Not everyone thinks all that much of the G8 and G20 summitry in Canada.
** OBAMA TODAY – SUNDAY. President Barack Obama is in Toronto and Washington today.
Obama continues today with the G20 summit in Toronto, Canada’s largest city and the provincial capital of Ontario. All G20 events take place in the Toronto Convention Center.
Obama had a working bilateral breakfast this morning with Indonesian President Susilo Yudhoyono. He told the Indonesian leader that his twice canceled visit to the country of his youth will take place later this year.
Obama then participated in the G20 opening plenary session, the G20 leaders working session, and the G20 plenary session.
At 9:30 AM Pacific, Obama takes part in the G20 “family photo.”
At 10 AM Pacific, Obama meet with MySummit 2010 Youth leaders.
At 10:15 AM Pacific, Obama takes part in the G20 working luncheon.
At 12 PM Pacific, Obama participates in the G20 plenary session.
At 1:45 PM Pacific, Obama holds a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Intercontinental Downtown Hotel in Toronto.
At 3:05 PM Pacific, Obama holds a press conference at the Intercontinental Downtown Hotel.
At 4:20 PM Pacific, Obama participates in a bilateral meeting with new Prime Minister Naoto Kan of Japan at the Intercontinental Downtown Hotel.
At 5:30 PM Pacific, Obama departs Toronto on Air Force One en route to Andrews Air Force Base.
At 6:40 PM Pacific, Obama arrives at Andrews Air Force Base, where he boards Marine One.
At 6:55 PM Pacific, Obama lands on the South Lawn of the White House.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE – SUNDAY. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Los Angeles.
At 6:30 PM, he participates in the Southern California Journalism Awards at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
His remarks will be webcast live on www.gov.ca.gov.
Schwarzenegger’s would-be Republican successor, billionaire Meg Whitman, is stumbling into an earlier pitfall of the governator’s.
Targeted by the California Nurses Association with their amusing ongoing “Queen Meg” theatrical production shadowing her movements, the Whitman campaign upped the ante beyond summer stock to escalated attacks.
Responding to what I’m told are the demands of a flustered and angered Whitman, her campaign first demanded that the nurses union, which is supporting Jerry Brown turn over its membership list to the Whitman campaign so Whitman could send a letter defending herself and extolling her virtues. That was an obvious non-starter. Naturally, the nurses union countered by inviting Whitman to appear with Brown at a gubernatorial forum.
Whitman’s response? She’ll only debate before non-partisan groups. Actually, she prefers not to debate before anybody; she’s notorious for avoiding debates and is still turning down Brown’s offer of 10 town hall debates.
Whitman then had her minions attack nurses union director RoseAnn DeMoro for being paid a few times more than what the average nurse makes. Which is, needless to say, a very odd line of attack coming from a billionaire. Especially one who increased her compensation and perks at eBay as the company’s performance sharply declined.
Whitman also launched an attack web site and put out a poll purportedly taken from a sampling of nurses indicating greater sympathy for Whitman.
The nurses union then upped the ante, scheduling a large forum near Whitman’s home next month in leafy Atherton and announcing a coming advertising campaign on the theme that “Nurses Won’t Be Pushed Around.” And yes, that is a pointed reference to Whitman’s very expensive physical altercation with one of her employees not long before she announced her departure from the firm.
Whitman’s chief strategist is Mike Murphy, who was Schwarzenegger’s chief strategist in 2005 when the nurses union bedeviled Schwarzenegger during his disastrous special election initiatives campaign. He can’t really think these are good moves, can he?
In his weekend video/radio address, President Barack Obama says “We are on the cusp of enacting the toughest financial reforms since the Great Depression.”
** OBAMA TODAY – SATURDAY. President Barack Obama is in Canada today.
Obama received his daily intelligence and economic briefings and participated in the G8 working session at the Deerhurst Resort in Muskoka, Ontario Province. He then departed Muskoka en route to Toronto.
At 9:35 AM Pacific, Obama arrives in Toronto.
At 11:15 AM Pacific, Obama holds a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron at the Intercontinental Downtown Hotel.
At 12:15 PM Pacific, Obama participates in a bilateral meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak at the Intercontinental Downtown Hotel.
At 1:15 PM Pacific, Obama participates in a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Intercontinental Downtown Hotel. President Hu is not a doctor.
At 4:15 PM Pacific, Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama arrive at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.
At 4:30 PM Pacific, Obama attends the G20 working dinner at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.
The G8 leaders — representing the U.S., Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia — issued a communique this morning at the end of their sessions prior to returning to Toronto to join the larger G20 summit this weekend.
They did not agree on next steps for recovery from the global recession. Obama wanted agreement on further steps to stimulate the economy. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was supportive of this. But Western European and Japanese leaders balked, turning instead to deficit reduction.
The G8 leaders did reach agreement on geopolitical matters. They condemned North Korea for its sinking of a South Korean Navy ship, urged Iran to reform by respecting human rights, called on Muanmar’s military regime to release all political prisoners, urged Israel to ease the blockade of Gaza, and prodded the Afghan government to show tangible progress on security and governance at next month’s international conference in Kabul.
Obama is also monitoring geopolitical crises in Korea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Iraq.
The governance situation in Iraq is still unresolved more than three months after March 7th parliamentary elections.
The U.S. is formally suggesting that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Shiite party govern jointly with the more secular Sunni party of former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, which finished a surprise first in the national elections.
Maliki and his allies are, naturally, resistant to this.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev assures Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger that he’ll be back and bids him “Hasta la vista, baby.”
FROM THE ARNOLD FILE – SATURDAY. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is in Los Angeles today.
He has no scheduled public events.
… THE CALIFORNIA AS FIRST “FAILED STATE” DEBATE: SCHWARZENEGGER, DAVIS, WHITMAN, AND JERRY BROWN. … From my March 2nd column.
Here is my series of five columns on the governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Los Angeles Times in debate in fall 2008, prior to the global economic meltdown, with Pulitzer Prize-winning former Times reporter/editor Bill Boyarsky, whose columns are also included. You can listen to my video webchat last spring with Schwarzenegger here.
** MCCHRYSTAL: RIGHT MAN, WRONG MISSION. When President Barack Obama picked Stanley McChrystal to be his general in Afghanistan, I thought he might have picked the right man for the right mission. After all, McChrystal was a highly successful head of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), with a strong record of going after jihadist leaders and cadre. And since the one underlying thing we must do in Afghanistan is deny its reprise as a base of operations for Al Qaeda, as it was in the run-up to 9/11, the career-long special operations officer was very well cast.
McChrystal had exactly the right skill set and experiences for that fundamentally counter-terrorist mission.
Instead, Obama had something much more conventional, not to mention massive, in mind. Nation-building, like we tried in Vietnam, cast in the guise of counter-insurgency. McChrystal embraced it. Who knows what he really thought? … From my June 23rd feature.
** WHAT WE KNOW NOW ABOUT THE BIG CALIFORNIA RACES. Nearly two weeks into the general election, here are seven things we know now about the races for California governor and senator. Both races are fully engaged and trends are emerging. …
* Billionaire Meg Whitman, running against Jerry Brown to try to succeed Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and ex-Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, running to try to replace Senator Barbara Boxer, are running mates. Whether, to coin a phrase, they like it or not. …
* Fiorina is going to be an energetic and entertaining candidate, but will have a very tough time beating Senator Barbara Boxer. Like Whitman, her politics are too conservative and corporate for California. Unlike Whitman, she doesn’t have the vast amounts of money needed to try to obscure that reality. And she’s a little more conservative than Whitman. … From my June 19th feature.
** THE ARNOLD FACTOR. He was once arguably the most popular governor of California in history. Now, not so much.
First elected in the dramatic California recall election of 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger has less than seven months left in the governorship. He’s won two landslide elections to the office, but, while he retains personal popularity, his job approval rating is now in the twenties. Post-mortems are already underway.
He’s strictly a lame duck, right? Well, no. Schwarzenegger played a big role in last week’s California primary election. And he may have an even bigger role to play in the general election, when Californians vote on an initiative to do away with the state’s landmark climate change program. With climate change and renewable energy initiatives slowed in Congress, this is a vote that will have both national and international import. … From my June 16th column.
** WHITMAN AND FIORINA’S BIG PRIMARY WINS CARRY SEEDS OF DESTRUCTION (SELF-DESTRUCTION) … From my June 11th feature.
** OBAMA’S WHITE HOUSE FESTIVITIES: GOOD, BAD, OR OBVIOUS? … From my June 8th column.
** ONE DISTRACTION OBAMA DOESN’T NEED: DARRELL ISSA’S HYPOCRISY. … From my June 3rd column.
** CALIFORNIA SENATE: HOW CARLY FIORINA PULLED OFF HER BIG “UPSET” IN THE GOP PRIMARY. … From my June 2nd column.
** MEG WHITMAN’S WHOPPERS. … From my May 29th column.
** TIME SLIPS AWAY FOR 24 AND LOST IN VERY DIFFERENT FINALES. … From my May 27th essay.
** JERRY BROWN’S LONG AND WINDING ROAD. … From my April 15th column.
** HOW JERRY BROWN CLEARED THE DEMOCRATIC FIELD FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA. … From my December 9th, 2009 column.
** OBAMA: RIDING WITH HISTORY. (NOTE: As Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States, this column was the featured column on the top of the front page of the Huffington Post.) … From my January 19th, 2009 Huffington Post column.
** HELP FOR HAITI. You can donate to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, www.clintonbushhaitifund.org, by clicking here.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM RUSSIA TODAY. Russia has re-emerged as one of the world’s great powers. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer, bringing you English-language, jargon-free, fast-paced coverage of global and Russian news from the Russia Today channel. You probably already know about CNN International, BBC World, and Al Jazeera. Russia Today, which also features culture, entertainment, and sports, is based in Moscow and is owned and operated by the TV Novosti division of Russia’s state news agency, RIA Novosti. While it’s quite foolish to expect to see, say, criticism of Vladimir Putin on Russia Today, the channel is very interesting nonetheless. With U.S. cable news chattering away as it does, this sort of respite can be informative. The NWN live link to RT does not constitute an endorsement of the channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM AL JAZEERA. With the US entangled in two wars in the region, it’s valuable to keep up with news and perspectives from the leading Middle Eastern-based TV news network. Based in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, Al Jazeera is very influential and more than a bit controversial. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer. The NWN live link to AJ does not constitute an endorsement of the channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** TRACK GLOBAL AND NATIONAL ENERGY PRICES IN NEAR REAL TIME VIA BLOOMBERG ENERGY MARKET WATCH. Having crashed over $147 for yet another record on July 11th, 2008, crude oil closed on Friday at $78.66 per barrel. Energy markets are closed on the weekend.
This is up about $46 from the low of $34 per barrel prior to enactment of the Obama economic recovery program, reflecting a low point in global economic activity.
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| Comments (32) |
Good speech by President Obama on Wall Street reform.
President Medvedev is a hoot with Arnold.
This is going to be another big win for Barack!!
Jonas Blane says:
June 26, 2010 at 10:29 am
Good speech by President Obama on Wall Street reform.
HYSTERICAL!!!!
Jonas Blane says:
June 26, 2010 at 10:32 am
President Medvedev is a hoot with Arnold.
Medvedev is very good …
He’s developing a string of them. Notwithstanding all the carping …
> Capitol Boy says:
June 26, 2010 at 11:17 am (Edit)
This is going to be another big win for Barack!!
Jonas Blane says:
June 26, 2010 at 10:29 am
Good speech by President Obama on Wall Street reform.
He has a real sense of humor. Not unlike Vladimir Putin.
That’s a little joke …
> Jonas Blane says:
June 26, 2010 at 10:32 am (Edit)
President Medvedev is a hoot with Arnold.
Cool.
And, they’re not the only ones with a sense of humour around here. I’m thinking the Chinese president has developed a pretty good one, too.
Too bad the carping masses can’t find even a semblance of one and lighten up a bit.
Bill Bradley says:
June 26, 2010 at 12:08 pm
He has a real sense of humor. Not unlike Vladimir Putin.
That’s a little joke …
> Jonas Blane says:
June 26, 2010 at 10:32 am (Edit)
President Medvedev is a hoot with Arnold.
Well, good luck to the western European countries and Japan … they’ll need it if they don’t want to see their fragile economic recoveries take a double dip into recessions as the rest of the G8 move towards a better situation.
Just another case of lessons not learned, over and over again.
>>>They did not agree on next steps for recovery from the global recession. Obama wanted agreement on further steps to stimulate the economy. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was supportive of this. But Western European and Japanese leaders balked, turning instead to deficit reduction.
G-20 video today?
It’s bad that the G8 is so slow to come through on promises to the poor.
I love it!!
BB:Schwarzenegger’s would-be Republican successor, billionaire Meg Whitman, is stumbling into an earlier pitfall of the governator’s.
Targeted by the California Nurses Association with their amusing ongoing “Queen Meg” theatrical production shadowing her movements, the Whitman campaign upped the ante beyond summer stock to escalated attacks.
Responding to what I’m told are the demands of a flustered and angered Whitman, her campaign first demanded that the nurses union, which is supporting Jerry Brown turn over its membership list to the Whitman campaign so Whitman could send a letter defending herself and extolling her virtues. That was an obvious non-starter. Naturally, the nurses union countered by inviting Whitman to appear with Brown at a gubernatorial forum.
Good RT news video on the summit.
It’s too soon to stop the stimulus.
Elizabeth Miller says:
June 26, 2010 at 7:50 pm
Well, good luck to the western European countries and Japan … they’ll need it if they don’t want to see their fragile economic recoveries take a double dip into recessions as the rest of the G8 move towards a better situation.
Just another case of lessons not learned, over and over again.
>>>They did not agree on next steps for recovery from the global recession. Obama wanted agreement on further steps to stimulate the economy. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was supportive of this. But Western European and Japanese leaders balked, turning instead to deficit reduction.
I think that is generally true.
Len says:
June 27, 2010 at 4:15 pm
It’s too soon to stop the stimulus.
Great job by the nurses. And no, I don’t think even Murphy is dumb enough to engage them (well, on second thought).
It’s because Whitman is running the campaign, not her consultants. That’s also why she has so many consultants.
She should have just laughed it off and made it part of her stump speech. But her ego won’t allow it. She’s a thug.
I think Whitman is driving this.
I thought you might …
> Capitol Boy says:
June 27, 2010 at 10:26 am (Edit)
I love it!!
BB:Schwarzenegger’s would-be Republican successor, billionaire Meg Whitman, is stumbling into an earlier pitfall of the governator’s.
Targeted by the California Nurses Association with their amusing ongoing “Queen Meg” theatrical production shadowing her movements, the Whitman campaign upped the ante beyond summer stock to escalated attacks.
Responding to what I’m told are the demands of a flustered and angered Whitman, her campaign first demanded that the nurses union, which is supporting Jerry Brown turn over its membership list to the Whitman campaign so Whitman could send a letter defending herself and extolling her virtues. That was an obvious non-starter. Naturally, the nurses union countered by inviting Whitman to appear with Brown at a gubernatorial forum.
They haven’t delivered on the promises made five years ago.
> Capitol Boy says:
June 27, 2010 at 10:23 am (Edit)
It’s bad that the G8 is so slow to come through on promises to the poor.
I think Angela Merkel is driving it.
> Capitol Boy says:
June 27, 2010 at 10:23 am (Edit)
It’s bad that the G8 is so slow to come through on promises to the poor.
Dr. Hu?
> Elizabeth Miller says:
June 26, 2010 at 7:40 pm (Edit)
And, they’re not the only ones with a sense of humour around here. I’m thinking the Chinese president has developed a pretty good one, too.
Too bad the carping masses can’t find even a semblance of one and lighten up a bit.
Bill Bradley says:
June 26, 2010 at 12:08 pm
He has a real sense of humor. Not unlike Vladimir Putin.
That’s a little joke …
> Jonas Blane says:
June 26, 2010 at 10:32 am (Edit)
President Medvedev is a hoot with Arnold.
Indeed.
> Len says:
June 26, 2010 at 2:14 pm (Edit)
Cool.
Your line would be a great one for him to use when the opportunity presents … I am not a doctor.
Oh, by the way … I’m off to Hamburg tomorrow and, thanks to Dana’s link, I’ve already booked the Hamburg Beatles Tour. Of course, I’m told it could be canceled if Germany wins their quarterfinal world cup game due to a grande party on the streets of Hamburg, including St Pauli. Which is the site of the largest football fan festival and would make the Beatles (walking) Tour quite “impossible to do” … first the icelandic volcano, now FIFA. Perhaps this was not meant to be.
Bill Bradley says:
June 27, 2010 at 9:22 pm
Dr. Hu?
Wow, what a great adventure you have in store!
It should be fun no matter how it goes.
… With regard to the Beatles and Hamburg, I was thinking how striking it is that they emerged in Liverpool, a great port city, honed their craft in Hamburg, a great port city, emerged as big stars in London, a great port city, achieved their huge breakthrough in New York, a great port city, and ended their concert career in San Francisco, a great port city.
President Medvedev does a good “Arnold Schwarzenegger”.
What new video today?
Obama’s press conference, Robert Byrd’s death, and the Gulf hurricane.
He certainly does!
> sergei says:
June 28, 2010 at 1:26 am (Edit)
President Medvedev does a good “Arnold Schwarzenegger”.
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