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Crooks and Liars:
Cafferty: Dictatorship — Jack Cafferty didn't hold back today: — Video-WMP Video-QT — Cafferty: We all hope nothing happens to Arlen Specter, the Republican head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, cause he might be all that stands between us and a full blown dictatorship in this country.
Discussion:
In Search Of Utopia, TalkLeft, Firedoglake, Hullabaloo, Bench Conference and The Mahablog
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John O'Neil / New York Times:
Bush Says U.S. Spying Is Not Widespread — President Bush today denied that the government is "mining or trolling through the personal lives of innocent Americans," as Democrats expressed outrage over a news report describing a National Security Agency program that has collected vast amounts of telephone records.
Rich Noyes / NewsBusters.org:
Hyping USA Today's "Big Brother" Bombshell: TV Jumps on Stale NSA Database Story — Seismic! Shocking! Startling! A bombshell!! That's how the ABC, CBS and NBC morning shows described a front-page story in today's (Thursday's) USA Today that breathlessly touted how "NSA has massive database of Americans' phone calls."
Discussion:
Power Line, Captain's Quarters, Midtopia, The Strata-Sphere, The Swamp, The Left Coaster, Hit and Run, The Washington Monthly, The Volokh Conspiracy, PoliBlog, Comments From Left Field, INTEL DUMP, Outside The Beltway, Booman Tribune, QandO, Sigmund, Carl and Alfred, Right Wing News, BLACKFIVE, Flopping Aces and Gateway Pundit
Bloomberg:
NSA Collected Phone Records in U.S., Lott Says (Update1) — May 11 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. National Security Agency has obtained the phone records of millions of Americans in an effort to stop terrorists, a Senate Intelligence Committee member confirmed. — News of the program …
Discussion:
Unqualified Offerings
USA Today:
Bush defends NSA data collection program — WASHINGTON — Responding quickly to a USA TODAY report that his administration has collected information on tens of millions of domestic phone calls, President Bush today said everthing the National Security Agency has done is legal …
William Branigin / Washington Post:
NSA Call-Tracking Program Sparks Alarm — Bush Insists That Citizens' Privacy is 'Fiercely Protected' — President Bush, responding to a newspaper report on a previously undisclosed program to track the phone call patterns of millions of Americans, insisted today that U.S. intelligence activities …
The Raw Story:
Conyers, Harman introduce bill to kill NSA phone call database — Reps. Jane Harman (D-CA) and John Conyers (D-MI) today introduced the "Lawful Intelligence and Surveillance of Terrorists in an Emergency by NSA Act" (The LISTEN Act), RAW STORY has learned. — The Act would require any attempt …
Discussion:
Firedoglake
Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:
No need for Congress, no need for courts — (updated below) — I just this morning read the obviously significant USA Today article detailing the fact that the NSA is maintaining a comprehensive data base of every call made by every American - both internationally and domestically …
Discussion:
OrinKerr.com, Firedoglake, JustOneMinute, The Anonymous Liberal, Balkinization, The Volokh Conspiracy, Michelle Malkin, RightWinged.com, NewsHog, The American Mind, Amygdala, AMERICAblog, rubber hose, The Sideshow, The Huffington Post, Decision '08, In the Bullpen, The Carpetbagger Report, Liberty Street, Daily Kos, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, lgf, Sister Toldjah, dartblog.com, The American Street, Bark Bark Woof Woof and A Blog For All
Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:
Legal issues governing the Administration's newly disclosed surveillance program
Legal issues governing the Administration's newly disclosed surveillance program
irna.ir:
President says his letter to President Bush was invitation to Islam — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Thursday that his letter to President George W. Bush did not concern the nuclear dossier, but rather was an invitation to Islam and the prophets culture.
Discussion:
Jihad Watch, littlegreenfootballs.com, The Sundries Shack, Dinocrat, sugiero and Blue Crab Boulevard
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William J. Kole / Associated Press:
Why Won't U.S., Iran Hash Out Differences? — VIENNA, Austria - As the United States toughens its stance on Iran's nuclear program, and bitterness toward America hardens on the streets of Tehran, many people can't help but wonder: Why don't the two countries hold face-to-face talks to ease the crisis?
Ryan Alessi / Lexington Herald-Leader:
Grand jury indicts Gov. Ernie Fletcher — The special grand jury that's been investigating state government hiring practices today indicted Gov. Ernie Fletcher on three misdemeanor charges of conspiracy, official misconduct and political discrimination. — The jury also indicted former …
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Larisa Alexandrovna / The Raw Story:
US military, intelligence officials raise concern about possible preparations for Iran strike — Use of Iraq terror group bypassed Congress, sources say — Concern is building among the military and the intelligence community that the US may be preparing for a military strike on Iran …
The Raw Story:
DeLay notifies Speaker of the House he will resign June 9 — It's official: Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) has announced he will resign from Congress June 9. A copy of his resignation letter was acquired by RAW STORY. — Congressman Tom DeLay — Representing the 22nd District of Texas
Paul Caron / TaxProf Blog:
Joint Economic Committee Releases Tax Cuts Make Tax System More Progressive — The Joint Economic Committee yesterday released Federal Income Tax System Is Highly Progressive After Recent Tax Cuts (#109-36):
Discussion:
Angry Bear