by Gareth Porter, Antiwar.com, 15 September 2009

The International Atomic Energy Agency says its present objective regarding Iran is to try to determine whether the intelligence documents purportedly showing a covert Iranian nuclear weapons program from 2001 to 2003 are authentic or not. The problem, according to its reports, is that Iran refuses to help clarify the issue.

But the IAEA has refused to acknowledge publicly significant evidence brought to its attention by Iran that the documents were fabricated, and it has made little, if any, effort to test the authenticity of the intelligence documents or to question officials of the governments holding them, IPS has learned.

[Read the report]

Obama Calls Kanye West a ‘Jackass’ for His Outburst at the VMAs
Holly Bailey, Newsweek, 15 September 2009

“In the process of reporting on remarks by President Obama that were made during a CNBC interview, ABC News employees prematurely tweeted a portion of those remarks that turned out to be from an off-the-record portion of the interview,” ABC said. “That was wrong. We apologize to the White House and CNBC and are taking steps to ensure that it will not happen again.”

This is unfortunate—and we’re not just talking about the fact that an off-the-record comment was leaked publicly. In a White House that is so very careful about staying on message….

As the WH is so very careful about staying on message this remark seems intentionally “leaked”. When the tide of racism rises against Obama he throws the mob red meat.

Up to two million march to US Capitol to protest against Obama’s spending in “tea party” demonstration
David Gardner, Daily Mail, 14 September 2009

As many as one million people flooded into Washington for a massive rally organised by conservatives claiming that President Obama is driving America towards socialism.

The size of the crowd – by far the biggest protest since the president took office in January – shocked the White House.

That photo of the 9/12 march on Washington? It’s fake.
By Matthew Shaer, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 September 2009

On Sept. 12, a group called FreedomWorks – with a little help from Glenn Beck at Fox News – organized a “taxpayer” rally in DC to protest the “irresponsible government takeover of our nation’s healthcare, devastating new energy taxes, and trillions of dollars in red ink.” When the mainstream media didn’t pick up on the story, several conservative bloggers began distributing a photo of protesters clogging the DC mall.

Problem: the photo is from a totally different event. Politifact, a nonpartisan journalistic fact-checking organization, checked in on Monday with Pete Piringer, public affairs officer for the DC Fire and Emergency Department. Piringer “unofficially” estimated that between 60,000 and 75,000 people had shown up. He added that the photo circulating conservative sites was almost certainly not from this year.

[Read the report | Politifact link]

Reuters / 15 September 2009

President Barack Obama signed an order extending the law used to impose the US trade embargo on Cuba, despite calls by embargo opponents to follow up his easing of sanctions on the communist-ruled island by letting it lapse.

“The President has determined that it is in the national interest of the United States to continue for one year the exercise of certain authorities under the Trading With the Enemy Act with respect to Cuba,” the White House said.

Obama announced in April that he would ease the trade restrictions, imposed on Cuba nearly half a century ago after Fidel Castro’s Communist revolution.

[Read the report]

Posted about 12 hours ago

Neil Young’s public appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival has been cancelled.

A festival spokesperson told The Canadian Press that Young will not make the planned trip to Toronto to appear at a public screening on Monday of Jonathan Demme’s new concert film starring the Canadian rock legend, Neil Young Trunk Show.

The spokesperson did not offer a reason for Young’s absence, but said festival organizers were hoping to announce a “spectacular” performer to take his place in the coming days.