Looking for a quick glimpse at noteworthy headlines of the past day?
• By now we’ve probably all heard of the increase in pirate attacks of the Somali coast. (This morning, it was reported the pirates had seized their ninth vessel in 12 days). But what’s less known is the pirates’ motivation (money, plain and simple, a “pirate spokesman” told the New York Times earlier this fall) for hijacking oil tankers and other cargo ships. What’s perhaps even more fascinating is the symbiotic relationship between Somalia’s sea brigands and coastal towns, once destitute but now booming, thanks to a pirate economy.
• With Alaska’s Ted Stevens finally out of the Senate – the remaining votes to be counted cannot defeat his opponent’s tally so far – Democrats are only two seats away from the coveted 60-seat, “filibuster-proof” Senate. Minnesota and Georgia’s Senate races still need to be decided.
• Speaking of the Senate, it’s not looking good for Detroit’s automakers, as that house of Congress grilled their CEOs and union leader on how they plan to salvage the industry with their requested $25 billion in federal aid. Even Detroit-sympathizer Sen. Chris Dodd (D.-Conn.) told the carmakers he didn’t expect the bill to pass, and senators from both parties expressed concern that a bailout would merely amount to delaying the failure of the industry.
• Having nothing to do with politics or the economy, a recent study has revealed a link between birth defects and assisted reproduction procedures. Researchers learned that, compared to babies naturally conceived, babies born to couples who conceived via methods such as in vitro fertilization had twice as many heart defects and cleft lips and up to four times as many gastrointestinal defects.
• Finally, in another move that doesn’t bode well for pro-lifers: former South Dakota senator Tom Daschle has been picked by President-elect Obama to serve as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Daschle has a mixed approval rating from NARAL, having voted to ban partial birth abortion. He is, however, in favor of expanding embryonic stem cell research and signed a letter to President Bush asking that restrictions on the practice be loosened. American Papist connects the dots between Daschle – who is Catholic – and his abortion stance. At stake in HHS? The Freedom of Choice Act and healthcare workers’ conscience protection, for starters.
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