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News -01-03-06 Abramoff Agrees to Cooperate in Corruption Probe (Bloomberg.com) " 'When this is all over, this will be bigger than any (government scandal) in the last 50 years, both in the amount of people involved and the breadth to it,' said Stan Brand, a former U.S. House counsel who specializes in representing public officials accused of wrongdoing. 'It will include high-ranking members of Congress and executive branch officials.' " 01-06 -01-03-06 Abramoff Agrees to Cooperate in Corruption Probe (Christian Science Monitor) "Super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff's guilty plea Tuesday to three felony counts sets the stage for the biggest congressional scandal perhaps in decades, certainly since the Republicans took over Congress 10 years ago, pledging clean government." 01-06 -01-05-06 Robertson: Sharon's Stroke Is God's Wrath (MSNBC News) "Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson suggested Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s stroke was divine punishment for 'dividing God’s land.' " According to Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, Robertson's remarks "are un-Christian and a perversion of religion. Unlike Robertson, we don’t see God as cruel and vengeful." 01-06 -01-05-06 Whistle-Blower to Testify on Alleged Illegal Activity of Bush Administration (ABC News) "A former official at the supersecret National Security Agency is reportedly prepared to tell Congress what really went on in the domestic-spying program that was revealed last month." "The Washington Times reported today that Russ Tice, who was fired from the NSA last year, has written and told House and Senate intelligence committees that he knows the government undertook electronic surveillance without obtaining permission from a special secret court." 01-06 -01-06-06 Economist: Cost of War Over $1 Trillion (Guardian Unlimited) "The real cost to the US of the Iraq war is likely to be between $1 trillion and $2 trillion (£1.1 trillion), up to 10 times more than previously thought, according to a report written by a Nobel prize-winning economist and a Harvard budget expert." "The study, which expanded on traditional estimates by including such costs as lifetime disability and healthcare for troops injured in the conflict as well as the impact on the American economy, concluded that the US government is continuing to underestimate the cost of the war." 01-06 -01-07-06 Majority Want Bush Administration to Obey Law on Spying (ABC News) "A majority of Americans want the Bush administration to get court approval before eavesdropping on people inside the United States, even if those calls might involve suspected terrorists, an AP-Ipsos poll shows." 01-06 -01-08-06 DeLay Will Not Seek Return to Leadership Role (MSNBC News) "Rep. Tom DeLay, the defiant face of a conservative revolution in Congress, stepped down as House majority leader on Saturday under pressure from Republicans staggered by an election-year corruption scandal." 01-06 -01-08-06 Doctors: Sharon Fighting Back (USA Today) "Advisers said Sunday that Ariel Sharon was waging a fierce comeback from a life-threatening stroke. Doctors planned to start easing the Israeli leader out of a medically induced coma Monday." 01-06 -01-08-06 Harris: Biggest Corruption Crisis for Decades Looms (Guardian Unlimited) "The fall of Jack Abramoff threatens to provoke America's biggest corruption crisis for decades. It also reveals how money greases the political wheels." "There are believed to be more than 30,000 lobbyists in Washington, outnumbering elected federal politicians by almost 60 to one. The money they deal in tops $2bn a year. Such numbers shock many on both sides of the party divide. The US constitution is often praised for its checks and balances between the president, Congress and the Supreme Court. But where money equals power, no one predicted the unofficial fourth branch of US government: K Street." "Drug-makers are the biggest lobbyers, spending $681m in the six years up to 2004 to woo officials. They employ 3,000 lobbyists. The investment paid off in 2003 with the passing of a bill to provide taxpayer-funded drug prescriptions for the elderly. Many critics lambasted it as a giveaway to Big Pharma. One study predicted drug firms would reap $139bn in extra profits from the legislation." 01-06 -01-08-06 Union: Policeman Dies from Ground Zero Air (CBS News) "A retired, 34-year-old city police officer who spent hundreds of hours searching for Sept. 11 victims at ground zero has died of respiratory disease that union officials believe is related to the cleanup." 01-06 -01-09-06 ACLU Opposes Alito Confirmation (ACLU.org) "The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that it will oppose the nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the United States Supreme Court." " 'At a time when our president has claimed unprecedented authority to spy on Americans and jail terrorism suspects indefinitely, America needs a Supreme Court justice who will uphold our precious civil liberties,' said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. 'Unfortunately, Judge Alito's record shows a willingness to support government actions that abridge individual freedoms.' " "Throughout his career, Judge Alito has promoted an expansive view of executive authority and a limited view of the judicial role in curbing abuses of that authority. Two years ago, Justice O'Connor eloquently expressed what is at stake in these critical times when she wrote: 'A state of war is not a blank check for the president when it comes to the rights of the nation's citizens.' " 01-06 -01-10-06 Bush Administration Opposes Protection of Cultural Diversity (USA Today) "Delegates at the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Monday began debating a convention to protect 'cultural diversity' which is expected to be approved by the body's General Assembly on Thursday despite opposition from the United States." "Supporters of the convention say that once ratified it would have legal weight in negotiations at the World Trade Organisation over such issues as cinema, publishing and the Internet." 01-06 -01-10-06 Health Care Costs Doubled from 1993 - 2004 (PBS.org) "The overall cost of health care doubled between 1993 and 2004, and in 2004, health care spending topped $1.9 trillion or 16 percent of the nation's economic output -- the largest share on record, according to a report released Monday by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services." 01-06 -01-10-06 Legal Scholars: President's Domestic Spying Illegal (MSNBC News) "The 13 experts said it is 'beyond dispute that, in (our) democracy, the president cannot simply violate criminal laws behind closed doors because he deems them obsolete or impracticable.' " 01-06 -01-11-06 Senate Partisan Lines Stiffen over Alito Candidacy (Bloomberg.com) "Party lines in the U.S. Senate hardened over the Supreme Court nomination of Samuel A. Alito Jr. as Democrats accused him of evasiveness and contradictory testimony on presidential power, abortion and his membership in a Princeton University alumni group." 01-06 -01-11-06 Troops to Get Body Armor (MSNBC News) "Most torso wounds that killed Marines in Iraq might have been prevented or minimized by improved body armor, a Pentagon study found." "The unreleased study last summer by the Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner looked at 93 fatal wounds from the start of the war in March 2003 through June 2005. It concluded that 74 were bullet or shrapnel wounds to shoulders or areas of the torso not protected by ceramic armor plating." 01-06 -01-11-06 Troops to Get Body Armor (MSNBC News) "The Army plans to send thousands of ceramic body armor plates to Iraq this year to better protect soldiers while the Marine Corps already is delivering such gear, military officers said Wednesday." "A Pentagon study done last summer but only disclosed recently found that improved armor may have prevented or minimized torso wounds that proved fatal to Marines in Iraq." 01-06 -01-12-06 Body Armor Debate (ABC News) "The Pentagon is pushing back hard against allegations soldiers' lives have been lost in Iraq because they were not issued adequate body armor." "The Pentagon has been under heavy political fire in the wake of recent reports concerning a secret study that found that up to 80 percent of Marines who died in Iraq from upper body wounds could have survived if they had body armor to protect their sides and shoulders. The study prompted outrage from Democrats on Capitol Hill, including from Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., who attributed the problem to the Bush administration's 'incompetence.' " 01-06 -01-12-06 Body Armor Debate (PBS News) Compares current body armor with body armor available from Pinnacle Armor. The Pinnacle Armor product was claimed to cover a larger percent of the torso and to hold up better from multiple shots. The Pinnacle Armor is made from titanium plates and the military armor is made from ceramic plates. 01-06 -01-12-06 Robertson Apologizes for Statement About Sharon (CBS News) "Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson has sent a letter apologizing for suggesting that Ariel Sharon's massive stroke was divine punishment for pulling Israel out of the Gaza Strip." "Robertson's comments drew widespread condemnation from other Christian leaders, President Bush and Israeli officials, who canceled plans to include the American evangelist in the construction of a Christian tourist center in northern Israel." " 'My concern for the future safety of your nation led me to make remarks which I can now view in retrospect as inappropriate and insensitive in light of a national grief experienced because of your father's illness,' the letter said." 01-06 -01-13-06 Humvee Armor Debate (USA Today) "Soldiers exposed to Iraq's increasingly lethal roadside bombs, which can rip through armored Humvees, are drawing on wartime experience and stateside expertise to protect their vehicles with stronger armor and thermal detection cameras." 01-06 -01-15-05 Murtha: Exit Strategy from Iraq (CBS News) "The vast majority of American troops will be out of Iraq by the end of this year. Who says so? Congressman John Murtha says so, and he explains his plan to make that happen to correspondent Mike Wallace." "Asked who these insurgents are, Murtha says they are Iraqis. 'Ninety-three percent of the insurgents are Iraqis. A very small percentage are foreign fighters. The Iraqis know who they are. Once we’re out of there, they’ll eliminate ‘em,' he says." " 'Iraq is not where the center of terrorism is. So when he [President Bush] says we’re fighting terrorism over there, we’re inciting terrorism over there. We’re encouraging terror. We’re destabilizing the area by being over there ‘cause we’re the targets.' " 01-06 -01-16-06 Gore: Bush May Have Committed an Impeachable Offense (ABC News) "Asked by ABC News following his speech whether President Bush's domestic spying program constituted an impeachable offense, Gore said it might be and pointed to one of the three Articles of Impeachment that the House Judiciary Committee approved against President Nixon on July 27, 1974." " 'That's a legal determination for the Congress to make,' Gore told ABC News. 'But Article II of the impeachment charges against President Nixon was warrantless wiretapping that the President said was "necessary" for national security.' "" " 'It can be' an impeachable offense, he added.' " 01-06 -01-16-06 Gore: Bush Repeatedly and Persistently Broke the Law (MSNBC News) "Former Vice President Al Gore asserted Monday that President Bush 'repeatedly and persistently' broke the law by eavesdropping on Americans without a court warrant and called for a federal investigation of the practice." "Gore, also a former member of the Senate from Tennessee, proposed that a special counsel be appointed by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to investigate whether there have been violations of the law." The full text of Gore's speech is available here. 01-06 -01-19-06 Ex-EPA Directors Blast Bush on the Environment (MSNBC News) "Six former heads of the Environmental Protection Agency — five Republicans and one Democrat — accused the Bush administration Wednesday of neglecting global warming and other environmental problems." 01-06 -01-19-06 Leahy Opposes Alito for Weakening "Check and Balance" (ABC News) " 'At a time when the president is seizing unprecedented power, the Supreme Court needs to act as a check and to provide balance,' Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a speech at Georgetown University's law school. 'Based on the hearing and his record, I have no confidence that Judge Alito would provide that check and balance.' " 01-06 -01-19-06 Political Corruption Widespread (ABC News) "Judges, state senators, local government clerks and government employees at every level are being charged." 01-06 -01-20-06 Google Resists Government Demand for Data (BBC News) "The internet search engine Google is resisting efforts by the US Department of Justice to force it to hand over data about what people are looking for." "Google has also said that providing the data would make its users think it was willing to reveal personal information about them, as well as giving competitors access to trade secrets." 01-06 -01-20-06 President Bush Leads Defense of Domestic Spying Program (ABC News) "The Bush administration is opening a campaign to push back against criticism of its domestic spying program, ahead of congressional hearings into whether President Bush has the legal authority to eavesdrop on Americans." " 'The executive power of our country is not an imperial power,' Caroline Fredrickson, the director of the ACLU legislative office in Washington, told Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee." "The ACLU filed suit against the NSA [National Security Agency] on Jan. 17 on behalf of journalists, nonprofit groups, terrorism experts and community advocates. The suit alleges that the NSA program violates the First and Fourth amendments and the separation of power." 01-06 -01-20-06 Senator Wyden Comes Out Against Alito (Bend.com) " 'I met with Judge Alito on Wednesday and found him to be very amiable and of the highest intellect. We discussed a variety of issues, including the scope of executive power, the recent NSA wiretapping revelations, the role of legal precedent, end of life care, and the constitutionality of presidential signing statements. Since that meeting, my staff and I have reviewed his responses in the context of his ample record on the federal bench and in the Executive Branch. It is my conclusion that Judge Alito’s record portends a view on the power of the President that would undermine our proven and constitutionally-mandated system of checks and balances.' " 01-06 -01-20-06 Shiites Win, But Must Share Power (ABC News) "An alliance of Shiite religious parties won the most seats in Iraq's new parliament but not enough to rule without coalition partners, the election commission said Friday. Sunni Arabs gained seats over previous balloting." 01-06 -01-22-06 Legislation to Make Mines Safer (CNN News) "In death, 14 West Virginia coal miners have achieved something that just a month ago seemed an unlikely goal: Labor, industry and lawmakers are united in demanding that a dangerous subterranean occupation be made safer." 01-06 -01-22-06 Pakistan Prime Minister: CIA Report "Bizarre" (CNN News) "Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Sunday ridiculed as 'bizarre' a U.S. report that senior al Qaeda leaders were killed in a CIA attack on a home along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border." 01-06 -01-23-06 Bush Claims Spying Without a Warrant Is Legal (ABC News) "President Bush mounted a forceful defense today of his administration's controversial domestic wiretapping program, saying it was both legal and a necessary component of the war on terror." Some top Democrats, including former vice president and presidential candidate Al Gore, have said that President Bush is breaking the law by monitoring domestic phone calls without a warrant." "But since the program has come to light, even some Republicans have expressed doubt about its legality. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said that the president should have approached Congress about his plans and that he most likely would have gotten approval. Not consulting with the legislative branch is overzealous on the part of the executive branch, he said." "Adding to the administration's headaches, Time magazine recently said it had five pictures of the president with embattled lobbyist Jack Abramoff, even though the president said that he did not know him." 01-06 -01-23-06 Study: Day Laborers Involved in their Communities (ABC News) "The authors said they were surprised by the level of community involvement among men often thought of as transients." 01-06 -01-24-06 Alito Clears Committee (Bloomberg.com) "The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, voting 10-8 along party lines, cleared the way for the full Senate to consider confirming Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr. to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor." " 'This is a nomination that I fear threatens the fundamental rights and liberties of all Americans now and in generations to come,' said Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the Judiciary Committee's ranking Democrat. Leahy, who voted for Roberts, accused President George W. Bush, in selecting Alito, of reneging on his campaign promise to be 'a uniter and not a divider.' " " Republicans say Alito has shown himself to be an even- handed jurist without a political agenda during his 15 years as a federal appeals court judge." 01-06 -01-25-06 Alito Debate Focuses on Presidential Authority (LATimes.com) "In Senate discussions on the nominee, Bush's spy program and the Patriot Act are top issues." " 'The reason presidential power issues have come to dominate this confirmation process is that we have clearly arrived now at a crucial juncture in our nation, and on our highest court, over the question of whether a president of the United States is above the law,' said Sen. Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee." 01-06 -01-25-06 Clinton: Bush's Explanations on Spying "Strange" and "Far-Fetched" (MSNBC News) "Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton called President Bush’s explanations for eavesdropping on domestic conversations without warrants 'strange' and 'far-fetched' Wednesday in blistering criticism ahead of the president’s State of the Union address." "The Bush administration has argued that the [war] resolution gave the president authority to order such electronic surveillance as part of efforts to protect the nation from terrorists." 01-06 -01-25-06 Hamas Wins Election in Palestinian Territory (MSNBC News) "Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia resigned to clear the way for Hamas, an Islamic group that rejects peace with Israel in favor of suicide bombings and other violence, to form the next government." "Qureia, 68, tendered his resignation today to President Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, Palestinian officials, who asked not to be named, said. Ismael Hania, a Hamas leader, told Palestinian radio that initial results from yesterday's general elections showed Hamas had won more than 70 seats on the 132-member Palestinian Legislative Council, pushing the ruling Fatah Party into second place." 01-06 -01-25-06 Korean Court Rules Against U.S. Firms on Agent Orange (MSNBC News) "A South Korean court on Thursday ordered two U.S. manufacturers of the defoliant Agent Orange to pay $62 million in medical compensation to South Korean veterans of the Vietnam War and their families." 01-06 -01-25-06 U. S. Releases Iraqi Women Prisoners (MSNBC News) "The U.S. military in Iraq freed five women prisoners on Thursday, but American and Iraqi officials stressed their release was pre-planned and not linked to the case of kidnapped U.S. reporter Jill Carroll." 01-06 -01-26-06 Administration Using Anti-Terrorism Law for Political Purposes? (New York Times) "Mr. Ramadan, a Swiss citizen, has been denied a United States visa since July 2004, when he was on the verge of moving with his family to Indiana to take up a tenured professor's position at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame." "The author of some 20 books on Islamic theology and the place of Muslims in the Western world, Mr. Ramadan, 43, is an outspoken critic of the Bush administration's policies in the Middle East. He has also rejected Muslim terrorism, calling it 'anti-Islam.' Last August, he was invited by Prime Minister Tony Blair to participate in a task force to counter extremism after the London bombings in July." 01-06 -01-26-06 White House Resists Katrina Investigation (ABC News) "Lieberman is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which is conducting the investigation." " 'A lot of federal government employees who we've interviewed, they've been told by the White House that they can't answer any questions about communications they had with people at the White House,' Lieberman told ABC News. 'Now, that's stonewalling. For the administration to simply tell people in the federal government they can't talk to our investigators about any of the conversations they had with people at the White House is unacceptable.' " 01-06 -01-27-06 Al Qaeda and Taliban Resurgence (ABC News) "Al Qaeda and its former protectors — the Taliban — are in the midst of a powerful resurgence, according to accounts by local officials and information contained in new al Qaeda videotapes obtained by ABC News." "U.S. troops are not permitted inside Pakistan, and the Pakistani army is barely seen in this part of Waziristan Province." 01-06 -01-27-06 Alito Filibuster Under Consideration in Senate (CBS News) "Diehard Democratic critics of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito threatened on Thursday to block a vote on his confirmation, and Republicans countered with a move designed to force his approval by early next week." 01-06 -01-27-06 Assistive Voting Device Without Using a Computer (Vote-Pad.us) "The Voting-on-Paper Assistive Device (Vote-PAD) is an inexpensive, non-electronic, voter-assist alternative that helps most people with visual or dexterity impairments to vote independently." "The Vote-PAD can be used in any jurisdiction. It is customized to provide access to each precinct’s hand-counted or optically-scanned paper ballot. All jurisdictions must offer provisional ballots during federal elections, and many also provide paper ballot backups in case voting machines break down." 01-06 -01-27-06 Most Think Bush Is Failing Second Term (CNN News) "A majority of Americans are more likely to vote for a candidate in November's congressional elections who opposes President Bush, and 58 percent consider his second term a failure so far, according to a poll released Thursday." "Fewer people consider Bush to be honest and trustworthy now than did a year ago, and 53 percent said they believe his administration deliberately misled the public about Iraq's purported weapons program before the U.S. invasion in 2003, the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll found." "And 64 percent said things in the United States have gotten worse in the past five years, while 28 percent said things have improved." 01-06 -01-27-06 Most Worried About Budget Deficit and Health Care (ABC News) "The public thinks the federal deficit will grow larger by the end of President Bush's second term and many people think the health care system will be weaker by then, according to a CBS-New York Times poll." 01-06 -01-28-06 Post-Katrina Promises Largely Unfulfilled (MSNBC News) "President Bush announced a lofty post-Katrina reconstruction plan in his Sept. 15, 2005, speech from New Orleans' Jackson Square. But the government's record of action has largely failed to match Bush's words." 01-06 -01-29-06 ABC News Co-Anchor Woodruff Seriously Injured in Iraq (ABC News) "ABC News co-anchor Bob Woodruff and a cameraman were seriously injured Sunday in an attack and explosion while reporting from Iraq." " 'When I realized there was a job that existed in this world where I could be in the middle of huge world events and actually get paid for it, it was an epiphany for me,' Woodruff told the AP in a recent interview." 01-06 -01-29-06 Poll: Bush's Popularity Drops to New Low (MSNBC News) "As President Bush prepares for next week's State of the Union address, he faces widespread discontent over his job performance and the nation's direction that could threaten his party in the 2006 election, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found." "In the survey, 43% of Americans said they approved of Bush's performance as president — his weakest showing ever in a Times poll." In addition, "a majority of those polled said they wanted Congress to hold hearings on the spying program. And nearly two-fifths (including almost three-fifths of Democrats) said they would consider it an impeachable offense if a congressional investigation concluded that Bush broke the law in authorizing the program." 01-06 -01-29-06 State of the Union: Health Care (MSNBC News) "President Bush is moving to put healthcare at the top of America's political agenda." "Key components of his plan include the expansion of health savings accounts, additional tax breaks for individuals who buy insurance on their own, and provisions that would improve public access to information on healthcare pricing." "Supporters contend the proposals are crucial to making American more of an 'ownership' society, allowing individuals to have more control over their healthcare choices. Critics warn they'll shift more risk onto individuals and undermine the nation's already strained health-insurance system." "These initiatives are outlined..., followed by arguments for and against:" 01-06 -01-30-06 Investigation: FEMA Ignored Available Resources and Then Left Early (USA Today) "At one point, Scarlett's letter said, FEMA asked U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services to help with search and rescue in New Orleans, St. Bernard Parish and St. Tammany Parish but that the rescuers 'never received task assignments.' The agency, a branch of the Interior Department, apparently went ahead anyway, according to the letter, which said that Fish and Wildlife helped rescue 4,500 people in the first week after Katrina." "Other Interior Department resources that were offered, but unused, included flat-bottom boats for shallow-water rescues. 'Clearly these assets and skills were precisely relevant in the post-Katrina environment,' Scarlett wrote." 01-06 -01-31-06 Alito Wins Confirmation to Supreme Court (Bloomberg.com) "Samuel A. Alito Jr. won U.S. Senate confirmation to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in a mostly partisan vote that helps President George W. Bush move the Supreme Court to the right." 01-06 -01-31-06 Coretta Scott King's Legacy (Christian Science Monitor) Describes her legacy to civil rights. 01-06 -01-31-06 Coretta Scott King, Wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., Dies (ABC News) Provides a timeline of her life. 01-06 -01-31-06 Former Detainee: Army Detained Daughters and Wives as Leverage (Seattle Times) "The U.S. Army has been detaining Iraqi women to help track down husbands or fathers who are suspected terrorists, according to documents released Friday and an interview with a female detainee who was released Thursday after four months in prison." " 'I was treated in a good way, no torture,' she said." "The U.S. detention of female prisoners is a sensitive issue for the Iraqi populace, which considers the mistreatment of a woman a dishonor to her family. Iraqis find it particularly offensive that foreign male officers are holding female prisoners, as many Iraqis fear that U.S. soldiers will treat them disrespectfully." 01-06 -02-01-06 Bush Administration Fails to Cooperate With Senate Investigation (New York Times) "In the interview, Mr. Specter said that he wanted a fuller explanation as to how the Justice Department asserts that the eavesdropping operation does not conflict with the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which set strict and 'exclusive' guidelines for intelligence wiretaps." "The operation was approved by President Bush, to allow the National Security Agency to conduct wiretaps on Americans' international communications without a court warrant. Mr. Specter said his view was that the operation 'violates FISA — there's no doubt about that.' " "He also questioned why the administration did not go to Congress or the intelligence court to seek changes in the process before moving ahead on its own with the classified program after the Sept. 11 attacks." 02-06 -02-01-06 Bush's War Powers and Domestic Spying (Christian Science Monitor) " 'The political outcome of this battle will depend on who succeeds in defining the terms of the debate,' says Thomas Mann, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution." " 'If it's a straight tradeoff between security and privacy or liberty, security wins. If it's framed as a way of monitoring suspicious characters, it wins overwhelmingly,' he says. 'But if there is any hint of abuse of power or of the president not telling the truth, of scrutinizing citizens with no evidence of suspicious behavior, then it turns into something else.' " "If it were just a partisan fight, the White House charge that Democrats are locked in pre-9/11 mentality might carry the day. But four of the 46 senators who blocked a December vote to extend the Patriot Act are Republicans." 01-06 -02-01-06 Investigators: Bush Responsible for Slow Katrina Response (ABC News) "The White House and Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff failed to provide decisive action when Hurricane Katrina struck, congressional investigators said Wednesday in a stinging assessment of slow federal relief efforts." "The White House had no clear chain of command in place, investigators with the Government Accountability Office said, laying much of the blame on President Bush for not designating a single official to coordinate federal decision-making for the Aug. 29 storm. Bush has accepted responsibility for the government's halting response, but for the most part then-FEMA Director Michael Brown, who quit days after the hurricane hit, has been the public face of the failures.” 02-06 -02-01-06 Sheehan Arrested for Wearing "Message" T-Shirt at Capitol (MSNBC News) Cindy Sheehan was arrested for wearing a T-shirt with the message “2245 Dead. How many more?” at the State of the Union speech of President Bush. The wife of Congressman Bill Young was ejected for wearing a T-shirt with the message “Support the Troops — Defending Our Freedom.” 01-06 -02-02-06 Boehner Replaces DeLay in Republican Leadership Role (CNN News) "In the Republican version of the "comeback kid," Rep. John Boehner not only returned to the GOP leadership Thursday, he seized the second most powerful job in the House from a man he clashed with in recent years." "The eight-term Ohio lawmaker brings a genial style but some lobbying baggage to the post of majority leader, a critical job in a time when influence-peddling scandals are bearing down on Washington and threaten to break the Republican grip on Congress." 02-06 -02-02-06 Ex-EPA Chief Slammed by Judge Over September 11th Assurances (ABC News) "A federal judge blasted former Environmental Protection Agency chief Christine Todd Whitman on Thursday for reassuring New Yorkers soon after the Sept. 11 attacks that it was safe to return to their homes and offices while toxic dust was polluting the neighborhood." " 'No reasonable person would have thought that telling thousands of people that it was safe to return to lower Manhattan, while knowing that such return could pose long-term health risks and other dire consequences, was conduct sanctioned by our laws,' the judge said." "In her ruling, Batts noted that the EPA and Whitman said repeatedly beginning just two days after the attack that the air appeared safe to breathe. The EPA's internal watchdog later found that the agency, at the urging of White House officials, gave misleading assurances." 02-06 -02-03-06 Libby Trial for Spy Leak Delayed (MSNBC News) "A federal judge on Friday set former White House aide I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby’s trial date for January 2007, two months after the midterm congressional elections." 02-06 -02-03-06 Patriot Act Deadline Extended (CBS News) "Congress sent President Bush a second five-week extension of the Patriot Act as Senate negotiators worked to close a deal with the White House on renewing the antiterrorism law with some new civil liberties protections." 02-06 -02-03-06 Republicans Campaign Against "Borrow-and-Spend" Republicans (Bloomberg.com) "Richard Tarrant's campaign Web site flashes a running tally of the national debt as a protest, he says, of the ``borrow-and-spend Republicans'' in Washington." "Tarrant is a Republican. He's also a candidate for Vermont's open U.S. Senate seat and among a group of party insurgents who want Republicans to reconcile their stated philosophy of fiscal restraint with the spending binge they've led over the past five years. The debt ticker is at $8.199 trillion and counting." 02-06 -02-03-06 Senator Wyden: We Must "Trust But Verify" Regarding Domestic Spying (ABC News) "The hearing opened with National Intelligence Director John Negroponte's slow monotone, describing worldwide threats of nuclear peril from Iran and North Korea to how al Qaeda is sustaining itself both in Iraq and elsewhere." "Sen. Ron Wyden , D-Ore., cut Negroponte off in mid-sentence as he described the internal NSA and administration checks on the domestic spying program." " 'That's not good enough,' Wyden snapped. 'You're asking us to trust you. Ronald Reason put it well, "Trust but verify." And the American people and Congress can't verify.' " 02-06 -02-03-06 War Cost Soars to $440 Billion (Guardian Unlimited) "The Bush administration has said it is planning to spend $120bn (£68bn) on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars this year, bringing their total cost so far to $440bn." "The spending request, which will soon be presented to Congress, marks a 20% increase over last year, despite plans to draw down US troop levels in both war zones in the coming months." 02-06 -02-04-06 Coretta King Lies in Honor in Georgia (Fox News) "Cheered by hundreds of people, the body of Coretta Scott King was carried through the streets by horse-drawn carriage Saturday to Georgia's state Capitol, where she became the first woman and first black person to lie in honor." 02-06 -02-04-06 Reality Check on President's Oil Reduction Plan (Christian Science Monitor) "With Americans concerned about rising gasoline prices and dependence on imported oil, the president wants to cut 75 percent of US oil imports from the region by 2025 - and he provided a new energy plan to help do it." "A bipartisan proposal in Congress - the 'Vehicle and Fuel Choices for American Security Act' - advocates a 7-million-barrel cut over 20 years, nearly double Bush's proposal and eliminating the need for any Middle Eastern oil." 02-06 -02-05-06 Senate Judiciary Leader: Explanation for Domestic Spying "Strained and Unrealistic" (ABC News) "Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has not adequately justified why the Bush administration failed to seek court approval for domestic surveillance, said the senator in charge of a hearing Monday on the program." "Sen. Arlen Specter said Sunday he believes that President Bush violated a 1978 law specifically calling for a secret court to consider and approve such monitoring. The Pennsylvania Republican branded Gonzales' explanations to date as 'strained and unrealistic.' " 02-06 -02-06-06 Failed Services for Wounded Soldiers (ABC News - Nightline) "A study commissioned by the First Infantry Division estimated that eight out of 10 of its wounded soldiers from Iraq have gone through the same or a similar ordeal [of paycheck mixups]." 02-06 -02-06-06 Poll: Majority Disapproves of Bush on Ethics (ABC News) "A clear majority of Americans now disapprove of President Bush's handling of ethics in government, and three-quarters say the administration should disclose all contacts between White House officials and disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff." 02-06 -02-06-06 President Bush's Budget for 2007 (Whitehouse.gov) "The President's 2007 Budget continues the successful pro-growth policies that have encouraged robust economic growth and job creation. A strong economy, together with spending restraint, is critical to reducing the deficit. The Budget builds on last year's successful spending restraint by again holding the growth of overall discretionary spending below inflation, proposing to reduce non-security discretionary spending below the previous year's level, and calling for the elimination or reduction of programs not getting results or not fulfilling essential priorities. Like last year, the budget proposes savings and reforms to mandatory spending programs, whose unsustainable growth poses the real long-term danger to our fiscal health." 02-06 -02-06-06 Senate Committee: President Must Obey the Law (CBS News) " 'The president does not have a blank check,' said Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who wants the administration to ask the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to review the [Bush administration's domestic spying] program." "Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., wasn't buying Gonzales' argument that the wiretaps were inherently part of the president's war powers, CBS News correspondent Jim Stewart reports." " 'Taken to its logical conclusion, it concerns me that it could basically neuter the congress and weaken the courts,' Graham said. 'That's where we're at right now.' " 02-06 -02-06-06 Under Bush's Budget, Deficit Would Drop, Then Rise Again (Bloomberg.com) "Under President George W. Bush's new budget, the federal deficit would decline gradually until 2010 and then start rising again, as the full impact of his requested permanent tax cuts and other proposals is felt." "While the health- care program for the elderly would be cut by $36 billion over the next five years, the budget sees his successor pushing through an $11 billion cut in the program in 2011 alone." 02-06 -02-07-06 Hotel Deadline Arrives for Katrina Evacuees (CNN News) "Thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees who have been staying in hotels at FEMA's expense will have to pay their own way beginning Tuesday, unless they were able to arrange extensions from federal officials." -02-07-06 Satirical Cartoons Still Center of Controversy (BBC News) "Islamic tradition explicitly prohibits any depiction of Allah and the Prophet [Muhammad]." "European papers have defended their decisions to publish [satirical cartoons of Muhammad] on free speech grounds." Also transliterated Mohammad, Mohammed, Muhammed, and sometimes Mahomet. Sometimes misspelled by visitors as Mohamad, Mohamed, Muhamad, or Muhamed. -02-07-06 Thousands Honor Coretta Scott King (MSNBC News) "After the funeral, King’s body will be placed in a crypt near her husband’s tomb at the King Center, which she built to promote his memory." "Between the tombs is the eternal flame that was placed there years ago in Martin Luther King Jr.’s honor. On the crypt, inscribed in black, is the Bible passage First Corinthians 13:13, which reads: 'And now abide Faith, Hope, Love, These Three; but the greatest of these is Love.' " -02-08-06 Exodus from Top CIA Positions (USNews.com) "Within the past year, according to current and former case officers and supervisors, virtually the entire top level of the [CIA's] D.O. has turned over. One intelligence official estimates that at least 20 of the most coveted senior spots have been vacated in the 17 months since [CIA Director] Goss arrived. The post of European division chief has turned over twice, as has the No.2 official of the directorate, the associate deputy director for operations." "For the nation's premier intelligence agency, this amounts to the loss of hundreds of years of experience in some of the most difficult and dangerous parts of the world--precisely the places Washington needs experienced eyes and ears as it continues to prosecute the war on terrorism." 02-06 -02-08-06 Intelligence Committee Chair Wants Full Review on Spying (CNN News) "Breaking with the White House, Rep. Heather Wilson, R-New Mexico, chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence, says the time has come for a 'complete review' of President Bush's eavesdropping program, her spokesman said Wednesday." Editor's Note: The Senate Judiciary Committee is currently investigating the domestic spying program to determine if the Bush administration has violated federal laws. 02-06 -02-08-06 Who Is Affected by Federal Budget Cuts? (Christian Science Monitor) "With President Bush's signature Wednesday, Medicaid recipients can expect higher copayments and deductibles. College students may face higher interest rates on student loans, as lenders are squeezed. Work requirements for women on welfare are likely to be tightened. Federal aid to states for child-support enforcement will be curtailed." " 'There's a fairness issue here,' says Isabel Sawhill, a senior fellow in economics at the Brookings Institution. 'We're basically cutting programs that serve low-income families and the middle class in order to pay for tax cuts that go overwhelmingly to the very wealthy. Even some Republicans have been uncomfortable with that.' " "The Bush White House says programs slated for cuts or elimination are ineffective, and that there are other ways to help the poor, such as through programs supported by Bush's faith-based initiative." 02-06 -02-09-06 FEMA's Brown May Reveal Communications with White House (MSNBC News) "Former disaster agency chief Michael Brown is indicating he is ready to reveal his correspondence with President Bush and other officials during Hurricane Katrina unless the White House forbids it and offers legal support." "Brown’s stance, in a letter obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, follows senators’ complaints that the White House is refusing to answer questions or release documents about advice given to Bush concerning the Aug. 29 storm." 02-06 -02-10-06 Brown: Top Officials Knews of Breach Early (MSNBC News) " 'There was a culture clash that didn’t recognize the absolute inherent science of preparing for a disaster,' he [former FEMA head Michael Brown] told the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. 'Any time you break that cycle ... you’re doomed to failure.' ” “ 'The policies and decisions implemented by the DHS put FEMA on a path to failure,' he added." "Collins asked Brown why he did not implement pre-Katrina reforms that a consultant urged FEMA to take, among them fewer political appointees and more experts." 02-06 -02-10-06 Ex-FEMA Head Brown Slams White House (CBS News) "Claims by the Homeland Security Department that it didn't quickly realize the scope of the Aug. 29 storm's devastation are 'just baloney,' [former FEMA head Michael] Brown testified at a Senate hearing on Friday.” “And in a punch to the president whom he says he still respects, Brown testified that he told top White House officials the day Katrina hit about massive flooding in New Orleans and warned that 'we were realizing our worst nightmare.' " 02-06 -02-10-06 Former White House Aide Claims Security Leaks Were Authorized (ABC News) "Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald said in documents filed last month that he plans to introduce evidence that I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, Cheney's former chief of staff, disclosed to reporters the contents of a classified National Intelligence Estimate in the summer of 2003." 02-06 -02-10-06 Gaddafi's Son Backs Move Toward Democracy (BBC News) "The son of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi says he agrees with US President George W Bush that the Middle East needs democracy." 02-06 -02-13-06 Experts: Cheney Responsible in Hunting Accident (Yahoo News) "Vice PresidentDick Cheney apparently broke the No. 1 rule of hunting: Be sure of what you're shooting at." "Cheney wounded fellow hunter Harry Whittington in the face, neck and chest Saturday, apparently because he didn't see Whittington approaching as he fired on a covey of quail in Texas." Editor's Note: A pellet from the shotgun penetrated Whittington's heart but did not kill him. 02-06 -02-13-06 House Republicans: Katrina Was a Failure of Leadership (CNN News) "The report is the result of a Republican 11-member House select committee that investigated the response to Katrina at all levels -- local, state and federal." " 'If this is what happens when we have advance warning, we shudder to imagine the consequences when we do not. Four and a half years after 9/11, America is still not ready for prime time. This is particularly distressing because we know we remain at risk for terrorist attacks, and because the 2006 hurricane season is right around the corner.' " " 'What's needed is a National Action Plan. Not a plan that says Washington will do everything, but one that says, when all else fails, the federal government must do something, whether it's formally requested or not. Not even the perfect bureaucratic storm of flaws and failures can wash away the fundamental governmental responsibility to protect public health and safety,' the panel said." -02-13-06 UN Report: USA Violated Human Rights at Gitmo (USA Today) "A U.N. investigation has concluded that the United States committed acts amounting to torture at Guantanamo Bay, including force-feeding detainees and subjecting them to prolonged solitary confinement, according to a draft report obtained Monday." The UN investigators were "appointed to their three-year terms by the 53-nation U.N. Human Rights Commission, the global body's top rights watchdog." 02-06 -02-13-06 US Muslim Scholar: Attacking Iran "Insane" (ABC News) "A prominent American Muslim scholar who advised President George W. Bush after the September 11 attacks said any U.S.-led attack on Iran would be crazy and throw the Middle East into political turmoil." -02-14-06 The Science of Sexual Orientation (CBS News) "There are few issues as hotly contested — and as poorly understood — as the question of what makes a person gay or straight. It's not only a political, social, and religious question but also a scientific question, one that might someday have an actual, provable answer." 03-06 -02-15-06 Chertoff Accepts Responsibility for Katrina Failures (Bloomberg.com) " 'I was astonished to see that we don't have the capabilities most 21st century corporations have,' he said." Susan Collins, chair of the Senate panel investigating Katrina responses, "has said the panel's report will recommend the creation of emergency operation teams made up of personnel from the Defense, Homeland Security Health and Human Services and other departments who would focus on specific regions of the country." -02-16-06 Annan Says Guantanamo Prison Should Be Closed (ABC News) "Secretary-General [of the United Nations] Kofi Annan on Thursday said the United States should close the prison at Guantanamo Bay for terror suspects as soon as possible, backing a key conclusion of a U.N.-appointed independent panel." "The [U.N. Human Rights] panel's report, released Wednesday in Geneva and leaked earlier in the week, said the United States must close the detention facility 'without further delay' because it is effectively a torture camp where prisoners have no access to justice." 02-06 -02-16-06 Senate Moves Toward Approval of Patriot Act (CBS News) "The terror-fighting USA Patriot Act moved a step toward renewal Thursday when the Senate overwhelmingly rejected an attempt by Sen. Russell Feingold to stop it until more civil liberties safeguards are added." 02-06 -02-16-06 VP Cheney Claims Authority to Declassify U.S. Secrets (CBS News) "Vice President Dick Cheney says he has the power to declassify government secrets, raising the possibility that he authorized his former chief of staff to pass along sensitive prewar data on Iraq to reporters." 02-06 -02-17-06 War Spending Nears Half-Trillion Dollars (ABC News) "In a single year, it is difficult to measure overall progress in the war on terror. But ABC News has learned today that President Bush will ask Congress for an additional $65.3 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. It brings the total funds requested this year to more than $110 billion for those operations." 02-06 -02-18-06 Bush to Expand Use of Nuclear Power (Bloomberg.com) "President George W. Bush, seeking to boost support for plans to break America's 'addiction' to fossil fuels, said the U.S. must prevent terrorist states from developing atomic weapons and expand its own nuclear power capacity." 02-06 -02-18-06 Medicare Drug Benefit Pivotal in 2006 Election (New York Times) "Older voters, a critical component of Republican Congressional victories for more than a decade, could end up being a major vulnerability for the party in this year's midterm elections, according to strategists in both parties. Paradoxically, one reason is the new Medicare drug benefit, which was intended to cement their loyalty." 02-06 -02-19-06 Outrage Over U.S. Sale of Port Control (CBS News) "Sen. Robert Menendez, who is working on legislation to prohibit companies owned or controlled by foreign governments from running port operation in the U.S., said Chertoff's comments showed him that the administration 'just does not get it.' " "In a statement, the New Jersey Democrat said, 'No matter what steps the administration claims it has secretly taken, it is an unacceptable risk to turn control of our ports over to a foreign government, particularly one with a troubling history. We cannot depend on promises a foreign government has given the administration in secret to secure our ports.' " "Chertoff said Dubai Ports World should not be excluded automatically from such a deal because it is based in the UAE." "Critics have cited the UAE's history as an operational and financial base for the hijackers who carried out the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001." "In addition, they contend the UAE was an important transfer point for shipments of smuggled nuclear components sent to Iran, North Korea and Libya by a Pakistani scientist." 02-06 -02-20-06 Governors Join Debate on Port Security (MSNBC News) "Two Republican governors on Monday questioned a Bush administration decision allowing an Arab-owned company to operate six major U. S. ports, saying they may try to cancel lease arrangements at ports in their states." 02-06 -02-21-06 Senate in Conflict with Bush on U.S. Port Security (ABC News) "A very powerful and very Republican voice has joined those questioning the White House's acceptance of a plan by the Arab company Dubai Ports World to take over the operations at major East Coast shipping ports, including those in New York and Philadelphia." "Meanwhile, President Bush said today that he would veto any congressional efforts to stop the deal from going forward." "[Sen. Evan] Bayh points out that a congressional investigation requested in 2003 and completed in 2005 found that the government entity that cleared such sales 'uses such a narrow definition of national security that it approves too many questionable takeovers without sufficient review.' " 02-06 -02-21-06 U.S. Port Deal: Unreasonable Fear or Legitimate Security Concern? (ABC News) "Democrats and Republicans are challenging the Bush administration's plan to give a company based in the United Arab Emirates significant control over the nation's biggest ports — including New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia." " 'I strongly disagree with [Homeland Security Chief] Mike Chertoff on this,' Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said today on ABC's 'Good Morning America.' 'The fact is, this was a very compressed investigation — at most 20 to 25 days, and only a few days was spent looking at the security aspects.' " "In his opinion, securing the nation's ports is difficult enough. So why add to the complications by letting a 'company which could have an al Qaeda infiltration,' know U.S. ports' security measures." 02-06 -02-22-06 Bush Did Not Know About Port Deal (CBS News) "President Bush was unaware of the pending sale of shipping operations at six major U.S. seaports to a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates until the deal already had been approved by his administration, the White House said Wednesday." 02-06 -02-22-06 Iraq Close to Civil War (USA Today) "Sectarian battles between Shiite and Sunni Muslims raged across Iraq on Thursday, as furious reprisals to the bombing of the Askariya shrine in Samarra threatened to plunge Iraq into civil war and derail U.S. efforts to form a new government." 02-06 -02-22-06 Study: Health Care Costs to Soar to $4 Trillion by 2015 (ABC News) "Health care — which now consumes about one in every six dollars spent in the United States — will eat up one of every five dollars by 2015, according to a new government analysis." 02-06 -02-23-06 White House Report: Urgent Changes Needed for Crisis Responses (MSNBC News) "A White House report concluded Thursday that inexperienced disaster response managers and a lack of planning, discipline and leadership contributed to vast federal failures during Hurricane Katrina." "The 228-page report by White House homeland security adviser Frances Fragos Townsend urges changes in 11 key areas -- mainly in better disaster relief coordination among federal agencies -- before the next hurricane season begins June 1." 02-06 -02-24-06 Disagreements Strong Over Port Security (Christian Science Monitor) "Security is a top priority at the ports, but there's concern the Bush administration has not provided enough funds to properly pay for it. Earlier this month, the president of the American Association of Port Authorities complained that the $708 million allotted for maritime security over the past four years amounted to only one-fifth of what the port authorities had identified as needed to properly secure the ports." 02-06 -02-26-06 Afghan Prison Worse Than Gitmo? (New York Times) " 'Bagram was never meant to be a long-term facility, and now it's a long-term facility without the money or resources,' said one Defense Department official who has toured the detention center. Comparing the prison with Guantánamo, the official added, 'Anyone who has been to Bagram would tell you it's worse.' " "After an Army investigation, the practices found to have caused those two deaths [of prisoners] — the chaining of detainees by the arms to the ceilings of their cells and the use of knee strikes to the legs of disobedient prisoners by guards — were halted by early 2003. Other abusive methods, like the use of barking attack dogs to frighten new prisoners and the handcuffing of detainees to cell doors to punish them for talking, were phased out more gradually, military officials and former detainees said." 02-06 -02-26-06 South Dakota About to Pass Anti-Abortion Law (MSNBC News) "A direct attack on Roe v. Wade is coming from the South Dakota legislature. The new bill, which outlaws abortion, makes no exceptions, not for a pregnancy caused by incest or rape. It would only be legal—the only exception if it would save the pregnant woman's life." "Doctors who perform abortions could face up to five years in prison." 02-06 -02-26-06 South Dakota About to Pass Anti-Abortion Law (MSNBC News) "A direct attack on Roe v. Wade is coming from the South Dakota legislature. The new bill, which outlaws abortion, makes no exceptions, not for a pregnancy caused by incest or rape. It would only be legal—the only exception if it would save the pregnant woman's life." "Doctors who perform abortions could face up to five years in prison." 02-06 -02-27-06 Army Whistleblower Demoted (CBS News) "A high-ranking Army Corps of Engineers official who publicly criticized the Pentagon's decision to award Halliburton Co. a no-bid contract for work in Iraq has been demoted, officials said Monday." " 'The failure to abide by prior commitments and the circumstances surrounding Ms. Greenhouse's removal are the hallmark of illegal retaliation,' her attorney, Michael D. Kohn, wrote in the letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld." " 'Her removal will send a message to all concerned that if they dare stand up to corrupting influences within the Army contracting world their careers will be destroyed,' he added." 02-06 -02-27-06 Coast Guard: Gaps in Port Security (Bloomberg.com) "The U.S. Coast Guard said questions about foreign influence, employees and operations made it impossible to assess the threat posed by a state-owned Dubai company's purchase of a firm that manages some terminal operations at six U.S. seaports." 02-06 -02-27-06 Coast Guard: Gaps in Port Security (MSNBC News) "Citing broad gaps in U.S. intelligence, the Coast Guard cautioned the Bush administration weeks ago that it could not determine whether a United Arab Emirates-based company seeking a stake in some U.S. port operations might support terrorist operations." 02-06 -02-27-06 Poll: Bush Approval at All-Time Low (CBS News) "The latest CBS News poll finds President Bush's approval rating has fallen to an all-time low of 34 percent, while pessimism about the Iraq war has risen to a new high." "Americans are also overwhelmingly opposed to the Bush-backed deal giving a Dubai-owned company operational control over six major U.S. ports. Seven in 10 Americans, including 58 percent of Republicans, say they're opposed to the agreement." 02-06 -02-27-06 Voluntary Cuts in Greenhouse Gases Not Working (ABC News) "U.S. emissions of gases blamed for global warming rose 1.7 percent in 2004, as the country burned more fossil fuel for transportation and electricity, according to federal environment regulators." "The EPA did not indicate how U.S. emissions would fare in the future, but climate researchers say voluntary cuts won't trim overall greenhouse output in the United States." 02-06 -03-01-06 Bush Knew of Katrina's Wrath Before It Hit (CBS News) "In dramatic and sometimes agonizing terms, federal disaster officials warned President Bush and his homeland security chief before Hurricane Katrina struck that the storm could breach levees, put lives at risk in New Orleans' Superdome and overwhelm rescuers, according to confidential video footage" 03-06 -03-01-06 Bush Makes Surprise Visit to Afghanistan (CNN News) "U.S. President George W. Bush made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Wednesday, his first to the country where U.S. forces ousted the Taliban following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks." 03-06 -03-01-06 Congressman's Bribe Menu (ABC News) "Prosecutors call it a corruption case with no parallel in the long history of the U.S. Congress. And it keeps getting worse. Convicted Rep. Randall 'Duke' Cunningham actually priced the illegal services he provided." 03-06 -03-02-06 Atomic Agency Praises US-India Nuclear Deal (BBC News) "The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has welcomed a nuclear agreement between the US and India." 03-06 -03-02-06 FEMA Fines Local Man for an Anti-FEMA Shirt (USA Today) "George Barisich, president of the United Commercial Fisherman's Association, has been selling anti-FEMA T-shirts since last fall, a reflection of his frustration with the federal government's response to the storm that left him homeless and unemployed." "But on Feb. 1, when he handed a shirt to a fellow Katrina victim as he was picking up canned goods at a charity's relief tent, Barisich found himself in trouble with the government." "He was cited by a group of Homeland Security officials for selling a T-shirt on federal property — in this case, near a FEMA center in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart in Chalmette, La." "The government is sticking to its guns. 'If we ignored this violation, you could have potentially 20 to 30 people standing out in front of the (FEMA) center, obstructing things,' says Dean Boyd, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesman." 03-06 -03-02-06 Poll: Bush's Popularity Fades With His Strength on Terrorism (Bloomberg.com) "President George W. Bush's public support continues to fall as his signature political strength, fighting terrorism, is undercut by overwhelming opposition to plans to let a Dubai company operate U.S. port facilities." 03-06 -03-02-06 Senate Approves Patriot Act Renewal (ABC News) "The Senate on Thursday gave its blessing to the renewal of the USA Patriot Act after adding new privacy protections designed to strike a better balance between civil liberties and the government's power to root out terrorists." "Some lawmakers who voted for the package acknowledged deep reservations about the power it would grant to any president." 03-06 -03-03-06 Bush Not Worried (CBS News) "In an exclusive interview with ABC News' Elizabeth Vargas, President Bush offered his views on a range of topics, including the response to Hurricane Katrina, the war in Iraq, U.S. port security and the future of his presidency. What follows is a transcript of the interview." President Bush defended FEMA's response to Katrina as an opportunity to learn. He stated his approval for the transfer of management of some U.S. ports to Dubai. President Bush said "I want the American people to understand, if I thought in any way that a foreign company managing terminals would cause us to be less secure, I would, I would object strongly." 03-06 -03-03-06 Dubai Port Deal Delayed (ABC News) "A Miami company objecting to the takeover of British shipping company P&O by Dubai's state-owned DP World said Friday it has been granted the right to take the case to Britain's Court of Appeal a move that puts the deal on hold." 03-06 -03-03-06 Key Republican Blasts Port Deal (CBS News) "One of the most prominent House Republicans on military issues said Thursday he would try to scuttle a Dubai-based company's effort to manage U.S. ports as lawmakers' complaints about the Bush administration's handling of the issue continued to spread." " 'Dubai cannot be trusted,' said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and normally one of the administration's most trusted allies. He called the United Arab Emirates 'a bazaar for terrorist nations' and asserted that the United States should not permit DP World to take over significant operations at six U.S. ports." "Hunter listed instances between 1994 and 2003 in which he said the country helped move materials for weapons of mass destruction, such as heavy water and high-speed electrical switches, to Pakistan, Iran and other countries. He plans to introduce legislation that would require U.S. companies to be the sole owners of infrastructure critical to national security." 03-06 -03-03-06 Top CIA Official Under Investigation (ABC News) "A stunning investigation of bribery and corruption in Congress has spread to the CIA, ABC News has learned." "The CIA Inspector General has opened an investigation into the spy agency's executive director, Kyle 'Dusty' Foggo, and his connections to two defense contractors accused of bribing a member of Congress and Pentagon officials." 03-06 -03-08-06 Congress to Block Deal Giving Control of U.S. Ports to Dubai (MSNBC News) "House Republican leaders on Tuesday embraced legislation that would block a Dubai-owned company from taking over operations at several U.S. ports, brushing aside a veto threat from President Bush." "The legislation is expected to reach the House floor next week as part of a $91 billion measure for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and aid for Gulf Coast states recovering from Hurricane Katrina." 03-06 -03-08-06 Dana Reeve Dies (CNN News) "Dana Reeve, the widow of the actor Christopher Reeve, has died of lung cancer at age 44, according to the Christopher Reeve Foundation." 03-06 -03-09-06 Bush's Loss on Ports Deal Dents Image (Bloomberg.com) "The collapse of a plan to let a Dubai company manage U.S. ports marks another setback for President George W. Bush, exposing deteriorating relations with fellow Republicans and underscoring a perception of incompetence stemming from the government's response to Hurricane Katrina." 03-06 -03-09-06 Country Music Celebrities Denounce Leadership on Katrina (ABC News) "Faith Hill and Tim McGraw — two stars who usually stay out of politics — blasted the Hurricane Katrina cleanup effort, with Hill calling the slow progress in Louisiana and Mississippi 'embarrassing' and 'humiliating.' " "McGraw specifically criticized President Bush." 03-06 -03-09-06 Dubai to Transfer Port Operations to a U.S. Entity (CNN News) "The leaders [of Congress] told the president they would pass measures to block the [port] deal by veto-proof majorities, sources said. Bush had threatened to veto any legislation that stopped the deal. Bush has said any effort to stall or kill the deal would strain ties with a vital Arab ally in the war on terrorism." 03-06 -03-11-06 Former Policy Bush Advisor Arrested for Alleged Scam (CNN News) "A former adviser to President Bush was arrested this week in Maryland and charged with swindling two department stores out of more than $5,000 in a refund scam." "Allen resigned without explanation in early February as Bush's top domestic political adviser. Allen had long been a darling among the conservative right -- and Bush had even nominated him to be a federal appeals court judge in 2003, but Democrats blocked the move." 03-06 -03-12-06 Second Largest U.S. Newspaper to Be Sold (New York Times) "Knight Ridder, the second-largest newspaper company in the United States, agreed last night to sell itself for about $4.5 billion in cash and stock to the McClatchy Company, a publisher half its size, according to people involved in the negotiations." 03-06 -03-15-06 Gitmo Transcripts "Shadowy" (ABC News) "Most of those whose names do appear [in recently released transcripts] are accused of relatively minor or vague offenses, such as working as a driver or cook for the Taliban or receiving military training. Many denied the accusations, saying they were farmers, merchants or charity workers simply caught up in the Afghan war." "Nor do the transcripts fully illuminate the quality of evidence that has kept detainees behind bars at Guantanamo Bay, some for more than four years. The transcripts describe only unclassified evidence, much of it ambiguous. If a man owned a rifle, that's considered evidence, even though many men in Afghanistan keep weapons for protection." 03-06 -03-15-06 Mexico Makes "Huge" Oil Find (BBC News) "Mexican President Vicente Fox has announced the discovery of a new deep-water oil field, which is believed to contain 10bn barrels of crude." "With at least 3.4m barrels per day, Mexico is Latin America's largest crude producer ahead of Venezuela and Brazil, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA)." "The oil industry provides one third of the Mexican state income. More than half the crude extracted is exported, mainly to the United States." 03-06 -03-15-06 U.N. Overrules U.S. on Human Rights (CBS News) "U.N. member states ignored U.S. opposition and overwhelmingly approved a new Human Rights Council on Wednesday, attempting to strengthen the world body's machinery to deal with major human rights offenders." "The 191-member General Assembly burst into sustained applause when its president, Jan Eliasson, announced the results of the vote: 170 in favor, 4 against, and 3 abstentions." 03-06 -03-15-06 U.S. House Refuses to Drop Its Bar to Dubai Ports Deal (ABC News) "The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday refused to drop legislative language barring a state-owned Arab company, Dubai Ports World, from managing American ports, even as the company released more details of its own pledge to unwind the deal." 03-06 -03-17-06 Airports Fail Security Test (ABC News) "Government investigators conducting undercover tests at 21 U.S. airports were able to get bomb materials through screening machines at all of them, ABC News has learned." 03-06 -03-17-06 Court Blocks EPA from Easing Rules (CNN News) "A federal appeals court blocked the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday from easing clean-air rules on aging power plants, refineries and factories, one of the regulatory changes that had been among the White House's environmental priorities." "The rules, strongly supported by industry representatives, would have allowed older plants to modernize without having to install advanced pollution controls." 03-06 -03-17-06 Students Hit Beaches--To Help (ABC News) "Instead of stripping down to bathing suits and sunglasses, thousands of young people from across the country are putting on coveralls and goggles and gutting hurricane-blighted houses, repairing roofs and hauling away storm debris." 03-06 -03-18-06 Iraq Three Years Later (MSNBC News) "When I first arrived in Baghdad before the war, Iraq seemed lifeless. Baghdad felt like a city without oxygen, where those with big dreams couldn’t breathe or imagine a better life. Now, the country is very changed — in some ways for the better (as you'll see in the chart below) — but it has become equally menacing, terrifying and sinister." 3-06 -03-18-06 Thousands Protest War in Iraq (MSNBC News) "Thousands of anti-war protesters took to the streets around the world Saturday, marking the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq with demands that coalition troops leave immediately." 3-06 -03-19-06 U.S: Emergency Food for Gaza (ABC News) "Emergency shipments of food will be brought into Gaza from Egypt on Monday, a U.S. diplomat announced on Sunday after hosting talks with Israel and the Palestinians on alleviating an impending humanitarian crisis." 3-06 -03-20-06 Is Iraq in Civil War? (CBS News) "Three years to the day after the beginning of the war in Iraq, terrorists have reached a point of 'desperation,' U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said on CBS’s Face The Nation, but on the same day the former Iraqi prime minister argued that civil was is already underway in his homeland." 3-06 -03-22-06 Afghan Man on Trial for Converting to Christianity (ABC News) "Abdul Rahman, 41, went on trial last week in Kabul. He was arrested last month after his family accused him of becoming a Christian. The conversion is a crime under Afghanistan's Islamic laws, and a death sentence is possible." 03-06 -03-22-06 Congress Is Empty (ABC News) "The empty seats are a sight that is becoming more common in the Capitol with Congress on track to set a modern-day record for the least amount of time in session. The House plans to be in Washington 97 days this year." 03-06 -03-22-06 Credit Card Bill "Outs" Tom DeLay's Trip (ABC News) "The paper trail seems so obvious it makes you wonder whether anyone ever worried about getting caught. When Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and his wife flew from Houston to a golf resort in Scotland in June 2000, the first-class airfare cost $14,001, a big-ticket item for a public servant. But someone else paid." " 'The source of the travel expenses may not be … a registered lobbyist,' according to the House rules. Abramoff was a registered lobbyist at the time." 03-06 -03-22-06 FBI Agent Testifies Against the FBI (ABC News) "Moussaoui's lawyers are trying to avoid the death penalty for their client, who pleaded guilty to being part of the 9/11 plot. They have tried to show that government incompetence, not Moussaoui's refusal to divulge details of the attack before it happened, was the reason terrorists were able to carry out their plan." 03-06 -03-22-06 Massive Rescue Effort Repoorted Successful (ABC News) "Cortez represented the last of 5,192 Gulf Coast children listed as missing or displaced after the storms struck more than six months ago. The effort to reunite those youngsters became the largest child-recovery effort in U.S. history." " 'I can't say that there aren't a few children that may have been missing and not reported to us, but we received more calls than anyone else did, and all our cases have been resolved,' said Bob O'Brien, director of the [National Center for Missing & Exploited Children] center's missing children division." 03-06 -03-22-06 North Korea Hints at Pre-Emptive Nuclear Attack on USA (CBS News) "North Korea suggested Tuesday it had the ability to launch a pre-emptive attack on the United States, according to the North's official news agency." 03-06 -03-23-06 Afghan Man Facing Death Penalty for Becoming Christian (Bloomberg.com) "U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist urged Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to 'use every diplomatic means necessary' to win the immediate release of an Afghan man facing the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity." "The dispute over the prosecution of Rahman has exposed religious tensions in a country the Bush administration has promoted as a tolerant, emerging democracy. The U.S. is spending almost $1 billion a month on military operations and rebuilding in Afghanistan." "Top Muslim clerics said today that Rahman, 41, should be executed, the Associated Press reported from Kabul. 'Rejecting Islam is insulting God. We will not allow God to be humiliated. This man must die,' AP cited cleric Abdul Raoulf as saying. Raoulf was jailed three times by the Taliban, according to the news agency." 03-06 -03-23-06 Russian Official May Have Given Iraq U.S. War Plans (ABC News) "Following are the ABC News Investigative Unit's summaries of five documents from Saddam Hussein's government, which the U.S. government has released." 03-06 -03-24-06 Eaton: Rumsfeld Incompetent (CommonDreams.org - New York Times) "Paul D. Eaton, a retired Army major general, was in charge of training the Iraqi military from 2003 to 2004." According to Major General Eaton, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld "has shown himself incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically, and is far more than anyone else responsible for what has happened to our important mission in Iraq. Mr. Rumsfeld must step down." 03-06 -03-24-06 FEMA Breaks Promise on Katrina Contracts (MSNBC News) "FEMA has broken its promise to reopen four multimillion-dollar no-bid contracts for Hurricane Katrina work, including three that federal auditors say wasted significant amounts of money." 03-06 -03-25-06 Thousands Protest Immigration Bill (ABC News) "Tens of thousands of immigrant rights advocates from across Southern California marched Saturday in protest of federal legislation that would build more walls along the U.S.-Mexico border and make helping illegal immigrants a crime." "Bush sides with business leaders who want legislation to let some immigrants stay in the country and work for a set period of time. Others, including Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, say national security concerns should drive immigration reform." 03-06 -03-27-06 Christian Convert Released in Afghanistan (CNN News) "An Afghan man who had faced the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity has been released from prison after the case was dropped, the justice minister said Tuesday." 03-06 -03-27-06 Why Moussaoui's Testimony Does Not Add Up (TimesOnline.co.uk) "Daniel McGrory,a Times expert on al-Qaeda, examines the inconsistencies behind Zacarias Moussaoui's confession that he was part of the 9/11 plot." 03-06 -03-28-06 Bush's Chief of Staff Is Replaced (CNN News) "White House chief of staff Andy Card has resigned and will be replaced by budget director Joshua Bolten, President Bush announced Tuesday amid growing calls for a White House shakeup and Republican concern about Bush's tumbling poll ratings." President Bush is replacing Card with Josh Bolten. "The president called Bolten, 51, a man with broad experience, both on Wall Street and in Washington, including the last three years as director of the Office of Management and Budget." 03-06 -03-28-06 Bush's New Chief of Staff (WhiteHouse.gov) Joshua Bolten became President Bush's Chief of Staff on March 28, 2006. "Joshua Bolten joined President George W. Bush's Cabinet on June 30, 2003, when he was sworn in as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget." 03-06 -03-28-06 Feingold: Censure the President for Breaking the Law (MSNBC News) "As Sen. Russ Feingold urges the Senate to censure President Bush, the alleged misdeed that moved the Wisconsin Democrat to propose censure continues: the Bush administration keeps conducting surveillance of calls by suspected al Qaida operatives to and from people in the U.S." "Even as he moves ahead on a censure showdown, [Sen. Arlen] Specter is also pressing forward on the bill he has drafted to put the NSA surveillance under the scrutiny of a special court established by the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)." "Specter’s view is that Bush has violated the 1978 FISA law by ordering the [warrantless] surveillance program but he adds, 'It may well be that the program is within the president’s inherent (constitutional) authority. But it seems to me that determination has to be made in accordance with tradition by a court, by judicial review.' " 03-06 -03-30-06 Afghan Christian Saved by the Pope (TimesOnline.co.uk) "The Afghan apostate threatened with execution finally found sanctuary yesterday when the Italian Government granted him fast-track asylum on the ground of 'religious persecution'." 03-06 -03-30-06 Army Bans Privately-Bought Body Armor (MSNBC News) "Soldiers will no longer be allowed to wear body armor other than the protective gear issued by the military, Army officials said Thursday, the latest twist in a running battle over the equipment the Pentagon gives its troops in Iraq and Afghanistan." 03-06 -03-30-06 Jill Carroll Released in Iraq (TimesOnline.co.uk) "JILL CARROLL, the American journalist held hostage in Iraq, was freed yesterday in Baghdad after nearly three months in captivity." "She appeared almost immediately on Iraqi television to say that she had been treated very well by her captors. Her release sparked a huge outpouring of relief across America." 03-06 -03-30-06 New Orleans Levi Repair Costs Triple to $9 Billion (Bloomberg.com) "The estimated cost of rebuilding New Orleans's levees damaged by Hurricane Katrina may triple to $9 billion, delaying the city's effort to rebuild after the worst natural disaster in U.S. history and leaving it vulnerable in the next hurricane season." 03-06 -04-01-06 Carroll Rejects Statements Made in Iraq (USA Today) "Former hostage Jill Carroll strongly disavowed statements she had made during captivity in Iraq and shortly after her release, saying Saturday she had been repeatedly threatened." 04-06 -04-01-06 Immigrants Rally in New York (ABC News) "Thousands of immigrants and their supporters chanted, blew whistles and waved flags from dozens of Latin American countries on Saturday as they marched across the Brooklyn Bridge in support of immigrant rights." "The House of Representatives passed a bill last December that defines illegal aliens as felons and calling for the construction of a 700-mile (1,120-km) fence along the U.S.-Mexico border." "The Senate is debating an alternative that provides a way for temporary workers as well as illegal immigrants to eventually become U.S. citizens, as well as toughen workplace enforcement of immigration rules. It also creates a new guest worker program pushed by President George W. Bush." 04-06 -04-02-06 Legislative Battle Ensues Over Immigration (Bloomberg.com) "Senator Lindsey Graham said his fellow Republicans will be committing 'political suicide' if they push through Congress immigration legislation that focuses only on building walls along the U.S.-Mexico border and deporting illegal immigrants." 04-06 -04-02-06 Report: ID Theft Lower Than Thought (CBS News) "An estimated 3.6 million U.S. households — or about three out of every 100 — reported being victims of identity theft, according to a government study that counted misuse of someone else's cell phone, credit card or personal information." 04-06 -04-03-06 Ownership of the Northwest Passage Disputed (USA Today) "Melting ice is opening up the Northwest Passage and reviving a dispute between the United States and Canada over who controls the potentially lucrative shipping route." "The United States calls the passage an international strait, open to all. Canada claims control because it considers the passage an internal waterway, like the Mississippi River." 04-06 -04-03-06 Tensions Between Coast Guard and FBI Threaten Port Security (ABC News) "The government's response to a terrorist incident at sea could be confused and potentially disastrous because of squabbling between the Coast Guard and the FBI, an internal government watchdog said Monday." 04-06 -04-04-06 Tom Delay to Resign From Congress (ABC News) "Succumbing to scandal, former Majority Leader Tom Delay intends to resign from Congress within weeks, closing out a career that blended unflinching conservatism with a bare-knuckled political style." 04-06 -04-05-06 ABC's Woodruff Recovering (CBS News) "The 'World News Tonight' co-anchor suffered severe head injuries in a roadside bombing in Iraq in January." Bob Woodruff "is still on heavy pain medication as his body recovers from the serious head injuries and other wounds. But he recognizes people, he can tell his daughter he loves her, and the multilingual journalist has even said a few words in Chinese and German." 04-06 -04-05-06 CBS Cameraman Acquitted in Iraq (CBS News) "An Iraqi cameraman working for CBS News was acquitted Wednesday of insurgent activity, a year after being wounded and detained by the U.S. military after a car bombing." 04-06 -04-05-06 Katie Couric to Become CBS News Anchor (CBS News) "Katie Couric announced on air Wednesday that she is stepping down as co-host of NBC's 'Today' show after 15 years in the job." "She will join CBS News as Anchor and Managing Editor of The CBS Evening News With Katie Couric. She will also contribute to 60 Minutes and will anchor CBS News primetime specials as well." 04-06 -04-06-06 Ex-Aide: Bush Ordered Leak of Intelligence Information (BBC News) "President Bush authorised the leak of secret intelligence to the New York Times to help defend the war in Iraq, a former top White House aide has said." 04-06 -04-06-06 Ex-Aide: Bush Ordered Leak of Intelligence Information (CBS News) "Vice President Dick Cheney's former top aide told prosecutors that President Bush authorized a leak of sensitive intelligence information about Iraq, according to court papers filed by prosecutors in the CIA leak case." "Libby's testimony indicates both the president and the vice president authorized leaks, and CBS News correspondent Gloria Borger reports that for a president that has prided himself on keeping secrets, Thursday's news could hardly be more embarrassing. Mr. Bush and Cheney both have long said they abhor that practice, so much so that the administration has put in motion criminal investigations to hunt down leakers." 04-06 -04-06-06 Senate Reaches Agreement on Immigration Bill (Bloomberg.com) "Senate Republicans and Democrats reached an agreement on procedures for allowing undocumented aliens to apply for citizenship, clearing an obstacle that stalled legislation overhauling U.S. immigration laws." "The compromise splits the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants into three groups, based on how long they have been in the U.S., for the purpose of setting rules on their eligibility to apply for legal status." 04-06 -04-06-06 Universal Health Care Proposed in Massachusettes (WTEN.com) "Members of the Senate and the Assembly have already handed a bill over to Governor Mitt Romney that would require citizens to purchase some kind of health care coverage. Penalties for those who refuse would include stiff penalties, and eventually outright fines." "Employers will also be held accountable. Any business with eleven employees or more would have to provide health insurance or pay close to $300 a year to uncovered workers." 04-06 -04-07-06 Counties: ES&S Electronic Ballots Rife With Mistakes (IndyStar.com) "Marion County Clerk Doris Anne Sadler blasted a voting machine company this morning saying it supplied error-filled ballots for next month's primary election." "Meanwhile, clerks in Johnson and Hancock counties, also are upset with the company because it did not deliver absentee ballots in time and failed to program touch screen voting machines." 04-06 -04-07-06 Grim Situation for Young Minority Males (MSNBC News) "At a time when the U.S. economy is on the upswing and more people are finding work, young African American men are falling further behind." "That’s the grim portrait painted by three new and forthcoming books by scholars at Columbia, Georgetown and Princeton universities. The picture isn't new, but the depths of its despair and pathology are." 04-06 -04-08-06 Journalist: Bush Considering Nuclear Attack Against Iran (MSNBC News) "The U.S. administration is stepping up plans for a possible air strike on Iran, despite publicly pushing for a diplomatic solution to a dispute over its nuclear ambitions, according to a report by influential investigative journalist Seymour Hersh." 04-06 -04-08-06 Offical: Undeclared Civil War in Iraq (ABC News) "A car bomb killed six people Saturday near a Shiite shrine south of Baghdad, and the death toll from the deadliest attack of the year rose to nearly 90. A senior official warned Iraq was in an 'undeclared civil war' that can be curbed only by a strong government and greater powers for security services." 04-06 -04-09-06 Afghan Christian's Trial for Conversion (ABC News) "Whether diplomats and politicians find a solution that will spare the life of Abdel Rahman, an Afghan man who could possibly face the death penalty for his Christian faith, the perception of Islam in the West may have already taken a hard hit." "Conservative Muslims in Afghanistan see Rahman's conversion as an act of treason against Islam and its communal identity. For Americans and others in countries that have spent money and precious lives to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban, Rahman's trial is itself a betrayal not of religious values but of the values of human rights." 04-06 -04-10-06 Immigration and Spirituality (MSNBC News) Newsweek interviewed Alex Avila, "the senior producer of LatinoUSA, a nationally syndicated English language radio program produced in Austin, Texas, and distributed by National Public Radio." "The legislation brought a sense of urgency in the immigrant community and the students have been waiting for something like this to energize them. And since the Senate didn’t do anything last week, I think there's a sense of urgency still. I don't expect these marches to disappear in the next week. It's Holy week [for Catholics] this week, so they expect to have it off, and I think they'll tie the spiritual and the political." 04-06 -04-10-06 Poll: Bush Approval Rating at New Low (ABC News) "President Bush's job approval rating is at a career low in this latest ABC News/Washington Post poll amid continued broad public skepticism about the Iraq war." "Today, just 20 percent of Americans "strongly" approve of his work in office, while more than twice as many, 47 percent, strongly disapprove." 04-06 -04-10-06 Thousands Rally for Immigrants (ABC News) "With an overhaul of immigration law stalled in Congress, demonstrators urged lawmakers to help an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants settle legally in the United States." "The massive turnout at Sunday's protests police estimated 350,000 to 500,000 in Dallas continued to surprise organizers and police." 04-06 -04-10-06 Thousands Rally for Immigrants (USA Today) "Tens of thousands of immigrants spilled into the streets of Atlanta and other cities Monday in a national day of action billed as a 'campaign for immigrants' dignity.' " "In Dallas, where a march Sunday drew between 350,000 and 500,000 people, activists also were urging immigrants to showcase their spending power by not buying anything during an economic boycott. Rallies also were planned Monday in Houston, El Paso and Austin." 04-06 -04-10-06 Two Million Expected in Rally Against Immigration Bill (Bloomberg.com) "As many as 2 million people may rally across the U.S. today against an immigration reform bill passed by the House of Representatives that would tighten the borders and impose stiffer penalties on illegal immigrants." 04-06 -04-12-06 Washington Post: White House Pushed Bogus Weapons Claim (CBS News) "When two small trailers were seized in Iraq in late May 2003, President Bush proclaimed a fresh victory. The administration called the trailers mobile 'biological laboratories,' and Mr. Bush declared: 'We have found the weapons of mass destruction.' " "But a secret mission to Iraq, according to the Post, had already concluded the trailers had nothing to do with biological weapons." "The trailers...were primary pieces of evidence offered by the Bush administration before the war to support its contention that Iraq was making weapons of mass destruction." 04-06 -04-13-06 Bush and Reid Exchange Barbs on Immigration (U.S. News.com) "The exchange was the latest in a series of maneuvers among party leaders trying to assign blame for Senate gridlock over comprehensive immigration legislation. A pending measure would strengthen border security, create a guest worker program and offer eventual citizenship to many of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country." 04-06 -04-13-06 FEMA: New Orleans Homes Need to be Raised Three Feet (CNN.com) "A long-awaited government projection on this city's flood danger recommends that thousands of homes and businesses in areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina be raised at least 3 feet." "The job can take one to two weeks and generally costs about $40,000 for the first foot, and $8,000 to $12,000 for each additional foot, said Phil Pieri, regional manager for a Texas-based foundation-repair company that operates in 18 states." 04-06 -04-13-06 Four Retired Generals Speak Out Against Rumsfeld (Christian Science Monitor) "A growing number of retired generals are publicly opposing US conduct of the war in Iraq, breaking a decades-old tradition of not criticizing ongoing military operations. "The focus of their ire: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Four generals have called for his resignation, saying he ignored military advice and made key strategic mistakes." 04-06 -04-13-06 Poll: Democrats Leading--But Americans Frustrated With Both Parties (Bloomberg.com) "Democrats, buoyed by President George W. Bush's problems, have taken commanding leads over Republicans on most issues and in voter preferences for the November congressional elections, a Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll shows." "Congress's overall approval rating fell to 28 percent in the poll, a record low in Los Angeles Times polling, which suggests Americans are frustrated with both parties. For instance, Americans see no difference between the parties on which has more honesty and integrity, with 30 percent saying Democrats and 29 percent choosing Republicans." 04-06 -04-13-06 U.S. Official: Iran "Some Years Away" From Making a Nuclear Bomb (Bloomberg.org) "Iran is 'some years away' from developing a nuclear bomb, said Thomas Fingar, deputy U.S. director of national intelligence." 04-06 -04-14-06 Ex-General: Rumsfeld Needs to Be Held Accountable (ABC News) "Retired Army Maj. Gen. John Batiste says he is calling for Donald Rumsfeld's resignation because he believes the defense secretary violated the principles of war planning when deciding to invade Iraq, and as a leader he needs to be accountable for that action." "Batiste led the First Infantry Division in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. He retired from the military in November 2005, passing up a third star and a chance to be second in command in Iraq." 04-06 -04-14-06 Pope Leads Way of the Cross Procession (ABC News) "Pope Benedict XVI reflected on the suffering of Christ and that of humanity throughout the ages as he led thousands of pilgrims and tourists in a torch-lit Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum in Rome to mark Good Friday." 04-06 -04-15-06 Dalai Lama Meets With Muslims (CBS News) "The Dalai Lama urged religious leaders Saturday to reach out to Muslims, saying Islam is a compassionate faith that has been unfairly maligned because of a few extremists." 04-06 -04-15-06 Exxon Oil Company Chairman Gets $400 Million for Retirement (ABC News) "Soaring gas prices are squeezing most Americans at the pump, but at least one man isn't complaining." "Last year, Exxon made the biggest profit of any company ever, $36 billion, and its retiring chairman appears to be reaping the benefits." 04-06 -04-15-06 Report: Rumsfeld Allowed Guantanamo Abuse (MSNBC News) "Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld permitted abusive interrogations of a suspected Sept. 11 hijacker, according to a Salon report." 04-06 -04-17-06 McCain to Speak at Farwell's University (ABC News) "When asked by ABC News if he thinks Falwell has changed, McCain said: "Rev. Falwell came to my office and said that he wanted to put our differences behind us. I was glad to do that." "When asked if he takes back his earlier statement that Falwell was an agent of intolerance, McCain said, 'I will continue to have disagreements with Rev. Falwell, and I hope that there will be areas where we can agree.' " 04-06 -04-17-06 McCain to Speak at Farwell's University (ABC News) "When asked by ABC News if he thinks Falwell has changed, McCain said: "Rev. Falwell came to my office and said that he wanted to put our differences behind us. I was glad to do that." "When asked if he takes back his earlier statement that Falwell was an agent of intolerance, McCain said, 'I will continue to have disagreements with Rev. Falwell, and I hope that there will be areas where we can agree.' " 04-06 -04-18-06 Giant U.S. Embassy Under Construction in Baghdad (USA Today) "The 104-acre complex — the size of about 80 football fields — will include two office buildings, one of them designed for future use as a school, six apartment buildings, a gym, a pool, a food court and its own power generation and water-treatment plants. The average Baghdad home has electricity only four hours a day, according to Bowen's office." 04-06 -04-19-06 Bush Press Secretary Resigning (CNN News) "Continuing a shakeup in President Bush's administration, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Wednesday he is resigning, while longtime Bush confidant Karl Rove will lose his policy portfolio." "A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the president had not yet made the announcement, said Wednesday that Rove is giving up oversight of policy development to focus more on politics with the approach of the fall midterm elections." 04-06 -04-20-06 Breakthrough in Iraq? (USA Today) "Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, under intense pressure to give up plans for a second term, agreed Thursday to let Shiite lawmakers reconsider his nomination, a step that could mark a breakthrough in the months-long effort to form a new government." "Key to al-Jaafari's change of heart was pressure from U.N. envoy Ashraf Qazi and his meetings Wednesday with the most powerful Shiite cleric in the country, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and Muqtada al-Sadr, a radical cleric who has backed al-Jaafari, said Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman." 04-06 -04-20-06 Health Care Costs Rise as Health Insurer Profits (ABC News) "While patients, doctors and hospitals have been feeling the pain of rising health-care costs, the chairman and CEO of UnitedHealth has been accumulating one of the richest batches of stock options ever." 04-06 -04-20-06 Pentagon Releases Names of Guantanamo Detainees (TimesOnline) Provides a list of "many of the detainees who have been held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center in eastern Cuba. The list includes the names and citizenship of all detainees who passed through the Combatant Status Review Tribunal process in 2004 and 2005." 04-06 -04-20-06 Program to Support Nonviolence in Colleges (ABC News) "Don McPherson, a former star quarterback at Syracuse University and NFL player, knows a thing or two about the behavior of athletes. And despite public perception, he said the athletes of today are better behaved than ever before." "And to help make sure athletes and other students understand acceptable behavior, McPherson works with young people across the country as executive director of the Sports Leadership Institute at Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y." 04-06 -04-20-06 Rove Giving Up Policy Post (New York Times) "The overhaul of the White House staff intensified on Wednesday as Karl Rove, one of the president's most powerful and feared advisers, gave up day-to-day control over the administration's domestic policy to concentrate on the midterm elections." 04-06 -04-20-06 U.S. and Chinese Presidents Meet at the White House (WashingtonTimes.com) "President Bush today greeted Chinese President Hu Jintao at the White House with direct appeals for more help on easing nuclear standoffs with Iran and North Korea and for reducing trade imbalances." 04-06 -04-23-06 Creation of a New American Fortress in Iraq a Secret (Washington Times) "The fortresslike compound rising beside the Tigris River here will be the world's largest of its kind, the size of Vatican City, with the population of a small town, its own defense force, self-contained power and water, and a precarious perch at the heart of Iraq's turbulent future." " 'The presence of a massive U.S. Embassy -- by far the largest in the world -- co-located in the Green Zone with the Iraqi government is seen by Iraqis as an indication of who actually exercises power in their country,' the International Crisis Group, a European-based research organization, said in one of its periodic reports on Iraq." 04-06 -04-23-06 Sharp Spike in Gasoline Prices in Two Weeks (ABC News) "Retail gas prices across the country jumped an average of nearly a quarter per gallon in the past two weeks, according to a survey released Sunday." 04-06 -04-25-06 1,000 Iraqis At Risk of Nuclear Contamination (Guardian Unlimited) "More than 1,000 Iraqis who live south of Baghdad within the bombed and looted complex that was once the centre of Saddam Hussein's nuclear programme are at acute risk of radioactive poisoning, the UN's nuclear authority said yesterday." 04-06 -04-25-06 Bush Eases Environmental Rules on Gasoline (ABC News) "Under election-year pressure to reduce surging gasoline prices, President Bush on Tuesday halted filling of the nation's emergency oil reserve, urged the waiver of clean air rules to ease local gas shortages and called for the repeal of $2 billion in tax breaks for profit-heavy oil companies." "The country's three largest oil and gas companies were expected to report combined first-quarter profits later in the week in excess of $16 billion, a 19 percent surge from last year." 04-06 -04-25-06 Snow to Be Named New Press Secretary (MSNBC News) "Conservative pundit Tony Snow will be named White House press secretary, Republican officials said Tuesday night, in the latest move in President Bush’s effort to remake his troubled White House." 04-06 -04-26-06 Katrina Victims Sue Army Corps of Engineers (Fox News) "Five people whose homes were flooded during Hurricane Katrina sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday, accusing the agency of ignoring repeated warnings that a navigation channel it built would turn into a 'hurricane highway.' " 04-06 -04-29-06 Homeowners the Top Employer of Laborers (CNN News) "The No. 1 employers of day laborers, many of whom are illegal immigrants, are homeowners -- not construction contractors, not professional landscapers." 04-06 -04-29-06 May 1 Is Migrant Boycott Day (ABC News) "Pro-immigration activists say a national boycott and marches planned for May 1 will flood America's streets with millions of Latinos to demand amnesty for illegal immigrants and shake the ground under Congress as it debates reform." 04-06 -04-29-06 States Sue Federal Government Over Global Warming (CNN News) "Ten states fired a new legal salvo Thursday at the federal government in a long-running court battle over global warming and pollution from power plants." 04-06 -04-29-06 Work Begins on Freedom Tower (ABC News) "After months of disputes over the future of ground zero, state and city officials finally brought in the heavy equipment and began construction Thursday on the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower that will rise at the World Trade Center site." 04-06 -05-01-06 One Million Demonstrate (ABC News) "More than 1 million mostly Hispanic immigrants and their supporters skipped work and took to the streets Monday, flexing their economic muscle in a nationwide boycott that succeeded in slowing or shutting many farms, factories, markets and restaurants." 05-06 -05-01-06 Rice Defends Early Choices in the War (MSNBC News) "Just back from Baghdad and eager to discuss promising developments, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice found herself knocked off message Sunday, forced to defend prewar planning and troop levels against an unlikely critic — Colin Powell, her predecessor at the State Department." 05-06 -05-01-06 Sen. Biden Proposes Partitioning Iraq into Three Regions (MSNBC News) "The senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee proposed Monday that Iraq be divided into three separate regions — Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni — with a central government in Baghdad." 05-06 -05-02-06 New Disaster Plan for New Orleans: Get Out of Town (CNN News) "Mayor Ray Nagin unveiled a new evacuation strategy for New Orleans on Tuesday that relies more on buses and trains and eliminates the Superdome and Convention Center as shelters." 05-06 -05-03-06 Bush Tells Immigrants to Learn English (WashintonTimes.com) " 'Those who come here to start new lives in our country have a responsibility to understand what America is about and the responsibility to learn the English language so they can better understand our national character and participate fully in American life,' the president said in a ceremony at the White House East Room." 05-06 -05-03-06 CIA Chief Resigns (BBC News) "US President George Bush has unexpectedly announced that the head of the CIA, Porter Goss, is stepping down." 05-06