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9:30 AM ET, April 22, 2009

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Banned Techniques Yielded ‘High Value Information,’ Memo Says  —  WASHINGTON - President Obama's national intelligence director told colleagues in a private memo last week that the harsh interrogation techniques banned by the White House did produce significant information that helped the nation in its struggle with terrorists.
RELATED:
New York Times:
In Adopting Harsh Tactics, No Inquiry Into Their Past Use  —  WASHINGTON — The program began with Central Intelligence Agency leaders in the grip of an alluring idea: They could get tough in terrorist interrogations without risking legal trouble by adopting a set of methods used on Americans during military training.
Washington Post:
Harsh Tactics Readied Before Their Approval  —  Intelligence and military officials under the Bush administration began preparing to conduct harsh interrogations long before they were granted legal approval to use such methods — and weeks before the CIA captured its first high-ranking terrorism suspect …
Gene Healy / Cato Institute:
Of Course It Was Torture  —  This article appeared in the DC Examiner on April 20, 2009.
Discussion: Upturned Earth
Jonathan S. Landay / McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Report: Abusive tactics were used to find Iraq-al Qaida link  —  WASHINGTON — The Bush administration put relentless pressure on interrogators to use harsh methods on detainees in part to find evidence of cooperation between al Qaida and the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's regime …
RELATED:
Spencer Ackerman / The Washington Independent:
Report Details Origins of Bush-Era Interrogation Policies
Discussion: ATTACKERMAN
Brian Knowlton / New York Times:
Report Gives New Detail on Approval of Brutal Techniques
Discussion: TalkLeft and The Politico
CBS News:
Freddie Mac Exec Found Dead At Home  —  David Kellermann, Acting Chief Financial Officer Of Embattled Mortgage Company, Committed Suicide  —  (WUSA) A top executive at Freddie Mac was found dead Wednesday morning from an apparent suicide, according to CBS affiliate WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C.
Discussion: The Swamp and On Deadline
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Reports: Freddie Mac official found dead  —  WASHINGTON - David Kellermann, the acting chief financial officer of Freddie Mac, was found dead at his home Wednesday morning in what broadcast reports said was an apparent suicide.  —  WUSA-TV and WTOP Radio reported that David Kellermann was found dead in his Northern Virginia home.
Discussion: The Page
Eric Zimmermann / The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:
Harman: More members could have been tapped  —  Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) raised the possibility today that more members of Congress could have been wiretapped by the NSA or FBI.  —  Defending herself against reports that she was caught on tape offering to intervene in the espionage-related case …
RELATED:
CNN:
Rep. calls alleged wiretap ‘abuse of power’
Discussion: The Swamp and Newshoggers.com
ABCNEWS:
RFK Jr. Blasts Obama as ‘Indentured Servant’ to Coal Industry  —  Critics Say Clean Coal Is a Boondoggle; ‘Clean Coal Is a Dirty Lie’  —  “Clean coal is a dirty lie,” says environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who calls President Barack Obama and other politicians who commit taxpayer money to develop it …
Discussion: Don Surber and RedState
RELATED:
Brad / Wonk Room:
On Earth Day Eve, ABC And Huffington Post Call Obama An 'Indentured …
Discussion: The Huffington Post
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:   Robert Kennedy: Obama “indentured servant” to coal industry
Robert / Jihad Watch:
Muslim who called for engagement with Muslim Brotherhood to advise White House  —  Mogahed, along with John Esposito, cooked the results of a Gallup survey of Muslims to increase the number of “moderates.”  —  Mogahed was also a member of U.S.-Muslim Engagement Project, which called for engagement with Muslim Brotherhood.
Discussion: Stop The ACLU
RELATED:
Noha El-Hennawy / Los Angeles Times:   Muslim woman's appointment as Obama advisor draws cautious optimism
NY Daily News:
Somali pirate's smile turns to tears; could face life  —  Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse, right, cries as the judge asks his lawyer, Phillip Weinstein, about Muse's age in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday.  The judge ruled he could be tried as an adult.  —  A Somali sea bandit wept as he was hit …
RELATED:
Steve Connor / The Independent:
Fertility expert: ‘I can clone a human being’  —  Controversial doctor filmed creating embryos before injecting them into wombs of women wanting cloned babies  —  A controversial fertility doctor claimed yesterday to have cloned 14 human embryos and transferred 11 of them into the wombs …
Michael Tomasky / Guardian:
How they lie: a case study  —  Did an Obama judicial nominee really express a preference for Allah over Jesus?  No, not by a long shot  —  From the second I read the sentence, I knew there was something fishy about it.  Many years' experience in reading and then looking into rightwing canards set off …
John Cook / Gawker:
Matt Drudge Goes Into Hiding  —  Days after Matt Drudge popped up to tell New York magazine about how he doesn't enjoy having sex with men, The New Republic looks into his descent into Howard Hughes-like isolation.  —  As Gabriel Sherman puts it, Drudge fears the media …
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
To Tweet or Not to Tweet  —  Alfred Hitchcock would have loved the Twitter headquarters here.  Birds gathering everywhere, painted on the wall in flocks, perched on the coffee table, stitched on pillows and framed on the wall with a thought bubble asking employees to please tidy up after themselves.
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Just Out  —  Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse predicted on MSNBC the release of a DOJ report on torture memos is imminent, and the report will be “devastating.”  —  A poll of New York state voters shows that 59% support legalizing gay marriage.  —  Calling out the DOJ for “gross abuse of power,” …
Discussion: Balloon Juice
Mary Kate Cary / US News:
Democrats Hysterical Over Tea Party Republicans  —  By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog  —  Why is the left so angry?  It's a question posed by columnist Byron York today, and he's got a great point.  With control of House, Senate, and White House, you'd think they'd be sitting on top of the world.
Wall Street Journal:
Banks Reject U.S. Terms for Cutting Chrysler Debt  —  A group of big banks and other lenders rebuffed a Treasury Department request that they slash 85% of Chrysler LLC's secured debt, proposing instead to eliminate about 35% in exchange for a minority stake in the restructured car maker and a seat on its board.
 
 
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 More Items: 
David Leonhardt / New York Times:
For Housing Crisis, the End Probably Isn't Near
Discussion: Calculated Risk
Agence France Presse:
Jackie Chan ‘control’ comments criticised in China
Jennifer Quinn / Associated Press:
Scientists discover a nearly Earth-sized planet
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Obama rekindles debate over Truth Commission
Discussion: Pat Dollard
Haaretz:
Lieberman: U.S. to accept any Israeli decision
Discussion: Mondoweiss
Andrew O. Selsky / Associated Press:
Senator McConnell blasts plan to close Guantanamo
 Earlier Items: 
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Obama Signs Volunteer Bill With Nod to Kennedy Era
Discussion: The Politico
Michael O'Brien / The Hill's Blog Briefing Room:
Journalism organization opposes Fairness Doctrine
Discussion: Liberal Values and Stop The ACLU
Bernie Becker / The Caucus:
Presidents 42 and 43 Team Up for a Chat
Fox News:
Analysts Question Legality of Targeting Lawyers in ‘Torture’ Inquiry
Alexander Mooney / CNN:
McCain demands White House apology
Discussion: INSTAPUTZ
 

 
From Techmeme:

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority:
Source: Google has canceled the development of a second-generation Pixel Tablet, planned for release in 2025, due to concerns that it wouldn't sell very well

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple is testing a more conversational version of Siri, dubbed “LLM Siri”, with plans to release it in spring 2026 as part of iOS 19 and macOS 16

The Information:
Sources: OpenAI considered making a browser, discussed deals to power AI features on Samsung devices and search on sites and apps from Condé Nast and others

 
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