Top Items:
Katherine Shrader / Associated Press:
Hatch: Court Briefed on Bush Surveillance — WASHINGTON - Two judges on the secretive court that approves warrants for intelligence surveillance were told of the broad monitoring programs that have raised recent controversy, a Republican senator said Tuesday, connecting a court to knowledge …
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New York Times:
Verizon Denies Turning Over Local Phone Data — Verizon, the country's second-largest phone company, said yesterday that it had not provided local phone records to the National Security Agency as part of efforts to compile a database of calling records to track terrorist activities.
Discussion:
CNN, The Left Coaster, TPMmuckraker, The Carpetbagger Report, The Washington Monthly, The Anonymous Liberal and TalkLeft
Vaughn Ververs / News Blog:
A Story Slipping Away?
A Story Slipping Away?
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Talking Points Memo, Iowa Voice, The American Mind, Wizbang, In the Bullpen and USATODAY.com
Patrick Yoest / public.cq.com:
DHS Does About-Face In Backing Use of National Guard to Seal Border — In December of 2005, Fox News talking head Bill O'Reilly floated an unlikely — even brash — idea to the Homeland Security secretary to seal off the porous southwest border. — "Why don't you put the National Guard …
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New York Times:
Divide Remains as Bush Pushes Immigration Plan — WASHINGTON, May 16 — President Bush pushed ahead on Tuesday with his effort to bring Republicans in the House and the Senate together on a plan to reduce illegal immigration. But he ran into renewed resistance from conservatives …
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Mark Tapscott / Tapscott's Copy Desk:
Conservative Battle Fatique? The "What If" Issue — More bad news for the GOP in today's edition of The Washington Post as 56 percent of the respondents to the latest Post/ABC News survey say they prefer Democrats in control of Congress. — There is a distinct, though not quite as deep …
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Echidne / ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES:
The Care And Maintenance of the Aquarium — The Washington Post honors the recently passed Mother's Day by a most interesting article on the health of the newborn: … Are you prepared for this, ladies between the ages of fifteen and fifty-five? You are now in the state of pre-pregnancy!
Discussion:
Washington Post, Unfogged, Ezra Klein, Bitch Ph.D., Blog of the Moderate Left, Outside The Beltway and Pacific Views
David Germain / Associated Press:
'Da Vinci Code' Misses the Mark for Critics — CANNES, France - "The Da Vinci Code" drew lukewarm praise, shrugs of indifference, some jeering laughter and a few derisive jabs Tuesday from arguably the world's toughest movie crowd: critics at the Cannes Film Festival.
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David Germain / Associated Press:
Albinos Condemn 'Da Vinci' Assassin
Albinos Condemn 'Da Vinci' Assassin
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway
Lorie Byrd / Lorie Byrd.com:
Update — I am sorry that I have been MIA all day. I had a doctor appt. out of town that had been scheduled for months and then enjoyed a visit from my mom who came to help lift the spirits of my little fever girl. Anyway, it has been kinda nice to be away from the computer all day …
Discussion:
Stolen Thunder, The Strata-Sphere, PunditGuy, BitsBlog, Ex-Donkey Blog and Alarming News
Joe Gandelman / The Moderate Voice:
GOPers Find A New Political Horror Star In Pelosi — You can hear the music starting now. That menacing cadence. The numbing feeling that something could soon happen. A small move that you see in the corner of your eye that makes your blood run cold. And then it happens:
Roger Clegg / Opinion Journal:
Disinvited — The EEOC cancels a meeting rather than listen to criticism. — Last month, I received an invitation to testify before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission about affirmative action and diversity in U.S. companies. The testimony was scheduled for today …
Associated Press:
Venezuela may sell U.S. jets to Iran, others — CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's military is considering the possibility of selling its fleet of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to another country, perhaps Iran, a Venezuelan military official said Tuesday.
Andrew Taylor / Associated Press:
Senate readies vote on $70B tax cut — MAY. 11 1:13 P.M. ET President Bush and his GOP allies on Capitol Hill anticipated a long-sought election year victory Thursday as senators debated a bill awarding tax relief to investors and 15 million taxpayers with above-average incomes.
Discussion:
David Sirota
Chris Bowers / MyDD:
We Will All Win, Eventually — Today, in just three divisions (precincts) available to me, Kevin and I pulled over 100 votes. With only 27-01, 27-02, and 27-23 reporting, we have reached roughly 110 votes. And that is only three divisions (precincts). We won, and we won huge.
Eteraz / Unwilling Self-Negation:
The Problem Of Mecca — Mecca has always been our locus. Islam was incomplete until Mecca embraced it. Muhammad willed himself to live only as long as Mecca was not his. For forteen hundred years we have gone to Mecca in search of God, in fulfillment of duty.
TCS Daily:
The Parent Trap — Not long ago we worried about baby booms and overpopulation. Now some people are worrying about a "Global Baby Bust." Writing in Foreign Affairs, Phillip Longman says it's mostly because of economics: … He's clearly right about the economics.
Kathy Matheson / Associated Press:
Foster Quotes Eminem at Penn Graduation — PHILADELPHIA - You can add rapping to the list of Jodie Foster's talents. The Oscar-winning actress spoke Monday at the University of Pennsylvania's commencement ceremonies, ending her address with the chorus of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" from …
John Hawkins / Human Events:
Tackling a Handful of Immigration Myths, Misnomers and Red Herrings — There's no topic hotter in the body politic right now than immigration. — Everywhere you turn, especially in the blogosphere, somebody has an opinion. So, since illegal immigration is the topic du jour …
Khaled Abu Toameh / Jerusalem Post:
Aksa Brigades threatens US, Europe — The Aksa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, on Monday threatened to strike at US and European interests in response to international sanctions on the Palestinian Authority. — The threat, the first of its kind, came as PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas …
PittsburghLIVE.com:
'Earthquake in Pennsylvania' — TRIBUNE-REVIEW — Angry taxpayers on Tuesday tossed out the two Republican Senate leaders who helped engineer last year's legislative pay raise, an issue that apparently cost 15 House members their jobs, too. — Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Jubelirer of Altoona …
Washington Post:
U.S. Secretly Backing Warlords in Somalia — More than a decade after U.S. troops withdrew from Somalia following a disastrous military intervention, officials of Somalia's interim government and some U.S. analysts of Africa policy say the United States has returned to the African country …
Discussion:
Air America Radio