Top Items:
Washington Post:
Spy Court Judge Quits In Protest — Jurist Concerned Bush Order Tainted Work of Secret Panel — A federal judge has resigned from the court that oversees government surveillance in intelligence cases in protest of President Bush's secret authorization of a domestic spying program, according to two sources.
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New York Times:
Spying Program Snared U.S. Calls — WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 - A surveillance program approved by President Bush to conduct eavesdropping without warrants has captured what are purely domestic communications in some cases, despite a requirement by the White House that one end of the intercepted conversations …
Discussion:
San Francisco Chronicle, MyDD, Confederate Yankee, Booman Tribune ~ Boo! and AMERICAblog
Bruce Fein / Washington Times:
. . . unlimited? — According to President George W. Bush, being president in wartime means never having to concede co-equal branches of government have a role when it comes to hidden encroachments on civil liberties. — Last Saturday, he thus aggressively defended the constitutionality …
Michael McGough / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:Specter will question Alito on legality of NSA spying
Discussion:
IntoxiNation-News …
MSNBC:
Judge rules against 'intelligent design' — 'Religious alternative' to evolution barred from public-school science classes — HARRISBURG, Pa. - In one of the biggest courtroom clashes between faith and evolution since the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, a federal judge barred …
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Henry Weinstein / Los Angeles Times:
Federal Judge Rules Against 'Intelligent Design' — A federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled today that it is unconstitutional to compel teachers there to present "intelligent design" as an alternative explanation to evolution because it amounts to establishing religion in public schools.
Discussion:
BBC
New York Times:Judge Bars 'Intelligent Design' From Pa. Classes
Discussion:
Associated Press, Pharyngula, Althouse, Evolution News & Views, Patridiot Watch, The Moderate Voice, www.AndrewSullivan.com, Dispatches from the …, The Reaction, The Panda's Thumb, A Columbia Law Student Blog, Evolutionblog, King of Zembla, Amygdala, Daily Kos, Middle Earth Journal, Gothamist and TalkLeft
Anne E. Kornblut / New York Times:
Lobbyist Is Said to Discuss Plea and Testimony — WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 - Jack Abramoff, the Republican lobbyist under criminal investigation, has been discussing with prosecutors a deal that would grant him a reduced sentence in exchange for testimony against former political and business associates …
Steven Greenhouse / New York Times:
In Final Hours, M.T.A. Took a Big Risk on Pensions — On the final day of intense negotiations, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, it turns out, greatly altered what it had called its final offer, to address many of the objections of the transit workers' union.
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Larry McShane / Associated Press:
Court Fines NYC Transit Union $1M a Day — NEW YORK - Commuters trudged through the freezing cold, rode bicycles and shared cabs Tuesday as New York's bus and subway workers went on strike for the first time in more than 25 years and stranded millions of riders at the height of the Christmas rush.
Ars Technica:
The new technology at the root of the NSA wiretap scandal — When the NSA wiretapping story first hit the pages of the NYT a few days ago, there were clearly a huge number of unanswered questions. Is the wiretapping that the President has authorized illegal under the FISA act? Is it unconstitutional?
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National Review:
Clinton Claimed Authority to Order No-Warrant Searches — In a little-remembered debate from 1994, the Clinton administration argued that the president has "inherent authority" to order physical searches — including break-ins at the homes of U.S. citizens — for foreign intelligence purposes without …
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Judd / Think Progress:Fact Check: Clinton/Carter Executive Orders …
Discussion:
Power Line, Mathew Gross, The Democratic Daily Blog, Let Freedom Ring, Hammer of Truth, Say Anything and TBogg
Doug Struck / Washington Post:
Sunnis Allege Fraud, Demand New Iraq Elections — Conservative Shiite Coalition Emerges as Early Leader in Parliamentary Returns — BAGHDAD, Dec. 20 — Sunni and secular political parties angrily claimed Tuesday that Iraq's national election was rigged, threatening to leave in shambles …
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Jonathan Allen / The Hill:
Civil liberties don't matter much 'after you're dead,' Cornyn says on spy case — Senators launched new salvos in the battle over national security and civil liberties yesterday as recent revelations of domestic spying continued to color the chamber's stalemate on an extension of the anti-terrorism law known as the Patriot Act.
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Richard Morin / Washington Post:
Poll: Bush Approval Numbers Up — President's Job Approval Rating Increases by Eight Points — Washington Post polling editor Richard Morin was online Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 1 p.m. ET to discuss the new Post/ABC poll, which shows an eight point increase in President Bush's approval rating …
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Associated Press:
Donors Underwrite DeLay's Deluxe Lifestyle — WASHINGTON — As Tom DeLay became a king of campaign fundraising, he lived like one too. He visited cliff-top Caribbean resorts, golf courses designed by PGA champions and four-star restaurants _ all courtesy of donors who bankrolled his political money empire.
Discussion:
The Stakeholder
Crooks and Liars:
James Bamford punks Victoria Toensing — James Bamford punks Victoria Toensing — Bush broke the law. — ReddHedd alerted me to this debate on C-Span this morning, and PensitoReview wrote up a post about it. The republican apologist was all smiley and bouncy and hoped that her cheery demeanor …
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worldtribune.com:
Report: Syria agrees to hide Iran nukes — LONDON — Syria has signed a pledge to store Iranian nuclear weapons and missiles. — The London-based Jane's Defence Weekly reported that Iran and Syria signed a strategic accord meant to protect either country from international pressure regarding their weapons programs.
Scotsman:
Jihad is 'Muslim obligation' — A lawyer defending al Qaida-linked suspects standing trial for the 2003 suicide bombings in Istanbul told a court that jihad, or holy war, was an obligation for Muslims and his clients should not be prosecuted. — "If you punish them for this, tomorrow …
Discussion:
Jihad Watch
Kevin Drum / The Washington Monthly:
WARTIME....Do President Bush's inherent constitutional powers as commander-in-chief give him the authority to override federal law and approve domestic spying by the NSA? That's certainly the justification he provided at Monday's press conference: … Bill Kristol and Gary Schmitt support …
