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Monday, April 18, 2011
The Morning Scoop - Is Greg Mortenson's 'Three Cups of Tea' a Fraud?
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A bombshell 60 Minutes report has left Mortenson's famous memoir, Three Cups of Tea— a 2006 bestseller describing his humanitarian work in Afghanistan and Pakistan—in tatters. "It's a beautiful story, and it's a lie," best-selling author Jon Krakauer told CBS. Lloyd Grove and Mike Giglio report on the fallout, and the disappointment the scandal has caused from the U.S. to Afghanistan.
Don't let the rich complain about their taxes: The 400 richest taxpayers in the country—average income $345 million—pay about 17 percent of their income in taxes on Monday, down from 26 percent in 1992. Over the same period, the average taxpayer's federal income tax rate has declined less than one percent. Still, 45 percent of households will pay no income tax at all.
A string of tornadoes tore across the southern United States over the weekend, leaving a trail of destruction. The storms started in Oklahoma Thursday and then moved east through Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Virginia. Its effects could even be felt in the New York City area on Saturday night as heavy rains pounded the Northeast. April and May are typically the worst time for tornadoes in the South, though this storm was unusual for its size and duration, and that it originated in the Pacific Ocean. The storm killed at least 43 people, 22 in North Carolina alone, and injured hundreds of others. However, meteorologists say 2008's "Super Tuesday," when a string of tornadoes killed 56 people, was worse than this storm system. Still, four Southern states had declared a state of emergency on Sunday, and 12 teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were expected to arrive in North Carolina by Monday.
Don't expect a no-fly zone in Syria, but the U.S. government is still quietly aiding the opposition there: According to previously undisclosed WikiLeaks cables, the State Department has secretly funded Syrian opposition groups, including a satellite TV channel that broadcasts anti-government coverage in the country. President Bush began the funding in 2005, and it has continued under President Obama. At least five people were killed in the latest Syrian protests.
At last, the robots are in action: A robot has entered the No. 1 and 3 reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. According to its readings, radiation levels are still too high for human workers, who have not entered the reactors since the March 11 tsunami. On Sunday, the Tokyo Electric Power Company laid out a plan to bring the reactors under control in six months. The first part of the plan will involve building new cooling systems, which will take three months to complete.
Obama and Republicans agree: The tax code is broken. Let's start fixing it with a new top rate that applies to actual millionaires instead of middle-class working families.
How Libya Saps America's Power by Leslie H. Gelb Mighty NATO rains down bombs and bullets on Gaddafi's puny forces, but can't score a knockout. Leslie H. Gelb on the costs to American clout and credibility, and what can be done.
Kathleen Turner's New Broadway 'High' by Kevin Sessums The critical darling is back with a daring play about meth and gay sex. She tells Kevin Sessums about her own struggles with substance abuse and why she never thought she was sexy.
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