purely a lack of oversight on our part.” Thomas noted Mr. Schenkel’s comment was “probably the understatement of the day” and added that “Homeland Security officials say they are in the process of overhauling the program.

G8 SUMMIT:  Meeting in L’Aquila, Italy, the Group of Eight industrialized nations issued statements condemning North Korea’s recent nuclear activities and the post-election violence in Iran and that country’s nuclear ambitions, but stopped short of issuing sanctions.  “This evening the G-8 leaders would not support tougher sanctions against Iran for its post-election violence nor sanctions against Iran and North Korea for their nuclear weapons programs,” Jake Tapper reported on WORLD NEWS.  The G-8 leaders reached a consensus on global warming, agreeing to limit the rise in global temperatures to no more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and a 50 percent reduction of greenhouse gases by 2050 (for developed countries that goal increases to 80 percent).  China and India did not agree to the environmental provisions. 
On the economy, the nations noted that despite signs the economy was stabilizing, “the situation remains uncertain and significant risks remain to economic and financial stability."  The G-8 nations said they would continue to take steps to stimulate economic growth and to fix the financial system.  In regards to the humanitarian aid pledged to Africa, Tapper/Yunji de Nies/Ann Compton/Jon Garcia/Karen Travers/Sunlen Miller report “Some of that pledged aid has been calling into question by the fact that according to Official Development Assistance (ODA) figures for 2008, G8 nations have only delivered one third of the $21.5 billion in assistance they promised to Africa by 2010, with the humanitarian group saying Italy has given only 3 percent of the $3.5 billion it pledged in 2005 and France has given only 7 percent of its pledged $5.2 billion.  In an apparent effort to shame countries not following through on their previous pledges, the G-8 for the first time will publish the data of money pledged and money delivered to enhance accountability.” (thanks to Marisa Bramwell for this entry)

CHINA UNREST:  Chinese troops by the thousands poured into Xinjiang’s capital city today in an effort to keep this week’s violence from boiling over.  Our Clarissa Ward was right in the middle – in Urumqi:  “The official party line here today – the situation is under control.  But when we ventured out into this ethnically divided city…we discovered a disturbing scene…a mob of Han Chinese, armed with sticks and bats, viciously beating a Uighur man…before turning their anger towards us, outraged by what they call biased foreign coverage of recent events.” Beth Loyd picks up the story from there:  “One man tried to grab our camera and then pulled out a baton and held it over his head as if he were going to hit us.  We turned around and ran.  The oddest part of the whole experience was that there were swarms of police and troops around and none of them were really trying to break up the fight.  We finally made it inside the Uighur area and spoke to several people there who were afraid to have their faces shown on television, out of fear or reprisals by the authorities.  The police stopped us several times and eventually forced us to leave the Uighur area.”  But apparently we weren’t the only ones having difficulty covering the story. The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China says it’s received reports of security forces detaining TV crews and other reporters, confiscating equipment, and even damaging a video camera. This despite a concerted effort by the Chinese government to allow greater access than they have given in the past.  In fact, one day after Sunday’s violence, when more than 150 people were killed, the government's main public relations arm arranged for journalists from 60 different foreign media organizations to travel to Urumqi to cover the story.  The State Council Information Office put out a statement that said their goal was "To help foreign media to do more objective, fair and friendly reports.”   A sign of the times? (thanks to Ed Bailey for this entry)

CYBER ATTACKS-We learned today of a widespread cyber attack on government and private websites in the United States and South Korea that began this past weekend. Some of the US Government offices targeted? The White House, the Pentagon, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security. The White House says that day-to-day operations were not affected and the Secret Service said that computers were slowed down but not knocked down. Officials in South Korea have said the attacks emanated from North Korea. The U.S. has not publicly identified who they think is responsible. David Kerley talked with an outside (non-governmental) cyber security expert who said it would take weeks to determine who is responsible. 

MORE PROBLEMS FOR SENATOR ENSIGN-Nevada Republican Senator John Ensign has some explaining to do. Last month Ensign acknowledged an affair with Cindy Hampton, a former treasurer for his campaign committees. But that wasn’t all he should have acknowledged. Jon Karl: “The husband of Senator John Ensign's mistress, has gone public with his side of the story in an interview with a Las Vegas Sun columnist.  Doug Hampton claims that after he discovered the affair, Ensign paid his wife a $25,000 severance, a payment that is not revealed on Ensign's FEC filings.  Mrs. Hampton was the treasurer of Ensign's political action committee and his re-election campaign.  Mr. Hampton was the chief of staff of his Senate office.” Karl continues: “Hampton's story is corroborated, in part, by Senator Tom Coburn who was part of a group of evangelicals who tried to convince Ensign to break off the affair and go public about it back in 2008.  Coburn's office has now put out a statement: ‘Dr. Coburn did everything he could to encourage Senator Ensign to end his affair and to persuade Senator Ensign to repair the damage he had caused to his own marriage and the Hampton’s marriage.  Had Senator Ensign followed Dr. Coburn’s advice, this episode would have ended, and been made public, long ago.’
 
BOTTLED WATER-Americans like bottled water-sales last year were some $16 billion. One reason people cite for drinking bottled water is a belief that it’s “purer” than tap water and all its’ alleged contaminants. But really, do you know where your bottled water comes from? Elisabeth Leamy, reporting for WORLD NEWS, has some news for you that you might not like. Leamy: “The (bottled water) industry acknowledges that as much as 45 percent of bottled water comes from municipal water supplies. Some is filtered further after that. Some is not.” And that’s got Congress’ attention. Leamy: “At a hearing on Capitol Hill today, representatives explored options like requiring manufacturers to list test results for contaminants on their websites.” Leamy notes that the industry thinks current regulations are adequate but adds that “representatives may introduce legislation to force water bottlers to be more transparent, the way tap water suppliers are.”

HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION UPDATE-Vice-President Joe Biden announced today an agreement with the nation's hospitals to give up $155 billion in future Medicare and Medicaid payments. The move is aimed at helping reduce the cost of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.  Charles Gibson asked George Stephanopoulos how negotiations on Capitol Hill were going between Democrats and Republicans on the matter.Stephanopoulos noted “a few important developments. Number one, all this talk about taxing health care benefits that employers give, that’s all but dead right now….also these bi-partisan negotiations continue on Capitol Hill but they are on life support now in part because if you lose the taxing of the health care benefits, there are very few ways that Democrats and Republicans can agree on to fill the gap…..Finally there’s the deadline that President Obama wants. He wanted the Senate and the House to pass health care reform by the August recess. That’s the end of the first week of August. That is looking a little bit harder to achieve right now and I heard talk for the first time today that the recess may get extended, they may to try and stay later in August.”
 
IRAN/MAJOR PROTESTS PLANNED TOMORROW-From Jim Sciutto: “Speaking to dissidents on the ground in Tehran, there are ambitious plans for protests tomorrow to mark the 10th anniversary of the 1999 student uprising. The demo’s are just ambitions for now – recent planned demo’s have fizzled – but tomorrow’s appear to be more organized. Protesters plan to make a showing in a number of Iranian cities. They’ll gather in several locations to confuse police – nine locations in Tehran, nine locations in Shiraz, similar numbers in Isfahan and other cities – and then march toward a common gathering place. Word is spreading organically: fliers, internet notices and friends calling friends. Protesters are emboldened in part by Mousavi’s refusal to back down, but more so by their own continued anger and frustration. They, like several prominent Iranian leaders from Mirhossein Mousavi to Ali Larijani to clerics in Qom, believe they’re fighting not just for the presidential election but to rescue the last vestiges of democracy – to keep the ‘republic’ in the ‘Islamic Republic’. Many protesters are speaking in bold terms. One told me. ‘We’re ready for anything, to be killed, beaten up, arrested. When we go out there, it’s real war.’ Government security forces are certainly aware of the plans – which have been advertized widely on Facebook, Twitter, etc.  – and will be waiting for them. It’s an open question as to whether protesters can somehow regain the upper hand but their intention is to show they can still generate numbers.”

OTHER STUFF-
–FIGHT CLUB VIDEO DISMISSED-Remember that horrible story that Brian Ross did on the mental patients who were forced to fight one another at a Texas facility by employees? Angela Hill reports “In a surprise move, a Texas judge has ruled to suppress shocking cell phone video showing former Texas State School employees forcing mentally disabled residents at the Corpus Christi State school to fight one another while the employees used their cell phones to videotape the ‘fight clubs.’  Judge Sandra Watts told prosecutors that she would not allow the videos to be used against one of the defendants in the case – Timothy Dixons, 30 – on the grounds that the phone containing the video was stolen property. She said the State had not proven Dixon intentionally abandoned the phone. However, she has not ruled out using the videos in cases against the other defendants.  ‘This is not a popular decision and I understand that,’ said Watts. ‘I don't have any choice in this case.’  The State argued that the phone had been found in a public place, which constituted abandonment, rather it being in a private place where it would have been left. Watts rejected their argument.” You can read the full story at  http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=8032839&page=1
–DOG FIGHTING RINGS BUSTED-Michael Vick may be rehabilitated but it seems there’s plenty more Americans out there in need of some talking to. The Justice Department says authorities have arrested about 30 people and seized about 200 dogs in dogfighting raids across three states. A Justice spokesman said Wednesday that the raids were conducted
across Missouri, southern Illinois and eastern Texas. Dog fighting is banned throughout the United States and is a felony in 48 states. 
–STEVE MCNAIR-Police confirmed today that former NFL great Steve McNair was killed by his 20-year-old girlfriend Sahel Kazemi before she turned the gun on herself. Kazemi apparently had financial problems and believed McNair may have been seeing another woman.
–DISNEY MONORAIL CRASH- Federal investigators are focusing on why a switch failed to change positions in the monorail crash that killed an operator at Walt Disney World over the weekend. The National Transportation Safety Board reported Wednesday that no malfunctions have been found with the automatic train stop system, nor with any mechanical parts of the switch. No mechanical problems were found with the two trains that collided Sunday. The accident killed 21-year-old Austin Wuennenberg. The NTSB says a pink train was changing tracks when it backed up into a purple train with Wuennenberg at the controls. The agency says it appears Wuennenberg tried to put the train in reverse to avoid the collision. b
–JACKSON MEMORIAL AUDIENCE-A memorial service was held in honor of singer Michael Jackson on Tuesday July 7, 2009.  The event was carried live from approximately 1pm ET to 4pm ET on 19 networks.  The sum of average audience for those networks was 31,140,882 and had a combined household rating of 20.6.   The networks carrying the memorial service were ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Telefutura, Telemundo, Univision, CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, Headline News, BET, E!, MTV, VH1, VH1 Classic, TV Guide Network, TV ONE, and MUN2. Brian Hartman notes that funerals for Princess Diana and former President Ronald Reagan were bigger draws-funerals for former President Gerald Ford and Pope John Paul II smaller ones. It all pales in comparison to last year’s Super Bowl audience of 98 million. (Brian Hartman/Nielsen)