Bipartisan group of senators to oppose Patriot Act revision
• The Raw StoryA bipartisan group of senators -- including three Republicans -- have said they will not support a deal between House and Senate negotiators on extension of the Patriot Act.
Current News Headlines
These pages list the most recent news stories reported by the readers and editors of Freedom's Phoenix:
NASA seeks private replacements for shuttle trips
• Space.comNASA hopes to supplement, and eventually replace, crew and cargo flights to the space station that had been planned for the shuttle fleet. The agency also may have to pare down the number of shuttle flights to the station even before they retire to p
Will Bush Cave on Kyoto Treaty?
• ReutersThe European Union and Canada piled pressure on the US to join an international pact to curb greenhouse gas emissions and limit the predicted chaos from global warming.
Gold soars on inflation and interest rate fears
• Financial Times, Ltd.Lena Komileva, G7 market economist at brokers Tullett Prebon, noted that recent comments from Federal Reserve officials had done little to dissuade the market that US monetary policy was getting close to neutral.
Citizen help in War on Some Drugs
• Associated PressA woman who thought a block of white cheese was cocaine is charged with trying to hire a hit man to help her rob and kill four men. The woman also was mistaken about the hit man. He turned out to be an undercover police officer.
Russia developing own space vehicle in case NASA fails
• Space.comClipper project to develop a six-person spacecraft to deliver astronauts into Earth orbit, and potentially beyond. Winged crew vehicle, Clipper, would launch atop a Russian Soyuz 2-3 booster and could form the heart of potential Moon- or Mars-bound c
A Forgotten Post–9/11 Government Hoax
• by James Bovard (FFF)President Bush decried the “atmosphere of fear” created by the terrorist attack, declaring that “one of the great goals of this nation’s war is to restore public confidence in the airline industry, to tell the traveling public, get onboard.”
Funny how witnesses don't mention a bomb threat
• ReutersAuthorities said he was challenged by two air marshals on board the Orlando-bound plane, and shot on the passenger gangway [in the back?] after running off the aircraft. He ignored demands to put his bag on the ground and instead reached into
Terror Net Yields Few Big Fish
• by William Fisher (AntiWar.com)Amid charges that President Bush and the Department of Justice are inflating the number of criminal prosecutions for terrorism, five cases shed light on the administration's mixed record of convictions during 2005.
Rummy not happy with another General on torture
• ReutersCasey also said it was the responsibility of U.S. personnel in Iraq "to take all reasonable action, in accordance with the rules of engagement, to stop or prevent any observed or suspected instances of physical or mental abuse likely to lead to
Terri Schiavo's widower takes aim at politicians
• Reuters"I was a lifelong Republican before Republicans pushed the power of government into my private family decisions," Schiavo said. "[let's not] forget those politicians who shamelessly sought to squeeze political leverage out of my f
Rumsfeld can't believe it's policy to stop torture when witnessed
• Agence France PresseDefense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has questioned a policy that requires US military personnel who witness abuse of detainees in Iraqi custody to take "all reasonable actions" to prevent it, a spokesman said.
Iran's President says Israel should be moved to Europe
• Agence France PresseIran's President Ahmadinejad said if Germany and Austria feel responsible for massacring Jews during World War II, a state of Israel should be established on their soil. "Why should the Palestinian Muslims have to pay the price?"
Ten Unanswered questions on 9/11
• Village VoiceThe 9-11 Public Discourse Project—a private group formed by 9-11 Commission members after their official mandate lapsed in 2004—held a wrap-up press briefing in Washington, signaling the last gasp of official inquiries into the attacks four years ago
Patriot Act Renewal worked out
• Associated PressHouse and Senate negotiators reached an agreement to extend the USA Patriot Act, the government's premier anti-terrorism law, before it expires at the end of the month. But a Democratic senator threatened a filibuster to block the compromise.
Poll: Bush ratings go up
• CBS NewsThe President’s overall approval rating has risen from 35 percent in October to 40 percent now, and his ratings on handling the economy and the war in Iraq have also improved.
Top Court bans torture obtained evidence
• ReutersBritain's highest court backed eight terrorism suspects by ruling on Thursday evidence obtained under torture cannot be used in British legal hearings, a blow to the government which has used such information.
Nobel acceptance speech tongue lashing of Bush/Blair
• The Guardian"How many people do you have to kill before you qualify to be described as a mass murderer and a war criminal? One hundred thousand? More than enough, I would have thought," he said.
The monetary costs of war
• Christian Science MonitorDespite the relatively small number of American armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan (140,000), the war effort is rapidly shaping up to be the third-most expensive war in United States history.
Diebold in trouble with shareholders
• Brad BlogThe BRAD BLOG has received exclusive detailed information about a developing potential class action securities litigation against Diebold, Inc.
Someone tell Rummy, America abandoning torture
• Washington PostSecretary of State Rice said that the US prohibits all its personnel from using cruel or inhuman techniques in prisoner interrogations, whether inside or outside US borders.
Brookes sums it up nicely
• New York Times"Energy that used to go into ideas is now devoted to defending Republican politicians. Former conservative activists have become Republican lobbyists. (When conservatism was a movement of ideas, it attracted oddballs; now that it's a movemen
Supremes: Soc. Sec. money can be seized to payoff debt
• The GuardianThe Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the government can seize a person's Social Security benefits to pay old student loans.
Video: Murtha says Iraq now costs more than entire Vietnam War
• Think Progress20 years it’s going to take to settle this thing. The American people is not going to put up with it; can’t afford it. We have spent $277 billion. They’re going to ask for another $100 billion next year. (video link of speech)
Latest "FBI" and "CIA" worms infecting Internet a Nazi Party revival?
• Washington Post BlogBut the Sober worm has served primarily as an instrument of "hacktivism," a type of online crime that advocates a particular ideology or political agenda. Earlier this year, a Sober variant forced infected computers to spew out spam e-mails
U.S. House and Senate seek deal on torture amendment
• ReutersHouse of Representatives negotiators have largely accepted Sen. John McCain's amendment banning the torture and inhumane treatment of detainees, but talks on other provisions could undermine the measure.
Businessman plea deal testify against powerful Abramoff
• Florida Sun-SentinalSentence could be reduced depending upon the extent of his cooperation as a witness against lobbyist Jack Abramoff, but also in the prosecution of three men charged in a casino slaying.
US Muslim charities fear work is at risk
• ReutersIn a country seared by the September 11 attacks, Muslim American charities and donors say they live in constant fear of frozen funds, indictments and even closure, regardless of whether they have done anything wrong.
D.C. mayor vows stadium cost won't exceed $535 mln
• ReutersMayor Anthony Williams vowed that costs for Washington, D.C.'s proposed baseball stadium would not exceed a $535 million borrowing cap despite cost increases that have pushed the estimated cost of the project to over $700 million.
Antiwar Zombie Flick
• Los Angeles TimesFinal weeks of a fictional presidential reelection campaign, the president's political consultant fends off the distraught mother of a dead soldier by saying he only wished her son could come back to life to remind the country of the war's im
