Top Items:
New York Times:
Concern Over Wider Spying Under New Law — Broad new surveillance powers approved by Congress this month could allow the Bush administration to conduct spy operations that go well beyond wiretapping to include — without court approval — certain types of physical searches on American soil …
Discussion:
The Newshoggers, Corrente, Shakespeare's Sister, Prairie Weather, The Heretik, The Next Hurrah and Greenlee Gazette
RELATED:
ACLU:
In Unprecedented Order, FISA Court Requires Bush Administration to Respond to ACLU's Request That Secret Court Orders Be Released to the Public — Government Must Respond by August 31 — WASHINGTON - In an unprecedented order, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) …
David Plouffe / Obama HQ:
Debates and forums going forward — As we head into the fall, the campaign is entering a new more engaged phase that will give voters an even greater sense of Barack's message of change and require the campaign to make decisions that balance the important role of debates and maximize time to run the kind of campaign we need to.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Swamp, The Fix, Liberal Values, TIME: Swampland, Blogs of War and Political Radar
RELATED:
Mike Allen / The Politico:
Obama to turn down additional fall debates — Inundated by dozens of invitations, Sen. Barack Obama will turn down requests to join future debates and forums this fall, his Democratic presidential campaign announced Saturday. — Obama will honor his commitment to eight more debates …
John Amato / Crooks and Liars:
Fred Thompson...He looks terrible..Oh, and he may get in when he gets in... I can understand why he hasn't announced yet. He looks nothing like the Aqua Velva man Tweety called him...I hope it's just because he lost some weight. The fact that he's doing so well in the polls without doing …
RELATED:
Orlando Sentinel:
Cops ask for guns, get missile launcher — Authorities trade sneakers, gift cards for 310 weapons — Orlando Police Sgt. Barbara Jones holds a surface-to-air missile launcher that had been turned in to the Orlando Police Kicks for Guns 2007 program on Friday.
Rasmussen Reports:
71% Favor Requiring Foreign Visitors to Carry Universal ID Card — Fifty-eight percent (58%) of voters nationwide favor cutting off federal funds for "sanctuary cities" that offer protection to illegal immigrants. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 29% are opposed.
RELATED:
Ilan Goldenberg / democracyarsenal.org:
How to tell an expert from an "expert" — Matt and Gideon Rose are having a pretty interesting exchange regarding expertise and the Democratic foreign policy community. I completely agree with Matt when he writes … It's not that the entire VSP community is bad.
Tim F. / Balloon Juice:
More On Wiretapping — Thanks to many who responded to my request, particularly to commenter LITBMueller for this highly informed comment. — Starting off, Marty Lederman has explained the limitations of the six-month "sunset" clause much better than I did a few days ago:
Steve Benen / Talking Points Memo:
GIULIANI ENDORSES BUSH'S SOCIAL SECURITY PLAN — After Bush won a second term, he entered 2005 in a relatively strong position. He boasted about having "political capital," his approval rating was around 50%, and he looked at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue and saw a very friendly Republican majority in both chambers.
Anne Richardson / Reuters:
Hundreds pose naked on shrinking Swiss glacier — ALETSCH GLACIER, Switzerland (Reuters) - Hundreds of people posed naked on Switzerland's shrinking Aletsch glacier on Saturday for U.S. photographer Spencer Tunick as part of a Greenpeace campaign to raise awareness of global warming.
Suzan Fraser / Associated Press:
Turkish plane hijacking ends peacefully — ANKARA, Turkey - Two men who hijacked a Turkish passenger plane in an apparent protest against the U.S. surrendered to authorities Saturday after holding some crew members and passengers hostage for more than four hours. No one was hurt.
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit
Amanda / Think Progress:
Rove: My 'Worst' Mistake Was 'Saying Something Unkind' To A Colleague — Today, Karl Rove gave a media interview at an IHOP in Waco, Texas. During that interview, he says that now is not the "time for regrets." The one instance he concedes was a mistake was when he said "something unkind" to a co-worker:
Discussion:
New York Times
Redstate:
Michael Deaver 1938-2007 — "Almost instantaneously, he responded, 'Ronald Reagan was my issue.'" — Since Ronald Reagan passed away a few years ago, we have seen several members of his inner circle follow him once again. Lyn Nofzinger, Jeanne Kirkpatrick, and Cap Weinberger all helped craft …
Discussion:
The American Mind
Washington Post:
Qualified to Serve — BEFORE BEING nominated by President Bush to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, Leslie H. Southwick served for almost 12 years on the Mississippi Court of Appeals, where he participated in thousands of cases spanning the gamut of civil and criminal law.
Faiz / Think Progress:
If It's Sunday, It's Karl Rove — Karl Rove will be a guest this Sunday on Face the Nation, Meet the Press, and Fox News Sunday (ABC's This Week is hosting a Democratic presidential debate). — Thus far, Rove's farewell media blitz has simply provided him a platform to offer partisan attacks.
RELATED: