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Washington / Politics
Obama Open to Inquiry in Interrogation Abuses
President Obama left open the door to creating a commission to investigate the Bush administration’s use of harsh interrogation techniques.
Supreme Court Puts New Limits on Vehicle Searches
The ruling put new limits on the circumstances under which police officers who lack a search warrant can search a vehicle immediately after the arrest of a suspect.
Credit Markets Still Tight, Geithner Says
The Treasury secretary said that borrowing costs remained high despite government efforts.
Lawmaker Is Said to Have Agreed to Aid Lobbyists
Representative Jane Harman was overheard on calls agreeing to seek favorable treatment from the Bush administration for two pro-Israel lobbyists investigated for espionage.
Nonprofit Groups Seeking Exceptions to Lobby Rule
Critics of the president’s anti-lobbyist policy say it assumes that all lobbying is suspect.
Obama Tells His Cabinet to Look for Efficiency
President Obama’s call for department and agency heads to come up with ways to save $100 million over the next 90 days was met with derision from conservatives.
Defense Nominee Said to Seek New Value Test
Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama said the Defense Department would seek bids for aerial refueling tankers based on overall value, not just on the lowest initial price.
U.S. Overtures Find Support Among Cuban-Americans
Recent changes in attitude in the Cuban-American community suggests that President Obama has become a catalyst for openness with the Communist island.
Obama Doesn’t Plan to Reopen Nafta Talks
The administration says other options can be used to address labor and environmental issues.
New Fannie Mae Chief
Michael J. Williams, who will succeed Herbert M.Allison Jr., has overseen the restructuring of Fannie Mae’s foreclosure-prevention and loss mitigation efforts.
Schumer Seeks Grants to Battle Mortgage Fraud
New York Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the federal government to pump $100 million into the fight by offering grants to local prosecutors.
2 Suspects Waterboarded 266 Times
C.I.A. interrogators used the near-drowning technique, which Obama administration officials have described as torture, 266 times on two key prisoners from Al Qaeda.
U.S. May Convert Banks’ Bailouts to Equity Share
Obama administration officials say the approach will allow them to shore up the nation’s banking system without seeking more money from Congress.
Obama’s Revenue Plans Hit Resistance in Congress
Resistance to President Obama’s tax and revenue proposals could threaten a major health care overhaul and other policy initiatives.
Hemisphere’s Leaders Signal Fresh Start With U.S.
Leaders from the Western Hemisphere closed a summit meeting proclaiming a new dawn for relations in the region.
Former C.I.A. Director Defends Interrogation
Gen. Michael V. Hayden said the Obama administration’s release of memos detailing harsh interrogation techniques would limit the agency’s ability to pursue terrorists.
Picking Letters, 10 a Day, That Reach Obama
An official assembles a briefing book of the letters, which offer the president a way to keep in touch with the public.
Marijuana Advocates Point to Signs of Change
Advocates of legalizing marijuana are sensing increasing acceptance of the drug, as medicine or entertainment.
Obama Advisers Challenge G.O.P. to Offer Alternatives
Congress was preparing to return from a two-week recess and take up a charged agenda centered on core Obama objectives.
The Caucus: But Can Obama Make the Trains Run on Time?
With terms like “socialism” losing their punch, some Republicans are weighing the word “fascism” to describe President Obama’s agenda.
Washington Memo: Despite Major Plans, Obama Taking Softer Stands
After pledges to change Washington, the president’s early willingness to deal or fold has left commentators and allies wondering: where’s the fight?
Rising Expectations on Cuba Follow Obama
President Obama pledged a new future in relations with Cuba. Latin American leaders said the future was now.
Obamanomics: Redefining Capitalism After the Fall
President Obama is hinting at an audacious ambition as he waits for that inevitable if distant day that the recession will end.
The Wits of Washington, Amateur Variety
Al Franken could become the first professional comedian to take a seat in the United States Senate. Although Capitol Hill has never lacked for humor.
Distinctions: Torture Versus War
What is it about the terrible intimacy of torture that so disturbs and captivates the public?
Flirting With Cuba, Courting a Hemisphere
Since Fidel Castro gave up power last year, the long standoff between Cuba and the United States has taken on the measured rhythms of a minuet.
Health-Care Dialogue Alarms Obama's Allies
As Congress returns to begin an intense debate over reshaping the nation's $2.2 trillion health-care system, prominent left-leaning organizations and liberal House members are issuing a warning to their Democratic allies: Don't cave on us.
At His First Official Cabinet Meeting, Obama Orders Cuts
The brickbats were flying even before President Obama convened his first official Cabinet meeting yesterday. At the session, Obama ordered his agency heads to identify and shave a collective $100 million in administrative costs from federal programs in a budget of well over $3 trillion.
Obama Cites CIA's Possible 'Mistakes' But Vows Support
President Obama traveled to the headquarters of the CIA yesterday to vow continued support for the agency despite weeks of revelations about the physical abuse and mental manipulation of terrorist suspects in its secret prisons.
One Democrat Finds Stakes Surrounding Stimulus Package Higher in His Semi-Rural Maryland Swing District
SALISBURY, Md. -- Rep. Frank M. Kratovil Jr., a first-term Democrat representing Republican-leaning eastern Maryland, is eager for word to spread about millions in stimulus money that is going to roads, sewer upgrades, health clinics, schools, police and rural development in his district.
At X-Conference in Gaithersburg, Like Minds Discuss Intergalactic Politics
Extraterrestrials exist and they visit Earth routinely, according to people who know this for a fact.
President Obama Delivers Remarks to CIA Employees
SPEAKER: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA [*] OBAMA: Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Well, thanks -- thank you for the extraordinary welcome. And thanks for those of you who prepared from the CIA gift shop the t- shirts. (LAUG...
Emanuel Rejects Trial for Memos' Authors
The Obama administration opposes any effort to prosecute those in the Justice Department who drafted legal memos authorizing harsh interrogations at secret CIA prisons, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said yesterday.
Murtha's Earmarks Keep Airport Aloft
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. -- The John Murtha airport sits on a windy mountain two hours east of Pittsburgh, a 650-acre expanse of smooth tarmac, spacious buildings, a helicopter hangar and a National Guard training center.
High Court Poised To Closely Weigh Civil Rights Laws
The Supreme Court has an opportunity to reaffirm or reshape the nation's civil rights laws as it faces a rare confluence of cases over the next two weeks, including a high-profile challenge brought by white firefighters who claim they lost out on promotions because of the "color of their skin."
For GOP, Tea Protests Offer An Alluring, but Risky, Lifeline
The tea bag protests that marked tax day on Wednesday represented an opportunity and a risk for the Republican Party. Opportunity because they offered a jolt of energy for a battered party after two dismal elections. Risk because they supplied at best only a partial answer to what ails the GOP....
Gun-Trafficking Crackdown Hits Hurdle
PHOENIX -- It seemed a fortuitous alignment of justice and politics, George Iknadosian's trial beginning just as President Obama called for new attention to the flow of weapons from the United States to the drug cartels inside Mexico. The Phoenix gun dealer stood charged with selling hundreds of...
Justice Dept. Memos' Careful Legalese Obscured Harsh Reality
The four Justice Department memos to the CIA's top lawyer that were released last week reflect an effort by Bush administration appointees to create finely tuned justifications for harsh interrogation techniques, all under a blanket of secrecy covering the agency's prisons and the questioning.
In Shift, EPA Says Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are Threat To Public
The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday officially adopted the position that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions pose a danger to the public's health and welfare, a move that could trigger a series of federal regulations affecting polluters from vehicles to coal-fired power...
Obama Urges 'Equal Partnership' With Latin American Countries
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17 -- President Obama was forced to confront long-standing resentment of U.S. dominance of Latin America as he told regional leaders here Friday evening that his administration seeks an "equal partnership" with the rest of the hemisphere.
Obama Daughters Fascinate Tween Girls
The tween girls of the Washington area have transcended differences of race, class and wealth to reach a single, resounding conclusion: They really, really, really, really want to be friends with Malia and Sasha Obama.
GOP Urged to Rethink Gay Marriage
Adding a prominent Republican voice to the ranks of those supporting same-sex marriage, the man who managed Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign yesterday warned members of his party that continued opposition on the issue could turn the GOP into a "sectarian" party.
Compromise Rules Issued on Embryonic Stem Cells
The Obama administration issued guidelines yesterday limiting government-sponsored embryonic stem cell research to cells taken from excess fertility clinic embryos, a compromise based on its reading of public opinion about the cutting-edge science.
Interior Dept. to Examine Environmental Impact of Guns in Public Parklands
The Obama administration said yesterday that it will not appeal a federal court ruling prohibiting the carrying of loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges.
Carol Shull: Pushing to Preserve History, One Landmark at a Time
There is an old saying that all politics are local. As chief of Heritage Education Services for the National Park Service, Carol Shull might tweak that and say: All history is local.
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., following a Justice Department tradition, is honoring some of his predecessors by hanging their official portraits in his office and adjoining conference room. In addition to his former boss, Janet Reno, and childhood hero, Robert F. Kennedy, Holder selected E...
New Mexico Gov. Richardson Sets Aside Political Aspirations -- for Now
SANTA FE, N.M. -- If all had gone according to plan, Bill Richardson would be at center stage in Washington, wheeling, dealing and glad-handing around the globe -- as president, or at least as secretary of state.
New Interrogation Details Emerge as Administration Releases Justice Department Memos
Justice Department documents released yesterday offer the fullest account to date of Bush administration interrogation tactics, including previously unacknowledged strategies of slamming a prisoner into a wall and placing an insect near a detainee terrified of bugs.
Role of Bush NSA Plan Under Review
The Bush administration planned last year to direct the National Security Agency, which specializes in spying electronically on foreign adversaries, to take the techniques it has employed to defend military computer networks and use them to protect U.S. government civilian networks, according to...
Year-Old Liberal Jewish Lobby Has Quickly Made Its Mark
When a group of Jewish liberals formed a lobbying and fundraising group called J Street a year ago, they had modest hopes of raising $50,000 for a handful of congressional candidates.
Impoverished Haiti Slips Further as Remittances Dry Up
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, April 16 -- The U.S. economic crisis touched down recently in the dusty town where Marie Rosita Simon ekes out a living selling sandals. Her brother, a New Jersey cabdriver, slashed his monthly $400 transfer to her by half because his business was off.
Credit Card Issuers Face New Scrutiny; White House Meeting on Agenda
Under pressure for questionable industry practices, top executives of 14 of the nation's largest credit card companies are heading to the White House on Thursday for a meeting with senior administration officials.
Financial Crisis Must Be Probed, Pelosi Says
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has endorsed a proposal to create a special congressional committee to investigate the causes of the financial sector meltdown, giving the idea bipartisan momentum in Congress.
President Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon Hold Press Conference
SPEAKERS: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA PRESIDENT OF MEXICO FELIPE CALDERON [*] CALDERON: Your Excellency, Mr. Barack Obama, president of the United States of America, ladies and gentlemen of the accompanying delegation, ladies and gentlemen, for the people and the government of Mexico, it is a reaso...
Statement of President Barack Obama on Release of OLC Memos
The Department of Justice will today release certain memos issued by the Office of Legal Counsel between 2002 and 2005 as part of an ongoing court case. These memos speak to techniques that were used in the interrogation of terrorism suspects during that period, and their release is required by t...
Obama Steps Up Efforts to Stop Gun, Drug Trafficking Across Mexican Border
President Obama yesterday ratcheted up efforts to curb the flow of drugs and guns across the southern border, imposing financial sanctions against three of the most violent Mexican drug cartels and threatening to prosecute Americans who do business with them.
GOP Challenges Gillibrand's Ballot in Race to Fill Her House Seat
NEW YORK, April 15 -- The ongoing, nip-and-tuck battle for New York's 20th Congressional District took a turn for the absurd Wednesday when the Republicans challenged the ballot of the district's popular former congresswoman, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D).
Lawmaker Reviews His Campaigns Amid Donations Flap
A House Democrat from Indiana has conducted an extensive audit of his political committees, after a lobbying firm that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for his campaigns closed down amid a federal investigation.
State Department Makes Changes After GAO Investigator Falsely Obtains Passports
The State Department has taken steps to tighten controls after an undercover investigator for the Government Accountability Office was able last month to obtain two U.S. passports by using bogus information.
Transcript: President Barack Obama Delivers Remarks on Tax Cuts
APRIL 15, 2009 SPEAKER: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA [*] OBAMA: All right. Good morning. I decided not to bring Bo today, because he stepped on my economics speech yesterday. (LAUGHTER) Good morning. I know that April 15th is not exactly everyone's favorite date on the calendar. But it is an importan...
How Gays Won a Marriage Victory
NEW YORK -- For most of the country, the unanimous decision this month by the Iowa Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage was an unexpected and seemingly random victory for a movement that has long drawn its deepest support from major cities in liberal coastal states.
Stevens Gambled by Rejecting Deal, Pushing Early Trial
Before his indictment on corruption charges, then-Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) rejected a plea deal that would have required that he plead guilty to a felony but would have resulted in no jail time, according to newly released court records.
State Dept.'s Todd Stern Works on the Obama Directive to Reduce Global Warming
When Todd Stern was working in private law practice, the State Department's top climate-change negotiator was known for dispensing blunt political advice. When a client said he was planning to defy the entire Illinois political establishment on an issue affecting Lake Michigan, Stern brought him up...
In Georgetown Speech, Obama Offers Cautious Optimism
President Obama today laid out a vision for a new era of U.S. economic prosperity and called on the nation to "get serious" about reforming entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security -- reform that he said starts with overhauling the American health care system.
Michelle Obama Speaks to DHS Employees
FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA: Thank you so much. Thank you for coming out on this rainy, cold day. I know how D.C. people don't like bad weather. (Laughter.) So I really appreciate it. I want to thank Secretary Napolitano for her kind introduction and for the strong leadership that she's bringing he...
Obama Lifts Broad Set Of Sanctions Against Cuba
President Obama yesterday announced a series of steps aimed at easing the U.S. relationship with Cuba, breaking from policies first imposed by the Kennedy administration and stepping into an emotional debate over the best way to bring democratic change to one of the last remaining communist regimes.
Parroting Words at the White House
Man the rigging, me hearties. It's time for Cap'n Gibbs's daily briefing.
Specter's Stimulus Vote Looms Large in Race
PHILADELPHIA, April 13 -- Sen. Arlen Specter's support for President Obama's stimulus package has recharged a political rivalry, setting up what could be a divisive rematch between one of the GOP's leading moderates and a powerful conservative activist.
U.S. Appears Set To Boycott U.N. Session on Racism
The Obama administration appears to be standing by its decision to boycott the World Conference Against Racism next week in Geneva, despite efforts to focus and tone down language in a draft conference document viewed as hostile toward Israel.
Minn. Court Rules in Favor Of Franken
ST. PAUL, Minn., April 13 -- A Minnesota court confirmed Monday that Democrat Al Franken won more votes than Norm Coleman in his Senate race last year against the Republican incumbent, who had already announced plans to appeal the decision.
President Obama Delivers Remarks on Infrastructure at Dept. of Transportation
SPEAKERS: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA VICE PRESIDENT JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR. SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION RAY LAHOOD [*] LAHOOD: Good morning, everybody. Please be seated. Well, Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, thank you so much for coming back. Again, a history-making event for us here at DOT to ha...
Obama's Chief of Staff Grants Access, Gets Results
As the House and Senate debated the budget earlier this month, Rahm Emanuel's spacious West Wing office took on the feel of a legislative bazaar.
Shortfalls Unraveled Stevens's Conviction
The Justice Department team charged with prosecuting former senator Ted Stevens miscalculated by not seeking more time to prepare for the high-stakes corruption trial and fell victim to inexperience and thin staffing, which contributed to its alleged mishandling of witnesses and evidence, according...
Ginsburg Gives No Hint Of Giving Up the Bench
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The symposium on Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life on and before the Supreme Court had all the trappings of a grand finale: laudatory tributes, scholarly evaluations of her jurisprudence, a running theme about her love of opera and her unfulfilled desire to be a great diva.
The First Puppy Makes a Big Splash
Who let the dog out? That's the Washington mystery du jour. The identity of the first puppy -- the one that the Washington press corps has been yelping about for months, the one President Obama has seemed to delight in dropping hints about -- leaked out yesterday. This despite White House efforts...
Partisans Argue Over Partisanship
President Obama has already made a down payment on many of his campaign promises. But a noisy and partisan debate has erupted over whether he has even begun to make good on his pledge to turn the page on the divisive politics of the past.
In California, Medical Marijuana Laws Are Moving Pot Into the Mainstream
LOS ANGELES -- With little notice and even less controversy, marijuana is now available as a medical treatment in California to almost anyone who tells a willing physician he would feel better if he smoked.
Investments Can Yield More on K Street, Study Indicates
In a remarkable illustration of the power of lobbying in Washington, a study released last week found that a single tax break in 2004 earned companies $220 for every dollar they spent on the issue -- a 22,000 percent rate of return on their investment.
Obama Team Mulls Aims Of Somali Extremists
Senior Obama administration officials are debating how to address a potential terrorist threat to U.S. interests from a Somali extremist group, with some in the military advocating strikes against its training camps. But many officials maintain that uncertainty about the intentions of the al-Shabab...
Bush Goes From Pennsylvania Ave. to a More Simple Life in the Lone Star State
DALLAS -- The new couple at 10141 Daria Place accepted an invitation to a neighborhood dinner party last month. The guest list totaled eight. The main dish was chicken potpie. George and Laura Bush left their cul-de-sac in the back of a dark sedan, exited through a Secret Service checkpoint and rode...
Rove's Out of the White House But Still in the Political Fray
For eight years, George W. Bush had a White House political and public relations machine to defend his legacy and lash his rivals. Now that Bush is out of office, the same man is still leading the charge: Karl Rove.
Professor Picked for Indian Affairs
A Native American who served as the attorney general of Idaho was nominated yesterday to become the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
A Love-Hate Relationship?
It's not enough that he's trying to impose socialism, run General Motors, refused to call America a Christian nation and supposedly bowed to the king of Saudi Arabia, as recent right-wing chatter would have it.
CIA Director Panetta Says Agency Is No Longer Operating Secret Prisons
The CIA no longer operates any secret overseas prisons, Director Leon Panetta said yesterday, and has not detained anyone since he became chief in February.
More Funds Sought for Iraq and Afghanistan
President Obama sent Congress an $83.4 billion spending request yesterday to fund his administration's strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan through the summer, in what officials promised would be the last such off-budget proposal to pay for the wars.
President Obama Remarks on Housing Refinance Roundtable
SPEAKER: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA [*] OBAMA: Well, thank you so much for taking time to join us. We are here with a wonderful group of homeowners. And I think for so many people around this country, the essence of the American Dream is owning your own home, being able to have that piece of proper...
President Obama Delivers Remarks on Veterans Health Care
SPEAKER: PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA [*] THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, John, for your outstanding service, and your friendship is greatly appreciated. I want to thank my two outstanding Secretaries who are behind me -- Bob Gates, who is doing just an extraordinary job over at the Pentagon, and General S...
Holder Opts for Experience Over Political Connections in Personnel Changes at Justice Department
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. began a series of personnel moves yesterday in one of the most sensitive and secretive sections of the Justice Department, part of his effort to restore public confidence in the nation's highest law enforcement operation.
How Bernanke Staged a Revolution
Every six weeks or so, around a giant mahogany table in an ornate room overlooking the National Mall, 16 people, one after another, give their take on how the U.S. economy is doing and what they, the leaders of the Federal Reserve, want to do about it.
Obama Science Chief Holdren Hints at Compromise on Auctions of Cap-and-Trade Emission Allowances
The Obama administration might agree to auction only a portion of the emissions allowances granted at first under a cap-and-trade system to limit greenhouse gas pollution, White House science adviser John P. Holdren said yesterday, a move that would please electric utilities and manufacturers but...
Congress Ready to Slow Pace, Face Long-Term Issues
After approving more than $1.5 trillion to bail out Wall Street and stimulate the economy and nearly passing a $3.5 billion budget blueprint in its initial legislative sprint, Congress will return from a two-week break later this month at a definitive point for President Obama's ambitious goals.
U.S. to Join Future Talks on Iran
The United States said yesterday that it would directly participate "from now on" in international talks with Iran over its nuclear activities, the latest move in the Obama administration's promised diplomatic outreach to the Tehran government.
Thousands Demand New Thai Leadership Â? Protest Threatens 4-Month-Old Abhisit Government
BANGKOK, April 8 -- Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through Bangkok on Wednesday, demanding the prime minister's resignation in a protest that threatened to set off a new round of political instability.
Judge Orders Probe of Attorneys in Stevens Case
A federal judge focused scrutiny yesterday on a small Justice Department unit assigned to root out corruption when he dismissed the conviction of former senator Ted Stevens and appointed an outside lawyer to investigate allegations of misconduct by prosecutors.
The Prosecutors Under Investigation
Brief biographical sketches of six federal prosecutors under investigation for mishandling the trial of former senator Ted Stevens of Alaska.
Obama Cautions Iraqis on Future
BAGHDAD, April 7 -- President Obama declared Tuesday that Iraqis "must take responsibility for their country" and predicted that the next 18 months will be trying as U.S. troops start to leave a country stymied by security threats and political problems.
Franken's Lead Grows In Minn.'s Senate Race
Democrat Al Franken yesterday increased his small lead over Republican Norm Coleman in the protracted dispute over the race for a U.S. Senate seat representing Minnesota, but it remains unclear when the five-month legal battle will end.
Absentees push Franken's Senate lead to 312
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Democrat Al Franken's lead in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race widened Tuesday to 312 votes after previously rejected absentee ballots were added to the counting.
Obama Holds a Town Hall in Istanbul
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you so much. Well, it is a great pleasure to be here. Let me begin by thanking Professor Rahmi Aksungur -- did I say that properly -- who is director of the university here. And I want to thank all the young people who've gathered together. This is a great privilege for me ...
In Turkey, Obama Reaches Out to Muslim World
ANKARA, Turkey, April 6 -- President Obama made his most direct outreach to Muslims around the world Monday, telling Turkey's Grand National Assembly that the United States "is not and never will be at war with Islam."
Gates Seeks Sharp Turn In Spending
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates outlined sweeping changes to the defense budget Monday that would shift billions of dollars in Pentagon spending away from elaborate weapons toward programs more likely to benefit troops in today's wars.
Pentagon Chief Calls for Cuts; Congress Opens Fire
The F-22 Raptor fighter can cruise at speeds greater than Mach 1.5 without afterburners. It is virtually invisible to enemies, carries two 1,000-pound missiles and can turn on a dime.
Gates Proposal Reveals His Alienation From Procurement System
After reading a newspaper article's report that a particular armored vehicle had dramatically cut fatality rates in Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and other senior defense officials traveled 80 miles northeast to Aberdeen Proving Ground in spring 2007 to see for themselves how the V-shap...
After Launch, Obama Focuses On Disarmament
ANKARA, Turkey, April 6 -- President Obama arrived in Turkey on Sunday night as global condemnation of North Korea gave way to intense diplomatic debate about how to punish the rogue nation for the brazen weekend launch of a rocket over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean.
Obama's Grass-Roots 'Organizing for America' Isn't a Factor in Budget Battle
When his post-campaign organization was unveiled in January, Barack Obama vowed that the 13 million-strong grass-roots network built during his presidential campaign would play a "crucial role" in enacting his agenda from the White House.
Americans Support Goal of Improved Relations With Muslim World
Most Americans think President Obama's pledge to "seek a new way forward" with the Muslim world is an important goal, even as nearly half hold negative views about Islam and a sizable number say that even mainstream adherents to the religion encourage violence against non-Muslims, according to a ...
U.N. Security Council Fails to Agree on N. Korea Statement
UNITED NATIONS, April 5 -- The U.N. Security Council meeting in an emergency session failed Sunday to reach agreement on a statement criticizing North Korea's rocket launch, as China and Russia said they were not convinced that Pyongyang had violated any U.N. rules by trying to send a satellite ...
Judge Orders Justice Department to Hand Over Documents in Stevens Case
A federal judge yesterday ordered the Justice Department to give him documents concerning allegations of misconduct by the team that prosecuted former senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) on corruption charges.
During Campaign, Obama Economic Advisers Were Paid Commentators
Some of President Obama's top economic advisers were paid, in some cases handsomely, for their commentaries in 2008 about tax policy, government bailouts of financial institutions, global trade and the economic recession, according to financial disclosure forms made public by the White House late...
NASA Awaits Word on Where It Is Going Next
NASA has a space station, three space shuttles, two moon rockets under development, a fleet of robotic space probes, dozens of satellites, tens of thousands of employees and a budget that is creeping toward $20 billion a year. What it needs is a boss.
GOP May Be Stuck on Cohesion
On the House floor Thursday, Republicans registered their unanimous opposition to President Obama's budget proposal. Led by Minority Leader John A. Boehner (Ohio) and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.), the GOP adopted a simple and oft-repeated mantra: The Democrats' fiscal blueprint "spends too much,...
Administration Seeks an Out on Bailout Rules for Firms
The Obama administration is engineering its new bailout initiatives in a way that it believes will allow firms benefiting from the programs to avoid restrictions imposed by Congress, including limits on lavish executive pay, according to government officials.
Gates Planning Major Changes in Defense Programs, Budget
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is expected to announce on Monday the restructuring of several dozen major defense programs as part of the Obama administration's bid to shift military spending from preparations for large-scale war against traditional rivals to the counterinsurgency programs that...
Iowa Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage
Iowa became the third state in the country and the first from the rural heartland to legalize same-sex marriage when its Supreme Court yesterday unanimously struck down the state's decade-long ban.
Congress Moves to Set Terms for Pakistan Aid
Just as it did with Iraq, Congress is moving toward imposing benchmarks that the Pakistani government must meet to qualify for billions of dollars of U.S. military assistance. But the proposed restrictions, introduced in House legislation Thursday, have made both the White House and the Pakistani...
Last Holdout Governor Agrees to Accept Stimulus Aid
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford backed down yesterday from his standoff with the White House over stimulus funding, becoming the last governor in the nation to officially announce that his state will accept economic recovery aid.
White House Economics Aide Summers Discloses Income
Lawrence H. Summers, one of President Obama's top economic advisers, collected roughly $5.2 million in compensation from hedge fund D.E. Shaw over the past year and was paid more than $2.7 million in speaking fees by several troubled Wall Street firms and other organizations.
Obama Holds Town Hall in Strasbourg, France
PRESIDENT OBAMA: (Extended cheers and applause.) Hey! Thank you! Thank you so much. Good afternoon. Bon apres-midi -- (cheers, applause) -- and guten tag.
Cynthia Bascetta: Fighting the GAO's Battle of New Orleans
After 30 years, Cynthia Bascetta of the Government Accountability Office was set to retire to her home in Fredericksburg, but then New Orleans called her name.
Obama, Merkel Hold a Press Conference
GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL: [As translated] (JOINED IN PROGRESS) the front of the building. This time, I welcome him to the south of Germany on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of NATO.
Congress Approves Budget
Congressional Democrats overwhelmingly embraced President Obama's ambitious and expensive agenda for the nation yesterday, endorsing a $3.5 trillion spending plan that sets the stage for the president to pursue his most far-reaching priorities.
As Crisis Loomed, Geithner Pressed But Fell Short
In September 2005, Timothy Geithner made one of his most visible moves as a supervisor of the U.S. banking system. He summoned the nation's top financial firms and their regulators to streamline an antiquated system that threatened Wall Street's boom.
Audit Faults Payment of $681,379 to OSHA Consultant
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration paid more than half a million dollars to a consultant from the home state of the agency's director without keeping any "work products" produced by the consultant, an act that violated the terms of a government contract, federal laws and regulations,...
Counterterrorism Official Urges Broader Approach to Foreign Policy
Michael E. Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, recently presented what could be termed a post-Bush administration view that meeting the threat of terrorism is critical but should not be the ultimate determinant of foreign policy decisions.
NRC Chief Attributes Top Ranking in Survey to 'Culture of Openness'
Perhaps being outside the Beltway gives the Nuclear Regulatory Commission a certain edge. Maybe it's the agency's bright, 18-story building -- a relative skyscraper by Washington standards -- that provides workers a lift. Or it could be the extensive, and cheap, fitness center that keeps employees...
Stevens Is Second Justice to Mark 89th Birthday in Court
John Paul Stevens yesterday did what only one other Supreme Court justice has ever done: He celebrated his 89th birthday on the bench.
U.S. Border Screening Under Fire
Civil liberties groups are renewing calls for the Obama administration to change screening at border posts by limiting questions about Americans' political beliefs and religious practices and establishing a process for U.S. citizens and residents who are mistakenly included on terrorist watch lists...
What to Watch
-- Washington gets back to the grind. President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton are back in the States, Congress is back in town (though only the Senate is in session), and the Supreme Court starts hearing oral arguments again.
Senate Returns to Consider Nominations-in-Limbo
Looks like showdown time in the Senate this week, probably this afternoon, on the nomination of veteran diplomat Christopher Hill to be ambassador to Iraq. Republican Sens. John McCain (Ariz.) and Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) had written President Obama to urge him to "reconsider" the nomination, saying...
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., following a Justice Department tradition, is honoring some of his predecessors by hanging their official portraits in his office and adjoining conference room. In addition to his former boss, Janet Reno, and childhood hero, Robert F. Kennedy, Holder selected E...
A Healthy Dose of Daschle
Former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle 's nomination to be secretary of health and human services and health-care reform czar may have blown up over his nonpayment of more than $100,000 in taxes, but his influence continues to be felt on the health policy front.
Energy Secretary Chu, on Power Sources Old and New
Steven Chu has likened his arrival in Washington as President Obama's energy secretary to being thrown into the deep end of the pool -- and he boasted this week that he hadn't yet drowned. The Nobel Prize-winning physicist and PhD moved from running a research lab in California to taking over a...
State Department Makes Changes After GAO Investigator Falsely Obtains Passports
The State Department has taken steps to tighten controls after an undercover investigator for the Government Accountability Office was able last month to obtain two U.S. passports by using bogus information.
Napolitano Defends Homeland Security Report on Right-Wing Extremism
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano responded yesterday to widespread criticism of a leaked domestic intelligence report warning local law enforcement agencies to be on guard for right-wing extremist groups seeking new recruits amid the nation's economic troubles.
Company Accused Of Contract Fraud to Pay GSA $128 Million
A data-storage company has agreed to pay the General Services Administration $128 million to settle a whistleblower complaint about its federal contracting, according to a securities filing by the company.
But Can He Shoot a Pirate in His Pajamas?
Some ardent conservatives, even Rush , have taken to praising President Obama for "a great job" in his handling of the rescue Sunday of captain Richard Phillips from pirates in the Indian Ocean.
Georgetown Law Professor Tapped to Lead FTC's Consumer Protection Division
The Federal Trade Commission yesterday named Georgetown University law professor David Vladeck as director of the agency's Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Report Urges Updating of Nuclear Weapons Policy
Talk of efforts to control nuclear arms typically focuses on sheer numbers of warheads and their explosive power.
Discrimination Cases Pile Up
These are troubled times for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as a combination of budget constraints and a sharply diminished staff has sent the caseload soaring. The 44-year-old commission is charged with enforcing the nation's job discrimination laws. But some cases alleging di...
Pentagon Prioritizes Pursuit Of Alternative Fuel Sources
For the Defense Department, the largest consumer of energy in the United States, addiction to fuel has greater costs than the roughly $18 billion the agency spent on it last year.
Gail Lovelace: Godmother of the Transition
Gail Lovelace is the Chief Human Capital Officer at the General Services Administration, but she has a big sign over her office doorway that more truly reflects her outgoing personality and approach to the job. It reads, "Chief People Officer."
US Nation / National Security
Pain Spreads as Credit Vise Grows Tighter
Lenders have become even less willing to part with their money, further crimping budgets and family spending.
For Rivals, Finance Crisis Is Posing on-the-Fly Tests
The presidential race has turned into an audition for who could best handle a national economic emergency.
Drug Label, Maimed Patient and Test for Court
At issue is whether plaintiffs have the right to sue when the products that hurt them had met federal standards.
After Impasse, New California Budget Agreement
California legislative leaders and the governor have come to an agreement on the state budget, which is now roughly three months late.
California Bans Texting by Operators of Trains
After investigators said an engineer in last week’s collision had been texting on the job, regulators temporarily banned the use of all cellular devices by anyone at the controls of a moving train.
Political Memo: Given G.O.P. Predicament, Rangel Opts to Ride Out the Storm
Democrats believe that a long list of Republican lawmakers with legal troubles makes it impossible for Republicans to gain much ground on the issues of ethics and good government.
Panel Proposes Broad Changes in Federal Financial Aid for College
The recommendations included a simpler application, Pell grant maximums linked to the consumer price index and federally financed college savings accounts for children in low-income families.
Chicago Unveils Multifaceted Plan to Curb Emissions of Heat-Trapping Gases
The blueprint would change the city’s building codes to promote energy efficiency, and it calls for installing huge solar panels at municipal properties and building alternative fueling stations.
Vast Bailout by U.S. Proposed in Bid to Stem Financial Crisis
Treasury and Fed officials were discussing with leaders in Congress a plan for the government to buy up distressed mortgages.
A Bid to Curb Profit Gambit as Banks Fall
A backlash against short sellers has begun, with regulators in the U.S. and Britain tightening rules and authorities in New York intensifying investigations.
Bush Emerges After Days of Financial Crisis
The president spoke briefly on Thursday after remaining largely out of sight as Wall Street has become engulfed by a financial crisis.
The New McCain: More Aggressive and Scripted on the Campaign Trail
Senator John McCain’s once easygoing if irreverent campaign presence — endearing to crowds, though often resulting in gaffes — has been put out to pasture.
Alaska Star May Add Luster to Tarnished Senator
As Gov. Sarah Palin has moved to the national stage, Senator Ted Stevens, who goes on trial next week, has risen in some opinion polls in Alaska.
Husband of Alaska Governor Refuses to Testify in Legislature’s Trooper Inquiry
Todd Palin was one of 13 people subpoenaed in the inquiry into whether Gov. Sarah Palin or members of her administration abused their power in the dismissal of a top state administrator.
The Ad Campaign: Obama Attacks McCain in a Bid to Attract Hispanic Voters
A Spanish-language Obama ad misrepresents John McCain’s record on the immigration issue and his relationship with Rush Limbaugh.
Agency and Bush Are Sued Over Domestic Surveillance
A privacy group filed a class-action lawsuit on Thursday seeking to halt what it describes as illegal surveillance of Americans’ telephone and Internet traffic.
Power Still Not Restored to Many in the Midwest
Remnants of Hurricane Ike swept through the region on Sunday, bringing torrential downpours and strong winds.
Action Is Sought to Ensure Timely Financing for V.A.
As the veterans’ health system strains to handle a growing caseload, a move is under way in Congress to avoid yearly delays in financing that can hamper the medical care of the nation’s veterans.
Simpson Defense Alleges Police Glee in His Arrest
O. J. Simpson’s legal team began Thursday to mount a defense that will sound familiar to anyone who followed his 1995 murder trial.
National Briefing | Midwest: Minnesota: Rebuilt Bridge Opens
Flashing headlights and honking horns penetrated the early-morning sky as police officers and first responders led drivers in a slow procession across the new Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis.
National Briefing | South: Mississippi: Rearranging the Ballot
Gov. Haley Barbour agreed to move a special election for Trent Lott’s former Senate seat to near the top of the November ballot, ending a dispute that had threatened to delay the start of absentee voting.
National Briefing | Northwest: Alaska: Concession in House Race
Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell of Alaska conceded to Representative Don Young in the Republican primary for Alaska’s only House seat.
National Briefing | Immigration: Meat Plant Names Top Executive
Agriprocessors Inc., an embattled kosher meatpacker with a plant in Postville, Iowa, named a corporate lawyer from New York to be its chief executive, responding to an ultimatum from the leading kosher certifying organization.
National Briefing | Religion: Pittsburgh Bishop Is Ousted
An Episcopal bishop, whose diocese is moving toward splitting from the national church, was ousted from ministry.
National Briefing | Midwest: Illinois: 4 More Murder Charges
A man charged in the killings of four people who died during a June killing spree in Illinois and Missouri has been charged with murder in four more bludgeoning deaths.
Bread Stays on Menu for Carp at Pennsylvania Lake
Every year, an estimated 500,000 people trek to a lake to see a veritable carpet of carp, and the state has temporarily called off a plan to force people to stop feeding bread to the fish.
Obama Open to Probe, Prosecutions of Top Officials Over Interrogations
President Obama today defended his opposition to prosecuting CIA employees who conducted harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects but left open the possibility that officials who approved the techniques could face legal liability.
Obama Cites CIA's Possible 'Mistakes' But Vows Support
President Obama traveled to the headquarters of the CIA yesterday to vow continued support for the agency despite weeks of revelations about the physical abuse and mental manipulation of terrorist suspects in its secret prisons.
Justice Dept. Memos' Careful Legalese Obscured Harsh Reality
The four Justice Department memos to the CIA's top lawyer that were released last week reflect an effort by Bush administration appointees to create finely tuned justifications for harsh interrogation techniques, all under a blanket of secrecy covering the agency's prisons and the questioning.
Gun-Trafficking Crackdown Hits Hurdle
PHOENIX -- It seemed a fortuitous alignment of justice and politics, George Iknadosian's trial beginning just as President Obama called for new attention to the flow of weapons from the United States to the drug cartels inside Mexico. The Phoenix gun dealer stood charged with selling hundreds of...
Approved Techniques
As approved in a May 10, 2005, Justice Department memo.
Role of Bush NSA Plan Under Review
The Bush administration planned last year to direct the National Security Agency, which specializes in spying electronically on foreign adversaries, to take the techniques it has employed to defend military computer networks and use them to protect U.S. government civilian networks, according to...
New Interrogation Details Emerge as Administration Releases Justice Department Memos
Justice Department documents released yesterday offer the fullest account to date of Bush administration interrogation tactics, including previously unacknowledged strategies of slamming a prisoner into a wall and placing an insect near a detainee terrified of bugs.
U.S. Lays Out Anti-Piracy Plan
The Obama administration yesterday called for expanding the international counterpiracy effort to deter Somali pirates, secure the release of hostage ships and crews, and freeze pirate assets, yet U.S. military officials said there are no immediate plans to devote more warships to the region.
U.S. Cargo Ship Reaches Kenya
MOMBASA, Kenya, April 11 -- The Maersk Alabama cargo ship docked at this Kenyan port city Saturday night, its American crew appearing tired but in high spirits, with some sailors leaning over the ship's railing to wave, ask for a beer and tell how they thwarted an attack by Somali pirates in the...
Obama Team Mulls Aims Of Somali Extremists
Senior Obama administration officials are debating how to address a potential terrorist threat to U.S. interests from a Somali extremist group, with some in the military advocating strikes against its training camps. But many officials maintain that uncertainty about the intentions of the al-Shabab...
Obama Follows Bush Policy on Detainee Access to Courts
The Obama administration yesterday appealed a judge's decision granting three detainees at a U.S. military prison in Afghanistan the right to challenge their detention in U.S. courts, arguing partly that compliance would inhibit the future capture of Pakistani citizens for detention by U.S. forces...
Gates Planning Major Changes in Defense Programs, Budget
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is expected to announce on Monday the restructuring of several dozen major defense programs as part of the Obama administration's bid to shift military spending from preparations for large-scale war against traditional rivals to the counterinsurgency programs that...
Obama, Medvedev Pledge Cooperation
LONDON, April 1 -- President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced the start of negotiations Wednesday on a new strategic arms-control treaty that would cut each nation's long-range nuclear arsenal further than previous agreements, inaugurating what both men indicated would be a more...
Unions Pressing for Bargaining Rights for TSA Employees
Border Patrol agents can do it. So can federal protective officers and U.S. Capitol Police. But Transportation Security Administration officers, who screen passengers at airports across the country, are not allowed to engage in collective bargaining.
Senate Legislation Would Federalize Cybersecurity
Key lawmakers are pushing to dramatically escalate U.S. defenses against cyberattacks, crafting proposals that would empower the government to set and enforce security standards for private industry for the first time.
Obama and Medvedev to Announce Broad U.S.-Russia Agreement
LONDON, March 31 -- In their first face-to-face meeting, President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev are expected to announce agreement Wednesday on a broad statement of principles for cooperation between the two nations aimed at easing an increasingly strained relationship.
Detainee's Harsh Treatment Foiled No Plots
When CIA officials subjected their first high-value captive, Abu Zubaida, to waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods, they were convinced that they had in their custody an al-Qaeda leader who knew details of operations yet to be unleashed, and they were facing increasing pressure from...
U.S., Mexico to Intensify Fight Against Violent Drug Gangs
MONTERREY, Mexico, March 26 -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday that Mexico and the United States had agreed to develop a "checklist" of tasks for both sides to intensify the fight against Mexican drug gangs engaged in a bloody turf war.
FBI Chief Urges Renewal of Patriot Act Measures That Will Expire in December
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III urged lawmakers yesterday to renew intelligence-gathering measures in the USA Patriot Act that are set to expire in December, calling them "exceptional" tools to help protect national security.
Obama's Approach to Protecting 'State Secrets' at Issue
Civil liberties advocates are accusing the Obama administration of forsaking campaign rhetoric and adopting the same expansive arguments that his predecessor used to cloak some of the most sensitive intelligence-gathering programs of the Bush White House.
U.S. to Step Up Battle Against Drug Trafficking Along Mexican Border
The Obama administration announced plans yesterday to move more than 450 law enforcement agents and equipment to the southern U.S. border to combat Mexican drug cartel violence, but its "comprehensive response" was also notable for what it omitted.
Possible Move of Guantanamo Detainees to Alexandria for Trial Raises Worries
An outcry is growing in Alexandria over a prospect no one seems to like: terrorist suspects in the suburbs.
Obama Plans Anti-Drug Effort on Border to Aid Mexico
President Obama is finalizing plans to move federal agents, equipment and other resources to the border with Mexico to support Mexican President Felipe Calderón's campaign against violent drug cartels, according to U.S. security officials.
Latest CIA Scandal Puts Focus on How Agency Polices Self
As a novice CIA case officer in the Middle East, Andrew Warren quickly learned the value of sex in recruiting spies. Colleagues say that he made an early habit of taking informants to strip clubs, and that he later began arranging out-of-town visits to brothels for his best recruits. Often Warren...
U.S. Could Hit N. Korean Missile, Says Commander
There is a "high probability" that the United States could knock down a North Korean missile aimed at this country, the Pentagon's military commander for the Pacific told Congress yesterday.
Suspected Al-Qaeda Agent Gets Hearing
Suspected al-Qaeda sleeper agent Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri spent years isolated in a U.S. Navy brig after authorities proclaimed him an enemy combatant in the Bush administration's long-running war against terrorism.
Pentagon Official Warns of Risk of Cyber Attacks
The head of the Pentagon's Strategic Command warned Congress today that the United States is vulnerable to cyberattacks "across the spectrum" and that more needs to be done to defend against the potential of online strikes, which could "potentially threaten not only our military networks, but als...
Iranian Suspected of Smuggling Weapons for Tehran Jailed in U.S.
A Tehran businessman who allegedly helped run a major weapons-smuggling ring for Iran was charged yesterday with multiple export-related crimes, two days after he was arrested in San Francisco after stepping off a flight from Europe.
Hardened U.S. Embassies Symbolic of Old Fears, Critics Say
UNITED NATIONS, March 12 -- Across the Manhattan street from the landmark buildings of the United Nations, a new architectural symbol of American outreach to the world is rising: an impenetrable concrete tower with 30-inch-thick concrete walls and no windows on its first seven floors.
Navy Sends Destroyer to Protect Surveillance Ship After Incident in South China Sea
The U.S. Navy has dispatched a guided-missile destroyer to the South China Sea after Chinese ships allegedly harassed an American ship operating there last weekend, a Pentagon official said yesterday.
Somali Americans Recruited by Extremists
Senior U.S. counterterrorism officials are stepping up warnings that Islamist extremists in Somalia are radicalizing Americans to their cause, citing their recruitment of the first U.S. citizen suicide bomber and their potential role in the disappearance of more than a dozen Somali American youths.
A Struggle Over U.S. Cybersecurity
The resignation of the federal government's cybersecurity coordinator highlights a power struggle underway over how best to defend the government's civilian computer networks against digital attacks.
Pentagon's Unwanted Projects in Earmarks
When President Obama promised Wednesday to attack defense spending that he considers wasteful and inefficient, he opened a fight with key lawmakers from his own party.
Federal Courts in Va., N.Y. May Take Some Guantanamo Cases
Federal authorities have finished compiling detailed electronic dossiers on 241 detainees who remain in the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and interagency review teams have begun studying the individual files. The process could see some suspects transferred to federal courts, possi...
Clinton 'Resets' Russian Ties -- and Language
GENEVA, March 6 -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday presented her Russian counterpart with a mock "reset button," a gesture designed to symbolize the U.S. desire to retool relations that grew testy during the Bush administration. But an American error in translating "reset"...
Senate Panel Agrees on Blueprint for Review of CIA Treatment of Terrorism Suspects
The Senate intelligence committee reached an agreement yesterday on the framework of a wide-ranging review of the CIA's past treatment of terrorism detainees, even as members acknowledged that the bulk of the panel's work will be conducted in secret.
Task Force Urges Broader Role for Nuclear Labs
The nation's nuclear weapons laboratories would be spun out of the Energy Department and become the center of an independent Agency for National Security Applications under a proposal to be released today by a bipartisan task force formed by the Stimson Center, a research organization devoted to...
Obama Team Seeks to Redefine Russia Ties
The Obama administration is preparing a wide-ranging set of initiatives designed to put shaky relations between the United States and Russia on a more solid footing, including resumption of strategic arms control talks as early as this spring, reactivation of the moribund NATO-Russia Council and ...
Obama Meets With British Prime Minister Brown
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Hello, everybody. Good to see you. Where -- where are the Brits? (UNKNOWN): They're over here.
Data About Presidential Copter Fleet Found in Iran
Potentially sensitive engineering documents about one of two types of helicopters in the U.S. presidential fleet were found on a computer in Iran after they were inadvertently disclosed by an American defense industry executive last year, according to a private cybersecurity company.
Obama Makes Overtures to Russia on Missile Defense
President Obama has sent a letter to his Russian counterpart that raises the prospect of the United States halting development of its missile defense program in Eastern Europe if Russia helps resolve the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program, senior administration officials said last night.
Post-9/11 Memos Show More Bush-Era Legal Errors
The number of major legal errors committed by Bush administration lawyers during the formulation of its early counterterrorism policies was far greater than previously known, according to internal Bush administration documents released for the first time by the Justice Department yesterday.
Obama Sets Timetable for Iraq Withdrawal, Calling It Part of Broader Middle East Strategy
President Obama yesterday fulfilled a campaign promise by setting a date for the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq, declaring that while the country they will leave behind will not be perfect, the United States will have reached its "achievable goals" and must move on.
Obama Addresses Involvement in Iraq
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Thank you very much. Please be seated.
Criminal Charges Said to Be Set for 'Enemy Combatant' Marri
The Justice Department is preparing to announce criminal charges against Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri for allegedly providing material support to al-Qaeda terrorists, sources said, a groundbreaking step that would place the alleged sleeper agent in the purview of the U.S. courts rather than before a...
Media Ban Lifted For Bodies' Return
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced yesterday that he is lifting a 1991 government ban on news coverage of the return of the remains of fallen service members to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and will let families decide whether to allow photographs and videos.
Former Top CIA Official Sentenced to 37 Months
A man who was the third-ranking official in the CIA was sentenced to 37 months in prison yesterday for corrupting the agency's contracts, the exact punishment sought by prosecutors who portrayed Kyle "Dusty" Foggo as an opportunist who tried to profit from the 2001 terrorist attacks.
National Security Structure Is Set
President Obama's first presidential directive, outlining the organization of his national security structure, adds the attorney general, the secretaries of energy and homeland security, and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to the formal National Security Council.
Senate Panel to Examine CIA Detainee Handling
The Senate intelligence committee is planning an unprecedented review of the CIA's handling of captured terrorist suspects, drawing back the curtain for the first time on the agency's use of waterboarding and other interrogation tactics inside secret CIA prisons, congressional sources said...
Britain Acknowledges 2 Detainees Are in U.S. Prison in Afghanistan
The British government, after years of denying it had any role in the U.S. policy of "extraordinary rendition," acknowledged yesterday that two prisoners its military forces turned over to U.S. custody in Iraq five years ago were subsequently sent to a U.S. prison in Afghanistan.
Files Unsealed Before Sentencing Detail Rule-Breaker's Rise at CIA
CIA officer Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, who pleaded guilty in September to wire fraud, rose steadily through the agency's ranks to become its third-highest-ranking official despite a record of misconduct and warnings in his personnel file that he was willing to disregard or break the agency's rules,...
Napolitano Puts Emphasis on Helping Mexico Fight Drug Cartels
Aiding the Mexican government's fight against drug cartels is a top priority that demands the "utmost attention" of U.S. security officials, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said yesterday, announcing new steps aimed at preventing the spillover of violence into the United States.
CIA Adds Economy To Threat Updates
The daily White House intelligence report that catalogs the top security threats to the nation has a grim new addition, reflecting the realities of the age: a daily update on the global financial crisis and its cascading effects on the stability of countries through the world.
Drone Attacks Inside Pakistan Will Continue, CIA Chief Says; Panetta Calls Strikes 'Successful' at Disrupting Insurgents
CIA Director Leon Panetta said yesterday that U.S. aerial attacks against al-Qaeda and other extremist strongholds inside Pakistan would continue, despite concerns about a popular Pakistani backlash.
In Speech to Congress, Obama Outlines His Plans for Economic Recovery
President Obama offered a grim portrait of America's plight in an address to a joint session of Congress last night, but he promised to lead an economic renewal that would lift the country out of its current crisis without bankrupting its future.
Classified Documents Allowed in Espionage Trial
A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that two former pro-Israel lobbyists accused of violating the Espionage Act can use classified information at trial, the latest setback for prosecutors in the closely watched case.
Master of War
For his heroic defensive fight on a ridge near Chattanooga, Tenn., Maj. Gen. George Thomas became known as "The Rock of Chickamauga." By any measure he was a great officer, fully deserving of the laurels heaped upon him at the end of the Civil War. The modern Army still studies his victories.
Obama, Gates at Odds Over Proposed Protections for National Security Whistleblowers
During an election featuring Democratic allegations that U.S. intelligence was distorted to justify a misbegotten war, Barack Obama endorsed new protections for national security officers who blow the whistle on abusive, corrupt or illegal behavior, by offering them the right to sue for damages and...
CIA Helped India, Pakistan Share Secrets in Probe of Mumbai Siege
In the aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, the CIA orchestrated back-channel intelligence exchanges between India and Pakistan, allowing the two former enemies to quietly share highly sensitive evidence while the Americans served as neutral arbiters, according to U.S. and foreign government...
U.S. Envoy Indicates Flexibility With Russia on Missile Defense
A more cooperative relationship with Russia that helps reduce the nuclear threat from Iran would be "one of the factors" influencing the Obama administration's decision on when and whether to install a missile defense system in eastern Europe, a senior U.S. diplomat said this week.
Stimulus Bill Would Aid Military Homeowners, Wounded
To help military personnel forced to sell their homes amid the current real estate crisis, the compromise stimulus bill contains $555 million for the secretary of defense to acquire title to a military person's property or reimburse the individual for losses after a private sale or foreclosure. The...
Financial Crisis Called Top Security Threat to U.S.
Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair told Congress yesterday that instability in countries around the world caused by the current global economic crisis, rather than terrorism, is the primary near-term security threat to the United States.
Obama Asks For Review Of Online Security
President Obama yesterday ordered a 60-day review of the nation's cybersecurity to examine how federal agencies use technology to protect secrets and data.
The Gamble: Did the Surge Work?
Thomas E. Ricks, author of "The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008," and Steven Biddle,
Obama's NSC Will Get New Power
President Obama plans to order a sweeping overhaul of the National Security Council, expanding its membership and increasing its authority to set strategy across a wide spectrum of international and domestic issues.
Obama Calls for More Narrowly Focused Policy for Afghan War
As President Obama prepares to formally authorize the April deployment of two additional combat brigades to Afghanistan, perhaps as early as this week, no issue other than the U.S. economy appears as bleak to his administration as the seven-year Afghan war and the regional challenges that surroun...
Holder Confirmed as Nation's First Black Attorney General Â? He Overcame Objections of Some in GOP
The Senate confirmed Eric H. Holder Jr. as the nation's first African American attorney general by a vote of 75 to 21 yesterday, opening a new chapter for a Justice Department that had suffered under allegations of improper political influence and policy disputes over wiretapping and harsh interr...
House Fortifies Whistleblower Protections
The House voted yesterday to strengthen whistleblower protections for federal employees, including those working for the Transportation Security Administration and others employed in national security areas.
U.S. Defends Transfers as Ex-Detainees Vow Terror
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Jan. 26 -- The re-emergence of two former Guantanamo Bay prisoners as al-Qaeda terrorists in the past week is not likely to change U.S. policy on transfers to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said Monday.
Many Bush Officials Held Over at DHS
Wary of being caught short-handed in case of a domestic crisis, the Obama administration has asked nearly two dozen Bush administration officials in the Department of Homeland Security to stay in their jobs until successors can be named.
Obama Reverses Bush Policies On Detention and Interrogation
President Obama took dramatic steps yesterday to reverse Bush administration policies on the detention and interrogation of suspected terrorists, ordering the closure of the U.S. detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and banning the use of controversial CIA interrogation techniques. But he left...
Obama Seeks Halt to Legal Proceedings at Guantanamo
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, Jan. 20 -- In one of its first actions, the Obama administration instructed military prosecutors late Tuesday to seek a 120-day suspension of legal proceedings involving detainees at the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- a clear break with the approach of the outgoing Bush...
Bush Commutes Sentences of Ex-Agents
Reserving his last acts of clemency for his final full day in office, President Bush yesterday commuted the sentences of two former U.S. Border Patrol agents whose convictions in 2006 for shooting a Mexican drug dealer sparked a passionate debate over the rights of illegal immigrants.
Inauguration Is Climax to Two Years Of Increasing Security Around Obama
As jubilant Democrats nominated Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for president in a Denver convention hall in late August, the U.S. Secret Service in Washington placed its largest ever order for bulletproof glass.
Bin Laden Son Is Probably in Pakistan, Intelligence Director Says
Osama bin Laden's son Saad, who played a role in al-Qaeda activities from Iran after the Sept. 11 attacks until he was placed under house arrest in 2003, is now probably in Pakistan, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell said yesterday.
Contempt Charges Will Stand In Terrorism-Related Case
A federal judge in Alexandria ruled yesterday that she would not throw out contempt-of-court charges against former professor Sami al-Arian, who has refused to cooperate with a terrorism investigation, and set his case for trial on March 9.
Napolitano, Obama's Homeland Security Nominee, Vows to Prosecute Employers of Illegal Immigrants
Janet Napolitano, President-elect Barack Obama's nominee to head the Department of Homeland Security, vowed yesterday at her Senate confirmation hearing to shift the focus of U.S. immigration enforcement from illegal workers to the prosecution of employers who hire those workers, signaling a clear...
Intelligence Court Releases Ruling in Favor of Warrantless Wiretapping
A special federal appeals court yesterday released a rare declassified opinion that backed the government's authority to intercept international phone conversations and e-mails from U.S. soil without a judicial warrant, even those involving Americans, if a significant purpose is to collect foreign...
Obama to Send More Troops to Afghanistan So Administration Has More Time to Evaluate Conflict
President-elect Barack Obama intends to sign off on Pentagon plans to send up to 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, but the incoming administration does not anticipate that the Iraq-like "surge" of forces will significantly change the direction of a conflict that has steadily deteriorated ov...
Obama Under Pressure On Interrogation Policy
President-elect Barack Obama introduced his nominees to head his national security team on Friday. But now Obama begins a perilous balancing act to fulfill his pledge to make a clean break with the detention and interrogation policies of the Bush administration while still effectively ensuring the...
Obama Picks CIA Veteran Brennan as Counterterror Adviser
Barack Obama has picked John O. Brennan as his top adviser on counterterrorism, a role that will give the CIA veteran a powerful voice on the government's use of security contractors and on other sensitive issues in which he recently has played a private-sector role.
Panel Urges Keeping U.S. Nuclear Arms In Europe
The United States should keep tactical nuclear bombs in Europe and even consider modernizing older warheads on cruise missiles to maintain credibility with allies who depend on the U.S. weapons for security, according to a report released yesterday by a high-level task force appointed by Defense...
Jan. 1 Attack By CIA Killed Two Leaders Of Al-Qaeda
A New Year's Day CIA strike in northern Pakistan killed two top al-Qaeda members long sought by the United States, including the man believed to be behind September's deadly suicide bombing at a Marriott hotel in the Pakistani capital, U.S. counterterrorism officials confirmed yesterday.
Obama Builds Powerful Team of White House Advisers
President-elect Barack Obama is assembling a new and influential cadre of counselors just steps from the Oval Office whose power to direct domestic policy will rival, if not exceed, the authority of his Cabinet.
Judge's Order Could Keep Public From Hearing Details of 9/11 Trials
The military judge overseeing proceedings against five of the men accused of planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks signed an order designed to protect classified information that is so broad it could prevent public scrutiny of the most important trial at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to lawyers and...
Panetta's Peers Back Him for CIA
As a top official at the White House in 1996, Richard A. Clarke was looking for an ally after concluding that the CIA and FBI needed an additional $1 billion for counterterrorism programs. Officials at the Office of Management of Budget were dismissive of the request, so Clarke sought an audience...
Bush Says His Post-9/11 Actions Prevented Further Terrorism
President Bush took credit yesterday for "keeping America safe" from terrorists since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, arguing that his administration had prevented more bloodshed at home through aggressive policies and that such a result should outweigh any second-guessing of his methods.
Cleaning Service Used by Chertoff Calls Immigration Laws Unfair
Every few weeks for nearly four years, the Secret Service screened the IDs of employees for a Maryland cleaning company before they entered the house of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, the nation's top immigration official.
Offer of Plea Serves Mohammed and Bush
Khalid Sheik Mohammed has famously proclaimed himself an "enemy of Americans," but yesterday he found himself strangely in accord with the Bush administration: The White House and the terrorism suspect both appeared intent on bringing about a conclusion to his case before the current president...
U.S. Shoots Downs Missile in Simulation of Long-Range Attack
The U.S. military yesterday shot down a missile in a test simulating a long-range ballistic missile attack by a potential adversary such as North Korea or Iran, senior defense officials said.
Strategic Command Chief Urges Quick Nuclear Weapons Modernization
The leader of the U.S. Strategic Command said yesterday that "time is not on our side" to modernize the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile, particularly as China and Russia upgrade their nuclear warheads and delivery systems.
New Pentagon Policy Says Â?Irregular Warfare' Will Get Same Attention as Traditional Combat
The Pentagon this week approved a major policy directive that elevates the military's mission of "irregular warfare" -- the increasingly prevalent campaigns to battle insurgents and terrorists, often with foreign partners and sometimes clandestinely -- to an equal footing with traditional combat.
Experts' Report Urges Changes in National Security System
A bipartisan panel of foreign policy experts, including some associated with the incoming Obama administration, has recommended changes in the White House national security apparatus that would provide the president and his staff with new tools to ensure interagency cooperation.
Chertoff Cites Mumbai Attacks in Calling for Tighter U.S. Security
The Nov. 26 terrorist attacks on Mumbai underscore the need for U.S. authorities to counter the security threat posed by small boats, strengthen the U.S. Coast Guard and keep the Federal Emergency Management Agency within the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Michael Chertoff said yester...
Experience Will Be Prime Asset for Obama's Intelligence Chiefs
President-elect Barack Obama faces a dilemma in selecting his top intelligence advisers: finding experienced leaders who understand the challenges facing the various U.S. intelligence agencies -- but who are untainted by the controversies and problems that have plagued the intelligence apparatus ...
Federal-Employee Unions Angered as Bush Bars National Security Workers
Government unions yesterday criticized a White House executive order that bars certain workers at five federal departments from joining a union because they are engaged in intelligence gathering, investigations and other national security work.
Success of Clinton Choice Hinges on Rapport
Leaving the news conference in Chicago yesterday where he introduced his national security team, President-elect Barack Obama strolled out of the room arm in arm with his choice for secretary of state and onetime rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton. The gesture may have been a subtle indication that Obama...
Obama Names National Security Team
President-elect Barack Obama's high-powered national security team, introduced yesterday at a Chicago news conference, faces the challenge of managing two wars and various ongoing foreign policy crises even as it helps the president-elect shape what he called "a new beginning, a new dawn of Ameri...
Report Sounds Alarm on Threat of Weapons of Mass Destruction
The odds that terrorists will soon strike a major city with weapons of mass destruction are now better than even, a bipartisan congressionally mandated task force concludes in a draft study that warns of growing threats from rogue states, nuclear smuggling networks and the spread of atomic know-how...
A Pragmatic Pair Chosen to Confront Terrorism Threat
In nominating former federal prosecutors to lead the departments of Justice and Homeland Security, President-elect Barack Obama yesterday selected two Democrats with sterling law-and-order credentials but less experience in detecting threats and gathering intelligence in the age of international...
Pentagon to Detail Troops to Bolster Domestic Security
The U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials.
Top Officers Hopeful That Obama Will Bring More Realistic View Than Bush
Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, went unarmed into his first meeting with the new commander in chief -- no aides, no PowerPoint presentation, no briefing books. Summoned nine days ago to President-elect Barack Obama's Chicago transition office, Mullen showed up with...
Bipartisan Report Finds U.S. Vulnerable to Bioterrorism Attack
Seven years after the 2001 anthrax attacks, a congressionally ordered study finds a growing threat of biological terrorism and calls for aggressive defenses on par with those used to prevent a terrorist nuclear detonation.
At the Last Minute, a Raft of Rules
In a burst of activity meant to leave a lasting stamp on the federal government, the Bush White House in the past month has approved 61 new regulations on environmental, security, social and commercial matters that by its own estimate will have an economic impact exceeding $1.9 billion annually.
245%
Homeland Security's Next Mission: Self-Improvement
When it comes to improving worker morale, Janet Napolitano may wonder what she's gotten herself into.
Federal Agency Aided Md. Spying
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security tracked the protest plans of a peaceful Washington area antiwar group and passed the information to the Maryland State Police, which had previously labeled the activists as terrorists in an intelligence file.
Planning Agency Approves Homeland Security Complex
After years of battling historic preservationists, the federal government won approval yesterday to build a massive headquarters for the Department of Homeland Security on a 176-acre hilltop site east of the Anacostia River.
TV Preview: ABC's 'Homeland Security USA'
Homeland security may not be a laughing matter, but ABC's new "Homeland Security USA" has a certain fitful risibility -- like when border agents capture a cache of sinister plastic toys, or discover that one of the items seized as "confiscated food" and initially identified as "a prohibited meat item of unknown origin" turns out to be barbecued bat from Thailand. Eeeuuww.
Editorial -- A Chilling New Report on the Department of Homeland Security's Primary Purpose
BY ALL ACCOUNTS, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) is an inspired choice for homeland security secretary. If Ms. Napolitano is confirmed, President-elect Barack Obama will get a skilled and highly regarded border-state governor and former state attorney general and U.S. attorney on the front lines of the immigration debate. That will be key to fulfilling the border security mandate of the department. But let's not forget what led to the formation of the agency: the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Terrorism prevention is and must remain priority No. 1.
Homeland Security Pick Napolitano Praised by Left and Right Alike
President-elect Barack Obama's pending selection of Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) as secretary of homeland security was greeted yesterday as a sign that the new Democratic administration will fundamentally change the tone of the nation's post-Sept. 11 approach to domestic security.
Ariz. Governor Said to Be Pick For Homeland Security Post
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D), whose handling of immigration issues brought her accolades from fellow governors, is President-elect Barack Obama's choice to serve as secretary of homeland security, Democratic sources said late Wednesday.
Homeland Security to Ease Rules on Federal Contractors' Hiring of Illegal Immigrants
In a concession to business groups, the Homeland Security Department will significantly scale back its planned crackdown this winter on federal contractors that hire illegal immigrants.
Taking Liberties At Homeland Security
Regarding the Aug. 20 front-page article "Citizens' U.S. Border Crossings Tracked":
Homeland Security Comes to Vermont
DERBY LINE, Vt. -- The changes started coming slowly to this small town where the U.S. border with Canada runs across sleepy streets, through houses and families, and smack down the middle of the shared local library.
Morale at Homeland Security Still Shaky After Five Years
Most employees at the Department of Homeland Security like their work, believe it is important and cooperate with others to get the job done. That, no doubt, is a great comfort to the department's senior leaders.
Bush Fills Key Posts In Homeland Security
President Bush yesterday tapped veteran prosecutor Kenneth L. Wainstein to serve as his White House homeland security adviser as he moved to name another key counterterrorism official and defuse criticism that he has left important positions unfilled.
Homeland Security's Struggle
The Department of Homeland Security celebrates its fifth birthday this week, and hopefully not with a bang. This has to be the only agency in government whose biggest achievement is when nothing happens.
Homeland Security Chief To Lose Job In Overhaul
Homeland security chief Gordon Aoyagi is planning to end his 23-year career with the county in the spring. Aoyagi's plans were inadvertently disclosed at County Executive Isiah Leggett's news conference last week to flesh out his reorganization of government departments and agencies.
Homeland Security Prepares for Its First Transition
The handoff to the next administration is a year off, but Paul. A. Schneider, the acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security, is making plans and keeping track of key lieutenants with a color-coded chart.
Funds Cut for Homeland Security Headquarters
Congress has eliminated hundreds of millions of dollars requested by President Bush for 2008 to start building a giant headquarters for the Department of Homeland Security in the District, officials said yesterday.
Homeland Security Adviser Townsend Leaving White House
President Bush's chief terrorism adviser announced yesterday that she is stepping down early next year, the latest in a series of high-level exits from the White House as the Bush presidency heads toward its final year.
ICx Technologies Debuts on Stock Market
ICx Technologies, an Arlington homeland security company with a slate of former government officials serving as board members and top executives, went public yesterday, raising $80 million.
Homeland Security Retreats From Facets of 'Real ID'
The Bush administration is easing its demand for tough national standards for driver's licenses, acting at the behest of state officials who say the "Real ID" plan is unworkable and too costly, officials familiar with the new policy said.
N.Y. Will Offer Secure Driver's Licenses to Citizens
The Bush administration and New York announced an agreement yesterday to create a generation of super-secure driver's licenses for U.S. citizens, but also to allow illegal immigrants to get a version.
Homeland Security's Use of Contractors Is Questioned
At the Department of Homeland Security, contract employees help write job descriptions for new headquarters workers. Private contractors also sign letters that officially offer employment. And they meet new government hires on their first day on the job.
Scouting a New Home For Homeland Security
Federal officials will seek approval starting this week for plans to build a giant headquarters for the Department of Homeland Security, a $3 billion undertaking that would transform a dilapidated but historic site in Anacostia.
Homeland Security Revises Rule for Disciplinary Appeals
A key rule designed to streamline the handling of major disciplinary appeals by Department of Homeland Security employees is in place -- almost five years after President Bush set it in motion.
Charles County Wins Largest Of Homeland Security Grants
Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) announced this week that he has secured more than $1 million in federal homeland security grant funds for Southern Maryland.
GAO Criticizes Homeland Security's Efforts to Fulfill Its Mission
Hobbled by inadequate funding, unclear priorities, continuing reorganizations and the absence of an overarching strategy, the Department of Homeland Security is failing to achieve its mission of preventing and responding to terrorist attacks or natural disasters, according to a comprehensive report by the Government Accountability Office.
Homeland Security Drops Data-Mining Tool
The Department of Homeland Security has given up on one of its broadest anti-terrorism data-mining tools after investigators found it was tested with information about real people without the required privacy safeguards.
Congress Approves Homeland Security Bill in 2 Strong Votes
Congress gave final approval yesterday to legislation that requires tighter screening of air and sea cargo, and shifts more federal anti-terrorism grants to high-risk areas such as New York and Washington, delivering on a pledge by Democrats last fall to implement additional recommendations of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Turnover Rate Stabilizes at Homeland Security
On issues of staffing, there is a glimmer of progress at the Department of Homeland Security.
Tussle Over St. Elizabeths
When Rob Nieweg of the National Trust for Historic Preservation toured the abandoned west campus of old St. Elizabeths Hospital a few years ago, he was eager to explore Hitchcock Hall, the theater for the nation's first federal mental institution. As Nieweg waited to get his bearings in the dingy twilight, he heard a foreboding sound -- running water.
Earmark Dispute Bogs Down Homeland Security Bill
The congressional spending season began with a blowup over earmarks in the House yesterday, as the first bill to reach a vote prompted a White House veto threat and scores of amendments from Republicans furious with Democrats' handling of pet-project spending in the measures.
D.C. Hydrants and Homeland Security
Nearly six years and hundreds of millions of dollars in homeland security "investment" after Sept. 11, 2001, and evidently the nation's capital is uncertain about the working condition of its fire hydrants ["More D.C Fire Hydrants May Be Broken," front page, May 24]. Homemade bombs being the current weapon of choice among terrorists, one would imagine that functioning hydrants would be a first priority in the war against this threat. Evidently that is an incorrect assumption.
A Slow Go at Homeland Security
It's no secret that the government's biggest reorganization in 50 years has been troubled.
Former Ehrlich Aide Becomes Homeland Security Coordinator
The Department of Homeland Security yesterday named a former Maryland official and ex-Marine to coordinate disaster and anti-terrorism preparations for the D.C. area.
A Witness To Homeland Security's Birth
It has been eight years since Darrell Darnell applied for work in a newly established Justice Department office that helped states and cities prepare for a catastrophic attack.
Sensible Security Fixes
ALONG-DORMANT battle over the Department of Homeland Security's labor practices resurfaced last week in the Senate. The White House threatened to veto a generally sensible homeland security bill that was based on the Sept. 11 commission's recommendations, because of a provision that would allow Transportation Security Administration employees to engage in collective bargaining. In the Senate, 36 Republicans are promising to sustain that decision by President Bush.
Bill on Foreign Investment Advances
The House agreed yesterday to give the government broader powers to review foreign investments in U.S. power plants, ports and other facilities that could be vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
Rep. Jefferson to Get Homeland Security Seat
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who yanked embattled Rep. William J. Jefferson off a powerful tax committee last year, has decided to put him on the Homeland Security panel, aides to the Louisiana Democrat confirmed yesterday.
Senators Would Elevate Top Manager at Homeland Security
Many members of Congress are frustrated by the Department of Homeland Security's performance as it nears the fourth anniversary of its launch. The department's woes include contracting and budget problems, a sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina, turnover in senior ranks and a workforce that gives low scores to its senior leadership in attitude surveys.
Democrats See Holes In President's Budget Plan
President Bush's proposed 2008 budget would provide hundreds of millions of dollars for projects in the Washington area, including a new Homeland Security complex in Southeast and improvements to roads and Metro.
Homeland Security Employees Feeling the Blues
The employees have spoken.
The Homeland Security Pageant
First came duct tape. Then the airport liquid ban. And yesterday, officials unveiled the latest development in the country's war on terror: an American Idol-style contest for homeland security inventors.
Contractor's Handguns Missing From Homeland Security Vault
The Department of Homeland Security said yesterday that it is investigating how four handguns recently went missing from its headquarters in Northwest Washington.
Careless Contracting
THE DEPARTMENT of Homeland Security is an MBA's nightmare. When Congress cobbled DHS together in 2002, it took apart and reassembled elements from disparate federal agencies into an uneasy consolidation, too big and too varied, some say, for even the department's tireless head, Michael Chertoff, to adequately control. Instead of synergy, a fair measure of incompetence followed, including, The Post reported Wednesday, embarrassingly poor oversight of the billions of dollars the department has paid to private
A Severe Case of Homeland Insecurity
After a long, tough day of screening luggage at Dulles International Airport, Michael Sbandi and Joel Mayer retired to the Sweetwater Tavern for a few drinks. A few became too many, and right about closing time, a big crate that appeared on the floor of the bar suddenly struck the two young men as a challenge.
A National Priority
EVEN BEFORE Sept. 11, 2001, emergency care specialists at Washington Hospital Center had been developing plans to better deal with the medical consequences of horrific events such as terrorism, disasters and epidemics. The result -- an emergency facility able to cope with catastrophe -- will become a reality only if Congress funds a project that is vital to the Washington area and important to the entire country.
Book Provides Lessons on Managing Emergencies and Strengthening Homeland Security
In March 1964, a great earthquake shattered homes, harbors, roads, and water and sewer systems in Alaska, destroying communities vital to the state's economic life. Without significant rebuilding before the winter freeze, officials feared, citizens would be forced to flee to the lower 48 states.
Bush Balks at Criteria for FEMA Director
President Bush reserved the right to ignore key changes in Congress's overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency -- including a requirement to appoint someone with experience handling disasters as the agency's head -- in setting aside dozens of provisions contained in a major homeland security spending bill this week.
Homeland Security Department Ends Litigation on Workplace Rules
At the Department of Homeland Security, litigation over new workplace rules is out.
Homeland Security Bill Is More Style Than Substance, Analysts Say
Eager to showcase fresh votes on national security before the fall elections, Congress has loaded a $34 billion homeland security spending bill with measures to beef up defenses at the nation's borders, ports and chemical plants and to revamp its disaster management.
Homeland Security Strategy Approved
After two years of painstaking effort, officials from the Washington region approved a homeland security strategic plan yesterday, listing steps to improve disaster response in everything from decontaminating victims of a chemical attack to providing for stranded pets.
Emergency Readiness Questioned
The Department of Homeland Security is taking a critical look at how well the Washington area is prepared for a terrorist strike or other disaster, amid complaints by business leaders and the local congressional delegation about a lack of sufficient emergency planning since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Sept. 11 Reflections And Remembrances
On Monday, we observe the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. I hope we all pause to honor those who lost their lives on that day in New York, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pa. It is important that we all commemorate those who sacrificed so much and remember their bravery in the face of uncertainty.
Ashcroft Finds Private-Sector Niche
Former U.S. attorney general John D. Ashcroft, whose tenure saw the creation of a burgeoning homeland security industry, has emerged as the highest-ranking former Bush administration official to lobby for and invest in companies in that field.
Homeland Security Department Praised for Its Response
The domestic response to yesterday's arrests in Britain drew cautious praise for the Bush administration's often beleaguered Department of Homeland Security.
Homeland Security Contracts Abused
The multibillion-dollar surge in federal contracting to bolster the nation's domestic defenses in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has been marred by extensive waste and misspent funds, according to a new bipartisan congressional report.
Defense and Homeland Security Execs Light on Pay Scale
Pay for federal executives at two key departments -- Defense and Homeland Security -- lagged most other agencies in fiscal 2005, a recently released report shows.
Homeland Security Official to Join Hunton
Hunton & Williams LLP said Maureen C. Cooney, the acting chief privacy officer at the Department of Homeland Security, will join the firm's privacy and information management practice in the District office in September.
Homeland Security Picks 25 Firms to Compete for IT Work
Homeland Security officials yesterday announced 25 winners of the largest technology contract in the department's short history, a deal that could be worth up to $45 billion over the next seven years.
Calling On Hollywood's Terrorism 'Experts'
Despite the unabated threat of terrorism and the arrival of another hurricane season, the nation's top Homeland Security official had time yesterday to publicly ponder this question:
Unions Compete to Represent Homeland Security Employees
The union election is one of the largest ever conducted inside the government. The winner gets a larger voice on high-profile issues, such as terrorism and immigration, and could pick up thousands of new dues-paying members.
Anti-Terror Funding Cut In D.C. and New York
The Department of Homeland Security yesterday slashed anti-terrorism money for Washington and New York, part of an immediately controversial decision to reduce grant funds for major urban areas in the Northeast while providing more to mid-size cities from Jacksonville to Sacramento.
Homeland Security Turnover Hurts Morale, Officials Testify
It's no secret that morale is a problem at the Homeland Security Department, created three years ago in a mega-merger that pulled together 185,000 employees working in more than 220 occupations.
America the Unprepared
OPEN TARGET
A 'Patriot' Shares the Skinny on Homeland Security
Loop readers know the heart-warmingly redemptive tale of Michael D. Brown , the former Bush loyalist tossed out of his FEMA job after Hurricane Katrina, only to emerge as a vocal administration critic and speech-giving consultant.
Senate Report Urges Dismantling of FEMA
Hurricane Katrina exposed flaws in the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security that are "too substantial to mend," and FEMA should be dismantled and rebuilt inside the troubled department, according to the final report by Senate investigators.
At Homeland Security, No Money Left Behind
Vendors at this week's homeland security convention have the answer for any catastrophe. They will sell you body armor, vehicle barriers, nuclear detectors, manhole-cover locks, unmanned helicopters -- and Kyrgyz yurts.
Mediating the Fracas Over 'Flexibility' at Homeland Security
"You know what Justice Black used to say? Flexibility is mush."
Homeland Security Pay Plan Goes Forward, but Unions Are Wary
The Department of Homeland Security is moving ahead with its plan to change how it evaluates and pays employees, even as it tries to fend off unions in court.
So Much for Straight Talk On Homeland Security
In a town famous for its bureaucratese and organizational mumbo jumbo, the written testimony of the Washington area's homeland security official last week stands out for its abstruseness.
Homeland Security's Management Undersecretary to Step Down
A top Homeland Security official who has worked for three years to meld 22 agencies into a Cabinet department will resign in early May.
Montgomery Homeland Security Unit's Scope Challenged
When it comes to defending the homeland in suburbia, Montgomery County stands alone.
Federal Offices May Go To St. E's
Federal officials are looking to move some of the Department of Homeland Security offices to the St. Elizabeths Hospital campus in Southeast Washington, a plan that would create a massive federal facility and possibly relocate thousands of regional employees.
Acts of Heroism Shine Through Homeland Security's Humiliation
Wiseguys at the Department of Homeland Security whisper that the brass has decided to rate the performance of employees on a five-level system:
Policing Porn Is Not Part of Job Description
Two uniformed men strolled into the main room of the Little Falls library in Bethesda one day last week and demanded the attention of all patrons using the computers. Then they made their announcement: The viewing of Internet pornography was forbidden.
Disaster Response Changes Promised
The Bush administration acknowledged its mistakes yesterday and promised anew to re-engineer the nation's homeland security agencies in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, scrambling to contain the damage from sharp criticism by House investigators and testimony by the former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Katrina Report Spreads Blame
Hurricane Katrina exposed the U.S. government's failure to learn the lessons of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as leaders from President Bush down disregarded ample warnings of the threat to New Orleans and did not execute emergency plans or share information that would have saved lives, according to a blistering report by House investigators.
Data Show Homeland Security's Massive Impact on Government
The Office of Personnel Management has posted some new data that give you a sense of how the creation of the Department of Homeland Security ricocheted across the government.
Homeland Security Case A Harbinger for Pentagon
The legal battle over the Defense Department's plan to overhaul its civil service system begins Tuesday, and the outcome could reverberate through the government for decades.
Homeland Security Is Faulted in Audit
Nearly three years after it was formed, the immense Department of Homeland Security remains hampered by severe management and financial problems that contributed to the flawed response to Hurricane Katrina, according to an independent audit released yesterday.
Post-9/11 Rush Mixed Politics With Security
As a small start-up company in Massachusetts sought to become a major player in the business of homeland security, it hired a lobbyist and attended a fundraiser for one of the most powerful members of Congress.
Post-9/11 Rush Mixed Politics With Security
As a small start-up company in Massachusetts sought to become a major player in the business of homeland security, it hired a lobbyist and attended a fundraiser for one of the most powerful members of Congress.
Reauthorize the Patriot Act
On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists inspired by hatred murdered nearly 3,000 innocent Americans. In response, Congress overwhelmingly passed the USA Patriot Act. Now, before it adjourns for the year, Congress must act again to reauthorize this critical piece of legislation. Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations are at work: Their stated goal is to kill Americans, cripple our economy and demoralize our people.
Turning a New Page At Homeland Security
V ince Kelly is spending a lot of time lately trying to convince officials at the Homeland Security Department that he's got the solution, or at least part of it, to their emergency communication problems.
Ridge Assesses Storm Response
U.S. officials failed to employ a national disaster plan before Hurricane Katrina struck, but even if they had, the plan was so untested that it would not have made a dramatic difference, former homeland security secretary Tom Ridge said yesterday.
Senators' Bill Would Set Standards for Homeland Security Leadership Hires
T he terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, prompted calls to reinvigorate the government and led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Hurricane Katrina underscored why leadership is critical to the department's success.
Homeland Security Chief Backs Va. Site for Crisis Post
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff suggested yesterday that Washington area jurisdictions designate a site for a joint emergency command center where government representatives would convene in the event of a catastrophic incident.
The High Price Of Homeland Security
For the past year, The Post has been examining the cost and effectiveness of the homeland security systems set up to protect the nation after Sept. 11, 2001. To read more of the continuing coverage, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/dhsspending .
Sept. 11 Suspects Go on Trial in Madrid
The trial of Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas and two other men begins in Madrid on Friday after a 3 1/2 -year investigation into the role Spain may have played as a staging ground for the Sept. 11 attacks.
9/11 Jets Blew Off WTC's Fireproofing
The hijacked airplanes that struck the World Trade Center hit with such force that the resulting explosions blew the fireproofing off the steel columns, accelerating heat buildup and weakening the structural core -- contributing to the towers' eventual collapse, according to a report issued Tuesday.
Views of Va. Muslim Leader Differ as Terror Trial Opens
He's a terrorist using his "rock star" status to incite his devoted followers to wage war against the United States.
Terrorist Case Puts Words of Muslim on Trial
The case against an Islamic leader reflects the power of words in the post-Sept. 11 climate, and poses a test of the free-speech rights.
Panel Ignored Evidence on Detainee
A military tribunal last fall found that Murat Kurnaz, a German national detained at Guantanamo Bay since early 2002, was an enemy combatant, despite considerable U.S. and German intelligence that he had no link to terrorist activities, according to recently declassified evidence obtained by The Washington Post.
Detainee Allegedly Helped Bin Laden Flee
A terrorism suspect held at Guantanamo Bay helped the al Qaeda leader escape his mountain hideout at Tora Bora in 2001, according to a U.S. government document.
High Court Declines to Hear Terror Case
The U.S. Supreme Court Monday declined to enter the protracted battle over whether Zacarias Moussaoui can interview top al Qaeda witnesses, clearing the way for the only U.S. trial stemming from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to begin as early as this fall.
Chertoff Orders Agency Review at DHS
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has launched a top-to-bottom review of the 180,000-employee department and will consider revamping entire agencies and programs that are part of it.
Musharraf Says Forces Nearly Nabbed Osama
Pakistan's president said in an interview broadcast Tuesday that the Pakistani army might have come close to capturing Osama bin Laden near the Afghan border last year.
Europe Stalled in Fight Against Terrorism
One year after the Madrid attacks, Europe's fight against terrorism remains hampered by some of the same national rivalries, fragmented intelligence services and bureaucratic obstacles.
Yemeni Cleric, Aide Convicted
A Yemeni cleric and his assistant were convicted Thursday in U.S. federal court of conspiring to funnel money to al Qaeda and Hamas.
9/11 Lawyer Bolsters Defendant's Alibi
The U.S. commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks found no direct evidence that the Hamburg-based radicals who hijacked the four airliners shared details of the plot with a Moroccan man on trial here, a lawyer for the commission testified Wednesday.
9/11 Panel's Findings Strain German Case
HAMBURG, March 8 -- An attorney for the Sept. 11 commission testified Tuesday that the conspiracy to fly hijacked airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon was conceived and planned outside Germany, complicating prosecutors' efforts to convict a Moroccan man for aiding the Hamburg cell that carried out the attacks.
Identification of 9/11 Victims Reaches Limits
The city medical examiner's office in New York said that it is halting the painstaking job of trying to identify more remains of those who died in the 2001 attacks on the twin towers. Forty-two percent of the 2,749 victims remain unidentified.
Papers Offer New Clues On 9/11 Hijackers' Travel
Declassified documents from the Sept. 11 commission released last week offer new clues to a lingering mystery of the 2001 terrorist attacks: Why did the plot's mastermind, Mohamed Atta, begin his journey that day in Portland, Maine, instead of Boston?
Report Says FAA Got 52 Warnings Before 9/11
Agency received warnings in the months before Sept. 11, 2001, that al Qaeda hoped to attack airlines.
Terror Law Used Against N.Y. Gang
As New York prepares , critics say post-9/11 legislation is being applied too broadly.
Judge Rules Detainee Tribunals Illegal
The special military reviews established by the Pentagon are called illegal, prisoners at Guantanamo must be allowed to contest detention in U.S. courts.
Amid Praise, Chertoff's Post-9/11 Role Doubted
Following September 11, 2001, few questioned then-Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff 's urgency, but his critics contend that he was not candid with a Senate committee that he offered reassurance to on two fronts.
Yemeni Cleric's Conspiracy Trial Begins
A Yemeni cleric was captured on secretly recorded tapes discussing fundraising for terrorist groups in an elaborate sting operation that spanned the Atlantic, federal prosecutors said Friday as the trial of Sheik Mohammed Ali Hassan Moayad got under way here.
Obama Open to Probe, Prosecutions of Top Officials Over Interrogations
President Obama today defended his opposition to prosecuting CIA employees who conducted harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects but left open the possibility that officials who approved the techniques could face legal liability.
Obama Cites CIA's Possible 'Mistakes' But Vows Support
President Obama traveled to the headquarters of the CIA yesterday to vow continued support for the agency despite weeks of revelations about the physical abuse and mental manipulation of terrorist suspects in its secret prisons.
Contracts
CACI International of Arlington won a $38 million contract from the Army to supply program management support for an intelligence system.
Justice Dept. Memos' Careful Legalese Obscured Harsh Reality
The four Justice Department memos to the CIA's top lawyer that were released last week reflect an effort by Bush administration appointees to create finely tuned justifications for harsh interrogation techniques, all under a blanket of secrecy covering the agency's prisons and the questioning.
Interrogation Memos Detail Psychologists' Involvement; Ethicists Outraged
When the CIA began what it called an "increased pressure phase" with captured terrorism suspect Abu Zubaida in the summer of 2002, its first step was to limit the detainee's human contact to just two people. One was the CIA interrogator, the other a psychologist.
New Interrogation Details Emerge as Administration Releases Justice Department Memos
Justice Department documents released yesterday offer the fullest account to date of Bush administration interrogation tactics, including previously unacknowledged strategies of slamming a prisoner into a wall and placing an insect near a detainee terrified of bugs.
Role of Bush NSA Plan Under Review
The Bush administration planned last year to direct the National Security Agency, which specializes in spying electronically on foreign adversaries, to take the techniques it has employed to defend military computer networks and use them to protect U.S. government civilian networks, according to current and former officials.
Problems in Wiretapping Bring Change
Justice Department officials have ordered changes to a secret U.S. eavesdropping program after discovering that the wiretaps were inadvertently capturing communications between Americans who were not targets of the program, intelligence and law enforcement officials said yesterday.
Hill Response to Plans Pleases Pentagon Chief
FORT RUCKER, Ala., April 14 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Tuesday that he has been "pleasantly surprised" by the response from lawmakers to his plans for shifting billions of dollars in Pentagon spending toward programs of immediate benefit to today's wars.
Obama Team Mulls Aims Of Somali Extremists
Senior Obama administration officials are debating how to address a potential terrorist threat to U.S. interests from a Somali extremist group, with some in the military advocating strikes against its training camps. But many officials maintain that uncertainty about the intentions of the al-Shabab organization dictates a more patient, nonmilitary approach.
Obama Follows Bush Policy on Detainee Access to Courts
The Obama administration yesterday appealed a judge's decision granting three detainees at a U.S. military prison in Afghanistan the right to challenge their detention in U.S. courts, arguing partly that compliance would inhibit the future capture of Pakistani citizens for detention by U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
CIA Director Panetta Says Agency Is No Longer Operating Secret Prisons
The CIA no longer operates any secret overseas prisons, Director Leon Panetta said yesterday, and has not detained anyone since he became chief in February.
Two Firms to Merge, Form Largest Home Builder
Pulte Homes announced yesterday that it plans to buy Centex in a $1.3 billion all-stock transaction that would create the nation's largest home builder, in an attempt to position itself to pull through the housing downturn with plenty of cash.
Peru's Fujimori Gets 25 Years
Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori was convicted Tuesday of "crimes against humanity" and sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in killings and kidnappings by security forces during his government's battle against leftist guerrillas in the 1990s.
Obama Cautions Iraqis on Future
BAGHDAD, April 7 -- President Obama declared Tuesday that Iraqis "must take responsibility for their country" and predicted that the next 18 months will be trying as U.S. troops start to leave a country stymied by security threats and political problems.
Gates Seeks Sharp Turn In Spending
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates outlined sweeping changes to the defense budget Monday that would shift billions of dollars in Pentagon spending away from elaborate weapons toward programs more likely to benefit troops in today's wars.
After Launch, U.S. Stance Veers Between Tough and Dismissive
U.S. officials have sent mixed messages in the wake of North Korea's missile launch Sunday.
Research Links Poor Children's Stress and Brain Impairment
Children raised in poverty suffer many ill effects: They often have health problems and tend to struggle in school, which can create a cycle of poverty across generations.
Some Troops Embrace Afghan War
FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- As the fight in Afghanistan transforms from a "forgotten war" to the U.S. military's top priority -- with tens of thousands of soldiers and Marines headed there this year -- overstretched ground troops are voicing unexpected enthusiasm about the new mission.
Judge Rules U.S. May Continue to Hold Guantanamo Detainee
A federal judge has ruled that the government may continue to detain a 40-year-old Tunisian at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Attacked at Sea: Maersk Crew Member Speaks
U.S. Merchant Mariner John Cronan, 3rd Engineer on the cargo ship Maersk Alabama, which was attacked on the high-seas April 8 by pirates off the coast of Somalia, was online Tuesday, April 21, at 3 p.m. ET to discuss his experiences and the rescue of the crew by Navy SEALS.
Suicide Bomber Kills Three Iraqi Policemen
BAGHDAD, April 20 -- A suicide bomber wearing a police uniform killed three Iraqis, including two employees of the U.S. Embassy's office in Diyala province, on Monday, authorities said. The blast wounded 19 people, among them eight American soldiers, two other embassy employees and three Iraqi policemen.
Outlook: Shut Down West Point, Annapolis, Air Force Academy
Thomas E. Ricks, special military correspondent for The Washington Post and senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, was online Monday, April 20, at 1 p.m. ET to discuss his Outlook article about how to trim the federal budget and improve leadership in the U.S.
Army More Selective as Economy Lags
The Army last month stopped accepting felons and recent drug abusers into its ranks as the nation's economic downturn helped its recruiting, allowing it to reverse a decline in recruiting standards that had alarmed some officers.
Nation Digest
PENNSYLVANIA
Kurds, Arabs Maneuver Ahead of U.N. Report on N. Iraq
BAGHDAD, April 16 -- Kurdish and Arab politicians in northern Iraq are preparing for a potentially long and bruising fight over disputed areas as they await the release of U.N. reports expected to propose joint administration of Kirkuk and make a case for the annexation of some districts to the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Earmarks Requested by Donors That Jim Moran Submitted for the 2010 Budget
Tripline Personnel Sensor
Navy Ship Delivers Phillips to Mombasa
MOMBASA, Kenya, April 16 -- With the rock anthem "Sweet Home Alabama" blaring from its speakers, the guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge delivered the rescued American captain of the Maersk Alabama, Richard Phillips, to this port city Thursday morning.
U.S. Lays Out Anti-Piracy Plan
The Obama administration yesterday called for expanding the international counterpiracy effort to deter Somali pirates, secure the release of hostage ships and crews, and freeze pirate assets, yet U.S. military officials said there are no immediate plans to devote more warships to the region.
Another U.S. Cargo Ship Escapes Somali Pirate Attack
MOMBASA, Kenya, April 15 -- Somali pirates Wednesday attempted to commandeer another U.S. cargo ship, the Liberty Sun, but the attack was thwarted, and the ship is headed toward port here with naval guards, U.S. Navy officials said.
Hill Response to Plans Pleases Pentagon Chief
FORT RUCKER, Ala., April 14 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Tuesday that he has been "pleasantly surprised" by the response from lawmakers to his plans for shifting billions of dollars in Pentagon spending toward programs of immediate benefit to today's wars.
Presidents and Pirates
I don't recall a whole lot of debate about piracy in last year's presidential campaign -- yet another illustration that no one really knows in advance what challenges a president will face.
'3 Rounds, 3 Dead Bodies'
As dusk began to fall Sunday, the Somali pirates holding captain Richard Phillips had grown edgy.
Sunni Insurgents Assert Responsibility for Blast That Killed 5 U.S. Troops in Iraq
BAGHDAD, April 13 -- The Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group for extremist organizations including al-Qaeda in Iraq, asserted responsibility Monday for a bombing that killed five U.S. soldiers last week in the deadliest attack on American troops in Iraq in more than a year.
The TV Column: Lisa de Moraes on Spike TV's 'Pirate Hunters: USN'
When pirates kidnapped the news cycle and held it hostage for nearly a week, Viacom was not discouraged by the fact that none of its TV networks had a real news operation. Nosiree -- its Spike TV network spit on its hands and announced it had ordered up a reality series pilot in which the U.S. Navy hunts down pirates.
Navy Kills 3 Pirates, Rescues Ship Captain off Somalia's Coast
MOMBASA, Kenya, April 12 -- An American captain held hostage for five days by Somali pirates in a lifeboat adrift in the Indian Ocean was rescued unharmed Sunday in a surprise U.S. military operation in which snipers killed three pirates with the captain tied up just feet away, American military officials said. A fourth pirate was in U.S. custody.
Samarra Is an Iraqi City Divided by Walls, by Sect, by Bitterness
SAMARRA, Iraq -- Fifteen feet tall, half a mile long, the walls wind like a concrete ribbon through the heart of this scarred holy city, the cradle of Iraq's sectarian war. Shiite pilgrims flow alongside them toward the shattered al-Askari mosque, a symbol of a resuscitating Iraq. Shiite national security forces -- and not a single local Sunni policeman -- patrol the area.
An Early Military Victory for Obama
It was one of the earliest tests of the new American president -- a small military operation off the coast of a Third World nation. But as President Bill Clinton found out in October 1993, even minor failures can have long-lasting consequences.
Pentagon Prioritizes Pursuit Of Alternative Fuel Sources
For the Defense Department, the largest consumer of energy in the United States, addiction to fuel has greater costs than the roughly $18 billion the agency spent on it last year.
Navy Relying on Patience in Pirate Standoff
As U.S. Navy warships surrounded the lifeboat where four pirates held an American sea captain hostage yesterday, defense officials and analysts said the most likely military option for ending the standoff would not involve any significant use of naval firepower, but rather blocking maneuvers or a discreet operation by elite U.S. sailors.
5 U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq Bombing
BAGHDAD, April 10 -- A suicide bomber driving a dump truck detonated a load of explosives at a police headquarters in the northern city of Mosul on Friday, killing five American soldiers and two Iraqi police officers.
Pirates in Somalia: Abduction, Negotiations
The FBI and the U.S. Navy continued delicate negotiations Friday with Somali pirates following an unsuccessful attempt by the American captain being held hostage to jump off the lifeboat drifting in the Indian Ocean and swim to a U.S. destroyer that hulked nearby.
FBI Joins U.S. Navy In Pirate Standoff
NAIROBI, April 9 -- The FBI and U.S. Navy were in delicate negotiations Thursday with Somali pirates holding an American captain in a lifeboat drifting in the Indian Ocean, as one U.S. destroyer hulked nearby and additional naval ships were speeding to the scene, U.S. officials said.
Somali Pirates Capture American Sea Captain
NAIROBI, April 9 -- An American warship early Thursday reached the scene of a Somali pirate attack on a U.S.-operated container ship, according to U.S. officials, who said the pirates fled with the captain while the unarmed American crew regained control of its ship.
Somali Pirates Abduct American Ship Captain: The Latest
Rear Admiral Richard Gurnon, president of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, was online Thursday, April 8, at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the latest details of the situation in the Indian Ocean and explain how a 17-ton container ship can be hijacked by pirates.
Courts
Federal judge hears challenge to Iraq war
NEWARK, N.J. -- Opponents of the Iraq war are leaning on an unlikely source to bolster their efforts to declare the invasion unconstitutional: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Supreme Court limits warrantless vehicle searches
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that police need a warrant to search the vehicle of someone they have arrested if the person is locked up in a patrol cruiser and poses no safety threat to officers.
Justices hear arguments over school strip search
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court seemed worried Tuesday about tying the hands of school officials looking for drugs and weapons on campus as they wrestled with the appropriateness of a strip-search of a 13-year-old girl accused of having prescription-strength ibuprofen.
Supreme Court Limits Warrantless Vehicle Searches
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that police need a warrant to search the vehicle of someone they have arrested if the person is locked up in a patrol cruiser and poses no safety threat to officers.
High Court Limits Searches of Suspect's Car After Arrest
The Supreme Court today sharply limited the power of police to search a suspect's car after making an arrest, acknowledging that the decision changes a rule that law enforcement has relied on for nearly 30 years.
Stevens Is Second Justice to Mark 89th Birthday in Court
John Paul Stevens yesterday did what only one other Supreme Court justice has ever done: He celebrated his 89th birthday on the bench.
Ex-D.C. Council Member Brazil Testifies He Didn't Assault Anyone at Tattoo Shop
Former D.C. Council member Harold Brazil told a judge yesterday that he was the one who got attacked in a scrape at a Georgetown tattoo parlor in October, taking issue with prosecutors who charged him with assault.
Court turns down challenge to jury's use of Bible
HOUSTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away a challenge from a Texas death row inmate who claimed his constitutional rights were violated by jurors who consulted a Bible.
Court weighs state's duty to English learners
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court seemed to divide into liberal and conservatives camps Monday during arguments in a case that could limit the power of federal courts to tell states to spend more money to educate students who aren't proficient in English.
Justices skeptical on allowing Iraq to be sued
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court seemed skeptical on Monday about holding the current Iraqi government responsible in American courts for the acts of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Outlook: Shut Down West Point, Annapolis, Air Force Academy
Thomas E. Ricks, special military correspondent for The Washington Post and senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, was online Monday, April 20, at 1 p.m. ET to discuss his Outlook article about how to trim the federal budget and improve leadership in the U.S.
Court rejects former Kan. utility CEO's appeal
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected the appeal from former Kansas utility head David Wittig of his prison sentence following a 2003 bank fraud conviction.
Iran judiciary wants quick handling of reporter's case
TEHRAN (Reuters) - The head of Iran's judiciary ordered a careful, quick and fair consideration of an appeal against the eight-year jail sentence imposed on an Iranian-American journalist, the judiciary said on Monday.
Today in History - April 20
-- Today is Monday, April 20, the 110th day of 2009. There are 255 days left in the year.
Supreme Court to get Ariz. teen strip-search case
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Savana Redding was 13 years old when she was told to remove her clothes for a strip search by school officials looking for the equivalent of two Advils. And while the humiliation hasn't diminished in the past five and a half years, she hopes the U.S. Supreme Court can do something about the emotional scar.
Minn. Senate case tests court that shuns politics
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Republican Norm Coleman's next and possibly last gambit for regaining his U.S. Senate seat will come before a Minnesota Supreme Court that seems built to his advantage: Five of the seven justices were put there by Republican governors.
Reverse discrimination case could transform hiring
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Inside a burning building, fire doesn't discriminate between Matthew Marcarelli and Gary Tinney. Inside the New Haven Fire Department, however, skin color has put them on opposite sides of a lawsuit that could transform hiring procedures nationwide.
Today in History - April 19
-- Today is Sunday, April 19, the 108th day of 2009. There are 256 days left in the year.
High Court Poised To Closely Weigh Civil Rights Laws
The Supreme Court has an opportunity to reaffirm or reshape the nation's civil rights laws as it faces a rare confluence of cases over the next two weeks, including a high-profile challenge brought by white firefighters who claim they lost out on promotions because of the "color of their skin."
Reverse discrimination case could transform hiring
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Inside a burning building, fire doesn't discriminate between Matthew Marcarelli and Gary Tinney. Inside the New Haven Fire Department, however, skin color has put them on opposite sides of a lawsuit that could transform hiring procedures nationwide.
Woman Gets Eight Years for Killing Husband
A Fairfax County woman who fatally shot her husband after spray-painting an angry diatribe about him on their driveway was sentenced yesterday to eight years in prison for voluntary manslaughter.
Regional Briefing
Music downloading hearing can't be streamed online
BOSTON -- Oral arguments in a music downloading lawsuit filed by the recording industry against a Boston University student can't be streamed online, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.
Ala. man executed for slaying during drug robbery
ATMORE, Ala. -- An Alabama inmate has been executed for murdering a man in 1988 during a cocaine robbery.
Indonesia clears Time of defaming Suharto
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesia's top court cleared Time magazine of defaming ex-dictator Suharto by alleging in a cover story that his family amassed a fortune during his rule. It said Thursday the publication did not have to pay $106 million in damages.
Texas executes man who killed woman during robbery
HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- A Texas parole violator was executed Wednesday for beating and using kitchen tools to kill a 67-year-old woman in her Lubbock apartment.
New Mexico's Gov to be honored at Colosseum
ROME -- The governor of the American state of New Mexico said Wednesday that the world is moving toward abolishing the death penalty and urged the United States to follow.
mocoNews - Former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio Heads To Prison
This will surely go down as one of the biggest scandals in telecom history. After a years-long court battle that spanned various appeals and verdict reversals, former Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio has reported to minimum-security prison to serve a six-year sentence for insider trading.
Tax Defiers Offers Reasons Not to Pay, but Government Disagrees
D.C. police Detective Michael C. Irving was looking for a way to keep more money in his pocket when he settled on a little-known "program" that he claimed exempted him from income taxes.
Virginia Briefing
Abortion debate moves to special license plates
PHILADELPHIA -- The latest forum for the national debate over abortion is whizzing by at 65 mph.
Administration lawyer delays Supreme Court debut
WASHINGTON -- Elena Kagan, the Obama administration's top Supreme Court lawyer, is passing up the chance to make her first high-court argument in a big case over minority voting rights.
Afghan Taliban kill young woman, man for eloping
KABUL -- A Taliban firing squad killed a young couple in southwestern Afghanistan for trying to elope, shooting them with AK-47s in front of a crowd in a lawless, militant-controlled region, officials said Tuesday.
Qwest ex-CEO Nacchio loses bid not to be imprisoned
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The former CEO of Qwest International Inc <Q.N>, convicted of insider trading, lost his bid to further delay his prison sentence on Tuesday after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his appeal.
Minn. court declares Franken leading vote-getter
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A Minnesota court confirmed Monday that Democrat Al Franken won the most votes in his 2008 Senate race against Republican Norm Coleman, who immediately announced plans to appeal the decision.
Qwest ex-CEO Nacchio ordered to report to prison
DENVER/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former Qwest International Inc Chief Executive and convicted insider trader Joseph Nacchio appears headed for prison on Tuesday after a years-long legal battle marked by a litany of appeals and verdict reversals.
Post Politics: Obama Dog, Pirate Rescue, Supreme Court and More
Washington Post politics and Supreme Court reporter Robert Barnes was online Monday, April 13, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the latest news from the White House to Capitol Hill and the Supreme Court.
Shortfalls Unraveled Stevens's Conviction
The Justice Department team charged with prosecuting former senator Ted Stevens miscalculated by not seeking more time to prepare for the high-stakes corruption trial and fell victim to inexperience and thin staffing, which contributed to its alleged mishandling of witnesses and evidence, according to interviews with more than a dozen lawyers who followed the case.
Ginsburg Gives No Hint Of Giving Up the Bench
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The symposium on Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life on and before the Supreme Court had all the trappings of a grand finale: laudatory tributes, scholarly evaluations of her jurisprudence, a running theme about her love of opera and her unfulfilled desire to be a great diva.
Racing Past the Constitution
Rampant redistribution of wealth by government is now the norm. So is this: This redistribution inflames government's natural rapaciousness and subverts the rule of law. This degeneration of governance is illustrated by the Illinois legislature's transfer of income from some disfavored riverboat casinos to racetracks.
Department of Veterans Affairs Returns WAMU Reporter's Recording Equipment
Officials at WAMU radio and the Department of Veterans Affairs settled a dispute last night over the confiscation of a reporter's recording equipment during a public forum this week at the VA hospital in the District.
VA agrees to return reporter's sound equipment
WASHINGTON -- Amid protest from journalists groups, the Veterans Affairs Department agreed late Friday to return a radio reporter's recording equipment that it had seized three days earlier as he attempted to interview an injured veteran about VA health care.
Justice Ginsburg laments being court's only woman
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Friday it's lonely being the only woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Judge in Stevens Dismissal Known for Tenacity
U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan was irate when he accused the Justice Department of "hiding the ball" after its lawyers did not produce a document that undercut a key witness.
For a Limited Time, Something Better Than a Slap Chop
You might have thought that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had retired her $6 million presidential campaign debt a long time ago. Apparently not, judging from an e-mail we got from Hillary Clinton for President announcing a lottery -- only $5 a ticket -- and offering as prizes a day with Bill Clinton in New York, a trip to the "American Idol" finale in Los Angeles or a flight here for you and a guest for a tour of D.C. with political operatives and commentators James Carville and Paul Begala.
Dana Priest on National Security and Intelligence
Washington Post intelligence reporter Dana Priest was online Thursday, April 9 to discuss national security issues.
MS-13 Leader Sentenced to 10 Years for Plotting to Kill Fellow Member
A high-ranking member of the MS-13 gang was sentenced to 10 years in prison yesterday for plotting to kill a fellow gang member, the latest in a string of cases targeting the street gang, which is considered the region's largest and most violent.
Manslaughter Conviction in Charles Bar Fight
The man charged with delivering a fatal blow to a La Plata man during a fight outside a Charles County bar in October was convicted of manslaughter Monday.
Cuban militant Posada indicted on new charges
EL PASO, Texas -- An anti-Castro Cuban militant was accused Wednesday in a federal indictment of lying about his involvement in a series of 1997 bombings that targeted tourist spots in Cuba.
NY judge rules in favor of 1970s apartheid victims
NEW YORK -- Apartheid victims who accused automakers and IBM of helping the government of South Africa engage in violent repression to enforce racial segregation in the 1970s and '80s can go to trial with their claims, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Holder tells prosecutors that justice top priority
WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday warned federal prosecutors of increased scrutiny in the wake of mistakes in the corruption case against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.
Judge voids case against senator
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. judge threw out a corruption verdict against former Republican Senator Ted Stevens on Tuesday and ordered a criminal probe into "shocking" Justice Department misconduct, in a blow to a legal system marred by accusations of Bush administration abuses.
Sandra Day O'Connor touts civics lessons via games
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Sandra Day O'Connor didn't get a computer until she was in her 40s, doesn't have a Facebook or Twitter account, but she said Tuesday that using technology is the way to teach students about the Constitution.
Low-key Harley lover running Stevens investigation
WASHINGTON -- The investigation into whether prosecutors broke the law in pursuing their case against former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens is being led by a Harley-riding attorney known for his low-key style and experience on both sides of criminal law.
Today in History - April 8
-- Today is Wednesday, April 8, the 98th day of 2009. There are 267 days left in the year. The Jewish holiday Passover begins at sunset.
World Digest
ISRAEL
D.C. Gun Exception Alarms Md. Officials
As D.C. officials fret over the public safety implications of a congressional push to limit gun control in the city, the administration of Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) has voiced its own objections, arguing that the legislation would put a costly burden on the state's system for regulating firearms.
Ex-Qwest CEO Nacchio ordered to prison April 14
DENVER -- A judge on Tuesday ordered former Qwest Chief Executive Joe Nacchio to report to prison by noon on April 14 to start a six-year sentence on his insider trading conviction.
Judge orders Nacchio to report to prison April 14
DENVER -- A judge has ordered former Qwest Chief Executive Joseph Nacchio to report to prison by noon April 14 to start a six-year sentence on his insider trading conviction.
Delayed Court Appearances May Invalidate Confessions
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that some voluntary confessions are not admissible in federal court if authorities waited too long to get suspects to their first court appearances.
S. Africa Prosecutors Drop Case Against Leader of Ruling Party
JOHANNESBURG, April 6 -- South African prosecutors said Monday they are dropping corruption charges against ruling party leader Jacob Zuma, ending a long legal saga just two weeks before national elections that are expected to deliver him the presidency.
School Official Cleared in Porn Case Says Future Is Unclear
A Loudoun County assistant principal who was cleared last week of charges of possession of child pornography said that he still believes in "the core of what I've been doing all my life" but that he is not sure he would return to his school were he to be allowed to do so.
Prince William News Summary
News that appeared March 28 to April 3 in The Washington Post
MARYLAND
Public Defender Calls Md. Drug Courts Unconstitutional
Drug courts, a forum designed to give addicted offenders a second chance, are under attack in Maryland -- and not by prosecutors.
Park Ranger 'Snapped' Before Three Slayings, Court Told
Stressed out from working two jobs and with his marriage on the rocks, Prince William County park ranger Carrillo Dean came home one night in February to a house full of bickering, and, according to statements he made to police, he "snapped."
Highlights of Washington Area Events, April 3-9
Drinking at a place you visited as a student has a special off-limits thrill. You can get that feeling Saturday from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. when the Goddard Space Flight Center throws a party. To celebrate the center's 50th anniversary and the first man in space, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, Goddard will host Yuri's Night. There will be music by Middle Distance Runner (last year's entertainment was by the Cassettes, above), plenty to drink and, of course, stargazing through the center's telescopes. Goddard Space Flight Center, Goddard and Greenbelt roads, Greenbelt (Metro: Greenbelt, with shuttles). 301-286-9041. $10 in advance, $20 at the door. Must be 21 or older.
Post Politics Hour
Don't want to miss out on the latest in politics? Start each day with The Post Politics Hour. Join in each weekday morning at 11 a.m. as a member of The Washington Post's team of White House and Congressional reporters answers questions about the latest buzz in Washington and The Post's coverage of political news.
Other Decisions by the Supreme Court Yesterday
Other decisions by the Supreme Court yesterday:
EPA Can Weigh Cost-Benefits in Environmental Action, Court Says
The Supreme Court said yesterday that the Environmental Protection Agency may consider whether protecting fish and other aquatic creatures is worth the cost of the most advanced upgrades for older power plants, a defeat for environmentalists who had challenged the government's position.
Regional Briefing
Some in Justice Department See D.C. Vote in House as Unconstitutional
Justice Department lawyers concluded in an unpublished opinion earlier this year that the historic D.C. voting rights bill pending in Congress is unconstitutional, according to sources briefed on the issue. But Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who supports the measure, ordered up a second opinion from other lawyers in his department and determined that the legislation would pass muster.
Supreme Court to Weigh Relevance of Voting Rights Act in Obama Era
AUSTIN -- America's next great battle over civil rights could hardly have a less controversial flash point: the benign decision to move the neighborhood polling place from Jack Stueber's garage to the local
Supreme Court Ends Philip Morris's Challenge of Punitive Award
The Supreme Court dealt a blow to Philip Morris yesterday, ending the cigarette maker's challenge of an award now worth more than $150 million to the widow of a longtime smoker.
Hard Line on Auto Aid Puts Bailed-Out Firms on Notice
NEW YORK, March 30 -- After ousting General Motors' chief executive, President Obama warned Monday that bankruptcy may be unavoidable for two American automotive giants.
U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Review Rejection of Virginia Anti-Spam Law
The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday declined to consider reinstating Virginia's tough anti-spam law, leaving in place a lower court ruling that threw out the measure as unconstitutional.
Post Politics Hour
Washington Post politics and Supreme Court reporter Robert Barnes was online Monday, March 30, at 11 a.m. ET and discussed the latest news from the White House to Capitol Hill and the Supreme Court.
Obama Settles on 3 More Senior Officials for Treasury
By Philip Rucker President Obama today announced his intent to nominate three senior officials to the Treasury Department, filling in more of the top ranks under Secretary Timothy F. Geithner. Helen E. Garrett, an economist and lawyer who serves as vice president for academic planning and budget at the University of Southern California, will become assistant secretary for tax policy, the White House announced. Garrett, who was a member of President George W. Bush's 2005 bipartisan tax reform advisory panel, is a former professor at the University of Chicago Law School and clerked for the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Obama has tapped Michael S. Barr, an adviser to former Treasury secretary Robert E. Rubin during the Clinton administration, as assistant secretary for financial institutions. A senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and the Brookings Institution, Barr has researched and written about a range of financial regulation
D.C. Council Member Marion Barry Plans to Make Tax Payment Monday
D.C. Council member Marion Barry said yesterday that two-thirds of his $277,000 federal tax debt consists of interest and penalties and that he plans to make a payment on his 2007 D.C. tax bill Monday.
Annapolis Digest
What's the Message?
No president should hold a news conference without deciding what he wants the next day's headline to be.
Obituary: John Hope Franklin, 1915-2009
John Hope Franklin, one of the most prolific and well-respected chroniclers of America's torturous racial odyssey, died of congestive heart failure yesterday at the age of 94 in a Durham, N.C., hospital.
D.C. Briefs
Obama's Approach to Protecting 'State Secrets' at Issue
Civil liberties advocates are accusing the Obama administration of forsaking campaign rhetoric and adopting the same expansive arguments that his predecessor used to cloak some of the most sensitive intelligence-gathering programs of the Bush White House.
Justices May Trim Campaign Advertising Law
The Supreme Court yesterday appeared ready once again to trim the reach of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform act, this time at the behest of a conservative group that produced a withering 90-minute political film called "Hillary: The Movie."
In Peru, Former Leader's Lengthy Human Rights Trial Nears End
LIMA, Peru, March 23 -- It started with a former president red-faced and bellowing his innocence, and it is ending amid worry over whether his health may be enough to derail the whole show.
Making "60 Minutes" Tick
NEW YORK -- On the night of the Emmys last fall, when one of his stories was up for an award and his tuxedo-clad colleagues were leaving for the ceremony, Steve Kroft stayed at the office until 1 a.m., rewriting a story that his bosses had already approved.
Media Notes: Steve Kroft, the Man of the Hour at '60 Minutes'
NEW YORK
A roasty-toasty time at the Gridiron
Garcon, more champagne! In dire need of booze and belly laughs, 600 of the capital's journalists (laid off, bought out) and politicians (raged at, stimulused out) squeezed into the grand ballroom of the Renaissance Marriott downtown for the annual Gridiron Club dinner, which just ended. Veteran journalists dressed up in costume and impersonated the politicians they cover -- in song, backed by the U.S. Marine Band. There was a lot of eating and drinking and whooping, although early reviews say the show was way too long and kind of blah, especially without President Obama in attendance. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the highest-wattage VIP, just now pausing at the top of an escalator to greet a glut of people in the lobby, as dimunitive Energy Secretary Stephen Chu gets squished in the backlog. The evening featured lobster panna cotta and seared jumbo scallops, some halfway clever song parodies (the most applauded: "He did it myyy way," sang a Dick Cheney impersonator doing Sinatra referencing Bush) and a whole lot of attention paid to a guy who wasn't even there. Without the glitz of Michelle and Barack -- the first chief exec since Grover Cleveland to skip the Gridiron in the first year of his presidency -- everything felt a little second-tier. Still, the guest list featured some nice Cabinetage: Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner (who left the event immediately after the song that mocked him), Defense Secretary Robert Gates (biggest security detail besides Biden's), Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel (the butt of at least five jokes, four of which mocked his infamous pottymouth), senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and ambassador to the UN Susan Rice. Also: Dr. Jill Biden (uber-hot, as always, in a shoulderless, sleeveless ivory gown), four senators, two justices of the Supreme Court (John Roberts and Anthony Kennedy), at least three mayors (Bloomberg of New York, Villaraigosa of Los Angeles and Fenty of Washington) and three other governors (including former struggling actress and current Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, who roasted tablemate Schwarzenegger during her speech: "Like Arnold, I never made it as an actor"). See the full updated Gridiron story online here and in print Monday. -- Dan Zak
Book Review: 'Plain, Honest Men' by Richard Beeman
PLAIN, HONEST MEN
D.C.'s Rights to Regulate Guns
The National Rifle Association has congratulated Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) for "restoring the Second Amendment freedom" to D.C. residents with his amendment to the D.C. Voting Rights Act. Ensign's amendment would repeal most of the District's gun control law, which was revised in response to the Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia v. Heller.
The Truth About Forgiveness
Fourteen years ago, Bernard's neighbor shot his 17-year-old son on a Baltimore street. Shot him with a semiautomatic rifle that left a hole in his chest so big that Bernard's wife swears she could see the pavement, plain as day, through the giant wound. Shot him in a fit of pique, a moment of vigilante justice. Shot him when the teen and some friends were goofing around, dribbling a basketball down the street. Shot him after Bernard's son had knocked into the neighbor's Toyota 4Runner truck, set off the car alarm, roused him from his slumbers. Because he was angry at kids who'd been harassing him with that car alarm, because he had a Ruger Mini-14 handy, because he knew how to use this lightweight version of the military's M14 as he fired out of his bedroom window just after midnight. Shot Vernon Williams dead on May 21, 1994, one month after his 17th birthday.
Winning by Losing On Prop 8
The California Supreme Court will uphold Proposition 8, the ban on same-sex marriage passed by the state's voters in November. It is a decision that progressives ought to welcome.
Annapolis Digest
Potomac Confidential
Potomac Confidential fills the midday lull with discussion by Metro columnist Marc Fisher who looks at the latest news with a rigorous slicing and dicing of the issues that define who we are and where we live.
Post Politics
Don't want to miss out on the latest in politics? Start each day with The Post Politics Hour. Join in each weekday morning at 11 a.m. as a member of The Washington Post's team of White House and congressional reporters answers questions about the latest in buzz in Washington and The Post's coverage of political news.
Obama Names Judge to Appeals Court
President Obama yesterday made his first judicial appointment, naming U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton to the federal appeals court, a choice excoriated by some conservatives even as the White House touted him as the type of moderate who could cool the nation's long-simmering judicial battles.
Public Outrage Over AIG
Politicians and the public spent yesterday demanding that AIG rescind payouts that they said rewarded recklessness and greed at a company being bailed out with $170 billion in taxpayer funds. But company officials contend that the uproar is scaring away the very employees who understand AIG Financial Products' complex trades and who are trying to dismantle the division before it further endangers the world's economy.
International News
Wars for Drug Turf Threaten Existence of Colombia’s Indians
Members of many indigenous groups have been displaced by armed men seeking control of routes and growing regions coveted in the drug trade.
Before Vote, Wary South Africans Still Support A.N.C.
If the polls are correct, the A.N.C. is about to win the nation’s fourth democratic election in yet another landslide, and its leader, Jacob Zuma, will become president.
Obama Open to Inquiry in Interrogation Abuses
President Obama left open the door to creating a commission to investigate the Bush administration’s use of harsh interrogation techniques.
China to Unveil Nuclear Submarines
The vessels will be shown for the first time during a review “aimed at promoting understanding about China’s military development,” according to the state news agency.
For British M.P.’s, the Expense Account May Shrink
Prime Minister Gordon Brown proposed that the expense-account system be overhauledto restore public confidence that M.P.’s “serve the public and not themselves.”
Racism Conference Adopts Resolution
The United Nations anti-racism meeting in Geneva adopted a resolution that participants applauded as an improved basis for action against racism and xenophobia.
Sri Lankan Separatists Ignore Surrender Deadline
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ignored an ultimatum by the government, raising concerns for civilians caught in the midst of fighting.
Crisis or Not, Russia Will Build a Bridge in the East
While much of the nation’s infrastructure is neglected, a giant bridge to tiny Russki Island is planned.
Russia Frees Former Lawyer for Oil Magnate
The case has been seen by some human rights groups as a test for President Dmitri A. Medvedev, who has made promoting the rule of law a centerpiece of his presidency.
I.M.F. Puts Losses From Crisis at $4.1 Trillion
Financial firms will write down about $2.7 trillion on U.S. loans and securities by 2010, the fund estimates.
In Rare Talks, North Korea Demands Higher Wages From South
North Korea threatened to withdraw cheap labor and other incentives for South Korean factories in a joint industrial complex during rare talks on Tuesday.
U.N. Anti-Racism Meeting Reaches Consensus
The United Nations anti-racism conference came to a consensus Tuesday, overcoming a conference-opening denunciation of Israel by Iran’s president to adopt a resolution against racism.
French Police Round Up Migrants
The largest of the raids near Calais involved 225 riot police and targeted shelters known as “the jungle” where 150 migrants, mostly Afghans, were detained.
Spain’s Falling Prices Fuel Deflation Fears in Europe
Economists fear that the country may be in the early grip of deflation, which can result in a downward spiral that can be difficult to reverse.
Unesco Puts World's Major Works Online
The World Digital Library joins a growing number of programs that have set out to digitally archive cultural material.
Second Claim of Paternity for President of Paraguay
Fernando Lugo of Paraguay was hit with another claim just a week after he acknowledged fathering a different child while he was a Roman Catholic bishop.
180 Hidden Miles of Great Wall Found
A Chinese government mapping study discovered parts of the wall that had been concealed by hills, trenches and rivers.
Obama Doesn’t Plan to Reopen Nafta Talks
The administration says other options can be used to address labor and environmental issues.
Avian Flu Cases in Egypt Raise Alarms
There is an unusual pattern of avian flu cases in Egypt, and experts hope these strange occurrences don’t indicate silent cases.
U.S. Overtures Find Support Among Cuban-Americans
Recent changes in attitude in the Cuban-American community suggests that President Obama has become a catalyst for openness with the Communist island.
Canada Talks Are Crucial to Chrysler Survival
Chrysler’s employees in Canada would have to agree to match the total wage and benefit costs of workers at Honda and Toyota factories in the country.
Names of the Dead
The Department of Defense confirmed the death of the following American.
The Lede: Sri Lanka’s Propaganda War
Supporters of both sides in Sri Lanka’s decades-long conflict with Tamil separatists continue to fight a global propaganda war on many fronts.
Name Not on Our List? Change It, China Says
Untold numbers of Chinese have characters in their names that a new system for ID cards cannot process.
Room for Debate: Behind Bars in Iran
Solitary confinement, beatings and death in an Iranian prison.
Letter From China: China Begins to Address a Coming Wave of Elderly
The country is aging so rapidly that by 2050, there may be only two working-age people for every senior citizen, compared with 13 to one now.
Talk to the Newsroom: Foreign Editor
Susan Chira answered questions from readers.
An Army Takeover Quells Violence in Mexico
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico -- A few months ago, the mayor of the most violent city in Mexico would sometimes sleep across the border in El Paso for safety. Now, with the military firmly in control of Ciudad Juarez, an entire day can pass without a single drug-related killing.
U.N. Launches World Digital Library
PARIS, April 20 -- A globe-spanning U.N. digital library seeking to display and explain the wealth of all human cultures has gone into operation on the Internet, serving up mankind's accumulated knowledge in seven languages for students around the world.
Jailed Russian Lawyer Released on Parole
MOSCOW, April 21 -- Svetlana Bakhmina, the jailed lawyer whose request for a Kremlin pardon prompted an unprecedented outpouring of support on the Internet, was ordered released on parole Tuesday nearly five months after giving birth to a baby girl while in state custody.
U.N.'s World Digital Library Goes Online
PARIS, April 20 -- A globe-spanning U.N. digital library seeking to display and explain the relics of all human cultures has gone into operation on the Internet for the first time, serving up mankind's accumulated knowledge in seven languages for students around the world.
Iranian: Israel Is a Racist State
PARIS, April 20 -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad argued before a U.N. anti-racism conference Monday that Israel is a "paragon of racism" founded on "the pretext of Jewish sufferings" during World War II.
Nobel Peace Laureate Takes Case of U.S. Journalist Convicted in Iran of Spying
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi is taking up the defense of an Iranian American journalist who was sentenced Saturday to eight years in prison for spying for the United States, Ebadi's organization said yesterday.
Suicide Bomber Kills Three Iraqi Policemen
BAGHDAD, April 20 -- A suicide bomber wearing a police uniform killed three Iraqis, including two employees of the U.S. Embassy's office in Diyala province, on Monday, authorities said. The blast wounded 19 people, among them eight American soldiers, two other embassy employees and three Iraqi po...
Somali Pirate Will Be Tried as an Adult, Judge Rules
NEW YORK, April 21 -- A Somali teenager appeared in federal court in New York on Tuesday afternoon over charges that he helped hijack an American cargo ship and hold its captain hostage on the Indian Ocean.
Somalia's Godfathers: Ransom-Rich Pirates
NAIROBI -- The young Somali couple had plans. Ilka Ase Mohamed and the love of his life, tall, bright-eyed Fatima Mukhtar, were going to leave their little fishing town of Harardhere, attend university and, when Mohamed had enough cows for a dowry, get married.
Mandela Gives ANC's Zuma A Powerful Stamp of Approval
JOHANNESBURG, April 19 -- Pollsters and analysts predict a clean sweep for the ruling African National Congress when this nation goes to the polls on Wednesday. But just in case, the party pulled out an electoral trump card at a massive rally Sunday: Nelson Mandela.
Beset by Troubles, S. Africa's Voters Are Divided Over Zuma
JOHANNESBURG -- One week before this country's fourth democratic elections, South Africa's main opposition party has unveiled a last-ditch campaign slogan that minces no words: "Stop Zuma."
U.S. Lays Out Anti-Piracy Plan
The Obama administration yesterday called for expanding the international counterpiracy effort to deter Somali pirates, secure the release of hostage ships and crews, and freeze pirate assets, yet U.S. military officials said there are no immediate plans to devote more warships to the region.
Another U.S. Cargo Ship Escapes Somali Pirate Attack
MOMBASA, Kenya, April 15 -- Somali pirates Wednesday attempted to commandeer another U.S. cargo ship, the Liberty Sun, but the attack was thwarted, and the ship is headed toward port here with naval guards, U.S. Navy officials said.
For 20 Mariners, an Extreme Test of Resolve
MOMBASA, Kenya, April 14 -- They had gone to sea for different reasons, some pursuing romantic notions of escape and adventure that over time turned into jobs -- fixing engines, pulling ropes, standing watch for hours -- that they loved or just tolerated.
Pirate's Youth May Complicate Prosecution Decision
Authorities investigating the seizure of a U.S. ship continued to sift through fingerprint and DNA evidence yesterday as they deliberated whether to bring to this country a young Somali pirate who surrendered last weekend before three of his associates were killed by American snipers.
'3 Rounds, 3 Dead Bodies'
As dusk began to fall Sunday, the Somali pirates holding captain Richard Phillips had grown edgy.
An Early Military Victory for Obama
It was one of the earliest tests of the new American president -- a small military operation off the coast of a Third World nation. But as President Bill Clinton found out in October 1993, even minor failures can have long-lasting consequences.
Navy Kills 3 Pirates, Rescues Ship Captain off Somalia's Coast
MOMBASA, Kenya, April 12 -- An American captain held hostage for five days by Somali pirates in a lifeboat adrift in the Indian Ocean was rescued unharmed Sunday in a surprise U.S. military operation in which snipers killed three pirates with the captain tied up just feet away, American military ...
U.S. Cargo Ship Reaches Kenya
MOMBASA, Kenya, April 11 -- The Maersk Alabama cargo ship docked at this Kenyan port city Saturday night, its American crew appearing tired but in high spirits, with some sailors leaning over the ship's railing to wave, ask for a beer and tell how they thwarted an attack by Somali pirates in the...
Obama Team Mulls Aims Of Somali Extremists
Senior Obama administration officials are debating how to address a potential terrorist threat to U.S. interests from a Somali extremist group, with some in the military advocating strikes against its training camps. But many officials maintain that uncertainty about the intentions of the al-Shabab...
At Least 14 of 20 Officers and Crew Members on Hijacked Ship Trained in Md.
At least 14 of the 20 officers and crew members aboard the U.S. container ship hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on Wednesday attended union-run maritime schools in Maryland, and many received classroom training on how to handle a pirate or terrorist attack, school and union official...
FBI Joins U.S. Navy In Pirate Standoff
NAIROBI, April 9 -- The FBI and U.S. Navy were in delicate negotiations Thursday with Somali pirates holding an American captain in a lifeboat drifting in the Indian Ocean, as one U.S. destroyer hulked nearby and additional naval ships were speeding to the scene, U.S. officials said.
Somali Pirates Capture American Sea Captain
NAIROBI, April 9 -- An American warship early Thursday reached the scene of a Somali pirate attack on a U.S.-operated container ship, according to U.S. officials, who said the pirates fled with the captain while the unarmed American crew regained control of its ship.
S. Africa Prosecutors Drop Case Against Leader of Ruling Party
JOHANNESBURG, April 6 -- South African prosecutors said Monday they are dropping corruption charges against ruling party leader Jacob Zuma, ending a long legal saga just two weeks before national elections that are expected to deliver him the presidency.
Sudanese Leader Gets Warm Welcome in Qatar as Arab League Ignores ICC Warrant
DOHA, Qatar, March 29 -- Qatar's leader embraced Sudan's president in a red-carpet welcome Sunday as he arrived to attend an Arab summit in his most brazen act of defiance against an international arrest warrant on charges of war crimes in Darfur.
Sudan Alleges Foreign Airstrikes Near Border With Egypt
CAIRO, March 26 -- Sudanese officials said foreign warplanes launched two airstrikes last month on Sudan near its border with Egypt, targeting convoys packed with light weapons and African migrants trying to sneak across the frontier.
Zambia's Copperbelt Reels From Global Crisis
LUANSHYA, Zambia -- The global economic meltdown swept into this company town and took down the copper mine in January. It left in its wake a crisis measured in unsold tomatoes at the market, empty stomachs and desperate people lined up outside Chishimba Kambwili's pink house each morning.
Controversy Over Dalai Lama Leads to Cancellation of S. Africa Peace Conference
JOHANNESBURG, March 24 -- Organizers of a peace conference meant to showcase the role of sports in promoting unity canceled the forum Tuesday, citing the South African government's decision to block the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, from attending.
Pope Calls for Reconciliation in War-Torn Africa
LUANDA, Angola, March 22 -- Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass for the largest gathering of his African pilgrimage Sunday, telling a crowd on the outskirts of this seaside capital that reconciliation on the war-ravaged continent would come only with a "change of heart, a new way of thinking."
In Cameroon, Pope Deplores Violence
YAOUNDE, Cameroon, March 19 -- Religion must reject violence, Pope Benedict XVI told Muslim leaders Thursday before celebrating an open-air Mass in front of thousands and delivering a message of hope for Africa's expanding, vibrant Catholic flock.
Pope Says Condoms Worsen HIV Problem
YAOUNDE, Cameroon, March 17 -- Condoms are not the answer to Africa's fight against HIV, Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday as he began a week-long trip to the continent. It was the pope's first explicit statement on an issue that has divided even clergy working with AIDS patients.
60%
The Peace Corps is suspending its programs on the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar and evacuating its workers there because of security concerns amid political unrest. The agency said yesterday that it is pulling 112 volunteers out of Madagascar because it can no longer ensure their safety as the...
In Somalia, an Exodus of the Educated
NAIROBI -- Last month, Omar Hassan said goodbye to Somalia, a country so violently polarized that his job in the capital of Mogadishu finally became too controversial. He is a veterinarian.
Somali President Courts Insurgents
NAIROBI, March 11 -- Nearly six weeks into what some outside observers describe as the most treacherous job in the world, Sharif Ahmed, the newly elected president of Somalia, said his government has "opened our hands and our hearts" to Islamist insurgents in an effort to promote reconciliation over...
Somali Americans Recruited by Extremists
Senior U.S. counterterrorism officials are stepping up warnings that Islamist extremists in Somalia are radicalizing Americans to their cause, citing their recruitment of the first U.S. citizen suicide bomber and their potential role in the disappearance of more than a dozen Somali American youths.
Tsvangirai Says Deadly Car Crash Was Accident
HARARE, Zimbabwe, March 9 -- Zimbabwe's prime minister said Monday that the car crash that killed his wife was an accident and that there had been "no foul play," despite at least three previous assassination attempts against him.
Former U.S. Detainee Alleges British Complicity in Torture
LONDON, March 8 -- Opposition lawmakers on Sunday called for a judicial inquiry into allegations that British intelligence agents participated in the "extraordinary rendition" and torture of a British resident who was held in U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and other locations for nearly seven...
Zimbabwe Premier Leaves Hospital
HARARE, Zimbabwe, March 7 -- Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai left the hospital bandaged a day after he was injured and his wife was killed in a car crash that his supporters blamed partly on insufficient security provided by President Robert Mugabe.
2 Kenyan Rights Activists Slain
NAIROBI, March 6 -- Human rights groups, U.N. officials and Kenya's prime minister on Friday called for an independent investigation into the execution-style killings of two Kenyan human rights activists, as political tensions are once again rising in this East African nation.
Mugabe Allies Intensify Bid to Take Farms of Whites
CHEGUTU, Zimbabwe -- The young men set up camp by a shed on the Etheredge family's citrus farm just as Zimbabwe's new unity government was being sworn in last month. They claimed to represent a senator who for two years has sought to take the property despite court rulings that the family has a...
Sudan's Bashir Rails Against West
NAIROBI, March 5 -- Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, now a wanted war crimes suspect, told a cheering, flag-waving crowd of thousands in Sudan's capital Thursday that "we are not afraid of anything" as the government continued to expel foreign aid groups that provide food, water, medicine...
Sudan Ousts Aid Groups After Court Pursues President
NAIROBI, March 4 -- Reacting swiftly to the International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the government of Sudan on Wednesday expelled at least 10 foreign aid groups that provide food, water, medical care and other assistance to ...
Guinea-Bissau Swears In New President
BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau, March 3 -- The speaker of Guinea-Bissau's parliament took the oath of office as president Tuesday, a day after the man who ruled this tiny, coup-prone West African nation for 22 years was gunned down in front of his wife inside their villa.
Troops Kill President of Guinea-Bissau After Bomb Kills His Rival
BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau, March 2 -- Soldiers assassinated the president of Guinea-Bissau in his palace Monday hours after a bomb blast killed his rival, but the military insisted that no coup was taking place in the West African nation.
Many Students in Zimbabwe Find Themselves Without Schools
HARARE, Zimbabwe -- On many weekdays last year, Kundai Kanyemba, 16, donned his high school uniform, sat in the library and studied textbooks titled "Geography Today," "Focus on English" and "General Mathematics," tattered volumes he hoped would prepare him for year-end exams. There was no one to...
Congo, Rwanda Call Joint Offensive a Success
NAIROBI, Feb. 27 -- Rwandan troops began their promised withdrawal from eastern Congo this week following an operation with the Congolese army targeting Rwandan Hutu rebels who streamed across the border after the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Mugabe Refuses to Fire 2 Officials; Zimbabwe Asks Neighbors for $2 Billion Loan
HARARE, Zimbabwe, Feb. 26 -- President Robert Mugabe in a published interview rejected demands that he dismiss two discredited officials, while the Zimbabwean government asked its neighbors Thursday for a $2 billion loan package to aid its collapsed economy.
3 Sierra Leoneans Guilty Of Multiple War Crimes
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, Feb. 25 -- A United Nations-sponsored war crimes court on Wednesday found three top rebel leaders in Sierra Leone guilty of multiple crimes against humanity in the West African nation's disastrous civil war.
For Rwandans, Fragile Acts of Faith
KINIGI, Rwanda -- The 958 Express arrived at last.
Explosion in Popular Cairo Marketplace Kills 1, Injures at Least 20
CAIRO, Feb. 22 -- An explosion Sunday targeting a bazaar popular with tourists in the Egyptian capital killed a French citizen and wounded at least 20 people, authorities said.
As Zimbabwean Dollar Dies, So Does a Lucrative Career
HARARE, Zimbabwe It was a steamy day, but Kempton Mugova proudly wore a smart sky-blue sport coat, purchased with the hundreds of dollars a day he reaped as a dealer on inflation-racked Zimbabwe's black market for foreign currency. His was a lucrative but short career. Last month, the government...
Detainee Alleging Torture to Be Sent to Britain, Source Says
A former British resident held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be flown home early next week, marking the first transfer of a Guantanamo detainee by the Obama administration, according to a source involved in the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on...
In the Wheat Fields of Kenya, a Budding Epidemic
GREAT RIFT VALLEY, Kenya -- A virulent new version of a deadly fungus is ravaging wheat in Kenya's most fertile fields and spreading beyond Africa to threaten one of the world's principal food crops, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization.
4 Cases Illustrate Guantanamo Quandaries
In their summary of evidence against Mohammed Sulaymon Barre, a Somali detained at Guantanamo Bay, military investigators allege that he spent several years at Osama bin Laden's compound in Sudan. But other military documents place him in Pakistan during the same period.
In Devastated Zimbabwe, New Prime Minister Revives Hope of a Better Day
HARARE, Zimbabwe, Feb. 15 -- Some sound like lofty dreams: a liver transplant at the fading government hospital. Most sound like simple wishes: Valentine's Day dinner at a restaurant. Paint for the peeling walls. Beef for the butcher shop.
As Zimbabwe's Unity Government Begins, Opposition Official Is Arrested
HARARE, Zimbabwe, Feb. 13 -- This was not the way Zimbabwe's unity government was supposed to start.
Rwanda's Move Into Congo Raises Suspicions About Its Motives
KIGALI, Rwanda -- With thousands of Rwandan troops fanned out across eastern Congo's green hills, many residents and international observers are questioning what is really behind the operation in the mineral-rich region and how long it is likely to last.
Tsvangirai Sworn In as Zimbabwe's Prime Minister
HARARE, Zimbabwe, Feb. 11 -- Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in as prime minister Wednesday, bringing his party to the top echelons of power after 10 years of struggle by joining a coalition government with bitter rival President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled the nation for...
Drugs Are Found to Block HIV In Monkeys
AIDS researchers who were gathered in Montreal yesterday heard encouraging results from studies of three strategies for preventing HIV infection using pharmaceuticals, particularly in women.
Troops Fire on Madagascar Rally
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar, Feb. 7 -- Soldiers opened fire on anti-government protesters Saturday near the presidential palace in Madagascar's capital, and radio stations reported that about 30 people were killed.
Nigerians Collect Teething Formula Laced With Poison
LAGOS, Nigeria, Feb. 6 -- Nigerian health workers hunted down bottles of a poisonous teething formula Friday as the government reported that 84 infants and children have died after swallowing a syrup laced with a chemical normally found in antifreeze.
Book Accuses French Minister, Humanitarian of Impropriety
PARIS, Feb. 4 -- Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, a media-savvy human rights campaigner and co-founder of Doctors Without Borders, has regularly been cited in opinion polls as the most popular politician in France.
U.N. Unit Struggles as Rwandan Hutu Militiamen Seeking Repatriation Emerge in Congo
GOMA, Congo, Feb. 3 -- With their wives and children, the Rwandan militiamen are arriving from the bush here in eastern Congo by the truckload. Skinny and tired, they have voluntarily surrendered their weapons and say they are ready to go home.
In Congo, Fresh Anxieties
NYAMILIMA, Congo -- By late afternoon, an unusual delegation of Congolese and Rwandan army officials, ex-rebel lieutenants, spear-carrying militiamen and shiny-shoed politicians had arrived at this dirt-road village in a dusty convoy -- a kind of roadshow aimed at explaining perhaps the most...
Zimbabwe Opposition Party Agrees to Form Unity Government With Mugabe
JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 30 -- Zimbabwe's main opposition party announced Friday that it would enter a unity government with autocratic President Robert Mugabe, bending to pressure to end a nearly five-month impasse that had paralyzed the government as a humanitarian and economic crisis grew more dire ...
Zimbabwe Deal's Fate Unknown Amid Conflicting Accounts
JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 27 -- Zimbabwe's fragile power-sharing pact remained in limbo Tuesday, after southern African leaders said the nation's rival parties had come to an agreement but the main opposition party denied that.
A Growing Chorus In S. Africa Urges Action on Mugabe
JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 25 -- Kumi Naidoo joined the struggle against apartheid as a teenager, signing up with a movement that fought for human rights, delivered democracy to South Africa and now governs the country. Last week, he began a hunger strike to pressure that government to confront a differe...
Displaced Congolese Return To Prospect of More Violence
KIBUMBA, Congo, Jan. 24 -- With the menacing rebels gone and the equally menacing Congolese army again patrolling this muddy market village, people who fled months of fighting have begun to return, hoping for a life better than one lived in a banana-leaf hut in a cold displacement camp.
Troubled Zimbabwe Losing a Rare Bright Spot
VICTORIA FALLS, Zimbabwe -- This hamlet is swathed in lush emerald rainforest, a serene place that is 500 miles from political turmoil in the nation's capital but seems a galaxy apart. Baboons frolic on hotel grounds, luxe lodges serve ostrich carpaccio, and tour operators tout sunset cruises and...
Rwanda's Arrest of Congolese Rebel Leader Marks a Key Shift
KIGALI, Rwanda, Jan. 23 -- The arrest of renegade Congolese Gen. Laurent Nkunda by his former Rwandan allies portends a dramatic shift in a complex conflict that has raged and simmered across the region since 1994, when the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide spilled across the border into eastern...
Competing Interests
The Somali transitional parliament is slated in coming weeks to elect a new president. The new government will have to contend with an array of characters and interests in a country that maintains a strong system of clan organization but has failed to establish a central government since 1991. The...
With Ethiopian Pullout, Islamists Rise Again in Somalia
NAIROBI -- The departure of the last Ethiopian tanks from Somalia's capital is ushering in a new phase of conflict in a nation known for clan warfare: a battle for power among militias flying Islamist banners.
Rwandan Troops Enter Congo to Find Hutu Militia Leaders
NAIROBI, Jan. 20 -- More than 1,500 Rwandan troops crossed into eastern Congo on Tuesday morning, launching a major operation with the Congolese army to hunt down Rwandan Hutu militia leaders who fled into the region after participating in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, according to U.N. and Rwandan...
Diplomatic Efforts Toward Gaza Truce Intensify
JERUSALEM, Jan. 16 -- Israeli leaders said they would meet Saturday to consider approval of an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire that would bring to an end their three-week-old assault against Hamas, the armed Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip.
Rival Emphasizes Deal Despite His Distrust of Mugabe
JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 15 -- Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Thursday that he remains committed to a foundering power-sharing deal but expressed tepid faith in autocratic President Robert Mugabe's willingness to cooperate.
At Cairo Hospital, Injured Palestinians Increasingly Voice Support for Hamas
CAIRO -- At Nasser hospital here in the Egyptian capital, the sound of Palestinian Arabic spills out from rooms and floats through the corridors of the fourth floor. "God is great, God is great," Ahmed Hussein, 25, said to a weeping Egyptian woman, one of a stream of visitors coming to pay their ...
Zimbabwean Government Denying Human Right to Health, Doctors' Group Says
JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 13 -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's government should be investigated for crimes against humanity for overseeing and ignoring the breakdown of the nation's health-care system, an international doctors group said in a report released Tuesday.
Israel's Top Leaders Weighing Their Next Steps in Gaza
JERUSALEM, Jan. 12 -- Israel's leaders debated Monday how and when to bring their 17-day-old offensive in Gaza to an end, as battles continued to rage on the edge of Gaza City and as Israeli reservists flowed into the territory, ready for a possible deeper push into urban areas.
Case Against ANC Leader in S. Africa Resumes
JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 12 -- South Africa's turbulent political landscape entered a new phase of uncertainty Monday as a court cleared the way for a corruption case against ruling party leader Jacob Zuma, who is expected to be elected the nation's president this spring.
Blair Says Mideast Cease-Fire Elements in Place
JERUSALEM, Jan. 12 -- Israeli war planes and gunboats destroyed targets in the Gaza Strip Monday, including homes of Hamas leaders, as special Mideast envoy Tony Blair said after a meeting in Cairo with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that "the elements of an agreement" for a cease-fire are in p...
Israelis Push to Edge of Gaza City
JERUSALEM, Jan. 11 -- Israeli troops pushed deep into the Gaza Strip's most populated area Sunday, producing some of the fiercest fighting of the 16-day war against Hamas as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared that Israel is "close" to achieving its goals but is not there yet.
For Zimbabwe's Dead, a Final Indignity
HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Noel Nefitali died of cholera on Dec. 28 at age 35, though no one passing by his grave site would know that.
Combat May Escalate In Gaza, Israel Warns
JERUSALEM, Jan. 10 -- The war in the Gaza Strip entered its third week Saturday, as weary Palestinians braced themselves for the possibility that the worst was yet to come. Israeli tanks edged closer to Gaza City, and warplanes dropped leaflets warning that an escalation in the fighting was likely.
Gaza Strikes Reverberate in Egypt
CAIRO, Jan. 9 -- Rarely has an Arab leader been so widely perceived as backing Israel and the United States against the Palestinians, whose struggle has been a fundamental rallying point for Arabs and Muslims for more than six decades.
'It Feels Like We Are Under Siege'
HARARE, Zimbabwe -- At 72, Fidelis Chiramba had spent a decade as a rural opposition party organizer, and late 2008 seemed to bring the truest promise yet for the democracy he wanted. In September, Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's autocratic president for nearly three decades, shook hands with his rivals...
Jan. 1 Attack By CIA Killed Two Leaders Of Al-Qaeda
A New Year's Day CIA strike in northern Pakistan killed two top al-Qaeda members long sought by the United States, including the man believed to be behind September's deadly suicide bombing at a Marriott hotel in the Pakistani capital, U.S. counterterrorism officials confirmed yesterday.
Self-Styled 9/11 Planner On Trial in Tunisia Blast
PARIS, Jan. 5 -- Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-styled mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, went on trial in Paris on Monday on charges he helped organize a truck-bomb attack on an ancient Tunisian synagogue seven months later in which 21 people were killed.
Opposition Leader to Be Ghana's President
ACCRA, Ghana, Jan. 3 -- Opposition leader John Atta Mills was declared Ghana's next president Saturday after a peaceful ballot that secured the West African nation's place as a beacon of democracy on a volatile continent.
Ethiopia Begins Somalia Pullout
NAIROBI, Jan. 2 -- Ethiopian troops propping up Somalia's fragile transitional government began a partial withdrawal from the seaside capital of Mogadishu on Friday, a move that many Somalis and analysts say will probably touch off a vicious scramble for power among various Islamist factions and...
Ugandan Rebel Group Massacres 189 Over 3 Days in Northeast Congo, U.N. Says
NAIROBI, Dec. 29 -- A Ugandan rebel group known for its horrific cruelties has massacred 189 people and kidnapped at least 20 children over three days in northeastern Congo, U.N. officials reported Monday.
President Of Somalia Steps Down Amid Pressure
NAIROBI, Dec. 29 -- Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf resigned Monday, conceding that Islamist insurgents had overtaken much of the country and that he had been unable to unite the perpetually fragmented Horn of Africa nation.
In Togo, a 10-Year-Old's Muted Cry: 'I Couldn't Take Any More'
LOME, Togo -- Adiza ran scared and crying into the street. Ten years old and 4-foot-9, she fled the house where she had worked for more than a year, cleaning and sweeping from before dawn until late at night.
Muslim Couple's Annulment Becomes National Political Issue in France
MONS-EN-BAROEUL, France -- It was a match made in heaven, and both families approved. The groom was a computer engineer, the bride a nursing student. Children of Moroccan immigrants, they had thrived in French society and seemed at home with its ways.
Somali President May Quit, Advisers Say
NAIROBI, Dec. 24 -- Advisers to Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf said Wednesday that he would yield to mounting internal and international pressure and resign over the weekend, but officials close to him insisted the situation remained dynamic.
Zimbabwean Activist, Missing 3 Weeks, Taken to Court
HARARE, Zimbabwe, Dec. 24 -- A Zimbabwean human rights activist missing for three weeks was taken to court Wednesday, and state media said she was accused in a plot to overthrow President Robert Mugabe.
Military Group Announces Coup After Death of Guinea's Lansana Conté
CONAKRY, Guinea, Dec. 23 -- A military group seized control of the airwaves in mineral-rich Guinea and declared a coup Tuesday after the death of the West African country's president, one of the continent's last strongmen.
Families of Americans Killed in 1989 Bombing See Victory Over Libya Nullified
As the State Department reviews hundreds of claims from people who lost family members in Libyan-sponsored terrorist attacks, controversy is building over a case that is so low-profile it is sometimes called "the forgotten flight."
European Nations Discussing Accepting Guantanamo Detainees
European nations have begun intensive discussions both within and among their governments on whether to resettle detainees from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a significant overture to the incoming Obama administration, according to senior European officials and U.S. diplomats.
A Radical Islamist Takeover Drives the Young From Somalia
DADAAB, Kenya -- By the time Mohamed Abdi Ibrahim decided to leave Somalia, life in the southern city of Kismaayo had become, as he put it with consummate understatement, "complicated."
U.S. Won't Support a Zimbabwe Government That Includes Mugabe, Top Envoy Says
JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 21 -- The United States will not support a unity government in Zimbabwe that includes President Robert Mugabe, a top American envoy told reporters in South Africa on Sunday.
U.S. Efforts to Extradite Terrorism Suspects Founder
SOUTH LITTLETON, England -- Soon after al-Qaeda bombed two U.S. embassies in East Africa in 1998, a U.S. federal judge issued a warrant for Khalid al-Fawwaz, an accused conspirator in the attacks and a confidant of Osama bin Laden.
A Self-Styled Class Warrior Has Major Battle at Hand in Mexico
TUCTA, Mexico -- Until 1977, this village in sweltering Tabasco state was a patch of misery surrounded by a swamp. Families lived in thatched huts, with no roads, electricity or relief from swarms of mosquitoes carrying malaria.
Wal-Mart Says Inquiry Names Ousted Official
A federal grand jury in Arkansas is investigating allegations that the former head of U.S. operations at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. misused up to $500,000 in corporate funds, the giant retailer said yesterday.
Long Fall in Ecuador: Populist to Pariah
Former president Lucio Gutierrez wasn't always the political pariah who this week inspired street riots and a vote by the legislature to overthrow him.
Canada's Martin Promises New Vote
TORONTO, April 21 -- Prime Minister Paul Martin on Thursday promised to call a new federal election late this year or early next year, 30 days after a federal judge finishes an inquiry into a political scandal that Martin said was "an unjustified mess."
Ecuador's Ousted Leader Awaits Asylum
A day after the country's presidency changed hands in the wake of violent street riots and a congressional revolt, relative calm -- if not a sense of lasting political stability -- returned Thursday to the capital's rain-soaked streets.
Muslims Detained at Border Sue U.S. Homeland Security
American Muslims detained at the border as they returned from a religious conference in Toronto sued the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday alleging they were targets of ethnic and religious profiling.
U.N. Envoy To N. Korea Steps Aside For Probe
The United Nations' special envoy to North Korea, Maurice F. Strong, decided Wednesday to step aside until U.N.-appointed investigators and federal prosecutors finish examining his financial ties to a South Korean lobbyist accused of trying to bribe U.N. officials.
Ecuadoran Congress Ousts President
QUITO, Ecuador, April 20 -- Lawmakers voted to oust President Lucio Gutierrez Wednesday morning after a week of protests and appointed the vice president to replace him. But enraged mobs continued to take to the streets, burning government buildings and beating employees and politicians who tried to flee.
Canada Plans to Reverse Slide in Status
Government says it will beef up its military, bolster its diplomatic corps and overhaul its foreign aid in a bid to reverse the country's diminishing influence in global affairs.
Group Says Government At Root of Haiti Chaos
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, April 19 -- The failure of Haiti's government to tackle human rights abuses has encouraged lawlessness in the Caribbean state, where armed groups roam unchecked over wide areas, an advocacy group said Tuesday.
Radio Is Blamed For Unrest In Ecuador
QUITO, Ecuador, April 19 -- Military police used tear gas and high-pressure water hoses to restrain tens of thousands of protesters Tuesday night during the fiercest confrontation yet between the government and those demanding the ouster of president Lucio Gutierrez.
Merck to Discount Drugs for Uninsured
Drug manufacturer Merck & Co. will provide uninsured Americans steep discounts for many of its prescription medicines, joining other pharmaceutical firms in slashing some prices during debate over importing drugs from Canada.
18 More Detainees Leave Guantanamo
Release marks largest number of captives let go from the facility at one time since last September.
GOP Spars Over Drug Import Bill
Party divisions over whether to allow Americans to import lower-priced medications from such countries as Canada exploded in an unusually public and personal exchange between two New England lawmakers.
Joy Tempered by a Wish for a Third World Pope
The selection of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church drew mixed reaction across Latin America and Africa. Political and church leaders issued warm statements of congratulations, but many people also said they felt a tinge of disappointment that the new pontiff did not come from the Third World.
U.N. Envoy Says Park Invested in His Firm, Advised Him on N. Korea
UNITED NATIONS, April 18 -- A senior U.N. official said Monday that he "was associated" with a company that received investments from a South Korean businessman who was charged last week with lobbying U.N. officials as an unregistered agent for Saddam Hussein's government.
Protests Escalate In Ecuador's Capital
QUITO, Ecuador, April 17 -- Residents of Quito on Sunday hit the streets for the fifth day to demand the resignation of President Lucio Gutierrez over his handling of a crisis with the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Congress met in a special session to determine the constitutionality of a presidential decree regarding the court's makeup.
G-7 Issues Upbeat Growth Outlook
Despite last week's sudden plunge in stock prices, top economic policymakers from the world's richest countries expressed confidence that the global economy remains on track for "solid growth" this year.
Ecuadorans Defy Ban on Protests to Demand Leader Quit
QUITO, Ecuador, April 17 -- Ecuador's president called off a state of emergency in the capital on Saturday -- less than 24 hours after imposing it -- as thousands of Ecuadorans defied his ban on demonstrations and demanded his resignation.
Utah Driver's License Curtailed as ID
The restrictions that undocumented immigrants face in Utah could be felt nationwide if Congress passes the Real ID Act.
U.N.'s World Digital Library Goes Online
PARIS, April 20 -- A globe-spanning U.N. digital library seeking to display and explain the relics of all human cultures has gone into operation on the Internet for the first time, serving up mankind's accumulated knowledge in seven languages for students around the world.
U.N. Launches World Digital Library
PARIS, April 20 -- A globe-spanning U.N. digital library seeking to display and explain the wealth of all human cultures has gone into operation on the Internet, serving up mankind's accumulated knowledge in seven languages for students around the world.
Extremist Tide Rises in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 19 -- A potentially troubling era dawned Sunday in Pakistan's Swat Valley, where a top Islamist militant leader, emboldened by a peace agreement with the federal government, laid out an ambitious plan to bring a "complete Islamic system" to the surrounding northwest reg...
For Japan's Young Families, a Little Good News
TOKYO -- Rolling out Japan's largest-ever economic stimulus plan, Prime Minister Taro Aso gave a much-needed gift last week to young families in the world's oldest society.
'Slumdog' Makers Donate to Mumbai Charity
MUMBAI, April 16 -- The makers of the hit movie "Slumdog Millionaire" have donated $747,500 to a charity devoted to improving the lives of street children in Mumbai, the filmmakers said Thursday.
Attacks by Maoist Rebels in India Leave 17 Dead as Election Begins
NEW DELHI, April 16 -- Violence marred the start of the month-long national election in the world's largest democracy Thursday, as Indian voters cast ballots to choose a new government that will confront the twin challenges of the global economic slowdown and the growing threat of terrorism.
Navy Ship Delivers Phillips to Mombasa
MOMBASA, Kenya, April 16 -- With the rock anthem "Sweet Home Alabama" blaring from its speakers, the guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge delivered the rescued American captain of the Maersk Alabama, Richard Phillips, to this port city Thursday morning.
China's economic growth slows further in 1Q
BEIJING -- The worst might be over for China's economy even as growth in the first quarter slumped to its lowest rate in more than a decade.
U.S. Lays Out Anti-Piracy Plan
The Obama administration yesterday called for expanding the international counterpiracy effort to deter Somali pirates, secure the release of hostage ships and crews, and freeze pirate assets, yet U.S. military officials said there are no immediate plans to devote more warships to the region.
Journalists From India and Pakistan Discuss Role in Wake of Mumbai Siege
NEW DELHI, April 15 -- Nearly five months after the deadly attacks in Mumbai that revived tensions between India and Pakistan, journalists from both countries gathered in New Delhi on Wednesday to examine their role in fueling regional hostilities.
U.S. Looks to Balance Response to N. Korea
UNITED NATIONS, April 15 -- North Korea's rapid moves to eject international inspectors and restart its nuclear facility have left the Obama administration scrambling to demonstrate resolve while leaving the door open to talks that will defuse the latest crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
India's Heartland Expected to Play Decisive Role in Elections
KURUL, India -- Just six months ago, Ranganath Tiwari, 38, was a pea farmer in debt, eking out a living for his wife and six children in this dusty village of half-finished brick and bamboo-roofed shelters.
N. Korea's Defiant Tone Masks Problems Restarting Nuclear Program
TOKYO, April 15 -- Despite its defiant vow to restart a plant that makes plutonium, North Korea's capacity to add to its small nuclear arsenal is limited by aging technology and by machinery that was disabled as part of a disarmament deal.
U.S. Criticizes Pakistan's Deal on Islamic Law in Northwest
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 14 -- The Obama administration said Pakistan's imposition of Islamic law in a northwest valley to quell a Taliban insurgency undermines human rights, while a visiting U.S. senator urged the country to "ratchet up" its urgency in the terror fight.
Protest Leaders Surrender to Police in Thailand
BANGKOK, April 14 -- Four days of violent anti-government protests in Thailand came to an end Tuesday when the last demonstrators gave up and their leaders surrendered to security forces. But business analysts said the violence and political uncertainty were likely to have a lasting effect on an...
North Korea Answers U.N. by Ousting Nuclear Inspectors, Condemning Six-Party Talks
TOKYO, April 14 -- Fuming at the U.N. Security Council for condemning its missile launch, North Korea ordered U.N. nuclear inspectors out of the country on Tuesday, said it will restart its plutonium factory and vowed never to participate again in six-country nuclear negotiations.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Mona Sutphen Has a World of Experience
The corridors of the West Wing are narrow enough that the entourages of visiting Cabinet officials cause the occasional bottleneck. On a recent afternoon, Mona Sutphen, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, ran into an eddy swirling around Kathleen Sebelius, secretary-designate of the...
Thai Tourist Industry Hit Once Again
BANGKOK, April 13 -- When Patcharee heard that anti-government protesters had broken into the ASEAN regional summit in the Thai resort town of Pattaya last Saturday, she cried.
At Least 1 Killed as Unrest Spreads in Thailand
BANGKOK, April 13 -- Civil unrest spread across Thailand on Monday, with clashes between anti-government demonstrators and security forces in at least three locations in Bangkok and major highways blocked in many provinces outside the city. By evening, soldiers had surrounded the last and largest of...
Thai State of Emergency Sparks More Unrest
BANGKOK, April 12 -- Thailand slid perilously close to chaos Sunday when opposition protesters called the government's decision to announce a state of emergency in Bangkok "a declaration of war against the people of Thailand."
U.S. Seeks New Tack on Burma
BANGKOK -- When Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced recently that the United States was reviewing its policy of sanctions against Burma's government, it marked the final recognition of a global failure to modify the behavior of one of the world's most repressive regimes.
N. Korean Defectors Bewildered By the South
ANSEONG, South Korea -- To flee North Korea and arrive in the rich, wired, consuming culture of South Korea is to feel clueless, fearful and guilty.
Thai Protests Prevent Asian Summit
PATTAYA, Thailand, April 11 -- Anti-government demonstrators forced the cancellation of a summit of Asian leaders Saturday when they invaded the meeting site in this Thai resort town.
Key U.N. Powers Agree on N. Korea Statement
UNITED NATIONS, April 11 -- The U.N. Security Council's five permanent powers and Japan reached agreement Saturday on a statement condemning North Korea's April 5 rocket launch over Japan. The text would revive a 2 1/2 -year-old threat of financial and travel sanctions against individuals and...
Afghan Law Ignites Debate on Religion, Sex
KABUL, April 10 -- When Afghanistan's government quietly enacted a sweeping law last month restricting the rights of minority Shiite women, few Afghans were aware of what it said. But since the law's contents became known here just over a week ago, it has provoked an extraordinary public debate o...
Japanese Stimulus Adds to Debt
TOKYO, April 10 -- Japan, which soothed the pain of its ruptured bubble economy in the 1990s with massive government borrowing, is again swallowing giant doses of deficit medicine.
Obama Follows Bush Policy on Detainee Access to Courts
The Obama administration yesterday appealed a judge's decision granting three detainees at a U.S. military prison in Afghanistan the right to challenge their detention in U.S. courts, arguing partly that compliance would inhibit the future capture of Pakistani citizens for detention by U.S. forces...
More Funds Sought for Iraq and Afghanistan
President Obama sent Congress an $83.4 billion spending request yesterday to fund his administration's strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan through the summer, in what officials promised would be the last such off-budget proposal to pay for the wars.
Thai Government Worries Protests May Spread
BANGKOK, April 9 -- Anti-government demonstrators turned out for a second day in Thailand's capital Thursday amid fears that the focus of the protests could shift to the resort town of Pattaya, where the Thai prime minister is to host a meeting of Asian leaders this weekend.
FBI Joins U.S. Navy In Pirate Standoff
NAIROBI, April 9 -- The FBI and U.S. Navy were in delicate negotiations Thursday with Somali pirates holding an American captain in a lifeboat drifting in the Indian Ocean, as one U.S. destroyer hulked nearby and additional naval ships were speeding to the scene, U.S. officials said.
Taliban Using U.S. Firms to Host Web Sites
On March 25, a Taliban Web site claiming to be the voice of the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" boasted of a deadly new attack on coalition forces in that country. Four soldiers were killed in an ambush, the site claimed, and the "mujahideen took the weapons and ammunition as booty."
Somali Pirates Capture American Sea Captain
NAIROBI, April 9 -- An American warship early Thursday reached the scene of a Somali pirate attack on a U.S.-operated container ship, according to U.S. officials, who said the pirates fled with the captain while the unarmed American crew regained control of its ship.
Indonesia Holds Fast To Secular Politics
DEPOK, Indonesia -- Ismi Safeya is a student at an Islamic school who veils her hair for modesty, prays five times a day and is inspired by the idea of a society based on Muslim principles.
U.S. Embassy Warns of Drink-Spiking in Tokyo Hot Spot
TOKYO, April 8 -- In the heart of this populous and famously safe city, there's a once-raunchy, now-sleek neighborhood where American men have drunk and debauched since the end of World War II.
Thousands Demand New Thai Leadership Â? Protest Threatens 4-Month-Old Abhisit Government
BANGKOK, April 8 -- Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through Bangkok on Wednesday, demanding the prime minister's resignation in a protest that threatened to set off a new round of political instability.
U.S. Envoy Says India Is Not Being Pressured
NEW DELHI, April 8 -- U.S. special envoy Richard C. Holbrooke said Wednesday that "India, Pakistan and the U.S. face a common threat" posed by Islamist extremist groups. But Holbrooke, in New Delhi for meetings with top Indian officials after visits to Pakistan and Afghanistan, denied asking Indi...
For Afghan Craftsmen, a Welcome Upswing After Years of Struggle
KABUL -- For a moment, it sounds like Santa's elves are at work in the little cobbler's shop in a dingy part of the capital. Hammers tap out a rhythm on leather soles, heavy shears snip and snap, and a foot-powered sewing machine whirrs in the corner.
India's Youth Vote Rises From Ashes Of Mumbai Attacks
MUMBAI -- Before the November terrorist attacks on this city left three of his friends dead, Kaizad Bhamgara, 19, spent his evenings jamming with his hipster goth-rock band or chilling on the wave-sprayed boulders along the high-rise-ringed shoreline.
In N. Korea, a Determinedly Rosy View of Satellite Launch
TOKYO, April 6 -- Kim Jong Il has expressed "great satisfaction" that North Korea succeeded Sunday in launching a satellite into orbit.
Blast Near Pakistani Capital Kills 22
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 5 -- A suicide bombing at a crowded Shiite mosque south of Pakistan's capital killed 22 people Sunday, the latest evidence of how security in the U.S.-allied nation is crumbling well beyond the Afghan border region where al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters thrive.
After Launch, Obama Focuses On Disarmament
ANKARA, Turkey, April 6 -- President Obama arrived in Turkey on Sunday night as global condemnation of North Korea gave way to intense diplomatic debate about how to punish the rogue nation for the brazen weekend launch of a rocket over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean.
U.N. Security Council Fails to Agree on N. Korea Statement
UNITED NATIONS, April 5 -- The U.N. Security Council meeting in an emergency session failed Sunday to reach agreement on a statement criticizing North Korea's rocket launch, as China and Russia said they were not convinced that Pyongyang had violated any U.N. rules by trying to send a satellite ...
Defiant N. Korea Launches Missile
TOKYO, April 5 -- North Korea launched a long-range missile Sunday morning, defying repeated international warnings, worrying its neighbors and setting up the prospect of increased sanctions.
Congress Moves to Set Terms for Pakistan Aid
Just as it did with Iraq, Congress is moving toward imposing benchmarks that the Pakistani government must meet to qualify for billions of dollars of U.S. military assistance. But the proposed restrictions, introduced in House legislation Thursday, have made both the White House and the Pakistani...
Obama, Merkel Hold a Press Conference
GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL: [As translated] (JOINED IN PROGRESS) the front of the building. This time, I welcome him to the south of Germany on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of NATO.
Obama Holds Town Hall in Strasbourg, France
PRESIDENT OBAMA: (Extended cheers and applause.) Hey! Thank you! Thank you so much. Good afternoon. Bon apres-midi -- (cheers, applause) -- and guten tag.
Splintered Taliban Thwarts Afghan Peace
KABUL -- When voter registration stations opened in southern Afghanistan several months ago, officials feared they would be attacked by Taliban fighters who control much of the region. Instead, the process went smoothly and not a shot was fired. There were even reports of local Taliban members...
Nations Craft Hard-Fought Pledge To Repair World Financial System
LONDON, April 2 -- President Obama and the leaders of the world's largest economies on Thursday declared their intention to create a new era of worldwide financial oversight and government investment in a move to shore up the collapsing global economy.
N. Korean Threats Grow as Launch Draws Near
TOKYO, April 2 -- Amid reports that it is fueling a missile for launch as soon as this weekend, North Korea escalated threats on Thursday against a worried neighbor, warning that it would attack "major targets" in Japan if Tokyo shot the missile down.
Obama Discusses N. Korean Missile at G-20
LONDON, April 2 -- Just before world leaders launched their economic summit, President Obama sat down with South Korean president Lee Myung-Bak Thursday morning to discuss security on the Korean peninsula, including a pending missile launch by North Korea.
Besieged Thai Government Makes Overtures to Foe Thaksin
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, April 1 -- Thailand's four-month-old government, under increasing pressure from opposition demonstrations, has offered a tentative olive branch to its most potent adversary, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
U.S. Military to Request More Troops for Afghanistan
Gen. David H. Petraeus disclosed yesterday that American commanders have requested the deployment of an additional 10,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan next year, but he said the request awaits a final decision by President Obama this fall.
A Whirl of Activity for Obama on First European Trip as President
LONDON, April 1 -- President Obama talked dinosaurs with Prime Minister Gordon Brown's young sons, nuclear weapons with the Russian president, trade with the Chinese president and squeezed in a visit to Buckingham Palace, where he gave Queen Elizabeth II that most American of gifts, an iPod.
Obama, Medvedev Pledge Cooperation
LONDON, April 1 -- President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced the start of negotiations Wednesday on a new strategic arms-control treaty that would cut each nation's long-range nuclear arsenal further than previous agreements, inaugurating what both men indicated would be a more...
N. Korea Threatens To Down U.S. Spy Aircraft
TOKYO, April 1 -- Having alarmed much of the world with its planned launch of a long-range missile, North Korea is showing no signs this week of wanting anyone to calm down.
Pakistani Taliban Chief Asserts Responsibility for Assault on Police Academy
KABUL, March 31 -- The reclusive commander of the Pakistani Taliban said Tuesday that his fighters had carried out Monday's bold assault on a police academy in eastern Pakistan and boasted that he was planning a terrorist attack in Washington that would astonish the world.
Khmer Rouge Figure Accepts Responsibility for Executions
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, March 31 -- A prominent member of Cambodia's murderous Khmer Rouge regime publicly accepted responsibility and apologized in court Tuesday for his role in a system that killed one-fifth of the country's population more than three decades ago.
Talks on Expanding U.N. Panel Called Off
UNITED NATIONS, March 30 -- Having invited the foreign ministers of the four other permanent Security Council nations to London to discuss enlarging the 15-nation council, Britain on Monday called off the Wednesday meeting after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and China's foreign...
Trial of Khmer Rouge Torture Boss Opens
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, March 30 -- Three decades after Cambodia's murderous Khmer Rouge were flushed from power, a prominent regime official stood in the dock Monday for the first time to answer charges of crimes against humanity, breaches of the laws of war, murder, and torture.
Insurgent Threat Shifts From Border to Heartland in Pakistan
KABUL, March 30 -- The brazen occupation of a Pakistani police academy Monday by heavily armed gunmen near the eastern mega-city of Lahore was the latest indication that Islamist terrorism, once confined to Pakistan's northwest tribal belt, now threatens political stability nationwide.
N. Korea to Put American Journalists on Trial
TOKYO, March 31 -- Two American journalists detained this month by North Korean soldiers will be put on trial for "hostile acts" and illegal entry, North Korea's official news agency reported Tuesday.
Obama Says He Is Sharpening Focus of War in Afghanistan
President Obama said yesterday that his predecessor's administration had lost its "focus" on the war in Afghanistan, forcing the creation of a new strategy that is aimed narrowly at defeating the terrorists who run their operations from there and Pakistan.
Japan Debates Public Works Push, After Incurring Huge Debt in 1990s Crisis
TOKYO -- Within a block of one another, three public works projects gummed up traffic one day last week. Workmen upgraded a gas line, installed a new water main and replaced sand in a public playground.
Detainee's Harsh Treatment Foiled No Plots
When CIA officials subjected their first high-value captive, Abu Zubaida, to waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods, they were convinced that they had in their custody an al-Qaeda leader who knew details of operations yet to be unleashed, and they were facing increasing pressure from...
Karzai in Â?Full Agreement' With Obama Plan
KABUL, March 28 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that he was in "full agreement" with President Obama's newly announced strategy for Afghanistan, saying it was "exactly what the Afghan people were hoping for" and promising to "work very closely" with the United States to implement the...
No Givens As Obama Steps Onto World Stage
After 69 days in which international issues have taken a back seat to attempts to rescue the economy at home, President Obama takes the world stage this week as a wildly popular figure among the people of Europe, but one who faces a difficult task in selling his plans to the continent's leaders.
Grieving Parents Gain Clout In China
BEIJING -- When Zhao Lianhai created a Web site for parents of children hurt or killed by contaminated milk, he did not set out to challenge the Communist Party. He did it because his son was sick. The 3-year-old had been diagnosed with kidney stones and Zhao was scared. He needed advice.
AFGHANISTAN POLICY, PAST AND PRESENT
President Obama's announcement yesterday of a new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan marked a distinct shift in how the war in Afghanistan is framed. In contrast to former president George W. Bush, Obama makes no mention of bringing democracy to the war-torn country and does not dwell on the...
North Korea Envoy's Part-Time Status Concerns Some Experts
Next week, as President Obama embarks on his first major overseas tour, North Korean engineers will be finalizing preparations for the launch of a three-stage rocket that theoretically could reach Alaska -- a launch that Pyongyang has announced will take place as Obama visits Europe.
Suicide Attack on Mosque in Pakistan Kills at Least 50 People
PESHAWAR, Pakistan, March 27 -- A suicide bomber detonated his explosives Friday in a crowded mosque in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 50 people and leaving more bodies buried in the rubble of the building, officials said.
Obama Announces Strategy for Afghanistan, Pakistan
President Obama introduced his new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan yesterday with a threat assessment familiar from the Bush administration. "The terrorists who planned and supported the 9/11 attacks," he said, are continuing to devise plots designed to "kill as many of our people as they...
Japan Prepares to Shoot Down North Korean Missile in Case of Accident
TOKYO, March 27 -- Japan ordered its military on Friday to destroy a North Korean missile or its debris if the launch fails and falling pieces of the rocket imperil Japanese territory.
Ex-U.N. Official Spent Development Funds on Luxury Items, Probe Says
UNITED NATIONS -- A former U.N. official who oversaw reconstruction funds in Afghanistan diverted half a million dollars from roads, schools and clinics to fund his luxury lifestyle, according to a confidential internal U.N. investigation.
North Korean Missile Test a Growing Possibility
SEOUL -- North Korea moved a long-range missile to a launchpad this week and plans to send it into space in early April in defiance of repeated international warnings.
Obama Plans More Funding For Afghan War
President Obama's new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy will require significantly higher levels of U.S. funding for both countries, with U.S. military expenses in Afghanistan alone, currently about $2 billion a month, increasing by about 60 percent this year.
U.S. Diplomat Meets With Foreign Minister of Burma
A senior U.S. diplomat met with the Burmese foreign minister in the ruling junta's jungle capital yesterday, possibly signaling a softening in the tense relations between the two countries.
For N. Korea, a Pair Of Bargaining Chips
TOKYO, March 25 -- Two American journalists detained last week by North Korean soldiers are likely to become bargaining chips for North Korea in its feuds with the outside world, according to analysts and politicians in South Korea.
Controversy Over Dalai Lama Leads to Cancellation of S. Africa Peace Conference
JOHANNESBURG, March 24 -- Organizers of a peace conference meant to showcase the role of sports in promoting unity canceled the forum Tuesday, citing the South African government's decision to block the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, from attending.
Japanese Premier's Unpopularity Creates Opening for Opposition Party
TOKYO, March 24 -- Corruption is rivaling incompetence as the primary scourge of Japanese politics, as polls show that voters regard their political leaders with a level of dissatisfaction that borders on contempt.
An Ancient Culture, Bulldozed Away
KASHGAR, China -- For hundreds of years, Uighur shopkeepers have been selling bread and firewood along the edges of Kashgar's old town to families whose ancestors bought their traditional mud-brick homes with gold coin and handed them down through the generations.
India's Growing Middle Class Becomes More Invested in Art
NEW DELHI -- At an intimate gathering of artists, students and fans this week, an American fine arts photographer named Waswo X. Waswo spoke about his unusual experiment in hand-painted digital photography and his work with traditional Indian painters.
China Arrests Monks in Attack
BEIJING, March 22 -- Hundreds of Tibetans attacked a police station and government officials in northwestern China despite heightened security, prompting the arrests Sunday of nearly 100 monks, state media reported.
General Urges Confidence in U.S. Ability to Supply Troops in Afghanistan
Thanks to billions of dollars spent in road and air base construction, troops in landlocked Afghanistan will never have to worry about getting enough supplies, the Pentagon's chief of military transportation told senators last week.
Pakistani Villagers Pay a Price for Defying Rebels Along Afghan Border
BAZITKHEL, Pakistan -- This tiny village in northwestern Pakistan has paid a high price for its defiance.
CIA's Panetta Meets With Officials in Pakistan to Press Fight Against Extremists
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 21 -- CIA Director Leon E. Panetta held high-level talks in Pakistan on Saturday as the Obama administration seeks a strategy to turn around the faltering war against the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan.
Vast Rural India Sparkles As an Expanding Market
DHORKA, India -- With her face wrapped in a pink veil, Suman Yadav squatted on the mud floor of her village home washing clothes, next to her family's gleaming new possession -- a silver-gray, $10,000 car called Swift. She said they bought it on an auspicious January harvest-festival day and dro...
U.S. Could Hit N. Korean Missile, Says Commander
There is a "high probability" that the United States could knock down a North Korean missile aimed at this country, the Pentagon's military commander for the Pacific told Congress yesterday.
Civilians to Join Afghan Buildup
A civilian "surge" of hundreds of additional U.S. officials in Afghanistan would accompany the already approved increase in U.S. troop levels there under a new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy being completed at the White House, according to administration officials.
Russia Signaling Interest in Deal on Iran, Analysts Say
As President Obama seeks to recast relations with Russia and persuade it to help contain Iran's nuclear ambitions, he must win over leaders who are deeply suspicious of U.S. intentions and who have long been reluctant to damage what they consider a strategic partnership with Iran. But the Kremlin...
Aided by Financial Crisis, China Snaps Up Natural Resources Worldwide
SHANGHAI -- Chinese companies have been on a shopping spree in the past month, snapping up tens of billions of dollars' worth of key assets in Iran, Brazil, Russia, Venezuela, Australia and France in a global fire sale set off by the financial crisis.
A Young Lama Weighs Tibetans' Future
SIDBHARI, India -- For a living Buddha and one of Tibet's next spiritual leaders, the 23-year-old Karmapa Lama hardly conforms to Western notions of a monastic figure. He spends many of his afternoons in his wine-colored robe, head-bobbing to hip-hop music on his iPod or releasing "negative energ...
In Pakistan, Elation Over Restoration of Judges
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 16 -- They came carrying children and cakes, tootling bagpipes and pounding drums, waving banners from half a dozen political parties and wearing the garb of peasants and politicians.
Roadside Bomb Kills 4 Troops in Afghanistan
KABUL, March 15 -- A roadside bomb killed four American soldiers in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday -- new evidence of rising violence in a region where clashes and attacks in the first two months of 2009 more than doubled from the same period a year ago.
China Tightens Grip as Tibet Revolt Hits 50-Year Mark
XINING, China -- First came the armed checkpoints. Next, China Mobile sent word to customers in Tibet that text messaging would be interrupted for nearly two months. By Tuesday, police armed with guns containing rubber bullets stopped buses traveling to the capital of a Tibetan prefecture in Qinghai...
Pakistani Leader Bows to Pressure
LAHORE, Pakistan, March 16 -- Unable to crush street protests Sunday that spilled out of this city and threatened to reach the capital, the Pakistani government announced early Monday morning that it would restore the former chief justice of the Supreme Court and a group of other deposed judges i...
In Pakistani Opposition, a Mix of Motivations
LAHORE, Pakistan, March 13 -- On one side of the provincial high court complex, a majestic red-brick monument to British colonial rule, it was business as usual Friday morning. Lawyers in black robes and white bibs rushed to hearings and conferred with clients, while clerks pecked out legal...
On a Ballfield in Sri Lanka, Healing the Wounds of War
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- With his worn baseball glove freshly oiled, Praneeth Samaraweera stood under a bright sun and began teaching a young player how to hold a bat steadily and swing straight through a pitch.
Iranian: Israel Is a Racist State
PARIS, April 20 -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad argued before a U.N. anti-racism conference Monday that Israel is a "paragon of racism" founded on "the pretext of Jewish sufferings" during World War II.
French Workers Hold Bosses Captive to Force Negotiations
GRENOBLE, France -- The striking workers had no battle plan, but their jobs were endangered by layoffs, and they were itching for a confrontation.
U.S. Judge Sentences Dutch Man to 25 Years for Crimes in Iraq
A federal judge yesterday sentenced a Dutch national to 25 years in prison for conspiring to kill Americans in Iraq.
Medvedev Grants Interview to Opposition Newspaper
MOSCOW, April 15 -- Stepping up efforts to portray himself as a liberal reformer, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev granted an interview to a newspaper that has been fiercely critical of the Kremlin and called Wednesday for changes to laws that have hindered the work of human rights groups and other...
The Scot Heard Round the World
LONDON, April 15 -- Before YouTube, Twitter and Simon Cowell, Susan Boyle's angelic voice might never have been heard outside of parties and church services in her tiny Scottish village.
Another U.S. Cargo Ship Escapes Somali Pirate Attack
MOMBASA, Kenya, April 15 -- Somali pirates Wednesday attempted to commandeer another U.S. cargo ship, the Liberty Sun, but the attack was thwarted, and the ship is headed toward port here with naval guards, U.S. Navy officials said.
With Reserves Dropping, Russia May Need Cash Infusion
MOSCOW, April 14 -- Russia may have to borrow money from international markets next year for the first time in a decade, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Tuesday, as the government seeks to conserve cash amid a severe recession.
Key U.N. Powers Agree on N. Korea Statement
UNITED NATIONS, April 11 -- The U.N. Security Council's five permanent powers and Japan reached agreement Saturday on a statement condemning North Korea's April 5 rocket launch over Japan. The text would revive a 2 1/2 -year-old threat of financial and travel sanctions against individuals and...
Georgian Leader Again Rebuffs Calls to Resign
TBILISI, Georgia, April 10 -- Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said Friday his government faced no threat from protests that gripped the capital for a second day, and he dismissed opposition leaders as unpopular and ineffective as they threatened an escalating campaign of civil disobedience...
Navy Relying on Patience in Pirate Standoff
As U.S. Navy warships surrounded the lifeboat where four pirates held an American sea captain hostage yesterday, defense officials and analysts said the most likely military option for ending the standoff would not involve any significant use of naval firepower, but rather blocking maneuvers or a...
Russian Voting Tinged With Green
MOZHAISK, Russia -- For nearly two months, Dmitry Belanovich woke before dawn to make the two-hour drive from Moscow to this small, bucolic town west of the capital.
Ahmadinejad Claims Progress In Iranian Nuclear Program
TEHRAN, April 9 -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced advances in Iran's nuclear program Thursday and indicated his country would not suspend its enrichment of uranium, but he also reiterated a willingness to enter into negotiations with other countries on nuclear and other issues.
Britain's Top Counterterrorism Officer Resigns After Security Blunder
LONDON, April 9 -- Britain's top counterterrorism officer resigned Thursday after he was photographed clutching secret documents in which the details of a major terrorism operation were clearly visible.
Georgians Call on President to Quit
TBILISI, Georgia, April 9 -- Tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied in front of the Georgian Parliament on Thursday, condemning President Mikheil Saakashvili as a despot who botched last year's war with Russia and vowing to continue protesting until he resigns.
Studies Find A Way Adult Bodies May Fight Obesity
Three new studies show that most adults have unexpectedly large and active deposits of a calorie-burning type of fat that biologists once thought disappeared after infancy.
U.S. to Join Future Talks on Iran
The United States said yesterday that it would directly participate "from now on" in international talks with Iran over its nuclear activities, the latest move in the Obama administration's promised diplomatic outreach to the Tehran government.
In Britain, Outrage Grows Over Government Officials' Expenses
LONDON, April 7 -- Retailers are struggling, joblessness is rising and the recession is deepening, but what the British public is focused on right now is the $14 that a cabinet member charged taxpayers for two pornographic movies.
Quake Toll in Italy Rises to at Least 235
ONNA, Italy, April 7 -- The death toll in Italy's deadliest earthquake in almost three decades exceeded 200 as aftershocks continued to rattle the region.
Obama Cautions Iraqis on Future
BAGHDAD, April 7 -- President Obama declared Tuesday that Iraqis "must take responsibility for their country" and predicted that the next 18 months will be trying as U.S. troops start to leave a country stymied by security threats and political problems.
Obama Portrays Another Side of U.S.
ISTANBUL, April 7 -- President Obama concluded his inaugural overseas tour Tuesday after presenting to the world a starkly different image of the United States than his predecessor had, returning home from encounters with exuberant U.S. troops in Iraq, fawning crowds in Europe and Turkey, and...
Protesters storm Moldovan parliament, 50 injured
CHISINAU, Moldova -- Anti-communist demonstrators stormed Moldova's parliament Tuesday, hurling computers through windows and torching furniture to protest elections they say were fraudulent.
New Data Show Rapid Arctic Ice Decline
The Arctic sea ice cover continues to shrink and become thinner, according to satellite measurements and other data released yesterday, providing further evidence that the region is warming more rapidly than scientists had expected.
Suicide Bomber Kills Three Iraqi Policemen
BAGHDAD, April 20 -- A suicide bomber wearing a police uniform killed three Iraqis, including two employees of the U.S. Embassy's office in Diyala province, on Monday, authorities said. The blast wounded 19 people, among them eight American soldiers, two other embassy employees and three Iraqi po...
Iranian: Israel Is a Racist State
PARIS, April 20 -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad argued before a U.N. anti-racism conference Monday that Israel is a "paragon of racism" founded on "the pretext of Jewish sufferings" during World War II.
Iraq Elects Parliament Speaker After Nearly 4 Months of Delay
BAGHDAD, April 19 -- Iraq's parliament ended months of political paralysis by electing a prominent Sunni lawmaker as its new speaker Sunday. Meanwhile, attackers fatally shot seven people in an old market area of Baghdad in a new spree of violence in the Iraqi capital.
Extremist Tide Rises in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 19 -- A potentially troubling era dawned Sunday in Pakistan's Swat Valley, where a top Islamist militant leader, emboldened by a peace agreement with the federal government, laid out an ambitious plan to bring a "complete Islamic system" to the surrounding northwest reg...
Iran Sentences U.S. Journalist to 8 Years in Prison on Espionage Charges
An Iranian American journalist has been sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of spying for the United States after a trial held behind closed doors, her attorney and Iranian officials said Saturday.
Mitchell Cites '02 Arab Plan For Peace
JERUSALEM, April 17 -- White House envoy George J. Mitchell ended two days of talks here with little visible progress between Israelis and Palestinians, but with apparent assent from both sides to pursue peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
Pakistani Cleric Calls for Islamic Law Nationwide
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 17 -- A firebrand Islamist cleric, released on bail after almost two years under house arrest, returned triumphantly Friday to his former mosque in Pakistan's capital, where he called on a crowd of chanting followers to spread the crusade for Islamic law across the...
Kurds, Arabs Maneuver Ahead of U.N. Report on N. Iraq
BAGHDAD, April 16 -- Kurdish and Arab politicians in northern Iraq are preparing for a potentially long and bruising fight over disputed areas as they await the release of U.N. reports expected to propose joint administration of Kirkuk and make a case for the annexation of some districts to the...
U.S.-Israel Divide Emerges On Palestinian Peace Talks
JERUSALEM, April 16 -- Stark differences between U.S. and Israeli policy toward peace talks with the Palestinians emerged clearly Thursday in the first meetings between President Obama's Middle East envoy and top leaders of the new Israeli government.
Year-Old Liberal Jewish Lobby Has Quickly Made Its Mark
When a group of Jewish liberals formed a lobbying and fundraising group called J Street a year ago, they had modest hopes of raising $50,000 for a handful of congressional candidates.
Suicide Bomber Kills 16 at Iraqi Army Base
BAGHDAD, April 16 -- A suicide bomber detonated explosives inside an Iraqi army base in western Iraq on Thursday afternoon, killing at least 16 people and wounding 40, Iraqi officials said.
Iran Holds Closed Trial For American Journalist
An Iranian American journalist accused by Iran of spying for the United States has been tried behind closed doors, Iran's judiciary said yesterday, and a verdict is expected in one to two weeks.
Sunni Insurgents Assert Responsibility for Blast That Killed 5 U.S. Troops in Iraq
BAGHDAD, April 13 -- The Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group for extremist organizations including al-Qaeda in Iraq, asserted responsibility Monday for a bombing that killed five U.S. soldiers last week in the deadliest attack on American troops in Iraq in more than a year.
Samarra Is an Iraqi City Divided by Walls, by Sect, by Bitterness
SAMARRA, Iraq -- Fifteen feet tall, half a mile long, the walls wind like a concrete ribbon through the heart of this scarred holy city, the cradle of Iraq's sectarian war. Shiite pilgrims flow alongside them toward the shattered al-Askari mosque, a symbol of a resuscitating Iraq. Shiite nationa...
On Its 100th Birthday, Modern Israeli City Revels in Its Openness and Vibrancy
TEL AVIV The city's story starts south of town in the ancient port of Jaffa, where the Old Testament says Jonah departed on the voyage that took him into the belly of a whale and the New Testament says Peter sorted out some of the basics of Christianity.
Blast in Iraq Kills 8 In Paramilitary Force
BAGHDAD, April 11 -- A suicide bomber detonated explosives Saturday south of Baghdad, killing eight members of a Sunni paramilitary force who were waiting to be paid outside an Iraqi army base, officials said.
Arborist Not About to Offer an Olive Branch
JERUSALEM, April 10 -- The trees on the Mount of Olives can withstand a lot -- heat, drought, insects, even the occasional fire.
5 U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq Bombing
BAGHDAD, April 10 -- A suicide bomber driving a dump truck detonated a load of explosives at a police headquarters in the northern city of Mosul on Friday, killing five American soldiers and two Iraqi police officers.
Soccer, a Link to Normalcy For West Bank Palestinians
WADI AL-NEES, West Bank -- Like any soccer match among 6-year-olds, the gang behind the village school brought as much structure to the game as a swarm of bees.
More Funds Sought for Iraq and Afghanistan
President Obama sent Congress an $83.4 billion spending request yesterday to fund his administration's strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan through the summer, in what officials promised would be the last such off-budget proposal to pay for the wars.
7 Killed in Baghdad Near Shiite Shrine
BAGHDAD, April 8 -- A bomb tucked inside a plastic bag detonated yards from Baghdad's most important Shiite shrine Wednesday, killing seven people and injuring more than 20, authorities said, the latest of several attacks targeting mostly Shiite areas in recent days.
At Jewish Blessing of the Sun, Plenty of It at Jerusalem's Western Wall
JERUSALEM, April 8 -- The light was brilliant and the sky was without a cloud. The stones of the Old City sparkled.
Diplomatic Detour
I was showing some out-of-town relatives the Lincoln Memorial on Thanksgiving Day 2003 when I got the call that President Bush had shown up in Baghdad.
Obama Cautions Iraqis on Future
BAGHDAD, April 7 -- President Obama declared Tuesday that Iraqis "must take responsibility for their country" and predicted that the next 18 months will be trying as U.S. troops start to leave a country stymied by security threats and political problems.
Obama Cautions Iraqis on Future
BAGHDAD, April 7 -- President Obama declared Tuesday that Iraqis "must take responsibility for their country" and predicted that the next 18 months will be trying as U.S. troops start to leave a country stymied by security threats and political problems.
Obama Portrays Another Side of U.S.
ISTANBUL, April 7 -- President Obama concluded his inaugural overseas tour Tuesday after presenting to the world a starkly different image of the United States than his predecessor had, returning home from encounters with exuberant U.S. troops in Iraq, fawning crowds in Europe and Turkey, and...
Business / Econonmy
Obama to Order Cabinet to Quickly Cut $100 Million From Department Budgets
President Obama convened his Cabinet for the first time today and instructed department heads to trim their budgets by a combined $100 million over the next 90 days, cuts he said would help overcome a "confidence gap" among the American people about the use of their tax dollars.
Bank of America Announces Surprise 1Q Earnings
Bank of America said this morning it earned $4.2 billion in the first quarter, the latest success for the government's intervention into the banking industry.
Impoverished Haiti Slips Further as Remittances Dry Up
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, April 16 -- The U.S. economic crisis touched down recently in the dusty town where Marie Rosita Simon ekes out a living selling sandals. Her brother, a New Jersey cabdriver, slashed his monthly $400 transfer to her by half because his business was off.
Financial Crisis Must Be Probed, Pelosi Says
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has endorsed a proposal to create a special congressional committee to investigate the causes of the financial sector meltdown, giving the idea bipartisan momentum in Congress.
Americans' Tax Burden Near Historic Low
As thousands of anti-tax protesters rallied across the nation yesterday and the president promised tax cuts for most, new data showed that the federal income tax burden is already hovering near its lowest level in three decades for all but the wealthiest Americans.
Manufacturing Slips, but Fed Finds Stability in Some Parts of U.S.
Declining demand pulled down manufacturing output in March, but the recession showed signs of leveling out in parts of the country and falling energy prices put more money into consumers' pockets, according to government data released yesterday.
Obama: Economy Gaining Traction
The president and the Federal Reserve chairman voiced cautious optimism yesterday that the economy could be beginning to stabilize. But the economy wasn't cooperating.
At Summit of Americas, U.S. May Face World of Blame for Economy
President Obama plans to take his message of partnership to Latin America and the Caribbean this week, but he will face a group of leaders far less forgiving than their European counterparts were about the United States' central role in the global financial crisis.
Reinventing Regulation
During President Obama's speech yesterday on the economy at Georgetown University, it was hard to miss that the biggest applause lines were those that criticized Wall Street for reckless risk-taking and squandering so much wealth and talent. To make sure it never happens again, the president...
In Georgetown Speech, Obama Offers Cautious Optimism
President Obama today laid out a vision for a new era of U.S. economic prosperity and called on the nation to "get serious" about reforming entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security -- reform that he said starts with overhauling the American health care system.
March Retail Sales Show Possible Signs of Stabilization
Several of the country's national chain stores reported March sales this morning that were lower than last year but not as bad as expected.
How Bernanke Staged a Revolution
Every six weeks or so, around a giant mahogany table in an ornate room overlooking the National Mall, 16 people, one after another, give their take on how the U.S. economy is doing and what they, the leaders of the Federal Reserve, want to do about it.
Inside the Fed's Trillion-Dollar Decision: Crisis Outweighed Inflation Fears
Worries about a prolonged economic slump and a lack of progress in thawing frozen credit markets persuaded Federal Reserve leaders last month to inject more than a trillion dollars into the economy, according to meeting minutes released yesterday.
SEC Puts Forward Proposals on Regulations to Restrict Short-Selling
The Securities and Exchange Commission today held its first policymaking session of the year, and under political pressure, introduced several proposals to restrict the short-selling of stock that many economists, including those inside the agency, say are likely to have little effect.
U.S. Visa Limits Hit Indian Workers
MUMBAI -- With his master's degree in electrical engineering at North Carolina State University almost complete, Ravi, 24, received a promising job offer from a technology firm. He called his parents back in India, happy that he was on track for an H-1B work visa, which is seen as a steppingstone to...
Admirers, Hopeful of Change, Await U.S. President in Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey, April 4 -- Shoe shiner Kasim Kirsakal sat outside a mosque, directly across from a bank using a poster of President Obama to promote low-interest loans.
Administration Seeks an Out on Bailout Rules for Firms
The Obama administration is engineering its new bailout initiatives in a way that it believes will allow firms benefiting from the programs to avoid restrictions imposed by Congress, including limits on lavish executive pay, according to government officials.
Another Wallop to the Out of Work
The U.S. job market declined sharply last month, dulling hopes that the economy could be on the brink of a turnaround and signaling that American workers are still in the thick of a severe recession.
Fed Trying to Avoid Risk in Lending Programs, Bernanke Says
The ambitious programs the Federal Reserve is launching to stimulate the economy are designed to protect taxpayers and ensure that the central bank is not deciding which businesses and individuals can get loans, Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said yesterday.
Post Politics Hour
Washington Post White House reporter Michael A. Fletcher discusses the latest from the G-20 summit, including world leaders agreeing to pump $1 trillion into the world economy, Congress' approval of President Obama's $3.5 trillion budget, Sen. Richard Lugar's request of the president to open up talks with Cuba and more.
As Crisis Loomed, Geithner Pressed But Fell Short
In September 2005, Timothy Geithner made one of his most visible moves as a supervisor of the U.S. banking system. He summoned the nation's top financial firms and their regulators to streamline an antiquated system that threatened Wall Street's boom.
A Lifeline for Nations Both Rich and Poor
LONDON, April 2 -- The $1.1 trillion pledged by world leaders to combat the worst economic crisis since World War II effectively amounts to a rescue package for both poor and rich countries, potentially including the United States.
'Chronic Disorganization' Cited in Efforts to Fix Crisis
A former senior official in the Treasury Department under Henry M. Paulson says the Bush administration's response to the financial crisis was hamstrung by "chronic disorganization," "a broadly haphazard policy process," and "sometimes strained relations" between the Treasury and the White House.
Wall St. Cheered by Moves to Contain Crisis
International efforts to tackle the financial crisis and a move to give U.S. banks more leeway when valuing their distressed assets sent the stock market soaring yesterday, pushing prices to their highest level in more than a month.
A Rare Triumph of Substance at the Summit
International economic summits deserve to be regarded with skepticism: The most important decision to come out of them is usually the call for yet another meeting.
Manufacturing Shows Surprising Strength on Jump in Factory Orders
The manufacturing sector showed surprising signs of strength yesterday, with a new report indicating that factory orders rose in February for the first time in seven months. But the labor market remained weak, as the number of people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time increased u...
Hitting the Brakes
The Obama administration's decision to kick GM's chief executive to the curb was one of those eye-opening moments, as if the government had decided to limit the company's cars to blue and gray or decreed that the radios be smaller.
Most Americans Don't Blame Obama for Economy, Poll Finds
The number of Americans who believe that the nation is headed in the right direction has roughly tripled since Barack Obama's election, and the public overwhelmingly blames the excesses of the financial industry, rather than the new president, for turmoil in the economy, according to a new Washin...
Recession Puts a Major Strain On Social Security Trust Fund
The U.S. recession is wreaking havoc on yet another front: the Social Security trust fund.
Outrageous Fortune
To understand what Washington is actually up to, you have to watch what it does, not what it says. That's especially true when it comes to Washington's role in the ongoing bailout of Wall Street, part of its "let's hope this works" plan to revive the U.S. economy.
Fox Ferreting Out Fans
Fox Nation, an opinionated site that launches this morning -- and really, what other network would name a country after itself? -- is based on a gut-level appeal:
U.S. Eases Its Stance on Global Stimulus
LONDON, March 29 -- The Obama administration on Saturday moved to quell a public war of words with European leaders over the need to boost government spending to combat the financial crisis, making clear it has no desire to dictate spending targets for other countries.
Consumer Spending Rises a Hair
The job market is bad and getting worse, the stock market is down steeply for the year, and housing prices are still falling. Despite it all, there are early -- and highly tentative -- signs that the deep freeze in Americans' spending is turning into a mere chill.
Ask Barack
Who needs Leno? Move over, Steve Kroft. And the big-paper reporters were already reduced to extras at the last presser.
Economy Shrinks As Job Losses Continue to Mount
The economy shrank even faster than thought at the end of last year, and job losses are continuing at a stunning pace, according to government data released yesterday, reminders of the severity of the downturn even as the economy shows hints of stabilizing.
As Oversight Plan Is Unveiled, Turf Battle Begins to Unfold
Even as Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner yesterday was presenting to Congress his new blueprint for revamping financial oversight, federal regulators at the Securities and Exchange Commission and elsewhere were joining the battle over the creation and apportionment of any expanded powers.
Automakers to Get Aid Package
President Obama said yesterday that his administration will offer the auto industry an aid package that will require General Motors and Chrysler to make "painful" and "pretty drastic" changes.
IBM to Cut 5,000 Jobs; D.C. Area Largely Not Affected
IBM has told its employees that the company plans to cut about 5,000 jobs this week, according to industry sources with knowledge of the layoffs.
House, Senate Budget Plans Rein In Obama's Spending Requests
President Obama went to Capitol Hill yesterday to rally support among skeptical Senate Democrats for his $3.6 trillion spending plan, focusing attention on the core initiatives that unite the party while downplaying the issues that divide it.
A Growing Chorus on the Hill Questions the Fed's Decisions
The Federal Reserve, which for the past year has drawn mostly praise from Congress for its aggressive response to the financial crisis, is increasingly on the hot seat.
Stocks Up After Seesaw Session
Stocks traded wildly yesterday, surging on upbeat economic data, but taking a tumble after a weak auction for government debt.
U.S. Vows To Sustain Dollar's Dominance
NEW YORK, March 25 -- Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said Wednesday that the United States would do whatever it takes to make sure the dollar would remain the world's dominant reserve currency, clarifying comments he had made earlier in the day that had caused the greenback to fall agains...
New Home Sales Jump 4.7 Percent in February
New homes sales unexpectedly jumped 4.7 percent in February, but prices continue to tumble as buyers make their way through a huge backlog of unsold homes.
President Points To Progress on Economic Efforts
President Obama sought to reassure Americans last night that his administration has made progress in reviving the economy and said his $3.6 trillion budget is "inseparable from this recovery."
The Pitch for Expanded Powers
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke pressed Congress yesterday to give the federal government unprecedented new power to seize financial firms beyond banks whose collapse could jeopardize the world financial system.
Geithner Asks Congress for Broad Power to Seize Firms
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner today told Congress the administration will seek unprecedented power to seize non-bank financial companies whose collapse could jeopardize the economy, a move Geithner said would have allowed the government to bail out insurance giant American International ...
Mr. Cool
I've been watching Barack Obama make jokes, talk sports, boast about his daughters' new swing set and talk seriously about the economy and Afghanistan.
U.S. to Help Investors Buy Bank Assets
Financial markets roared ahead yesterday as investors reacted with near-euphoria to the Obama administration's new trillion-dollar plan to stabilize banks by relieving them of their troubled assets and risky loans.
Treasury's Bank Plan Sparks a Broad Rally
Stock markets staged a massive rally yesterday, soaring as much as 7 percent after the Treasury Department unveiled a plan to help banks purge their balance sheets of toxic assets and home sales made a surprising rebound.
Existing Home Sales Rise 5.1 Percent in February
Existing home sales rose unexpectedly in February as first-time home buyers snapped up cheap homes, according to data released today by the National Association of Realtors.
Advisers To Obama Wary of Bonus Tax
As the Obama administration prepared to unveil major elements of its plan to address the global financial crisis, some of its leading economic officials reacted coolly to congressional actions to recoup bonuses from financial firms through targeted taxes, with one adviser saying the approach may ...
Foreign Firms May Cash In on Stimulus Act With Expertise U.S. Companies Lack
Spain's Prince Felipe and his wife, Princess Letizia, visited New York and Washington last week on an unusual mission for one of Europe's most glamorous celebrity couples: to drum up business for Spanish companies from the U.S. economic stimulus package.
Treasury Presses Ahead With Plan For Toxic Assets
The Treasury Department will unveil the next step in its financial rescue efforts tomorrow, announcing that it intends to create a government body, called the Public Investment Corp., to finance the purchase of as much as $1 trillion in soured loans and toxic assets from ailing banks, according to...
Obama Looks for Calm in a Firestorm
It was the kind of statement that Barack Obama is famous for -- at once empathetic, stern and measured. In remarks to a group of small-business owners, the president lashed out at American International Group, said he felt the outrage of average workers and pledged to turn his anger into action.
Book Review: 'House of Cards' by William D. Cohan
HOUSE OF CARDS A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street By William D. Cohan
Chrysler-Fiat Alliance Is a Gamble Worth Taking
Congress should approve the additional loans for General Motors and Chrysler.
U.S. Budget Deficit to Balloon, CBO Says
President Obama's ambitious plans to cut middle-class taxes, overhaul health care and expand access to college would require massive borrowing over the next decade, leaving the nation mired far deeper in debt than the White House previously estimated, congressional budget analysts said yesterday.
Bankers Press Case Against Punitive Tax
An alarmed banking industry looked for friends in Washington yesterday as it tried to head off severe congressional restrictions on compensation, fearful that a wave of popular anger about vast paydays will result in permanent damage to the industry.
Stocks Eke Out Second Week of Gains
Stocks tumbled yesterday as investor confidence in bank stocks waned, but Wall Street still closed the week in positive territory.
Oil Rallies On Fed Plan To Pump Up Economy
The price of oil climbed more than 7 percent to $51.61 a barrel yesterday as commodity prices rallied across the board, buoyed by a weakening dollar and the prospect of an economic recovery fueled by the Federal Reserve.
Baracketology
President Obama is playing defense on the banking mess, on AIG, on health care, on a whole plethora of problems.
Fed to Pump $1.2 Trillion Into Markets
The Federal Reserve yesterday escalated its massive campaign to stabilize the economy, saying it would flood the financial system with an additional $1.2 trillion.
Key Argument for Incentives Questioned
The work of defusing the most dangerous bets placed by American International Group was largely concluded by December, according to documents and interviews, long before the company gave bonuses to employees it said it needed to retain to avoid a financial meltdown.
How the Fed Failed to Tell Obama About The Bonuses
Federal Reserve officials knew for months about bonuses at American International Group but failed to tell the Obama administration, according to government and company officials, exposing problems in a relationship that is vital to addressing the financial crisis.
Fed Announcement Buoys Stocks
Stocks rose dramatically yesterday after the Federal Reserve said it would deploy up to an additional $1.2 trillion in a massive effort to stimulate the economy and lower interest rates.
AIG Chief Asks That Awards Be Returned
The chief executive of American International Group, trying to quell the wrath of the public and politicians over millions of dollars in bonuses, told Congress yesterday that he had just asked a few hundred employees of the beleaguered insurance company to give back at least half of the extra pay.
Trade Barriers Could Threaten Global Economy
At least 17 of the 20 major nations that vowed at a November summit to avoid protectionist steps that could spark a global trade war have violated that promise, with countries from Russia to the United States to China enacting measures aimed at limiting the flow of imported goods, according to a ...
Carping About Competence
Barack Obama might be getting whiplash these days.
Aided by Financial Crisis, China Snaps Up Natural Resources Worldwide
SHANGHAI -- Chinese companies have been on a shopping spree in the past month, snapping up tens of billions of dollars' worth of key assets in Iran, Brazil, Russia, Venezuela, Australia and France in a global fire sale set off by the financial crisis.
Anger Over Firm Depletes Obama's Political Capital
President Obama's apparent inability to block executive bonuses at insurance giant AIG has dealt a sharp blow to his young administration and is threatening to derail both public and congressional support for his ambitious political agenda.
Iranian Suspected of Smuggling Weapons for Tehran Jailed in U.S.
A Tehran businessman who allegedly helped run a major weapons-smuggling ring for Iran was charged yesterday with multiple export-related crimes, two days after he was arrested in San Francisco after stepping off a flight from Europe.
The Obama Stock Market
As the Dow embarked on a long slide after Inauguration Day -- a nearly 2,000-point slide, to be precise -- the drumbeat seemed to grow louder.
AIG Discloses $75 Billion in Bailout Payments
In the six months since the government's bailout of insurance giant American International Group, a rescue that has become increasingly costly and contentious, one question has loomed above all others: Where did the money go?
China Worried About U.S. Debt
Exerting its new influence as the U.S. government's largest creditor, China yesterday demanded that the Obama administration "guarantee the safety" of its $1 trillion in American bonds as Washington goes further into debt to combat the economic crisis.
Downturn Puts Air Travelers on Cloud Nine
An airfare war has broken out in recent weeks -- a boon for anyone with money to travel.
Lawmaker Tried to Aid Bank Partly Owned by Husband
A California congresswoman who this fall helped a bank partly owned by her husband seek government money has said she previously intervened with federal regulators to help clear the way for that bank to buy another firm.
Obama Team Touts Economic Plans
President Obama yesterday acknowledged that a severe recession has brought "incredible pain and hardship" to millions of families, but said he is confident that his policies will revive the economy and help the nation avoid future calamities.
Stocks Have Best Week Of 2009
Investors clung to modest gains yesterday, handing Wall Street its best week since November as there arose small signs that some parts of the economy aren't suffering as much as initially feared.
Stocks Soar, But Dismal Signs Remain
Meager signs of life in the economy sparked another rally on Wall Street yesterday, but new data showed that markets have a long way to go to replace the vast wealth lost by Americans in recent months.
Wall St. Builds on Winning Streak
Wall Street extended its rally into a third day on a mixed batch of economic data yesterday and some positive corporate news, sending the Dow Jones industrial average back above 7000.
Push to Reduce Greenhouse Gases Would Put a Price on Emitting Pollution
President Obama's endorsement of climate legislation to clamp down on greenhouse gases has set off a lobbying rush in Congress and made the air thick with rival proposals.
The Juggler
Monday was stem cells. Tuesday, merit pay for teachers. Yesterday was earmarks.
Treasury Seeks Billions More to Aid Ailing Nations
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner yesterday unveiled a sweeping plan that calls on the United States and other nations to offer billions more to bail out economies in crisis and prods a reluctant Europe to prop up the reeling world economy with more aggressive government spending.
Bank Rally Preserves Tuesday's Gains
Stocks inched higher yesterday, giving Wall Street its first back-to-back positive days in about a month.
Bernanke's Vision for Change
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke yesterday laid out his most comprehensive vision yet for how to overhaul the rules governing the nation's financial system, and advocated changing accounting methods that he said have exacerbated the financial crisis.
Citi's Long History of Overreach, Then Rescue
When Citicorp and Travelers Group agreed on a historic merger in 1998, the heads of the two companies placed a courtesy call to inform the Treasury Department. Then they held a news conference to suggest that Congress change the law to allow their union. Congress soon complied.
It'll Take More Than Money to Fix This Crisis
Browsing through the Style section of yesterday's Post, I happened upon an article about new Washington "power couples" that made reference to one Jeremy Bernard, a Los Angeles fundraiser for President Obama who recently landed the plum job as White House liaison to the National Endowment for the...
U.S. Downturn Dragging World Into Recession
The world is falling into the first global recession since World War II as the crisis that started in the United States engulfs once-booming developing nations, confronting them with massive financial shortfalls that could turn back the clock on poverty reduction by years, the World Bank warned y...
Job Losses Could Drown Stimulus
The nation is losing jobs so quickly that the government, racing to deal with the crisis, is having trouble keeping up.
At the Heart of North Korea's Troubles, an Intractable Hunger Crisis
SEOUL -- Behind the long-range missile it is preparing to launch and the stockpile of plutonium it claims to have "weaponized," North Korea has an embarrassing and insoluble weakness.
After Slight Return, Markets Stumble
U.S. stock markets plunged 4 percent yesterday as bank shares faltered and auditors for General Motors, the biggest U.S. automaker, warned that the company might not be financially viable.
As Markets Slump, U.S. Tries to Halt Cycle of Fear
The Obama administration yesterday made a concerted push to boost confidence in downward-spiraling financial markets, assuring Americans that officials are taking the steps necessary to contain the worsening economic damage and to restore the nation's long-term fiscal health.
Obama Touts Investing With 'Long-Term Perspective'
President Obama, seeking to boost public confidence in his economic recovery plan and U.S. markets, suggested today that now is a good time for investors with "a long-term perspective" to buy stocks, and he vowed that the nation's financial mess "is going to get cleaned up."
In Free-Fall, Stocks Hit Lowest Mark Since '97
The global financial rout worsened yesterday, driving U.S. stocks to their lowest level since 1997 amid deepening questions about whether governments around the world are being forceful enough in combating the economic crisis.
Obama Likely to Need to Hire Tens of Thousands of Federal Workers to Fulfill Budget Goals
President Obama's budget is so ambitious, with vast new spending on health care, energy independence, education and services for veterans, that experts say he probably will need to hire tens of thousands of new federal government workers to realize his goals.
AIG Posts $61.7 Billion Loss, Faces Grim Future
Despite the latest federal bailout, American International Group still faces months of peril and uncertainty, a prospect that the company acknowledged yesterday as it reported staggering losses of $61.7 billion for the fourth quarter and nearly $100 billion for all of 2008.
Government-Picked Leader Resigns as Losses Pile Up
The government-appointed chief executive of Freddie Mac announced yesterday that he is stepping down just six months into the job because, associates said, he was frustrated with the intense scrutiny by federal regulators and the short leash they keep the company on.
Consumer Spending Rises in January but Likely to Fall Again
Americans' spending rose in January, as did their incomes, but analysts warned there was little reason for optimism about a broader economic rebound.
The United Front of Geithner and Summers
The Obama administration's budget bears the hallmarks of a decade-old alliance that has quickly come to dominate the most pressing issues on the young administration's agenda.
Economy Shrinks At Staggering Rate
The prospects for an economic recovery by year's end dimmed yesterday, as government data showed that the economy contracted at the end of 2008 by the fastest pace in a quarter-century. The worse-than-expected data fueled doubts about whether the Obama administration had adequately sized up the...
In $3.6 Trillion Budget, Obama Signals Broad Shift in Priorities
President Obama delivered to Congress yesterday a $3.6 trillion spending plan that would finance vast new investments in health care, energy independence and education by raising taxes on the oil and gas industry, hedge fund managers, multinational corporations and nearly 3 million of the nation'...
Orszag Is Economic Centrist Who Knows How to Deal
The gangly, bespectacled official who yesterday laid down the fiscal footprint of a new presidency is an unassuming man who proudly refers to himself as the administration's "super-nerd."
In Stock Deal, U.S. Plans to Enlarge Stake in Citigroup
The federal government plans to take a substantial ownership stake in Citigroup, launching the Obama administration's new strategy to prevent the failure of any more large banks, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Numbers Paint Gloomy Picture
Orders for autos, appliances and other durable goods plummeted for the sixth month in a row in January and the number of first-time claims for unemployment benefits shot up unexpectedly last week, intensifying fears about the economy's rocky descent.
Bailout Recipients Spent Millions on Lobbying, Records Show
Major recipients of federal bailout money spent more than $10 million to lobby lawmakers in the first three months of 2009, including arguing against pay limits for corporate executives, according to newly filed disclosure records.
Card Issuers Brace for Stern Warning
President Obama will meet directly with credit card executives this week and plans to tell them to support strict measures that curb lending abuses or face the wrath of angry consumers and a determined Congress, according to banking industry officials.
As Bus Travel Grows, Probe of Fatal 2008 Crash Revives Push For New Safety Rules
On Jan. 6, 2008, a chartered ski bus traveling over a ridge in southeastern Utah slipped off the edge of the road at a curve, dropped off an embankment and tumbled over.
More Rescued Banks Might Suspend Interest Payments
The Obama administration may let more large, troubled banks suspend interest payments on federal aid, allowing firms to rebuild their capital reserves more quickly and thereby limiting the amount of any additional federal aid that may be needed.
At His First Official Cabinet Meeting, Obama Orders Cuts
The brickbats were flying even before President Obama convened his first official Cabinet meeting yesterday. At the session, Obama ordered his agency heads to identify and shave a collective $100 million in administrative costs from federal programs in a budget of well over $3 trillion.
Pay Rule Led Chrysler to Spurn Loan, Agency Says
Top officials at Chrysler Financial turned away a government loan because executives didn't want to abide by new federal limits on pay, according to new findings by a federal watchdog agency.
Executive Pay Limits May Apply to Treasury's Toxic-Asset Program, Report Says
Treasury Department lawyers have determined that firms participating in a $1 trillion program to relieve banks of toxic assets could be subject to limits on executive compensation, contradicting the Obama administration's previous public position, according to a report to be released today by a f...
Obama to Order Cabinet to Quickly Cut $100 Million From Department Budgets
President Obama convened his Cabinet for the first time today and instructed department heads to trim their budgets by a combined $100 million over the next 90 days, cuts he said would help overcome a "confidence gap" among the American people about the use of their tax dollars.
Sunday Morning Shootout
David Gregory says he was acutely aware of "the legacy of the program" when he took over "Meet the Press" four months ago. "I realized I was succeeding Tim Russert, and that was a big deal," he says. "I'm trying to bring as much passion as I can, and I hope viewers are seeing it. My voice is stil...
Judicial Foreign Policy We Cannot Afford
Corporations shouldn't be held liable for foreign governments' human rights violations.
What If Green Jobs Don't Pay?
The Obama administration is putting a lot of stock in the concept of "green jobs." In late February, Vice President Biden threw his weight behind the green movement and the $20 billion in the stimulus package devoted to green investment. Biden claimed that people who earn $20 per hour prior to green...
In Shift, EPA Says Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are Threat To Public
The Environmental Protection Agency yesterday officially adopted the position that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions pose a danger to the public's health and welfare, a move that could trigger a series of federal regulations affecting polluters from vehicles to coal-fired power...
Obama Nominates Fannie Mae Chief to Lead Treasury's Bailout Program
The Obama administration yesterday tapped Fannie Mae chief executive Herbert M. Allison to oversee a central part of the government's financial recovery effort, which would place him in charge of the Treasury Department's $700 billion program at a key moment.
Obama Backs Autos Task Force Chief; Rattner Faces Probes of Pension Fund Deals
President Obama has full confidence in auto task force chief Steve Rattner, the president's spokesman said yesterday, despite disclosures that the former Wall Street financier was involved in business dealings now under investigation by New York and federal authorities.
Obama Urges 'Equal Partnership' With Latin American Countries
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, April 17 -- President Obama was forced to confront long-standing resentment of U.S. dominance of Latin America as he told regional leaders here Friday evening that his administration seeks an "equal partnership" with the rest of the hemisphere.
Barack TV
POTUS has become part of my morning routine. I have a lot of things to get done at an early hour--read the newspapers, surf the Net, file this column--but when I get to the office and flip on the cable channels, by 10:30 or 11, there he is.
Role of Bush NSA Plan Under Review
The Bush administration planned last year to direct the National Security Agency, which specializes in spying electronically on foreign adversaries, to take the techniques it has employed to defend military computer networks and use them to protect U.S. government civilian networks, according to...
Government Union Battles West Point Over Privatization of 300 Jobs
The American Federation of Government Employees is battling the U.S. Military Academy at West Point over an Army decision to award 300 public works jobs to outside contractors.
Local, State Agencies Lack Resources to Ensure Food Safety
Local and state health officials trying to prevent food illness outbreaks are stymied by scarce resources, weak leadership from the federal government and bureaucratic barriers, according to a new study public health experts released yesterday.
Rescued Banks Balk at Chrysler Deal
At a meeting with executives from four of the nation's largest banks earlier this month, the chief of the government's auto task force, Steven Rattner, delivered a message that shocked some in the room.
Banks Rush to Repay U.S. Funds, but Cling To Other Lifelines
Six months after Washington rescued Wall Street, exasperated banks insist they want to leave the lifeboat.
Impoverished Haiti Slips Further as Remittances Dry Up
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, April 16 -- The U.S. economic crisis touched down recently in the dusty town where Marie Rosita Simon ekes out a living selling sandals. Her brother, a New Jersey cabdriver, slashed his monthly $400 transfer to her by half because his business was off.
Credit Card Issuers Face New Scrutiny; White House Meeting on Agenda
Under pressure for questionable industry practices, top executives of 14 of the nation's largest credit card companies are heading to the White House on Thursday for a meeting with senior administration officials.
Reading the Tea Leaves
T-Day wound up as something of a Rorschach test, taking on a different shape depending on your political views and the media you consume.
Americans' Tax Burden Near Historic Low
As thousands of anti-tax protesters rallied across the nation yesterday and the president promised tax cuts for most, new data showed that the federal income tax burden is already hovering near its lowest level in three decades for all but the wealthiest Americans.
Bank Test Results May Strain Limits Of Bailout Funding
As the Obama administration works to complete its stress tests for gauging the health of major banks, it could confront another problem: how to pay for shoring up any weaknesses the tests reveal.
U.S. Looks to Balance Response to N. Korea
UNITED NATIONS, April 15 -- North Korea's rapid moves to eject international inspectors and restart its nuclear facility have left the Obama administration scrambling to demonstrate resolve while leaving the door open to talks that will defuse the latest crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
Obama Steps Up Efforts to Stop Gun, Drug Trafficking Across Mexican Border
President Obama yesterday ratcheted up efforts to curb the flow of drugs and guns across the southern border, imposing financial sanctions against three of the most violent Mexican drug cartels and threatening to prosecute Americans who do business with them.
Six Lenders Join Mortgage Program
The Treasury Department said yesterday that it has signed contracts with six major mortgage lenders to participate in the Obama administration's $75 billion foreclosure prevention effort.
Ahead of Stress Test Results, Banks Balk at More Federal Aid
The nation's largest banks are pressing the government to curtail the next round of federal aid to the financial system, a high-stakes tactic senior officials described as grandstanding that could undermine a necessary rescue.
Company Accused Of Contract Fraud to Pay GSA $128 Million
A data-storage company has agreed to pay the General Services Administration $128 million to settle a whistleblower complaint about its federal contracting, according to a securities filing by the company.
Obama Prepares For Mexico Talks On Drug Trade
MEXICO CITY -- President Obama will travel to Mexico on Thursday in a show of solidarity with his Mexican counterpart, Felipe Calderón, who has asked the new U.S. administration to do more against a thriving drug trade that threatens the integrity of his government and country.
The Student Loan Industry Pushes Back
With the Obama administration proposing to overhaul the programs a majority of American students use to finance their college education, the student loan industry is fighting back.
Treasury Plans to Tap Fannie Mae Chief to Run Bailout
The Treasury Department is moving closer to naming Fannie Mae chief executive Herbert M. Allison Jr. to run its financial recovery program, according to people familiar with the matter.
Goldman Posts Profit, Moves to Repay Rescue Money
NEW YORK, April 13 -- Goldman Sachs announced Monday that it made $1.81 billion in profit during the first quarter, far more than analysts had expected, and planned to raise $5 billion to repay taxpayer bailout funds.
Court Revives Suit Over Iraq Work
A federal appeals court yesterday ruled that a case involving fraud claims against an American contractor in Iraq could not be blocked merely because the contract was administered by the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority, a multinational governing body set up in the chaotic aftermath of th...
Japanese Stimulus Adds to Debt
TOKYO, April 10 -- Japan, which soothed the pain of its ruptured bubble economy in the 1990s with massive government borrowing, is again swallowing giant doses of deficit medicine.
A Love-Hate Relationship?
It's not enough that he's trying to impose socialism, run General Motors, refused to call America a Christian nation and supposedly bowed to the king of Saudi Arabia, as recent right-wing chatter would have it.
In Boost for Detroit, Obama to Buy Fuel-Efficient Fleet for Uncle Sam
President Obama yesterday announced plans to buy 17,600 American-made, fuel-efficient cars and hybrids for the government fleet, the White House's latest gambit to steer aid to the nation's beleaguered automakers.
Obama Science Chief Holdren Hints at Compromise on Auctions of Cap-and-Trade Emission Allowances
The Obama administration might agree to auction only a portion of the emissions allowances granted at first under a cap-and-trade system to limit greenhouse gas pollution, White House science adviser John P. Holdren said yesterday, a move that would please electric utilities and manufacturers but...
Small-Business Agency Prodded to Spur Lending
The chairman of the House Committee on Small Business yesterday urged the new head of the Small Business Administration to try to jump-start lending by using provisions in the economic stimulus bill that so far have sat idle.
FCC's Broadband Plan May Miss Out on Stimulus
The Federal Communications Commission will embark today on a nearly year-long project aimed at bringing high-speed Internet to every U.S. home, a process that many hope will bring an agency long focused on arcane telephone rules into the digital age.
A Wide Assault on Pay-for-Performance
Pay-for-performance, the personnel system President George W. Bush advanced in an effort to replace the traditional General Schedule wage scale, has come under tough scrutiny by federal employee unions and their allies on Capitol Hill.
New SEC Enforcement Chief Tasked With Restoring the Agency's Reputation
As a federal prosecutor in New York, Robert S. Khuzami had vast powers to use against white-collar criminals and terrorists. He could wiretap suspects, send FBI agents to their homes and threaten them with decades behind bars. "Those tools are devastating," he said in an interview.
House to Probe Adherence to Bailout's Pay Limits
A congressional oversight committee opened an investigation yesterday into whether the Obama administration is circumventing a law that limits lavish pay for executives at firms benefiting from the $700 billion federal bailout.
Administration's Plan to Expand Financial Oversight Could Add New Risks
The Obama administration's plan for a sweeping expansion of financial regulations could have unintended consequences that increase the very hazards that these changes are meant to prevent.
Foreclosure Scams Are Target of Crackdown
Federal and state officials are cracking down on foreclosure-rescue scams, the Obama administration said yesterday as it pledged to take on a growing industry that's targeting borrowers who are trying to save their homes.
GAO Report Faults Labor Dept.'s Handling of Wage Complaints
Something about Julio Castro's weekly pay stub from a D.C. construction firm didn't look right. He was working six or seven days a week, cleaning building sites in Virginia and the District, but the time he worked in excess of 40 hours wasn't being calculated at the overtime rate.
Stimulus Plan Leaves Laid-Off Workers Awaiting a Health Insurance Bailout
Laid off last fall and left to find $1,400 a month for continued family health coverage, I felt as if I'd struck pay dirt when I learned in February that Congress had decided to spend billions helping millions of Americans like me retain our insurance. The promise of a 65 percent subsidy on the p...
U.S. Visa Limits Hit Indian Workers
MUMBAI -- With his master's degree in electrical engineering at North Carolina State University almost complete, Ravi, 24, received a promising job offer from a technology firm. He called his parents back in India, happy that he was on track for an H-1B work visa, which is seen as a steppingstone to...
U.S. Aid Delays in Drug War Criticized
MEXICO CITY -- After promising $1.4 billion last year under a landmark initiative to help fight drug trafficking in Mexico, the U.S. government has spent almost none of the money, fanning criticism on both sides of the border that the United States is failing to respond quickly to the deepening...
Obama's Wallow in the Automobile Industry
Absent $4 gasoline, customers don't want the vehicles that Obama wants them to want.
Admirers, Hopeful of Change, Await U.S. President in Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey, April 4 -- Shoe shiner Kasim Kirsakal sat outside a mosque, directly across from a bank using a poster of President Obama to promote low-interest loans.
Administration Seeks an Out on Bailout Rules for Firms
The Obama administration is engineering its new bailout initiatives in a way that it believes will allow firms benefiting from the programs to avoid restrictions imposed by Congress, including limits on lavish executive pay, according to government officials.
Argentine Politics Reacts to Financial Woes
BUENOS AIRES -- Time is not on Francisco de Narváez's side, so he excused himself from an interview at the Buenos Aires airport this week and hurried onto the tarmac to catch his helicopter for a three-town campaign blitz.
Rove Takes Offense
Like him or loathe him, Karl Rove was one tough customer when it came to political strategy.
As Crisis Loomed, Geithner Pressed But Fell Short
In September 2005, Timothy Geithner made one of his most visible moves as a supervisor of the U.S. banking system. He summoned the nation's top financial firms and their regulators to streamline an antiquated system that threatened Wall Street's boom.
'Chronic Disorganization' Cited in Efforts to Fix Crisis
A former senior official in the Treasury Department under Henry M. Paulson says the Bush administration's response to the financial crisis was hamstrung by "chronic disorganization," "a broadly haphazard policy process," and "sometimes strained relations" between the Treasury and the White House.
A Lifeline for Nations Both Rich and Poor
LONDON, April 2 -- The $1.1 trillion pledged by world leaders to combat the worst economic crisis since World War II effectively amounts to a rescue package for both poor and rich countries, potentially including the United States.
Congress Approves Budget
Congressional Democrats overwhelmingly embraced President Obama's ambitious and expensive agenda for the nation yesterday, endorsing a $3.5 trillion spending plan that sets the stage for the president to pursue his most far-reaching priorities.
Audit Faults Payment of $681,379 to OSHA Consultant
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration paid more than half a million dollars to a consultant from the home state of the agency's director without keeping any "work products" produced by the consultant, an act that violated the terms of a government contract, federal laws and regulations,...
Pay-for-Performance Goes on the Defensive
The Defense Department's National Security Personnel System -- President George W. Bush's signature personnel initiative -- was on the defensive yesterday as a House subcommittee examined its questionable future.
U.S. Signals New Era for Global Economy
LONDON, April 1 -- On the eve of a global economic summit here, President Obama delivered an unusual warning Wednesday for an American leader: The "voracious" U.S. economy can no longer be the sole engine of global growth.
Obama, Medvedev Pledge Cooperation
LONDON, April 1 -- President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced the start of negotiations Wednesday on a new strategic arms-control treaty that would cut each nation's long-range nuclear arsenal further than previous agreements, inaugurating what both men indicated would be a more...
Federal Plan to Aid Small Businesses Is Flawed, Lenders Say
Two weeks after President Obama announced a $15 billion initiative to spark lending for small businesses, every major provider of these kinds of loans says the plan will not work as designed.
U.S. Plans Key Role In Naming GM Board
The Obama administration will play a key role in reshaping General Motors' board of directors over the next six months, potentially giving it even greater control in the management of the storied American manufacturer.
Senate Legislation Would Federalize Cybersecurity
Key lawmakers are pushing to dramatically escalate U.S. defenses against cyberattacks, crafting proposals that would empower the government to set and enforce security standards for private industry for the first time.
Four Regional Banks Are First to Repay U.S. Aid
Four regional banks from around the country yesterday became the first firms to repay emergency aid from the government, but the show of strength also underscored concerns about the health of a key element of the federal economic recovery program.
A Budget to Beggar Us
The president plans to saddle our children and grandchildren with a hefty bill.
Recession Puts a Major Strain On Social Security Trust Fund
The U.S. recession is wreaking havoc on yet another front: the Social Security trust fund.
Hard Line on Auto Aid Puts Bailed-Out Firms on Notice
NEW YORK, March 30 -- After ousting General Motors' chief executive, President Obama warned Monday that bankruptcy may be unavoidable for two American automotive giants.
A Plan for Troubled Assets
Polishing Obama's plan for buying 'toxic assets.'
Obama Is Stern With Automakers
President Obama had a mixed message yesterday for the U.S. auto industry. He praised the struggling companies as "an emblem of the American spirit," but used his toughest language yet to demand that manufacturers, their creditors and their union cut costs further or face bankruptcy.
Fox Ferreting Out Fans
Fox Nation, an opinionated site that launches this morning -- and really, what other network would name a country after itself? -- is based on a gut-level appeal:
New Administration Reversing Course on Many Environmental Policies
Daniel Reifsnyder, a 25-year State Department veteran, knew even before President Obama was elected that U.S. environmental policy was going to change. So in early November, he called a couple of his Environmental Protection Agency counterparts about drafting documents to lay the groundwork for e...
GM Chief to Resign at White House's Behest
The Obama administration has forced the longtime head of General Motors to resign and said yesterday that it would withhold additional federal aid to the auto industry unless the ailing companies undertake changes they so far have been unwilling or unable to make.
Momentum Grows for Relaxing U.S. Policy on Cuba; Bill Would Lift Travel Ban
Roughly a year after Fidel Castro stepped aside and handed much of the responsibility for leading Cuba to his brother Raúl, there is new momentum in Washington for eliminating the ban on most U.S. travel to the island nation and for reexamining the severe limitations on U.S.-Cuban economic exchan...
DHS Signals Policy Changes Ahead for Immigration Raids
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has delayed a series of proposed immigration raids and other enforcement actions at U.S. workplaces in recent weeks, asking agents in her department to apply more scrutiny to the selection and investigation of targets as well as the timing of raids, fe...
Delay in Immigration Raids May Signal Policy Change
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has delayed a series of proposed immigration raids and other enforcement actions at U.S. workplaces in recent weeks, asking agents in her department to apply more scrutiny to the selection and investigation of targets as well as the timing of raids,...
No Givens As Obama Steps Onto World Stage
After 69 days in which international issues have taken a back seat to attempts to rescue the economy at home, President Obama takes the world stage this week as a wildly popular figure among the people of Europe, but one who faces a difficult task in selling his plans to the continent's leaders.
U.S. Eases Its Stance on Global Stimulus
LONDON, March 29 -- The Obama administration on Saturday moved to quell a public war of words with European leaders over the need to boost government spending to combat the financial crisis, making clear it has no desire to dictate spending targets for other countries.
Obama, Bankers Sit Face to Face
Lend more. Spend less. That was President Obama's message yesterday during a meeting at the White House with the chief executives of the nation's largest banks. The president told the bankers he understood their critical role in renewed economic growth, and was committed to returning the industry to...
British Bank To the World Takes Its Cash Back Home
EDINBURGH, Scotland -- Once as rooted in the Scottish soil as this city's famous castle, the Royal Bank of Scotland ventured far during the era of globalization -- pumping billions of dollars worth of credit overseas as it expanded into markets as diverse as Kazakhstan, China and Rhode Island.
As Oversight Plan Is Unveiled, Turf Battle Begins to Unfold
Even as Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner yesterday was presenting to Congress his new blueprint for revamping financial oversight, federal regulators at the Securities and Exchange Commission and elsewhere were joining the battle over the creation and apportionment of any expanded powers.
Freddie Mac's Duel With Regulator: Does It Report Government's Role in Its Losses?
Half a year after the government seized Freddie Mac, confusion about its role is stoking tensions between the company and its regulator, including a dispute this month over how much the mortgage giant should reveal to private investors about its financial troubles.
Reports of the Long War's Death Were Apparently Premature
Administration officials have been insisting that no decision has been made to stop using the term "global war on terror" -- or GWOT (GEE-wot) -- in official communications.
Clarity Needed in Financial Regulation
Obama's rescue plan is almost as complicated as the Wall Street mess it targets.
Economy Shrinks As Job Losses Continue to Mount
The economy shrank even faster than thought at the end of last year, and job losses are continuing at a stunning pace, according to government data released yesterday, reminders of the severity of the downturn even as the economy shows hints of stabilizing.
North Korean Missile Test a Growing Possibility
SEOUL -- North Korea moved a long-range missile to a launchpad this week and plans to send it into space in early April in defiance of repeated international warnings.
Bank Regulator on Leave Pending Inquiry
One of the nation's chief bank regulators has been placed on leave pending the results of an investigation into his agency's role in allowing several banks to falsify financial statements.
What's the Message?
No president should hold a news conference without deciding what he wants the next day's headline to be.
A Growing Chorus on the Hill Questions the Fed's Decisions
The Federal Reserve, which for the past year has drawn mostly praise from Congress for its aggressive response to the financial crisis, is increasingly on the hot seat.
Geithner to Propose Vast Expansion Of U.S. Oversight of Financial System
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner plans to propose today a sweeping expansion of federal authority over the financial system, breaking from an era in which the government stood back from financial markets and allowed participants to decide how much risk to take in the pursuit of profit.
More Young People Lining Up for Government Jobs
The lines for the CIA were out the door at the spring career fair last week at George Mason University in Fairfax, and the Environmental Protection Agency and various Defense Department booths were doing booming business as well.
Ecuador's Protectionist Response to Global Crisis Helps Some, Worries Others
QUITO, Ecuador -- The world economy is in a free fall, and the prospects for tiny, oil-producing Ecuador are bleak. But at Grupo Superior, workers in hairnets and white smocks churn out growing orders of pasta and animal crackers, and the company plans to expand from three factories to four.
House, Senate Budget Plans Rein In Obama's Spending Requests
President Obama went to Capitol Hill yesterday to rally support among skeptical Senate Democrats for his $3.6 trillion spending plan, focusing attention on the core initiatives that unite the party while downplaying the issues that divide it.
Budgeter-in-Chief
Once President Obama started talking about the out-years, some eyes might have glazed over.
The Pitch for Expanded Powers
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke pressed Congress yesterday to give the federal government unprecedented new power to seize financial firms beyond banks whose collapse could jeopardize the world financial system.
President Points To Progress on Economic Efforts
President Obama sought to reassure Americans last night that his administration has made progress in reviving the economy and said his $3.6 trillion budget is "inseparable from this recovery."
An Anti-Charity Tax, at the Worst Time
An Obama proposal would encourage high-income taxpayers to reduce their charitable giving.
Technology
Compromise Rules Issued on Embryonic Stem Cells
The Obama administration issued guidelines yesterday limiting government-sponsored embryonic stem cell research to cells taken from excess fertility clinic embryos, a compromise based on its reading of public opinion about the cutting-edge science.
Role of Bush NSA Plan Under Review
The Bush administration planned last year to direct the National Security Agency, which specializes in spying electronically on foreign adversaries, to take the techniques it has employed to defend military computer networks and use them to protect U.S. government civilian networks, according to...
Reading the Tea Leaves
T-Day wound up as something of a Rorschach test, taking on a different shape depending on your political views and the media you consume.
U.S. Telecoms Eager to Build a Business Presence in Cuba
U.S. telecommunication firms could open up investment in Cuba now that the Obama administration will allow companies to operate there, a final global frontier for the Internet age.
Obama Lifts Broad Set Of Sanctions Against Cuba
President Obama yesterday announced a series of steps aimed at easing the U.S. relationship with Cuba, breaking from policies first imposed by the Kennedy administration and stepping into an emotional debate over the best way to bring democratic change to one of the last remaining communist regimes.
Real-Time Reporting, Politico-Style
If I were trying to maximize my online hits for this column, the headline might be: "Politico Blamed for Decline of Journalism."
Taliban Using U.S. Firms to Host Web Sites
On March 25, a Taliban Web site claiming to be the voice of the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" boasted of a deadly new attack on coalition forces in that country. Four soldiers were killed in an ambush, the site claimed, and the "mujahideen took the weapons and ammunition as booty."
Electric Utilities May Be Vulnerable to Cyberattack
The nation's electric utilities have failed to fully survey the vulnerability of their equipment to computer-based attacks from foreign countries and hackers, a government-authorized regulatory group concluded this week. That assessment came as senior U.S. officials renewed warnings that experts ...
FCC Developing Plan To Deliver Broadband
The Federal Communications Commission yesterday began mapping out a plan to bring high-speed Internet service to the entire nation, starting with questions on how to increase its availability, improve its quality of service and make it more affordable.
FCC's Broadband Plan May Miss Out on Stimulus
The Federal Communications Commission will embark today on a nearly year-long project aimed at bringing high-speed Internet to every U.S. home, a process that many hope will bring an agency long focused on arcane telephone rules into the digital age.
India's Youth Vote Rises From Ashes Of Mumbai Attacks
MUMBAI -- Before the November terrorist attacks on this city left three of his friends dead, Kaizad Bhamgara, 19, spent his evenings jamming with his hipster goth-rock band or chilling on the wave-sprayed boulders along the high-rise-ringed shoreline.
Report Says Interior Dept. Failed to Secure Network
Years after the Interior Department was warned that its computer network was dangerously exposed to hackers and was ordered by a federal judge to fix the problem, the vulnerabilities remained, to the point that the department probably could not tell if outsiders had gained access to its data,...
Senate Legislation Would Federalize Cybersecurity
Key lawmakers are pushing to dramatically escalate U.S. defenses against cyberattacks, crafting proposals that would empower the government to set and enforce security standards for private industry for the first time.
Tech Firms Seek to Get Agencies on Board With Cloud Computing
Consumers save their e-mail and documents on Google's data centers, put their photos on Flickr and store their social lives on Facebook. Now a host of companies including Amazon and Microsoft wants government agencies to similarly house data on their servers as a way to cut costs and boost effici...
U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Review Rejection of Virginia Anti-Spam Law
The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday declined to consider reinstating Virginia's tough anti-spam law, leaving in place a lower court ruling that threw out the measure as unconstitutional.
Ex-Lobbyist in Running for U.S. Attorney's Job in Alexandria, Virginia
A former corporate lobbyist has emerged as a top candidate for U.S. attorney in Alexandria, raising questions about how his appointment would square with the Obama administration's efforts to change the culture of Washington, according to legal and political sources.
Metro to Post Schedules, Routes on Its Web Site
Metro plans to post all its bus and rail schedules and routes on the transit agency's Web site starting Monday, a long-awaited move that will allow third parties such as Google Transit to use the data to offer online tools to help riders navigate the system.
Research Center's Role Faces Scrutiny
A Pennsylvania defense research center regularly consulted with two "handlers" close to Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) as it collected nearly $250 million in federal funding through the lawmaker, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post and sources familiar with the funding requests. T...
China Tightens Grip as Tibet Revolt Hits 50-Year Mark
XINING, China -- First came the armed checkpoints. Next, China Mobile sent word to customers in Tibet that text messaging would be interrupted for nearly two months. By Tuesday, police armed with guns containing rubber bullets stopped buses traveling to the capital of a Tibetan prefecture in Qinghai...
Lagging in the Fight for Open Government
Could Washington's leading newspaper do more to expose government secrets?
The Juggler
Monday was stem cells. Tuesday, merit pay for teachers. Yesterday was earmarks.
Obama's Order on Stem Cells Leaves Key Questions to NIH
President Obama's open-ended order lifting limits on federal funding for stem cell research raises the prospect that taxpayer money could be used for a much broader, much more controversial array of studies than many scientists, officials and activists anticipated.
Obama Lifts Federal Funding Ban on Embryonic Stem Cell Research
President Obama lifted the eight-year-old ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research yesterday, putting the weight of his office, he said, on the side of scientists who believe "these tiny cells may have the potential to help us understand, and possibly cure, some of our most...
A Struggle Over U.S. Cybersecurity
The resignation of the federal government's cybersecurity coordinator highlights a power struggle underway over how best to defend the government's civilian computer networks against digital attacks.
Science Over All? The Risk in Obama's Stem Cell Policy
In Obama's stem-cell policy, science should inform, but politics should govern.
D.C. Tech Chief Tapped for White House Slot
President Obama today announced that Vivek Kundra, chief technology officer for the District, will be the federal chief information officer.
D.C. Tech Chief Headed For White House Slot
President Obama plans to announce today that Vivek Kundra, chief technology officer for the District, will be the federal chief information officer, according to two administration officials.
Obama Names Campaign Adviser to Head FCC
President Obama said yesterday that he will nominate Julius Genachowski, a technology adviser during the presidential campaign and law school friend, to head the Federal Communications Commission.
Obama Team Finds It Hard to Adapt Its Web Savvy to Government
The team that ran the most technologically advanced presidential campaign in modern history is finding it difficult to adapt that model to government. WhiteHouse.gov, envisioned as the primary vehicle for President Obama to communicate with the online masses, has been overwhelmed by challenges th...
Some Markets Pull Plug on Analog TV
The Federal Communications Commission said it received more than 28,000 calls Tuesday as some broadcasters moved to shut off their analog television signals early despite worries that many viewers are still unprepared for the switch to digital.
Across Nation, Some TV Stations Go Digital Tonight
At midnight, more than 400 broadcasters across the country plan to permanently shut off analog signals and air only digital programming.
Stalled Switch to Digital TV A Classic Tale of Breakdown
The nation's switch to all-digital broadcasts has been more than a decade in the making. The federal government has spent nearly $2 billion to help people prepare. Broadcasters spent another $1.2 billion to run warning ads and millions more to upgrade equipment. Until last week, the United States...
Driving Up the Cost For Public Works
Design and engineering companies helping to build the nation's highways ran up millions of dollars in inappropriate charges at the expense of taxpayers, including bills for parties, luxury car leases and hefty paychecks for executives, according to auditors.
CEO Reaches Out To New Investors To Save Sirius XM
Sirius XM chief executive Mel Karmazin is reaching out to potential investors. His company has $175 million in debt due Tuesday, and $350 million more due in May. The company has begun to fill out paperwork in the event it needs to seek bankruptcy protection for the satellite radio operator that...
Broadband Program Oversight Questioned
Congress has targeted more than $6 billion to wire rural America with Internet service as part of the nearly $790 billion stimulus plan. But the bill would place much of those funds in an Agriculture Department program that has been criticized for its past management of grants, raising concerns...
500 TV Stations Still Plan to Make Digital Switch Next Week
With millions of U.S. viewers still apparently unprepared for the nation's switch to digital TV, nearly 500 full-power television stations across the nation are preparing to move ahead with the transition and drop traditional over-the-air broadcasts next Tuesday.
FAA's Latest Security Challenge Is in Cyber Space, Not the Skies
The mission of the Federal Aviation Administration is "to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world."
Lobbying War Ensues Over Digital Health Data
The Senate and House appear headed for a clash over competing visions of how to protect the privacy of patients' electronic medical records, with the House favoring strict protections advocated by consumer groups while the Senate is poised to endorse more limited safeguards urged by business inte...
Congress Delays Troubled Switch To Digital TV
Congress yesterday approved a four-month delay in plans to halt analog television, the latest chapter in a troubled effort by the government to clear airwave space for emergency responders and wireless services by moving millions of households to digital television.
Flubbing Their Media Moment
Caroline Kennedy has been hiding from the press. Rod Blagojevich has been racing to every studio this side of Rachael Ray's kitchen. And Sarah Palin is accusing network anchors of blatant bias.
Local Police Want Right to Jam Wireless Signals
As President Obama's motorcade rolled down Pennsylvania Avenue on Inauguration Day, federal authorities deployed a closely held law enforcement tool: equipment that can jam cellphones and other wireless devices to foil remote-controlled bombs, sources said.
House Kills Bill to Delay Switch to Digital TV
The switch to digital television will go on as scheduled after the House yesterday blocked a bill to delay the date, saying postponing the action would only cause confusion for consumers and increase costs for broadcasters.
Senate Passes Bill to Delay Transition to Digital Television
The Senate last night approved a four-month delay in the nation's transition to all-digital television to give consumers more time to prepare for the switch.
Prescient Young Blogger Did What S. Korea Couldn't -- Foresee Global Financial Crisis
SEOUL As a financial blogger named Minerva, Park Dae-sung was the dark prophet of market decline in South Korea. In this education-obsessed country, where academic credentials are often taken as a measure of human value, he was also something of an idiot savant. He had no degree in economics. He...
Obama Staff Arrives to White House Stuck in Dark Ages of Technology
If the Obama campaign represented a sleek, new iPhone kind of future, the first day of the Obama administration looked more like the rotary-dial past.
Inaugural Panel Strikes Deal With Networks to Air Events
Barack Obama's inaugural organizing committee has struck deals with three television networks to the tune of more than $5 million, giving the networks exclusive access to inaugural events. But the arrangement is prompting questions about the president-elect's efforts to raise money by turning his...
Microsoft Loses E.U. Antitrust Case
BRUSSELS, Jan. 16 -- The European Union said Friday that Microsoft's practice of selling the Internet Explorer browser together with its Windows operating system violates E.U. antitrust rules.
Change Sweeping to the FCC
Julius Genachowski, technology adviser to President-elect Barack Obama, is poised to become chairman of the Federal Communications Commission at a time when communications policy lies at the intersection of sweeping changes in the high-tech business landscape.
Turmoil Over TV Switch Grows
Plans to become a digital nation are in disarray just five weeks before television stations are supposed to shut off analog broadcasts. Consumers do not have quick access to coupons to purchase converter boxes, Congress is toying with postponing the switch, and now a possible way to distribute more...
Obama's Tech Adviser To Be Tapped for FCC
President-elect Barack Obama will name Julius Genachowski, a high-tech policy veteran and venture capitalist, to head the Federal Communications Commission, according to sources close to the transition team and key lawmakers.
Obama About to Face Tests on Consumer Privacy
President-elect Barack Obama is about to face his first tests on consumer privacy, with questions about how much personal information Internet companies should be able to collect about consumers, how long they should keep that data, and whether they should use it to serve ads to Web surfers.
Obama Urges Delay In Digital TV Switch
The push to postpone the nation's switch to digital television next month got a boost yesterday when a top aide to President-elect Barack Obama sent a letter to key members of Congress urging a delay, saying there is "insufficient support" for the problems consumers will experience during the shu...
Congress Urged To Postpone Nation's Switch To Digital TV
Consumers Union is urging Congress to delay the nation's transition to digital television, saying the program to help TV viewers prepare for the switch next month has been underfunded and poorly implemented.
TV Converter Program Runs Out of Coupons
The government's billion-dollar program to help people prepare for the transition to digital television has run out of money, potentially leaving millions of viewers without coupons to buy converter boxes they need to keep their analog TV sets working after the switch.
Making the Leap in Business News
NEW YORK -- When Liz Claman made the jump from local television to business news a decade ago, she had never heard of Warren Buffett.
D.C.'s Kinetic Tech Czar
In his first meeting of a recent day, Vivek Kundra stood in front of a large monitor, grilling employees about the status of projects to revamp technology in Washington's schools, police cars, jails and health clinics.
Consumer Group Petitions FCC to Lower Costs of Digital TV Sets
A consumer advocacy group plans to file a petition today with the Federal Communications Commission in a bid to reduce the costs of digital TV sets.
States Passing Laws to Combat Cyber-Bullying
LOS ANGELES -- In California, a hateful Internet campaign followed sixth-grader Olivia Gardner through three schools. In Vermont, a humiliated Ryan Halligan, 13, took his own life after being encouraged to do so by one of his middle-school peers. And in perhaps the most notorious case, Lori Drew,...
As Deadline Approaches, Digital TV Converter Coupons Are Coveted
In less than two months, television broadcasters will go all-digital, permanently shutting off the traditional analog signals they've relied on for more than half a century. Government officials say that means TV watchers have just two days to order coupons for the digital converter boxes they'll...
Laws to Track Sex Offenders Encouraging Homelessness
LOS ANGELES -- Upon release from state custody, Ross Wollschlager began an intensive search for a home, one that abided by the restrictions imposed on convicted sex offenders in California -- and, in various versions, by about 30 other states. Obliged by law to return to Ventura County, the...
For the Web, Change All Sides Can Believe In
President-elect Barack Obama's call to bring high-speed Internet to all Americans has set off a scramble among service providers for a piece of the action.
Tina Reinvents the Web
NEW YORK -- Tina Brown has just been briefed on a series of potential stories when she asks her staff about another element of her new Web site.
Firms Push for a More Searchable Federal Web
Google's professed corporate mission is "to organize the world's information."
Group Urges Obama to Create National Security Officer to Address Online Dangers
Online safety advocates are urging President-elect Barack Obama to put more resources toward protecting children from crime, harassment and predators on the Web.
Protecting Valuables From Prying Eyes
A widely held belief in Montgomery County is that anyone who drives into Washington and parks the car shouldn't leave valuables showing.
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