Grumpy Editor

Iran gets nuke assist from U.S., missiles from Russia

 

With the heavy focus on terrorists in Paris over the past few days, missing the attention of most U.S. media were the latest on Iran’s nuclear activity --- boosted by the U.S., no less --- and pending delivery of surface-to-air missiles to Iran from Russia, observed Grumpy Editor.

The U.S. is among global powers helping Iran update and reconstruct a nuclear reactor that has been suspected of helping the Islamic Republic produce enough material for a potential nuclear weapon, reported Adam Kredo, senior writer for the Washington Free Beacon.

Kredo pointed out that Iran maintains that the U.S. and partner nations will soon provide “advanced equipment” for the reactor in Arak.

A spokesman for the Iranian nuclear authority said that while Iran could complete the modernization on its own, “it has sought the world powers’ assistance to accelerate the job,” added Kredo.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal’s Nathan Hodge, citing Russian news sources, reported Russia is moving ahead in delivering S-300 advanced surface-to-air missiles to Iran.

Earlier delivery of the missiles, under a 2007 contract, was banned amid pressure from the U.S. and Israel, Hodge wrote, but Moscow has lifted the ban and Iran mentioned delivery could come by year end.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

In an ABC interview aired Friday, just hours before the Paris attack, President Barack Obama proclaimed ISIS had been contained.  “I don’t think they’re gaining strength,” he said.  “From the start, our goal has been first to contain and we have contained them”… No sooner did the Dow Jones Industrial Average look like it was going to reach 18000 again, when --- poof! --- weak earnings and economic data sent it down to close the week at 17245.24, including a 202.83 drop on Friday.  Another downward movement factor with almost daily reminders on financial pages:  the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates at its Dec. 16 meeting…Following an investigation, the Navy said little could have been done to prevent crew members aboard the submarine USS Wyoming from secretly recording women showering on board, reported Stars and Stripes…Amid cries to improve veterans’ medical attention, the Department of Veterans Affairs paid more than $142 million in bonuses to executives and employees for performance in 2014.  Meanwhile, the VA Medical Center in Cleveland plans to open the first VA clinic specifically dedicated to transgender veterans needs, including primary care, hormonal therapy, mental health care and social work services…In the sky-is-falling department:  Among many climate-related risks to public health, mentioned in a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report spotted by CNSNews --- a rise in cardiovascular disease in the Northwest, more allergies in Great Plains states, an increase in drownings in the Midwest, a disruption of community water supplies in Alaska, more cases of dengue fever in Hawaii and West Nile virus in the Northeast, higher incidents of heat stress in the Southwest and increased fish poisoning in the Southeast…Family Circle magazine is sending out renewal notices sure to spark subscription action “when you renew today."  It touted a “special bonus:  free delivery.”

There’s that word again:  A headline over an Associated Press story on Friday:

U.S. producer prices drop in latest sign of tame inflation

Few media eyebrows raised as 11 jetliners disappear

Most U.S. major print and broadcast media, usually relishing intrigue and mystery disappearances --- especially with the 9/11 anniversary on Thursday --- took a rain check in reporting 11 commercial jet airliners vanishing from Libya’s Tripoli International Airport after an Islamist militia took control, notes Grumpy Editor.

Free Beacon writer Bill Gertz on Tuesday revealed, “Intelligence reports of the stolen jetliners were distributed within the U.S. government over the past two weeks and included a warning that one or more of the aircraft could be used in an attack later this month on the date marking the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against New York and Washington, said U.S. officials familiar with the reports.”

A number of Web sites picked up the information, mentioning the possibility of suicide attacks utilizing aircraft.

London’s Daily Mail pointed out the 11 commercial jets from state-owned carriers Libyan Airlines and Afriqiyah Airways went missing in August after militants overran the airport.

Sept. 11 marks the 13th anniversary of terrorist attacks by airliners in the U.S. and the second anniversary of the raid on the U.S. Ambassador's compound in Benghazi, Libya, where four Americans were killed, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

Although Friday’s Labor Department report mentioned U.S. businesses added just 142,000 jobs in August, below the 226,000 added on average in the prior seven months, Vice President Joe Biden, filling in for President Barack Obama with the weekly White House address Saturday, painted a rosier picture, saying the “jobs report was another reminder of how far we’ve come. We’ve had 54 straight months of job creation. And that’s the longest streak of uninterrupted job growth in the United States’ history”…Film critic Leonard Maltin’s 2015 edition of "Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide," out tomorrow, will be the last in the series.  Maltin, now 63, was 18 when the first edition of his "Movie Guide" was published in 1969…USA Today, Gannett Co.’s flagship newspaper, laid off about 70 people, equally split between newsroom staffers and employees in other departments.  The newspaper said it is “working to align its staffing levels to meet current market conditions”…Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg soon will return to run Bloomberg LP, a financial data and media company…Reporting becomes dangerous job.  The Committee to Protect Journalists estimated at least 72 journalists have been killed covering the Syria conflict; more than 80 have been kidnapped and about 20 remained missing…Danger in San Francisco, too.  A KRON, San Francisco, TV reporter, sitting in the station’s van, was robbed by two men who stole his wallet plus TV equipment before fleeing in the Potrero District. It was the latest in a series of Bay area robberies involving news media members…Although Bank of America Corp. recently settled on a $16.65 billion fine for mortgage law violations, it faces PR problems with its patrons.  In the J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study, BofA rated at or near the bottom for customer service in most U.S. geographic regions where it conducts business…Investigation results near?  After more than three months of investigation into Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s 2009 disappearance in Afghanistan, a final draft should be close. Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban for five years, was released in May in a controversial exchange for five Taliban members.  Several fellow soldiers labeled Bergdahl a deserter who walked away from his outpost in Afghanistan.

Despite terrorist threat, U.S. aims $450 million to Egypt

Despite two allied, yet contrasting developments on Egypt, most U.S. media did not combine them to indicate how Washington acts these days during a period of  tense relations, observes Grumpy Editor. 

However, editors at The Times of Israel did. 

They merged a terrorist threat warning from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo with Washington’s plans of sending almost a half billion dollars in U.S. aid to Egypt. 

The Times of Israel story Friday noted the U.S. Embassy in Cairo urged U.S. citizens to “exercise vigilance, taking necessary precautions to maintain their personal security” and “Americans in Egypt were also advised to maintain valid travel documents and to regularly monitor the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs website, which lists updated travel warnings and alerts.”

The Times of Israel worked in Rep. Kay Granger (R., Texas), “chairwoman of the House of Representatives committee that oversees foreign aid said she would block $450 million in U.S. assistance to Egypt in light of tense relations between the two countries.”

Rep. Granger, it added, said, “This proposal comes to Congress at a point when the U.S.-Egypt relationship has never been under more scrutiny, and rightly so.  I am not convinced of the urgent need for this assistance and I cannot support it at this time…I have placed a hold on these funds.”

The Times of Israel is a Jerusalem-based news Website founded eight months ago to document developments in Israel, the Middle East and around the Jewish world.

11 days after deadly Libya attack: terrorists did it

Grumpy Editor’s pick as quote of the month --- 11 days after a military-style deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton admitted:

“What happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack.”

She added, “And we will not rest until we have tracked down and brought to justice the terrorists who murdered four Americans.” 

For more than a week, U.S. officials thought --- and widely proclaimed --- the attack was a protest stemming from a little-seen anti-Islam Internet video. 

The assault resulted in the murders of Ambassador Chris Stevens, diplomat Sean Smith, and ex-Navy SEALS Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods who were in Benghazi as part of a security contractor force.