White House Drafts Executive Order to Allow Indefinite Detention of Terror Suspects  —  The Obama administration, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close Guantanamo, has drafted an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely …

Argentine Man Is Said to Be Source of Sanford E-Mail  —  BUENOS AIRES — The mystery of who revealed Gov. Mark Sanford's e-mail messages may finally be solved.  A business associate of Mr. Sanford's Argentine mistress said Friday that private messages between the two lovers had been sent anonymously …

The 8 cap-and-tax Republicans...and the 44 Democrats who voted no  —  Introducing the GOP's Cap-And-Tax 8...  I listed them earlier tonight, but am breaking out a separate post to spotlight them again.  —  The 8 cap-and-tax Republican turncoats again are:  —  Bono Mack (CA) (202) 225-5330

House Passes Bill to Address Threat of Climate Change  —  WASHINGTON — Overcoming deep divisions within its Democratic majority, the House passed legislation on Friday intended to address the threat of global warming and transform the way the United States produces and uses energy.

Naked ex-mayor arrested at campsite  —  Gainesville's Musselwhite denies causing earlier trouble  —  A former mayor found sitting naked and holding a beer at a Rabun County campsite told police he wasn't the same naked man seen walking around earlier.  —  Mark Musselwhite, 43 …

THIS WEEK IN GOD.... First up from the God Machine this week is the resolution of a recent controversy involving the late Jerry Falwell's college in Virginia, which no longer wanted to allow its students to organize an official Democratic student group on campus.

God and Science Don't Mix  —  A scientist can be a believer.  But professionally, at least, he can't act like one.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  My practice as a scientist is atheistic.  That is to say, when I set up an experiment I assume that no god, angel or devil is going to interfere …

The Road to Hell: Part II  —  27 June 2009  —  With so many contractors, journalists, and even tourists floating around Afghanistan, some are bound to be kidnapped.  The recent escape by David Rohde provides a happy conclusion, though these things often end up with a bullet in the head, or a head sawed off for all to see.

On the House floor  —  By all appearances, the House is about to vote on a very long bill of which it has no completed official copy.  —  Texas Republican Reps. Joe Barton and Louie Gohmert have just asked the chair whether there exists a complete, updated copy of the Waxman-Markey carbon-cap bill.

Members of U.S. House Financial Services Committee snapped up or dumped bank stocks as bottom fell out of market  —  WASHINGTON — As financial markets tumbled and the government worked to stave off panic by pumping billions of dollars into banks last fall, several members of Congress who oversee …

U.S. Announces New Afghan Drug Policy  —  TRIESTE, Italy (AP) — The United States has announced a new drug policy for opium-rich Afghanistan, saying it was phasing out funding for eradication programs while significantly increasing its funding for alternate crop and drug interdiction efforts.