Top Items:
Sarah Karush / Associated Press:
Judge nixes warrantless surveillance — DETROIT - A federal judge ruled Thursday that the government's warrantless wiretapping program is unconstitutional and ordered an immediate halt to it. — U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit became the first judge to strike …
RELATED ITEMS:
Glenn Greenwald / Unclaimed Territory:
Federal court finds warrantless eavesdropping unconstitutional, enjoins the program — (updated multiple times) — I do not yet know anything more than what is in this AP article, but if it is accurate, it is extraordinary news — extraordinarily good news — on every level.
Pachacutec / Firedoglake:
A New Direction: Sister Joe Souljah — Why is supporting Joe Lieberman more important than winning back the House? — Joe's base of support lies among Republicans, according to the new Quinnipiac numbers. That means his whole GOTV operation for November will require him to bring Republicans to the polls …
Discussion:
BobGeiger.com, The Huffington Post, Ned Lamont for Senate, LamontBlog, The Strata-Sphere and ConnecticutBLOG
CNN:
NSA eavesdropping program ruled unconstitutional — Justice Department says it will appeal judge's decision — (CNN) — A federal judge on Thursday ruled that the U.S. government's domestic eavesdropping program is unconstitutional and ordered it ended immediately.
Jeff Goldstein / protein wisdom:
"NSA eavesdropping program ruled unconstitutional" — From CNN: … I'll be interested to see more of the ruling, if only to find out what publicly-revealed information Taylor used to reach her decision. — Meantime, here's Judge Diggs Taylor's biography.
Alisa Tang / Associated Press:
Ex-Wife Gives Alibi for JonBenet Suspect — BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - A former American school teacher said publicly Thursday that he was with JonBenet Ramsey when she died in what he called "an accident," a stunning admission after a decade without answers in the 6-year-old girl's murder.
Discussion:
Denver Post, Right Wing News, Slog, PunditGuy, Ace of Spades HQ, La Shawn Barber's Corner and Flopping Aces
RELATED ITEMS:
Patterico / Patterico's Pontifications:
Hagee's Office Responds: Contradicts L.A. Times — I heard back from General Hagee's office yesterday regarding my inquiry about when Gen. Hagee briefed John Murtha about Haditha. The bottom line: Gen. Hagee's office has directly contradicted an assertion by the L.A. Times …
Discussion:
Hot Air, Ace of Spades HQ, Blue Crab Boulevard, The Jawa Report, RIGHTWINGSPARKLE and PoliPundit.com
RELATED ITEMS:
New York Times:
Eye on Election, Democrats Run as Wal-Mart Foe — Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, a likely Democratic presidential candidate in 2008, delivered a 15-minute, blistering attack to warm applause from Democrats and union organizers here on Wednesday. But Mr. Biden's main target …
RELATED ITEMS:
New York Times:
Insurgent Bombs Directed at G.I.'s Increase in Iraq — A recent bombing in Baghdad. Most of the roadside bombs are directed at American-led forces, officials say. — The number of roadside bombs planted in Iraq rose in July to the highest monthly total of the war, offering more evidence …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Editor and Publisher, Unclaimed Territory, Firedoglake, The Next Hurrah, Balloon Juice, TigerHawk, democracyarsenal.org, Needlenose, alicublog, State of the Day, Sirotablog, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Shakespeare's Sister, The Sideshow, The Carpetbagger Report, Think Progress, Brilliant at Breakfast, Amygdala and Truthdig
RELATED ITEMS:
The Blotter:
Top al Qaeda Man In Pakistan Nabbed — Gretchen Peters and Habibullah Khan Report: — A senior al Qaeda commander allegedly tied to the London airplane bomb plot has been arrested in Pakistan, Pakistani intelligence and law enforcement officials have told ABC News.
The New York Observer Politicker:
NRSC Takes Lieberman — It's no coincidence that a purposeful silence has replaced the well-publicized calls from Republicans last month for no-hope GOP Senate candidate Alan Schlesinger to make way for someone more credible. — The state and national party, it seems …
RELATED ITEMS:
Redstate Network / Redstate:
Tramm Hudson Destroys Himself — Tramm Hudson is the current front runner in the GOP primary in FL-13, the Congressional District being vacated by Katherine Harris. RedState has happened upon the clip below of Tramm talking to a group of people. His words will, justifiably …
Discussion:
Outside The Beltway
Matt Canham / Salt Lake Tribune:
Hatch says Demo win could help terrorists — Sen. Orrin Hatch, who continuously decries the bitter partisanship in Washington, implied this week that Democratic success in November's election could result in terrorist attacks on America. — Hatch was quoted in Tuesday's Tooele Transcript Bulletin …
Julia Gorin / Opinion Journal:
Petitioning for Life — "I had an abortion," Ms. Magazine urges its readers to declare. How about "I wasn't aborted"? — The Web site of Ms. Magazine—yes, it still exists—is calling on readers to sign a petition: "I have had an abortion. I publicly join the millions of women …
Eric Lipton / New York Times:
Faces, Too, Are Searched at U.S. Airports — As the man approached the airport security checkpoint here on Wednesday, he kept picking up and putting down his backpack, touching his fingers to his chin, rubbing some object in his hands and finally reaching for his pack of cigarettes, even though smoking was not allowed.
Diana Jean Schemo / New York Times:
Stroessner, Paraguay's Enduring Dictator, Dies — Gen. Alfredo Stroessner, the former president of Paraguay whose 35-year hold on power made him South America's most enduring dictator during the cold war, died today in exile in Brazil. He was 93. — General Stroessner had developed pneumonia …