Barack Obama Knocks Out Clinton In Iowa Caucus

Freshman Illinois Senator Barack Obama thumped former First Lady Hillary Clinton in Thursday night's caucus, posing a dramatic challenge to a campaign that has cloaked itself in an air of inevitability.

Obama would be the first African American president and, at 47, one of the youngest, if he were to go on to capture the Democratic party nomination and then the White House. Themes of change and hope dominated his campaign, and they were the concepts he focused on in celebrating his win before elated supporters following the caucus.

Iowans of all ages and colors turned out for Obama's victory speech, but the crowd was dominated by enthusiastic young supporters. Obama's ability to tap into new voters, both those who only recently became old enough to vote and those who have never come out on caucus night, was widely viewed as a key reason for his resounding win. He beat Clinton with 38 percent of the vote to her 29%, as well as former North Carolina Senator John Edwards's 30%. In doing so, he captured 57% of the under-30 vote, according to a CNN analysis.

Patriot Act Ruled Unconstitutional By U.S. Judge

A law allowing federal anti-terrorism agents to access information on the U.S. public without a warrant has been ruled as unconstitutional by a US judge in Washington D.C.

Victor Marrero said Congress exceeded its authority by allowing the FBI to keep requests secret under the Patriot Act, passed after the 9/11 attacks.

He said the act offended constitutional principles of checks and balances, and violated the guarantee of free speech.

The requests were mainly for financial, telephone and internet records on suspected terrorist in the U.S.

Judge Marrero said his ruling would not take effect immediately, thus giving the government time to appeal.

The Patriot Act allows for the use of national security letters, or administrative subpoenas, in cases relating to spying or terrorism.

Under such a subpoena, personal records of clients and customers must be handed over to the FBI from such sources as banks, telephone firms and internet service providers.

Judge Marrero ruled in favour of the American Civil Liberties Union, which had complained against the use of such letters.

He said his ruling did not mean the FBI must get court approval before ordering records, but that it must be able to justify why the request should be kept secret.

In the year before the 11 September 2001 attacks, the FBI issued about 8,500 national security letter requests.

A government report earlier this year said requests had risen from 39,000 in 2003 to about 56,000 in 2004 before falling back to about 47,000 in 2005.
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Judge Throws Out Parts of the Revised Patriot Act

WXXA FOX 23 Albany - (WXXA)

Sep. 07, 2007. 09:35 AM EST

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Report: FBI Abused the Patriot Act

Associated Press - (APTN)

Mar. 09, 2007. 06:21 PM EST

A newly released audit has found that the FBI improperly and, in some cases, illegally obtained personal information about people in the country. (March 9)

Just For Men Osama bin Laden Tape

Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden said he vows to step up the battle in Iraq and mocks the United States in a new video released, his first such appearance in three years.

The video, which U.S. intelligence agencies confirmed as genuine, has sparked an immediate reaction from President George W Bush, who said it showed how dangerous the world remains and how the U.S. must show resolve in Iraq.

Timed to mark the upcoming sixth anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, Mr bin Laden attacks Mr Bush, US neoconservative thinkers and global corporations for fomenting the Iraq war.

He also attacks the U.S. Democratic Party, which he claims has done little to halt the war.

There are two ways to end the Iraq war, he says, according to a transcript released by the U.S. based SITE Intelligence Group which monitors Islamic militant websites.

"The first is from our side, and it is to continue to escalate the killing and fighting against you," he says.

The second, he says, is to do away with the US democratic system of government, which he says merely serves the interests of major corporations.

U.S. intelligence agencies confirmed the voice on the tape likely belonged to Mr bin Laden.

The tape was believed to have been produced as recently as early August because of a reference to the 62nd anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, the official said.

It was the Al-Qaeda leader's first such appearance since October 2004, when he threatened new attacks against the United States in a video just days before U.S. elections.

U.S. authorities were closely examining the video for clues. They said there were no overt threats in his rambling message.


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Bin Laden to U.S.: Convert to Islam

Associated Press - (APTN)

Sep. 07, 2007. 06:05 PM EST

Osama bin Laden appeared for the first time in three years in a videotape released ahead of the 6th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The tape is still being authenticated.

Craig's Political Carrier Down The Toilet?

Republican Idaho Sen. Larry Craig is reconsidering his decision to step down after his arrest in a Minneapolis airport sex sting, according to the Associated Press.

Sidney Smith, Craig’s spokesman, said, “It's not such a foregone conclusion anymore, that the only thing he could do was resign.” Craig, who has represented Idaho in Congress for 27 years, announced Sept. 1 that he plans to resign from the Senate Sept. 30.

However, since that announcement, he has hired prominent attorney Billy Martin who has represented former White House intern Monica Lewinsky and ex-NFL quarterback Michael Vick to explore the possibility of reversing his plea.

Last week, Craig received a call from Republican Sen. Arlen Specter urging the embattled official to fight for his seat. Smith said that the call was a factor in Craig’s rethinking.

Should Craig stay with his initial decision to resign, Republican Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter will choose the senator’s successor.
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Q&A: Sen. Craig's Legal Battle

Associated Press - (APTN)

Sep. 05, 2007. 08:22 PM EST

A legal expert responds to reports Senator Larry Craig is trying to withdraw his guilty plea in a men's room sex sting and would resign only if that fails. (Sept. 5)

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Bush Doing Business As Usual, Along With Protest In Rome On Visit

US President George W Bush drew gasps at the Vatican on Saturday by referring to Pope Benedict XVI as "Sir" instead of the expected "His Holiness".

Meanwhile anti-war protesters gathered in Rome on Saturday as US President George W Bush was to meet Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and Pope Benedict XVI, a day after the release of an explosive report detailing secret CIA prisons in Europe.

Bush, who arrived here late on Friday following the G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, and a brief stop in Poland, began the day with a courtesy visit to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.

Heavy security measures were in force, with some 10 000 police including hundreds in riot gear and scores of armored vehicles deployed in central Rome as helicopters hovered overhead.

Two separate protests, one by the left flank of Prodi's fractious ruling coalition and the other by more hard-line anti-US campaigners, were planned for Saturday afternoon.

Prodi has asked government members of the Refoundation Communist, Italian Communist and Green parties not to join the protest, while party leaders and lawmakers plan to attend.

Italian Welfare Minister Paolo Ferrero of the Refoundation Communist party said on Friday that he would not join the protest out of a "sense of responsibility," while noting: "Bush is a warmonger, I understand those who oppose him."

Military issues are particularly thorny in Italy, such as Rome's tenuous commitment to its mission in Afghanistan and widespread domestic opposition to a plan to enlarge a US military base in northeastern Italy.

Prodi was briefly forced to step down three months ago after losing a foreign policy vote in the Senate, principally over the deployment of 2000 Italian troops in Afghanistan, for lack of support from the far left of his ruling coalition.

Bush said in an interview with the daily La Stampa that he wanted to speak to Prodi about his "difficult choices" in Afghanistan.

"I want to let him know how important the Italian commitment is in Afghanistan, now and in the future," he said.

G8 Agrees To Fight Aids In Africa With $60 Billion In Funding

The agreement within the G8 will follow the US proposal to increase the aid for fighting these diseases to $60 billion in the forthcoming years with $30 billion coming from the US.

Merkel will make the deal public on the summit's final day after a meeting with the heads of six African nations. Detail on the plans were not available, making it hard to tell how much new money the deal involves.

The G8 countries had wrangled late into Thursday night about specifics on aid for Africa. They were expected to broadly recommit themselves to pledges made at a 2005 summit in Scotland when they said they would double development funding by 2010.

The $60 billion will be used to combat AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, global diseases that have been especially devastating for African peoples and their economies.

Campaigners for Africa say the $60 billion pledge falls short of UN targets for extending treatment to tackle disease.

Two leading campaigners, rock stars Bono and Bob Geldof, put pressure on G8 summit host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and her fellow leaders from the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and Russia.

"The chancellor has asked us to trust her and we are tempted, but we cannot risk being let down by the G8 again," said Bono.

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Bush: Back at Meetings After Sickness.