Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Anniversaries:

The first atomic bomb was dropped in anger, on Hiroshima, Japan, 1945 --65 years ago today. Some quick trivia, courtesy of Harper's magazine:
   --Percentage of Americans who don't know that Hiroshima was the site of the first atomic-bomb attack: 35.
   --80-thousand people died on impact, another 20-thousand later from radiation poisoning. Today, the average warhead today contains about 25-50 times more destructive power than the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

Your tax dollars (not) at work:

The U-S Postal Service may need a bailout.
   The agency announced yesterday that despite "aggressive cost reductions," it lost $3.5 billion in the third quarter of this year. That's $1 billion more than it lost in the same quarter last year, and enough red ink that it may not be able to meet its contractual obligations.
   The agency is supposed to pay more than $5 billion into a fund for future retirees' health benefits, but that may not happen this year. The Postal Service's chief financial officer believes "fundamental changes requiring legislation and changes to contracts" are necessary to save the agency from "looming" liquidity problems.
   But Congress hasn't been cooperating in the postal service's attempts to save itself. Last month, lawmakers shot down the agency's proposal to suspend Saturday mail delivery. (Maiman)

Iraq:

A very interesting piece in London's Guardian with TARIQ AZIZ (remember him?) --one of SADDAM HUSSEIN's deputies who helped rule Iraq with an Iron fist. Aziz --who's still in prison-- talked about what would happen to Iraq if U-S troops ever completely pull out, and why his government was coy on whether it ever really had any weapons of mass destruction.
   On the current situation, he said, "(PRESIDENT OBAMA) cannot leave us like this. He is leaving Iraq to the wolves... When you make a mistake you need to correct a mistake, not leave Iraq to its death."
   And regarding the rumor that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, he added, "Partially, it was about (deterring) Iran... They had waged war on us for eight years so we Iraqis had a right to deter them. Saddam was a proud man. He had to defend the dignity of Iraq. He had to show that he was not wrong, or weak."
   Aizi added, "Iran was our biggest enemy. We had to defy them whatever the cost. Now Iran is building a weapons program. Everybody knows it and nobody is doing anything. Why?" (Pacelli)

Broadcast, cable and video news:

That MARY HART rumor going around is apparently true: she'll be leaving "Entertainment Tonight" after this season. The Hollywood Reporter says here's five million reasons why: That's the salary she was making --$5 million a year.
   Although CBS wouldn't comment, the Reporter says Mary took a 50 percent pay cut for her last year in May for one final season.
   And it appears "The "Insider's" current host, LARA SPENCER, will segue over from her show to anchor "ET" in Mary's place after she exits the show.

ROSIE O'DONNELL is coming back to daytime TV --and she'll be on Oprah Winfrey's network, OWN. Hollywood trades say Rosie will be back in 2011 with a new daytime talk show which is being described as "a fun, uplifting show with [Rosie's] playful and energetic style."
   Rosie's show won six Emmy Awards during its run on daytime TV.

Grace notes:

Thanks to those darn Internet pirates... arrrrrgh... TAYLOR SWIFT's record label was forced to release her new single 12 days before the official date. A low-quality MP3 of "Mine," showed up on the Web Wednesday, so Big Machine Records made its move. Taylor's new album, "Speak Now," is still on track for worldwide release on October 25th. (Marino)