Top Items:
Haaretz:
Ehud Olmert taking over prime ministerial powers — Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a "significant" stroke with "massive bleeding" in his brain late Wednesday night, according to a Hadassah University Hospital official, and Sharon's authority has been transferred to Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Discussion:
Associated Press, Kesher Talk, All Things Beautiful, The Political Pit Bull, Jerusalem Post, BBC, Gateway Pundit, Israellycool, ynetnews.com, Atlas Shrugs, Mere Rhetoric, Yourish.com, THE ASTUTE BLOGGER, neo-neocon, Gina Cobb, The RCP Blog, The Reaction, Roger L. Simon, The Indepundit, Blogs for Bush, Scared Monkeys and The Moderate Voice
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Aluf Benn / Haaretz:
Analysis: A tragic end to Ariel Sharon's one-man show — The hospitalization of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, this time because of a cerebral hemorrhage, will make it difficult for him to return to his job even if he gets through the medical treatment and gets better.
Herb Keinon / Jerusalem Post:Sharon moved to intensive care; vital signs stable
Discussion:
IRIS Blog, Mere Rhetoric, SerandEz, Israel news and commentary … and Talking Points Memo
Steve Weizman / Associated Press:Sharon Sent Back Into Operating Room
Discussion:
Mere Rhetoric, 'Just World News …, Sigmund, Carl and Alfred and TKS on National Review Online
Bill Gertz / Washington Times:
NSA whistleblower asks to testify — A former National Security Agency official wants to tell Congress about electronic intelligence programs that he asserts were carried out illegally by the NSA and the Defense Intelligence Agency. — Russ Tice, a whistleblower who was dismissed from the NSA last year …
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Carol D. Leonnig / Washington Post:
Surveillance Court Is Seeking Answers — The members of a secret federal court that oversees government surveillance in espionage and terrorism cases are scheduled to receive a classified briefing Monday from top Justice Department and intelligence officials about a controversial warrantless …
Scott Shane / New York Times:
Key Democrat Says Spying Violated Law — WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 - The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said on Wednesday that the limited Congressional briefings the Bush administration has provided on a National Security Agency eavesdropping program violated the law.
Katherine Shrader / Associated Press:
White House Told NSA Briefings Broke Law — WASHINGTON - The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee told President Bush Wednesday that the White House broke the law by withholding information from the full congressional oversight committees about a new domestic surveillance program.
John / AMERICAblog:
NBC confirms it's investigating whether Bush spied on CNN's Christiane Amanpour — That is the only way to read NBC's just-issued statement on why they deleted key portions of Andrea Mitchell's interview after we reported on it here earlier today. — [Background: We reported earlier today …
Discussion:
Eschaton, Running Scared, The American Street, Comments From Left Field, The Poor Man Institute, Amygdala and mediabistro
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Brian / mediabistro.com:
NBC Removed Reference To Amanpour To "Further Continue Our Inquiry" — Yesterday, MSNBC.com published a transcript of Andrea Mitchell's interview with author James Risen about the CIA's domestic spying program. In it, Mitchell asked Risen if he had uncovered evidence that CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour was eavesdropped upon.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Carpetbagger Report, AMERICAblog, This Modern World, The All Spin Zone and The Heretik
Will / Attytood:
Was Christiane Amanpour spied on — and more importantly, if so, why? — "Given the choice, it's better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than a spokeswoman for al-Qaeda." — Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti, referring to CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour, Sept. 14, 2003.
Ana Marie Cox / New York Times:
Political Theater of the Absurd — THE bad guy with a fondness for quoting the most extortionary lines of "The Godfather" walks out of the courtroom dressed like a film noir villain. He was there because his pretty-boy partner had already dropped a dime on him. Lying, cheating, stealing, gambling ... and Indians.
Discussion:
Althouse
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David D. Kirkpatrick / New York Times:
Liberal Groups to Release Ads Attacking Court Pick — WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 - The battle over the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. turned personal Wednesday with the announcement of new commercials that sharply escalated liberal attacks on him, moving beyond his legal views …
Discussion:
Captain's Quarters
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Laurie Goodstein / New York Times:Minister, a Bush Ally, Gives Church as Site for Alito Rally
Discussion:
Sirotablog
White House:
Personnel Announcement — President George W. Bush today recess appointed the following individuals: — Floyd Hall, of New Jersey, to be a Member of the AMTRAK Reform Board. — Enrique J. Sosa, of Florida, to be a Member of the AMTRAK Reform Board. — Nadine Hogan, of Florida …
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Thomas B. Edsall / Washington Post:
Bush Appointments Avert Senate Battles — President Bush yesterday made a raft of controversial recess appointments, including Julie L. Myers to head the Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau at the Department of Homeland Security, in a maneuver circumventing the need for approval by the Senate.
New York Times:
At Least 80 Iraqis Killed in 2nd Straight Day of Big Attacks — BAGHDAD, Jan. 5 - Two new suicide bombings rocked Iraq today, killing at least 80 in an attack at a shrine in the Shiite city of Karbala and a police recruiting station in the Sunni city of Ramadi.
RELATED ITEM:
Sameer N. Yacoub / Associated Press:Attacks on Shiites, Police Kill 79 in Iraq
Discussion:
PoliPundit.com
channeloklahoma.com:
Tulsa Pastor Arrested In OKC On Lewdness Charge — OKLAHOMA CITY — An executive committee member of the Southern Baptist Convention was arrested on a lewdness charge for propositioning a plainclothes policeman outside a hotel, police said. — Lonnie Latham, senior pastor at South Tulsa Baptist Church …
