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Chris Wattie / canada.com:
Iran eyes badges for Jews — Law would require non-Muslim insignia — Human rights groups are raising alarms over a new law passed by the Iranian parliament that would require the country's Jews and Christians to wear coloured badges to identify them and other religious minorities as non-Muslims.
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Amir Taheri / National Post:
A colour code for Iran's 'infidels' — While the Iranian economy appears to be heading for recession, one sector may have some reason for optimism. That sector is the garment industry and the reason for hopefulness is a law passed by the Islamic Majlis (parliament) on Monday.
Washington Post:
Senate Votes English as 'National Language' — After an emotional debate fraught with symbolism, the Senate yesterday voted to make English the "national language" of the United States, declaring that no one has a right to federal communications or services in a language other than English except for those already guaranteed by law.
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Outside The Beltway, Bark Bark Woof Woof, The Carpetbagger Report, the talking dog, Liberty and Justice, Middle Earth Journal, Talking Points Memo, Balloon Juice, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Plank, Daily Kos, Sister Toldjah, Upper Left, The Heretik, Think Progress, Shakespeare's Sister and California Conservative
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Charles Hurt / Washington Times:
Reid calls language proposal racist — Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid called a proposal to make English the official language "racist" on the Senate floor yesterday. — "This amendment is racist. I think it's directed basically to people who speak Spanish," the Democrat said during …
Associated Press:
'National' or 'common'? Senate ponders what to call English — WASHINGTON (AP) — Whether English is America's "national language" or its national "common and unifying language" was a question dominating the Senate immigration debate. — The Senate first voted 63-34 Thursday to designate English as the …
Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Senate Votes to Set English as National Language
Senate Votes to Set English as National Language
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Bring it On!, volpac.org, California Conservative, Patterico's Pontifications and appletree
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Senators Left Out of Loop Make Their Pique Known — WASHINGTON, May 18 — There were two types of senators at Thursday's confirmation hearing for Gen. Michael V. Hayden: the briefed, and the briefed-nots. — The former were mostly polite. The latter, especially Democrats, threw the Congressional equivalent of a temper tantrum.
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Bloomberg:
Democratic Activists Seek to Punish Their Own for Backing Bush — May 19 (Bloomberg) — Democratic activist groups that mounted an aggressive campaign against President George W. Bush in the 2004 election have a new target: Democrats who support his policies.
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David Sirota
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John O'Neil / New York Times:
U.N. Panel Backs Closing Prison at Guantánamo — A United Nations panel on torture called on the United States today to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and expressed concern over reports of secret detention centers and of a practice of sending terror suspects to countries with poor human rights records.
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Charles Hurt / Washington Times:
Illegals granted Social Security — The Senate voted yesterday to allow illegal aliens to collect Social Security benefits based on past illegal employment — even if the job was obtained through forged or stolen documents. — "There was a felony they were committing, and now they can't be prosecuted.
Jeremy Pelofsky / Reuters:
BellSouth demands USA Today retract NSA claims — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - BellSouth Corp., the No. 3 U.S. local telephone company, on Thursday demanded USA Today retract claims in a story that said the company had a contract with a U.S. spy agency and turned over customers' telephone records.
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Sabrina Tavernise / New York Times:
As Death Stalks Iraq, Middle-Class Exodus Begins — Roula Kubba, 13, whose family plans to leave Baghdad because of the rising sectarian violence. They live in the wealthy Mansour district. More Photos > — BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 18 — Deaths run like water through the life of the Bahjat family.
Steve Clemons / The Washington Note:
Insiders: Richard Armitage Will NOT Be Indicted — Bobby Ray Inman's claims are "BS", claimed one very prominent Washington insider after reading TWN's report on Inman's claim that Richard Armitage would be indicted in the Valerie Plame Wilson outing probe.
John Wisely / Detroit News:
Massive Hoffa hunt — FBI calls it the best tip in years, sends up to 50 agents to Milford — MILFORD TOWNSHIP — The FBI is mounting one of its biggest searches to date for the remains of former Teamsters boss James R. Hoffa, bringing in dozens of agents for what agents say will be a multi-week dig …
Patrick Healy / New York Times:
Giuliani Campaigns for Ex-Leader of Christian Coalition — ATLANTA, May 18 — Former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani glided over his support for gay civil unions and declared heterosexual marriage to be "inviolate" today as he helped raise money for a former leader of the Christian Coalition …
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Edmund L. Andrews / New York Times:
Vote in House Seeks to Erase Oil Windfall — WASHINGTON, May 18 — In an attempt to revoke billions of dollars worth of government incentives to oil and gas producers, the House on Thursday approved a measure that would pressure companies to renegotiate more than 1,000 leases for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
Michael J. Totten:
The Other Side of the Green Line — RAMALLAH - I rode in an Israeli taxi with Palestinian journalist Sufian Taha from the American Colony Hotel to the Qalandia checkpoint on the road to Ramallah, capital of nascent Palestine, in the hills of the West Bank over Jerusalem.