The Hero of Guantanamo  —  "We can't be scared out of who we are."  —  That statement by Lt. Cmdr.  Charles Swift, the military appointed defense attorney for Salim Ahmed Hamdan, is the real victory to build upon in the Supreme Court decision rejecting President Bush's handling of detainees.

A note to our readers  —  On May 11, USA TODAY reported that the National Security Agency, with the cooperation of several of America's leading telecommunications companies, had compiled a database of domestic phone call records in an effort to monitor terrorist activity.

Sulzberger Responds to 'WSJ' Editorial Slamming the 'NYT'  —  NEW YORK After remaining mum for the past week, even as controversy swirled around newspapers' revealing the banking records surveillance program, the Wall Street Journal editoral page weighed in today.

Superman eschews longtime patriot act  —  Nevermind Superman's sexual orientation.  Here's another identity-related question that is likely to spark controversy as the Man of Steel soars into theaters nationwide this Fourth of July weekend in Warner Bros.  Pictures' "Superman Returns": Is Superman still American?

Guardian finds Afghan witnesses US couldn't  —  Declan Walsh in Gardez  —  The US government said it could not find the men that Guantánamo detainee Abdullah Mujahid believes could help set him free.  The Guardian found them in three days.  —  Two years ago the US military invited Mr Mujahid …

Israeli Warplanes Buzz Syrian Palace, Aim To Save Soldier  —  CAIRO, Egypt - By dispatching two fighter jets yesterday to buzz the summer palace of President Assad, Israel sent a clear warning to Syria that it holds the Damascus regime responsible for the safe return of a kidnapped soldier and a settler.

Immigration Deadlock Revisited  —  Fear of Voter Backlash Prompts GOP Senators to Consider House's Tougher Bill  —  Republican Senate leaders are considering how to revive immigration legislation and cut a deal with the more hard-line House, a sign of increasing GOP concern that inaction …

SIEGEL V. BASEBALL CAPS:  —  There are few places on earth, as far as I'm concerned, where the light, especially in late afternoon, in summer, is more beautiful than on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.  It's a river light, soft and gently diffused.  It gets delicately soaked into the sides of buildings …

U.S. troops accused of killing Iraq family  —  BEIJI, Iraq - Five U.S. Army soldiers are being investigated for allegedly raping a young woman, then killing her and three members of her family in Iraq, a U.S. military official said Friday.  —  The soldiers also allegedly burned the body …

US, Iraqi forces clash with Shi'ite militia  —  BAQUBA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi and U.S. troops battled Shi'ite militiamen in a village northeast of Baghdad on Thursday, and witnesses and police said U.S. helicopters bombed orchards to flush out gunmen hiding there.

A Secret the Terrorists Already Knew  —  COUNTERTERRORISM has become a source of continuing domestic and international political controversy.  Much of it, like the role of the Iraq war in inspiring new terrorists, deserves analysis and debate.  Increasingly, however, many of the political …

A Spat Over Iraq Revealed On Tape  —  Rice and Russian Caught Bickering At Private Lunch  —  MOSCOW, June 29 — The official State Department version is that "there was absolutely no friction whatsoever" between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during …

Islamic leaders: Suicide bombers go to hell  —  Islamic Research Academy in Egypt says suicide bombers in name of Islam are not martyrs, but rather selling their soul to Satan.  Israelis shouldn't be happy, however; Egyptian expert on Islam clarifies, 'those using suicide bombing against enemy …

House lifts offshore drilling ban  —  WASHINGTON - Congress has taken a major step toward allowing oil and gas drilling in coastal waters that have been off limits for a quarter-century.  —  Still, a battle looms in the Senate over the issue.  And the Bush administration's support for the legislation …

Sensitive Subject In The Senate  —  Lieberman's Colleagues In Awkward Position  —  WASHINGTON — Want to see a Democratic senator squirm?  Don't ask about Iraq or gasoline prices.  Ask about Joe Lieberman.  —  They edge toward the door, duck into the elevator, scoot down the hall to avoid the question …

Kerik Pleads Guilty for Gifts and a Loan  —  Bernard B. Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner, pleaded guilty today to two misdemeanor charges as the result of accepting tens of thousands of dollars of gifts and a loan while he was a city official in the late 1990's.

When A Net Neutrality Tie Is A Win  —  The news stories following the Senate Commerce Committee vote on Net Neutrality pictured it as a defeat for the forces of good.  Don't believe it.  Even though the Net Neutrality amendment failed on a tie vote, we got ourselves into a good position for the rest of the game.