Gore: Bush is 'renegade rightwing extremist'  —  Al Gore has made his sharpest attack yet on the George Bush presidency, describing the current US administration as "a renegade band of rightwing extremists".  —  In an interview with the Guardian today, the former vice-president calls himself a …

A reporter's shock at the Haditha allegations  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — It actually took me a while to put all the pieces together — that I know these guys, the U.S. Marines at the heart of the alleged massacre of Iraqi civilians in Haditha.  —  I don't know why it didn't register with me until now.

Bush Selects Goldman Chief to Take Over Treasury Dept.  —  WASHINGTON, May 30 — President Bush today nominated Henry M. Paulson Jr., the chairman of one of Wall Street's biggest firms, to become his next Treasury secretary and what Mr. Bush described as "my principle economic adviser."

Pedophiles to launch political party  —  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch pedophiles are launching a political party to push for a cut in the legal age for sexual relations to 12 from 16 and the legalization of child pornography and sex with animals, sparking widespread outrage.

German Women Vowed to Mount Suicide Attacks in Iraq  —  German authorities may have thwarted suicide bomb attacks in Iraq by German women.  According to intelligence sources, three women were prevented from travelling to Iraq after one of them had announced she planned to blow herself up in Iraq.

Greenpeace's fill-in-the-blank public relations meltdown  —  Before President Bush touched down in Pennsylvania Wednesday to promote his nuclear energy policy, the environmental group Greenpeace was mobilizing.  —  "This volatile and dangerous source of energy" is no answer to the country's energy needs …

Is Ahmadinejad Giving Germany's Far-Right Free Propaganda?  —  Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has continued his ranting about whether the Holocaust happened, this time in an interview with SPIEGEL magazine.  Also, Friday's Berlin stabbing spree is a reminder to World Cup visitors …

A Build-a-Protest Approach to Immigration  —  WASHINGTON, May 30 — Talk about constructive criticism.  —  Advocates of tougher border security have sent thousands of bricks to Senate and House offices in recent weeks to make a none-too-subtle point with lawmakers about where many of their constituents come …

"We Are Determined"  —  SPIEGEL: Mr. President, you are a soccer fan and you like to play soccer.  Will you be sitting in the stadium in Nuremberg on June 11, when the Iranian national team plays against Mexico in Germany?  —  Ahmadinejad: It depends.  Naturally, I'll be watching the game in any case.

Justices, 5-4, Limit Whistleblower Suits  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it harder for government employees to file lawsuits claiming they were retaliated against for going public with allegations of official misconduct.  —  By a 5-4 vote, justices said the nation's 20 …

Blowing Smoke About Tobacco  —  "Tobacco: deadly in any form or disguise" is the slogan of the World Health Organization's World No Tobacco Day tomorrow.  The claim is false: Tobacco is not deadly; the harm is in the smoke.  A policy that confuses innocuous tobacco with harmful smoke …

The Purpose Driven Life Takers (Updated)  —  Imagine: you are a foot soldier in a paramilitary group whose purpose is to remake America as a Christian theocracy, and establish its worldly vision of the dominion of Christ over all aspects of life.  You are issued high-tech military weaponry …

EU court annuls data deal with US  —  The European Court of Justice has annulled an EU-US agreement requiring airlines to transfer passenger data to the US authorities.  —  The court said the decision to hand over the data, including addresses and credit card details, lacked an "appropriate legal basis".

USA Today Immigration Analysis Doesn't Hold Up  —  Initially, I had hoped the new USA Today analysis on illegal immigration might offer some insight leading to a political compromise on Immigration Reform.  Unfortunately, once you take it apart, it looks more like a scam than good analysis …

Ceballos— The Court Creates Bad Information Policy  —  Marty has explained the details of the Ceballos opinion below and I won't repeat what he has to say here.  Instead let me offer a few remarks on the larger meaning of the case.  —  The Court's employee speech cases rest on an unstable tension.

After Fence Assault, Anti-War Port Mob Eats Pepper Spray  —  Sadly, the young protesters had to dunk their heads in Puget Sound after their encounter with pepper spray.  —  Thurston County Sheriff's deputies holds protesters to the ground after clearing the entry to the Port of Olympia on Wednesday afternoon.

Bush Aide Called War Reporters 'Whiny' and 'Soft'  —  NEW YORK Karl Zinsmeister, the new chief domestic adviser to President Bush, while embedded with the 82nd Airborne in Kuwait in 2003, declared that "many of the journalists observable in this war theater are bursting with knee-jerk suspicions …