Top Items:
John M. Broder / New York Times:
Lawmaker Quits After He Pleads Guilty to Bribes — LOS ANGELES, Nov. 28 - Representative Randy Cunningham, a Republican from San Diego, resigned from Congress on Monday, hours after pleading guilty to taking at least $2.4 million in bribes to help friends and campaign contributors win military contracts.
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Washington Post:
Congressman Admits Taking Bribes, Resigns — Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.) resigned from Congress yesterday after tearfully confessing to evading taxes and conspiring to pocket $2.4 million in bribes, including a Rolls-Royce, a yacht and a 19th-century Louis-Philippe commode.
Jeffrey H. Birnbaum / Washington Post:
A Growing Wariness About Money in Politics — For several years now, corporations and other wealthy interests have made ever-larger campaign contributions, gifts and sponsored trips part of the culture of Capitol Hill. But now, with fresh guilty pleas by a lawmaker and a public relations executive …
Elliot Spagat / Associated Press:San Diego-area Rep. Cunningham pleads guilty to bribery, resigns
Discussion:
Nitpicker
White House:
President Discusses Border Security and Immigration Reform in Arizona — Fact Sheet: Securing America Through Immigration Reform — THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. Thank you for the warm welcome. It is such a pleasure to be back in Arizona, and it's great to be here in Tucson.
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Washington Post:
'86 Alito Memo Argues Against Foreigners' Rights — Work for Justice Dept. Points to Views That May Affect Anti-Terrorism Rulings on High Court — As a senior lawyer in the Reagan Justice Department, Samuel A. Alito Jr. argued that immigrants who enter the United States illegally …
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters
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David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:Alito Memos Supported Expanding Police Powers
Discussion:
Wonkette
Dexter Filkins / New York Times:
Sunnis Accuse Iraqi Military of Kidnappings and Slayings — BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 28 - As the American military pushes the largely Shiite Iraqi security services into a larger role in combating the insurgency, evidence has begun to mount suggesting that the Iraqi forces are carrying out executions in predominantly Sunni neighborhoods.
Discussion:
The Washington Monthly, Blah3.com, www.AndrewSullivan.com, Roger Ailes, War and Piece, Daily Kos and AMERICAblog
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Solomon Moore / Los Angeles Times:
Killings Linked to Shiite Squads in Iraqi Police Force — With loyalties to banned paramilitary groups, the fighters have kidnapped, tortured and slain Sunnis, officials and witnesses say. — BAGHDAD — Shiite Muslim militia members have infiltrated Iraq's police force and are carrying …
Discussion:
Billmon
Linda Greenhouse / New York Times:
Case Reopens Abortion Issue for Justices — WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 - When the Supreme Court meets on Wednesday to hear its first abortion case in five years, the topic will be familiar: a requirement that doctors notify a pregnant teenager's parent before performing an abortion.
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Howard Kurtz / Washington Post:
Slow-Motion Disaster — For once, I don't think I can blame the media. — Journalists keep writing stories about how awful things are in New Orleans. Time did a cover story last week: "It's Worse Than You Think." And yet three months after Katrina struck, the administration hasn't done much …
Discussion:
Media Blog on National …, Poynter Online, mediabistro, Just a Bump in the Beltway and mediabistro
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BBC:
Cheney accused on prisoner abuse — A top aide to former Secretary of State Colin Powell has launched a stinging attack on US Vice-President Dick Cheney over abuse of prisoners by US troops. — Col Lawrence Wilkerson accused Mr Cheney of ignoring a decision by President Bush on the treatment of prisoners in the war on terror.
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E. J. Dionne Jr / Washington Post:
Labor's Lost Story — Decades ago, Walter Reuther, the storied head of the United Auto Workers union, was taken on a tour of an automated factory by a Ford Motor Co. executive. — Somewhat gleefully, the Ford honcho told the legendary union leader: "You know, not one of these machines pays dues to the UAW."
John Fund / Opinion Journal:
Power to the People — Washington policy makers stand in the way of sensible energy policies. — After Hurricane Katrina temporarily knocked out 30% of America's oil refinery capacity and caused gasoline prices to spike, it became dramatically obvious that the nation needed to build …
Christopher Lee / Washington Post:
Vice President's Office Keeps Travel Expenses Under Wraps — Open-government advocates say that Vice President Cheney is to executive branch secrecy what darkness is to the night. — In 2001, Cheney famously refused to disclose the names of oil company executives and others who attended meetings …
Laura / War and Piece:
"The Salvador Option." Reader MV writes, "Long story why I'm so emotionally involved in this, but please read this Newsweek piece from January about internal DoD debates regarding the 'Salvador Option,' showing internal debate within the DoD about the formation of Salvador- style 'death squads …
John Schwartz / New York Times:
Full Flood Safety in New Orleans Could Take Billions and Decades — NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 22 - Amid all the arguments over how to rebuild this pummeled city, there is one universally held article of faith here: New Orleans must have a flood protection system strong enough to withstand Category 5 storms, the worst that nature can spawn.
