Here is your R&D for September 24th:
Congress Punts on Taxes from the Wall Street Journal
In the midst of a very politicized environment, Democrats have abandoned plans to extend the Bush tax cuts to the middle class until after the November elections.
Teresa Lewis executed in Virginia despite protests from the Guardian
Early this morning, Virginia executed Terea Lewis for the plotting the murders of her husband and stepson in 2002. Lewis is the first woman to be executed by the state of Virginia since 1912. The execution was controversial because of Lewis’s low IQ.
Israel ‘ready to compromise’ on settlements from the Agence France Presse
With Israel’s settlement freeze set to expire shortly, the Israeli government has signaled that it would be open to compromising with the Palestinians on settlement construction. However, the Israeli government refuses to freeze all settlement construction in the West Bank.
Public Mobilization for a Nuclear-Free World from Foreign Policy in Focus
Although polls show that people across the world favor a nuclear-free world, public resistance to nuclear weapons is not as strong as the figures would suggest. This piece by Foreign Policy in Focus describes ways that governments can increase anti-nuclear sentiment.
Next of Kim from the Economist
In this article, the Economist warns that North Korea’s anticipated leadership transition could make the country more unpredictable and dangerous. Experts worry that Kim Jong-Un, the anticipated successor to his father Kim Jong-Il, is too young to influence the Korean Workers’ Party and the army and that he may just be a successor in name only.