Iran Curtails Freedom In Throwback to 1979  —  Iran is in the midst of a sweeping crackdown that both Iranians and U.S. analysts compare to a cultural revolution in its attempt to steer the oil-rich theocracy back to the rigid strictures of the 1979 revolution.

Nifong Trial, Day Four  —  Highlights from Day Four of the Nifong trial: … Yesterday's hearing featured a teary-eyed Nifong reading into the record a resignation statement.  He was proud of his son, the disgraced DA stated, and hoped that his son was equally proud of him.

Inside the Ring  —  China arming terrorists  —  New intelligence reveals China is covertly supplying large quantities of small arms and weapons to insurgents in Iraq and the Taliban militia in Afghanistan, through Iran.  —  U.S. government appeals to China to check some of the arms shipments …

Iraq Contractors Face Growing Parallel War  —  As Security Work Increases, So Do Casualties  —  BAGHDAD — Private security companies, funded by billions of dollars in U.S. military and State Department contracts, are fighting insurgents on a widening scale in Iraq, enduring daily attacks …

Conservative bloggers revolt over immigration … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Different conservative blogs have different pet issues — government transparency, federal judges, Fred Thompson, to name a few.  —  But no issue in recent memory has united conservative bloggers like the debate over immigration.

Another Justice Dept. Official Resigns  —  Another Justice Department official involved in last year's dismissals of federal prosecutors is resigning, department officials said on Friday.  —  In this case, the departure of Michael J. Elston, chief of staff to the outgoing deputy attorney general …

Contingency?  Irony?  Solidarity!  —  Young Ezra observes that "One could easily imagine a left win that's closer to the Dobbsian/Christian Democrat compromise of social conservatism with economic progressivism."  And, as he says, it's easy to imagine a situation in which politics takes place …

The Saturday Cartoons  —  We have an added treat today: Another animation from our friend, Nick Anderson.  This time, Nick gives us a fun game to play called Bush Administration Missile Defense and it's a takeoff on the old arcade game.  It's certainly a challenge to make this defense system work — give it a try.

Guest Voice: Obama's (and America's) Generation Problem  —  NOTE: The Moderate Voice runs Guest Voice posts from time to time by readers who don't have their own websites, or people who have websites but would like to post something for TMV's diverse and thoughtful readership.

Stanford's New Driverless Car  —  Junior the autonomous car passes an initial round of tests in preparation for DARPA's Urban Challenge, slated for later this year. … Yesterday, a Volkswagen Passat drove around a parking lot in Mountain View, CA, made three-point turns …

Hearing officer: Evidence does not support murder case  —  The officer in charge of a military hearing expressed serious doubts Friday about the government's prosecution of Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, one of three Marines charged in the November 2005 shooting deaths of Iraqi civilians in the city of Haditha.

Push for Blair as new EU president  —  By George Parker in Brussels, John Thornhill in Paris and James Blitz in London  —  Tony Blair, the British prime minister, could end up swapping Downing Street for a job as the first full-time European Union president, under a plan being actively touted by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president.