Archive - Jan 7, 2010

• White House releases intelligence report
  (Click here for updated web-special)
• Questioning the outsourcing of US intelligence in Afghanistan
• Congressional leaders continue to hammer out health care reform
• Free trade agreement to take effect between China and Southeast Asian nations
• UN fistula repair program in Liberia hit by economic crisis

• Greenpeace protesters go before Danish judge after being detained without charge for 3 weeks
• Coptic Christians killed in Egypt, riots follow
• Mortar fire from Gaza following announcement of Israeli Missile Defense System
• Honduras charges military leaders for illegally removing Zelaya from country
• Gunman opens fire in St Louis factory, kills three
• Study: Threat of homegrown Muslim terrorism overblown
• New Jersey Senate to vote on Gay Marriage

One day after a federal grand jury indicted suspected terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the White House announced the release of a declassified report detailing the failures of various intelligence and security agencies in stopping the would-be suicide bomber aboard a plane bound for Detroit.

Since the botched Christmas Day attack, information has surfaced that law enforcement officials in various agencies and countries knew Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was a person of interest. According to the Chicago Tribune, US Border security officials had already planned to question Abdulmutallab when he landed in Detroit after discovering intelligence on him in a federal database. Coordination amongst agencies is an issue Obama is expected to address. The president has called the incident a systemic failure.

Abdulmutallab was indicted on 6 counts, including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder. His arraignment is scheduled for Friday.

In addition to releasing the intelligence report today, the White House answered questions from the public. National Security Council Chief of Staff Denis McDonough took questions this afternoon via the White House's Facebook page.

One day after a federal grand jury indicted suspected terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the White House announced the release of a declassified report detailing the failures of various intelligence and security agencies in stopping the would-be suicide bomber aboard a plane bound for Detroit.

Since the botched Christmas Day attack, information has surfaced that law enforcement officials in various agencies and countries knew Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was a person of interest. According to the Chicago Tribune, US Border security officials had already planned to question Abdulmutallab when he landed in Detroit after discovering intelligence on him in a federal database. The president has called the incident a systemic failure.

"I'm directing that intelligence reports, especially those involving potential threats to the United States be distributed more rapidly and more widely.  We can't sit on information that could protect the American people."

Abdulmutallab was indicted on 6 counts, including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder. His arraignment is scheduled for Friday.

In addition to releasing the intelligence report today, the White House answered questions from the public. National Security Council Chief of Staff Denis McDonough took questions this afternoon via the White House's Facebook page.

In the wake of the December 30th suicide attack that killed CIA agents in Afghanistan, intelligence officials are assessing the effectiveness of US policy in the region and evaluating what changes to make going forward. One controversial issue is that of private military contractors in conflict zones - with new information indicating that two of the people killed with the CIA agents were employees of the firm formerly known as Blackwater. FSRN'S Karen Miller reports.

Congressional leaders have opened an informal conference on health care reform with the goal of creating one bill from the two different ones that passed the House and the Senate. Much of the attention has been on the public option and on funding health care by taxing the wealthy or high cost health care plans, but a coalition of groups is taking issue with some lesser known provisions. FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

A broad trade agreement between China and Southeast Asian nations goes into effect this month. The China-Asean Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA, cuts import tariffs on about 90 percent of products and opens up a regional market that includes 1.9 billion consumers. Like other multilateral trade agreements, supporters say opening borders will lead to greater development, but smaller and poorer nations are concerned that the agreement could flood local markets with cheap Chinese goods and may in the end harm their economies.

Joining us on the line is Thomas Pepinsky, Executive Director of the International Political Economy Program at Cornell University.