Senate Votes To Expand Warrantless Surveillance  —  White House Applauds; Changes Are Temporary  —  The Senate bowed to White House pressure last night and passed a Republican plan for overhauling the federal government's terrorist surveillance laws, approving changes that would temporarily …

It's Official: Beauchamp's Claims Debunked by Army Internal Investigation  —  Col. Steven Boylan, Public Affairs Officer for U.S. Army Commanding General in Iraq David Petraeus, just emailed me the following in response to my request to confirm an earlier report that the U.S. Army's investigation …

An Artist and His Sub Surrender in Brooklyn  —  At slack tide off Red Hook, Brooklyn, there are usually lots of things floating in the water, most of which you would not want to touch without the help of a good hazmat suit.  But just after sunrise yesterday, something truly strange was bobbing …

Aborigine wins payout for stolen childhood  —  Man awarded £220,000 after removal from family led to lifelong depression  —  "The best thing is knowing they never forgot me, my mum and dad.  They didn't want to let me go.  There's proof of that."  —  Clutching a mug of tea …

Attorney: Slain Journalist's Article To Implicate Black Muslim Bakery  —  EMERYVILLE, Calif. — The attorney for Oakland Post editor Paul Cobb told NBC11 that slain journalist Chauncey Bailey was working on an article that would have criminally implicated Your Black Muslim Bakery, which was raided by SWAT teams Friday morning.

Dateline Mole Allegedly at DefCon with Hidden Camera — Updated: Mole Caught on Tape  —  DefCon security on Friday warned attendees at the annual hacker conference that Dateline NBC may have sent a mole with a hidden camera to the event to capture hackers admitting to crimes.

Busted computer hamstrings House  —  A busted computer system hamstrung the House (video link courtesy Breitbart.tv) for at least 45 minutes Friday on one of the tensest legislative days of the year.  —  The House electronic voting system malfunctioned at approximately 2 p.m. as lawmakers began …

PAPER BALLOTS FOR CALIFORNIA!  - SECRETARY OF STATE ANNOUNCES DE-CERTIFICATION/RE-CERTIFICATION PLANS FOR E-VOTING SYSTEMS  —  Blogged by Brad Friedman from Plano, TX, with help from Emily Levy of VelvetRevolution.us and Tom Courbat of SAVE R VOTE...  In a dramatic late-night press conference …

Alms for Jihad update Updated  —  I've gotten numerous reports from readers who have attempted to purchase Alms for Jihad from Books a Million and elsewhere, only to have the purchase denied because that title is currently unavailable.  That's because, as Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld and I discussed earlier …

"The Bourne Ultimatum"  —  In this exhilarating action threequel, Jason Bourne emerges as the sort of troubled but resolute hero the world needs most.  —  Matt Damon in the "The Bourne Ultimatum."  —  Jason Bourne, in theory, could be George W. Bush's dream historian …

Reid, Pelosi, Emanuel Cancel; [UPDATED]  —  UPDATE [9:42pm, Chicago Time]: - It has now been confirmed that all of the Meet the Leaders panelists are not going to make their previously scheduled panel.  There will be no 8am keynote Saturday.  The regular schedule picks up again at 9am.

'Conventional Washington' v. change  —  From NBC's Mark Murray  —  In the wake of the criticism that Obama has received for saying he wouldn't use nuclear weapons to take out Al Qaeda in Pakistan — and for his other recent controversial statements on foreign policy …

Gingrich says war on terror 'phony'  —  Former speaker says energy independence is key  —  Washington — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Thursday the Bush administration is waging a "phony war" on terrorism, warning that the country is losing ground against the kind of Islamic radicals …

Community Standards  —  Atrios, or as we call him in real life, "Duncan," has been wandering around wondering why there's such a thing as a foreign policy community.  It's a good question.  The consequences of its existence don't seem to be particularly beneficial.