HEALTH - Unlocking the Genetic Data Goldmine

"Researchers Aim to Unlock Genetic Data Goldmine for Vital Medical Information" PBS Newshour 3/12/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Researchers in the San Francisco Bay area believe genetic tests will help them find the best ways to treat and potentially prevent diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, breast and prostate cancers.  Spencer Michels reports on a giant data bank that houses genetic information on 200,000 people as part of a groundbreaking study.

SPENCER MICHELS (Newshour):  Every year, 240,000 men in America learn that they have prostate cancer.  Reggie Watkins, a retired parole officer and a patient at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif., is one of them.

REGGIE WATKINS, Kaiser Patient:  The first biopsy showed a slight cancer, slight amount of cancer.  The second biopsy showed no cancer.  I do think there's a genetic situation in my family.  I'm not the only and my brother is not the only one in the family to have this problem.

SPENCER MICHELS:  Until recently, Watkins' family history and his unique genetic makeup would have played a minor role, if any, in his medical care.  But thanks in part to a massive, groundbreaking new study under way at Kaiser and the University of California, San Francisco, information gleaned from patients' genes may prove the key to identifying and treating a host of diseases.

OPINION - 2013 Republican Budget?

"Rep. Paul Ryan Offers 'Opening Bid' on Budget Plan" PBS Newshour 3/12/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  House Budget chair Rep. Paul Ryan put forth a blueprint which he says would cut the federal deficit by $4.6 trillion over the next 10 years.  Democrats dismissed the proposal, saying the math doesn't add up.  Nancy Cook of National Journal joins Jeffrey Brown to explore the politics and math behind Paul's budget bid.

JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour):  The latest fiscal fight in Congress formally began today, the process of trying to adopt a budget for the fiscal year that begins in October.

House Republicans went first.  Senate Democrats go tomorrow.  Neither side is likely to win many converts across the aisle, but, for now, it's all about spelling out political differences.

NewsHour congressional correspondent Kwame Holman begins our coverage.

The Rachel Maddow Show
MSNBC 3/11/2013

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

OPINION - High-Capacity Magazines

Typical gun-nut thinking, MORE carnage with each shooting.

These gun-nuts just refuse to see that banning high-capacity magazines is NOT about stopping gun violence or gun ownership, it IS about cutting down the CARNAGE at each shooting.  A 10-round magazine can kill less people than a 30-round magazine, between reloads.

As shown at the 35th annual "SHOT Show" in Las Vegas

"Colorado state senator pledges to break gun law if it passes" by Laura Conaway, Maddow Blog 3/12/2013

The Colorado state legislature yesterday completed passage of one of the seven bills it has been working on for greater gun safety.  That completed bill, requiring gun buyers to pay the $10 for their background checks instead of having the state pick up the tab, is now on its way to Governor John Hickenlooper. He has said he will sign it.

With two bills dropped, the Senate sent four of the remaining five back to the House for more action.  The stack now includes a measure that would limit high-capacity magazines, which allow for the firing of dozens of bullets without having to reload.  A review by Mother Jones magazine found that high-capacity magazines have been used in half our nation's mass shootings.  For supporters of new gun laws, limiting magazines seems like a logical place to start.  But in the Colorado state Capitol yesterday, the bill to set a limit of 15 bullets before reloading drew this from one state senator:

"I'm telling you right now, I will not obey this law," declared Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, of the bill limiting magazine sizes.  "I will willfully and purposefully and civilly disobey this law."

Governor Hickenlooper now says he'll sign the magazines bill, too, if it reaches him.  As it happens, the shooter in the Aurora, Colorado, theater -- who entered the cinema with high-capacity magazines -- is to be arraigned this morning.  (The local Denver Post says he is expected to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.   UPDATE:  After the shooter's lawyers said he won't be ready to enter a plea until May or June, the judge entered a plea of not guilty for him.)

In the other state with new gun legislation, New York, more county legislatures passed resolutions calling for the state law's repeal:  Schuyler, Chemung and Dutchess.  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said it would not comply with the SAFE Act's requirement to report patients likely to harm themselves or others, so they can be checked against a database for licensed gun owners.  And the New York State Supreme Court will hear a challenge to the law tomorrow.  New polling on the SAFE Act shows that 61 percent of New Yorkers like it, with strong majorities in more urban counties and 57 percent opposition in more rural Upstate New York.

JAPAN - Town Aims for a Comeback 2 Years Fukushima Disaster

"Japanese Town Hit Hard by Natural and Nuclear Disaster Imagines Renewable Future" PBS Newshour 3/11/2013

Excerpt

GWEN IFILL (Newshour):  ..... A Japanese town aims for a comeback two years after the earthquake, the tsunami, and the nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima reactor.

Our story comes from special correspondent Emily Taguchi, a graduate of the School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, one of our reporting partners.

EMILY TAGUCHI:  It's been two years since the meltdowns at the Daiichi nuclear power plant.  The city of Minamisoma is celebrating the Nomaoi festival, showcasing their heritage as horsemen and warriors.

About a third of the city is still uninhabitable.  But, on this day, residents who fled the city return, standing shoulder to shoulder with former neighbors to honor their history.

MAYOR KATSUNOBU SAKURAI, Minamisoma, Japan:  I'm Mayor Katsunobu Sakurai of Minamisoma.  This year's Nomaoi festival, in the hopes of recovery for our residents affected by the nuclear crisis, is being held per the custom.

EMILY TAGUCHI:  At 20 miles north of the Daiichi plant, Minamisoma was cut off from the rest of the world two years ago by radioactive plumes.  Not even aid trucks would come near.  Mayor Sakurai uploaded a plea for help (Japanese with English captions) on YouTube.

INTERNET - What Happens to Your Online 'Estate' After You Die?

"Law Lags Behind in Defining Posthumous Protocol for Online Accounts" PBS Newshour 3/11/2013

Excerpt

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour):  Billions of people around the world now live part of their lives online, sharing photographs, information on relationships and careers, tweets and more.

But what happens when physical lives end and life in cyberspace goes on?  Of the one billion people who use the social network site Facebook, for example, an estimated three die every minute.  And that can lead to some painful problems.  For one thing, there's no one method or law on the books for how beneficiaries gain access to a deceased person's digital records.

Virginia dairy farmer Ricky Rash ran into that problem after his 15-year-old son Eric committed suicide in 2011.

RICKY RASH, Father:  It was a complete shock, as any suicide is.  But we had absolutely no warning.  Eric kissed his mom good night the night before.  He did his homework.  He Armor All-ed the seats in that Oldsmobile that was his.  He did everything under the sun to show us it was a normal night.

So, with no answers from home, no answers from school, we were just hoping that there may be something that would give us some insight as to why he chose to make the decision he did.  And Facebook was literally the last frontier that we had to investigate.

AFRICA - Kenya's Presidential Elections

"Political Unease Endures in Kenya Despite Fairly Peaceful Elections" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 3/11/2013

Excerpt

GWEN IFILL (Newshour):  And we turn to the East African nation of Kenya, a longtime U.S. ally, where a candidate accused of crimes against humanity is now preparing to lead the country.

Supporters cheered as Kenya's president-elect, Uhuru Kenyatta, arrived at Nairobi's election center over the weekend.  A delayed final tally made it official. Kenyatta won a razor-thin victory over Prime Minister Raila Odinga, enough apparently to defuse the widespread fear of post-election violence.

PRESIDENT-ELECT UHURU KENYATTA, Kenya:  We dutifully turned out.  We voted in peace. We upheld order and respect for the rule of law.  And we maintained the fabric of our society.

GWEN IFILL:  Kenyatta is Kenya's richest man and the son of the young nation's first president, Jomo Kenyatta.  But his election comes under a cloud. In 2011, he was indicted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague on charges that he helped orchestrate a post-election bloodbath in 2007.

The violence between rival tribal groups left more than 1,000 people dead.  Kenyatta and his running mate, William Ruto, face trial in July and Odinga has promised to challenge the election results.

RAILA ODINGA, Kenyan Prime Minister:  These elections unearthed serious weaknesses within our election system, weaknesses which we thought we had dealt with in the past.

GWEN IFILL:  Odinga's lieutenant said today the election commission is now hindering efforts to file an appeal. But they still asked for calm.

MUTULA KILONZO, Kenyan Education Minister:  We want to tell our country our petition is not intended to disrupt from the normal activities of a country.  To the contrary, it is intended to create a precedent as to how elections ought to be done or ought not to be done.

GWEN IFILL:  Kenya has been a key U.S. ally against terrorism in East Africa.  Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson warned in advance of the voting that choices have consequences.

Western nations have been muted in their response to Kenyatta's win.  Secretary of State John Kerry congratulated the people of Kenya for voting peacefully, but he didn't mention the victor by name.

In Washington today, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland played down that omission.

VICTORIA NULAND, State Department Spokeswoman:  I wouldn't read too much into the statement, but clearly the post-electoral process continues, including through the courts, and that's appropriate.

GWEN IFILL:  Meanwhile, prosecutors at the International Criminal Court dropped all charges today against one of Kenyatta's co-defendants, Francis Muthaura, a top Kenyan civil servant.  Court officials said the case against Kenyatta will move forward.

"Western Allies Have 'Muted' Response to Kenya's Presidential Election" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 3/11/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  For more on the local and global fallout from the latest presidential election in Kenya -- a key ally of the United States -- Gwen Ifill talks with Jendayi Frazer, former U.S. assistant secretary of State for African Affairs.

AFGHANISTAN - New Insider Attack and Tensions

"American Soldiers Gunned Down in Afghanistan in Insider Attack" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 3/11/2013

JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour):  The United States' relationship with Afghanistan faced new strains today.  Two U.S. soldiers were killed in an insider attack following pointed accusations by Afghan President Hamid Karzai that the U.S. is colluding with the Taliban.

Tensions were evident everywhere today, from an American officer in Kabul yelling at troops who had mistakenly shot to death two civilians, to Wardak Province, where the Afghans had ordered all special U.S. forces to leave by yesterday.  There, an Afghan policeman gunned down two American soldiers and two other police officers before being killed himself, all of this as newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel concluded his first trip to Afghanistan.

The visit was difficult from the start, a suicide bombing outside the Afghan Defense Ministry on Saturday as he met with NATO commanders nearby.

DEFENSE SECRETARY CHUCK HAGEL, United States:  I wasn't sure what it was.  I was in a briefing.  But we're in a war zone.  I have been in a war. You know, so you shouldn't be surprised when a bomb goes off of there's an explosion.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  Then, on Sunday, a verbal broadside from Afghan President Hamid Karzai, charging the U.S. had a role in the attacks.

PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI, Afghanistan:  The bombs which exploded yesterday were to show Taliban strength to America.  It was at the service of America, at the service of America.  They are trying to frighten us into thinking that if the foreigners were not in Afghanistan, we would be facing these sorts of incidents.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  All outside combat forces are to leave Afghanistan at the end of 2014.  But Karzai claimed that, in fact, the U.S. is hunting for an excuse to stay longer.

Hagel met later with the Afghan leader and rejected accusations of fomenting violence or of dealing with the Taliban behind his back.

CHUCK HAGEL:  I told the president it wasn't true that the United States was unilaterally working with the Taliban in trying to negotiate anything.  The fact is any prospect for peace or political settlements, that has to be led by the Afghans.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  Further complicating matters is Bagram prison, which was to be turned over to Afghan control on Saturday.  U.S. authorities delayed the transfer again, citing problems with the transfer agreement.

President Karzai has made regaining control of the prison a key issue as he seeks to assert greater Afghan authority.

"New Tensions Crop Up Between U.S. and Afghanistan as Major Transitions Loom" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 3/11/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  An insider attack on American soldiers and pointed remarks by Afghanistan's President Karzai reveal new tensions between the nations.  Judy Woodruff gets analysis from Ambassador James Dobbins, who served as a diplomat to Afghanistan, and Said Jawad, Afghanistan's former ambassador to Washington.

AFGHANISTAN - Women's Suicide Wave

This is what happens in a society where women are still considered chattels own by men.

"2 Afghan Sisters, Swept Up in a Suicide Wave" by AZAM AHMED, New York Times 3/11/2013

Excerpt

On the surface, the Gul sisters seemed to have it all:  they were young, beautiful, educated and well off, testing the bounds of conservative Afghan traditions with fitted jeans, makeup and cellphones.

But Nabila Gul, 17, a bright and spunky high school student, pushed it too far.  She fell in love.

Her older sister, Fareba, 25, alarmed at the potential shame and consequences of Nabila’s pursuit of a young man outside of family channels, tried to intervene.  Their argument that November day ended in grief:  side-by-side coffins, both girls dead within hours of each other after consuming rat poison stolen from their father’s grain closet.

Interviews with family members and government and hospital officials here reveal a tragedy of miscalculation:  Under pressure from her older sister to halt communication with the boy, Nabila tried to eat just enough poison to scare her family but not kill herself.  But she misjudged.  Overwhelmed by guilt and grief, Fareba followed by taking her own life on the doorstep of the city’s most holy shrine.

The sisters’ deaths shattered their family and have struck a chilling chord for the residents of Mazar-i-Sharif, a city increasingly marked by the despair of its young women.  For many, the deaths have come to symbolize a larger crisis: an intensifying wave of suicide attempts.

Although the government says it does not collect data on these cases, the city’s main hospital says it has been overwhelmed, with three or four such patients coming in every day, up from about one or two a month a decade ago.

The number of attempts has grown with such speed that the head of investigations for the police, Col. Salahudin Sultan, says he can no longer follow up on them.

“We don’t have the time or resources to investigate these,” he explained. “We would hardly get anything else done.”

As for the questions of why, and why here, there seem to be as many theories as there are cases.  Most explanations focus on Mazar’s status in Afghanistan as an affluent cross-cultural hub, relatively more liberal and exposed to European influences.  While Afghan girls here regularly are exposed to the social norms of the West through television serials and the Web, the fact is that they live in Afghanistan’s conservative and male-dominated society.  The clash is cruel, and can be heartbreaking.

“Most of the girls don’t die, but they all take poison or at least threaten to kill themselves,” said Dr. Khowaja Noor Mohammad, the head of internal medicine at Mazar-i-Sharif Regional Hospital.  “This is their cry for help.”

The doctor who tried to save the Gul sisters, Dr. Khaled, produced a patient ledger for the past two months. As he pored through the list, he uttered the names of several young women who had attempted suicide:  Fatima, Mariam, Zulfiya, Zar Gul, Basbibi.

“There are probably 200 cases in here of attempted suicide,” said Dr. Khaled, who goes by a single name, waving the ledger in the air.  “In the last 12 hours, we had three.”

Perhaps no case is more emblematic, or more discussed, than the deaths of the Gul sisters.

The two came from an educated, progressive family.  Mohammed Gul, their father, is a prosecutor.  Nabila was on the cusp of graduating from high school, and planned to attend college in the city.  Fareba was already attending college and hoped to follow her father’s footsteps into the legal profession.  The young women were determinedly modern, and would not have seemed out of place in many Western cities.

Nabila was impetuous, with a quick temper and a strong sense of self.  She often challenged what Fareba told her, rejecting the deference held for elders in Afghan society.  Fareba, a softhearted woman who often wept after small arguments, confided to a close friend that she felt Nabila did not respect her.

Their last fight, the morning of Nov. 26, involved a boy Nabila said she was in love with.  Fareba thought the relationship was inappropriate, and urged her sister against it.  Nabila refused, and the two began shouting.

Their mother heard the fight, and ran in to break it up, slapping Nabila twice across her face for talking back to her older sister, according to people close to the family.  The younger girl ran off in tears.

An hour later, Nabila’s mother discovered her on the floor of her room, white foam dripping from the corners of her mouth.

CYBERWAR - Demand That China Stop Hacking U.S. Cyberspace

"U.S. Demands China Block Cyberattacks and Agree to Rules" by MARK LANDLER and DAVID E. SANGER, New York Times 3/11/2013

Excerpt

The White House demanded Monday that the Chinese government stop the widespread theft of data from American computer networks and agree to “acceptable norms of behavior in cyberspace.”

The demand, made in a speech by President Obama’s national security adviser, Tom Donilon, was the first public confrontation with China over cyberespionage and came two days after its foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, rejected a growing body of evidence that his country’s military was involved in cyberattacks on American corporations and some government agencies.

The White House, Mr. Donilon said, is seeking three things from Beijing:  public recognition of the urgency of the problem; a commitment to crack down on hackers in China; and an agreement to take part in a dialogue to establish global standards.

“Increasingly, U.S. businesses are speaking out about their serious concerns about sophisticated, targeted theft of confidential business information and proprietary technologies through cyberintrusions emanating from China on an unprecedented scale,” Mr. Donilon said in a wide-ranging address to the Asia Society in New York.

“The international community,” he added, “cannot tolerate such activity from any country.”

In Beijing, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, did not directly say whether the government is willing to negotiate over the proposals spelled out by Mr. Donilon.  But at a daily news briefing Tuesday she repeated the government’s position that it opposes Internet attacks and wants “constructive dialogue” with the United States and other countries about cybersecurity issues.

Until now, the White House has steered clear of mentioning China by name when discussing cybercrime, though Mr. Obama and other officials have raised it privately with Chinese counterparts.  In his State of the Union address, he said, “We know foreign countries and companies swipe our corporate secrets.”

But as evidence has emerged suggesting the People’s Liberation Army is linked to hacking, the China connection has become harder for the administration not to confront head-on.  The New York Times three weeks ago published evidence tying one of the most active of the Chinese groups to a neighborhood in Shanghai that is headquarters to a major cyberunit of the People’s Liberation Army.  That account, based in large part on unclassified work done by Mandiant, a security firm, echoed the findings of intelligence agencies that have been tracking the Chinese attackers.

American officials say raising the issue with the Chinese is a delicate balancing act at a time when the United States is seeking China’s cooperation in containing North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, and joining in sanctions on Iran.  Yet they have been expressing their concerns about cyberattacks with Chinese officials for years.  Starting in 2010, they invited P.L.A. officials to discuss the issue — a process that has only just started — and last November, Mr. Obama broached the subject at a summit meeting with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, a senior administration official said.

OPINION - Brooks and Marcus 3/8/2013

We overestimate how much effect Washington has.  It's sort of like you're so vain, you really think this economy is about you.

- David Brooks, The New York Times

"Brooks and Marcus Discuss Washington's Effect on the Economy, Budget Deal Hopes" PBS Newshour 3/8/2013

Watch Brooks and Marcus Discuss Jobs Report and Push for Budget on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

WAR ON TERROR - Sulaiman Abu Ghaith's Trial

"Examining the Decision to Put Sulaiman Abu Ghaith on Trial" PBS Newshour 3/8/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Security was heavy at the courthouse where Sulaiman Abu Ghaith was charged with conspiring to kill Americans, a charge based on threatening statements and his close relationship with Osama bin Laden.  Margaret Warner talks with Jess Bravin of the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times' William Rashbaum, who was in the court.

Watch Examining the Decision to Put Sulaiman Abu Ghaith on Trial on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

JAPAN - Tsunami Anniversary, Writer's Reflection

"A Writer Reflects on the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami, Two Years Later" PBS Newshour 3/8/2013

Excerpt

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour):  ..... Monday marks two years since a devastating tsunami hit Japan.  We take a look back through the words of a writer.

Gretel Ehrlich is best known for her nature and travel writing.  She's authored 13 books, including three of poetry.

It was the most powerful earthquake ever to hit Japan, triggering a tsunami that reached over 130 feet, taking close to 16,000 lives and causing the meltdown of three nuclear reactors, a disaster of epic proportions.

Beginning in the 1960s, Gretel Ehrlich began visiting Japan regularly to study and write about its culture, its religion -- she's a practicing Buddhist -- and its literature.  Soon after the tsunami, she returned for the first of three trips to document the physical and emotional aftermath.

Watch Reflections on the Japanese Tsunami, Two Years Later on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

POLITICS - John Brennan Confirmed as CIA Director

"After Almost 13-Hour Filibuster, Senate Confirms John Brennan for CIA Director" PBS Newshour 3/7/2013

Excerpt

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour):  Another key seat in President Obama's national security team was filled today.  The Senate approved a new leader for the Central Intelligence Agency, but not before a war of words over unmanned aircraft and presidential power.

WOMAN:  The nomination is confirmed.

JEFFREY BROWN:  John Brennan was confirmed as the CIA's next director by a vote of 63-34 after a drama-filled 24 hours.  It began yesterday when Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky launched a filibuster.

He demanded a firm answer on whether drone aircraft might ever target American citizens inside the United States.  Attorney General Eric Holder had sent Paul a letter saying that, however unlikely, in extraordinary circumstances, it might happen.

SEN. RAND PAUL, R-Ky.:  No one will ever forget Jane Fonda swiveling around in North Vietnamese armored guns, and it was despicable.  Now, it is one thing if you want to try her for treason, but are you going to just drop a drone Hellfire missile on Jane Fonda?  Are you going to drop a Hellfire missile on those at Kent State?

ARKANSAS - Attempted Rape of Women's Rights

"Arkansas Abortion Law Bans Procedures After 12 Weeks of Pregnancy" PBS Newshour 3/7/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  The Arkansas legislature passed the nation's strictest abortion rules, outlawing any procedures done after the 12th week of pregnancy.  To learn more about the legal ramifications for doctors under the new law and how it will effect other states, Hari Sreenivasan talks with Suzi Parker, a reporter for Reuters from Little Rock.

NORTH KOREA - Unanimous UN Vote for Imposing New Sanctions

"As UN Levels New Sanctions, Pyongyang Threatens Preemptive Nuclear Attack" PBS Newshour 3/7/2013

Excerpt

RAY SUAREZ (Newshour):  It took less than three minutes for the U.N. Security Council to agree on its fourth round of sanctions against North Korea.  The vote was unanimous, imposing new financial curbs.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice:

UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR SUSAN RICE, United Nations:  Taken together, these sanctions will bite, and bite hard.  They increase North Korea's isolation and raise the cost to North Korea's leaders of defying the international community.

RAY SUAREZ:  The sanctions aim to make it more difficult for North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, to finance his nuclear and missile program.  In December, the North successfully fired a long-range rocket, saying it was designed to orbit a satellite.

And last month, North Koreans cheered scientists who carried out the country's third nuclear test.  That event directly provoked today's U.N. action.  North Korea's closest ally, China, even helped draft the sanctions.

CHINESE AMBASSADOR LI BAODONG, United Nations:  We want to see full implementation of the resolution.  The top priority now is to defuse the tension, bring down the heat.

POLITICS - Call For Talking About Entitlement Reform

"Pelosi:  For Budget Deal, 'Let's Talk' About Ensuring Strength of Entitlements" PBS Newshour 3/7/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Congressional correspondent Kwame Holman reports on President Obama's new round of negotiations with Republicans on a long term deficit deal.  Judy Woodruff talks with House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi about the prospects of a bipartisan budget deal, the sequester cuts and the confirmation of CIA director John Brennan.

OPINION - Filibuster Properly Used, Vanishing Middle Class and Drones

The soundtrack was inspired by an excerpt from Senator Bernie Sanders 8 hour filibuster on the U.S. Senate floor against the extension of the Bush tax cuts and the effects on the middle class.

"A Thousand Cuts"
Senator Bernie Sanders 7/14/2011


The Rachel Maddow Show
MSNBC 3/6/2013

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Note the issue of use of drones by the federal government does NOT address the issue of drones used by state law enforcement (which has been purposed in some states).

ALSO:  "After Almost 13-Hour Filibuster, Senate Confirms John Brennan for CIA Director" PBS Newshour 3/7/2013

POLITICS - Keeping the Federal Government Running

Think the House Republicans didn't want to look worst than they already are AND give President Obama another talking-point?

"House Passes Spending Bill, Preventing Government Shutdown" PBS Newshour 3/6/2013

GWEN IFILL (Newshour):  The House of Representatives today approved legislation to keep the government up and running, this time three weeks in advance of a new deadline.  But the bill still faces hurdles in the Democratically-controlled Senate.

MAN:  On this vote, the yeas are 267, the nays are 151.  The bill is passed without objection.  A motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

GWEN IFILL:  Anxious to avoid yet another Washington budget showdown, the House today agreed to a spending bill to finance the government through September, and avert a potentially devastating government shutdown.

The GOP measure would leave in place $85 billion dollars in across-the-board spending cuts that took effect last week.  But it would give the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs greater flexibility to manage the reductions.

Kentucky Republican Hal Rogers chairs the Appropriations Committee.

REP. HAL ROGERS, R-Ky.:  This bill takes the risk of a government shutdown off the table, funding the government for the remainder of the fiscal year, while helping maintain our national security and providing our troops and veterans with consistent, adequate funding.

GWEN IFILL:  House Democrats said the cuts should be stripped from the bill.

Virginia lawmaker Gerry Connolly:

REP. GERRY CONNOLLY, D-Va.:  We have to get our arms around spending, but not in a mindless, meat axe way.  It is going to hurt America.  And to bake it into this continuing resolution, in my view, is a terrible mistake.

GWEN IFILL:  The bill now goes to the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid said Democrats hope to build in even more exceptions to the automatically mandated cuts.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said, once that happens, the commitment of Republicans to averting a shutdown will be put to the test.

REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-Calif.:  The Senate's not going to accept this bill.  And when they don't, they will send back another bill, and we will just see how many votes there are on the Republican side to keep government open, because we have absolutely no intention of having the government shut down.

GWEN IFILL:  Oklahoma Republican Tom Cole conceded that today's action is just the first step toward resolving the recurring budget and spending debate.

REP. TOM COLE, R-Okla.:  And we can have, I think, a good negotiation going back and forth between the two parties.  This is the beginning of a process. It's the beginning of a return to regular order. And it's an opportunity to work, I think, in a bipartisan fashion.

GWEN IFILL:  With an eye on the inclement weather outside, House Republicans also moved up today's vote by 24 hours.  Also, if the weather holds, President Obama was scheduled to dine tonight with a group of Republican senators, in part in response to complaints that he has failed to reach across the aisle.  And Mr. Obama announced plans to visit Capitol Hill next week for meetings with House and Senate Republicans.

IRAQ - New Report on U.S. Reconstruction Efforts

BIG money always attracts the crooks.

"Iraq Reconstruction Effort Fraught With 'Fraud, Waste and Abuse'" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 3/6/2013

JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour):  We turn to Iraq and a new report critical of U.S. reconstruction efforts in the country.

It was September 2004.  President Bush appeared in the Rose Garden 18 months after he had ordered the invasion of Iraq.  The insurgency was raging, but he had an optimistic view of the American effort beyond the fighting.

FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:  Electricity has been restored above pre-war levels.  Telephone service has increased dramatically.  More than 2,000 schools have been renovated and millions of new textbooks have been distributed.  There is much more work to be done.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  Now, a decade after the war began, Iraqi and U.S. officials portray much of the work as failures, wasted opportunities, miscalculated and mistakes.  It's all in a final report by the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, Stuart Bowen.

He offers a damning appraisal of a project well-intentioned, but hugely wasteful in money and lives.  To date, rebuilding Iraq has cost more than $60 billion dollars in U.S. funds, and more than 700 people have died supporting reconstruction, apart from tens of thousands of Iraqis and 4,400 Americans killed in the war itself.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told Bowen that the overall benefit to Iraq was small when compared with the size of the sums spent.  And U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said, the level of fraud, waste and abuse in Iraq was appalling.  She recalled she was angered to learn that reconstruction money found its way into the hands of insurgent groups.

Bowen also concluded that $8 billion of a separate fund of nearly $24 billion dollars in Iraqi money was wasted.  It came from Iraqi oil and gas revenues and seized assets, and was flown to Baghdad by the U.S. in the form of cash.

California Congressman Henry Waxman was incredulous at that revelation in 2007.

REP. HENRY WAXMAN, D-Calif.:  The cash weighed more than 363 tons and was loaded onto C-130 cargo planes to be flown into Baghdad.  The numbers are so large that it doesn't seem possible that they're true.  Who in their right mind would send 360 tons of cash into a war zone?

JUDY WOODRUFF:  According to Bowen, the list of poorly-conceived, over-budget and badly-managed projects is long, including a $100 million dollar wastewater treatment plant in Fallujah that serves only 9,000 homes, and is eight years behind schedule, and the Basra Children's Hospital in Iraq's South, 200 percent over budget, four years behind schedule and still incomplete.

"Report Finds U.S. Failed to Consult Iraq's Needs in Rebuilding" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 3/6/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen wrapped up a review of nine years' worth of Iraq rebuilding projects with a report that cites massive waste of resources and life.  Judy Woodruff talks to Bowen about where the money went and what the U.S. government must learn for the future.

"Iraq Reconstruction: Read the Full Report and Lessons Learned" by Larisa Epatko, PBS Newshour 3/6/2013

RUSSIA - Ballet Director Acid Attack

"Acid Attack on Bolshoi Artistic Director Rocks Ballet World" PBS Newshour 3/6/2013

Excerpt

GWEN IFILL (Newshour):  ..... the disturbing story of attacks on the chief of the Bolshoi Ballet.

Moscow police said today they arrested a Russian ballet star for organizing an acid attack on artistic director Sergei Filin in January.  Filin, who was once a dancer himself at the Bolshoi, was badly burned after sulfuric acid was thrown at his face.

Police say the suspect, Pavel Dmitrichenko, who performed in well-known roles at the Bolshoi, confessed to masterminding the crime.  Two others were arrested.

The Bolshoi is a renowned cultural institution, and the arrests are prompting more questions about what was behind the shocking attack.

Michael Schwirtz is following this for The New York Times.

ECONOMY - Dow Hits 14,253!

Humm... Wonder if the Republicans will 'blame' Obama for this outcome? .... NA... they'll just take (false) credit for themselves.

"Dow Jones Industrial Average Closes at All-Time High" PBS Newshour 3/5/2013

Excerpt

GWEN IFILL (Newshour):  It was a record day for Wall Street today, as the Dow Jones industrial average climbed to its highest levels ever.  The Dow, made up of 30 blue-chip stocks, gained nearly 126 points to close at 14,253.  The previous closing record was set in October 2007, at 14,164.

Then came the housing crash and the financial crisis, sending the Dow spiraling to 6,547 by March 2009, before its long road back.  Several other indexes are also rebounding.  The S&P 500 was up 14 points to finish at 1,539, within striking distance of its record of 1,565 set in 2007.

We look behind the rally and these numbers with Barry Ritholtz, a market strategist, author and CEO of Fusion IQ, an online research firm.  He blogs at The Big Picture.  And Matt Phillips, who writes for Quartz, a digital news site that covers the global economy for Atlantic Media.

VENEZUELA - Hugo Chavez Dies

About time.  One more kook gone from the world stage.

"Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez Dead at 58 After Long Battle With Cancer" PBS Newshour 3/5/2013

Excerpt

MARGARET WARNER (Newshour):  The announcement of the Venezuelan leader's death came late this afternoon by the country's vice president, Nicolas Maduro.

Chavez had shown remarkable staying power, ruling the South American country for 14 years.  He survived a coup that briefly deposed him, a constitution that term-limited him out of office, and won an October election after his first bout with cancer.

He and his brand of revolutionary socialism antagonized three U.S. administrations, as he cozied up to the world's most isolated regimes in Cuba, Iran, and Syria.

For more on his death and what it means for the future of Venezuela, I'm joined by Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, and Carl Meacham, head of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

HEALTH - Women's Lifespan in U.S.

"New Study Shows U.S. Lags Behind Other High-Income Countries in Female Lifespan" PBS Newshour 3/5/2013

Excerpt

GWEN IFILL (Newshour):  And we close about with new findings about declining life spans for some women.  Those come from a pair of new studies.

The first reported that, in 43 percent of the nation's counties, many of them in the South and the West, women -- more women 75 and younger are dying sooner.  The second study found mortality for all Americans under 50, but particularly women, is more pronounced in the U.S. than other high-income countries.  Both were published in the journal "Health Affairs."

Editor in chief (Health Affairs) and a NewsHour regular Susan Dentzer joins me now.

POLITICS - Federal Government Overreach

"Virginia Attorney General Criticizes Federal Government Overreach in New Book" PBS Newshour 3/5/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Judy Woodruff talks with Ken Cuccinelli, attorney general of Virginia and gubernatorial candidate in that state, about his new book, "The Last Line of Defense," which explores the role of the federal government.  Cuccinelli was the first state attorney general to sue the federal government over the health care reform law.

AIDS - Infant Functionally Cured of AIDS

"Mississippi Doctors See Child-Size Breakthrough in the Global Fight Against AIDS" PBS Newshour 3/4/2013

Excerpt

RAY SUAREZ (Newshour):  Researchers confirmed a two-year-old girl born with HIV has been functionally cured and remains virus-free even after treatment months ago.

It marks the first time HIV has been essentially eradicated in a child, making her just the second person ever said to be cured of HIV.  Doctors at a Mississippi hospital say they gave the girl an especially intensive three-drug regimen within 30 hours of birth, before tests confirmed she was infected and wasn't merely at higher risk from her mother.

The findings were announced at a major AIDS conference in Atlanta and are stirring much discussion about what it could mean for more than 300,000 babies born with HIV each year, mostly in Africa.

We talk to two experts now watching this closely, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, and Rowena Johnston, vice president and director of research at the American Foundation for AIDS Research, amfAR.

MEDICARE - Finding Primary Care Physicians

Note that this problem applies to patients who use private doctors.  It does NOT apply to those who use 'true' HMOs which own/operate hospitals, clinics, labs, pharmacies, and doctors are employees.  (also tend to be not-for-profit)

Example:  Kaiser Permanente HMO, Southern California, which I belong to, has NO premium for their Senior Advantage (Medicare), just co-pays, and when I first enrolled I had a choice of 15 primary physicians to choose from in the nearest clinic.

Also, the approach in finding a primary care physician, as presented in this article, is (IMHO) wrong.  You look for a heath care insurance plan FIRST, then look at the plan's list of physicians.

"Access to Doctors Shrinks for Some Medicare Patients" PBS Newshour 3/4/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  It's getting harder and harder for some seniors to find a primary care physician.  Ray Suarez reports on why the threat of massive cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates has left some doctors so worried that they've decided to stop taking new Medicare patients.

IRAN - U.S. Military Action on the Table

"Biden:  U.S. Will Use Military Action if Necessary to Stop Iran's Nuclear Program" PBS Newshour 3/4/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Vice President Biden warned that the U.S. will use military action to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.  Margaret Warner talks to Flynt Leverett, former National Security Council director, and former Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns about the state of diplomacy on Iran's nuclear activity.

AMERICA - 'A Place at the Table' Hunger in the USA

"New Documentary Puts Homegrown Issue of Hunger on the Table" PBS Newshour 3/1/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Although the United States is the largest producer of food per capita in the world, that food is not reaching the plates of millions of children in America.  Hunger is the subject of the new documentary, "A Place at the Table."  Ray Suarez talks with co-director Lori Silverbush about our homegrown problem.

RAY SUAREZ (Newshour):  It's a bitter paradox.  The United States produces more food per person than any other country in the world, but still has a major problem with hunger, a hardship that only grew worse during the recession and its aftermath.

The government estimates some 50 million people are living with food insecurity, meaning they don't always have adequate nutrition for an active and healthy life.  A new documentary called "A Place at the Table" challenges the viewers' assumptions about who is hungry and why.

Here's an excerpt.

EGYPT - The Economy Two Years Later

"Egypt's Economy in Dire Straits Two Years After Fall of Mubarak" PBS Newshour 3/1/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Two years after the rise of Arab Spring and the fall of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's financial hardships have not improved under the considerable political unrest.  Protests have crippled the country's tourism industry and construction in Cairo has ceased.  Margaret Warner previews Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to the country.

MARGARET WARNER (Newshour):  More than two years after the fireworks, after Egyptians celebrated the ouster of longtime ruling President Hosni Mubarak, and voiced hopes their revolution would bring a brighter future for them all, Egypt is teetering on the brink of economic collapse.

WALEED SAAD, Cab Driver:  Every day, we say tomorrow's better.  Be patient, tomorrow's better.  Tomorrow not come yet.

MARGARET WARNER:  On the streets of Cairo, some of those who cheered Mubarak's fall, like cab driver Waleed Saad, have grown tired of waiting.

"How Bad is the Egyptian Economy?  Ask a Cab Driver"
By Noreen Nasir, PBS Newshour 3/1/2012

MICHIGAN - Giving Up on Democracy to Solve Detroit Fiscal Problem

"Detroit Faces State Takeover After Governor Declares Fiscal Emergency" PBS Newshour 3/1/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan declared a state of fiscal emergency for Detroit, which is facing a deficit of more than $300 million and a possible state takeover.  To learn more about this move and why it has been years in the making, Judy Woodruff talks with Christy MacDonald from Detroit Public Television.

JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour):  And it turns out local governments in the U.S. are facing their own budget woes.  One in especially big trouble is Detroit.

The city faces a budget deficit of more than $300 million dollars, and has lost a quarter-million residents in the past decade.  Today, Michigan's governor, Rick Snyder, announced plans to appoint an emergency manager to oversee the city's finances and operations.  That would make it the largest U.S. city under state control.

Snyder spoke at a community forum today.

GOV. RICK SNYDER, R-Mich.:  It's time to say we should stop going downhill. It is time to say we need to start moving upward with the city of Detroit.

There have been many good people that have had many plans, many attempts to turn this around. They haven't worked.  The way I view it, today is a day to call all hands on deck, to say there's been too much fighting, too much blame, not enough resources, not enough people working together, to say, let's resolve these issues.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  Detroit's mayor, Dave Bing, said in a statement that he remains opposed to the move, but would look at all options.

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MSNBC 3/1/2013

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POLITICS - When the Sequester Pain Hits

"Last Minute White House Meeting on Sequester Spurs Political Combat Not Progress" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 3/1/2013

JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour):  The final hours ticked down today to the much-talked about sequester, $85 billion dollars in automatic across-the-board federal spending cuts.  A White House meeting produced little, except a new round of political combat.

The top two Democrats in Congress trooped to the executive mansion this morning, along with the top two Republicans.  But the hour-long session with the president produced no breakthroughs.  And minutes later, he appeared in the White House Briefing Room, making clear what he thinks of the sequester.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA:  We shouldn't be making a series of dumb arbitrary cuts to things that businesses depend on and workers depend on, like education and research and infrastructure and defense.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  The president was also adamant on where the blame lies, with those who balked at erasing tax loopholes for the wealthy and other revenue-raisers.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  None of this is necessary.  It's happening because a choice that Republicans in Congress have made.  They have allowed these cuts to happen because they refuse to budge on closing a single wasteful loophole to help reduce the deficit.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  But Republicans were having none of it.  Shortly before the president emerged, House Speaker John Boehner again rejected the demand for more taxes.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, R-Ohio:  The president got his tax hikes on January 1.  This discussion about revenue, in my view, is over.  It's about taking on the spending problem here in Washington.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  The president now has until just before midnight to issue an order that makes the cuts official.  It will be weeks before many of the effects are felt.  But within days, federal agencies will start sending out notices that hiring freezes and furloughs are coming.

In addition, the Associated Press reported 2,000 illegal immigrants in detention were released in recent weeks to save money on jail costs.  The administration had said the number was a few hundred.  And newly installed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said today the military is implementing the largest cuts in nearly 30 years.

DEFENSE SECRETARY CHUCK HAGEL, United States:  Let me make it clear that this uncertainty puts at risk our ability to effectively fulfill all of our missions.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  The Army has curtailed training for nearly 80 percent of combat brigades.  And, in Norfolk, Va., home to the Navy's Atlantic Fleet, the aircraft carrier Harry Truman sits idle.  It was to have sailed for the Persian Gulf last month.

Back at the White House today, the president voiced frustration at suggestions he should have done more to prevent all this.

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Most people agree I'm presenting a fair deal.  The fact that they don't take it means that I should somehow, you know, do a Jedi mind meld with these folks and convince them to do what's right.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  One thing both sides did seem to agree on, the need for a stopgap bill to keep the government running past March 27, when it runs out of funds.

JOHN BOEHNER:  And I'm hopeful that we won't have to deal with the threat of a government shutdown while we're dealing with the sequester at the same time.  The House will act next week, and I hope the Senate will follow suit. Thanks.

JUDY WOODRUFF:  House members and senators are due to return to Washington Monday.

"Assessing Impact of Sequester Cuts at Local and Federal Levels" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 3/1/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  To learn how the sequester cuts will have impact on both the federal and local levels, Jeffrey Brown talks with Ed O'Keefe of the Washington Post, Karen Kasler of Ohio Public Television and Megan Verlee of Colorado Public Radio.

COMMENT:  Hopefully, as this starts hurting American citizens' pocketbooks, we will realize the lie about demonizing 'federal spending.'  The USA is a consumer driven economy and the biggest  consumer is government (local, state, federal) and that the majority of government tax dollars end up in our pockets, in our economy.  It is government spending that buys much of our products, pays much of our income, and supports us in need.

CYBERWAR - Pinning Down Motive For Hacking Against U.S.

"As Hacking Against U.S. Rises, Experts Try to Pin Down Motive" by NICOLE PERLROTH, DAVID E. SANGER, and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT; New York Times 3/3/2013

Excerpt

When Telvent, a company that monitors more than half the oil and gas pipelines in North America, discovered last September that the Chinese had hacked into its computer systems, it immediately shut down remote access to its clients’ systems.

Company officials and American intelligence agencies then grappled with a fundamental question: Why had the Chinese done it?

Was the People’s Liberation Army, which is suspected of being behind the hacking group, trying to plant bugs into the system so they could cut off energy supplies and shut down the power grid if the United States and China ever confronted each other in the Pacific?  Or were the Chinese hackers just trolling for industrial secrets, trying to rip off the technology and pass it along to China’s own energy companies?

“We are still trying to figure it out,” a senior American intelligence official said last week.  “They could have been doing both.”

Telvent, which also watches utilities and water treatment plants, ultimately managed to keep the hackers from breaking into its clients’ computers.

At a moment when corporate America is caught between what it sees as two different nightmares — preventing a crippling attack that brings down America’s most critical systems, and preventing Congress from mandating that the private sector spend billions of dollars protecting against that risk — the Telvent experience resonates as a study in ambiguity.

To some it is prime evidence of the threat that President Obama highlighted in his State of the Union address, when he warned that “our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions, our air traffic control systems,” perhaps causing mass casualties.  Mr. Obama called anew for legislation to protect critical infrastructure, which was killed last year by a Republican filibuster after intensive lobbying by the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups.

But the security breach of Telvent, which the Chinese government has denied, also raises questions of whether those fears — the subject of weekly research group reports, testimony and Congressional studies — may be somewhat overblown, or whether the precise nature of the threat has been misunderstood.

American intelligence officials believe that the greater danger to the nation’s infrastructure may not even be China, but Iran, because of its avowal to retaliate for the Stuxnet virus created by the United States and Israel and unleashed on one of its nuclear sites.  But for now, these officials say, that threat is limited by gaps in Iranian technical skills.

There is no doubt that attacks of all kinds are on the rise.  The Department of Homeland Security has been responding to intrusions on oil pipelines and electric power organizations at “an alarming rate,” according to an agency report last December.  Some 198 attacks on the nation’s critical infrastructure systems were reported to the agency last year, a 52 percent increase from the number of attacks in 2011.

Researchers at McAfee, a security firm, discovered in 2011 that five multinational oil and gas companies had been attacked by Chinese hackers.  The researchers suspected that the Chinese hacking campaign, which they called Night Dragon, had affected more than a dozen companies in the energy industry.  More recently, the Department of Energy confirmed in January that its network had been infiltrated, though it has said little about what damage, if any, was done.

But security researchers say that the majority of those attacks were as ambiguous as the Telvent case.  They appeared to be more about cyberespionage, intended to bolster the Chinese economy.  If the goal was to blow up a pipeline or take down the United States power grid, the attacks would likely have been of a different nature.

In a recent report, Critical Intelligence, an Idaho Falls security company, said that several cyberattacks by “Chinese adversaries” against North American energy firms seemed intended to steal fracking technologies, reflecting fears by the Chinese government that the shale energy revolution will tip the global energy balance back in America’s favor.  “These facts are likely a significant motivation behind the wave of sophisticated attacks affecting firms that operate in natural gas, as well as industries that rely on natural gas as an input, including petrochemicals and steel-making,” the Critical Intelligence report said, adding that the attack on Telvent, and “numerous” North American pipeline operators may be related.

American intelligence experts believe that the primary reason China is deterred from conducting an attack on infrastructure in the United States is the simple economic fact that anything that hurts America’s financial markets or transportation systems would also have consequences for its own economy.

COMMENT:  The REASON for hacking U.S. systems is in reality irrelevant.  The ABILITY to hack our systems is, or should be, the point.  Hacking methods used for economic reasons can be use for more destructive reasons.

OPINION - The Political Weather Show and More

The Rachel Maddow Show
MSNBC 3/1/2013

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SYRIA - U.S. Support to Rebels

"U.S. Promises Food and Medical Help to Opposition Forces in Syria" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 2/28/2013

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour):  Now to the conflict in Syria and a change in the United States' role.

Ray Suarez explains.

SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY, United States:  The United States has decided that, given the stakes, the president will now extend food and medical supplies to the opposition, including to the Syrian opposition's Supreme Military Council.  So there will be direct assistance to them, though non-lethal.

RAY SUAREZ (Newshour):  Word of the shift in U.S. policy came from Secretary of State John Kerry in Rome.  The upshot, for the first time, humanitarian aid will be directly channeled to armed Syrian rebel groups, the initial installment, $60 million dollars.

JOHN KERRY:  This funding will allow the opposition to reach out and help the local councils to be able to rebuild in their liberated areas of Syria, so that they can provide basic services to people who often lack access today to medical care, to food, to sanitation.

RAY SUAREZ:  Additional pledges are expected from 10 other European and Arab nations attending the Rome gathering.

But after two years of war in Syria and more than 70,000 dead, what the rebels most want are guns.  So far, the United States has refused, citing fears militant Islamists would benefit.  In Rome today, the head of the Syrian Opposition Council, Mouaz Al-Khatib, urged the world to focus more on the victims of Syrian President Assad, and less on bearded Islamists.

MOUAZ AL-KHATIB, National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces:  One month ago, the regime bombed 86 bakeries, where the flesh of the children was molded with the bread.  Pay attention to this, instead of the fighters' beards.  Those who are fighting inside are mostly peaceful people who are forced to carry arms.  All the terrorists in the world do not have this brutal nature of the regime against the Syrian people.

RAY SUAREZ:  Several Persian Gulf states have long supplied arms and money to the rebels.  Just this week, it was revealed Saudi Arabia has been sending them Croatian weapons.

The shift in U.S. policy comes as the Assad regime steps up its onslaught, using Scud missiles against civilian populations.  And last night, The New York Times reported Americans are now training Syrian rebels at an undisclosed base in the region.

Meanwhile, as the battle for Damascus grows, in Syria's south, refugees are streaming into Lebanon and Jordan. U.N. officials estimate nearly a million Syrians have fled the fighting.

"Examining the Decision to Provide Humanitarian Aid to Syrian Opposition Forces" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 2/28/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  The U.S. has volunteered for a new role in the Syria conflict:  providing food and medical aid to the opposition.  To hear how this new decision may impact the situation, Ray Suarez talks with Steven Heydemann of the United States Institute of Peace and Steven Simon of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

RELIGION - Closure, Pope Benedict XVI

"Pope Benedict XVI Ends Reign Amidst 'Difficult Times'" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 2/28/2013

JEFFREY BROWN (Newshour):  The papacy of Benedict XVI officially ended today, as he became the first pontiff in modern times to resign.  On his last day, he spoke with the cardinals who will now turn to choosing his successor, amid continuing scandals and tensions within the Vatican and wider church.

We begin with our coverage with this report from James Mates of Independent Television News.

JAMES MATES:  Looking a little frail, weary almost under the burdens of a tumultuous eight years in the Holy See, Pope Benedict met his cardinals for a final time.

In the magnificent surroundings of the Vatican's Clementine room, he thanked them and recognized that one of those now applauding will soon be in his place.

"Among you," he said, "there is the future pope to whom already today I promise my unconditional reverence and obedience."  He said a personal farewell to each cardinal, among them Peter Turkson of Ghana, who many believe may be the first black pope in more than 1,000 years.  But Pope Benedict's speech yesterday, his hints at trouble within the Vatican itself, has spelled out the task faced by his successor.

REV. VINCENT NICHOLS, Archbishop of Westminster:  It was a very un-papal address.  I would think it's probably one of the most remarkable papal addresses ever given, certainly that I have ever heard.

JAMES MATES:  Was he hinting at a real power struggle going on in there?

VINCENT NICHOLS:  It would seem to be the popular opinion that there have been difficult times around him in his administration, and that has certainly been spoken of openly as a challenge for next pope.

JAMES MATES:  That is what he is leaving behind, the Papal Swiss guard overseeing his final departure from office, as he headed for a helicopter and retirement.

And so for first time in almost 600 years, a living pope takes his leave from the Vatican.  He has promised to spend his remaining days in reflection and prayer.  It is possible we will never hear from him again.

A final view of Rome and the Coliseum in the evening sunshine, and then to the Castel Gandolfo in the hills south of the city where he will officially take leave of his office.

"Looking Ahead to Papal Conclave as Benedict XVI Lifts 'Weight of the Office'" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 2/28/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Officially in retirement, Benedict XVI leaves a papacy flagged with controversies and crises.  To discuss what role the emeritus pontiff will now play in the Catholic Church and what's ahead for the papal conclave, Jeffrey Brown talks with John Allen, reporting from Rome for CNN and National Catholic Reporter.

AMERICA - Bradley Manning Pleas Guilty

"Bradley Manning Leaked Classified Documents to Spark 'Debate' on Foreign Policy" PBS Newshour 2/28/2013

Excerpt

JUDY WOODRUFF (Newshour):  Bradley Manning, the U.S. Army private who is charged with leaking massive amounts of classified material to the Web site WikiLeaks, entered guilty pleas today.

He pleaded guilty to 10 of the 22 charges against him, admitting to violating military regulations, but not federal espionage laws.  Manning spoke for more than an hour in the military courtroom, explaining his reasons for leaking classified information.

He said -- quote -- "I believe that if the general public had access to the information, this could spark a domestic debate as to the role of the military and foreign policy in general."  He added -- quote -- "I felt I accomplished something that would allow me to have a clear conscience."

Later in the day, the judge accepted Manning's pleas.  He still faces trial on the remaining charges.

For more now on Manning's statement, his pleas and what comes next, we are joined by Charlie Savage of The New York Times, who was in the courtroom today, and Arun Rath, who has been covering the Manning case for PBS' FRONTLINE.

OPINION - History of Voting Rights Act

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MSNBC 2/27/2013

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OPINION - Violence Against Women Act

"Violence Against Women Act clears House, headed to Obama's desk" by Steve Benen, Maddow Blog 2/28/2013

In the last Congress, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) played a critical role in blocking reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.  In this Congress, Cantor was so eager to get VAWA passage over with, he told House Republicans yesterday to either clear the way for the already passed Senate version or risk causing a "civil war" within the party.

The warning appears to have had an effect.  Indeed, the VAWA plan we discussed yesterday was executed this morning exactly as intended.

The final legislation passed the lower chamber by a vote of 286 to 138 after a protracted battle over an expansion of the law and its impact in tribal communities.  A majority of Republicans voted against the legislation, with 87 GOP members and all Democrats supporting it.

Republican leaders first tried to pass a House-drafted version of the bill, which Democrats said did not do enough to protect gay couples, immigrants and Native Americans.  That measure failed by a vote of 166 to 257.

The House then passed the same five-year reauthorization that was approved by Senate by an overwhelming majority in February.

Because the House passed the expansive Senate version -- and rejected the watered-down alternative -- VAWA will now go directly to the White House, where it will receive President Obama's signature.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who has been the Democratic point person on the Violence Against Women Act, told me this morning, "This is a long delayed, hard won, and badly needed victory for millions of women, especially those who were told that they weren't worthy of VAWA's protections.  It means that finally, after over 16 months of struggle, tribal women, the LGBT community, immigrants, and women on college campuses will have the tools and resources this life-saving bill provides.

For those counting on the law's protections and resources, today's vote is obviously excellent news.  But in a purely political context, the difficult process offered some illuminating lessons.

First, after 20 years of overwhelming bipartisan support, opposition to the Violence Against Women is now the mainstream Republican position.  About half the Republicans in the Senate voted against the law, as did more than half the Republicans in the House.

As recently as 2005, there was a Republican majority in the House, for example, and VAWA was reauthorized in a lopsided, near-unanimous vote.  Since then, the number of House GOP members opposed to the law has grown from 2 to 138.  What was a fringe position in 2005 is now the GOP majority position in 2013.

Second, we're learning something important about House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and the so-called "Hastert Rule."  For those who need a refresher, under modern Republican norms, the Speaker only considers legislation that enjoys "majority of the majority" support -- if most GOP House members oppose a measure, it won't even be considered, whether it can pass the chamber or not.

The non-binding rule is great for party discipline, but lousy for democracy and governing.

For Boehner's part, the Speaker had long believed in enforcing the "Hastert Rule," but he's finding far more flexibility on the issue than we're accustomed to seeing.  When it was time to approve the "fiscal cliff" deal, Boehner ignored the rule to pass a bipartisan Senate plan.  When he needed to pass relief aid to Hurricane Sandy victims, he bypassed the rule again.

At the time, the Speaker said these were isolated incidents that wouldn't be repeated, but here we are again -- most of Boehner's caucus opposed the Violence Against Women Act, but he brought it to the floor and passed it anyway.

To reiterate a point from several weeks ago, this may seem like inside baseball, but it's extremely important.  If Boehner, in the name of getting stuff done, is open to bringing important bills to the floor, and passing them with mostly-Democratic support, there's an opportunity for real governing in the near future.  It means comprehensive immigration reform is more likely, and popular measures on preventing gun violence may have a credible chance of success.

If the Hastert Rule is unraveling, that's very good news, indeed.

"Congress Extends Violence Against Women Act, Ending Standstill" PBS Newshour 2/28/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  Almost 18 months after it expired, the House voted to renew the Violence Against Women Act and extend the law's protection to gays and lesbians, immigrants and Native Americans, among others.  Judy Woodruff talks to Ashley Parker of the New York Times and Cindy Southworth from the National Network to End Domestic Violence.