In the News: Jul-17

John McCain: "Every parent should know where their children are on the internet."

So, parents should know their kids' email addresses? How about their urls?

Census won't recognize gay marriages in 2010 count - 17 Jul 2008 at 3:02pm - WASHINGTON -- Same-sex marriage is legal in two states, but not a single one will show up in the 2010 census.

GIs getting more bomb protection in Afghanistan - 17 Jul 2008 at 2:25pm - WASHINGTON -- The Defense Department says it will send close to 800 more bomb-resistant vehicles to Afghanistan where a resurgent Taliban has military leaders developing plans to send thousands of U.S. troop reinforcements.

Terror exercise contract reviewed for ethics issue - 17 Jul 2008 at 2:19pm - WASHINGTON -- Federal officials are investigating whether millions of dollars are being steered improperly toward a government contractor to run the country's largest counterterrorism exercise.

White House threatens to veto oil drilling legislation - 17 Jul 2008 at 2:14pm - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday threatened to veto legislation being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives that would force oil companies to give up undrilled federal leases and ban the export of crude drilled in Alaska.

US judge OKs first Guantanamo Bay detainee trial - 17 Jul 2008 at 1:06pm - WASHINGTON -- The first war crimes trial at Guantanamo Bay can begin Monday, a federal judge has ruled, saying civilian courts should let the military process play out as Congress intended.

Ashcroft: 'Not hard' to reject interrogation memos - 17 Jul 2008 at 12:52pm - WASHINGTON -- Former Attorney General John Ashcroft said Thursday "it was not a hard decision" to withdraw Justice Department legal opinions that approved the use of harsh interrogation methods which critics say amount to torture. Ashcroft, testifying in front of the House Judiciary Committee, said he did not necessarily disagree with the conclusions of the two memos that were written in 2002 and 2003 but later rescinded. But he said the legal reasoning behind both memos was flawed and needed to be corrected.

Bush warned he might send U.S. troops to Darfur: Wade - 17 Jul 2008 at 12:25pm - DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegal's president said on Thursday George W. Bush told African leaders at one stage the United States might send troops to Sudan's Darfur if they did not act to halt what he saw as genocide there.

Dems try to spur oil exploration on available land - 17 Jul 2008 at 10:42am - WASHINGTON -- Seeking to blunt GOP efforts to permit oil exploration off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, House Democrats are pushing legislation they say would spur drilling on already available lands in Alaska, the West and the western Gulf of Mexico.

Gore sets energy goal for next president to heed - 17 Jul 2008 at 10:54am - WASHINGTON -- Just as John F. Kennedy set his sights on the moon, Al Gore is challenging the nation to produce every kilowatt of electricity through wind, sun and other Earth-friendly energy sources within 10 years, an audacious goal he hopes the next president will embrace.

Iraqis divided by U.S. troop timetable call - 17 Jul 2008 at 10:00am - BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqis want the U.S. military presence to end. But when that occurs -- and whether a timetable should be set for troops to leave -- is something ordinary Iraqis, security officials and politicians cannot agree on.

Pakistan disputes U.S. air strike due to database gap - 17 Jul 2008 at 10:02am - ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The Pakistan military rejected on Thursday U.S. media reports that an American air strike which killed 11 Pakistani soldiers happened because the U.S. military did not know their post on the Afghan border was there.

U.S.-led forces confirm killing Afghan civilians - 17 Jul 2008 at 6:28am - KABUL (Reuters) - U.S.-led coalition troops have killed eight Afghan civilians in an air strike in the western province of Farah during a raid against suspected militants, the U.S. military said.

Thought for the day:
Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right. -H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)