French and Malian government troops, continuing their offensive against jihadists who have dominated northern Mali, on Sunday moved into the historic city of Timbuktu. The troops are reportedly being well received by residents of towns that had been controlled by jihadist forces.
** NEW COLUMN COMING UP … THE STATE OF JERRY BROWN’S STATUS: AFTER THE STATE OF THE STATE.
** OBAMA TODAY – SUNDAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington.
Obama received the intelligence and economic briefings in the Oval Office.
He has no scheduled public events.
Obama has decided to increase US assistance to French and African forces currently rolling back jihadist forces in Mali.
The US will now provide mid-air refueling to French jets flying strike missions against jihadist units in the vast desert.
It all looks good, despite some civilian casualties, for the French intervention in Mali. But the next question is how the jihadists regroup, and what the French, Malian governemnt, and aligned African troops do about it.
The good news for jihadists is that there are places for them to hide in the desert, though Western surveillance is obviously being brought on line. The bad news is that there is plenty of distance between the towns of northern Mali, which will make it harder to infiltrate them and resupply remaining forces there without being subject to attack.
But the bad news for France is that jihadists may be hiding in the midst of their now victorious forces.
Obama released this statement on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day:
“On January 27th, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we honor the memories of the 6 million Jews and millions of other innocent victims whose lives were tragically taken during the Holocaust over sixty years ago. Those who experienced the horrors of the cattle cars, ghettos, and concentration camps have witnessed humanity at its very worst and know too well the pain of losing loved ones to senseless violence.
“But while this is a time for mourning and reflection, it is also the time for action. On this day, we recall the courage, spirit, and determination of those who heroically resisted the Nazis, exemplifying the very best of humanity. And like these courageous individuals, we must commit ourselves to resisting hate and persecution in all its forms. The United States, along with the international community, resolves to stand in the way of any tyrant or dictator who commits crimes against humanity, and stay true to the principle of “Never Again.”
“By remaining vigilant against those who seek to perpetrate violence and murder, we honor those we lost during one of the darkest periods in human history. And we keep their memory alive for generations to come.”
Here’s what Obama’s week ahead looks like.
On Monday, Obama will welcome the NBA Champion Miami Heat to the White House to honor the team and their 2012 NBA Championship victory.
On Tuesday, Obama will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada where he will deliver remarks. He returns to Washington in the evening.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Obama will attend meetings at the White House.
On Friday, Obama will award the National Medal of Science to 12 researchers and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to 11 inventors in an event at the White House.
Obama is monitoring several geopolitical crises involving Mali and Algeria, the Arab Awakening, Iran and Israel, Syria, Iraq, AfPak, and the South China Sea.
Military Crisis Zone Times: Mali is eight hours ahead of Pacific time, the Persian/Arabian Gulf is ten hours ahead of Pacific time, and Afghanistan is eleven and a half hours ahead of Pacific time. The time in Manila, on the South China Sea, is fifteen hours ahead of Pacific time.
** FROM THE JERRY FILES – SUNDAY. Governor Jerry Brown is in Northern California.
He has no scheduled public events as of this morning.
More feedback coming in on his State of the State address.
The most negative thing being said in the mainstream media is that Brown has not restored California to what it was in the 1960s and 1970s, when his dad, Ronald Reagan, and Brown himself were governor.
No kidding. It’s a very different place, with nearly twice as many people.
And the economy is not as effervescent.
It’s even more, in some ways, the Era of Limits Brown spoke of then than it was at the time.
Click here for my compendium of articles laying out the re-emergence of Jerry Brown as governor of California.
Click here for my compendium of articles providing a narrative of his governorship.
In his weekend video/radio address, President Barack Obama, perhaps signaling a more populist cast to his second term, discusses his nomination of Mary Jo White to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission and Richard Cordray to continue as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
** NEW COLUMN COMING UP … THE STATE OF JERRY BROWN’S STATUS: AFTER THE STATE OF THE STATE.
** OBAMA TODAY – SATURDAY. President Barack Obama is in Washington.
Obama received the intelligence and economic briefings in the Oval Office.
He has no scheduled public events.
Obama and outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton taped a joint interview Friday with 60 Minutes to air Sunday night. I believe this is the first joint interview Obama has done with anyone other than his wife.
Clinton just weathered Senate and House oversight hearings on the Benghazi disaster with her typical aplomb, albeit with flashes of her not atypical combativeness. She was helped by virtue of the fact that she described the attack as, well, a terrorist attack (rather than a protest gone, er, sour) from the beginning. Rush Limbaugh is still complaining about how Clinton fared on Capitol Hill.
In some bad news for Democrats, Iowa Senator Tom Harkin says he will not run for re-election next year. That creates an opportunity for Republicans to chip away at the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate.
But in some bad news for Republicans, former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown doesn’t seen anxious to run for the seat being vacated by Secretary of State-designate John Kerry. Reports are that he has not been in touch with top fundraisers, who aided him in his loss to new Senator Elizabeth Warren, much since the election. If at all.
Brown is the leader in early polling against all potential Democrats, including establishment choice Congressman Ed Markey. But another Senate race in a special election would be a grind for Brown, who won his short-lived seat in the first place in a special election against an inert Democratic nominee after Senator Ted Kennedy passed away.
If he were to prevail this year, he would have to turn around and run again in 2014.
Meanwhile, French troops today seized the jihadist stronghold of Gao in northern Mali, as they and Malian government troops continue to roll back recent gains by Al Qaeda and its aligned groups in Mali.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb told Al Jazeera that its forces are withdrawing but will return in greater strength. Perhaps, but the reality is that troops from neighboring African nations are at last beginning to come on line inside Mali in an operation that was originally planned for this fall.
Everything was accelerated when jihadists began a lightning move out of the north earlier this month, prompting the French intervention. French air raids at first seemed ineffective, but that has changed.
A move by French and Malian government forces on the fabled Timbuktu seems in the offing. Jihadists took it last year, and proceeded to desecrate many world historical and cultural sites as part of their extreme version of sharia law.
Obama is monitoring several geopolitical crises involving Mali and Algeria, the Arab Awakening, Iran and Israel, Syria, Iraq, AfPak, and the South China Sea.
Military Crisis Zone Times: Mali is eight hours ahead of Pacific time, the Persian/Arabian Gulf is ten hours ahead of Pacific time, and Afghanistan is eleven and a half hours ahead of Pacific time. The time in Manila, on the South China Sea, is fifteen hours ahead of Pacific time.
** FROM THE JERRY FILES – SATURDAY. Governor Jerry Brown is in Northern California.
He has no scheduled public events as of this morning.
Click here for my compendium of articles laying out the re-emergence of Jerry Brown as governor of California.
Click here for my compendium of articles providing a narrative of his governorship.
** OBAMA’S CLEAR YET MUTED TRUMPET: HOPE’S AUDACITY MEETS LOWERED EXPECTATIONS. … From my January 23rd essay.
** HOW NOT TO STAGE MANAGE THE WORLD. … From my January 18th column.
** POWELL POSITIONS THE DEBATE OVER CHUCK HAGEL. … From my January 14th essay.
** JERRY BROWN’S NEW BUDGET FOR POST-CRISIS CALIFORNIA: DISCIPLINE BEGETS OPPORTUNITY. … From my January 11th essay.
** WHY THE HAGEL BATTLE MADE MORE SENSE FOR OBAMA THAN THE RICE BATTLE. … From my January 9th essay.
** CALIFORNIA’S FUTURIST AGENDA: A TALE OF THREE GOVERNORS. … From my January 4th essay.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said his team is “studying for the test, preparing for the challenge and the test at hand.” The National Football Conference champions face the Baltimore Ravens in next weekend’s Super Bowl.
** FROM GOVERNATOR TO MOONBEAM. … From my January 3rd, 2011 feature.
** 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.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM AL JAZEERA. With the US entangled in major military operations in the region, and the Arab awakening underway, it’s valuable to keep up with news and perspectives from the leading Middle Eastern-based TV news network. 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.
** 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 from the Russia Today channel. The NWN live link to RT does not constitute an endorsement of the state-run 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 $95.88 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Energy markets are closed on the weekend.
This is up about $62 from the low of $34 per barrel prior to enactment of the Obama economic recovery program, reflecting a low point in global economic activity, and down about $18 per barrel from the price at the time of the Osama bin Laden raid.
Your posts are welcome in the Forum. You can send me a private tip by clicking on the “Contact” button in the upper right.
Read 
| Comments (13) |
Good weekend speech by President Obama on controlling Wall Street.
Good video of the 49ers Coach Harbaugh.
Barack is listening to the people.
Jonas says:
January 26, 2013 at 12:34 pm
Good weekend speech by President Obama on controlling Wall Street.
Next Sunday will be a great 49ers victory!!
Jonas says:
January 26, 2013 at 12:41 pm
Good video of the 49ers Coach Harbaugh.
It will all work out…
BB:In some bad news for Democrats, Iowa Senator Tom Harkin says he will not run for re-election next year. That creates an opportunity for Republicans to chip away at the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate.
But in some bad news for Republicans, former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown doesn’t seen anxious to run for the seat being vacated by Secretary of State-designate John Kerry. Reports are that he has not been in touch with top fundraisers, who aided him in his loss to new Senator Elizabeth Warren, much since the election. If at all.
From our host’s lips to God’s ear. French and Malian troops have re-taken Timbuktu.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/27/mali-troops-enter-timbuktu
Mali crisis video today?
Great news about the jihadists being pushed back in mali!!
Hey, if that’s the criticism let’s take it…
BB:More feedback coming in on his State of the State address.
The most negative thing being said in the mainstream media is that Brown has not restored California to what it was in the 1960s and 1970s, when his dad, Ronald Reagan, and Brown himself were governor.
Good good news Al Jazeera news video on the Malian crisis.
Congratulations to France for winning in Mali. USSR won in Afghanistan at the first also.
Your Sovs also oppressed and murdered the Afghani people.
You are, yet, correct in identifying the trick of the matter. On another matter, ARGO? Really?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/jan/28/argo-oscars-favourite-sag-pga
Iran crisis video today?