In the News - Feb. 16

Vice president says he has power to declassify information - 16 Feb 2006 at 6:21am - Vice President Dick Cheney said Wednesday that an executive order gives him the authority to declassify secret documents, but he would not say whether he authorized an indicted former aide to release classified information.


Abu Ghraib abuse against international law: ICRC - 16 Feb 2006 at 6:20am - GENEVA (Reuters) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday the latest images of abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison showed clear violations of international humanitarian law.


US must shut Guantanamo prison, UN report says - 16 Feb 2006 at 6:20am - The United States must shut down its detention centre at Guantanamo Bay "without further delay", a UN human rights report has said, urging Washington to try or release more than 500 terrorism suspects held at its naval base on Cuba.


Justice Dept. Role in Eavesdropping Decision Under Review - 16 Feb 2006 at 12:00am - The Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility has opened an internal investigation into the department's role in approving the Bush administration's warrantless domestic eavesdropping program, officials said yesterday.


Iraqis say Saddam could exploit Abu Ghraib images - 16 Feb 2006 at 7:58am - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein could seize on new images of abuse at Abu Ghraib prison to attack his U.S.-sponsored trial, which is intended to show that the days of such excesses are over, Iraqis said on Thursday.


The Secret Tapes -- Inside Saddam's Palace - 16 Feb 2006 at 7:25am - ABC News Obtains 12 Hours of Recordings of Saddam Hussein Meeting With Top Aides


New Abu Ghraib images disgust Iraq - 16 Feb 2006 at 7:17am - BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraqis have expressed outrage after new revelations of prisoner abuse at Baghdad's notorious Abu Ghraib prison, warning the images would further inflame already intense anti-Western sentiment.


31 Democrats ask Gonzales to step aside - 16 Feb 2006 at 10:06am - WASHINGTON -- Thirty-one Senate Democrats on Thursday asked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to remove himself from the investigation into the Jack Abramoff scandal, saying the lobbyist's dealings with President Bush and others in the administration should compel Gonzales to step aside.


Chertoff acknowledges lapses in response - 16 Feb 2006 at 9:20am - WASHINGTON -- Calling Hurricane Katrina "one of the most difficult and traumatic experiences of my life," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says he is fixing failures in his department before next storm season.


Iraq probes police 'death squad' - 16 Feb 2006 at 8:59am - BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraq's interior ministry said it has set up a commission of enquiry to probe reports of a "death squad" within the police force which targeted the Sunni minority.


Iraq seethes after new prisoner abuse footage - 16 Feb 2006 at 10:59am - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - New images of abuse at Abu Ghraib prison prompted Iraq's president to condemn his close ally the United States on Thursday, demanding harsh punishment for "savage crimes" as Iraqis seethed over more humiliation.


Judge orders release of spying documents - 16 Feb 2006 at 12:36pm - WASHINGTON -- A federal judge dealt a setback to the Bush administration on its warrantless surveillance, ordering the Justice Department on Thursday to release documents about the program within 20 days or to compile a list of what it is withholding.


US slams UN over Guantanamo report - 16 Feb 2006 at 2:33pm - The White House blasted a United Nations (UN) report alleging abuse at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre and calling for closing the facility as "a discredit to the UN."


Sen.: White House agrees to spy law change - 16 Feb 2006 at 3:23pm - WASHINGTON -- Senate Intelligence Chairman Pat Roberts said he has worked out an agreement with the White House to change U.S. law regarding the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance program and provide more information about it to Congress.