Clem’s Chronicles: Obama at the UN/Gadhafi-Ahmadinejad at the UN/Russian Dirty Tricks?

Howdy folks-happy Wednesday. here's some of what's going on tonight…..

PRESIDENT OBAMA AT THE UNITED NATIONS-President Obama spoke to the UN General Assembly today. His speech was a combination of admitting previous Administration missteps and a stern lecture to the assembled masses that they couldn’t have it both ways when dealing with the United States. Jake Tapper, filing for WORLD NEWS, noted “The President…sounded apologetic at times about past U.S. behavior and rattled off a list of his own reversals of Bush Administration policies…ending torture, ordering the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay and working to end the war in Iraq.” But this was not a mea culpa-the President noted “America will live its values and we will lead by example.” The President had some not-so-kind words for the world body. "Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems alone," President Obama said. Tapper notes “the President said that distrust of America had for too long been a convenient cop-out for the UN…and he said it was time for America’s critics to step up to the plate.” Obama: “Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.” And the President may have succeeded in at least one area of concern-Tapper discusses today’s Obama meeting with Russian President Medvedev and reports: “Russia has been resisting sanctions against Iran for its’ nuclear weapons program though the US has been pushing hard. Today Medvedev said ‘in some cases sanctions are inevitable’ which the White House took as very encouraging news.”

GADHAFI/AHMADINEJAD SPEECHES AT THE UNITED NATIONS-It wasn’t just President Obama speaking today. Quite a few world leaders spoke. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi gave his first speech ever at the United Nations, and for sheer curiosity value, he did not disappoint.Dan Harris, filing for WORLD NEWS, explains: “Reading from handwritten notes on scraps of paper…he started by calling President Obama ‘a son of Africa’ and even ‘my son’…then alleged that the H1N1 flu virus had been created by an unnamed military…manhandled a copy of the UN charter…and suggested the UN headquarters should be moved so he could avoid jetlag.”
Taking the podium earlier this evening, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday that Tehran was ready to meet conciliation with conciliation. Quite a few nations walked out, including the United States during his speech. So it was a half-empty chamber that listened as Ahmadinejad sought to cast himself as a beleaguered champion of the developing world, that he portrayed as under attack from rapacious capitalism. At the same time, the Iranian leader issue stinging attacks on the United States and its allies without calling them by name., which prompted the aforementioned walkout by the U.S. delegation. Ahmadinejad made only passing reference to the nuclear issue, a call for global nuclear disarmament.

SOUTHERN FLOODING:  As the floodwaters in Georgia recede, residents have started taking stock and calculating the amount of damage done to their homes.  And as Steve Osunsami reported on WORLD NEWS, the costs to repair flooded homes and businesses are coming largely out of property owners’ pockets: “State authorities believe only about 15 percent of Georgia residents own flood insurance.   And state officials say they can’t help.  Georgia is broke.  There’ve been layoffs.  Cutbacks.  There’s simply no money to help people rebuild.” The White House said the President spoke to Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, who had requested federal disaster funding.  The administration said President Obama “assured Governor Perdue that his request for federal aid would receive prompt attention. The White House Situation Room and the President’s Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan will continue to keep the President informed of developments.” (thanks to Marisa Bramwell for this entry)

SWINE FLU:  As flu season gets underway, hospitals around the country are taking steps to treat and prevent the spread of the highly-infectious swine flu.  In Austin, Texas Dell Children’s Medical Center has set up two tents to triage flu patients.  The hospital opened the triage centers after seeing more than 300 patients with swine flu in a 24-hour period.  Ryan Owens, reporting from Dell Children’s, told us that “in Memphis, they pitched a tent more than a week ago…and at one point were treating 400 children a day.  Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville has seen more than 5000 patients with flu-like symptoms so far this month.  Six are now in critical condition.  Vanderbilt’s Children’s Emergency Department has increased its staffing by 50 percent.”  Also today Roche Holdings, the maker of Tamiflu, announced there is a shortage of the children’s version of the drug.  The shortage is a result of high-demand for the children’s dosage, and the company’s decision to increase production on the adult version.  Roche said the adult-strength pills can be ground up and turned into smaller doses for children. (thanks to Marisa Bramwell for this entry)

RUSSIAN DIRTY TRICKS?:  The U.S. Ambassador in Moscow, John Beyrle, says he has filed a protest with the Russian Foreign Ministry over what appears to be a sex tape of an American diplomat in Moscow.  The diplomat is Deputy Ambassador Kyle Hatcher, who works with religious and human rights groups.  Our Brian Ross says the video turned up last month on a Russian internet site: “First Hatcher is seen in surveillance video on a Moscow  street talking on a cell phone. Audio is added in what sounds like his voice, talking with a woman in Russian about getting together. Photos of topless women are added in.  Hatcher says the audio and video were made several years ago when he admits he made such calls as a private citizen visiting Moscow.   Next, in scenes shot recently,  Hatcher is seen in a Moscow hotel room in his underwear, with the lights on.  Then the lights are out in the room and a man and a woman appear to be having sexual relations on the bed.  Hatcher told US officials the man in this scene is not him and the State Department and the ambassador call the tape a clear fabrication produced by elements of the Russian government.”  The video showed up after Hatcher reportedly turned down a Russian offer to keep the tape secret if he would work as a double agent.  The tape appeared on a site known to be used by the FSB, the security service that replaced the KGB. Ambassador Beyrle says he’ll keep Hatcher  at his Embassy position, just to prove that tactics used during the cold war won’t work anymore.  (thanks to Ed Bailey for this entry)
 
CENSUS WORKER HANGED-Strange story out of Kentucky-A U.S. Census worker was found hanging from a tree near a cemetery earlier this month-the man apparently had the word “fed” scrawled on his chest. Jason Ryan confirms that the FBI is investigating whether he was a victim of anti-government sentiment. The dead man was identified as Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old part-time Census worker and teacher. He was found Sept. 12th in a remote patch of the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeastern Kentucky.

MOON WATER-NASA says it will hold a media briefing tomorrow afternoon to "reveal new scientific findings about the moon" from data collected during national and international space missions.  Word is that there is now clear evidence of water on the Moon.  Ned Potter explains: “When the last Apollo astronauts came home from the Moon almost 40 years ago, scientists decided the place was even more dry than dust.  There had been traces of water found in the rocks the astronauts brought back.  But everyone assumed the sealed boxes the samples were in had leaked.  But now, several satellites orbiting the Moon have found telltale readings of ice in the lunar soil – billions of gallons of it.  There had been hints of this in the 1990s…but now, three papers in the journal Science say there is good proof.” The announcement comes two weeks before a NASA probe is scheduled to purposely smash into an area near the moon's south pole to see if it can kick up buried ice.  Over the last decade, astronomers have found some signs of underground ice on the moon's poles. But this latest discovery is said to be quite different. And scientists seem very excited about it.  (thanks to Ed Bailey for this entry)

AFGHAN TROOPS REQUEST- From Luis Martinez: “Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell announced that Defense Secretary Gates has asked Gen. McChrystal to forward his request for more troops to his office by week’s end.  However, instead of following the normal procedure where the Joint Staff and Centcom would review the request, Secretary Gates is going to ‘hold on to it until such time as the President and his security team are ready to consider it.’  Translation: the troops request will come up for discussion only after the administration has fully reviewed the current March 27 strategy for Afghanistan-Pakistan and determined whether a change is needed or it is the correct one.  ‘There's no sense in complicating a discussion about strategy  with the resource request,’ Morrell said.”

MASSACHUSETTS/KENNEDY SUCCESSOR- The Massachusetts Legislature on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill allowing the governor to replace the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy temporarily. The House voted 95-59, and the Senate 24-16, just moments after a separate House vote in which lawmakers declined to make the law go into effect immediately (that vote needed 2/3rds majority). That means Gov. Deval Patrick must send a letter to the secretary of state declaring an emergency if he wants an interim replacement right away. Otherwise, he must wait 90 days, leaving a vacancy for most of the five-month special election campaign now underway to fill the seat permanently. Patrick is expected to act as early as tomorrow.

OTHER STUFF-
–IRS/ACORN-The Internal Revenue Service severed ties with ACORN today. In a statement, the IRS said “The IRS has partnered with hundreds of community and volunteer organizations, including ACORN, to provide free tax assistance to low- and moderate-income Americans. It is absolutely critical that taxpayers have trust in our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program partners. In light of recent events, the IRS has decided to terminate its relationship with ACORN.”
–GERMANY/TRAVEL WARNING-The U.S. government is warning Americans traveling to Germany about possible terror attacks around the upcoming election. In an official travel alert issued Wednesday, the State Department warns that ‘Al Qaeda has threatened it will conduct terrorist attacks in Germany immediately prior to and following the federal elections on September 27.’ (Kirit Radia/Megan Chuchmach)
-FED RATE DECISION- The Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee has decided to keep a key interest rate at the 0 – .25% target for the sixth meeting in a row. This is the lowest target rate for the Fed Funds rate – what banks pay for overnight loans. Today’s announcement was widely anticipated. (Dan Arnall)
–MOAMMAR GADHAFI-For consistency, all platforms should use this spelling of the Libyan leader’s name. (Jan Simmonds)