Beyond The Hedges

9/30/10 7:00pm

National

UT shooting

University of Texas sophomore Colton Tooley fired shots with an AK-47 assault rifle outside at UT's main Austin campus Tuesday before being confronted by police officers and fleeing into the Perry-Castañeda Library, where he shot and killed himself on the sixth floor. Tooley does not seem to have taken aim at anyone while firing shots outside. The campus was put into lockdown until police made sure that there were no other gunmen, and remained closed except for essential personnel for the rest of the day.

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Source: Austin American StatesmanEmanuel possible for Chicago mayor

Rahm Emanuel is expected to step down as soon as today as White House chief of staff in order to explore the possibility of running for Chicago mayor. Mayor Richard Daley, in office since 1989, announced three weeks ago that he would not be seeking reelection. The White House has not yet announced who will replace Emanuel, though several close to the administration believe Pete Rouse will serve as White House chief of staff in the interim.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Congress out

Despite failing to reach pass legislation on issues including tax cuts, Don't Ask Don't Tell and job outsourcing, Congress voted 210-209 to adjourn until Nov. 15 after passing a measure to fund the federal government until November. Republicans said that the lack of a vote concerning the extension of the Bush tax cuts is equivalent to raising taxes, while Democrats blamed Republican filibusters for the lack of progress. Elections for all House seats, 37 Senate seats, and 38 governorships will occur this year on Nov. 2.

Source: Washington Post

International

Korea talks fail

Peace talks between North and South Korea broke down yesterday after the South Korean delegation demanded an apology for the March sinking of the Cheonan warship, which a multinational investigation indicated was the fault of a North Korean torpedo. The end of the talks comes after the appointment Monday of North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Il's youngest son, Kim Jong-Un, to the position of four-star general, and his appointment Tuesday to several other leadership positions within the country at the ruling Worker's Party conference.

Source: Daily Telegraph

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks

U.S. Middle East Envoy George Mitchell met with Palestinian officials yesterday to discuss the face-to-face talks between Israel and Palestine, which resumed in September but which the Palestinian officials said will walk away from without an extension of the Israeli West Bank settlement freeze which expired Sunday. The U.S. and Palestine are pushing for an extension of at least two months.

Source: CNN

Pakistan blames shooting on NATO

Pakistani authorities shut down one of the border crossings used by NATO supply convoys to transport materials to NATO forces in Afghanistan yesterday after claiming that NATO helicopters killed three Pakistani paramilitary troops at a border checkpoint. NATO said that the helicopters had simply retaliated after being fired on from the ground.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Moscow mayor out

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev fired Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov Tuesday, following Luzhkov's public criticism of Medvedev in an official commentary in early September. While some in Russia see the move as Medvedev asserting his authority as an individual and not merely former President and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's puppet, others say the delay indicates the necessity of Putin's approval for the move.

Source: The New York Times

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