Bush Counsel May Be Next in White House Shake-Up  —  WASHINGTON, April 20 — Joshua B. Bolten, the new White House chief of staff, has raised the possibility of moving Harriet E. Miers from her job as President Bush's counsel as part of a continuing shake-up of the West Wing …

SORRY, YOUR VIEWPOINT IS EXCLUDED FROM FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTION: That's what the Ninth Circuit holds today, as to student speech in K-12 schools, in a remarkable — and in my view deeply unsound — decision (Harper v. Poway Unified School Dist.).  —  Tyler Harper wore an anti-homosexuality T-shirt …

F.D.A. Dismisses Medical Benefit From Marijuana  —  WASHINGTON, April 20 — The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that "no sound scientific studies" supported the medical use of marijuana, contradicting a 1999 review by a panel of highly regarded scientists.

Seeing red over 'green scare'  —  MEET AL GORE, scaremonger.  In 2004, Gore denounced President Bush for "playing on our fears."  Today, he is at the forefront of a "green scare" about global warming intended to terrify Americans into submitting to his environmental policies.

Fitting the pieces together  —  In February 2001, the Sunday Times ran the article Was this Saddam's Bomb by Gwynne Roberts.  I couldn't find the original but it is also on Globalsecurity.org .  —  I only recently read this article and found it interesting but very hard to believe.

Hiltzik's Blog Suspension Should Not End the L.A. Times's Interactivity with Readers  —  The top post at Michael Hiltzik's L.A. Times-sponsored Golden State blog reads as follows: … I have mixed feelings about this.  —  On one hand, I was very disappointed when I read Hiltzik's response …

Countercolumn makes the papers!  —  Kind of a weird take.  And describing "Countercolumn" as "The Countercolumn" sort of reminds me of the old cartoon when Wiley E. Coyote dressed up as "The Batman."  —  I sort of wish the reporter had also pointed out that I also defended the right …

Shiite Drops Bid to Keep His Post as Iraqi Premier  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 20 — Under intense domestic and American pressure, Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari dropped his bid to retain his job on Thursday, removing a major obstacle to forming a new government during a time of rising sectarian violence.

Democrats Eager to Exploit Anger Over Gas Prices  —  WASHINGTON, April 20 — Democrats running for Congress are moving quickly to use the most recent surge in oil and gasoline prices to bash Republicans over energy policy, and more broadly, the direction of the country.

U.S. Crackdown Set Over Hiring of Immigrants  —  WASHINGTON, April 20 — The apprehension on Wednesday of more than 1,100 illegal immigrants employed by a pallet supply company based in Houston, as well as the arrest of seven of its managers, represented the start of a more aggressive federal crackdown …

Tech student charged with supporting terror group  —  Another Atlanta area man arrested in Bangladesh  —  A 21-year-old Georgia Tech student taken into federal custody last month has been charged with giving "material support" to a terrorist organization, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday.

Have you ever considered the peculiar yet convenient amnesia that regularly strikes members of the drive-by media when it fits their political agenda?  Given the development of the Internet, the accuracy and ease of search engines, and the ready access of more detailed media devices …

The Generals' Dangerous Whispers  —  Last time around, the antiwar left did not have a very high opinion of generals.  A popular slogan in the 1960s was "war is too important to be left to the generals."  It was the generals who had advocated attacking Cuba during the missile crisis of October 1962 …

Stumping for Lincoln Chafee  —  Providence, Rhode Island — The Sierra Club is endorsing Senator Lincoln Chafee for re-election this morning.  Our event is in Warwick, a "Cool City" where a new project is creating an Amtrak station right next to the Providence airport and an opportunity …

New Orleans Police to Return Seized Guns  —  NEW ORLEANS - Under pressure from the National Rifle Association, police this week began returning guns confiscated after Hurricane Katrina.  —  The police department is making the guns available three days a week.