June 14, 2004

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Here is an email we received recently... We live in Asheville, NC and every Friday afternoon there are a group of protesters downtown crying about peace and love and singing protest songs. My husband snapped the other day, threw on your T-shirt, and protested the protesters.

WAR NEWS

U.S. told: Charge Saddam or free him
Saddam Hussein must either be released from custody by June 30 or charged if the US and the new Iraqi government are to conform to international law, the International Committee of the Red Cross said last night.

Clinton Indictment Cited Iraq-bin Laden Link
Though Democrats and most reporters insist there's no operational link between al-Qaeda and Iraq, the Clinton Justice Department specifically cited such an alliance when it indicted the 9/11 mastermind six years ago, Weekly Standard reporter Stephen Hayes said Sunday.

Interrogation abuses were 'approved at highest levels'
New evidence that the physical abuse of detainees in Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay was authorized at the top of the Bush administration will emerge in Washington this week, adding further to pressure on the White House.

Iraq president won't destroy Abu Ghraib
'Why? It's a prison that we spent more than $100 million building'

Senators: CIA stalling on review of Iraq report
Senate Intelligence Committee members are accusing the CIA of hindering the release of a report that gives an unflattering assessment of pre-war intelligence on Iraq.

Iraqi deputy foreign minister assassinated
One of Iraq's deputy foreign ministers, Bassam Kubba, has been killed Saturday morning in an ambush outside his Baghdad home, according to witnesses and government sources.

Poll: Voters Say Iraq Didn't Merit War
A majority of American registered voters now say conditions in Iraq did not merit war, but most are reluctant to abandon efforts there, according to a new Los Angeles Times poll.

Talk Radio Comes to Baghdad
In the surest sign yet that the U.S. liberation is beginning to have a lasting impact on Iraq's culture, Baghdad now has its own talk radio station - where callers are allowed to complain about anything as long as they don't incite violence.

WAR ON TERROR

U.S. citizens kidnapped, killed in Saudi Arabia
The terrorist group Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the killing of one American in Saudi Arabia and the kidnapping of another.

Extremists Using Web to Spread Terror
Web sites featuring videos of the beheading of Americans or captives pleading for their lives have become part of an electronic war of incitement, humiliation and terrorist outreach, experts say, providing a window into the minds of militant Muslims who hate the West.

Powell 'not a happy camper' about terror report
Secretary of State Colin Powell found himself regretting and backpedaling Sunday for the second time in a month as he acknowledged that an erroneous terror report was a mistake and insisted politics did not lead to the report's omissions.

Are Euro airlines inviting next 9-11?
Airline-industry security officials say the potential for another 9-11-style attack on the U.S. is still high – especially from foreign, cross-Atlantic flights not heeding security precautions adopted by U.S. carriers following the 2001 terrorist-hijacking suicide assaults.

Pakistan Arrests Nine Linked to al Qaeda
One of those arrested includes a close associate of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Algerian Islamicists declare war on foreigners
Algeria's leading Islamic militant group, which has ties to al Qaeda, has declared war on foreign people and companies in the oil-rich north African country, an Islamic website said on Sunday.

Terror fear as seamen jump ship
More than 100 crew from foreign-flagged vessels unaccounted for

AXIS OF EVIL

Iran Says Too Bad: It Will go Nuclear
Toughening its stance in advance of a meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, Iran yesterday said it would reject international restrictions on its nuclear program and challenged the world to accept Tehran as a member of the "nuclear club."

N. Korea defies G8 nuclear appeal
State media say country justified in strengthening its deterrent

North Korea missile test 'brings US within range'
North Korea has tested an intercontinental ballistic missile engine capable of hitting the United States, according to a South Korean report.

AFTERMATH OF 9-11

Fast-Tracking Flyers
After paying a fee and submitting to an extensive background check, airline passengers may be entitled to special security treatment

MIDDLE EAST UPDATE

Israeli withdrawal begins
Plan commences to move 2 Gaza crossings

MIDDLE EASTERN NEWS SOURCES

Saddam's doctor rebutts Iraq's story
Readers in the West may find it interesting that Saddam considered the British superior to Americans - because of their history - but rated the "honest and humanistic" French higher still.

An Open Letter to Whom It May Concern
This year the world celebrates the 60th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazis and the death of fascism. Last week Twenty-two heads of state and government met in Normandy, France to commemorate D-Day.

ON THE HOME FRONT

The Gipper's Final Flight
After an impossible-to-imagine journey, a clan returns to California

Gas prices see 1st drop of year
National average at $2.04 a gallon after gushing over 59 cents since December

Pivotal gay-marriage case set for California
Legal challenges across California asking whether the state Constitution permits same-sex marriages were consolidated into one case and will be tried in San Francisco, a state agency overseeing the courts decided.

'Angels' in L.A.'s name raise constitutional issue
According to the Los Angeles Daily News, a strong legal argument could be made to force municipal name changes, based on the argument the names violate the so-called separation of church and state.

Nichols Spared Death As Jury Deadlocks
Convicted Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols was spared the death penalty Friday by jurors who convicted him of 161 counts of murder but deadlocked over his sentence.

Cops take stand in Laci Peterson murder
Scott Peterson's double-murder trial enters its next phase with police taking the stand Monday after two weeks of testimony from friends and family.

Court will decide if woman's boyfriends are acceptable
A woman was ordered to get court approval for any future relationships after her boyfriend was accused of brutally slashing and stabbing her two young sons.

Believers, skeptics celebrate legend of the skunk ape
The second annual Everglades Skunk Ape Festival attracted more than 100 believers and skeptics to a day of live music and food at the Trail Lakes Campground in Ochopee on Saturday.
 - Learn more about the Florida Skunk Ape here

Toddler electrocuted after chewing through electrical cord
A 22-month-old Lincoln boy found dead died from electrocution, an autopsy has concluded.

Cops: Brothel Doubled As Produce Market
City officials on Friday shut down a two-family home they said was doubling as a brothel and makeshift market for produce and pornography.

Gas station incident a mistake
Boat owner goes to fill up the gas tank, accidentally sticks the nozzle in the wrong hole, fills up his hull instead.

Cop says he feared Taser victim armed
A Mesa police officer being sued for using a stun gun to get a burglary suspect out of a tree told detectives he believed the man may have been armed. The suspect, Bruce Bellemore, 32, fell from the tree and is paralyzed from the chest down.

Accused Arsonist Mugs For Camera
David Dinsmore faces five counts of second-degree arson, seven counts of first-degree criminal trespass, and theft. He mugged for the camera when he was booked.

EUROPEENING

Serbs admit to massacre
Bosnian Serb officials have admitted for the first time their soldiers slaughtered 8,000 Muslims in the UN safe haven of Srebrenica during the Bosnian war.

European Voters Batter Governing Parties
European voters punished leaders in Britain, Italy and the Netherlands for getting involved in Iraq.

Anti-Semitic gangs strike France
A mural painted by Jewish children imprisoned in a Second World War concentration camp near Perpignan, southern France, has been vandalised days after the government announced a growing anti-Semitic trend.

Man cleared of smashing cup on boy's head
A 68-year-old man has been cleared by a jury of smashing a teacup over the head of a teenager he saw tampering with his car.

Man killed by bar stunt
A waitress could face life in jail after allegedly persuading a drunk to run headfirst into a wall.

Angry Buzzard Terrorizes English Country Road
An angry buzzard is terrorizing a quiet English country road by dive-bombing passing cyclists, newspapers reported on Friday.

RELIGION

Debate Over Faith's Role In Healing Grows Strong
Bob Weaver of Lakeland, a retired pastor with two sons who are ministers, generated a prayer chain of considerable length during a series of medical crises that included an aneurysm, pneumonia, prostate and kidney infections and severe internal bleeding.

ENTERTAINMENT / NEWS MEDIA

Michael Moore had prison-abuse footage early
Filmmaker Michael Moore said Friday, as he stuffed 13 jelly donuts in his mouth, that he wasn't sure he did the right thing by saving footage of U.S. American soldiers' cruelty toward Iraqis for his controversial documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11,'' instead of releasing the evidence earlier when it might have helped halt such abuse.

Moore apologizes for Blair scare
Oscar-winning documentary film maker Michael Moore says he was only joking when he suggested last week that he could, in a single bite, completely consume British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Limbaugh, Wife Ending 10-Year Marriage
Conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh announced Friday that he and his wife, Marta, are divorcing.

Nicole Kidman romp with 10-year old boy
Nicole Kidman has sparked outrage with her new film in which she gets passionate in the bath with a ten-year-old boy.

Tryouts for Gilligan's Island reality show begin
Think commanding a vessel is as simple as bellowing "Gilligan!" and suffering the screwball antics of a hapless but good-hearted first mate?

Keanu Reeves caught in drive-by shooting in L.A.
Reeves reacted like he was starring in an action movie when gunfire ripped through a Los Angeles neighborhood as he did his shopping.

RIAA Moves In on Digital Radio
Digital radio broadcasts that bring CD-quality sound to the airwaves could lead to unfettered song copying if protections are not put in place.

Britney Spears to Launch New Fragrance
Pop star Britney Spears is a new crossover artist in the beauty business. The 22-year-old singer will launch a new fragrance, Curious, this fall. A blend of white flowers and vanilla-infused musk, the fragrance is part of a licensing agreement with Elizabeth Arden, the company announced Thursday.

HEALTH

Seniors not embracing drug cards
Could spell disaster for Medicare's developing insurance program

Lawmaker's Kin Is Refused Treatment
Doctor refuses to do optional surgery on family of lawmaker who opposed legal-damages reform.

Baby Workouts Touted to Ward Off Obesity
As the country's population of overweight children swells, parents are flocking to baby exercise classes where tots as young as one day old can start getting fit.

SCIENCE / SPACE

Panel: NASA Must Transform to Reach Mars
In the more immediate future, a presidential space commission wants NASA to turn over nearly all launch activity to private firms.

TECHNOLOGY

Web surfers peeved by news registration
Despite complaints, many papers still moving to password system

BUSINESS / ECONOMY

Workers Still Hold Too Much Company Stock
Despite Enron, WorldCom and Global Crossing, workers are still keeping an outsized portion of their nest eggs parked in their employer's stock.

POLITICS

Howard Dean Reflects on Presidential Bid
In Howard Dean's assessment of his White House campaign, the beginning of the end came with the endorsement from former Vice President Al Gore.

Former Officials to Criticize Bush Foreign Policy
A group of former U.S. officials is urging voters to defeat President Bush in the November election, saying his policies have isolated the United States.

McCain Rejects Kerry's VP Overtures
If you're a Democrat, and your best candidate for running mate is a Republican, you may want to rethink the whole run for President.

Poll: Edwards Top Choice for Kerry Ticket
Sen. John Edwards, the smooth-talking populist who emerged from the nominating campaign as John Kerry's chief rival, is favored among registered voters to be the Democratic vice presidential candidate, according to an Associated Press poll.

Brazile: Bush Economy Worst Since Depression
Though the Bush economy is currently roaring, with nearly 1 million jobs created in the last three months, top Democratic strategist Donna Brazile claimed on Sunday that "working people" are suffering more than at any time since the Great Depression.

Lawyers Already Planning Fla. Election Challenges
A group of lawyers plans to fan out across the state for Florida's upcoming elections, intent on helping any citizens who have problems at the polls.

Nader Had Campaign Office at Charity
Since October, Ralph Nader has run his campaign for president out of the same downtown Washington offices that through April housed a public charity he created -- an overlap that campaign finance specialists said could run afoul of federal laws.

SCHOOLS

Students Found Apathetic About Politics
Most college students doubt that voting in presidential elections will make major changes in American society, according to a nationwide survey.

Bus Driver Accused Of Allowing Kids To Drive
A bus driver in Iowa has resigned after being accused of allowing children as young as 11 years old to drive the school bus. Officials said six of 13 children on the bus were allowed to drive on May 26. The children ranged in ages from 11 to 15.

Prank letter offered condoms for prom night
Parents in a Long Island school district received prank letters on official-looking stationery offering students a "Protection Package" of condoms and lubricants for the senior prom.

SPORTS

England soccer fans rampage in London after defeat
About 400 frustrated football fans rampaged in south London, throwing things at police and injuring two officers after England lost to France in their first match at the Euro 2004 championship in Portugal on Sunday.

GLENNVIRNOMENT

Environmental group spent settlement cash improperly
A nonprofit organization used money it won in environmental lawsuits against businesses to pay off personal credit card debt, taxes and mortgage payments, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer.

ANIMALS

Research: Endangered mouse never existed
Estimated $100 million spent to save endangered mouse that doesn't exist.

Canada's Too-Friendly Killer Whale to Be Captured
A lonely killer whale on Canada's Pacific coast, whose search for companionship has become a danger to boats and float planes, and himself, will be captured next week so he can be reunited with his family pod.

Man charged with killing marine creatures at fish store
Disgruntled customer poisons 600-gallon aquarium, killing $3000 worth of marine creatures, because he wasn't allowed to exchange a fish he purchased.

SHAFT UPDATE

Clinton Planning to Use Book Tour to Assist Kerry
As former President Bill Clinton prepares for a barrage of publicity and a cross-country tour to promote his memoirs, his political advisers are consulting with the Democratic Party and Senator John Kerry's campaign about ways that Mr. Clinton can lend a political hand in the process.

Clinton's Memoir Ushers In Different Wave of Nostalgia
Now, it's the Democrats' turn. After a week-long flood of commentary on the most popular Republican president of modern times, the country is about to be immersed in another tide of reminiscence and argument about the most successful Democratic president within the memory of most voters.

Clinton's Portrait to Be Unveiled Monday
Simmie Knox, the first black artist to paint an official presidential portrait, is preparing to unveil his oil painting of former President Bill Clinton in a ceremony Monday at the White House.