In the News: Jan-31

FBI: Students' 'bombs' were fireworks - 31 Jan 2008 at 3:25pm - TAMPA, Fla. -- Two Egyptian college students arrested near a South Carolina Navy weapons station last year were carrying low-grade fireworks, as they claimed, not the dangerous explosives as charged by federal prosecutors, the FBI has determined.

Bush 2009 budget to freeze many programs - 31 Jan 2008 at 3:18pm - WASHINGTON -- President Bush's 2009 budget will virtually freeze most domestic programs and seek nearly $200 billion in savings from federal health care programs, a senior administration official said Thursday.

Bush's Afghan policy raked at hearing - 31 Jan 2008 at 2:38pm - WASHINGTON -- Skeptical senators from both parties swept aside the Bush administration's optimistic defense of its strategy in Afghanistan Thursday, suggesting weariness over the campaign against the Taliban.

Group pans authoritarian rule - 31 Jan 2008 at 2:49pm - WASHINGTON -- Authoritarian rulers are violating human rights around the world and getting away with it largely because the U.S., European and other established democracies accept their claims that merely holding elections makes them democratic, Human Rights Watch said Thursday.

Bush prods Congress on eavesdropping law - 31 Jan 2008 at 1:23pm - Sternly prodding Congress, President Bush said Thursday that lawmakers are jeopardizing the nation's safety by failing to lock ...

Army suicides up as much as 20 percent - 31 Jan 2008 at 9:26am - WASHINGTON -- As many as 121 Army soldiers committed suicide in 2007, a jump of some 20 percent over the year before, officials said Thursday.

Report: Military not ready for US attack - 31 Jan 2008 at 10:01am - WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military isn't ready for a catastrophic attack on the country, and National Guard forces don't have the equipment or training they need for the job, according to a report.

Thought for the day:
At the present rate of progress, it is almost impossible to imagine any technical feat that cannot be achieved - if it can be achieved at all - within the next few hundred years. -Arthur C. Clarke (1917 - ), 1983

In the News: Jan-30

Studies fear Afghan decline to terrorist haven - 30 Jan 2008 at 2:43pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Afghanistan risks reverting to a failed state and a haven for global terrorism without new U.S. and international efforts to win the war and achieve development, two studies said on Wednesday.

Heckuva job, Bushie.

Iraq security guards getting new rules - 30 Jan 2008 at 12:52pm - WASHINGTON -- Under continued pressure to exercise greater control over private security contractors in Iraq, Bush administration officials will outline stricter rules for these armed guards during a three-hour meeting Wednesday afternoon at the Pentagon.

Attorney general, lawmakers clash on torture - 30 Jan 2008 at 1:08pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attorney General Michael Mukasey drew congressional fire on Wednesday for refusing to rule on the legality of waterboarding, and said the CIA may again seek to use the harsh interrogation method.

Study: Symptoms of GIs' brain injuries, PTSD can be confused - 30 Jan 2008 at 8:49am - Military physicians may be incorrectly attributing health problems to mild cases of traumatic brain injury when the conditions ...

Thought for the day:
Accomplishing the impossible means only that the boss will add it to your regular duties. -Doug Larson

In the News: Jan-29

Homes in foreclosure rose 79% in '07 - 29 Jan 2008 at 2:28pm - About 1.3 million homes received foreclosure-related warnings last year, up from 717,522 in 2006, a real estate tracking company said Tuesday. Many homeowners started to fall behind on mortgage payments in the last three months, setting the stage for more foreclosures this year.

Agency claims Justice Dept. blocks probe - 29 Jan 2008 at 1:39pm - WASHINGTON -- The head of a federal inquiry into the firings of eight U.S. attorneys claims the Justice Department has impeded his investigation.

Thought for the day:
Any idiot can face a crisis; it's the day-to-day living that gets you down. -Anton Chekov

In the News: Jan-28

NYC Wants to Ban Geiger Counters - January 28, @11:05AM - Ellis D. Tripp noted a village voice article about attempts in NYC to pass a law requiring permits for air monitoring devices including apparently geiger counters. I'm sure everyone will feel much safer not knowing anything.

Bush to seek $70 billion in partial 2009 war funding - 28 Jan 2008 at 10:54am - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration will next week ask Congress for $70 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other related operations for part of the 2009 fiscal year, the Pentagon said on Monday.

Insurgents kill five U.S. soldiers in Iraq - 28 Jan 2008 at 9:48am - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Five U.S. soldiers were killed when their patrol was hit by a roadside bomb and then came under small arms fire in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on Monday, the U.S. military said.

Thought for the day:
In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted. -Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)

The Good News Is...

Bush speech to have few new ideas - 25 Jan 2008 at 3:08pm - WASHINGTON -- In a bow to political reality, President Bush's final State of the Union speech will skip bold proposals in favor of ones the country has heard before, a modest approach for a White House that prides itself on big ideas.

The fewer ideas, the better, from this White House.

AG nixes special prosecutor in CIA case - 25 Jan 2008 at 12:04pm - WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Michael Mukasey said Friday he doesn't plan for a special prosecutor to investigate whether the CIA broke the law when it destroyed videotapes of terror interrogations, defying some in Congress who want an independent look at the politically charged case.

Iraq ready for "final" battle with al Qaeda: PM - 25 Jan 2008 at 8:10am - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces have begun a "decisive" final offensive against al Qaeda in Iraq to push the Sunni Islamist militants out of their last major stronghold in the north, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Friday.

Three days after the U.S. said Al-Qaida can never completely be ousted from Iraq.

Thought for the day:
You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war. -Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955), (attributed)

Sexed Up

Infamous WMD report to be made public - 23 January 2008 10:36 PM - AN EARLY draft of the government's infamous dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction must be made public, the Information Tribunal said yesterday. The publication of the document by John Williams, Foreign Office press chief, will resolve whether Whitehall spin doctors inserted the claim WMDs could be deployed by Saddam Hussein in 45 minutes to "sex up" the dossier in 2002.

In the News: Jan-23

U.S. war costs in Iraq up: report - 23 Jan 2008 at 3:23pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Iraq war may not dominate U.S. news reports as the carnage drops, but a new report underscores the financial burden of persistent combat that is helping run up the government's credit card.

EPA staff backed Calif. pollution waiver - 23 Jan 2008 at 2:14pm - WASHINGTON -- EPA officials told the agency's administrator that California had "compelling and extraordinary conditions" to justify a federal waiver allowing the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, according to excerpts of documents released Wednesday.

House fails to override health bill veto - 23 Jan 2008 at 2:00pm - WASHINGTON -- For the second time in three months, the House failed Wednesday to override President Bush's veto of a bill that would greatly increase spending on a popular children's health insurance program.

Army wants to cut war tours to 12 months - 23 Jan 2008 at 12:32pm - WASHINGTON -- The Army is considering a proposal to cut soldiers' battlefield tours from 15 months to 12 months beginning in August, an effort to reduce the stress on a force battered by more than six years at war.

Cheney wants surveillance law expanded - 23 Jan 2008 at 12:42pm - WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney prodded Congress on Wednesday to extend and broaden an expiring surveillance law, saying "fighting the war on terror is a long-term enterprise" that should not come with an expiration date.

Thought for the day:
It is a denial of justice not to stretch out a helping hand to the fallen; that is the common right of humanity. -Seneca (5 BC - 65 AD)

No Kidding

Study: False statements preceded war - 22 Jan 2008 at 10:14pm - WASHINGTON -- A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

On the Run

General says al-Qaida on the run in Iraq - 22 Jan 2008 at 11:17am - WASHINGTON -- A top U.S. military commander in Iraq said Tuesday that troops have al-Qaida on the run but will never completely be finished chasing them "because they may always come back."

Maryland Scraps Diebold Voting System - January 21, 2008 04:42:00 PM - beadfulthings writes "After eight years and some $65 million, the state of Maryland is taking its first steps to return to an accountable, paper-ballot based voting system. Governor Martin O'Malley has announced an initial outlay of $6.5 million towards the $20 million cost of an optical system which will scan and tally the votes while the paper ballots are retained as a backup. The new (or old) system is expected to be in place by 2010 — or four years before the state finishes paying off the bill for the touch-screen system."

Jose Padilla is sentenced to 17 years - 22 Jan 2008 at 12:04pm - MIAMI -- Jose Padilla, once accused of plotting with al-Qaida to blow up a radioactive "dirty bomb," was sentenced Tuesday to 17 years and four months on terrorism conspiracy charges that don't mention those initial allegations.

Court refuses to hear Enron case - 22 Jan 2008 at 11:52am - WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court dealt a blow Tuesday to Enron investors who sued major investment banks to recover money lost when the Texas energy giant collapsed amid a massive accounting fraud.

Court Rules Against Muslim Inmate - 22 Jan 2008 at 10:37am - The Supreme Court said Tuesday that a Muslim inmate cannot sue the government over the disappearance of the prisoner's copies of the Quran and a prayer rug. In a 5-4 ruling, the justices said the federal law the inmate relied on prohibits lawsuits.

US central bank slashes interest rates to 3.50 percent - 22 Jan 2008 at 9:26am - WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Federal Reserve slashed its key federal funds short-term interest rate by three quarters of a percentage point to 3.50 percent Tuesday amid sharp falls on global stock markets.

B.C. rights group releases documents alleging Afghan prison abuse - 22 Jan 2008 at 9:20am - A B.C. civil rights group says it has obtained government documents that detail reports of torture of detainees in Afghanistan after they were transferred to Afghan authorities by Canadian troops.

Bank of Canada cuts key rate by 1/4 percentage point - 22 Jan 2008 at 9:08am - The Bank of Canada on Tuesday cut its key lending rate by a quarter of a percentage point to four per cent in a bid to keep the effects of a U.S. slowdown from spilling over into Canada.

Thought for the day:
The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it always to be kept alive. -Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826)

In the News: Jan-18

Ambassador to Moscow up for State post - 18 Jan 2008 at 12:54pm - WASHINGTON -- President Bush will nominate the U.S. ambassador to Russia, William Burns, for the State Department's third-highest job and plans to put him in charge of the administration's efforts to contain Iran.

Joint Chiefs to give own troop cut view - 18 Jan 2008 at 12:53pm - SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador -- The Pentagon's top generals and admirals will make their own assessment for President Bush on whether to continue pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq in the second half of the year - independent of what Bush's commander in Baghdad recommends, the top U.S. military officer said Friday.

Lawyers ask judge to dismiss Khadr case - 18 Jan 2008 at 12:50pm - Lawyers for Canadian Omar Khadr want a U.S. military judge to dismiss his terrorism case on the grounds that he was a child soldier when he was captured in Afghanistan in 2002.

Israel flattens Hamas ministry in Gaza Strip - 18 Jan 2008 at 12:45pm - GAZA (Reuters) - Israel bombed the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza and closed border crossings with the strip on Friday, sharply escalating what it called a campaign to halt Palestinian rocket attacks.

Stocks Fall After Bush Announces Plan - 18 Jan 2008 at 12:22pm - NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street resumed its downward trek Friday as skittish investors, unable to hold on to much optimism about the economy, drew little comfort from President Bush's stimulus plan.

Chart: 473 days of no White House e-mail - 18 Jan 2008 at 12:05pm - WASHINGTON -- A White House chart indicates no e-mail was archived on 473 days for various units of the Executive Office of the President, a House committee chairman says.

Thought for the day:
In the United States, doing good has come to be, like patriotism, a favorite device of persons with something to sell. -H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)

Mixed

Bush sees need for short-term economic boost: White House - 17 Jan 2008 at 12:05pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush believes a short-term boost is needed to deal with the softening in the U.S. economy, the White House said on Thursday amid what it described as "mixed" economic data.

Task force wants brain injury studies - 17 Jan 2008 at 2:15pm - WASHINGTON -- As many as 20 percent of U.S. troops are coming home from war with signs they may have had a concussion, some of whom do not know they have symptoms that could be treated, Army officials said Thursday.

Chertoff: Longer lines coming to borders - 17 Jan 2008 at 1:55pm - WASHINGTON -- New border crossing rules to take effect at the end of the month will initially mean longer lines for those entering the country, including returning Americans, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Thursday. But he said the rules are necessary to prevent another Sept. 11-style attack.

General sees more Iraqi security forces - 17 Jan 2008 at 11:28am - WASHINGTON -- A senior military commander told a House panel on Thursday that Iraq's security forces are on track to add another 80,000 personnel by the end of the year, but it's a long way from becoming self-sufficient.

Thought for the day:
Once the game is over, the King and the pawn go back in the same box. -Italian Proverb

In the News: Jan-16

Netherlands calls in US ambassador after criticism from Gates - 16 Jan 2008 at 2:50pm - THE HAGUE (AFP) - The Dutch government has summoned the US ambassador here to explain comments from US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, who criticised NATO forces in southern Afghanistan in a report on Wednesday.

Oil dips below $90 US on inventory build - 16 Jan 2008 at 3:09pm - Oil prices slipped below $90 US a barrel in early trading Wednesday after U.S. storage figures showed a big increase in crude oil inventories over the past week.

Expert says $150 billion stimulus needed - 16 Jan 2008 at 12:55pm - WASHINGTON -- The economy has worsened to the point where Congress should pass an economic stimulus bill of up to $150 billion, former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers told lawmakers Wednesday.

Admiral: Pakistan OKs bigger U.S. role - 16 Jan 2008 at 10:47am - ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Pakistan is taking a more welcoming view of U.S. suggestions for using American troops to train and advise its own forces in the fight against anti-government extremists, the commander of U.S. forces in that region said Wednesday.

U.N. sees Iraq progress despite misgivings - 16 Jan 2008 at 10:53am - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United Nations envoy to Baghdad said on Wednesday he would present a positive picture of progress in Iraq in a report to the Security Council despite earlier having serious misgivings about reconciliation efforts.

White House reused e-mail tapes - 16 Jan 2008 at 10:07am - WASHINGTON -- The White House has acknowledged recycling its backup computer tapes of e-mail before October 2003, raising the possibility that many electronic messages - including those pertaining to the CIA leak case - have been taped over and are gone forever.

Bush exempts Navy from environmental law - 16 Jan 2008 at 9:33am - WASHINGTON -- President Bush exempted the Navy from an environmental law so it can continue using sonar in its anti-submarine warfare training off the California coast - a practice critics say is harmful to whales and other marine mammals.

New U.S. audit questions efficacy of Iran sanctions - 16 Jan 2008 at 8:45am - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The economic impact of U.S. sanctions against Iran is unclear and Iran has signed about $20 billion in energy contracts with foreign firms since 2003, said a U.S. audit report.

Thought for the day:
The most useless are those who never change through the years. -James M. Barrie (1860 - 1937)

In the News: Jan-15

GAO questions report on Iraq - 15 Jan 2008 at 3:39pm - WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration, in its last so-called Iraq "benchmark" report, used questionable financial data to assert that the Baghdad government was making progress in managing its budget, a new study says.

Military: Deaths possibly friendly fire - 15 Jan 2008 at 2:01pm - WASHINGTON -- Three Army soldiers who were gunned down during an intensive, three-hour firefight in the Salad ad Din province north of Baghdad last week, may have died from friendly fire, military officials said Tuesday.

Oversight for Iraq war contracts shifts - 15 Jan 2008 at 1:21pm - WASHINGTON -- Oversight for nearly $4 billion in Iraq war contracts has been shifted from a troubled procurement office in Kuwait to an Army organization in Illinois as part of an ongoing effort to curb waste, fraud and abuse in military purchasing.

Transit Panel Urges Gas Tax Increase - 15 Jan 2008 at 10:08am - WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal gasoline taxes should be raised up to 40 cents per gallon over five years, a special commission urged Tuesday in calling for drastic changes to fix aging bridges and roads and reduce traffic deaths.

Thought for the day:
Faith in the ability of a leader is of slight service unless it be united with faith in his justice. -George Goethals (1858 - 1928)

In the News: Jan-14

New US weapons sale for Saudis - 14 Jan 2008 at 2:58pm - WASHINGTON -- The Democratic-led Congress is unlikely to block U.S. plans to sell $123 million worth of sophisticated precision-guided bomb technology to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns from some members that the systems could be used against Israel.

60 killed in Iraq anti-Qaeda sweep - 14 Jan 2008 at 9:32am - Around 60 suspected militants were killed and 193 arrested in the first week of Operation Iron Harvest, a major sweep against Al Qaeda jihadists in four Iraqi provinces, the US military said.

Main Iraq Sunni Arab bloc says ready to return to government - 14 Jan 2008 at 7:55am - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's main Sunni Arab bloc said on Monday it was ready to return to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led administration in an effort to revive the national unity government that collapsed last year.

Thought for the day:
When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace. -Jimi Hendrix

In the News: Jan-11

Mysterious crowd suddenly stopped Bhutto's car, officer says - 11 Jan 2008 at 4:32pm - ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Two new reports on the assassination last month of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto suggest that the killing may have been an ambitious plot rather than an isolated act of violence and that the government of President Pervez Musharraf knows far more than it's admitted about the murder.

US could be in Iraq for another decade: Bush - 11 Jan 2008 at 4:04pm - US President George W Bush says US-led forces "could easily" stay in Iraq 10 years or more and he is "not really" surprised that Osama bin Laden is still at large.

Baghdad embassy's fire-fighting system is defective - 11 Jan 2008 at 3:26pm - WASHINGTON — The fire-fighting system in the massive new $740 million U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is defective, according to documents obtained by McClatchy and U.S. officials, who allege that their concerns were ignored or overruled in a rush to declare the complex completed.

81 protesters arrested at Supreme Court - 11 Jan 2008 at 3:16pm - WASHINGTON -- Eighty-one people were arrested at the Supreme Court Friday in a protest calling for the shutdown of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Bush expected to press Kuwait to lower Iraq's reparations payments - 11 Jan 2008 at 1:21pm - KUWAIT CITY — President Bush arrived in the oil-rich nation of Kuwait on Friday after two days of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials at which he pressed both to compromise to bring about a Palestinian state.

Former TSA site vulnerable to hackers - 11 Jan 2008 at 1:17pm - WASHINGTON -- Some travelers may be vulnerable to identity theft after petitioning the government a year ago to have their names removed from lists that restrict them from flying.

U.S. appeals court dismisses Guantanamo torture suit - 11 Jan 2008 at 12:09pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday that four former Guantanamo prisoners, all British citizens, have no right to sue top Pentagon officials for torture and violations of their religious rights.

US unveils new driver's license rules - 11 Jan 2008 at 11:22am - WASHINGTON -- Americans born after Dec. 1, 1964, will have to get more secure driver's licenses in the next six years under ambitious post-9/11 security rules to be unveiled Friday by federal officials.

Kucinich asks for New Hampshire recount - 11 Jan 2008 at 9:50am - The Ohio congressman, who won less than 2 percent of the vote in the New Hampshire primary, says he wants to ensure all ballots in his party's contest were counted.

Abu Ghraib Officer: Probe Was Incomplete - 11 Jan 2008 - BALTIMORE (AP) — The revelation that the Army threw out the conviction of the only officer court-martialed in the Abu Ghraib scandal renewed outrage from human rights advocates who complained that not enough military and civilian leaders were held accountable for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

Thought for the day:
Today's public figures can no longer write their own speeches or books, and there is some evidence that they can't read them either. -Gore Vidal (1925 - )

In the News: Jan-10

Diebold Voter Fraud Rumors in New Hampshire Primaries - January 10, 2008 12:24:00 PM - Westech writes "Multiple indications of vote fraud are beginning to pop up regarding the New Hampshire primary elections. Roughly 80% of New Hampshire precincts use Diebold machines, while the remaining 20% are hand counted. A Black Box Voting contributor has compiled a chart of results from hand counted precincts vs. results from machine counted precincts. In machine counted precincts, Clinton beat Obama by almost 5%. In hand counted precincts, Obama beat Clinton by over 4%, which closely matches the scientific polls that were conducted leading up to the election. Another issue is the Republican results from Sutton precinct. The final results showed Ron Paul with 0 votes in Sutton. The next day a Ron Paul supporter came forward claiming that both she and several of her family members had voted for Ron Paul in Sutton. Black Box Voting reports that after being asked about the discrepancy Sutton officials decided that Ron Paul actually received 31 votes in Sutton, but they were left off of the tally sheet due to 'human error.'"

General: Anbar ready for handover - 10 Jan 2008 at 1:16pm - WASHINGTON -- Iraq's western province of Anbar, origin of the Sunni Arab insurgency that arose in the early months of U.S. occupation, will be returned to Iraqi control in March, a senior U.S. general said Thursday.

U.S. airstrike in Iraq one of largest of the war - 10 Jan 2008 at 11:11am - U.S. bombers and jet fighters unleashed 40,000 pounds of explosives on the southern outskirts of Baghdad within 10 minutes Thursday ...

US to send 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan - 9 Jan 2008 at 8:04pm - WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is preparing to send at least 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan in April to bolster efforts to hold off another expected Taliban offensive in the spring, military officials said Wednesday.

Ex-CIA official wants immunity - 9 Jan 2008 at 7:58pm - WASHINGTON -- Attorneys for Jose Rodriguez told Congress the former CIA official won't testify about the destruction of CIA videotapes without a promise of immunity, two people close to the tapes inquiry said Wednesday.

Judge denies detainee request to probe CIA tapes - 9 Jan 2008 at 7:09pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. judge denied a request by a group of Guantanamo inmates to investigate the CIA's destruction of interrogation videotapes and said on Wednesday a Justice Department probe of the issue would be sufficient.

Military: 9 U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq in 2 days - 9 Jan 2008 at 7:22pm - Nine American soldiers were killed in the first two days of a new American drive to kill al-Qaeda in Iraq fighters holed up in districts north of the capital, the U.S. military reported Wednesday.

Thought for the day:
Many that live deserve death. And some die that deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then be not too eager to deal out death in the name of justice, fearing for your own safety. Even the wise cannot see all ends. -J. R. R. Tolkien (1892 - 1973), The Lord Of the Rings

In the News: Jan-09

Court hears Indiana voter ID case - 9 Jan 2008 at 1:16pm - WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court appeared reluctant Wednesday to strike down the nation's strictest requirement that voters show photo identification before being allowed to cast a ballot.

Panel urges less secrecy, more openness - 9 Jan 2008 at 1:18pm - WASHINGTON -- The government is lagging far behind in declassifying its secrets and the problem is getting worse as agencies create billions more electronic records containing classified information.

Thought for the day:
Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed. -Herman Melville (1819 - 1891)

In the News: Jan-08

White House told to provide e-mail info - 8 Jan 2008 at 2:47pm - WASHINGTON -- A federal magistrate ordered the White House on Tuesday to reveal whether copies of possibly millions of missing e-mails are stored on computer backup tapes.

Survey: Diplomats oppose Iraq policy - 8 Jan 2008 at 12:09pm - WASHINGTON -- Nearly half of U.S. diplomats unwilling to volunteer to work in Iraq say one reason for their refusal is they don't agree with Bush administration's policies in the country, according to a survey released Tuesday.

Congress, DOJ Investigations of CIA Could Interfere - 8 Jan 2008 at 9:22am - The opening of a formal criminal investigation into the CIA's destruction of interrogation videotapes raises uncertainty over the future of the congressional investigation into the same issue. The House Intelligence Committee plans a hear ing on Jan. 16.

Thought for the day:
A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep. -Saul Bellow (1915 - 2005)

In the News: Jan-07

Supreme Court hears debate over execution methods - 7 Jan 2008 at 3:11pm - WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court revealed sharp death-penalty differences Monday as justices weighed Kentucky's lethal-injection method for executions.

Bush defends No Child Left Behind law - 7 Jan 2008 at 2:25pm - CHICAGO -- President Bush said Monday that if Congress doesn't reauthorize the No Child Left Behind education law, he'll make as many changes as he can on his own.

Pakistan says won't let foreign troops on its soil - 7 Jan 2008 at 8:47am - ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan will not allow any country to conduct military operations on its territory, officials said on Monday, rejecting a report that said the United States was considering authorizing its forces to act in Pakistan.

Thought for the day:
There is no nonsense so arrant that it cannot be made the creed of the vast majority by adequate governmental action. -Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)

In the News: Jan-01

Legal voters thrown off rolls - 2 Jan 2008 at 8:54am - Five years after passage of a federal law to create electronic registration databases to deter voter fraud, the new technology ...

Pakistan asks for Scotland Yard to help probe Bhutto's death - 2 Jan 2008 at 10:46am - Pakistan has requested a team from Britain's Scotland Yard to help investigate the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, President Pervez Musharraf said Wednesday.

Oil prices jump 2.0 dollars on Nigeria unrest, US supply concerns - 2 Jan 2008 at 11:03am - LONDON (AFP) - Oil prices surged by more than 2.0 dollars on Wednesday, supported by unrest in crude producer Nigeria and the prospect of falling energy inventories in the United States, dealers said.

Number of slain journalists up 244% over 5 years: watchdog - 2 Jan 2008 at 12:08pm - The number of journalists killed in the field has skyrocketed by 244 per cent in the past five years, and more than half of the 86 reporters slain in 2007 fell in Iraq, according to an annual tally compiled by Reporters Without Borders.

Admissions of Iraqi refugees lagging - 2 Jan 2008 at 12:49pm - WASHINGTON -- U.S. admissions of Iraqi refugees are nose-diving despite a pledge to boost them to roughly 1,000 per month, according to State Department statistics obtained by The Associated Press.

Calif. Sues EPA Over Greenhouse Gas Rules - 2 Jan 2008 at 1:57pm - SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday for denying its first-in-the-nation greenhouse gas limits on cars, trucks and SUVs, challenging the Bush administration's conclusion that states have no business setting emission standards.

U.S. to launch criminal probe of CIA tapes - 2 Jan 2008 at 2:40pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday it will launch a criminal investigation into the CIA's destruction of videotapes depicting the harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects.

Poll: Nation Tired of Iowa-NH First - 1 Jan 2008 at 11:41am - CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- All eyes may be on Iowa and New Hampshire, but many of them are rolling.

Thought for the day:
I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity. -Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 - 1969)