The Wire: June 28, 2010

News
10:45 a.m.
TWT
Drug study links Avandia to heart problems, strokes
Just weeks before the Food and Drug Administration was to hold a hearing on the diabetes drug Avandia, a study of its health risks in older adults said the drug increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Soccer
12:00 a.m.
Netherlands tops Slovakia to advance
Impressive as Arjen Robben and his Dutch teammates were in advancing to the World Cup quarterfinals, they seek much more.
Economy
12:00 a.m.
BP denies CEO resigning; spill costs up to $2.65B
BP’s mounting costs for capping and cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico spill have reached $2.65 billion, the oil giant said Monday, but the company denied reports out of Russia that CEO Tony Hayward is resigning.
News
12:00 a.m.
Americans spend more in May, see incomes rise
Spending among Americans increased in May, though not enough to speed the country along the road to economic recovery.
News
12:00 a.m.
Vatican admonishes Austrian cardinal for comments
The Vatican harped on a leading cardinal who publicly criticized the former Vatican No. 2 for his handling of clerical abuse cases, saying only the pope can do so.
Sports
12:00 a.m.
U.S. soccer president voices disappointment
U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said the American team failed to meet expectations. The future of the team’s coach, Bob Bradley, is possibly in jeopardy.
Politics
12:00 a.m.
TWT
Manchin out of the running to replace Byrd
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin said Monday morning he will not appoint himself to fill the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Robert C. Byrd, who died this morning.
Commentary
12:00 a.m.
TWT
BACON: Obama's big fat nothing
The financial media put a positive spin on a joint statement Sunday by the wealthiest members of the Group of 20 countries that they would halve their deficits by 2013 and stabilize their debt burdens by 2016.
Commentary
12:00 a.m.
TWT
BLANKLEY: Stay out of the mainstream
There seems to be one thing on which everyone can agree. From archconservative pundits to archliberal White House staffers responsible for Solicitor General Elena Kagan’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, all agree that the test is whether she is in the “mainstream of current legal thought.”
Commentary
12:00 a.m.
TWT
TUBBS: Put nominee on the Stevens hot seat
Even the most hopeful conservatives should not expect Senate Republicans to derail President Obama’s nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Ms. Kagan’s credentials are impressive, she has a modest “paper trail,” and the Democrats still have a sizable majority in the Senate.
Commentary
12:00 a.m.
TWT
SHEFFIELD: CNN puts the moves on cable TV
This just in: Normally reputable CNN has succumbed to ratings pressures and will join the ranks of sensationalistic media outlets that will do anything for attention.
Editorials
12:00 a.m.
TWT
The end of the paradise called Obamaland
The presidential troubles detailed by Mark Steyn (“The epitome of mediocrity,” Commentary, June 21) are mostly of the president’s own making. Mr. Obama has fashioned a unique habitat - let’s call it Obamaland, where fables pass as facts. So in the perpetual fog that envelops Obamaland - a fog caused by hot, liberal blather colliding with cold reality - the government is good, bureaucracy is beneficent and man is perfectible if only the unwashed would stop caviling and step aside. In this world of make-believe where a new species of president - homo Obamans - reigns, post-partisan and transparent to his core, political calculations and blame deflection will be things of the past, except when they’re not. In this new world, strong words meant to show the president manning up are not camouflage for slack action, except when they are.
Editorials
12:00 a.m.
TWT
The substitute for strategy in Afghan war
Many years ago, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, a West Point graduate, advised, “There is no substitute for victory.” For decades, West Point cadets have memorized his advice. In December 2007, President Obama brought change to West Point and offered the cadets a substitute for victory. Mr. Obama failed to define victory and set a withdrawal deadline for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
World
12:00 a.m.
Briefly
Peruvian Finance Minister Mercedes Araoz told local media Monday that she is considering running for president next year, in a candidacy that likely would benefit from the country’s booming economic growth.
World
12:00 a.m.
World Scene
Longtime rivals China and Taiwan were set to sign a broad trade pact Tuesday to draw their economies closer, which Beijing hopes could lead to a political accommodation six decades after they split amid civil war.
Editorials
12:00 a.m.
TWT
EDITORIAL: Obama's muddled Afghan obsession
Confusion reigns over the administration’s Afghanistan policy, particularly regarding the timetable for withdrawal of American forces. “There has been a lot of obsession” about the issue, President Obama explained over the weekend. If people are preoccupied with the topic, the president only has himself to blame.
Local
12:00 a.m.
Three Va. residents accused of being secret agents
Ten people, including three from Virginia, have been arrested for allegedly serving as secret agents of the Russian government with the goal of penetrating U.S. government policymaking circles.
Family & Kids
12:00 a.m.
TWT
WETZSTEIN: 'Helping hands' site aids families
A free website called www.lotsahelpinghands.com is enabling tens of thousands of families in distress to create private communities of friends and family members to assist them with their needs.
Politics
12:00 a.m.
TWT
527 group helps GOP catch up in money race
In a campaign season of anti-establishment ferment, some of the Republican Party’s best-known insiders are building an ambitious fundraising machine for the fall elections and beyond.
Politics
12:00 a.m.
TWT
Inside the Beltway
Though the American public may not be glued to the play-by-play, the Republican National Committee is keen on the much-ballyhooed confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.
World
12:00 a.m.
TWT
U.S. wary of Pakistan as power broker in Kabul
U.S. officials and a former Afghan foreign minister are expressing skepticism over Pakistan-brokered talks between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and al Qaeda-affiliated groups, saying Islamabad appears to be trying to install its proxies in a future government in Kabul.
Other
12:00 a.m.
Armstrong tweets this year's Tour is last one
Lance Armstrong has posted on his Twitter page this year’s Tour de France will be his last.
Politics
12:00 a.m.
TWT
Political Scene
Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who was forced out last week as the top U.S. general in the stalemated Afghanistan war, has told the Army that he will retire.
Investigation
12:00 a.m.
TWT
Feds burn 'deep cover' Russian spy network
Federal authorities arrested 10 people suspected of carrying out long-term “deep-cover” assignments in the U.S. for Russia that involved integrating into American society as married couples, infiltrating “policy-making circles” in Washington, and recruiting government and business sources.
Politics
12:00 a.m.
TWT
GOP cuts pork from spending diet plan
The first spending bill to begin moving through Congress since House Republicans pledged to forgo earmarks shows the vow is working: The bill contains nearly 50 percent less in pork-barrel spending than last year’s version.
Letters
12:00 a.m.
TWT
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Carbon can be a productive industry tool
Anthony J. Sadar does not address two fundamental reasons for climate “climate change”: natural and human (“Solutions galore that ignore the poor,” Commentary, June 24).
Letters
12:00 a.m.
TWT
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Fighting Kagan's nomination is a fool's errand
I am disappointed to learn that some United States Senate Republicans are planning an active fight against the confirmation of associate justice of the Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.
News
12:00 a.m.
Rival Hamas, UN summer camps compete over children
The United Nation holds camps to help shield Gaza’s children against the lure of militancy.
News
12:00 a.m.
Mexican gubernatorial candidate assassinated
The front-running candidate for governor in the violence-racked border state of Tamaulipas was assassinated Monday, the first killing of a Mexican gubernatorial candidate in recent memory.
Letters
12:00 a.m.
TWT
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Nuclear reactors ready for global power
The superpower entrepreneurial spirit embodied by Bill Gates is a welcome addition to the world of nuclear energy (“From Microsoft to micronuclear,” editorials, April 6).
National
12:00 a.m.
Court: Christian group can't bar gays, get funding
An ideologically split Supreme Court ruled Monday that a law school can legally deny recognition to a Christian student group that won’t let gays join.
Entertainment
12:00 a.m.
Emotional end for 'As the World Turns' on Emmys
The end of 53-year-old “As the World Turns” was made happier by success at the Daytime Emmy Awards.
Letters
12:00 a.m.
TWT
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: The Gulf needs engineers, not lawyers
Where are the engineering societies when we need them? Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar (a lawyer) asked engineers for advice on the Gulf oil spill and then proceeded to ignore that advice. Now the administration has set up a commission to investigate the event.
News
12:00 a.m.
Planned Parenthood challenges Neb. abortion law
Planned Parenthood announced Monday that it has filed a lawsuit challenging a new Nebraska law necessitating health screening for women seeking abortion.
Health
12:00 a.m.
Americans are treated, and overtreated, to death
Cancer patients are receiving more treatment and living longer, but some wonder if it’s worth it.
World
12:00 a.m.
Burundi explosions lead to low election turnout
Ten grenade attacks, including a blast near the European Union election observer office, have suppressed voter turnout in the tiny East African nation of Burundi Monday as the country voted for president in a contest with only one candidate.
World
12:00 a.m.
TWT
Embassy Row
Nine months after caving in to Russian demands to scrap a U.S. missile-defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, President Obama is proposing to cooperate with Moscow on a global missile defense, according to the U.S. ambassador to Russia.
News
12:00 a.m.
Suspect in Va slayings pleads to firearms charge
A suspect in the slayings of three neighbors in southwest Virginia pleaded guilty to firearms and distribution charges.
News
12:00 a.m.
Biden touts stimulus in speech at GE plant
To a group of factory worrkers at a GE facility, Vice President Joe Biden took a swipe at government critics Monday and credited the federal stimulus program with helping jump start the economy.
News
12:00 a.m.
Flotilla of barges used as La. oil barricade
Anything and everything is being used to block oil from further infesting waters. Government officials are considering using a flotilla of barges to do the job.
News
12:00 a.m.
US Sen. Lautenberg of NJ says he's cancer-free
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, now the Senate’s oldest member at age 86, says he is cancer-free.
Politics
12:00 a.m.
Kagan pledges deference to Congress
Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan pledged Monday to be properly deferential to Congress if confirmed as a justice and to strive to “consider every case impartially, modestly, with commitment to principle and in accordance with law.”
National
12:00 a.m.
Court strikes down part of anti-fraud law
The Supreme Court on Monday struck down part of the anti-fraud law enacted in response to the Enron and other corporate scandals from the early 2000s, but said its decision has limited consequences.
Politics
12:00 a.m.
TWT
Divisions on display as Kagan confirmation hearings begin
Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan on Monday appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for the first of several scheduled days of testimony, as Democrats called her an independent moderate while Republicans portrayed her as liberal ideologue.
World
12:00 a.m.
TWT
Hezbollah: Israel policy prevents talks
A senior Hezbollah leader in Lebanon has flatly rejected the idea of talking to Washington unless it revamps its Middle East policy, which his group says unfairly favors Israel.
Tennis
12:00 a.m.
Serena avenges 2004 loss, bests Sharapova
Defending champion Serena Williams overcame Maria Sharapova 7-6 (9), 6-4 on Monday to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals and avenge her loss to the Russian in the 2004 final.
Tennis
12:00 a.m.
Capriati recovering from 'accidental' overdose
Former tennis star Jennifer Capriati was recovering Monday from an accidental overdose of prescribed medication, a family spokeswoman said.
News
12:00 a.m.
Government plans to double wireless spectrum
The Obama administration has plans to nearly double the available amount of wireless communications spectrum in the next 10 years.
National
12:00 a.m.
Cheney leaves hospital after treatment
Former Vice President Dick Cheney has been discharged from the hospital after his latest bout with heart-related trouble.
Local
12:00 a.m.
Metro crash victims eligible for insurance payout
Metro officials say families of the nine people who died in last year’s crash are eligible for a $50,000 insurance benefit.