Top Items:
Eric Lichtblau / New York Times:
Judge Rejects Bush's View on Wiretaps — WASHINGTON — A federal judge in California said Wednesday that the wiretapping law established by Congress was the “exclusive” means for the president to eavesdrop on Americans, and he rejected the government's claim that the president's constitutional authority …
Discussion:
Newshoggers.com, Threat Level, TalkLeft, The Raw Story, Hullabaloo, The Sideshow, cab drollery, Calitics and Balloon Juice
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Bob Egelko / San Francisco Chronicle:
Suit accusing Bush of acting illegally tossed — (07-02) 18:56 PDT SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge in San Francisco dismissed a lawsuit Wednesday that sought to prove President Bush acted illegally in 2001 when he ordered the wiretapping of phone calls between Americans and suspected foreign terrorists without court approval.
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
The Al-Haramain ruling and the current Congress — A Bush-41-appointed Federal District Judge yesterday became the third judge — out of three who have ruled on the issue — to reject the Bush administration's claim that Article II entitles the President to override or ignore the provisions of FISA.
Discussion:
Eschaton
Rasmussen Reports:
Election 2008: Montana Presidential Election — Montana: Obama Leads McCain By Five — Barack Obama is leading John McCain by five percentage points in Montana. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state shows Obama attracting 48% of the vote while McCain earns 43%.
Elisabeth Bumiller / New York Times:
Hostage Rescue Is Happy Coincidence for McCain in Colombia — Senator John McCain, the presumed Republican presidential nominee, and his wife, Cindy, visited a Colombian Navy drug interdiction boat off Cartagena on Wednesday. Mr. McCain cited both progress and work to be done in stemming the flow of drugs into the United States.
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CNN:
Officer injured guarding Obama — COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (CNN) — It's been a rough week for the motorcycle unit of the Colorado Springs Police Department. — First, two officers were hurt last week when lightning struck between their motorcycles while on a training exercise.
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Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
McCain Memo: Strengthening National Campaign — Steve Schmidt, the newly installed senior adviser for John McCain's presidential bid, is moving quickly to strengthen the power of the operation's national headquarters by hiring a political director and a field director.
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Matthew Yglesias:
I'm Worried — David Broder: … And yet here we are in 2008. And I don't think anyone can seriously dispute that the current President of the United States violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act or any number of legal commitments to refrain from torture.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
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David S. Broder / Washington Post:
One Nation No More? — Civics Needs a Boost, but Our Identity Endures
One Nation No More? — Civics Needs a Boost, but Our Identity Endures
Discussion:
The American Scene
BBC:
Google must divulge YouTube log — Google must divulge the viewing habits of every user who has ever watched any video on YouTube, a US court has ruled. — The ruling comes as part of Google's legal battle with Viacom over allegations of copyright infringement.
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Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
Can Barack Buy the Presidency? — On the money front, how do Sens. Obama and McCain stack up? No contest, it seems. Since the campaign began, Mr. Obama has raised a staggering $295-plus million, versus Mr. McCain's almost $122 million. But that's misleading. — Mr. Obama spent a lot to win the nomination.
Discussion:
protein wisdom, Think Progress, Commentary, Dean's World, Blogs of War and LewRockwell.com Blog
Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Employment Situation Summary — Technical information: — Household data: (202) 691-6378 USDL 08-0928 — Establishment data: (202) 691-6555 Transmission of material in this release — http://www.bls.gov/ces/ is embargoed until 8:30 A.M. (EDT), Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, July 3, 2008.
Discussion:
The Swamp, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Angry Bear, Calculated Risk and The Big Picture
Wall Street Journal:
McCain Allies Find Finance-Law Holes — Governors' Fund Recruits Big Donors; Bid to Catch Obama — Allies of Sen. John McCain have found new loopholes in the campaign-finance law he helped write — and they're using them to reel in huge contributions to help him compete with Sen. Barack Obama.
Doyle McManus / Los Angeles Times:
A short but sweet gathering — Barack Obama's campaign and the Democratic National Committee are toying with a convention scheduling change that has been broached before in theory but never seriously considered: cutting the party's conclave in Denver short by one day to give Obama an extra …
Lewis Page / The Register:
Research: Wind power pricier, emits more CO2 than thought — 'Windfarm output is never zero. Sometimes it's less' — Fresh contenders have entered the UK wind power debate, as a turbines expert funded by the Renewable Energy Foundation publishes an investigation into a hotly-disputed subject …
Discussion:
QandO
Thomas F. Madden / Wall Street Journal:
America's Days Aren't Numbered — I have a simple request. As we celebrate the birth of the American Republic, can we all stop predicting its death? It's getting depressing. — The last time I strolled through the local Barnes & Noble, there were so many books announcing the end of American power …
Mathew N. Schmalz / Washington Post:
Manson, Murder and Mercy — Justice or mercy? That is the pressing question in what seems to be a coda in the story of the 1969 Manson family murders. At issue is the request by Susan Atkins, now 60, for compassionate release from prison on the grounds of terminal illness.