Top Items:
Siobhan Gorman / Baltimore Sun:
NSA killed system that sifted phone data legally … WASHINGTON // The National Security Agency developed a pilot program in the late 1990s that would have enabled it to gather and analyze massive amounts of communications data without running afoul of privacy laws.
Discussion:
The Washington Monthly, Liberty and Justice, Amygdala, Lean Left, Hullabaloo, Wot Is It Good 4 and Daniel W. Drezner
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Washington Post:
Lawmakers Reexamine Hayden — CIA Pick's Involvement in Wiretap Program Raises Questions — In hearings today on President Bush's choice to head the CIA, senators will face an array of questions, loose ends and seeming contradictions about the administration's domestic surveillance techniques.
New York Times:
U.S. Focused on Obtaining Long-Distance Phone Data, Company Officials Indicate — Government efforts to obtain data from the nation's largest phone companies for a national security database appear to have focused on long-distance carriers, not local ones, statements by company officials indicate.
Scott Shane / New York Times:
C.I.A. Pick Dazzles Many, but Critics See Mixed Résumé — WASHINGTON, May 17 — A year ago, when Gen. Michael V. Hayden last sought Senate confirmation to a new job, protecting Americans' privacy from the global eavesdropping system he had overseen for six years …
Discussion:
JustOneMinute
New York Times:
Wider Briefing for Lawmakers on Spy Efforts — WASHINGTON, May 17 — Classified briefings provided to lawmakers on Wednesday about a controversial domestic eavesdropping program have smoothed what might have been a contentious path toward confirmation for Gen. Michael V. Hayden as director …
MSNBC:
Lawmaker: Marines killed Iraqis 'in cold blood' — Navy conducting war crimes probe into November violence in Haditha — A video provided to Reuters in March by Hamourabi, a human rights group, shows covered bodies, which Hamourabi says are of 15 civilians shot to death by Marines in Haditha in November.
Discussion:
Flopping Aces, The Left Coaster, Rantingprofs, TBogg, Hullabaloo, The Carpetbagger Report, Super Fun Power Hour, The Democratic Daily Blog, BTC News, Varifrank, Democrat Taylor Marsh …, Running Scared, Macsmind, Bark Bark Woof Woof, The Reality-Based Community, Shakespeare's Sister, The Moderate Voice, THE NEWS BLOG, Pharyngula, Daily Kos and AMERICAblog
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John Conyers Jr / Washington Post:
No Rush to Impeachment — As Republicans have become increasingly nervous about whether they will be able to maintain control of the House in the midterm elections, they have resorted to the straw-man strategy of identifying a parade of horrors to come if Democrats gain the majority.
Peggy Noonan / Opinion Journal:
Out of Touch — What the president's immigration speech and "The DaVinci Code" have in common. — What was missing in the president's approach the other night was the expression, or suggestion, of context. The context was a crisis that had gone unanswered as it has built …
William Triplett / Variety:
Tony Snow at the White House — Possibly through Inauguration Day 2009, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. Running time: 40 MIN. — In the often surreal world of the televised press briefing, the media don't stand a chance against a nice guy, and judging by his first performance …
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George F. Will / Washington Post:
Who Isn't A 'Values Voter'? — An aggressively annoying new phrase in America's political lexicon is "values voters." It is used proudly by social conservatives, and carelessly by the media to denote such conservatives. — This phrase diminishes our understanding of politics.
Eric Lipton / New York Times:
Seeking to Control Borders, Bush Turns to Big Military Contractors — WASHINGTON, May 17 — The quick fix may involve sending in the National Guard. But to really patch up the broken border, President Bush is preparing to turn to a familiar administration partner: the nation's giant military contractors.
New York Times:
Senate Votes to Extend Fence Along Border — WASHINGTON, May 17— The Senate voted overwhelmingly today to add hundreds of miles of fencing along the border between the United States and Mexico and to bar illegal immigrants convicted of a felony or three misdemeanors from remaining …
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wsbtv.com:
McKinney Sponsors Bill Honoring Capitol Police — WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who could face criminal charges for allegedly punching a Capitol police officer in Washington, D.C., has signed on as a co-sponsor of a House bill formally honoring Capitol Police officers.
Washington Post:
Anti-Incumbent Voters Sent Messages Tuesday — Pennsylvania voters dumped two Republican leaders in the state Senate and scared a GOP member of Congress, while Oregon voters sent a warning they are unhappy with the Democratic governor. — Cumulatively, the results Tuesday were the latest signals …
Ali Akbar Dareini / Associated Press:
Iran Rejects European Nuclear Incentives — TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's president mocked a package of incentives to suspend uranium enrichment, saying Wednesday they were like giving up gold for chocolate — defiance that appeared certain to complicate U.S. efforts to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Media Matters for America:
O'Reilly claimed NY Times, other "lefty zealots" believe "the white Christians who hold power must be swept out by a new multicultural tide" … During the May 16 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly claimed that The New York Times and "many far-left thinkers believe …
TigerHawk:
The canaries flee the coal mine — Today's Wall Street Journal leads with a front-page article($) about Ayaan Hirsi Ali's decision to resign from the Dutch parliament and emigrate to the United States. The proximate cause was a court order evicting her from her apartment because her presence put …
Discussion:
Atlas Shrugs, Gates of Vienna, Blue Crab Boulevard, Riehl World View and Fraters Libertas
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
U.S. Said to Weigh a New Approach on North Korea — WASHINGTON, May 17 — President Bush's top advisers have recommended a broad new approach to dealing with North Korea that would include beginning negotiations on a peace treaty, even while efforts to dismantle the country's nuclear program …
Discussion:
Austin Bay Blog, Hot Air, A Blog For All, Stop The ACLU, On Deadline, Sadly, No!, Ankle Biting Pundits › News and Amygdala
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