In the News: Jul-10

Surveillance went beyond warrantless wiretapping - 10 Jul 2009 at 1:44pm - A new internal government report says President George W. Bush authorized secret intelligence activities shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that went beyond wiretapping without court orders.

Report: Bush officials snubbed wiretapping review - 10 Jul 2009 at 1:36pm - WASHINGTON -- Former Attorney General John Ashcroft and ex-CIA Director George Tenet are among the Bush administration officials who refused to be interviewed for a government report on the warrantless wiretapping program.

CIA Director terminated secret program - 10 Jul 2009 at 11:22am - WASHINGTON -- CIA Director Leon Panetta has terminated a "very serious" covert program the spy agency kept secret from Congress for eight years, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a House Intelligence subcommittee chairwoman, said Friday.

Full CIA investigation called for on Capitol Hill - 10 Jul 2009 at 9:50am - WASHINGTON -- The chairwoman of a House Intelligence panel says it's imperative that lawmakers launch an immediate investigation on the CIA's admission that it misled Congress multiple times over the last eight years.

Thought for the day:
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. -Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826)

In the News: Jul-09

U.S. military releases 4 Iranians it held for 2 years in Iraq - 9 Jul 2009 at 12:36pm - BAGHDAD — U.S. military authorities Thursday released four Iranian diplomats it had held prisoner for the past two years as anti-government insurgents staged mass bombings for a second consecutive day, killing dozens and wounding hundreds.

Groups say states violating voter registration law - 9 Jul 2009 at 9:58am - WASHINGTON -- States across the country are violating part of the federal "motor voter" law requiring voter registration help for low-income residents, according to a coalition of advocacy groups trying to force change through the courts.

U.S. troops badly damaged ancient Babylon - 9 Jul 2009 at 9:19am - Experts for UNESCO say considerable damage was inflicted by the U.S. military in Iraq to one of the world's most important archaeological ...

House Intel Chair: CIA has misled us for years - 9 Jul 2009 at 7:41am - WASHINGTON -- Democrats are accusing senior CIA officials of repeatedly misleading Congress, but Republicans say the allegations are just political maneuvering to protect House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Thought for the day:
A hundred years ago, the electric telegraph made possible - indeed, inevitable - the United States of America. The communications satellite will make equally inevitable a United Nations of Earth; let us hope that the transition period will not be equally bloody. -Arthur C. Clarke (1917 - ), First on the Moon, 1970

In the News: Jul-08

Torture 'outsourced' to Pakistan, British MP charges - 8 Jul 2009 at 1:27pm - The British government outsourced the torture of a British terrorism suspect to Pakistan, an opposition politician alleges.

Mass. sues feds over definition of marriage - 8 Jul 2009 at 12:16pm - BOSTON -- Massachusetts, the first state to legalize gay marriage, sued the U.S. government Wednesday over a federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Israeli report: U.S. and Israel strike settlement deal - 8 Jul 2009 at 9:32am - JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli newspaper said on Wednesday Israel had won agreement from the United States for the continued construction of 2,500 housing units in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, despite U.S. calls for a freeze.

Thought for the day:
The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition. -Carl Sagan (1934 - 1996)

In the News: Jul-07

Troops' kids seek mental help - 7 Jul 2009 at 1:58pm - WASHINGTON -- Children with parents in the military sought outpatient mental health care 2 million times last year, double the number at the start of the Iraq war. Pentagon documents also show an alarming spike in the number of military children hospitalized for mental health reasons.

Former Gitmo prisoner says abuse photos exist - 7 Jul 2009 at 1:44pm - WASHINGTON -- A former Guantanamo Bay prisoner says the United States has photographs of him being beaten during his detention and has asked a judge to preserve the evidence.

NY baseball fan settles 'God Bless America' suit - 7 Jul 2009 at 11:57am - NEW YORK -- A baseball fan who says he was kicked out of a Yankees game because he left his seat during "God Bless America" has settled a lawsuit against New York City and the team.

Officials: Fate of Guantanamo detainees uncertain - 7 Jul 2009 at 11:56am - WASHINGTON -- Obama administration lawyers acknowledged Tuesday they are uncertain how they will prosecute and deal with more than 200 detainees being held in the Guantanamo Bay prison.

Report criticizes police handling of G-20 protests - 7 Jul 2009 at 6:56am - A report into how British police handled April protests against the G-20 summit in London said Tuesday the force's tactics were inadequate and should be reviewed. The report by a government-backed watchdog said police had focused too much on tackling violence and not enough on allowing peaceful protest.

Kyrgyzstan approves new U.S. air base agreement - 7 Jul 2009 at 5:49am - BISHKEK (Reuters) - Kyrgyzstan has signed an agreement allowing the United States to continue using a key air base serving U.S. aircraft in operations in Afghanistan, according to a presidential spokesman.

Thought for the day:
Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists of choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable. -J. K. Galbraith