Obama battles to limit expectations in Pennsylvania: Clinton heavily favored

Obama and the 'L' Word: Yes, he is a "Liberal"

Obama Would Give Gore Key Role Shaping Climate Policy

Can Ed Rendell Deliver for Clinton? Popular governor of Pennsylvania is a strong supporter of Hillary

Bill Clinton's tirade stunned some superdelegates

Obama Keeps Cash Lead Over Clinton

Age, Vote More Strongly Related in Obama-McCain Matchup

Hillary Clinton's old ad used in new attack - on McCain

Against McCain, Clinton bests Obama in swing-state polls: In three key states

McCain and Clinton Ads Spar Over How to Solve Home Mortgage Crisis

Now McCain's Got a 3 a.m. Ad!!!

McCain says he's ready to look at running mates

So, you want to be a McCain Democrat?

McCain camp working out healthcare details

McCain shies away from religion talk

California Assessors amenable to lowering home values

American negotiators at a UN climate conference have warned that emission cuts would harm economies: Developing countries especially at risk

10 Ethiopians killed in Somali blast

Oil Chiefs Tell Congress: 'Prices Not Our Fault' - Insist their huge profits are in line with other industries -- Executives want access to all oil - "85 percent of the country's coastal waters are off limits to drilling"

Kennedy in Uproar on Gay Bias Law

Numbers May Not Be Best Measure of Earth Hour

NATO to Endorse U.S. Missile Shield...
The New York Times Thu Apr 03 2008 08:10:17 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Chinese Rights Activist Is Jailed...
The New York Times Thu Apr 03 2008 08:10:14 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

A Proving Ground for Marines and Dutch Intentions...
The New York Times Thu Apr 03 2008 03:12:03 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

China Confirms Protests by Uighur Muslims...
The New York Times Thu Apr 03 2008 01:38:58 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

With a New Knicks Chief, the Old One Is in Limbo...
The New York Times Thu Apr 03 2008 01:38:52 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

New Bill May Speed U.S. Visas for Artists...
The New York Times Wed Apr 02 2008 23:42:18 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Defense Lawyers Fight DNA Samples Gained on the Sly...
The New York Times Wed Apr 02 2008 23:42:17 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

In Senate, Agreement on Housing...
The New York Times Wed Apr 02 2008 22:53:18 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

In Economic Drama, Bush Is Largely Offstage...
The New York Times Wed Apr 02 2008 22:53:18 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Walsh to Make Amends for Knicks Past Crimes...
The New York Times Wed Apr 02 2008 16:39:53 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Late Payments on Consumer Loans Climb to Highest Level Since `92, ABA Says Consumers fell behind on car, credit-card and home-equity loans at the highest level in 15 years during the fourth quarter, another sign the U.S. economy is slowing, according to an American Bankers Association survey.

Stock Futures Retreat After Jobless Claims Beat Forecast; Europe Declines U.S. stock-index futures fell after jobless claims topped economists' forecasts and UBS AG said a slowdown in business spending will hurt sales at Cisco Systems Inc.

Initial Jobless Claims in U.S. Unexpectedly Climbed to Highest Since 2004 The number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly increased last week and total benefit rolls rose to the highest level since July 2004.

Soros Sees Additional Declines for Stocks, Dollar After Temporary Reprieve Billionaire George Soros called the current financial crisis the worst since the Great Depression and said markets will fall more this year after a brief rebound.

Rice Climbs to Record, Corn Approaches High After Governments Curb Exports Rice climbed to a record and corn traded near its highest ever on speculation a 3 percent annual increase in global demand for cereals will outstrip supply as governments curb exports to prevent protests.

Bernanke Joined by Geithner, Cox as Congress Seeks More Bear Sale Details Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and New York Fed President Timothy Geithner will probably be pressed by Congress today for more details on their decision to engineer JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s purchase of Bear Stearns Cos.

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2008, Issue No. 33
April 3, 2008

Secrecy News Blog: http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/


** THE OLC TORTURE MEMO AS A FAILURE OF THE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
** REFORMING THE STATE SECRETS PRIVILEGE: TWO VIEWS
** THE WAR POWERS RESOLUTION, AND MORE FROM CRS


THE OLC TORTURE MEMO AS A FAILURE OF THE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

The Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel memo on interrogation of
enemy combatants that was declassified this week "exemplifies the
political abuse of classification authority," Secrecy News suggested
yesterday.

J. William Leonard, the nation's top classification oversight official
from 2002-2007, concurred.

"The disappointment I feel with respect to the abuse of the
classification system in this instance is profound," said Mr. Leonard,
who recently retired as director of the Information Security Oversight
Office, which reports to the President on classification and
declassification policy.

"The document in question is purely a legal analysis," he said, and it
contains "nothing which would justify classification."

Beyond that crucial fact, the binding technical requirements of
classification were ignored.

Thus, he explained: There were no portion markings, identifying which
paragraphs were classified at what level. The original classifier was
not identified on the cover page by name or position. The duration of
classification was not given. A concise basis for classification was
not specified. Yet all of these are explicitly required by the
President's executive order on classification.

"It is not even apparent that [John] Yoo [who authored the memo] had
original classification authority," Mr. Leonard said.

"All too often, government officials simply assert classification. To
enjoy the legal safeguards of the classification system, you need to do
more than that. Those basic, elemental steps were not followed in this
instance."

"Also, for the Department of Defense to declassify a Department of
Justice document," as in this case, "is highly irregular," Mr. Leonard
said.

(The DoD declassifier mistakenly cited "Executive Order 1958" on the
cover page of the declassified memorandum. The correct citation is
"Executive Order 12958, as amended.")

Violations of classification policy pale in comparison to the policy
deviations authorized by the Justice Department memo, which was
ultimately rescinded. Nevertheless, such classification violations are
significant because they enabled the Administration to pursue its
interrogation policies without independent scrutiny or accountability.

"To learn that such a document is classified has the same effect for me
as waking up one morning and learning that after all these years there
is a 'secret' Article IV to the Constitution that the American people
did not even know about," said Mr. Leonard.

"There is no information contained in this document which gives an
advantage to the enemy," he said. "The only possible rationale for
making it secret was to keep it from the American people."


REFORMING THE STATE SECRETS PRIVILEGE: TWO VIEWS

Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey this week expressed strong Bush
Administration opposition to pending legislation that would regulate
the use of the state secrets privilege in civil litigation.

The proposed "State Secrets Protection Act" (S.2533), the Attorney
General wrote in a detailed seven-page letter, "would needlessly and
improperly interfere with the appropriate constitutional role of both
the Judicial and Executive branches in state secrets cases; would alter
decades of settled case law; and would likely result in the harmful
disclosure of national security information that would not be disclosed
under current doctrine."

In short, "We strongly oppose this legislation."

See the Attorney General's March 31, 2008 letter to Sen. Patrick J.
Leahy, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, here:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/jud/statesec/ag033108.pdf

At the request of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, an original sponsor of the
State Secrets Protection Act, Attorney General Mukasey's criticisms of
the bill were reviewed and rebutted by Louis Fisher, the constitutional
law expert at the Law Library of Congress.

"According to Attorney General Mukasey, Presidents are entitled to
unilaterally define the scope of their powers under Article II and no
other branch has any authority to impose limitations," Dr. Fisher
wrote.

"The Constitution has been interpreted in that manner at times by some
Presidents, but never successfully. Such a reading would eliminate the
checks and balances that are fundamental to the U.S. Constitution."

See this April 2, 2008 memorandum prepared by Louis Fisher:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/jud/statesec/fisher040208.pdf


THE WAR POWERS RESOLUTION, AND MORE FROM CRS

Noteworthy new publications from the Congressional Research Service
that have not been made readily available to the public include the
following.

"The War Powers Resolution: After Thirty-Four Years," updated March 10,
2008:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32267.pdf

"The Federal Grand Jury," updated January 22, 2008:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/95-1135.pdf

"Federalism, State Sovereignty and the Constitution: Basis and Limits
of Congressional Power," updated February 1, 2008:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL30315.pdf



_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
Federation of American Scientists.

miltech
+ Raytheon Seeks Solutions For Defeating Improvised Explosive Devices
Washington DC (SPX) Apr 04, 2008 - Raytheon has launched a new Web site to recruit industry and academic partners to help defeat improvised explosive devices (IED), the No. 1 killer of service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Web site allows industry and academia to make teaming and partnership recommendations for proposed solutions and to receive rapid, confidential reviews and feedback on those solutions. The site a ... more

korea
+ NKorea cuts contacts with South as tensions escalate
Seoul (AFP) April 3, 2008 - North Korea announced Thursday it was suspending all dialogue with South Korea and closing the border to Seoul officials, its toughest action in a week of growing cross-border tensions. The North said it went ahead with its threatened retaliatory action after Seoul refused to apologise for recent remarks by its military chief. "Our military does not engage in empty talk," the North said ... more

miltech
+ New Aircraft Delivered To First Active Duty USAF C-130J Combat Squadron
Marietta GA (SPX) Apr 04, 2008 - Lockheed Martin has delivered a sixth C-130J Super Hercules tothe 41st Airlift Squadron, a unit of the 463rd Airlift Group, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. The 41st, also known as the "Black Cats," is the first active-duty C-130J combat squadron in the Air Force. Brig. Gen. Mark S. Solo, Deputy Director, Air, Space and Information Operations, Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott ... more

korea
+ Outside View: Korean tensions -- Part 1
Moscow (UPI) April 2, 2008 - On March 28 North Korea launched three anti-ship missiles with a range of 27 miles during war games in the Yellow Sea. This caused a stir in the world media since North Korea has some nuclear weapons. Missiles with such a range do not carry nuclear weapons, but this report has triggered numerous comments. To some extent, this was the purpose of the missile launches. The global ... more

terrorwars
+ Raytheon Rolls Out First Increment Of The FBI's N-DEx System
Reston VA (SPX) Apr 04, 2008 - Raytheon has achieved a significant milestone for the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division by completing and deploying the first increment of the National Data Exchange (N-DEx) law enforcement information system. N-DEx will enable all law enforcement agencies to share incident reports, correlate crime data and collaborate on criminal justice investigations on a national basis. ... more

Thompson Files: Dumb defense decisions
Arlington VA (UPI) April 3, 2008 - U.S. military expert Anthony Cordesman claims the Bush administration has fielded "the worst wartime national security team in United States history." That's pretty harsh. Presidents Lyndon Baines Johnson and Richard Nixon managed to squander more than 10 times as many American lives on a much less important piece of real estate while destroying much of Indochina in the bargain. In the ... more

abm
+ US, Czech Republic agree on missile defense radar
Bucharest (AFP) April 3, 2008 - The United States and the Czech Republic said they reached agreement Thursday on the stationing in the Czech Republic of a US missile defense radar strongly opposed by Russia. "This legally-binding agreement calls for the stationing of a US radar in the Czech Republic to track ballistic missiles," they said in a joint communique. "The radar will be linked to other US missile defense ... more

iraq
+ US stymied by Iran before new Iraq day of reckoning: analysts
Washington (AFP) April 3, 2008 - Facing a new day of reckoning in Iraq next week, the soon-to-depart Bush administration appears stuck in a rut trying to isolate pivotal player Iran, analysts say. Iran wielded its influence in intra-Shiite fighting in Iraq last week, but Washington shows no sign it can or will engage Tehran in a complex long-term political solution for Iraq, they argue. A key test will come when the top ... more

disaster-management
+ Big Tokyo quake would cause human gridlock: study
Tokyo (AFP) April 3, 2008 - A big earthquake in Tokyo could create a giant human traffic jam as commuters clog the streets trying to walk home, a government study has revealed. A powerful earthquake during the daytime could force millions of people to walk home, packed into streets in conditions similar to a crowded commuter train if the tremor were to knock out public transportation, the study said. About two ... more

china
+ China tells Nepal to stop Tibet protests
Kathmandu (AFP) April 3, 2008 - Nepal needs to take stronger measures to prevent daily protests by Tibetan refugees in Kathmandu, China's ambassador to Nepal said in a statement Thursday. China wants Nepal to "safeguard the dignity of the law, and take severer measures to prevent those political organisations from organising and implementing illegal political activities," Ambassador Zheng Xianglin said. For the last ... more

+ In a first, Boeing flies hydrogen-powered plane
Ocana, Spain (AFP) April 3, 2008 - US aircraft giant Boeing claimed Thursday a world first in putting into the air a plane powered by a hydrogen-cell battery, a breakthrough that could herald a greener future for the industry. "For the first time in the history of aviation, Boeing has flown a manned airplane that was powered by a hydrogen battery," Boeing chief technology officer John Tracy said. The development was "a ... more

gas
+ Analysis: Big Oil causing high gas prices?
Washington DC (UPI) Apr 04, 2008 - As gas prices reach record highs, some policymakers say big oil companies are to blame, but the companies say it's not their fault. With total profits of $123 billion in 2007 alone, the country's top five oil companies raked in more money last year than ever before. Some members of Congress, including Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., think these profit margins have gone too far, considering ... more

gas
+ Analysis: Iraq moves on oil, graft laws
Washington (UPI) April 3, 2008 - Negotiators are hammering out a new draft Iraq oil law after previous versions stalled, and as Parliament is moving forward on two new laws, one reconstituting the state oil company and another cracking down on oil and fuel smuggling. "Shortly, we'll see a new draft which there is more common ground," said Abdul-Hadi al-Hasani, deputy chair of the Iraqi Parliament's Oil, Gas and Natural ... more

gas
+ Analysis: Shell pipeline fires continue
Washington DC (UPI) Apr 04, 2008 - Two fires have ignited in recent days along Royal Dutch Shell pipelines in the oil-rich Niger Delta, prompting speculation militant groups were behind the incidents. Although a Shell spokesman said the cause of the fire had yet to be determined, it was noted that two fires last year along the same pipeline "were caused by sabotage." Militant and criminal groups are often blamed ... more

gas
+ Analysis: Will Iran energy project work?
Washington DC (UPI) Apr 04, 2008 - Iran has made yet another lofty development pledge to Nicaragua, this time in the form of a $230 million hydroelectric dam for the poor and oft-energy-short Central American nation. However, some speculate that the more than $500 million in projects promised by Tehran over the last 18 months is unlikely to come to fruition. The dam slated for development in Nicaragua's northern ... more

U.S. Loses 80,000 Jobs, More Than Estimated; Jobless Rate Climbs to 5.1% Employers in the U.S. cut the most workers in five years last month, signaling that the economic contraction is deepening and that the Federal Reserve will continue to lower interest rates.

S&P 500 Rises, Caps Biggest Weekly Gain in Two Months on Commodities Rally The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose, capping its biggest weekly gain in more than two months, as a rally in commodity producers overshadowed a worsening outlook for bank profits and higher unemployment.

Delphi Bankruptcy Exit Delayed as Lead Investor Appaloosa Abandons Accord Appaloosa Management LP, the proposed lead investor in Delphi Corp.'s bankruptcy reorganization plan, said it ended its agreement with the auto-parts maker.

Fed Signals More Interest-Rate Cuts as Policy Makers Cite Market Stresses Federal Reserve officials signaled the central bank will keep lowering interest rates because financial markets remain distressed even after the fastest reduction of borrowing costs in two decades.

American, United, Northwest Air Say Traffic Fell as U.S. Economy Weakened American Airlines, United Airlines and Northwest Airlines Corp. led declines in U.S. air traffic in March, a sign that travel demand is weakening as the economy cools.

Home Depot to Change Human-Resources Departments, May Eliminate 1,000 Jobs Home Depot Inc., the largest home- improvement retailer, may cut as many as 1,000 jobs as it reduces human-resources departments in stores by half to shift more workers to the sales floor.

U.S. Loses 80,000 Jobs, Unemployment Rate Increases


More Consumers Are Behind on Their Loans


Bankers in search of a new business model


Death of a Bond Insurer


Soros Sees Additional Market Declines After Reprieve


Bernanke Says Recession Possible


To See a Stock Market Bubble Bursting, Look at Shanghai


Our Confusing Economy, Explained

Bush Completing Two Terms of Global Failure
81 percent of Americans think country on "wrong track"

PA Police Who Murdered Israeli Officer on Joint Patrol Sentenced

Gov't Refuses to Link Merkaz HaRav Murder and Guns Given to Palestinian Authority

Suicide bomber kills 4 in Afghanistan

Russia agreed on Friday to allow NATO to use Russian land to deliver non-lethal supplies to alliance troops in Afghanistan: But not troops or air transit

Putin Meets with NATO Leaders: As they wrapped up their Bucharest summit

Marchers prepare to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on 40th anniversary of assassination

Government stakes claim to every newborn's DNA: 'We now are considered guinea pigs, instead of human beings with rights' - Eugenics will ultimately follow

Transcripts & Speeches


John McCain: McCain's Remarks on MLK Jr. Anniversary
Barack Obama: Obama's Remarks on MLK Jr. Anniversary
John McCain: "Service to America: Jacksonville"
Hannity & Colmes: Giuliani & Ferraro on "Hannity & Colmes"

US Troops in Iraq Pay
Twice What Iraqis Do for Gas

Classified US Study Finds Progress in Iraq, but Fragile Security and Potential for Terror Attacks

Budget Practice Trips Quinn, a Backer of Openness...
The New York Times Sat Apr 05 2008 02:08:14 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Clintons Made $109 Million in Last 8 Years...
The New York Times Fri Apr 04 2008 23:58:45 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Past Catches Up With the Queen of Roads...
The New York Times Fri Apr 04 2008 22:51:03 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

These Chefs Believe in Sticking Close to Home...
The New York Times Fri Apr 04 2008 22:27:21 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Unemployment Rate Rises After 80,000 Jobs Cut...
The New York Times Fri Apr 04 2008 17:42:39 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Clintons Say They Earned $109 Million Since 2000...
The New York Times Fri Apr 04 2008 17:42:38 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

In Memphis, Clinton Calls for Cabinet Post on Poverty...
The New York Times Fri Apr 04 2008 15:52:39 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Mugabe Will Fight On, His Party Says...
The New York Times Fri Apr 04 2008 15:52:36 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Mississippi Towns Brace for Floods...
The New York Times Fri Apr 04 2008 15:06:22 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Teachers Strike at 10 Catholic Schools...
The New York Times Fri Apr 04 2008 15:06:21 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Corruption Fueling Canada's Merge Into U.S.
( Published on Wednesday, April 02, 2008 )
Multinational Big Business interests linked to the U.S. political-military-industrial complex, are now coordinating the elites of the Conservative and Liberal Parties, as "One Big Party"

Bush and Putin Remain Apart on U.S. Missile Defense Plan...
The New York Times Sun Apr 06 2008 05:52:58 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Bush Praises Putins Leadership at Farewell Meeting...
The New York Times Sun Apr 06 2008 04:42:42 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Charlton Heston, Epic Film Star and Voice of N.R.A., Dies at 83...
The New York Times Sun Apr 06 2008 04:42:41 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Suicide Blast Kills Sri Lankan Minister and 11 Others...
The New York Times Sun Apr 06 2008 03:55:05 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Sri Lankan Official and 11 Others Killed in Bombing...
The New York Times Sun Apr 06 2008 02:52:03 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Kansas Pulls Away Twice Before Advancing to Final...
The New York Times Sat Apr 05 2008 23:48:06 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Moving Fast and Flying High, Memphis Races Into Title Game...
The New York Times Sat Apr 05 2008 21:41:48 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Single Mothers in China Forge a Difficult Path...
The New York Times Sat Apr 05 2008 18:46:59 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Change Makes a Call on Levittown...
The New York Times Sat Apr 05 2008 17:05:32 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Protest Disrupts Torch Relay in Paris...
The New York Times Mon Apr 07 2008 08:52:25 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

A Natural Treasure That May End Up Without a Country...
The New York Times Mon Apr 07 2008 08:52:23 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Torch Relay Interrupted by Protests...
The New York Times Mon Apr 07 2008 08:34:53 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Paris Security Tight for Torch Relay...
The New York Times Mon Apr 07 2008 07:15:34 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Kosovos Actions Hearten a Hungarian Enclave...
The New York Times Mon Apr 07 2008 06:05:27 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Top Clinton Aide Leaving His Post Under Pressure...
The New York Times Sun Apr 06 2008 23:30:07 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Iraqi Forces and Militia Clash in Baghdad...
The New York Times Sun Apr 06 2008 21:59:45 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Wiggins Helps Stanford Reach Final Four...
The New York Times Sun Apr 06 2008 21:59:45 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Up Close, Montana Compares Clinton and Obama...
The New York Times Sun Apr 06 2008 18:01:34 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Iraqi Forces Clash With Militia in Baghdad...
The New York Times Sun Apr 06 2008 16:41:51 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Clinton pollster's ouster seen as boost

Obama supporters told that the candidate gives hope

Obama criticizes Clinton’s big-state strategy

Democratic heavyweights stump for presidential hopefuls

Many Superdelegates in No Hurry to Pick a Candidate: "There are a lot of things going on underneath this boiling cauldron"

Deal on Mich., Fla. Unlikely Before June

McCain says Democrats can't keep promises on Iraq

McCain Insists Iraq Buildup Is Working

Debate over McCain's '100 years' comment

Vocal on War, McCain Is Silent on Son’s Service

McCain says he'll take Secret Service protection

Condoleezza Rice Is Pursuing the Republican VP Spot

General Petraeus to face all 3 presidential candidates: When he and Ambassador Ryan Crocker travel to Capitol Hill on Tuesday

Will Petraeus hearings favor Obama and Clinton?

The Democrats' inevitable disappointment over Iraq: America's strategic interests will remain the same

Israeli designs 'Who killed Barack Obama?' T-shirts

Ron Paul backers 'hijack' Minnesota delegates

Afghanistan: The Taliban's shadow hangs over NATO

Good News for Bernanke From Bond Market Brings Bad News on Interest Rates For the first time since December, the bond market is closing the credibility gap with Ben S. Bernanke and signaling its agreement with the Federal Reserve chairman that an economic collapse has been averted and that interest rates are bottoming.

Wall Street Without Bear Stearns Means Only Goldman Embraces Its Leverage Less than 48 hours after a government-backed deal rescued Bear Stearns Cos. from bankruptcy, David Viniar, Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s chief financial officer, was asked if he thought the crisis would have ``permanent implications'' for Wall Street's appetite for leverage. His answer: ``No, I don't.''

Washington Mutual Advances as TPG Considers a $5 Billion Capital Infusion Washington Mutual Inc., the largest U.S. savings and loan, rallied in New York trading as a group led by private-equity firm TPG Inc. considers a $5 billion investment in the Seattle-based company.

Treasuries Drop on Expectations Fed Will Signal a Limit to Rate Reductions Treasuries fell after global stocks rose and investors grew more confident the Federal Reserve has done enough to limit an economic slowdown, damping demand for the safety of government debt.

Outside View: Russia's top general quits
Moscow (UPI) Apr 04, 2008 - It was reported last month that chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, four-star Army Gen. Yury Baluyevsky was going to retire. There was no official denial of this report, and political analysts have interpreted it as valid. There was another telltale detail. Baluyevsky always took part in strategic security talks with the United States on a par with Russian Foreign ... more

nuclear-doctrine
+ US, NK Plan Secret Document To End Nuke Impasse As South Urged To Boost Missile Defense
Seoul (AFP) April 4, 2008 - North Korea is likely to give the United States a confidential document addressing concerns about a secret nuclear programme to end the impasse in six-nation disarmament talks, a report said Friday. The "confidential minute" will cover Pyongyang's alleged uranium enrichment programme and nuclear cooperation with Syria, two issues which have blocked progress at the talks, South Korea's ... more

superpowers
+ Russia's Putin stands firm against NATO
Bucharest (AFP) April 4, 2008 - President Vladimir Putin on Friday maintained Russian opposition to a US missile defence system and NATO's enlargement during talks with alliance leaders, officials said. No progress was reported from the summit but Putin, in his last major international appearance before stepping down in May, and NATO leaders said the talks had been positive. Putin complained that NATO was talking of ... more

nuclear-blackmarket
+ Radioactive ore seized in DR Congo
Lubumbashi, Drcongo (AFP) April 4, 2008 - Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) seized a truck carrying 30 tonnes of ore with what was described as an abnormally high level of radioactivity, authorities said Friday. The vehicle, laden with crude copper from a nearby quarry, was stopped at a checkpoint at Kolwezi in the mining province of Katanga, Christian Busindi, the local mayor, told AFP. The copper was the property ... more

abm
+ Missile defence at heart of Bush-Putin swansong on Black Sea
Bucharest (AFP) April 4, 2008 - US President George W. Bush goes into summit talks this weekend with Russian leader Vladimir Putin armed with NATO's ringing endorsement of a Europe-based missile defense system that will be at the heart of their talks by the Black Sea. It remains to be seen if NATO's backing for the project -- vigorously opposed by Moscow -- will lead Putin to be more conciliatory at what will be his last ... more

Israel seeks to reassure neighbours over missile drill
Jerusalem (AFP) April 6, 2008 - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sought to reassure Syria and Lebanon on Sunday that Israel did not want a major missile attack drill to worsen tensions along its northern border. "The goal of the exercise is to check the authorities' ability to carry out their duties in times of emergency and for preparing the home front for different scenarios," Olmert told a weekly cabinet meeting. "There ... more

milplex
+ Dogs of War: Lawyers, guns and money
Washington (UPI) Apr 04, 2008 - The Pentagon recently issued a memorandum with the less-than-snappy title "Uniform Code of Military Justice Jurisdiction Over Department of Defense Civilian Employees, Department of Defense Contractor Personnel, and Other Persons Serving With or Accompanying the Armed Forces Overseas During Declared War and in Contingency Operations." Despite the cumbersome title, the memo, which gives ... more

abm
+ Bush Scores Victory In BMD Plans For Europe Part One
Washington (UPI) Apr 04, 2008 - U.S. President George W. Bush won big at the NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania, this week over his plan to build anti-ballistic missile defense bases in Poland and the Czech Republic. The plan has infuriated Russia, which claims that both the 10 Ground-Based Mid-course Interceptors to be deployed at a base in Poland and the advanced radar system to guide them from the neighboring ... more

iran
+ Ahmadinejad says uranium enrichment 'non-negotiable': report
Tokyo (AFP) April 4, 2008 - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview published Friday that he would reject any new incentives offered by world powers in return for suspending uranium enrichment. "This is a non-negotiable subject," Ahmadinejad was quoted as telling Japan's Kyodo News when asked about possible incentives carrying conditions that Iran suspend its enrichment activities. "Iran is a ... more

china
+ China to step up 're-education' of Tibetans
Beijing (AFP) April 5, 2008 - China warned on Saturday it would step up a controversial "re-education" campaign for Tibetans after a fresh protest showed a huge security crackdown had failed to extinguish nearly one month of unrest. The statement in the state-run Tibet Daily newspaper called for Buddhist monks to become Chinese patriots, but activist groups said the heavy-handed techniques already employed in the campaign ... more

economy
+ Commentary: Boom to bust
Washington DC (UPI) Apr 04, 2008 - Borrowing $2 billion to $3 billion a day from other countries to maintain the world's highest standard of living, based on conspicuous consumption, in an age of growing world shortages, while fighting two wars whose costs will soon ring up a $1 trillion tab, is tantamount to living on borrowed time. Valium and Tylenol sales are up, and Viagra down, in the banking world. So far, the subprime ... more

china
+ More than 1,000 caught, turn themselves in over Lhasa riot: report
Beijing (AFP) April 3, 2008 - More than 1,000 people have either been caught by police or have turned themselves in after deadly unrest in the Tibetan capital Lhasa last month, state media said Thursday. Lhasa police have seized over 800 "criminals" since the violent March 14 unrest in the city, the Tibet Commerce newspaper reported, citing the deputy chief of the Lhasa communist party, Wang Xiangming. This is nearly ... more

energy-tech
+ In a first, Boeing flies hydrogen-powered plane
Ocana, Spain (AFP) April 3, 2008 - US aircraft giant Boeing claimed Thursday a world first in putting into the air a plane powered by a hydrogen-cell battery, a breakthrough that could herald a greener future for the industry. "For the first time in the history of aviation, Boeing has flown a manned airplane that was powered by a hydrogen battery," Boeing chief technology officer John Tracy said. The development was "a ... more

gas
+ Analysis: Big Oil causing high gas prices?
Washington DC (UPI) Apr 04, 2008 - As gas prices reach record highs, some policymakers say big oil companies are to blame, but the companies say it's not their fault. With total profits of $123 billion in 2007 alone, the country's top five oil companies raked in more money last year than ever before. Some members of Congress, including Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., think these profit margins have gone too far, considering ... more

gas
+ Analysis: Iraq moves on oil, graft laws
Washington (UPI) April 3, 2008 - Negotiators are hammering out a new draft Iraq oil law after previous versions stalled, and as Parliament is moving forward on two new laws, one reconstituting the state oil company and another cracking down on oil and fuel smuggling. "Shortly, we'll see a new draft which there is more common ground," said Abdul-Hadi al-Hasani, deputy chair of the Iraqi Parliament's Oil, Gas and Natural ... more

+ Germany drops plan for auto biofuel
Berlin (AFP) April 4, 2008 - Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Friday that Germany would scrap plans to develop auto biofuels because they were not appropriate for millions of vehicles. "We will not do it," Gabriel told the television channel ARD. The VDIK association of foreign automakers said that around 3.3 million vehicles were unable to use the mix of ethanol and traditional petrol that Berlin sought to ... more

gas
+ Outside View: Gazprom gets Libyan assets
Moscow (UPI) Apr 06, 2008 - President Vladimir Putin discussed energy relations with top managers of the Italian companies Eni and Enel at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence near Moscow on April 2. Eni said it would share its development quotas for Libyan gas deposits with Russia's Gazprom. Putin described the two countries' energy relations as a breakthrough. A year ago Eni and Enel bought several companies, in ... more

china
+ Taiwan's vice president-elect headed to China: official
Taipei (AFP) April 6, 2008 - Taiwan's vice president-elect will head to China this week and could meet with President Hu Jintao, his spokesman said Sunday, amid optimism about improving ties between the cross-strait rivals. Vincent Siew will head on Friday to Hainan island in southern China for the Boao Forum for Asia, a gathering of business people and officials focused on greater trade cooperation in Asia, his ... more

internet
+ Microsoft threatens proxy battle against Yahoo
Washington (AFP) April 5, 2008 - Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer set a three-week deadline as he threatened Saturday to go directly to Yahoo's shareholders to advance his company's efforts to take over the Internet giant. "We believe now is the time for our respective companies to authorize teams to sit down and negotiate a definitive agreement," Ballmer said in a letter to Yahoo's board of directors and posted on ... more

gas
+ Analysis: S. Korea eyes C. Asia energy
Washington (UPI) Apr 06, 2008 - Record-high energy prices have provoked a global scramble among nations dependent on energy imports to lock in their requirements, in Asia none more so than China and Japan, the world's second- and third-largest oil importers, with daily imports of an estimated 7 million and 5.4 million barrels per day respectively. East Asia's third economic giant, South Korea, is also involved in the ... more

USAF Evaluation Found Boeing Tanker More Capable, Survivable For Flight Crews
St. Louis MO (SPX) Apr 07, 2008 - While the U.S. Air Force awarded a contract to build the next aerial refueling airplane to the team of Northrop Grumman and the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), Air Force evaluators found the Boeing KC-767 Advanced Tanker offers more mission capability and has a better chance of surviving combat than the larger Northrop-EADS KC-30 tanker. "The fact that the Air Force ... more

iraq
+ Political progress in Iraq 'halting and superficial': US study
Washington (AFP) April 6, 2008 - The United States faces the risk of a costly, open-ended quagmire in Iraq because of a lack of political progress in the divided country, said a report by US experts released on Sunday. "Political progress is so slow, halting and superficial, and social and political fragmentation so pronounced, that the US is no closer to being able to leave Iraq than it was a year ago," said the US Institute ... more

nuclear-blackmarket
+ Nuclear scientist says he confessed to 'save' Pakistan
Islamabad (AFP) April 7, 2008 - Detained Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan said he took the blame four years ago for passing atomic secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya in order to "save his country". Khan, who has been under effective house arrest since confessing on television in 2004 to running a proliferation network, added that the country's new government had not yet contacted him about his possible ... more

milplex
+ China Goes Berserk In Russian Arms Bazaar Up Part One
Stockholm, Sweden, April 7, 2008 - Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, more than 90 percent of China's imports of major conventional weapons have been supplied by the Russian Federation. In this period China has become one of Russia's most valued customers, accounting for 39 percent of Russian exports of major conventional weapons. However, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute online Arms Transfers ... more

abm
+ Bush Scores Victory In BMD Plans For Europe Part Two
Washington, April 7, 2008 - The prospects for building the Bush administration's planned ballistic-missile defense bases in Poland and the Czech Republic now look much brighter because of dramatic and unanticipated domestic political developments within the United States. As we have documented in previous BMD Focus columns, the Democrat-controlled 110th Congress has forged an unexpectedly robust coalition to ... more

+ Walker's World: Bush's last summit
Washington, April 7, 2008 - Russian President Vladimir Putin is not a man to wear his heart on his sleeve. He is matter of fact and businesslike, adept at concealing his emotions and sticking to the point. So the occasional touches of a rare warmth on display in his farewell news conference Sunday with his American counterpart, the man he calls "George," were noteworthy. It is not as though this meeting was farewell ... more

iran
+ Israel Says Iran Will Be Destroyed If Attacked As Wargames Tests Massive Attack Scenario
Jerusalem (AFP) April 7, 2008 - An Israeli government minister warned on Monday that Israel would respond to any Iranian attack by destroying that country, public radio reported. "An Iranian attack against Israel would trigger a tough reaction that would lead to the destruction of the Iranian nation," National Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer said in remarks of rare virulence. "Iranians are aware of our ... more

korea
+ NKorea says SKorean leader running risk of war
Seoul (AFP) April 7, 2008 - North Korea Monday renewed its attacks on South Korea's new President Lee Myung-Bak, accusing him of pushing the peninsula closer to nuclear war. The communist party newspaper Rodong Sinmun poured scorn on his decision to link economic aid to the North's nuclear disarmament, and said he should order the United States to withdraw "its nuclear weapons massively stockpiled in South Korea." ... more

milplex
+ US may sell F-16s to Taiwan's new govt after May: air force
Taipei (AFP) April 7, 2008 - A top Taiwan air force officer said Monday that the United States may clear the island's bid to buy 66 F-16 fighters after the island's new president takes office, a move that could irk China. Taiwan had applied to the US government to buy the F-16 C/D fighters in early 2007, but observers said Washington held up the deal because it didn't approve of Taipei's efforts to hold a vote on applying ... more

superpowers
+ US-Russia Strategic Framework Declaration
Sochi, Russia (SPX) Apr 07, 2008 - The United States and Russia, in their Joint Declaration of May 24, 2002, have reaffirmed that the era in which the United States and Russia considered one another an enemy or strategic threat has ended. We reject the zero-sum thinking of the Cold War when "what was good for Russia was bad for America" and vice versa. Rather, we are dedicated to working together and with other nations to a ... more

biofuel
+ Indonesia failing to stop forest destruction: Greenpeace
Jakarta (AFP) April 7, 2008 - Indonesia is failing to halt the destruction of its peatland forests despite promising to do so during last year's climate change conference in Bali, pressure group Greenpeace said Monday. Greenpeace said its workers had witnessed two palm oil companies illegally clearing government-owned land on Sumatra island in March. "Last month, a Greenpeace team revisited an area of Sumatra's Riau ... more

energy-tech
+ New Community Uses Technology To Marry Green Living With 19th Century Shingle Design
North Stamford CT (SPX) Apr 07, 2008 - A developer is taking "green" design to another level with a new community that may be one of the most eco-friendly residential developments in the nation. Windermere on the Lake, which is under construction in North Stamford, Connecticut, utilizes the latest "green" technologies and environmentally sensitive habitat management plans to create a residential enclave in harmony with the natural ... more

energy-tech
+ More Solid Than Solid: A Potential Hydrogen-storage Compound
Gaithersburg MD (SPX) Apr 07, 2008 - One of the key engineering challenges to building a clean, efficient, hydrogen-powered car is how to design the fuel tank. Storing enough raw hydrogen for a reasonable driving range would require either impractically high pressures for gaseous hydrogen or extremely low temperatures for liquid hydrogen. In a new paper researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Center ... more

chip-tech
+ Hybrid Computer Materials May Lead To Faster, Cheaper Technology
Columbia MO (SPX) Apr 08, 2008 - A modern computer contains two different types of components: magnetic components, which perform memory functions, and semiconductor components, which perform logic operations. A University of Missouri researcher, as part of a multi-university research team, is working to combine these two functions in a single hybrid material. This new material would allow seamless integration of memory a ... more

trade
+ China, NZealand sign free trade pact
Beijing (AFP) April 7, 2008 - New Zealand signed a free-trade agreement with China on Monday, making it the first developed economy to enter such a pact with the Asian giant, officials said. The agreement, which will eventually all but eliminate tariffs between the two nations, will also have positive effects in other areas, said New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who attended the signing ceremony in Beijing. ... more

<h3 class="entry-header">MIDDLE EAST: War fears grip the region</h3>

While Israel is trying to keep a low profile about its latest series of catastrophe drills, the Lebanese are accusing the Jewish state of beating the drums of war.

Top Hezbollah officials said that the military exercises next door, which continued for the second day today, were a sign that Israel was preparing for the next war after its "humiliating defeat" in the summer 2006 war.

The Shiite militant group's deputy leader, Sheik Naeem Qassem, told a rally in south Beirut on Sunday:

These drills are part of preparations for war because Israel is always in a warlike situation … These drills are part of plans for something in the future, probably it could be far off, but it is a preparation for war.

Hezbollah's main supporter, Iran, described the Israeli home front defense drills as "provocative actions." Mohammed Ali Hosseini, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Tehran today:

"The war game was performed to boost the low spirit of the Zionist regime's troops. But the nature and raison d'etre of the Zionist regime is terrorism and intimidation. Regrettably, whenever one U.S. official visits Israel, the Zionist regime's officials are emboldened to behave aggressively."

The Iranian official was referring to the recent visit of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney to the Middle East.

On the ground in Lebanon, the situation remained relatively unperturbed as Israel conducted its drills. Papers reported calm on Lebanon's side along the southern border with Israel but said that the Lebanese army and the UN peacekeeping troops had increased their patrols in the area and were on high alert.

Israeli officials on Monday tested their response to the scenario of simultaneous attacks from Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. The Cabinet was scheduled to examine its capacity to organize the distribution of vital services, such as food, medical and postal services.

The tests continue on Tuesday, when Israeli schoolchildren will seek shelter in response to a nationwide air-raid siren. The largest simulated "incident" of the week will take place Wednesday in Haifa, when police and rescue workers will practice responding to a simulated chemical plant explosion.

The emergency preparedness week will also serve as the unveiling of a massive underground shelter and disaster response headquarters built underneath Haifa's central bus station at a cost of around $500,000.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has repeatedly denied that the week of drills is a cover for planned military actions against Hezbollah or Syria. On Monday, he said:

"The drill is no front for Israeli bellicose intentions toward Syria. The Syrians know they have no reason to interpret this drill in any other way."

Although Israeli officials have sent out messages of reassurance to Syria and Lebanon that the drills were not directed against any of its neighbors, analysts believe that Lebanon is not immune from another war, especially in the aftermath of the assassination of Hezbollah's top military commander, Imad Mughniyah.

Despite Israeli assurances, fears of an outbreak of war have shaken the Levant. A first-person article published by the English-language Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star explored the various scenarios of a war breaking out in the region:

The threat of war is never very far away in the Middle East, especially at the chaotic intersection where Lebanese, Israeli and Syrian interests and territories come together. All of these are even more complicated by internal factors than is generally acknowledged, and each is influenced by the regional and even global agendas of other powers, including America, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

— Raed Rafei in Beirut, Ashraf Khalil in Jerusalem and Ramin Mostaghim in Tehran

Photo: A soldier from the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) monitors the area on the Lebanese-Israeli border near the southern Lebanese town of Abbassiyeh on Sunday. Credit: Taher Abou Hamdan / AFP

Fighting intensifies in Iraq's capital: Three U.S. troops are killed in Baghdad on the eve of Gen. David H. Petraeus' testimony before Congress

Jet, copters pound militia as US toll rises: Residents flee street battles in Baghdad

Bombing Kills 6 Civilians in Iraq: Roadside Bomb Strikes Minibus Northeast of Baghdad

Crackdown on Militias Raises Stability Concerns

Corruption undercuts stability

General Patraeus’ report on Iraq comes at precarious time

U.S. and Iran's talk about talks continues

Withdraw When Iraq is stable: McCain vows

MIDDLE EAST: War fears grip the region

Home front drill: Sirens heard throughout Israel

Defense Minister Barak: We have our eyes on Syria, Lebanon

Barak Tells Northern Command: Hizbullah growing stronger, but so are we

IDF Collecting Reserve Military Guns, Supplies From Civil Response Teams

National Infrastructures Minister Ben Eliezer: Strike by Iran Would Spell Its End

Poll: 70% of Israelis won't eat bread on Passover - Vast majority of Israeli Jews say they'll stick to matzahs throughout Passover

PM Olmert to Grant Amnesty to 10,000 Arab Illegal Aliens

New York Radio Station Bans Ad Explaining Sderot's Dangers From Rocket Attacks

Insider leaks plans for Palestinian state: Secretive U.S.-backed discussion focuses on West Bank, Jerusalem


Iran has begun installing 6,000 new centrifuges at its uranium enrichment plant in Natanz: President Ahmadinejad announces

Mark Penn still in Clinton loop

Mixing Politics, Consulting Is Common, Tricky

Is The Hillary Clinton Campaign Being Deliberately Sunk?

Clinton wants Olympic ceremony boycott

Montana Local lawmakers rallied for Clinton fundraiser

Montana Democratic Party vice chairwoman Margaret Campbell withdraws Obama endorsement

In Superdelegate Count, Tough Math for Clinton

Mexicans can't decide either on Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama

Can the Right Running Mate Save Hillary Clinton?

Pushing the 'dream ticket': Democrats United for Clinton/Obama 08 launched a website today

Hillary's 1st Filegate: Confirmation of Hillary's fraud as Watergate attorney

McCain Raises More Than $15M in March

Washington Mutual Gets $7 Billion Infusion From TPG-Led Group, Posts Loss Washington Mutual Inc., the largest U.S. savings and loan, will receive $7 billion from a group led by David Bonderman's TPG Inc. to replenish capital as it confronts more losses tied to subprime mortgages.

Stocks in U.S. Decline as Alcoa Profit Misses Estimates; Europe, Asia Fall U.S. stocks fell the most in seven days after the first companies to report quarterly earnings disappointed investors and Washington Mutual Inc. was forced to slash its dividend in a $7 billion bailout.

Pending Home Resales in U.S. Fall More Than Forecast as Buyers Reconsider The number of Americans signing contracts to buy previously owned homes declined more than forecast in February, indicating the U.S. real-estate recession will extend into a third year.

First Marblehead Falls as Its Student-Loan Guarantor Files for Bankruptcy First Marblehead Corp., a U.S. arranger of securities backed by student loans, lost a third of its value after its guarantor of private student loans filed for bankruptcy protection.

Morgan Stanley's Mack Sees `Difficult Year' as Debt-Market Crisis Spreads Morgan Stanley Chief Executive Officer John Mack said the credit crisis will last ``a couple of quarters'' longer as it spreads to commercial real estate, European lenders with subprime holdings and U.S. midsized banks.

Citi, Wells Fargo May Fuel Recession by Slowing Lending After Downgrades Bank holding companies including Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. have the thinnest safety cushion against losses in seven years.

• Pending Home Sales Fall
• World Stocks Ease from Highs
• Oil Steady at $109
• Online Sales to Grow 17% in '08
• UK Home Prices Fall 2.5%

Russia sees US missile shield as inevitable: report
Moscow (AFP) April 8, 2008 - Russia believes the United States will build a European missile defense system against Moscow's objections, yet is pleased with recent US attempts at confidence-building, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a newspaper Tuesday. "We were offered measures aimed at transparency and trust," said Lavrov in an interview with daily newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda. "As the United States intends ... more

naval
+ Royal Navy's Most Powerful Attack Submarine Returns To The Fleet
London, UK (SPX) Apr 08, 2008 - The Royal Navy's nuclear-powered attack submarine, HMS Torbay, is returning to the Fleet following a year-long pound8M refit at HM Naval Base Clyde, Faslane, which has equipped her to be the most powerful boat in the fleet. In addition to routine maintenance work, the Trafalgar class submarine has been upgraded to carry the latest longer-range Block 4 version of the Tomahawk cruise missile and a ... more

miltech
+ Thales' I-Master Radar Reports Flight Trial Success
London, UK (SPX) Apr 08, 2008 - Thales UK presented the I-Master radar in cooperation with Seabird Aviation at SOFEX 2008. Seabird Aviation and Thales are working together to study the incorporation of the I-Master radar onto the Seabird SB7L-360 Seeker to enable further joint success in approaching a particular segment of the global airborne surveillance market. The flight trials programme started in August 2007 and is ... more

iraq
+ US planning open-ended military commitment in Iraq: report
London (AFP) April 8, 2008 - A draft agreement between the United States and Iraq shows that the two countries are including a provision for an open-ended American military commitment to the war-torn country, The Guardian reported Tuesday. Citing a copy of the draft strategic framework agreement dated March 7 that it obtained, the newspaper said that the document is designed to replace the current United Nations mandate ... more

korea
+ Time running out to resolve NKorea nuclear impasse: US envoy
Singapore (AFP) April 8, 2008 - Efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear disarmament impasse are running out of time, a US envoy warned Tuesday. "I will be discussing the fact that we are kind of running out of time," US negotiator Christopher Hill told reporters before heading into talks in Singapore with his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-Gwan. "We're not looking for an agreement. I think we're looking to have ... more

+ Iran Targets New Yellowcake Plant As US Threatens More Sanctions
Tehran (AFP) April 8, 2008 - Iran on Tuesday said it had started work to install thousands of new centrifuges to enrich uranium at its main nuclear plant, angering world powers who fear Tehran wants to develop an atomic weapon. "Today, the phase for installing 6,000 new centrifuges at the facility in Natanz has started," the state broadcaster's website quoted President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying at the atomic plant. ... more

superpowers
+ Outside View: Bush, Ukraine look westward
Moscow (UPI) Apr 08, 2008 - Why are President Bush and his administration suddenly interested in Ukraine just nine months before the end of his term? Pushing Ukraine or Georgia into NATO in his remaining months in office is Bush's only chance at scoring a major success in Eastern Europe. This is why he was so determined to go there, ignoring Russia's objections and doubts of U.S. traditional European allies. ... more

china
+ China says it has brought 'golden age' to Tibet
Beijing (AFP) April 8, 2008 - Tibetans are enjoying a "golden age" under Chinese rule, while the Dalai Lama aims to drag the region back to the "dark ages" of feudal serfdom, China said on Tuesday. "I believe you can see clearly that the economic, social and cultural development of Tibet are in a golden age," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters. She spoke after defending Chinese rule by listing polic ... more

china
+ Growing anti-China protests underscore clout of Tibet lobby
Washington (AFP) April 7, 2008 - Spontaneous anti-China protests disrupting the Beijing Olympic torch relay underscore the growing clout of the Tibetan exile lobby, which has strategically galvanized support of civil society groups, experts say. The lobby has forged links at diverse levels, ranging from colleges, universities and monasteries to human rights and media groups to the real centers of power and the rich and famo ... more

Cleaning Up The Atmosphere With Cow Manure
Mount Joy PA (SPX) Apr 09, 2008 - High quality carbon offsets provider NativeEnergy is proud to announce the Brubaker Farms' family dairy farm methane project, a new anaerobic digester/generator system built in reliance on carbon offset funding provided by NativeEnergy and grants from the State of Pennsylvania and U.S. Department of Agriculture. During the official dedication ceremony at Brubaker Farms on April 16th, Penns ... more

ethanol
+ China's Avant-Garde Agrarian Policies Provide Fresh Impetus To Its Biofuel Market
Beijing, China (SPX) Apr 09, 2008 - China's quest for renewable energy options has opened new avenues for its biofuel market. The country has been intensifying efforts to find suitable solutions to address its energy concerns, and biofuels have emerged as an obvious solution, as they do not exhibit the detrimental climate changing effects associated with fossil fuels. New analysis from Frost and Sullivan, Strategic Analysis ... more

gas
+ US says Central Asian bloc not turning into military alliance
Washington (AFP) April 8, 2008 - The United States said Tuesday a Central Asian bloc dominated by Russia and China was unlikely to turn into a military alliance but expressed concern over Iran's potential membership. The six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) -- comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan -- seemed to have returned to its original goals of mostly improving border ... more

gas
+ Analysis: Pemex reform a sticky issue
Miami, April 8, 2008 - Mexican President Felipe Calderon is facing growing pressure to present to Congress his reform proposal for the country's energy sector, experts say. Calderon is expected to make his formal presentation to Mexican lawmakers this week, a proposal that will presumably call for state-run Pemex to team up with foreign firms to explore the country's deepwater oil potential off the coast of ... more

materials
+ Chemists work on bamboo fabric development
Fort Collins, Colo., April 8, 2008 - U.S. chemists said they've solved two problems that have slowed marketplace adoption of bamboo garments and other consumer products. Colorado State University graduate student Subhash Appidi and Associate Professor Ajoy Sarkar have discovered now to make bamboo fabric that's resistant to the sun's ultraviolet radiation and also has anti-bacterial properties. "Bamboo is environmen ... more

Russia's Satellite Navigation Market May Be Worth 6 billion Dollars By 2015
Moscow (RIA Novosti) Apr 08, 2008 - Russia's satellite navigation services market will be worth 160 billion rubles ($6.6 billion) by 2015, the general director of the Russian Institute of Radio Navigation said on Monday. Sergei Pisarev said Glonass users would make up around 7% of Russia's population. Glonass is the acronym for the Global Navigation Satellite System, the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System ... more

gps
+ US Marine Corps Implements Advanced Geospatial Technology Across 65,000 Desktops
Atlanta GA (SPX) Apr 07, 2008 - TerraGo Technologies announces that the United States Marine Corps (USMC) has implemented its GeoPDF Toolbar, an advanced geospatial mapping technology, across 65,000 standard desktop environments. This technology provides U.S. Marines throughout the USMC with GIS viewing functionality and advanced geospatial intelligence capabilities, allowing users to extend maps, imagery and attribute data to ... more

gps-euro
+ Second satellite to be launched for EU Galileo satnav project
Luxembourg (AFP) April 7, 2008 - A second experimental satellite for the EU's Galileo satellite navigation project will be launched from Kazakhstan on April 27, the European Commission announced Monday. The "Giove B" satellite, propelled by a Russian Soyuz rocket will blast off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the early hours of the morning but a year late. The long-delayed European project is meant to challenge the ... more

miltech
+ USAF Evaluation Found Boeing Tanker More Capable, Survivable For Flight Crews
St. Louis MO (SPX) Apr 07, 2008 - While the U.S. Air Force awarded a contract to build the next aerial refueling airplane to the team of Northrop Grumman and the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), Air Force evaluators found the Boeing KC-767 Advanced Tanker offers more mission capability and has a better chance of surviving combat than the larger Northrop-EADS KC-30 tanker. "The fact that the Air Force ... more

iraq
+ Political progress in Iraq 'halting and superficial': US study
Washington (AFP) April 6, 2008 - The United States faces the risk of a costly, open-ended quagmire in Iraq because of a lack of political progress in the divided country, said a report by US experts released on Sunday. "Political progress is so slow, halting and superficial, and social and political fragmentation so pronounced, that the US is no closer to being able to leave Iraq than it was a year ago," said the US Institute ... more

Credit losses could approach $1 trillion: IMF


Some U.S. banks face failure as credit problems mount


U.K. House Prices Fall the Most Since 1992


Greenspan Says Credit Crisis Is Worst in 50 Years

U.S. Economic Growth to Stall Through June as Spending Cools, Survey Shows Economic growth in the U.S. will come to a halt in the first six months of 2008 as consumer spending cools, a Bloomberg News survey showed.

Citigroup Holds Talks to Sell $12 Billion of Leveraged Loans, Person Says Citigroup Inc. is in talks to sell $12 billion of loans at a loss to Apollo Management LP, Blackstone Group LP and TPG Inc. as part of an effort to shrink the bank's balance sheet, a person briefed on the matter said.

Mortgage Applications Index Rises 5.4% as Home Purchases, Refinancing Grow Mortgage applications in the U.S. rose last week as purchases and refinancing increased.

Fed May Slow Pace of Rate Cuts in Face of Shrinking Economy, Housing Slump Federal Reserve officials signaled they will slow the pace of interest-rate cuts even as they concluded ``some contraction in economic activity'' is likely.

NYSE Volume Drops to Lowest This Year as Investors `Wait and See' Earnings Trading on the New York Stock Exchange dropped to the lowest level this year, a sign that changing profit forecasts are making investors reluctant to buy or sell stocks before companies report first-quarter results.

Monks Storm Media Tour in China...
The New York Times Wed Apr 09 2008 06:48:50 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

On the Irish Coast, Reconsidering Energy From the Town Up...
The New York Times Wed Apr 09 2008 06:48:50 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

In Justice Shift, Corporate Deals Replace Trials...
The New York Times Tue Apr 08 2008 23:54:53 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

A Successful Central Banker Speaks...
The New York Times Tue Apr 08 2008 20:56:05 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

War in a Shiite Neighborhood...
The New York Times Tue Apr 08 2008 20:56:04 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Hearings Rife With Political Overtones...
The New York Times Tue Apr 08 2008 16:47:36 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Officials Expect Torch to Continue on Route...
The New York Times Tue Apr 08 2008 12:41:36 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

General Resists Timetable for Withdrawal of Troops in Iraq...
The New York Times Tue Apr 08 2008 11:50:31 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Paper Cuts: Is Bringing Down the House True?...
New York Times Tue Apr 08 2008 10:42:26 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Washington Post Wins Six Pulitzers...
The New York Times Tue Apr 08 2008 02:59:15 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Transcripts & Speeches


President Bush on Iraq - George W. Bush
McCain Talks About U.S. Economy in Brooklyn - John McCain
Obama's Remarks in Gary, Indiana - Barack Obama
Panel Looks at Iraq Hearings - Special Report w/Brit Hume
Discussion of the President's Troop Announcement - The NewsHour

The Politico / media@politico.com (Kenneth P. Vogel)

Taxpayers Fund Bill Clinton Spending

• The Paragraph Farmer: Another hand in the cookie jar for Billy Jeff...
• Macsmind - Conservative Commentary and Common Sense: All while you pay four-bucks a gallon for gas!“The Clintons have made a $100-million fortune s...
• “7.62mm Justice”: Amish Protest PA State’s “Gestapo” Crackdown On Midwife...
• The Huffington Post: Bill Clinton's Post-Presidential Perks Cost Taxpayers Almost As Much As ......

Yahoo News

Cheney, Others OK'd Harsh Interrogations (AP)

• Dohiyi Mir: AP: Bush administration officials from Vice President Dick Cheney on down signed off on using harsh ...
• Think Progress: In a new interview with NBC News set to air tonight, Gen. David Petraeus rules out a run for elected...

Yahoo News

Dems Fault Bush On Executive Privilege (AP)

• Crooks and Liars: A Margaret Keene-esque (?) General Petraeus by Mark Hoback of the Aristocrats. See at the same blog...
• JURIST - Paper Chase: [JURIST] The White House's interpretation of executive privilege to shield former White House Counse...
• The Raw Story | A rational voice - Alternative news: Read filing here...

New York Times

DealBook: Google Chief Taps Quattrone As Adviser

• Search Engine Watch Blog: Google CEO Eric Schmidt has named legendary Bubble 1.0 i-banker Frank Quattrone as an adviser to hel...
• Valleywag: Google's best hope in the Yahoo takeover battle is to have nothing happen. A Yahoo, weak but indepen...