USA News, Sep 01, 2011

Obama team creates site for online petitions USA Today By David Jackson, USA TODAY The White House is producing a new website tool to help President Obama's supporters pressure lawmakers into backing administration policies. Or, as the narrator of a White House video put it, the webpage We The People is "a ... See all stories on this topic » USA Today

Exclusive: Condoleezza Rice fires back at Cheney memoir Reuters ... Dick Cheney stand by as George W. Bush (not pictured) speaks during a signing ceremony for the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Non-proliferation Enhancement Act in the East Room of the White House in Washington October 8, 2008. ... See all stories on this topic »

Cringe time at White House as one-time solar fave' goes bust CBS News The White House has made clean energy - in particular, solar - one of its key talking points in its discussion of alternative energy investments. To demonstrate the government's support and highlight the economic benefits of the solar industry, ... See all stories on this topic »

AT&T Dealt Defeat on T-Mobile After $12M in Lobbying Bloomberg The company's lobbying strategy has been guided by 13-year company veteran Jim Cicconi, aWashington insider since serving in the Reagan White House. It produced letters to regulators from more than 70 members of Congress, multiple economic studies ... See all stories on this topic »

Obama's hits another low in another poll USA Today (blog) Some good news for the White House: Congressional leaders rate even lower, and voters trust Obama more than congressional Republicans to handle the Republicans, by 44-41%. Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, ... See all stories on this topic » USA Today (blog)

Reagan: Professors Don't Have All the Answers GOPUSA By Michael Reagan September 1, 2011 6:21 am President Obama has nominated Princeton University Professor Alan Krueger to be chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors. Saying that "I have nothing but confidence in Alan as he takes on this ... See all stories on this topic »

Obama or football? Speech to end before kickoff USA Today White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer said Thursday morning that Obama would finish his remarks before kickoff, which is set for 8:30 pm EDT. Still, the speech scheduled for primetime will likely conflict with the NBC pregame show, ... See all stories on this topic » USA Today

The National Folk Festival is here — and it's a whole new look for Music City USA Nashville Scene Add to that the fact that first lady Eleanor Roosevelt served on one of the festival's committees — as did a pre-White House Harry Truman, novelist and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston and the venerable poet James Weldon Johnson, to name just a few ... See all stories on this topic » Nashville Scene

Daryl Hannah Arrested At The White House! OMG! Hollywood Life Daryl Hannah made a splash in the news by getting arrested at the White House! Daryl, 50, was detained by police on Aug. 30 after joining a group of protesters rejecting plans for an oil pipeline running from Canada to the Gulf Coast, USA Today reports ... See all stories on this topic »

AP Business NewsBrief at 2:39 pm EDT TMC Net Obama to address Congress next week on jobsWASHINGTON (AP) _ President Barack Obama will lay out his jobs plan in a primetime address next week to a joint session of Congress, the White House said Wednesday. Obama sent a letter to House Speaker John ... See all stories on this topic »

Greater New Orleans area receives over $485000 for Green Endeavors Environmental Expert (press release) View the President's executive order: www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/10/05/executive-order-gulf-coast-ecosystem-restoration-task-force. WHO: Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson SAN FRANCISCO – The US Environmental ... See all stories on this topic »

Celebrate Fashion's Night Out with Miami's Elite at Dadeland Mall Haute Living  Miss Miami USA 2012 Melissa Ramirez is scheduled to host the event. A live fashion show will include White House l Black Market, Cache, Ann Taylor and Betsey Johnson, as a preview for their new collections. Special perks will be given to shoppers ... See all stories on this topic »

The Early Word: Scheduling Conflict New York Times (blog) After what turned into a very public game of chicken, the White House agreed to schedule the president's much-anticipated speech on the economy for next Thursday instead. The Justice Department sued to stop the merger of two of the largest wireless ... See all stories on this topic »

CRA to Take on the High Banks of Winchester Speedway in the Labor Day Weekend ... Short Track Action (press release) Former series regulars Scott Whitehouse and Donald Karr Jr. are both entered to make their first series starts of the 2011 season. This event always attracts late model teams from around the country looking to get laps before the October Winchester 400 ... See all stories on this topic »

Don't Let Phone Companies Off the Hook: Demanding Accountability for ... American Civil Liberties Union News and Information (blog) In response to demands from the Bush White House, the US House and Senate voted to grant retroactive immunity to the nation's giant telecommunications companies that collaborated with the government in the spying we challenged. ... See all stories on this topic » American Civil Liberties Union News and Information (blog)

Parties Fight Over Who Gets to Talk About Slavery The Atlantic Wire Cain explained, "Right now, every time someone criticizes Barack Obama, they try to play the race card, the White House, all his supporters, they try to play the race card." No more race card, Democrats! That's Republicans' move now. ... See all stories on this topic »

Duchess and Michelle have major style power The Province In June, she wore a nautical-striped dress from Talbots to the White House Congressional Picnic, and the $189 frock sold out. “When she wore that, our customers went wild,” Paley says. “We're all working so hard to make this brand chic and American and ... See all stories on this topic »

UPDATE 2-White House to release U.S. budget review Thursday ... WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - The White House will release its delayed midsession budget review on Thursday, updating projections for the U.S. economy ... in.reuters.com/.../usa-budget-review-idINN1E77U1PM201108...

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CNN News - Analysis: Battle for Libya not quite over, Sep 01, 2011

Libyan rebel fighters celebrate as they arrive in Tripoli on an ex-Libyan Army frigate on August 30, 2011.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Security in Tripoli has improved but the humanitarian situation remains precarious
• National Transitional Council yet to establish itself as a government-in-waiting
• There is little command and control over the disparate groups of rebel fighters
• Growing dispute within NTC over who administers Libya's sovereign wealth fund

Are you there? Share your photos and video, but stay safe.

(CNN) -- Ten days ago the vanguard of rebel forces streamed into the Libyan capital. Moammar Gadhafi's forces put up virtually no resistance and it seemed that the end of Libya's six-month conflict was imminent.

The people of Tripoli could smell freedom; there was an anarchic euphoria about the city despite continuing gun battles.

Ten days on, the picture is less clear and the future holds many questions. The joy at being liberated from Gadhafi's brutal and capricious rule is still unconfined, especially as residents celebrate the end of Ramadan.

Security in Tripoli has improved, but the humanitarian situation remains precarious, with water shortages especially a problem. The National Transitional Council's political leadership has not installed itself in any organized fashion as a government-in-waiting and there appears little command and control over the disparate groups of fighters consolidating their hold on Tripoli.

Gadhafi sons weigh martyrdom versus surrender

There also seems to be an emerging dispute within the NTC over who administers Libya's enormous sovereign wealth fund, while relations with neighboring Algeria are not exactly stellar.

Water and Basics

U.N. Libya expert assesses rebels

Suspected loyalists to Gadhafi jailed

Eid holiday stops fighting in Libya

Saif Gadhafi calls NATO 'stupid people'

Much of Tripoli's water comes to the capital through a 1,700-kilometer pipeline from an aquifer deep in the Sahara desert, an area that is apparently still under the control of pro-Gadhafi forces. Basically, they have sabotaged the flow. The massive holding tanks to the south of Tripoli are said to be virtually empty and 60% of the city's residents are without mains water. Many have to rely on bottled or trucked water; others are using wells.

The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said Tuesday that engineers were working to repair the pumping stations that bring in water from the desert, but it wasn't clear how long it would take to restore service. "The humanitarian situation in Libya demands urgent action," he said.

Supplies are beginning to arrive. The World Food Program sent in a convoy from Tunisia, carrying water, medical supplies and blood. The main road between the Tunisian border and Tripoli appears to be more secure, while the World Health Organization is sending 45 tonnes of medical supplies as Tripoli's seaport is open again.

There are also other shortages -- especially of gasoline and cash. But the NTC is organizing tankers of fuel into the capital, and lines at gas stations (as well as prices) are now close to pre-war levels. CNN correspondents Wednesday reported that garbage collectors were out on the streets.

The cash shortages at banks should be eased with the decision by the U.N. sanctions committee to release $1.55 billion in Libyan assets that were being held in Britain.

Resistance

While resistance from Gadhafi forces has effectively ended in the capital, it continues elsewhere, with fighting reported in some parts of the country, most notably Gadhafi's home town of Sirte, Sabha and points to the south.

The rebels have given pro-Gadhafi elements in Sirte, about 400 kilometers east of Tripoli, until Saturday to surrender or face attack. "Unfortunately, to preserve blood sometimes you have to shed blood," said the newly appointed deputy prime minister of the NTC, Ali Tarhouni. Sabha, deep in the desert, is an important junction leading to the Algerian and Chadian borders. Another pro-Gadhafi hold-out is Bani Walid, south of Misrata. Royal Air Force jets targeted three command and control buildings there on Monday.

Gadhafi son 'will not surrender'

EU considers lifting sanctions on Libya

Libyan teen: I was forced to kill rebels

Rebels close on Gadhafi hometown

RELATED TOPICS

• Libya
• Moammar Gadhafi
• Saif Gadhafi

NATO has acknowledged that resistance from Gadhafi forces is not over. "The pro-Gadhafi troops that we see are not in total disarray, they are retreating in an orderly fashion," said NATO spokesman Colonel Roland Lavoie Tuesday. Gadhafi had the ability "to exercise some level of control and command," he said.

On Wednesday, Saif al Islam Gadhafi, one of Gadhafi's sons still in hiding, broadcast a defiant message via a TV station in Syria. Gadhafi did not divulge the whereabouts of his father, but said, "The leader is fine. We are fighting and we are drinking tea and drinking coffee and sitting with our families and fighting." Saif said he was speaking from a suburb of Tripoli, but there was no way of independently confirming his whereabouts.

It is unclear is whether the remnants of the pro-Gadhafi forces will reorganize underground and begin an Iraq-style insurgency, or whether they will just melt away. While there is no occupying power to focus on, tribal and sectarian rivalries in Libya run deep.

NTC troubles

The rebel fighters don't exactly march in step. Different groups from different parts of the country patrol different parts of the capital. There is no overall command, despite the appointment of Abdel Hakimal-Hasadi to lead the Tripoli Military Council. Hasadi is also known as Abdelhakim Belhaj, a former jihadist who was an important figure in the militant Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. An effective military leader, Hasadi's past unsettles others in the loose rebel coalition.

Some fighters have reached Tripoli from Misrata in the east; while some have come from the mountains to the south-west. There was little co-ordination ahead of their arrival in Tripoli. The NTC leadership in Benghazi tried to exercise some influence over the rebels in the west, but never had direct control over their campaign.

Rifts within the NTC's military leadership were exposed in July with the murder of the overall commander, Fatah Abdel Younis. The NTC's investigation into his killing continues but has been shrouded in mystery; Younis' supporters say they want answers.

Some of the NTC's Executive Committee and other senior officials are now in Tripoli; others are still in Benghazi or Doha in Qatar. There are clearly disagreements and competition among them for influence. The Financial Times reported Wednesday that there was a tussle for control of Libya's $65 billion sovereign wealth fund, with two different officials named to take control of it. Tarhouni, who holds the Oil and Finance brief for the NTC, has promised more clarity in coming days.

Squabble with the neighbors

The escape to Algeria of Gadhafi's wife and two of his sons, along with their families, has deepened the mistrust between the NTC and Libya's powerful neighbor.

Algeria described the move as a humanitarian gesture, but it angered the NTC, with one official calling it "an aggressive act." The NTC has previously accused the Algerian government of supporting the Gadhafi regime; the Algerians have complained to the United Nations about damage done to their embassy soon after the rebels entered Tripoli.

NTC officials are trying to play down any differences with Algeria. Tarhouni told CNN Tuesday that relations with Algeria were good, and the Algerian authorities would not permit Moammar Gadhafi to cross the border.

 

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