PushBack Politics
U.S., Russia Agree on Chemical Weapons Deal
The United States and Russia have agreed on a draft resolution for enforcing the handover of Syria’s chemical weapons. The resolution includes language that cites Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter, allowing for tactics more forceful than negotiation, including diplomatic and economic coercion. Failing those tactics, Chapter 7 also allows for the use of military force, though the draft resolution does not specify whether it will also resort to military force. With Russia on board, the resolution is almost certain to pass a U.N. vote. msnbc live
Obama to Offer Detroit $300M
Officials from the Obama administration are headed to Detroit today to offer $300 million in federal and private aid to help the Motor City, two months after its historic bankruptcy filing. “It’s the largest city bankruptcy in the history of our country, on our watch, and we’ve got to do something,” White House economic adviser Gene Sperling said. But, he added, “there is nothing we can do to help on the bankruptcy; there is no bailout.” The aid—a drop in the bucket for Detroit’s $18 billion worth of debt—would be divvied between rebuilding efforts with $140 million going to transit improvements and $100 million to blight efforts. NYT
Wendy Davis to announce run for Texas governor, Democrats say
Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis plans to announce her candidacy for governor next week with an elaborate launch that includes watch parties around the state and a boost from the national women’s political organization Emily’s List, according to Democrats familiar with her campaign plans. Davis, who burst onto the national stage with an 11-hour filibuster against antiabortion legislation this year, has set Oct. 3 for a formal announcement of her next move. It had been widely anticipated that she would give up her Fort Worth legislative seat after two terms and wage an uphill fight for governor. The speculation turned to near-certainty Thursday as Democrats stepped forth to say they had heard from Davis or her campaign advisors about her intended plans. They declined to be identified to avoid alienating the candidate or members of her team. Along with setting up watch parties in several cities around the state, the Davis campaign has worked via social media to build a national audience for her announcement, urging followers to contact friends and colleagues to spread the word. Source: LA Times Read more
Syria Chemical Weapons Inspections ‘To Begin Next Week’
Experts from the world’s chemical weapons watchdog will begin inspecting Syria’s stockpile by Tuesday, a draft agreement says. The draft also unusually authorities the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to investigate sites not declared by Damascus. The text is due to be voted on at a meeting in The Hague later on Friday. It will then be incorporated into a UN Security Council resolution calling on Syria to give up its chemical weapons. The resolution will condemn the use of chemical weapons in an attack on the outskirts of Damascus last month which killed hundreds of people, but will not attribute blame. Source: BBC News Read more ———————————————————————————- Guardian live / Associated Press – see 11.36am BST. The draft decision authorises the body to inspect “any other site identified by a State Party as having been involved in the Syrian chemical weapons program, unless deemed unwarranted by the Director-General.” That goes beyond usual practice as the organization has only previously inspected sites that have been declared by member states. The draft, being discussed by the OPCW’s executive council Friday night, calls for the organization’s secretariat to, “as soon as possible and no later than 1 October 2013, [...]
JPMorgan Chief Meets Holder In Bid For Deal To End Probes, Avoid Criminal Charges
An $11 billion fine would be the largest by far imposed by Justice, far above the $3 billion paid by GlaxoSmithKline in 2011 for illegally pushing antidepressants on consumers. And a person familiar with the matter said the $11 billion represented “a floor” for what JPMorgan would ultimately have to pay to wipe away a host of probes into its mortgage business. JPMorgan, which declined to comment, is expected to submit another settlement offer soon. Even at $11 billion or more, the bank would be paying just a fraction of the damage it wreaked on mortgage investors, government agencies and homeowners. And a deal might ensure that no senior executives go to jail, which some experts say would let Wall Street avoid full responsibility. Finance “is the only field in America where you can commit fraud with impunity and even after you get caught, you can buy your way out of it. And not with your money, mind you, but with shareholders’ money,” said William Black, a former bank regulator who teaches law at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Source: Washington Post Read more
George H. W. Bush is Official Witness at Same-Sex Wedding Ceremony
Former President George H. W. Bush and ex-FLOTUS Barbara Bush were official witnesses at a same-sex wedding ceremony in Maine this weekend. The wedding was between Bonnie Clement and Helen Thorgalsen, whom the Bushes said they’ve known for some time. The two, who co-own a local grocery store, have been together for twelve years, and have raised Thorgalsen’s daughters together. The newlyweds posted a picture on their Facebook account of Bush signing the official documents, writing: “Getting our marriage license witnessed!” residential historians will note the socks. “This is such a wonderful time for change in our legal system,” Clement told the Washington Post. “Who would be best to help us acknowledge the importance of our wedding as our friends and as the former leader of the free world? When they agreed to do so we just felt that it was the next acknowledgment of being ‘real and normal.’” [h/t WaPo]
