2 October 2013
WWII Veterans storm DC memorial
Leo Shane III / Stars and Stripes
Four busloads of WWII veterans were not hampered the barricades blocking access to the World War II Memorial. On Tuesday, the Honor Flight participants ignored National Park Police instructions not to enter the site as lawmakers and tourists cheered them on.
DoD to Award Contracts Throughout Shutdown
Marcus Weisgerber / Defense News
The Department of Defense will continue to award hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts despite the government-wide shutdown; however, the DoD will not publicly announce the contracts until after the shutdown is resolved.
Christine Todd Whitman on Keeping Nuclear in the US Energy Mix
Conway Irwin / Breaking Energy
While nuclear power has its detractors, some would argue that it will be critical to meeting growing U.S. electricity demand. Todd Whitman points out that “nuclear is the only form of base power that releases no greenhouse gases while it’s producing power.”
BBC Coverage of IPCC Climate Report Criticized for Skeptics’ Airtime
Fiona Harvey / The Guardian
The BBC was criticized for providing too much airtime to climate skeptics when it covered the release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s fifth Assessment Report.
Italy PM Letta wins confidence vote after Berlusconi u-turn
Associated Press / Washington Post
Silvio Berlusconi threw his support behind the government of Premier Enrico Letta during a confidence vote after Letta made an impassioned plea to keep his coalition government alive and Berlusconi lost the backing of members of his own party.
Outgoing U.S. Commander warns about North Korea’s Kim Jong Un
Craig Whitlock / Washington Post
Army General James D. Thruman, outgoing commander of U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula, has issued a warning that Kim Jong Un needs to be kept under close watch as he continues to consolidate power with unclear foreign policy intentions.
The Editorial Board / New York Times
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel warned the world, in a speech at the UN, not to trust the new Iranian president Hassan Rouhani. Mr. Netanyahu called Mr. Rouhani “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” and claimed Iran is still determined to build its nuclear weapons arsenal, despite Rouhani’s claims otherwise.
Obama Cancels Trip to Philippines and Malaysia
Gerry Mullany / New York Times
President Obama has canceled his trip next week to the Philippines and Malaysia because of the budget standoff in Washington, DC. Secretary of State John Kerry will go in President Obama’s stead.
South Korea and U.S. Sign pact ‘to deter North Korea threat’
BBC
South Korea and the U.S. have signed a military pact that provides for more coordinated response against possible threats from North Korea
U.S. to expel Venezuelan Diplomats in retaliation
BBC
The U.S. has expelled three Venezuelan diplomats in retaliation for Caracas expelling three American officials.
14 Years of Undermining Public Diplomacy
Robert Schadler / US News Weekly
In addition to lacking top leadership and being in organizational disarray, the U.S. State Department’s Public Diplomacy division has no strategic vision about what the government should be doing to inform key foreign publics.
Iranian media splits over diplomatic outreach
Tehran Bureau / The Guardian
Iranian media outlets are torn between praising and condemning new President Hassan Rouhani’s interactions with the U.S.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Global Warming Makes Solving the 21st Century Problems Much Harder
Andrew Holland
Climate change is a “threat multiplier” or an “accelerant of instability,” but is not necessarily the planet’s biggest problem.
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