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Jews in the News                                                                                                                                                                        -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Like you, we're pleased when members of our community are praiseworthy, and are disappointed when they are blameworthy. Whether it's good news or bad news, we'll try to keep track of what's being said in general media about our fellow Jews. Our news spotters are Dan Brin in Los Angeles, Donald H. Harrison in San Diego, and you. Wherever you are,  if you see a story of interest, please send a summary and link to us at sdheritage@cox.net.  To see a source story click on the link within the respective paragraph.
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           Home  May 2007 editions     June 2007    July 2007 editions  Jews in the News by month

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Friday, June 1
 

*Congressman Howard Berman (Democrat, California) can expect many visitors from labor unions to call at his offices.  As a member of the House Judiciary Committee he is the focus of efforts by competing labor unions to deal with the compromise immigration bill.  Some like the Service Employees Union International see immigrants as potential new members, whereas others like those in the AFL-CIO regard them as potential competitors for jobs.  A story by Molly Hennessy-Fiske is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Legendary editor Abraham Cahan and the newspaper he built, Jewish Daily Forward, are the subjects of an immigrant-experience exhibit at the Museum of  the City of New York.  Ariella Budick of Newsday has the story in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, California) failed to win support in the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee for legislation to prohibit funding for interrogations in which prisoners are subjected to physical pressure or pain, unless the President determines the detainee possesses information about a specific and imminent threat.  The New York Times News Service story by Scott Shane is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Sunroad Enterprises, owned by Aaron Feldman, is in a second land-use controversy with the Federal Aviation Administration, this one over a proposed high rise project on the east side of Harbor Island near Lindbergh Field.  The company also is battling the FAA over a building at Montgomery Field. The story by Maureen Magee and David Hasemyer is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Author Mark Harris who was perhaps best known for such baseball books as Bang The Drum Slowly, has died at 84. An obituary by Dennis McLellan is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Aaron Kornblum, an attorney for Microsoft, says Robert Alan Soloway, the alleged spam king arrested for defrauding people through the use of false emails, owes Microsoft $7.8 million but the company has been unable to find his bank accounts.  The Washington Post story is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Janet Levine, defending former Los Angeles AirPort Commissioner Leland Wong against felony conflict-of-interest charges, expresses confidence that after the prosecution takes its "desperation shots" at the defendant, he will be acquitted.  Ted Rohrlich reports the story in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton, presiding over the trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, says he has received over 150 letters from people recommending strictness or leniency in sentencing the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney on multiple counts of obstructing justice.  The story by The Washington Post is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Unison, Great Britain's union of public employees, has voted to place on the agenda of its upcoming convention a boycott resolution against Israel similar to one previously voted on by the University and College Union.  The New York Times News Service story is in a column of world briefs in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Did you know that there are more calories in some fast food salads with dressing than in a sirloin steak? State Sen. Carole Midgden (D-San Francisco) believes you have the right to know and pushed legislation through the state Senate to require restaurants to list nutrition information.  The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Child psychologist Marian Radke-Yarrow has died at age 89. Her 1952 book, They Learn What They Live: Prejudice in Young Children, was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision requiring the desegregation of schools. An obituary by Dennis Hevesi of the New York Times News Service is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Comedians will gather June 28 in Los Angeles for a salute to Mort Sahl on his 80th birthday.  The story is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*The defense in the murder trial of record producer Phil Spector wants a jury to see a diary kept by victim Lana Clarkson in which she discusses talking to dead people.  The story by Matt Krasnowski of the Copley News Service is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.


Saturday, June 2

*Philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad have contributed $26 million to build an art museum at Michigan State University, his alma mater.  The Associated Press story is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Dr. Bruce Chernof, director of Los Angeles County Health Services, branded as "inexcusable" the manner in which Edith Isabel Rodriguez, 43, succumbed to a perforated bowel. She writhed in pain at King-Harbor Hospital as personnel and other patients looked on indifferently.  The story by Charles Ornstein is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*At a news conference, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders denounced Sunroad Enterprises  owned by Aaron Feldman as an "irresponsible" company "willing to thumb their nose" at the law.  His anger was prompted by disclosures that even as Sunroad is in the midst of a controversy with the city and the FAA over a building near Montgomery Field, the company has plans for another controversial building near Lindbergh Field. The story by Maureen Magee and David Hasemyer
is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.  The newspaper also ran an editorial on the subject.

*U.S. Rep. Bob Filner (Democrat, San Diego), chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, told a forum at the University of California San Diego that VA facilities around the country cannot physically keep up with the number of veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars who still need treatment.  More than 200,000 of them have filed claims.  The story by Steve Liewer is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel will hold hearings in October to determine whether the state's method of executing prisoners—lethal injection—constitutes unconstitutional "cruel and unusual punishment."  The story by Henry Weinstein is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Patrick McGilligan, in writing the biography Oscar Micheaux: The Great and the Only, weighed the impact of the Leo Frank lynching in Georgia on the African-American film-maker.  Frank, a Jew, had been accused by a black janitor of raping a factory girl—an accusation later proven false.  Micheaux obsessed on the case, resulting in some works that border on anti-Semitism.  The
review by David Ehrenstein is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Labor arbitrator Sam Kagel, perhaps best known for his work on the 1982 National Football League strike, has died at age 98. His obituary is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*An April 1 fire that burned down Bais Yehudi synagogue in Monsey, N.Y., was caused by a 15-year-old boy playing with matches, and not by anyone angry at the Neturei Karta congregation because of its pronounced anti-Zionist views, police have reported. The Associated Press story is included in a briefs column in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Risa Levitt Kohn, curator of the upcoming Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum, provides background on the scrolls in an interview with Kelly Bennett printed today on the Voice of San Diego website.

*The Legislature will debate a bill by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (Democrat, Van Nuys) next week to permit terminally ill patients to be provided means to self-administer drugs that could end their lives.  The "right to die issue" is back in the news with the release from prison of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, whose moniker became "Doctor Death" because of all the suicides at which he assisted. The story by P.J. Huffstutter is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Robert Rosenthal, managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, has resigned his position as the newspaper, like others in California, has been forced to trim its staff because of rising costs and competition.  The story by James Rainey is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*When NBC Entertainment was under the control of the late Brandon Tartikoff, the slogan was "first be best, then be first."  With Ben Silverman coming in, it may be "plug our sponsors, before they unplug us."  The story by Scott Collins is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Irving Zeiger, a man with a passion for the Los Angeles Dodgers and liberal politics, died at age 89.  His obituary by Valerie J. Nelson is in today's Los Angeles Times

Sunday, June 3

*Meron Benvenisti, former deputy mayor of Jerusalem, was cited in an article by Judith Kipper of the Council on Foreign Relations, as being the first to document the course of settlements in lands won by Israel in the Six Day War.  A companion article by Zahi Khouri, from the Palestinian perspective, is included in the San Diego Union-Tribune's Insight section today.  There is also a remembrance by Jerusalem Post writer Abraham Rabinovich of the battle for Jerusalem in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.  Ken Ellingwood and Richard Boudreaux of the Los Angeles Times have an article describing the 1967 War from the standpoint of paratrooper Moshe Amirav.

*Some students like Reut Cohen, who is active in pro-Israel causes, had no idea when they enrolled at UC-Irvine that it was a flashpoint for debate, and occasional violence, among students over politics in the Middle East. A backgrounder story by Dan Laidman of Copley News Service about the turbulence at UCI is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Senators Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, California), Charles Schumer (Democrat, New York) and Arlen Specter (Republican, Pennsylvania) were among the team of 12 bipartisan senators who held the Immigration Compromise together last week.  Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent, Vermont) was one of the people with whom they negotiated to maintain the delicate compromise.  A behind-the-scenes story by Nicole Gaouette is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler has dealt a blow to the credibility of forensic scientist Henry C. Lee by ruling he would accept testimony in the Phil Spector murder trial contending that Lee removed an acrylic nail from the crime scene where Lana Clarkson was found shot to death. The story by Peter Y. Hong is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Ari Fleischer, former press secretary to President George W. Bush, says he doesn't regard new initiatives on Darfur, global warming and AIDS as indicating any change in the president's politics, but simply a response to the current world environment.  The story by Maura Reynolds is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel, weighing arguments on California's capital punishment procedures, says he would like to inspect the state's new execution chamber before deciding the constitutional question about whether lethal injection constitutes a form of "cruel and unusual punishment."  The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Thoughts on "Homework" by poet Allen Ginsberg are among the selections in Alice Peck's
book, Next to Godliness: Finding the Sacred in Housekeeping. A review by Ron Charles is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*The Sushi Economy by Sasha Issenberg examines the economic implications of the worldwide demand for the favorite Japanese food.  A review by Bill Addison is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner attributes his humanitarian outlook, in part, to
the murder of his Russian Jewish grandparents at Auschwitz.  A commentary by Ian Buruma is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Expectations are running high at HBO for a new, surf-family series by David Milch called "John From Cincinnati."  Lynn Smith has the story in today's Los Angeles Times.

*When Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meet this week, they will have an offer from Hamas for a one-year cease-fire between its forces and Israel's to discuss among other topics.  An Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Hanan Porath was in the Israeli paratrooper unit that captured the Kotel during the 1967 Six
Day War.  He and others recall the events—and the aftermath—40 years after that stunning war. The Associated Press story by Steven Gutkin and Karin Laub is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Rafi Ron, former head of security for Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport, said the plot thwarted against JFK International Airport in New York probably wouldn't have worked, as it depended on exploding aviation fuel which is very difficult to ignite.  The story by Megan Garvey is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Eli Roth is a movie maker who specializes in hard core gore—some people call his films
"gorno" flicks."  The latest is Hostel: Part II.  The story by Geoff Boucher is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Jono Schaffer is the real-life union organizer named "Sam Shapiro" and portrayed by Adrian Brody in the movie Bread and Roses.  Some of the movie exploits were made up, but others as interesting or maybe even more, were not included.  The story by Molly Selvin is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Chris Reed says in his column in today's San Diego Union-Tribune that baseball commissioner Bud Selig ought to resign for failing to address in timely fashion the growing issue of steroid use by baseball players.

Monday, June 4

*Gabe Cohen doubled with the bases loaded to put the UCLA Bruins ahead 5-4 over Long Beach State in Pac 10 action on Sunday night.  The Bruins went on to win 7-4 and advanced to the super regional.  The story by Peter Moon is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Sasha Baron Cohen of Borat fame was a winner at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday.  The Public Eye column of the San Diego Union-Tribune has the story.

*U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and U.S. Rep. Howard Berman, both California Democrats, have emerged as strong advocates for the Immigration Bill's provisions to provide pathways to citizenship for agricultural workers.  The Copley News Service story by Jerry Kammer is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (Democrat, Michigan) is preparing an amendment that would require the president to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq within 120 days after its passage.  Democratic pressure on Republicans on this issue is likely to be unremitting.  Naom N. Levey has the story in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Adam Levine and Maroon 5 have some mega-hits, yet they chose a concert venue that could seat only 450 for their concert. What's behind it?  The story by Mikael Wood is in today' Los Angeles Times.

*Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel planned to continue to have its security services take action in Palestinian territories.  Meanwhile, Hamas said it has stopped firing rockets at civilian targets and instead is firing mortars at military targets like border crossings. The New York Times News Service story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*David Rosenzweig, a Los Angeles Times reporter who covered the Vietnam War, Symbionese Liberation Army and the Hillside Strangler case, has died at 67.  The obituary by the Associated Press is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Phil Thalheimer, a Republican who has been active in the campaign to preserve the cross atop Mount Soledad as a war memorial, is expected to run in the upcoming race for the 1st District San Diego City Council seat.  On the other hand, Julie Dubick, now serving as a policy advisor to Mayor Jerry Sanders, says she will not be a candidate.  The story by Evan McLaughlin is in today's Voice of San Diego.

Tuesday, June 5

*The late Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis was quoted in a San Diego Union-Tribune editorial today about how a state should be a "laboratory for democracy" in the newspaper's argument in behalf of permitting California to pursue its own experimental health care policies. 

*U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, California) and U.S. Rep. Bob Filner (Democrat, san Diego) have persuaded the Federal Aviation Administration to delay switching over the responsibility for aviation in the Palm Springs area to a San Diego facility.  The lawmakers expressed concerns that the San Diego facility, which handles both military and civilian flights, is already understaffed.  The story by Steve Schmidt is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. Rep. Bob Filner (Democrat, San Diego) says he will post a "congressional reference" to permit Mexican citizen Francisco Rivera to sue the United States court over a used car which he says was purchased from the U.S. Customs Service but which still had a marijuana cache in it, resulting in his arrest in Ensenada.  The story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, writing for a unanimous court, said civil rights lawyers who win a preliminary ruling, but later lose the case on the merits, cannot be considered the 'prevailing side' and thus are not entitled to fees paid by the defendant. The question arose in a case involving civil rights lawyers helping an anti-war group use their nude bodies to create a peace symbol on the beach.  The story by David G. Savage is in today's Los Angeles Times.  Another story by Savage dealt with a 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court in a death penalty case with Ginsburg and Justice Stephen Breyer voting in the minority.

*The California Highway Patrol has recommended that reckless driving charges be brought against state Sen. Carole Migden (Democrat, San Francisco).  The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Producer David Milch says the new HBO series "John from Cincinnati" about a dysfunctional surfing family will do what many previous shows about surfing haven't—be authentic. The story by Brad Melekian is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Seth Rogen, a 26-year-old comic from Canada, seems poised to become a well-known star, as a result of his lead role in the movie Knocked Up, which opens at theatres on Friday.  The story by Terry Lawson of MCT News Service is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg said a federal indictment returned in Alexandria, Virginia, against Congressman William J. Jefferson (Democrat, Louisiana) accuses him of using his congressional office to enrich himself and his family through various business deals, including some in Nigeria. The story by Richard B. Schmitt and Ann Simmons is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Sarah Silverman as host of the MTV Movie Awards was so tasteless that she almost made people feel sorry for Paris Hilton.  Geoff Boucher's column is in the Los Angeles Times.

*The jury in the murder trial of record producer Phil Spector heard excerpts read from the diary of shooting victim Lana Clarkson that defense attorneys said were indications that she was suicidal. The story by Matt Krasnowski of Copley News Service is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

Wednesday, June 6

*Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke hinted in a speech that there is no hurry to lower interest rates, and not long afterwards the stock market declined.  The story by Jeremy W. Peters of the New York Times is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*For Carl Bernstein, writing a book about Hillary Clinton was reminiscent of the time he covered the Watergate crisis—so much resistance did he get from powerful people.  The story by Josh Getlin is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Political consultant Laurie Black, who once worked as an aide to former Congresswoman Lynn Schenk, was appointed by the San Diego City Council to serve on the San Diego Port Commission—a position that Schenk also had held before her election to the House of Representatives.  The story by Maureen Magee is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Laurie and Larry David—she a writer about the environment and he the creator of television's "Seinfeld Show"—have announced their separation, saying that as friends they will raise their two children. The story by Robert W. Welkos is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*State Sen. Christine Kehoe  has an op-ed piece in today's San Diego Union-Tribune praising fellow San Diego Demcorat U.S. Rep. Susan Davis for her bill to remove a special provision from the law to permit a toll road company to build through Camp Pendleton. 

*U.S. Sen. Russell Feingold (Democrat, Wisconsin) on a 67-26 vote had the Senate add to the Immigration Bill an amendment that would establish two commissions, one to examine the U.S. response to Jews attempting to flee from the Holocaust, and the other to exa mine the treatment of Italian-Americans during World War II.  The story by Nicole Gaouette and Maura Reynolds is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, California) is garnering support from law enforcement groups for a bill that would commit $1 billion nationwide for the fight against gang crime.  The story by Naom N. Levey is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*A mass grave believed to be that of Holocaust victims has been discovered by workers laying a pipeline near Gvozdavka-1, Ukraine.  The combined wire service story is in today's Los Angeles Times.

* Alastair Macdonald of Reuters has a story in the San Diego Union-Tribune marking the 40th anniversary of the Six-Day War, telling about two women born back then: Israeli Esti Ilan and Palestinian Hannan Abu Lateef.

*Unnamed Israeli settlers, whose communities on the West Bank resemble "Crusader fortresses" and who themselves "swagger" like cowboys, were the subject of a commentary in today's San Diego Union-Tribune by Boston Globe writer H.D.S. Greenway.  Palestinians, on the other hand, are portrayed sympathetically. 

*Jack Klugman, who immortalized the role of Oscar Madison in "The Odd Couple" television series, is starring in The Value of Names at the Falcon Theatre in Los Angeles.  The story by F. Kathleen Foley is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*The state Assembly adopted on a party line 42-34 vote a measure by Assemblyman Mark Leno (Democrat, San Francisco) to permit same-sex couples to marry.  The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

Thursday, June 7

*Florida  real estate developer Daniel J. Aronoff is in the middle of a controversy over why a congressman from Alaska—Republican Don Young—earmarked money for a freeway interchange at Coconut Road near Fort Myers, Florida, where Aronoff owns some 4,000 acres.  The congressman who actually represents the area, Connie Mack, said he did not seek the funds. The New York Times News Service story by David D. Kirkpatrick is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*High school student Madison Flashenburg says her participation in the March of the Living in Poland "changed my future." She and four other teens shared their experiences at Temple B'nai Israel in Clearwater, Florida.  The story by Tiffani Sherman is in today's St. Petersburg Times.

*New York Met Shawn Green is on the list of National League baseball's ten top hitters, but just barely.  His .314 average ranked him tenth.  The chart is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. Rep. Jane Harman (Democrat, California) told colleagues on the House Homeland Security Committee they should avoid the "blame game" in investigating how Andrew Speaker, a carrier of a dangerous form of tuberculosis, was waved across the border from Canada, notwithstanding an alert to federal agents about the potential dangers his condition posed.  She said preventing such an incident from reoccurring was more important.  The story by Johanna Neuman and Joel Havemann is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*A measure by California Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (Democrat, Van Nuys) to require the neutering of most dogs and cats was approved by a 41-38 vote and sent to the state Senate.  Television's Bob Barker after completing his last "Price is Right" show telephoned some lawmakers to drum up support.  The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*The conviction and sentencing of I. Lewis "Scoter" Libby on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice have created a hot potato issue in the Republican presidential primary: should the President pardon Libby, who formerly was chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney?  The story by Peter Wallsten is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas have postponed their scheduled meeting in Jerusalem.  The New York Times News Service brief is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Jonathan N. Rosen and Noam B. Fischman, attorneys for Italia Federeci, president of the Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy, said their client plans to plead guilty to charges of not paying federal income taxes and of lying to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee when it was investigating the activities of now jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff.  The story by Richard A. Serrano is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Baseball commissioner Bud Selig wants New York Yankee Jason Giambi to meet with former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, who is now investigating the use of steroids by baseball players.  However the players' union wants Giambi not to meet with Mitchell, at least not yet.  The story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*His Ducks having won professional hockey's Stanley Club, Michael Schulman, the franchise's chief executive officer, says he would like to build hockey rinks in such Southern California cities as Chino, Irvine, Riverside and Upland.  The story by Helene Elliott is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (Republican, Pennsylvania), concerned that a narrowly-approved amendment to end the guest worker program in the U.S. after five years could break up the fragile bipartisan alliance backing the Immigration bill, says he will try to craft an alternative to the amendment language. The Associated Press story by Charles Babington is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*A Los Angeles Times investigation of whether actor Steven Seagal had ties to organized crime was followed by reporter Anita M. Busch finding a dead fish and a rose on her punctured windshield, with a note that read 'Stop!'  Thereafter, the FBI wiretapped a private investigator's office, leading to a racketeering case that was brought in federal court against Anthony Pelicano.  Now Pelicano's attorneys are challenging the search warrant that led to the search of the investigator's office. The story by Chuck Phillips is in today's Los Angeles Times.

Friday, June 8
 

*Are Stephen Spielberg and other Hollywood celebrities switching their support from Barrack Obama to Hillary Clinton? A story by Tina Daunt in the Los Angeles Times examines that question.

*State senators Darrell Steinberg (Democrat, Sacramento) and Tom McClintock (Republican, Thousand Oaks) were debating a bill to require regional planning boards to favor urbanization over suburban sprawl, when McClintock asked, 'who the hell are you?'  That prompted Carole Migden to protest what she called "profanity" on the Senate floor, prompting a debate over whether "hell" indeed was a swear word. Eventually it was ruled it wasn't.  The Associated Press account of the debate is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Songwriter Ben Weisman, whose pop clients included Elvis Presley, has died at age 93.  The obituary by the Associated Press is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss has written a letter to the Police Commission urging it to reappoint Police Chief William Bratton as soon as possible.  The story is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (Democrat, California) said during committee debate on an alternative energy bill that would encourage use of coal and other fuels will do little to combat global warming.  The story by David Whitney of MCT News Service is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

Saturday, June 9

*San Diego Port Commissioner Laurie Black says she will emphasize waterfront development during her term, and also will keep in close touch with the San Diego City Council, which appointed her.  An interview with Evan McLaughlin is on today's Voice of San Diego.  In the San Diego Union-Tribune meanwhile there is a story by Maureen Magee on Black's appointment to the commission.

*Etti Efrah, a teacher in Sderot, say the code for incoming rockets from Gaza —"Color Red"— now can be heard on the playgrounds of kindergartners and preschoolers.  Someone yells the phrase and the children all go hide—another effect of what columnist Trudy Rubin of the Philadelphia Inquirer describes as the "Rocket Era."  Her column is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, California) says the shelved Immigration Bill generated the most racist hate mail and threats of her career.  The story by Janet Hook and Nicole Gaouette is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Norman Finkelstein, who has been called a "Holocaust minimizer" by some fellow Jews, has been denied tenure at DePaul University.  The story by Maudlyne Ihejirika and Dave Newbart is in today's Chicago Sun-Times.

*Irwin Jacobs, founder of Qualcomm, was an important force behind the University of California San Diego meeting its goal of raising $1 billion.  There were 100,000 individuals and companies that contributed to the campaign, according to a story by Eleanor Yang Su in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender criticized City Attorney Mike Aguirre for using the term "corruption" in his criticism of San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, whom Kolender described in a letter-to-the-editor in today's San Diego Union-Tribune as "an honest and caring man who has a value system."

*Sherry Lansing, former head of Paramount Studios, is engaged in an effort to lure retirees from various fields into teaching mathematics and science.  The effort is backed by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The story by Howard Blume is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (Democrat, Michigan) advised Defense Secretary Robert Gates that a confirmation hearing for Marine Gen. Peter Pace to continue in office as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff would likely focus on the last four years and be cause for acrimonious debate.  Gates subsequently decided to replace Pace with Admiral Mike Mullen.  The combined Associated Press and Washington Post story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*UCSD Prof. Thomas Levy, an archaeologist who has trekked all over the deserts of Jordan, has some of his findings from the Copper Age on display at the Museum of Man in Balboa Park, in an exhibit designed to be a companion to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition that will open at the San Diego Natural History Museum later this month.  The story by Jeanette Steele is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Whether President George W. Bush should pardon I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, seems to be a debate between those like Weekly Standard editor William Kristol who admired the way Libby stood up for Bush's Iraq policy and election-minded Republicans who fear a pardon will suggest their party applies a double standard to law breakers.  E.J. Dionne Jr. of The Washington Post has the story in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Television critic Karla Peterson suggests characters in such David Milch dramas as "NYPD Blue," "The Sopranos," and now "John from Cincinnati"—filmed in Imperial Beach— are created on "Planet Milch," a bizarre but creative place somewhere in the universe.  Her column is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Leonard Nathan, who once described himself as a poet in search of a saving grace, has died at 82.  His obituary is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (Democrat, New York) says a floor vote is expected this upcoming week on a nonbinding resolution calling for the dismissal of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.  The New York Times news service story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*In response to the growing number of requests for information from congressional investigating committees, the White House has increased the number of attorneys in the White House Counsel's office from 17 to 22.  The chairman of one of the committees probing the administration, U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (Democrat, California) had no immediate comment.  The story by Maura Reynolds is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Dimension Co-Chairman Bob Weinstein speculates that the market for horror pictures has been saturated, meaning fans apparently are growing bored with gore. The story by Rachel Abramowitz and Sheigh Crabtree is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*The King/ Harbor medical facility, where a woman infamously died after writhing unattended at the hospital's admissions area, has received another blow: a critical report by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaraslovsky says rather than trying to attract the best, the hospital's efforts at reform simply were to fire or transfer some of the worst personnel.  The story by Rich Connell and Susannah Rosenblatt is in today's Los Angeles Times.

Sunday, June 10

*The 40th anniversary of the Six Day War drew seven letters in today's San Diego Union-Tribune, four favoring Israel, three favoring the Palestinians. Pro-Israel letters were written by Michael Abrams, Arnold Flick, Patrick Groff and Ted Stern; pro-Palestinian letters came from Elizabeth Mansur, Zaid Shaku and Valerie Young.

*My one son from a previous connubial holocaust gives up his lucrative law practice to become a ventriloquist…. " goes a line in Woody Allen's new book, Mere Anarchy, providing the lead for Jerry Stahl's book review appearing in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. Rep. Susan Davis (Democrat, California) says Congress under Democratic leadership has made progress on ethics reform, such as restricting travel "junkets," but U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (Republican, California) disagrees.  He says things haven't changed much at all from the days when his party was running the House.  The story by John Marelius is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*The "John and Ken Show" on Los Angeles talk radio called upon its listeners to generate 30,000 calls to the offices of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, California) to protest the "amnesty" provisions of the Immigration Bill.  The resultant surge in calls clogged all of the senator's phone lines.  The story by Julia Preston of the New York Times News Service is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. .. In other news, the call by Feinstein and others to close the prisoner camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and to move the suspected terrorist inmates to the United States for trial won an important endorsement from former Secretary of State Colin Powell.  The Associated Press story is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Saying he was unable to reconstruct from available public records what may have happened two years ago at a fundraiser hosted by embattled Sunroad Enterprises developer Aaron Feldman for San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Gerry Braun has asked to be invited to tag along to every one of Mayor Sanders future fundraisers.  He promises to pay for all the hors d'ouevres he eats.  His column is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*A San Diego Union-Tribune editorial criticizes a bill to require various changes in how voting machines are used, on the grounds that the requirements are unworkable and may even cause election day delays.  Furthermore, the newspaper criticizes two San Diego Democrats, Rep. Bob Filner and Rep. Susan Davis for supporting the measure.

*New York Mets outfielder Shawn Green is all for team solidarity: he's willing to grow a beard, shave his legs—but he's not certain about shaving his legs again.  He's one of the quotables in Chris Jenkins' behind-the-scenes baseball column in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Pope Benedict XVI and U.S. President George W. Bush discussed the Israel-Palestine issue during their meeting in Rome, but spokespersons for the two leaders did not reveal the substance of their discussion. Bush presented to the pontiff a walking stick engraved by a homeless man in Texas with the words of the Ten Commandments. A combined wire service story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*With Paris Hilton being permitted to leave jail, only to be required to return again, Sheriff Lee Baca's handling of celebrities is coming under question.  In another instance of what critics call celebrity favoritism, Baca withheld from the media news of Mel Gibson's rant against the Jews during his now notorious arrest for drunken driving.  The Associated Press story by Michael Blood is in today' San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Chess champion and Russian dissident Garry Kasparov and other protestors were permitted to demonstrate without interference in St. Petersburg, Russia, where President Vladimir Putin was attempting to woo western investors.  Kasparov contends Putin has been turning Russia back into a police state.  The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger says in a column in today's San Diego Union-Tribune that American military failure in Iraq would "immediately weaken societies with significant Muslim populations." 

*One of the biggest and most emotional fights in the California Legislature is over a bill by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (Democrat, Sherman Oaks) to require most dogs and cats to be neutered.  He says it will reduce the number of unwanted animals that must be euthanized at shelters. But opponents say it could reduce pet populations, even of needed service dogs.  The Copley News Service story by Michael Gardner is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Washington Post columnist David Broder argues that U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton got it right when he sentenced I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby to jail time.  To have let the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney off would have sent the message that there is a double standard in justice: one for little people and another for big shots.  The column is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Grace Paley, activist, feminist, short story writer, mother and grandmother, makes a point of declaring that she is also Jewish.  A profile by Susan Salter Reynolds is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*The new presidential campaign season, which may find candidates wrapping up their party's nominations early in early primaries then waiting many months before the general election contest, has strategists wondering whether this is a good or bad development. Democrat Simon Rosenberg, president of the NDN advocacy group, thinks it is good.  The commentary by Ronald Brownstein is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Henry Samueli, the Broadcom founder who purchased the Ducks from Disney, celebrated his hockey team winning the Stanley Cup.  "Even Disney couldn't have choreographed such a magical season," he said at the celebration. The story by Tony Barboza and David Haldane is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Film producer Jerry Weintraub got to put his feet and hands into the sidewalk cement near Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.  He was accompanied to the publicity event by Oceans Thirteen cast members George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon.  The story is in the Public Eye column of today's San Diego Union-Tribune...Meanwhile, Sheigh Crabtree has a story in the Los Angeles Times telling how Weintraub is grooming Emma Roberts, the niece of Julia Roberts, for stardom as teen detective Nancy Drew.


Monday, June 11

*Pitcher Jason Hirsch won his first game in nine starts and completed the first full nine-inning game in his career as the Colorado Rockies defeated the Baltimore Orioles 6-1.  The box score is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. A story on the jocular way his teammates responded is in today's Denver Post.

*Arnold Lappert, who as an Army Signal Corps radio operator received the first news of the fall of Corregidor, ironically from another Jewish serviceman, Irving Strobing, has died at 86. The New York Times News Service obituary by Richard Goldstein is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Publicist Peter Levine says if Paris Hilton were his client he'd advise her to stop the bad-girl behavior and donate time after completing her jail sentence to an important and good cause. The story is in the Public Eye section of today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Columnist Bob Novak says Republican insiders believe President George W. Bush is on the wrong side of two controversies.  He should pardon I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and should sack U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.  The column is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman (Independent, Connecticut) said on the CBS Face the Nation news interview show that the U.S. should consider aggressive action against Iran.  The item is at he end of a story in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met with British Minister for Higher Education Bill Rammell, who announced his opposition at Hebrew University to the proposed British boycott of Israel's universities and colleges.  The story by Barak Ravid is in Ha'aretz.

*U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (Democrat, New York) was lowering expectations before today's expected no-confidence vote on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.  He said if people voted their consciences, the tally would go unanimously against Gonzales, but on the other hand, President George W. Bush was exerting a lot of pressure in behalf of his nominee. A story by Richard B. Schmitt is in today's Los Angeles Times.

 

Tuesday, June 12
*The DVD of The Two of Us by Claude Berri is being released. The story concerns the bonding of a Jewish boy masquerading as a Catholic during World War II, and his bonding with an older, grandfatherly man, who is an anti-Semite unaware of the boy's true identity.  A brief summary is included in a roundup story by Susan King in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says New York City needs to be better prepared for a hurricane.  The combined wire service story is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, California) says the Senate is likely to approve legislation this year mandating higher miles-per-gallon ratios in new cars.  The story by Richard Simon is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders has announced his backing for a law suit to force developer Aaron Feldman to limit the height of the Sunroad Enterprises building at Montgomery Field to 160 feet. The story by Jeff McDonald is one of the briefs included in a roundup in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Creative differences may drive architect Frank Gehry from the second and third phases of the massive mixed-use, high-rise project on Grand Avenue of Los Angeles.  Architectural critic Christopher Hawthorne has the story in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. Senators Charles Schumer (Democrat, New York) and Arlen Specter (Republican, Pennsylvania) led the unsuccessful effort to bring a vote of no confidence to the floor of the U.S. Senate, but they were stymied because they could not round up 60 votes to prevent a filibuster. However, they did obtain more than a majority of the Senate.  The story by Richard B. Schmitt is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Stephen Schwarzman, chief executive officer of the Blackstone Group, pulled down a fairly decent wage in 2006: $400 million, which is more than $1 million per day.  The Associated Press story by Joe Bel Bruno is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*A forensic scientist in the trial of record producer Phil Spector said the fact that there was no blood spatter in front of Lana Clarkson's body may mean someone was standing between her and the wall when she was shot.  The story by Matt Krasnowski of the Copley News Service is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. An overview of the case is provided by Associated Press writer Lynn Elber elsewhere in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

*High school students in Sderot, an Israeli city adjacent to the Gaza Strip, were moved inland to take their examinations as sporadic rocket fire from Gaza continued.  Meanwhile within Gaza and the West Bank Hamas and Fatah factions continued their warfare in which 17 persons were killed  An Associated Press story by Sarah el Deeb is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. A companion story by the Associated Press tells of a rocket grenade being fired at the home of Palestinian Prime Minister and Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh without causing him injury.

*A Universal Studio executive questioned Matthew Weiner by email whether he was an African-American, prompting him to respond that although the issue should not bear on his employment, he was a Jew from New York. The matter came up in a federal suit against Universal contending that Frank Davis was fired as an assistant director because he was African-American.  The story by Lorenza Muñoz is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss contends the group trying to recall him are wealthy homeowners who wanted to control a multi-million dollar mitigation fund for a Century City development project, instead of sharing that control with the City of Los Angeles. The story by Steve Hymon is in today's Los Angeles Times.

Wednesday, June 13

*Los Angeles School Board President Marlene Canter postponed a vote on whether to close Discovery Preparatory Charter School in the Pacoima area after hearing conflicting testimony from parents who said the school is sending many of its students on to college, district officials who said its tests scores are low, and attorneys who said there may be problems with the school's application. The story by Howard Blume is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Before President George W. Bush went to Capitol Hill to meet with Republican senators on the Immigration Bill, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez were meeting with the senators seeking ways to affect a compromise. Some insiders say that is very close.  The story by Nicole Gaouette and Maura Reynolds is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Congressional leaders say they want legislation passed before the July 4 weekend to require automobile manufacturers to improve gasoline mileage to 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020—an effort that U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, California) is helping to lead.  The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos (Democrat, California), the keynote speaker at the dedication of the memorial in Washington DC to the victims of Communism, predicted that as it once fought the communists, the NATO alliance will band together to oppose what he called "Ahmadinejad-ism" and "distorted Islamic fascism." The story by Johanna Neuman is in today's Los Angeles Times. Comments by Lantos criticizing recent leaders of Germany and France proved to be more controversial, drawing a protest from Germany.  The Associated Press story by Harry Dunphy was published on Breitbard.com.

*Poway resident Jeff Figler is a world-class collector of almost everything, including movie producer Jack Warner's personal copy of the movie Casablanca. The story by Nick Canepa is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. Reps. Bob Filner (Democrat, California) and Rush Holt (Democrat, New Jersey) said a congressional bill to require a paper ballot where electronic voting machines are used has been going through a process of amendment. Their

*About 550 Muslim refugees from the Sudan have over the years made their way to Israel, where after initial imprisonment as residents of an enemy state they are permitted to work under close supervision until they can be resettled in a third country.  Associated Press writer Ben Hubbard tells the story in today's San Diego Union-Tribune of 24-year-old Ibrahim who now lives and works at Kibbutz Yad Hannah

*The fighting in Gaza intensified, with Hamas forces seizing a security post in the northern Gaza strip and repelling a Fatah attack on a television station.  Israel closely monitored the events on its border.  The Associated Press story by Sara El Deeb is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Forensic scientist Steve Renteria said there was DNA evidence that murder defendant Phil Spector and victim Lana Clarkson had some sexual contact prior to her being shot to death. The Copley News Service story by Matt Krasnowski and Dan Laidman is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (Democrat, California) believes a phone call made by Department of Transportation staff member Heideh Shahmoradi seeking congressional opposition to California's tougher emission standards may have violated a prohibition against employees of the federal government lobbying members of Congress. The story by Richard Simon is in today's Los Angeles Times.

Thursday, June 14

*Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, taking the administration's case for immigration reform directly to the people, have co-authored an Op-Ed piece in today's San Diego Union-Tribune that talks about tamper-proof identifications, meaningful economic sanctions against employers of undocumented workers, and fines paid by those workers to help pay for the enforcement system.

*Instead of a single Palestinian state on Israel's borders, the victories of Hamas in Gaza raise the possibility of two separately administered areas: one led by Fatah on the West Bank, the other controlled by Hamas on the southern seacoast. An Associated Press story by Sara el Deeb is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Former Congressman Lionel Van Deerlin (Democrat, California) says that the fuss over celebrity treatment accorded to Paris Hilton will also work against a presidential pardon for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.  His column is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.  In the same newspaper, another commentary by columnist Marianne Means notes that presumed Republican presidential candidate and Law and Order television actor Fred Thompson supports a pardon for Libby.

*U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (Republican, Pennsylvania) reports amendments to the Immigration Bill are in the works that may make the legislation more palatable to his fellow Republicans. These include earmarking fines paid for violations of the immigration laws for use by law enforcement to protect America's borders.  The New York Times News Service story by Robert Pear is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*He had been on the fence, but now movie producer Steven Spielberg has made up his mind who he wants to support among the Democratic candidates for president. And Senator Hillary Clinton hopes that means other Hollywood celebrities will follow his lead.  The story by Tina Daunt is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaraslovsky and fellow board members have been trying to deal with the troubles of the King-Harbor Hospital, where a patient died in the admitting room after writhing ignored on the floor.  But now the supervisors may have troubles of their own. Closed door discussions about the hospital may have violated the state's open meeting laws.  The story by Susannah Rosenblatt is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Businessman Sam Zell, who wants a waiver from the rule prohibiting a company from owning both a newspaper and a television station in the same media market, has some powerful allies on capital hill, both Illinois Democrats.  They are U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the House Democratic Caucus Chairman, and Sen. Richard J. Durbin, the second most senior member of the Senate.  The story by Jim Puzzanghera is in today's Los Angeles Times.

Friday, June 15
 

*Businessman Ray Jinnah who raised funds for Democratic Senators Barbara Boxer of California and Hillary Clinton of New York has been brought before the federal court on the charge of illegally reimbursing employees for $60,000 contributions they made to the two senators in 2004. The story by Robin Fields and Chuck Neubauer is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and School Board President Marlene Canter disagree over whether the school district is making necessary reforms quickly enough.  Their comments came during a meeting at which Superintendent David L. Brewer delivered a "state of the schools" speech. The story by Joel Rubin and Howard Blume is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Former Disney chairman Michael Eisner wants to buy the Topps trading card company, but Upper Deck has offered more money to purchase its rival.  A court has ruled Topps should be permitted the opportunity to provide more information to Topps shareholders.  The story by Jennifer Davies is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Actor Henry Felder is winning attention in George Gershwin Alone, a one-person show in which he recounts such episodes as writing "Porgy and Bess" and suffering the verbal attacks on Jews made by Henry Ford. But Chris Pasles complains in a review in today's Los Angeles Times that the script doesn't probe deep enough.

*San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders now is backing a suit against Aaron Feldman's Sunroad Enterprises brought by City Attorney Mike Aguirre, but a story by Evan McLaughlin and Will Carless in today's Voice of San Diego details other avenues that Sanders explored, with assistance from San Diego Regional Airport Authority Chairman Alan Bersin, to enable the high-rise building near Montgomery Field to be built to a height of 180 feet.  Meanwhile, a charge by San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre that Sanders' actions in the Sunroad controversy are "corrupt" has prompted a letter and editorial exchange between Aguirre and the San Diego Union-Tribune.

*The two Democratic senators from California, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, are both millionaires, but Feinstein's fortune dwarfs that of her colleague.  Chuck Neubauer, Walter F. Roche Jr. and Dan Moran had the story in the Los Angeles Times, which focused on Hillary Clinton.

*Historian Saul Friedlander will be awarded the top prize at the Frankfurt (Germany) Book Fair in recognition of his work on the Holocaust. The Associated Press story is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Murray & Elaine Galinson were pictured in the coverage by Burl Stiff of the San Diego Union-Tribune of the recent celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Jewish Community Foundation at the Museum of Man in Balboa Park.

*U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer were on the minority side of a 5-4 decision in which the court said deadlines for appeals must be met, even if the judge, not the appellant, was responsible for the tardiness. The story by David G. Savage is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton decided that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, should have to serve prison time while the perjury and obstruction of justice case is on appeal.  Unless President George W. Bush pardons Libby, that sentence will begin within the next several weeks.  The New York Times News Service story by Neil A. Lewis is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. 

*U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (Democrat, New York) says the undervaluation of the Chinese yuan "could lead to a meltdown of world financial systems."  The story by Molly Hennessy-Fiske is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Baseball commissioner Bud Selig's representatives are negotiating with the Players Union over Selig ordering New York Yankees designated hitter Jason Giambi to testify to the commission headed by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell on the use of steroids in organized sports.  The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Ephraim Sneh, Israel's Deputy Defense Minister, said the takeover of Gaza "by gangs of Islamic terrorists" has "grave implications."  "We will not remain indifferent."  The quote is included in a story on the Gaza situation by Scott Wilson of The Washington Post that appears in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*The judge in the Phil Specter murder trial, Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler, has told a former defense attorney for Specter, Sara Caplan, to either testify about what she knows about possible evidence tampering, or be jailed for contempt.  The Copley News Service story by Matt Krasnowski is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

Saturday, June 16  

Sunday, June 17
 

*Rudolf Arnheim, a leading cultural critic in pre-Nazi Germany who became an important academic theorist in the United States concerning the interplay between art and perception, has died at age 102. His obituary by Adam Bernstein of The Washington Post is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*The Dead Sea Scrolls-writers never dreamed that their handiworks someday would cause something called a "parking jam" in a place called America in the "New World."  But that's what is predicted throughout the rest of this year in Balboa Park after the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit opens. The Natural History Museum is proposing that a temporary parking lot be created to ease the expected crunch.  The story by Jeanette Steele is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Malcolm Hoenlein, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, says U.S. President George W. Bush has not given up on achieving peace between Israelis and Palestinians, notwithstanding the dramatic developments in Gaza.  "He's still wrestling with it," Hoenlein said following a private meeting between members of his organization and White House officials.  The story by Michael Abramowitz is in today's Washington Post.

*The United States should keep its aircraft carriers off the coast of Iran and should let it be known that 60 years after the Holocaust, Israel has the right to protect itself against a country that is trying to develop a nuclear bomb and wipe Israel off the map.  Those are two of the recommendations in a paper by Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution.  The paper is reprinted in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Reader responses to stories and past letters in today's letter-to-the-editor section of the San Diego Union-Tribune regarding both the 40th anniversary of the attack by the Israel Defense Forces on the USS Liberty and the Middle East conflict generally found pro-Israel positions taken by letter writers Stuart Greenbaum and Gregory Hirsch, and an opposition position taken by Dane Tovey

*Before leaving Israel for meetings in the United States with President George W. Bush and at the United Nations with Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the decision by Mahmoud Abbas to form a new government without Hamas provides Israel with a "partner for peace." The Associated Press story by Karen Laub is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. That newspaper also includes an analysis of the current situation by Steven Erlanger of the New York Times News Service.  In the Insights section of the San Diego Union-Tribune, an article by columnist Robert Caldwell says the Hamas victory in Gaza is part of a larger pattern of Islamists inspired by Iran and Syria pushing aside secular governments.

*Television journalist Barbara Walters now has her star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. The story is in the Public Eye section of today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

Thanks to today's tipster, Rees Clark.

Monday, June 18

*Zdena Berger authored the Holocaust memoir Tell Me Another Morning nearly 50 years ago, but it has been reissued by a non-profit press in Paris, prompting reviews of what it was like to grow up a teenager in a camp like Theresienstadt.  The review by Kai Maristed is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the minority opinion in a 7-2 decision dealing with an effort by a British Columbia power company to change the venue of a case brought against it from a California state court to a federal court.  The majority, including Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, said once the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided the matter should stay in state courts, that should have ended the matter, without further appeal.  However Breyer said the company, Powerex Corp., is an agent of the British Columbia government and therefore jurisdiction over the dispute over energy prices deserved to be heard in federal court.  The Associated Press story is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Sara Caplan, former defense attorney for murder defendant Phil Spector, was found in contempt of court by Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler because she refused to answer questions about possible tampering of evidence by a forensic investigator. She said to do so would violate attorney-client privilege.  Fidler delayed jailing Caplan pending appeal.  The Copley News Service story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Democrat, Illinois) has recommended that instead of the current "debates" among large groups of presidential candidates seeking their respective party's nomination, one-on-one face offs between a Republican and a Democrat be arranged. David Ignatius of the Washington Post writes about the idea in a column in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Cartoonist Steve Breen of the San Diego Union-Tribune pictures Israel surrounded by two Palestinian states—that of tumult and that of instability. Here is a link to the cartoon.

*Expressing confidence that San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders did nothing wrong in his dealings with Aaron Feldman, owner of the controversial Sunroad Enterprises building at Montgomery Field, the San Diego Union-Tribune in an editorial urged Sanders to nevertheless lay out his response to City Attorney Michael Aguirre's charge that those dealings were corrupt. 

*Harvey Levine recently was named to the California's Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame—not bad for a fellow who used to break into a sweat at even the idea of public speaking.  The story by Craig D. Rose is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*General Robert Magnus, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, says people under his command need to be able to set aside their "macho" outlooks on life, and feel comfortable seeking treatment for battle stress.  The Copley News Service story by Paul M. Krawzak is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Although both built an ark and saved animals, Steve Carrell's character in Evan Almighty is no Noah.  For one thing, Evan Almighty is intended for family audiences, and anyone who has read Genesis 9:20-25 know how tough that would be to get past the movie raters. A preview of the film by David Germain of the Associated Press is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says more than $500 million in frozen tax revenues of the Palestinian Authority will be turned over to the government of Mahmoud Abbas, now that Hamas is no longer part of it.  This was included in a Washington Post story by Glenn Kessler in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Today was the 54th anniversary of the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg following their conviction for conspiring to pass on atomic secrets to the Soviet Union.  The anniversary as marked in an Associated Press feature in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (Democrat, California) says numerous emails sent by presidential advisor Karl Rove on a back-channel White House email account are missing, and that his committee will continue to press to find them.  The MCT News Service story by Ron Hutcheson is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Expressing skepticism that money allocated by the Board of Supervisors always is used by the Sheriff's Department for the intended purpose, Supervisors Zev Yaraslovsky and Gloria Molina nevertheless voted to increase that department's budget by $7.2 million to reduce inmate overcrowding.  The story by Jack Leonard and Susannah Rosenblatt is in today's Los Angeles Times.

Wednesday, June 20

 

*New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire, announced he is leaving the Republican party to become an independent, fueling speculation that he will finance a third-party bid to become president of the United States.  The story by Frank Lombardi of the New York Daily News is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Erwin Chemerinsky, former head of Los Angeles' City Charter Reform Commission, praised the decision to accord Police Chief William Bratton a second term, saying he has increased the morale of the department while changing its culture.  The story by Andrew Blankstein and Sharon Bernstein is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (Republican, Minnesota) is pushing alternative legislation in light of an expected veto by President George W. Bush of a stem-cell legislation.  His legislation, which has already been approved in the Senate, would focus on using stem cells from embryos that have died natural deaths.  The Associated Press story by Deb Riechmann is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, in a commentary in the San Diego Union-Tribune on the disbarment of Mike Nifong for his handling of the Duke rape case, said there are policies and procedures in her office to guard against such abuse of power. 

*U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, California) welcomed news that Boeing will keep its Long Beach plant open for at least six months after the last C-17 Air Force transport is built, meaning shutdown would not occur until at least 2010.  The story by Peter Pae and Martin Zimmerman is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Aaron Feldman's Sunroad Enterprises building at Montgomery Field was again the focus of quarreling between San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre and Mayor Jerry Sanders. Aguirre wants Sanders to simply issue a stop work order on the building which the FAA says is too high.  Sanders replied it's only the top two floors that are in controversy.  The story by David Hasemyer is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. Rep. Bob Filner (Democrat, California) is in the crosshairs of the San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board.  The newspaper criticized him in an editorial for paying the campaign management firm of his wife, Jane, out of campaign funds, saying this amounts to nepotism.

*Daniel Futterman, who portrays slain Wall Street Journal reporter  Daniel Pearl in the movie A Mighty Heart share not only a first name, but also Jewish identity. That was a subject that Futterman spoke about at length with Pearl's parents Ruth and Judea Pearl as he prepped for the part.  Gina Piccalo has the story in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations-Geneva Itzhak Levanon says a decision by the United Nations Human Rights Council to continue monitoring Israel, while dropping its surveillance of Cuba and Belarus, "perpetuates the immoral fixation on Israel." The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. 

*U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (Democrat, Michigan) has bluntly told the automakers in his home state that if they don't themselves propose a higher mileage standard for future cars, his colleagues in the Senate are likely to require them to aim even higher.  The New York Times News Service story by Micheline Maynard is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, has filed an appeal against a judge's order that he begin serving a prison sentence on his conviction of perjury and obstruction of justice.  Libby's lawyers argued he has a good chance of reversing his conviction and should be permitted to remain free while court processes are pending.  The Associated Press story is included in a package of briefs in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Jacqueline Siegel has resigned as executive director of the San Diego Performing Arts League.  She said fundraising was not occurring quickly enough to support her salaried position.  The brief story is in the "Short Takes" column of today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Lynne Herold, a criminologist with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, is expected to be the last witness for the prosecution in the Phil Specter murder trial. Then it will be the defense's turn.  The Copley News Service story by Matt Krasnowski is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Lola Wasserstein, 89, upon whom some of her playwright daughter Wendy Wasserstein's characters were based, has died. The obituary is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Ben Weinstein, owner of the Heritage Book Shop on Melrose Avenue, is closing the antiquarian book store known for celebrity clients.  The business was doing fine, but he received an offer from someone who wanted to buy the building that was too good to refuse.  The story by Scott Timberg is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaraslovsky said he is "losing hope" that troubled King-Harbor Hospital can be brought up to standards quickly enough for it to pass an inspection that would permit it to remain open.  The story by Robert J. Lopez and Susannah Rosenblatt is in today's Los Angeles Times.
 

Thursday, June 21
 

*The family of Ron Goldman who was slain with Nicole Simpson has asked a judge to declare the website TMZ in contempt for posting on its site If I Did It, the book by O.J. Simpson.  The Associated Press story is in a package of briefs in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. 

*So why do Hamas and Fatah gunmen brutally murder each other?  According to Gaza physician Mona El-Farra, it's all the fault of Israel.  Her commentary is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. 

*Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni spoke by telephone with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in their first direct contact between Israel and the new Palestinian government. Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas berated Hamas as "murderous terrorists."  The story by Mohammed Daraghmeh is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. and Israeli officials have confirmed both President George W. Bush and Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would like retiring British Prime Minister to serve as a special Middle East envoy who would focus on helping the Palestinians develop their governmental institutions.  Blair thus far has been mum on the idea. The story by Helene Cooper of the New York Times News Service is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Zeev Schiff, the highly respected military affairs writer for Ha'aretz, has died at age 74.  His obituary by the Associated Press is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is at work on an animated feature called "Bee Movie."  Portions of it were screened recently at the Museum of Modern Art at an event hosted by Dreamworks executive Jeffrey Katzenberg.  The story is in the public eye section of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Friday, June 22
 

Saturday, June 23
 

*How's this for a cultural event?  Placido Domingo will star in a Puccini opera, Gianni Schicchi, at the Los Angeles Opera next year, directed by—get ready for this—Woody Allen.  The Associated Press story is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Diane Bell reports in today's column in The San Diego Union-Tribune that David Cohn, owner of the Cohn restaurant group, is auctioning off the contents of the old Reuben E. Lee Restaurant which was built on a barge on the tip of Harbor Island in San Diego.  The restaurant structure itself is owned by Sunroad Enterprises, owned by Aaron Feldman, which has proposed building a high rise there. (Because of the controversy surrounding the company's high rise building near Montgomery Field that proposal is being scrutinized very closely by the Port District and the Regional Airport Authority.) And speaking of Feldman, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders held a news conference near the Montgomery Field site tear down the top 20 feet of the 180-foot building.  The story by David Hasemyer is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Founded in 1852 as one of the nation's first coeducational institutions of higher learning, Antioch College has announced it will close its doors in July 2008.  Among some well known alumni from the Jewish community are novelist  Lawrence Block, paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould; producer Robert M. Greenwald; actor Leonard Nimoy; author Louis Sachar; poet Mark Strand, and Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling.

*U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, California) is in the middle of a controversy over a proposed amendment to the Immigration Bill concerning whether cities can require stores like Home Depot --where temporary workers often hang out --to build temporary hiring centers.  Opponents tell the senator there are questions about whether Home Depot might be liable if a dispute arose between the worker and the homeowner.  Proponents say the home improvements company might be liable now for problems that could arise from homeowners contracting with laborers they meet in the parking lot.  The story by Anna Gorman is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*It's a positive review from Rabbi Brad Hirschfeld of the National Center for Learning and Leadership (CLAL) for Evan Almighty, because the movie shows it is possible to start over. His quote is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. Tyra Damm of the MCT News Service writes about the fascination the world has had with the Noah's Ark  tale in another story appearing in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. On the other hand, columnist Debbie Schlussel of Front Page Magazine was quite critical of A Mighty Heart, which she says minimizes the Jewishness of Daniel Pearl.  Here's a link. At the Paramount Sudios, meanwhile, an interreligious panel gave the film generally high marks, but some in the audience disagreed.  Here's a link to a story by Rebecca Trounson in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Can you name 10 religions? A program in Poway will introduce that many religious belief systems on successive Thursday nights in Poway.  Okay, Judaism is one of them.   Can you name nine others?  Andrea Moss does so in a story that appeared in today's North County Times.

*Staff members of the Quartet—representing the United States, Russia, the European Community and the United Nations--will meet Tuesday in Jerusalem to discuss spurring peacemaking efforts between Israel and the Palestinian government of Mahmoud Abbas in the wake of the Hamas takeover of Gaza.  The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. Elsewhere in that newspaper, Charles Krauthammer suggests in his column that Israel should respond to any further rocket attacks from Gaza by cutting off that nation's gasoline and electricity.

*One element of the foreign aid bill adopted by Congress was a reduction in aid to Egypt from $1.3 billion to $1.1 billion unless it does more to patrol the border between its Sinai Desert and Gaza.  U.S. Rep. Nina Lowey (Democrat, New York) said it is a warning to a good friend that there is a lot of concern about this matter in Congress. Egypt's Ambassador to the United States, Nabil Fahmy, called the provision "shortsighted" adding it "leaves a very bad reflection on how America treats its friends — very few of whom actually remain."  The story by Paul Richter is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Aaron Sorkin, best known for television's West Wing, now plans to produce a Broadway play about the invention of television, The Farnsworth Invention.  The story by Lynne Hefley is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (Democrat, California) is battling President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney over whether their offices should be subject to the same policy other offices in the executive branch are subject to concerning the handling of classified documents.  The story by John Meyer is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*His public reputation was that of a dedicated civil rights attorney, but a jury decided that in private Stephen G. Yagman was guilty of tax evasion, bankruptcy fraud and money laundering.  The multiple count conviction could mean as much as six years in federal prison.  The story by Joe Mozingo and Henry Weinstein is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Zev Yaraslovsky and two other members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Gloria Molina and Mike Antonovich, say they are ready to vote to pull the plug on troubled King-Harbor Hospital.  The story by Charles Ornstein and Jack Leonard is in today's Los Angeles Times.

Today's tipster: Rev. Abigail Albert, Family Spiritual Center

Sunday, June 24
*Roy Beck runs a grassroots organization called NumbersUSA which opposes the Immigration Bill compromise, and is good at mobilizing its estimated 419,000 members to call or picket members of Congress depending on the occasion.  Now Beck is focusing on the "Flippin Fifteen," 15 U.S. senators who voted against the compromise but are considering voting for it with amendments.  One of them is U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (Democrat, California). The story by Nicole Gaouette is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*An independent candidacy by Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City would be a positive development in the presidential race, according to Washington Post columnist David Broder.  His column is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*An Israel Defense Force unit arrested the founder of Hamas' military wing in the West Bank, Saleh Aruri, as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued orders for all Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to re-register, in what is seen as a harbinger of a crackdown on Hamas-affiliated charities.  The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Austria's President Heinz Fischer spoke at the funeral of Kurt Waldheim, the former United Nations secretary general who became president of Austria notwithstanding evidence that he served with Nazi forces that executed Jews.  Few foreign diplomats attended the ceremony for a man whom the United States had banned from visiting because of his Nazi past. The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*The case against and conviction of I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, is "absurd" and probably will be reversed on appeal. That is the opinion of guest columnist Christopher Hitchens, whose analysis is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Robert Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, believes Israel should completely disengage from Gaza, turning over outside responsibility for the strip to Egypt.  His commentary is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.  A related commentary by James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, says the situation leading to development of armed gangs and thugs in Gaza was the fault of Israel and the United States. In the newspaper's letters-to-the-editor section, there were pro-Israel letters from Linda Cooper, Sanford Lakoff and Philip Borkat and an anti-Israel, pro-Hamas letter from Marshall Foreman. 

Monday, June 25
 

*U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (Democrat, California) is supporting an idea recommended by two of her colleagues who are running for President in their respective parties, Sen. Joseph Biden (Democrat, Delaware) and Senator Sam Brownback (Republican, Kansas) to divide Iraq into three regions: Sunni, Shiite, and Kurd with Baghdad as a federal capital.  However, Sen. Carl Levin (Democrat, Michigan) said such decisions should be up to the Iraqis themselves, not to the United States.

*Gossip columnist and millionaire socialite Claudia Cohen has died of cancer at age 56. Margalit Fox of the New York Times News Service wrote the obituary appearing in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Democrat, California), appearing on Fox News Sunday, suggested that if Vice President Dick Cheney doesn't consider his office part of the executive branch for purposes of maintaining archives, perhaps Congress shouldn't fund his office's operations.  The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Five members of the United Nations peace keeping force that has patrolled the border between Israel and Lebanon in the wake of the Second Lebanon war were killed by what apparently was a car bomb. No group immediately took responsibility.  The New York Times News Service story by Nada Bakri is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Evan Almighty, a comedy loosely based on the biblical tale of Noah, was number one at the Box Office, but it didn't perform as strongly as the movie to which it is a sequel, Bruce Almighty. The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

Tuesday, June 26

 

*Diego Rotman and Lea Mauas hope solid matter can imitate art.  They have made a drawing of the wall separating Israel and the Palestine Authority on old fax paper that fades over time.  They hope the wall will too.  Their art, on display at the Israeli Center for
Digital Art in Holon, Israel, is included in a feature by Tracy Wilkinson that appears in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit says on a tape that his health is deteriorating in Hamas captivity.  Released on the anniversary of his abduction, the tape was seen by some as an effort by Hamas to upstage the Sharm el Sheikh summit on Monday that brought together Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, with Palestine Authority's President Mahmoud Abbas, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarek and Jordan's King Abdullah II.  The story utilizing various wire services was in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman is fighting a recommendation of a 30-year prison sentence on conviction on a number of bribery and obsruction of justice charges he says were engineered by White House political advisor Karl Rove and the Justice Department.  Siegelman is himself Catholic, but his wife Lori Siegelman and children are both Jewish. The story by Tom Hamburger and David G. Savage is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Critics who believe he is too pro-development circulated recall petitions against Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss, according to one story in the Los Angeles Times.  Another story by Richard Winton suggests Weiss is wooing Hollywood Hills residents by arranging for the city to post no-parking signs around the home of Paris Hilton, and to thereby discourage photographers from stalking the neighborhood.  

*Newly designated World Bank President Robert Zoellick went on a two-week tour of Africa, Europe and Latin America to get ready for his new position.  The Associated Press story by Jeannine Aversa is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

Wednesday, June 27

*U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (Democrat, Oregon) is on the fence on the Immigration Bill, saying "This is going to give new meaning to the notion of close call."  His quote, along with those of other senators, is in a Washington Post story by William Branigin and Jonathan Weisman in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

Friday, June 29

*The procedural vote in the Senate on the Immigration Bill, which led to its sidelining, divided the 13 Jewish members: 11 in favor of proceeding, and 2 voting with the majority to block the legislation.  In favor of proceeding were Democrats Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, both of California; Russell Feingold and Herb Kohl, both of Wisconsin; Frank Lauterberg of New Jersey; Charles Schumer of New York and Ron Wyden of Oregon; Republican Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and Indendent Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut.  Voting to stop the bill's progress were Republican Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota and Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

*Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the dissent in 5-4 Supreme Court decision that sided against the Louisville and Seattle school districts for utilizing race as a factor in determining school assignments. Breyer said unless race is taken into account, nothing can be done to reverse the situation in which 2.4 million students in 2002 attended schools with less than 1 percent white students. His opinion was concurred in by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg  An editorial is in today's Los Angeles Times took issue with the majority opinion written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.  In another decision, Breyer and Ginsburg were part of a 5-4 majority decision written by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy saying that Texas could not execute a severely mentally disabled man for murder because the inmate could not understand the reasons. The story by Henry Weinstein is in today's Los Angeles Times. The two Jewish justices were in the minority in another 5-4 decision in which the court said manufacturers may set minimum prices for their products to be sold retail.  The story by David G. Savage and Daniel Yi is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*An effort by U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Democrat, Illinois) to eliminate Vice President Dick Cheney's budget, in response to Cheney's assertion that his office is not part of the executive branch, died in the House of Representatives on a 217-209 vote against the idea. The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune. 

*Avigdor Feldman, an attorney for Israel's former president Moshe Katsav said he believed Katsav could have been acquitted of rape charges, but would have gone through "hell" first. It was easier to have him plead guilty to one charge of touching a woman's leg and another of hugging a woman, both without permission, rather than to let the case go to trial.  The New York Times News Service story that led to the plea bargain and Katsav's resignation as president is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*The suggestion by Don Harrison, publisher of the San Diego Jewish World, that the City of San Diego consider the economic impact of nominating historic properties for tax reductions, has drawn some negative comment from readers of the Voice of San Diego where the interview appeared.  Ron May called Harrison's commentary "a cheap shot."

*I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, hasn't started his 30-month prison sentence yet, but he has been assigned a prisoner number.  It is No. 28301-016, according to an Associated Press brief in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Britain's new Prime Minister Gordon Brown has appointed David Miiband, described as the son of "leftist Jewish academics" as Foreign Minister.  Miliband's wife is an American.  The Associated Press story is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Comedian Don Rickles says that just like his father, whom he calls a "Jewish General Patton," he cannot tell a joke.  His famous insults are ad libs, no matter how many times he recycles them.  The story by Arthur Spiegelman of Reuters is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*The Associated Press has reported that opera star Beverly Sills is gravely ill with lung cancer. The story is in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

*In the controversy over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (Republican, Pennsylvania) suggests it would be better to compromise with the White House and have unrecorded conversations with White House aides than to have a court fight which lawyers could delay interminably. Margaret Talev and William Douglas of the MCT News Service have the story in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*Defense witness Philip DiMaio, a pathologist, said shooting victim Lana Clarkson could more easily have shot record producer Phil Spector than vice versa.  He contended that her death was the result of suicide, not murder.  The Associated Press story by Linda Deutsch is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

*UCLA Prof. Steven L. Spiegel believes Israel should strengthen Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' hand by releasing Marwan Barghouti, whom he describes as being in jail for "indirect engagement in the killing of Israeli citizens."  His commentary is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.


Saturday, June 30
 

*Palestinian Prime Minister Salem Fayyad's decree that Muslim imams top preaching violence in the mosques was mostly observed Friday, although one Hamas affiliated clergyman, Maher Kharas, defied it in Nablus.  He railed against Israel, Palestinian moderates and the United States. An Associated Press story by Ali Daragmeh is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.  In a related Associated Press story, Farfour, the Mickey Mouse-knock off character used by Hamas to teach children to hate Israel, was taken off the air following a final episode in which the fictional character was murdered by an Israeli. 

*Teens unrelated to saxophonist Kenny G (for Gorelick)  threw an object from his bluff top house to the beach below in Malibu, hitting a 9-year-old girl in the head.  The injury required stitches.  Kenny G's wife paid for the hospital visit.  The story by Richard Winton is in today's Los Angeles Times. 

*San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender's willingness to have an independent review panel look into three deputy-involved shootings in Vista last year—and to implement most of their recommendations—won plaudits from the San Diego Union-Tribune in an editorial today.

*Joel Siegel, 63, longtime film critic for ABC's "Good Morning America," has died of colon cancer.  The obituary by Dennis McLellan is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*Sol Teichman, 79, of Los Angeles  attended the interfaith conference in Indonesia earlier this month, where he gave testimony to his experiences in the Holocaust.  But since then, he said, he's had a happy productive life in the United States.  His experiences taught him never to give up hope.  He was touched when two Muslim students asked for permission to be photographed with him.  The story by K. Connie Kang is in today's Los Angeles Times.

*U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (Democrat, California) has released 71 pages of Department of Transportation emails and memos as germane to his House Oversight and Government Operations Committee's inquiry into whether the agency had attempted to influence Congress to oppose adoption by California of tougher-than-national standards for air pollution.  The story by Erica Werner of the Associated Press is in today's San Diego Union-Tribune.

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