Insurgents Justify Release of Jill Carroll in Web Tape  —  Tape Claims Americans Met Some Demands  —  March 30, 2006 — ABC News has found a video on an insurgent Web site showing U.S. reporter Jill Carroll before she was released by her captors in Iraq.  The circumstances surrounding …

Long-Awaited Medical Study Questions the Power of Prayer  —  Prayers offered by strangers had no effect on the recovery of people who were undergoing heart surgery, a large and long-awaited study has found.  —  And patients who knew they were being prayed for had a higher rate …

An Open Letter to Borders Books (updated repeatedly)  —  Dear Borders representatives:  —  After reading this, please forward it to the appropriate Borders executive.  Be advised also that I am circulating this message far and wide, and posting it online on my blog:  —  http://bidinotto.journalspace.com/?

How the FBI Let 9/11 Happen  —  Never mind Moussaoui, the smoldering gun was right there all the time  —  Anyone paying attention to the Zacarias Moussaoui trial gets it now.  All the 9/11 blanks are filled in, and the picture is complete.  Sorry, conspiracy freaks and blind partisan hacks.

Obama rallies state Democrats, throws support behind Lieberman  —  HARTFORD, Conn. — U.S. Sen. Barack Obama rallied Connecticut Democrats at their annual dinner Thursday night, throwing his support behind mentor and Senate colleague Joe Lieberman.  —  Obama, an Illinois Democrat who is considered …

Kind of a Hollow Thud  —  Peter Daou correctly notes today in the Huffington Post about the flop that was yesterday's Democratic National Security Plan announcement.  There is absolutely no question the media (and the Democratic Party) was owned on this.  It's really rather sad …

Levee Repair Costs Triple  —  The Bush administration said yesterday that the cost of rebuilding New Orleans's levees to federal standards has nearly tripled to $10 billion and that there may not be enough money to fully protect the entire region.  —  Donald E. Powell, the administration's …

Chaplains Group Opposes Prayer Order  —  Guarantee on Using Jesus's Name Not Needed, It Says  —  An association that represents more than 70 percent of the chaplains in the U.S. military, including many evangelical Christians, is opposing a demand by conservatives in Congress …

Bush Wanted War  —  It is my firm belief that if, say, a few dozen people simultaneously did an Internet search for the words "Bush lied," computers all over the country would crash and the energy grid would buckle, producing a rolling blackout that would begin somewhere around Terre Haute …

Ironic: Pelosi Holds "Real Security" Sign Upside Down (VIDEO)  —  California Conservative linked with Nancy Pelosi Unveils Real Security, DNC-Style  —  Slobokan's Site O' Schtuff linked with The Brightest Bulb  —  67 Responses to "Ironic: Pelosi Holds "Real Security" Sign Upside Down (VIDEO)"

YearlyKos Convention Announces Panel Including Amb.  Joe Wilson to Discuss Disclosure of CIA Officer Valerie Plame's Identity  —  YearlyKos@gmail.com  —  For Immediate Release:  —  YearlyKos Convention Announces Panel Including Former U.S. Ambassador Joe Wilson to Discuss the Bush Administration …

Could Sanctions Stop Iran?  —  Recent History Suggests That the Prospects Aren't Good  —  Now that the U.N. Security Council has agreed on a statement demanding that Iran restrict its nuclear program, the United States and its allies are doubtless considering tougher measures, including sanctions, to force Iran's compliance.

Massachusetts Court Limits Same-Sex Marriages  —  BOSTON, March 30 — Massachusetts's highest court ruled today that same-sex couples who live in other states cannot get married in Massachusetts unless gay marriage is legal in their home states.  —  In an opinion written by Justice Francis X. Spina …

Drone aircraft may prowl U.S. skies  —  Unmanned aerial vehicles have soared the skies of Afghanistan and Iraq for years, spotting enemy encampments, protecting military bases, and even launching missile attacks against suspected terrorists.  —  Now UAVs may be landing in the United States.

Sharon Stone Returns in 'Basic Instinct 2,' an Older Femme but as Fatale as Ever  —  IT should come as no surprise that "Basic Instinct 2," the long-gestating follow-up to Paul Verhoeven's 1992 blip on the zeitgeist screen, is a disaster of the highest or perhaps lowest order.