Obama Names Transgender Appointee

Indonesia's transgender population faces brutality, torment

(NEWSER) - Indonesia is home to 7 million transgendered people who face ongoing harassment, rape, and murder—and Barack Obama's former nanny is among their ranks. Following years of abuse, Evie, born a man, decided to leave cross-dressing behind after a friend was brutally murdered in 1985, the AP reports, in an exclusive look at her predicament and the situation in Indonesia at large. Though the lifestyle is very much in the public eye—a major talk-show host is transgendered—attacks have mounted in recent years, and the country's top Islamic organization has condemned the transgender lifestyle, the AP reports. "They must learn to accept their nature" or "accept their fate to be ridiculed and harassed," says a top cleric. More»

Obama remains far ahead on enthusiasm, but independents split

(NEWSER) - Now that Mitt Romney has finally clinched the Republican nomination, the party appears to be rallying around him, boosting his favorable numbers, according to a new Washington Post / ABC poll. Romney's favorable rating still trails President Obama's, but the 52%-41% gap is much closer than last month's 56%-35%. Independents are about evenly divided on both Obama and Romney, which for Romney is an improvement, as this is the first time since January independents have not viewed him unfavorably. More»

Planned Parenthood goes after Mitt, Mitt goes after Solyndra

(NEWSER) - Now that Mitt Romney has officially clinched the Republican presidential nomination, the fight is on. An update on the lines of attack being launched now that we know for sure it's Obama vs. Romney:

• The Planned Parenthood Action Fund is targeting Romney with one of its biggest political ad campaigns ever. A new video spot claims Romney will deny women access to birth control and cancer screenings, take away abortion rights, and not support equal pay for women. The campaign hits hard where it hurts, as Romney is already trailing President Obama among women, the New York Times notes.

United Astrology Conference panel is unanimous in prediction

(NEWSER) - A panel of renowned astrologers unanimously predicts that President Obama will be re-elected this fall—and before you scoff, the same panel also predicted his win in 2008. The presidential election prediction is the final event—and the highlight—of the United Astrology Conference, the world's largest astrology gathering that meets every four years. The conference also makes predictions related to earthquakes, lunar cycles, and the stock market, USA Today reports. More»

'New York Times' dives into president's counterterrorism approach

(NEWSER) - The New York Times is running what is undoubtedly today's biggest talker—in terms of both length and heft. The paper interviewed three dozen current and past Obama advisers in an attempt to define the president's counterterrorism approach—a topic it describes using words such as baffling, confounding, paradoxical, and inscrutable. Among the most notable talking points:

• Some 100 national security officials meet via video teleconference near weekly as part of a Pentagon-led "secret nominations process" (described as "an invention of the Obama administration") in which they review potential additions to the "kill list" of suspected terrorists.
• Nominations are communicated to Obama, who himself approves every single name added to the "kill list," after reviewing potential targets' bios. He OKs "lethal action without hand-wringing."