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Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In Sadr City, fighting ebbs following a tentative ceasefire agreement that was met by escalated U.S. bombardment, while fears of renewed violence persist, with the two sides offering conflicting interpretations of the pact, and a grisly video apparently taunting the Mahdi army making the rounds.

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

A long-promised offensive in Mosul catches residents off guard and scrambling for food, with Patrick Cockburn describing the city of 1.4 million as a 'ghost town' in which soldiers "shoot at any civilian vehicle on the streets in defiance of a strict curfew." Plus: The state of the surge.

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With the actions of a few individual guards rather than the company now the focus of the DOJ's probe of the Nisoor Square massacre and, a New York Times analysis notes, "after an intense public and private lobbying campaign, Blackwater appears to be back to business as usual."

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As a judge orders that Jamie Leigh Jones' gang rape claim against Halliburton/KBR be heard in court rather than in "secretive arbitration proceedings," a former Washington Times editor casts aspersions on her lawyer and contends that the company has no responsibility for the actions of a few bad employees.

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

An AP study finds the 'number of disabled veterans rising,' a piece in the New Yorker follows attempts to help traumatized veterans overcome their psychological wounds using 'Virtual Iraq,' and the U.S. military stops use of a pet cremation service for fallen troops.

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

From birth pangs to death throes, Nir Rosen takes stock of the collapsing Bush administration agenda across the "new Middle East," with the Iraq war seen as an ongoing 'incubator for terrorism,' and a Daily Star essay predicting that the changes that are coming will likely 'not be pretty.' Nonetheless, the U.S. cans Al-Qaeda/Internet expert.

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As violence in Lebanon moves east and flares in the city of Tripoli, one observer interprets Hizbullah's takeover of West Beirut as a blunder that will exacerbate sectarian tensions, while a Daily Star commentator sees the "possible emergence of the first American-Iranian joint political governance system in the Arab world."

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The decision of a military judge to disqualify a key Pentagon general from the Guantanamo prosecution, appears to also provide evidence of the Bush administration 'politicizing show trials at the same time as politicizing DOJ,' as Philippe Sands talks to Bill Moyers about the total failure of the architects of torture to accept any responsibility.

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Sen. Harry Reid tells bloggers that there will be hearings on the military analyst story, a Los Angeles Times report notes that 'domestic spying far outpaces terrorism prosecutions,' and the Nation's Katrina vanden Heuvel catches up with the latest twists of the Burger King spying scandal.

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Although Hillary Clinton's "Southern Strategy" is apparently reaching "across the aisle ... straight to right-wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh," and perhaps playing well for certain audiences in West Virginia, "Saturday Night Live" turns on Clinton, skewering her (video here) as a candidate with "no ethical standards."

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Carl Bernstein handicaps Clinton's race for the vice presidency, with one group already pushing for the option 'tied to her campaign,' but critics use her Iraq war stance to poke holes in the notion that she would add foreign policy "cred" to the ticket,

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In support of a vision of the 2008 election that bridges the racial divide, Frank Rich cites the "restrained response" of protesters to the "acquittal of three police officers in the 50-bullet shooting death" of Sean Bell, but Max Blumenthal presents video evidence that the protest was "large, brimming with anger, and anything but restrained."

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With 'GOP getting crushed in polls, key races,' some in the party begin to consider rebranding Republicans as "agents of change," while McCain's campaign to paint Obama as a favorite of Hamas leads to the stepping down of an adviser who advocated engagement.

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

McCain also loses a campaign adviser after it's reported that his firm lobbied for the military junta in Myanmar, as Glenn Greenwald makes the case that the GOP candidate is "the ultimate embodiment of America's hoary, Vietnam era 'stabbed-in-the-back' myth," and some extreme views of his neocon advisers are aired.

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In 'A Last Chance for Civilization,' Bill McKibben sounds a dire warning about the need to take drastic action to reduce atmospheric CO2 in the face of "six irreversible tipping points," but the results of a recent Pew poll indicate that 'the deniers are winning, especially with the GOP.'

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

An inside report from a 'nuclear industry soiree' captures the idiom of an industry makeover replete with tokens of green and praise for the virtue of subsidies.

Mon, 12 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As the role of the Bush administration in promoting secessionist efforts in Bolivia is discussed, the country is poised for another round of "high stakes political poker" over a recall referendum. Plus: 'Never say Evo again?'

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As the U.S. military steps up the air war in Sadr City with daytime strikes, the Iraqi military orders residents to evacuate in advance of "a big offensive" that is expected to exacerbate Iraq's ongoing refugee crisis and has raised concerns about the possibility of "a new Fallujah."

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Mark Benjamin and Christopher Weaver examine signs of a "body-count pressure" on elite U.S. snipers reminiscent of Vietnam, a FPIF analysis finds that, despite a promised amnesty, 'the "surge" of Iraqi prisoners' continues, and the attempt to shut Muqtada al-Sadr out of the political process is termed 'the next big mistake in Iraq.'

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

A Vet Voice analysis points to a little noted but significant rise in U.S. casualties in Anbar province that may signal problems for the U.S. military's awakenings strategy, as 'rockets shatter Basra calm,' in the first such attack to cause casualties there since March.

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As the list of American contractors taking advantage of a perfectly legal Cayman Islands loophole to avoid paying millions in taxes grows, British arms giant BAE, facing an ongoing investigation into a corrupt arms deal with Saudi Arabia, promises 'ethical arms sales.'

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Following a decision by the Lebanese government to dismantle Hizbollah's communications network, a tactic the group's leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah denounced in a televised address as tantamount to "a declaration of war ... on behalf of the United States and Israel," Beirut erupts in deadly clashes.

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As the 'U.N. pressures Myanmar to allow aid' in the face of a worsening refugee situation and inadequate government response, Helena Cobban illustrates problems with the "Laura Bush version" of what's been happening with a comparison to problems with humanitarian access to Sadr City.

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With the Guantanamo trials already in disarray, and judges "making up the rules as they go," a military judge threatens to suspend the trial of one detainee unless the CIA turns over "a memo specifying brutal interrogation methods for use on prisoners held in U.S. custody overseas" for court review.

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As the Politico takes note of the 'deafening silence' on the story of the Pentagon's deployment of military analysts in the media, Glenn Greenwald dissects a Gitmo trip, whose purpose a CNN analyst acknowledges was to "drink the government Kool-Aid," and an audio recording captures analysts hailing Rumsfeld's leadership.

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With gas and oil prices jumping to record highs, and no clear ceiling in sight, Michael Klare paints a portrait of a superpower in decline, laid low by its dependence on oil, foreign ownership of key nodes of the economy, and a gas guzzling military machine.

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

A proposal heavily promoted by the entertainment industry to create a "White House czar" for enforcing intellectual property rights sails through the House, as Los Angeles cracks down on piracy as 'detrimental to public health, safety.' Earlier: Copyright and the public interest.

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As bankruptcy filings soar in California despite changes in the law to make them more difficult, a look at the Federal Reserve's 'map of misery' suggests that the housing price bust has a long way to go. But President Bush, looking a little long in the nose, argues against plans to limit foreclosures.

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Highlighting a statement Hillary Clinton made to USA Today that suggests that she is positioning herself as a white candidate, a New York Times editorial calls on her to back off, while Gary Sick situates her "obliterate" remark in a historical and foreign policy context.

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Despite vehement denials from the candidate, Arianna Huffington maintains her account, now corroborated by other witnesses, that John McCain publicly said that he didn't vote for George Bush in 2000, as one radical pastor problem is amplified on video, and another reignites itself.

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The Washington Post digs into one of a string of "McCain-engineered land swaps" that benefits one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers, his campaign's "pecuniary interest" is seen as a factor in a recent about face on FEC nominations, and McCain's wife vows "never" to release her tax returns. Plus: "For John McCain is an honorable man."

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The chief exhibit in Katha Pollitt's survey of how the backlash against feminism is "cracking up a storm" is the recent decision by Washington University to give Phyllis Schlafly an honorary doctorate, while House Republicans stage a tactical vote against Mother's Day.

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The chief of Mexico's federal police is gunned down in a dramatic escalation of a war between law enforcement and drug gangs that now "engulfs the entire country," amid concerns that the "cops are also starting to lose control." And the violence continues to escalate.

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The New Statesman's cover retrospective on 'The Year that Changed Everything' features reflections by Noam Chomsky and Greil Marcus among others, while BBC World Service focuses in on May 68, when philosophy hit the streets and the 'best weapons were made of paper.' And in France today, "a festival of memory."

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As 'Glitches mar debut of Guantanamo war court,' a former detainee is said to have carried out a suicide attack in Iraq, and a British human rights lawyer speculates on how the Bush administration will play election-year politics with Guantanamo. Plus: 'Torture Showdown Coming?'

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

After telling a House Judiciary hearing that "War crimes were committed," Phillipe Sands, author of "Torture Team," appeared at a forum on 'Beyond the Torture Debate.'

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Cuban terror suspect Luis Posada Carriles 'enjoys a "coming-out" in Miami,' and Secretary of State Rice is branded 'Phony of the Day' for calling on Myanmar to let in more foreign aid workers, after having turned down an offer from Cuba to send some 1,500 doctors to the U.S after Katrina.

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As part of its investigation of Special Counsel Scott Bloch, McClatchy reports that the FBI has subpoenaed records concerning Bloch's 2004 ethics probe of Rice, who was cleared of charges that she timed some of her trips to boost President Bush's 2004 reelection campaign.

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Advisers claim that 'All is Well in Clinton Land,' during a conference call in which Clinton's chief strategist, writes Greg Sargent, "made the case for her electability in some of the most explicitly race-based terms I've heard yet."

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Although Obama is credited with having pushed back against the media wall, three major newspapers let stand the false assertion by an Indiana man that Obama "is Muslim." Plus: 30 new superdelegates for Obama?

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Democrats are warned to "be ready for the maelstrom that awaits ... if and when the Clinton campaign calls it quits," since "Someone will fill the void that is left behind when it gets down to two. And somehow, I don't see the media setting their sights on John McCain."

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

McCain, who is said to be 'Multilateral Like Bush,' repeated the claim that Hamas "endorsed" Obama, during an appearance on "The Daily Show," and Juan Cole looks at "who is endorsing McCain in the Muslim world."

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Jim Lobe reports on how Iraq war costs and Afghanistan troop demands are straining the "surge," and as Iraq asks the U.S. and Iran to 'stop accusing and start talking,' John Bolton says that he can "definitely" imagine the U.S. bombing camps in Iran before Bush leaves office. Plus: 'Blacklisted by my bank for living in Iran.'

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The notion that Baghdad neighborhoods being walled-off represents a barrier to reconciliation, is dismissed by invoking the existence of gated communities in the U.S., one of which may soon be home to Ron Paul supporters.

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Chris Matthews says that his bosses were "basically pro-war during the war," implying that it's over, and NPR Check looks at NPR's explanation for the participation of its analysts in the Pentagon pundits program. Plus: 'Are doctors shilling for drug companies on public radio?'

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

"Ribbon Culture," described as "a cogent analysis of the ubiquitous 'awareness-raising' ribbon and its more recent offspring, the wristband," follows the publication of "Pink Ribbons, Inc.," whose author noted that many major sponsors "produce products that are linked to breast cancer incidence."

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Democratic Senators 'berate' one EPA official, another suggests that the 'EPA might not act to limit rocket fuel in drinking water,' and 'U.S. consumers rank last in world survey of green habits.'

Thu, 08 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

'Suburbia in all its gore and glory,' is the subject of a book and exhibit on the photography of Irwin Norling, a kind of suburban Weegee who shot both crime scenes and community events as a newspaper stringer and "unofficial photographer" for a Minneapolis suburb. Plus: 'Through Weegee's Lens.'

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With 'Options dwindling for Clinton,' who appears to have run out of potential "game changers," she is nonetheless asked: 'don't drop out! (yet).'

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

And David Corn isn't convinced that she will drop out, since '"The Clintons have defied the pundits before," as pundits Brazile and Begala mix it up over the Democratic coalition, video here.

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As 'Obama shifts to general-election mode,' the Washington Post quotes a Clinton adviser as saying that "she cannot be nominated and he can't get elected.'

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With Fox News injecting a new shot of William Ayers into the race, 'McCain finds his own radical friend,' and in explaining 'Why No HageeGate?', Tim Russert said that "If there was video of Hagee, it makes all the difference in the world..."

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As 'Federal agents arrest illegal immigrants leaving U.S.,' McCain, having "flipped back to his original position" of "comprehensive immigration reform," is thanked for "reminding us Tuesday what this year's presidential race really is about."

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In an online chat, John Dean, who contends that 'Contrary to his claims, Senator John McCain is not a Goldwater conservative,' discussed "Pure Goldwater," which he co-authored with Barry Goldwater, Jr., and which reveals that the McCain-Goldwater relationship was 'Not as rosy as once thought.'

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

McCain gets less than 80% of the Republican vote in both Indiana and North Carolina, and as he suggests that the U.S. should be able to get 80% of its electricity from nuclear power, he, Clinton and Obama are said to be "in favor of raising gasoline prices, not lowering them."

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With the 'U.S. presidents-to-be in denial' about Iraq, a commentary on 'The Price of Silence,' points out that the conflict is "eating up more of our money than rising prices at the pump." And with increasing congestion in the Persian Gulf skies, the U.S. Air Force hopes to fly 'Above All.'

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As 'King David' is interviewed by Spencer Ackerman, 'Leader Reid gets pushback on Iraq war bill,' and a Pentagon spokesman ritualistically warns about soldiers not getting paid.

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The U.S. military has reportedly "tied itself into a verbal knot as it tries to avoid further inflaming tensions" with Muqtada al-Sadr, and as 'Israel turns 60, probe threatens prime minister,' and 'Arabs in Israel are outsiders.'

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As Mikhail Gorbachev accuses the U.S. of being on a new Cold War path, the 'White House threatens Swiss over $42b Iran gas deal,' a U.S. State Department official charges Iran with 'seeking to keep Afghanistan unstable,' and it's reported that the 'Pentagon targeted Iran for regime change after 9/11.'

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The Department of Defense posts the documents released to the New York Times regarding the Pentagon pundits program, which garnered two follow-up stories in last week's PEJ news coverage index, one more than the latest iteration of the "Larry Craig Scandal."

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As 'Lawyers for Guantanamo inmates accuse U.S. of eavesdropping,' the Al-Jazeera cameraman who was freed last week described it as "the most heinous prison mankind has ever known," in a speech that was broadcast live on Sudanese television. Plus: Released detainees face trial in Afghanistan.

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

William Fisher details the collapse of the "bioterror" case against artist Steve Kurtz, whose story was made into the docudrama, "Strange Culture," and Hendrik Hertzberg offers up three 'Drug-War Bulletins.'

Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

"Violin Man" Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez is interviewed by Tavis Smiley about "The Soloist," which chronicles his friendship with a homeless, schizophrenic classical musician, Nathaniel Ayers.

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As the House holds a Tuesday morning hearing on suicide among veterans, the U.S. government's top psychiatric researcher says that "it's quite possible that the suicides and psychiatric mortality of this war could trump the combat deaths."

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With a prediction that there's likely to be a 'Sharp rise in suicide attacks by women in Iraq,' the Committee to Protect Journalists issues a report on attacks against journalists in Kurdistan, audio backstory here, one day after an Iraqi female journalist was shot and killed in Mosul.

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

'Iran halts talks with U.S. on Iraq,' citing the continued fighting in Sadr City, and Greg Mitchell contrasts articles from McClatchy and the New York Times about claims of 'Iran's link to Iraqi insurgents.'

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With the Guantanamo justice system 'Moving at a crawl,' and Senate Republicans blocking torture investigations, it's argued that "the American public, press, and legislature appear to be completely oblivious to the idea that questions of war and military force raise any legal issues at all."

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Alleging Abu Ghraib torture, an Iraqi has sued L-3 Communications and CACI International, claiming that a new book by CACI's chairman reveals that the company's "internal investigation failed to include any interviews of detainees or of a former employee whistleblower."

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In his new book, retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez calls Bernard Kerik's efforts to train Iraqi police in 2003 "a waste of time and effort," saying that Kerik spent more time "conducting raids and liberating prostitutes" than training Iraqis.

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As the New York Times returns to the same 'Stale Voices' that weighed in on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, FAIR wants readers to "Ask ABC, CBS and NBC when they are going to air responses to the Pentagon pundits scandal."

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Tim Russert making his first 11 questions to Obama about Rev. Wright -- "as if some impersonal mechanism had tossed him a ball and now it had to be kept in the air" -- is cited as one example of how the race has "descended into the gutter." Plus: Voters obsessed with politicians' sex lives?

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Robert Parry reviews the Clinton campaign's "oppo" against Obama, David Brooks contends that a "contrast between combat and composure defines the Democratic race," and Bill Berkowitz finds conservative activists Floyd Brown and David Bossie, 'Back in the Swift Boat captain's chairs.'

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As John and Elizabeth Edwards officially decline to endorse, Facing South updates its investigation of robo-calling in North Carolina, where polling is all over the map.

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Matt Taibbi, who writes about 'Hillary's Bitter Victory' in Pennsylvania, and who just won a National Magazine Award, discusses Sen. John McCain with Keith Olbermann, as McCain denies a claim that he didn't vote for Bush in 2000.

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With the British press seizing on a good fight, one tabloid declares that Obama is 'Desperate," and as McClatchy reports that 'Clinton disclosures didn't list $24 million of Bill's income,' a junior high classmate recalls Hillary's first campaign.

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

A letter signed by more than 200 economists criticizes a holiday from the gas tax that Bill Clinton increased in 1993, and a group that prays at the pump is branded a "movement."

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In his book "While America Aged," business writer Roger Lowenstein says that the U.S. is sitting on a "retirement time bomb" and it's not Social Security. Lowenstein also assesses the leading presidential candidates' proposals on entitlement programs.

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As 'Bernanke gives green light to Frank foreclosure bill,' the Washington Post reports on the "remarkably productive relationship" between Treasury Secretary Paulson and Rep. Barney Frank, who's fresh off of last week's conversation with Paul Krugman about growing economic inequality in the U.S.

Tue, 06 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

A U.N. official discusses the challenges of providing aid to a closed society like Burma, where Cyclone Nargis is said to have exposed the myth that the country has a "strong" military.

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Although Iraqi officials, who increasingly find themselves caught in the middle, issue conflicting statements on whether Iran is fanning the flames of conflict, the New York Times' Michael Gordon, citing unnamed sources, reports that 'Hezbollah Trains Iraqis in Iran.'

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Among numerous recent rumors of war are a report in the London Times that says that the U.S. is 'drawing up plans to strike' such a camp, and Andrew Cockburn's claim that "President Bush signed a secret finding authorizing a covert offensive against the Iranian regime ... unprecedented in its scope."

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As U.S. missile strikes damage a hospital in Sadr City, a pair of reports from the International Crisis Group on 'The New Sunni Landscape' and 'The Need for a New Political Strategy' critique U.S. "divide-and-rule tactics" and urge the peaceful incorporation of the Sadr movement into the political process.

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

While Tom Engelhardt traces out the contours of 'Endless War' in Iraq and beyond, and a PBS essay looks back at the five year evolution of explaining mission accomplished, Glenn Greenwald annotates 'Fred Hiatt on the noble glories of occupation.' Plus: Richard Perle gets a makeover.

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Hints of a Pentagon-backed 5 year and $5 billion vision of a shiny future Green Zone are already driving up real estate prices, and NPR plays it straight with talk of the Magic Kingdom proposed for its outskirts.

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Mother Jones' Bruce Falconer sums up testimony from 'contractors gone wild,' reports about ignored warnings of flawed wiring point to KBR negligence in the electrocution of U.S soldiers, and investigations of Blackwater killings appear to be exacerbating cultural conflict. Despite all this, the Pentagon is now looking to outsource training of the Iraqi army.

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The Pentagon is reportedly considering a surge of 7,000 more U.S. troops in Afghanistan to make up for a shortfall in contributions from Nato allies, whose citizens, according to recent polls, are "growing impatient with the lack of results."

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

New documentation of the role of psychologists in military interrogations puts APA plans for further integration into the security establishment in context, a planned speech by bioethicist Steven Miles' on torture is abruptly canceled, and the Daily Mail samples the offerings at the souvenir shop at Guantanamo Bay.

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Israel insists that it has "no hidden agenda" about settlements, as the first class of Palestinian security officers, whose training was funded by the U.S., hits the streets in the West Bank without the proper equipment after Israel blocks shipments, and the siege of Gaza generates some unpleasant blowback.

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

'Obama and Clinton wrangle over whether to obliterate Iran,' with Obama blasting his opponent's threats as "language reflective of George Bush," and Clinton expressing no regrets about her expanding nuclear umbrella.

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Scorched earth campaign tactics reminiscent of the right deployed by Hillary Clinton and some of her supporters have raised questions about a possible crippling backlash, as she ditches the economists and champions the gun.

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

One new poll shows the Wright controversy pulling Obama down but another doesn't, as Bill Moyers looks past the "terrible simplifiers" to the rational roots of racial anger and the role of the pulpit as a safe venue for expressing it, and then for comparative context points to what Frank Rich terms 'the all-white elephant in the room.'

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As McCain fumbles around for an explanation of what he means about oil dependency, a New York Times editorial raises questions about what's behind a pattern of missing records.

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As attempts are made to puzzle out exactly who fired an EPA director in the midst of a battle with Dow Chemical, the Los Angeles Times investigates the surge in uranium claims along the Grand Canyon rim, and the Alaska state legislature shops around for scientists who will deny a threat to polar bears.

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

A vote for autonomy by a rich Bolivian province, in apparent violation of the constitution and in the face of a boycott by supporters of President Evo Morales, threatens to pull the nation apart. More background on the election from Real News Network analyst Pepe Escobar.

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Following an electoral rout capped off by the selection of a Conservative celebrity with some lingering credibility issues as mayor of London, Tariq Ali pronounces New Labour dead, although given the likely follow-up, one commentator suggests that "undead" might be a more accurate description.

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

'Italy's Rightward Lurch,' which has some talking of a fascist revival, is attended on the cultural front by a proposal for the partial privatization of Pompeii and a campaign initiated by Rome's one-time neo-fascist mayor to blacklist Hollywood stars.

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Responding to the unanimous decision by a Senate committee to 'shift costs of war to Iraq,' one exasperated Baghdad official says "America has hardly even begun to repay its debt to Iraq," while Nir Rosen explains, in a Campus Progress video interview, "how the occupation has traumatized a generation of Iraqi youth."

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

After the APA publishes a study concluding that 'stigma keeps troops from PTSD help,' Defense Secretary Robert 'Gates acknowledges mistakes in the treatment of troops,' and the Pentagon announces that it will no longer consider seeking counseling for combat stress a barrier to a security clearance.

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

While it appears that Blackwater won't be bought out, "Democracy Now!" talks to activists resisting its latest foray into Southern California, and Project Minerva, the Pentagon's ambitious new initiative to involve universities in the War on Terror, faces scrutiny.

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In 'the largest labor strike since the invasion of Iraq', 29,000 dockworkers shut down all 29 West Coast ports on May Day to protest the continuation of the war, retaking the spirit of the day, in Ian Williams' view, from the chickenhawks who turned it into "a symbol of loyalty rather than labor."

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With George Bush pioneering new lows, the Washington Post editorial board re-edits its original position on the war, and Harper's Ken Silverstein responds to 'journalism ethics lessons from the war's chief salesman.'

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As American officials appear to cross a red line in charges against Iran, and the dangers of a confrontation at sea are considered, Pepe Escobar analyzes the position on 'The Iranian Chessboard,' and a recent documentary is recommended as a window on "aspects of Iranian politics not usually seen in the Western media."

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Facing a new trial by military commission, a Supreme Court winner gives up on the system, which even a former prosecutor now concedes is "politicized and unfair," as "a prisoner in the Bush administration's assault on al Jazeera," released after six years in detainment, speaks out against conditions at the prison.

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As a final bid is made to hunt down the last of the Nazi war criminals, a legal analysis finds the Nuremberg precedent likely insufficient for prosecuting today's torture lawyers, and one reviewer finds Errol Morris' interpretation inadequate to the truth about Abu Ghraib.

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Although there was a substantial rise in wiretaps in 2007 and, according to Glenn Greenwald, 'backroom conniving' is breathing new life into the prospects for telecom immunity, the use of national security letters may be restricted if legislative attempts to power down the Patriot Act prove successful.

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The embrace of Fox News by both Democratic candidates elicits dismay from the left, and Eric Alterman finds the very idea of a debate focused on the real social and economic crises confronting America inconceivable, given the current corporate media landscape.

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

While deploying "issues of race and patriotism as a wedge strategy" may be helping Hillary Clinton line up some white working class Democrats, Obama's enduring edge leaves her with "dwindling options," and McClatchy highlights the risk of losing the Black electorate if Obama loses the nomination.

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As critics unite against the McCain-Clinton tax holiday -- now apparently DOA -- the word "pandering" keeps popping up, but Senate Republicans up the ante with an enthusiastic call for opening drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

A CJR analysis criticizes the media for doing little to illuminate 'McCain's Health-Care Muddle' which, it's argued, "would shift the burden of unaffordable health care costs from the employer onto working families," while it appears that 'McCain's medical records release, put off twice, won't really be a "release."'

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

A Washington court's injunction against an emergency contraception law appears to sanction a "refuse and refer" system for pharmacists, radical pastor and McCain supporter John Hagee explains what he thinks goes on in public schools, and a new study of delinquency may be the key to 'Unlocking Bush's Chastity Belt.'

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Facing an environmental lawsuit, the EPA proposes the first new limits on lead emissions in 30 years, but the standards are weaker than scientists recommended, as a top regulator for the agency, which has been under increasing political pressure, is forced out for pushing too hard on Dow to clean up after a dioxin dump.

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Exxon comes under fire from investors for a "disappointing" $10.9 billion profit, and from the Rockefellers for ignoring the planet's future, and with the FTC preparing to investigate oil price manipulation, a Nieman Watchdog commentary lays out key issues for developing a long-term energy policy.

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Apparently unimpressed by an open letter to the media from 21 academics urging skepticism about a seized rebel laptop, which got noticed even at the Washington Times, a Miami Herald series continues to trumpet its dramatic "revelations" about Ecuador and Venezuela. Plus: 'The Pope's Holy War Against Liberation Theology.'

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The U.S. State Department's 2007 report on terrorism found that attacks in Pakistan doubled last year, as Pakistan's prime minister defended his country's new approach, arguing that "Pakistan must fight terrorism for Pakistan's sake."

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With the report calling Iran the "most active" state sponsor of terrorism, U.S. officials fanned out to issue warnings, including CIA head Michael Hayden delivering 'The most brazen denunciation of Iran from a U.S. official to date.' Plus: 'Are these Syrian nuclear pictures faked?'

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

On a banner day for Bush, it's reported that April's death toll in Iraq was the highest since last fall for both Iraqi civilians and U.S. troops, and Defense Secretary Gates is accused of lying about Iraqi politicians' support for the government's crackdown in Sadr City.

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As Afghans finger al-Qaeda for involvement in the plot to shoot President Karzai, Barnett Rubin gets in the last word about his "NewsHour" debate with Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, "back from a one-week tour of Afghanistan escorted by the U.S. embassy and military."

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

"Democracy Now!" interviews the author of CorpWatch's "Outsourcing Intelligence in Iraq," which focuses on L3 Communications and it's Titan Corporation subsidiary, and an L3 shareholder tries to attend the company's annual meeting.

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

USA Today breaks a story about the Pentagon's foreign news Web sites, Brian Williams defends NBC's military analysts, and when finally asked about the Pentagon's collaboration with pundits, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino falsely claimed that the "DOD has ... decided to stop this program."

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As America meets an "Angry Obama," it's reported that the Washington Post and New York Times "published more than 12 times as many articles mentioning Obama and Wright as they did mentioning McCain and Hagee."

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

A robo-calling non-profit's connections to the Clinton campaign are spelled out, and the Center for Public Integrity assesses the electoral impact of big money advocacy groups, from MoveOn.org to Freedom's Watch, which is said to have found 'Its Inner Mother Theresa.'

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

'When Democrats Go Post-al' James Wolcott covers the online rift between Clinton and Obama supporters, and it's reported that a health care industry lobbyist introduced Sen. McCain at the event in which 'McCain-Care' was rolled out. Plus: MittCain?

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As Clinton pumps it up in Indiana, Obama pushes back against the gas tax holiday, calling it a "gimmick," one which he voted for three times as an Illinois state legislator.

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With one 'Right-wing organization paying kids for denying global warming,' some scientists want their name removed from a list of 500 with 'Documented doubts of man-made global warming scares,' compiled by a "fellow" from the well-endowed Heartland Institute. Plus: 'White House blocked rule issued to shield whales.'

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

'Food scientists say stop biofuels to fight world hunger,' and a U.N. forum on indigenous issues is warned that "if biofuels expansion continued at the current pace, it was likely that at least 60 million native people would lose their lands and livelihood."

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As Egypt raises salaries to cover rising food prices, a profile of novelist Alaa Al Aswany, says that his "obsessive urge to understand and explain the physical and moral rot of contemporary Egypt is what drives 'The Yacoubian Building," his international best-seller that became the most expensive Arabic movie ever made.

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In reviewing retrospectives on "Godard's 60s," and "1968: An International Perspective," a critic is "amazed at how raw, how urgent, how disarmingly alive these films are." Plus: 'Three films about poverty, murder and Coca-Cola.'

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Snowed Out With cocaine smugglers reportedly shifting their focus to Europe because of the weak U.S. dollar, one man's trip comes to an end after 102 years.

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The 'U.S. role deepens in Sadr City,' with American troops "engaged in the kind of urban battle within Sadr's stronghold reminiscent of the first years of the war," and with 'Iraq civilians reportedly among Sadr City dead.'

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As a U.S. report on Iraq reconstruction projects oil revenue to top a record $70 billion this year, an analysis of prospective U.S. security agreements with Iraq, by retired Col. Dan Smith, looks at both budgetary allocations and the debate over the meaning of "permanent" in relation to military bases.

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The AP separates spin from fact on President Bush's energy rhetoric, during a press conference in which "He faulted lawmakers 16 times in his opening statement alone," and "Instead of embracing new proposals ... mainly dusted off old ones."

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The president also talked up the threat from "jihadists," and despite the 'Gaza shooting gallery,' and trouble on the Lebanese/Israeli border, he expressed hope for a Middle East peace agreement before the end of his presidency, noting that "Condi is heading back out there."

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Reviewing "Soldiers of Reason," a history of the RAND Corporation, excerpted here, one-time RAND consultant Chalmers Johnson explains how "the premier think tank for the U.S.'s role as hegemon of the Western world," set about 'Teaching Imperialism 101.'

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The U.S. Army claims to be "inspecting every barracks building worldwide to see whether plumbing and other problems revealed at Fort Bragg last week are widespread."

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As KBR employees working in Iraq are said to have "stole weapons, artwork and even gold to make spurs for cowboy boots," despite his claim of 'Total Impunity,' a 'Halliburton bribe case haunts Cheney.'

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

After 'Obama the Inevitable' inevitably "distanced" himself from Rev. Wright, a commentary on how the diligence in reporting on Wright might have been better employed, also suggests that maybe it's time for Republicans to distance themselves from Ron Paul.

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

It's argued that "Wright exposed the flimsy tissues of so-called 'race neutrality' in a nation founded on racial oppression," and, that "Obama's dilemma is nothing new in American politics, except for the piquant touch of a self-made man of mixed race being eliticized by a former First Lady and an Admiral's son with a very rich wife."

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As the AP adds a "falsely" comment to a story on an anti-McCain ad,' newspaper outlets, including the AP, 'continue to ignore McCain's flip-flop on Iraq-Korea comparison.'

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Itinerant robo-caller "Lamont Williams" surfaces in North Carolina, where a right-wing radio talker is reporting an 'anti-Obama chain e-mail distortion as fact,' and following last week's presentation by Scott Horton on 'Politics and the Alabama press,' Thom Hartmann interviews Don Siegelman.

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Reinforcing Frank Rich's point about NBC's Brian Williams, it's noted that on the same day Williams slammed the New York Times on his blog for publishing puff pieces, his newscast devoted more time to Vanity Fair's photos of Miley Cyrus than the Supreme Court's ruling on Indiana's voter ID law.

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As truckers join forces with Code Pink, Barbara Ehrenreich wonders, "Where are the Democrats?," and notes that the next protest "will be in solidarity with the San Francisco longshoremen's May Day actions against the war."

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Writing about "The Political Economics of Greenwashing," Stan Cox, author of "Sick Planet," predicts that "After that next big bust, not only alternative energy but a host of other 'green' industries will be left in ruin." Plus: 'Siphoning off corn to fuel our cars.'

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As the final episode of "Garbage Island" is posted online, CJR interviews two people behind the "quirky, travelogue-documentary" about the man-made Pacific Garbage Patch, which was also the subject of a recent "Nightline" segment.

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In an online chat, the author of "Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?" discusses the controversy surrounding his book, as it's reminded that he wouldn't be the first travel writer to be "Economical with the truthiness."

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Bin Laden's former driver looks 'slovenly, threatens boycott,' during a pre-trial hearing at which the former chief prosecutor of the war crimes tribunals testified "that the military justice system has been corrupted by politics and inappropriate influence from senior Pentagon officials."

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Rep. John Conyers 'threatens to subpoena Ashcroft, Addington and Yoo,' Dahlia Lithwick documents 'The failures of the legal system for both the torturers and the tortured,' and about 'Afghanistan's Guantanamo,' it's reported that "detainees have been convicted based on little more than mere allegations by the United States."

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With the release of a GAO report that the 'U.S. lacks Pakistan strategy,' a New York Times editorial expresses doubt about the Pakistani government's strategy for dealing with militants, and a Reuters reporter asks: 'Should the media be more positive about Pakistan?'