A TEA PARTY PROTEST IN PITTSBURGH: Reader Richard Ames sends this photo, and writes: “The crowd was thoroughly exercised, but it had a good time too.”  —  UPDATE: A report from Lincoln, Nebraska: “Hundreds of Nebraskans chanted no taxation without representation in protest …

Vatican blocks Caroline Kennedy appointment as US ambassador  —  The Vatican has blocked the appointment of Caroline Kennedy as US ambassador, according to reports.  —  Vatican sources told Il Giornale that their support for abortion disqualified Ms Kennedy and other Roman Catholics President Barack Obama had been seeking to appoint.

Obama and habeas corpus — then and now  —  (updated below)  —  It was once the case under the Bush administration that the U.S. would abduct people from around the world, accuse them of being Terrorists, ship them to Guantanamo, and then keep them there for as long as we wanted without offering …

States Slashing Social Programs for Vulnerable  —  PHOENIX — Battered by the recession and the deepest and most widespread budget deficits in several decades, a large majority of states are slicing into their social safety nets — often crippling preventive efforts that officials say would save money over time.

Chinese Bias for Baby Boys Creates a Gap of 32 Million  —  BEIJING — A bias in favor of male offspring has left China with 32 million more boys under the age of 20 than girls, creating “an imminent generation of excess men,” a study released Friday said.  —  For the next 20 years …

President's half-sibling is denied British visa over claims of attempted sex assault on girl in Berkshire  —  AMERICAN president Barack Obama's half brother was REFUSED a visa to enter the UK after being accused of an attempted sex attack on a young British girl.

Islam ‘insulted’ by alleged child killer's mug shot, says husband  —  The police booking photo of alleged child killer Nour Hadid released Tuesday is an “insult against our religion,” says Hadid's husband, Alaeddin.  —  Orland Park police detectives say the 26-year-old Muslim woman was treated …

Goldman Sachs hires law firm to shut blogger's site  —  Goldman Sachs is attempting to shut down a dissident blogger who is extremely critical of the investment bank, its board members and its practices.  —  The bank has instructed Wall Street law firm Chadbourne & Parke to pursue blogger Mike Morgan …

Talks With Somalis Over U.S. Captain's Release Break Down  —  Negotiations over the American captain taken hostage by Somali pirates broke down on Saturday, according to Somali officials, after American officials insisted that the pirates be arrested and a group of elders representing the pirates refused.

Dismissal for Stevens, but Question on ‘Innocent’  —  WASHINGTON — When a federal trial judge tossed out the ethics conviction of former Senator Ted Stevens last week, his lawyers promulgated the story of an innocent man victimized by unscrupulous prosecutors.

Gates budget eyes next gen. warfare  —  When he came in as defense secretary during the Bush administration, Robert Gates defined his job as fixing the war in Iraq.  —  Now he is attempting to do something far more complex: refashion the Pentagon budget for the next war.