Lacking Biolabs, Trailers Carried Case for War  —  Administration Pushed Notion of Banned Iraqi Weapons Despite Evidence to Contrary  —  On May 29, 2003, 50 days after the fall of Baghdad, President Bush proclaimed a fresh victory for his administration in Iraq: Two small trailers captured …

Mutually Assured Dementia  —  Maybe it's just me, but I've been at least a little bit surprised by the relatively muted reaction to the news that the Cheney Administration and its Pentagon underlings are racing to put the finishing touches on plans for attacking Iran - plans which may include …

Prosecutor in CIA Leak Case Corrects Part of Court Filing  —  The federal prosecutor overseeing the indictment of Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, yesterday corrected a claim in an earlier court filing that Libby had misrepresented the significance placed …

Presenter: Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and Chariman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace  —  DoD News Briefing with Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Pace from the Pentagon  —  SEC. RUMSFELD: Good afternoon, folks.  —  Reports from the military services, including the Army …

Immigrant Bill Fallout May Hurt House GOP  —  In the wake of this week's massive demonstrations, many House Republicans are worried that a tough anti-illegal-immigration bill they thought would please their political base has earned them little benefit while becoming a lightning rod …

Berlusconi Says He Will Contest Italy Vote  —  ROME, April 11 — Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday challenged his opponent's wisp of a victory in the divisive national elections, alternately suggesting a recount, or a German-style grand coalition government.

U.S. UNFAIR TO ZARQAWI, SAYS THE WASHINGTON POST  —  I was too busy yesterday to get to this story in the Washington Post.  The headline states, "Military Plays Up Role of Zarqawi — Jordanian Painted As Foreign Threat to Iraq's Stability."  The first paragraph states:

Islamists Post Hit List of 'Apostates'  —  An Egyptian group calling itself the "al-Jama'ah Consultative Council" has sent an e-mail hit list to people deemed 'apostates' yesterday.  The group warned that those people on the list who had left the faith would have three days (as of yesterday) to repent or they would be killed.

Judges Set Hurdles for Lethal Injection  —  Judges in several states have started to put up potentially insurmountable roadblocks to the use of lethal injections to execute condemned inmates.  —  Their decisions are based on new evidence suggesting that prisoners have endured agonizing executions.

Billionaire and his wife in dogfight?  —  Billionaire right-wing godfather Richard Mellon Scaife — who famously funded an investigation of Bill Clinton's sex life that resulted in a presidential impeachment — is having female troubles of his own.  —  Police responded to a call last week …

Thoughts on California 50  —  I used to be a frequent moviegoer.  I am not any more.  For some reason, I still really enjoy keeping tabs on what movies come out, and the reviews they receive.  The reviewer I read most is Roger Ebert - but not because I think he is the best.  Ebert likes far too many movies.

IRAQ: Doctors, NGOs warn of high infant mortality in Basra  —  BASRA, 11 April (IRIN) - As a result of water-borne diseases and a lack of medical supplies, infants born in the southern city of Basra are subject to abnormally high mortality rates, say officials of an international NGO devoted to child health issues.

The Quiet War Against Muqtada Sadr  —  August 2004: The Battle of Najaf was raging, with Shia radical Muqtada Sadr's rogue Mahdi militia turning Najaf's imposing Imam Ali Mosque into a fortress — the equivalent of an Irish Republican Army terror faction using the Vatican as a bunker.