Common Dreams
House Rejects Call for Withdrawal From Afghanistan
WASHINGTON - The House on Wednesday soundly rejected an effort by anti-war lawmakers to force a withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.
The outcome of the vote, 356-65 against the resolution, was never in doubt. (click here for the roll call) But the 3 1/2 hours of debate did give those who oppose President Barack Obama's war policies a platform to vent their frustrations.
Land Grabbing in Latin America
Right now communities in Latin America, as around the world, are suffering a new kind of invasion of their territories. These invaders are not the descendants of the European conquistadores, who appropriated land, gathered slaves and plundered their colonial domains.
Patrick Kennedy: Press Corps Is 'Despicable' for Not Covering Afghanistan War Resolution
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) excoriated the national press on Wednesday during a debate over the war in Afghanistan, charging reporters with shirking their duty to cover the issue and instead focusing on the peccadillos of former Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.).
"There's one, two press people in this gallery," he thundered. "We're talking about Eric Massa 24/7 on the TV. We're talking about war and peace; $3 billion; 1,000 lives and no press! No press!"
Mississippi Faces Suit Over Children's Mental Health
The Southern Poverty Law Center Mississippi Youth Justice Project , the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and local civil rights attorney Rob McDuff are suing the state in an effort to improve the mental health system for children, according to a news release from the Youth Justice Project.
House to Vote on Pullout From Afghanistan
WASHINGTON - In a test of congressional support for President Barack Obama's new Afghanistan strategy, lawmakers are set to vote on Wednesday on a resolution that would direct him to pull U.S. forces out of the war.
The resolution by liberal Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich is not expected to pass. But it could be an important indicator of how Obama's Democrats feel about the war, particularly ahead of November congressional elections in which Republicans are expected to make gains.
A Third of World's Jailed Journalists in Iran
NEW YORK - A third of the world's jailed journalists are imprisoned in Iran, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Tuesday after the number of reporters held in the Islamic Republic rose to at least 52 in February.
China was next after Iran with 24 jailed journalists and then Cuba with 22. The number of journalists held in Iran was the highest recorded by the New York-based CPJ in a single country since 78 cases were documented in Turkey in 1996.
Canada Urged to Seek Nuclear-Free Arctic Zone
Calling for the creation of a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Arctic is not alarmist, says an academic report as foreign ministers of the world's Arctic nations prepare for a summit in Canada later this month.
While the threat of nuclear-weapon use in the Arctic may be nebulous now, the ground should be prepared for potential future confrontations over competing claims for sovereignty, power and resources in the region, say co-authors Michael Wallace and Steven Staples.
Higher Corporate Spending on Election Ads Could Be All but Invisible
The Supreme Court recently freed corporations to spend more money on aggressive election ads. But if businesses take advantage of this new freedom, the public probably won't know it, because it's easy for them to legally hide their political spending.
US Creationists Unswayed by Evolution Exhibition
Each year, a group of biology students at the Christian university based in Lynchburg, Virginia, travels to the Natural History Museum in Washington to learn about a theory they dismiss as incorrect - Darwin's theory of evolution.
The young "creationists" examined a model of the Morganucodon rat, believed to be the first and common ancestor of mammals that appeared some 210 million years ago.
Lauren Dunn, 19, a second-year biology student, was unimpressed.
British Ex-Spy Chief Accuses US of Hiding Torture
LONDON - A former head of Britain's domestic spy agency has accused the US of concealing its abuse of terror suspects, stepping up an MI5 fightback over accusations that it colluded in torture.
Eliza Manningham-Buller said Tuesday she had not understood why alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed had been willing to talk to American interrogators.
She said she only discovered he had been waterboarded when she read about it after her retirement in 2007.
Israeli Court to Hear Civil Case Over Death of Rachel Corrie in Gaza
The case, brought before a Haifa court by Corrie's family, challenges the official Israeli version of events in which the military said its troops were n
US Campaign Finance Activist Granny D Dies at 100
Politicians across the Granite State are mourning the loss of a Laconia native known for her compassion and a tenacity that was the subject of a HBO documentary titled: "Run Granny Run".
Portsmouth Rep. Jim Splaine was close to the Dublin resident and confirmed that she passed away sometime Tuesday afternoon.
9/11 Suspects Should Face Civilian Court, UN Envoys Say
United Nations human rights investigators called on the Obama administration on Tuesday to prosecute the accused September 11 masterminds in a civilian court, declaring that U.S. military tribunals would not be fair.
The White House is reviewing options to bring the 9/11 detainees to justice and U.S. officials said on Friday senior administration officials may recommend that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other suspects in the 2001 attacks face a military trial.
Fewer Jobs, Less Money, Same Old Story
The 50-year-old Indian national who is currently settled in New York says she not only cleans the entire house every day, but also works in the kitchen from morning to evening, which makes her feel more like an unpaid maid than a respected wife and mother.
FDL Launches 'Students, Not Banks' Campaign
One of President Obama’s most ambitious plans for both education and the budget was the transition from a system of government subsidized student loans using bankers as middle men to direct student lending. But as the Hill no
Sarah Palin’s Canadian Health Care Link Has Critics Sick
CALGARY — A weekend admission by former Alaskan governor and U.S. vice-presidential hopeful Sarah Palin over her family’s use of the Canadian health care system while growing up in Alaska has critics of the outspoken hockey mom crying foul online.
House Liberals Force Vote on Pullout From Afghanistan
Liberals in the House, who have spent much of the past year complaining that other congressional Democrats and the White House are insufficiently progressive, will get a chance this week to vent about one of their biggest concerns: the war in Afghanistan.
Brazil Slaps Trade Sanctions on US Over Cotton Dispute
The Brazilian government has announced trade sanctions against a variety of American goods in retaliation for illegal US subsidies to cotton farmers.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) approved the sanctions in a rare move.
Brazil published a list of 100 US goods that would be subject to import tariffs in 30 days, unless the two governments reached a last-minute accord.
It said it regretted the sanctions, but that eight years of litigation had failed to produce a result.
EU Warns Climate Loopholes Could Lead to CO2 Rise
BRUSSELS - Loopholes in the United Nations climate treaties could actually amount to an increase in global climate-warming emissions over the next decade, and must be closed, a draft European Union report shows. European Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard will announce her strategy on Tuesday for advancing international climate talks after the conclusion of a weak deal in Copenhagen in December.
Israel Okays New West Bank Settler Homes Despite Moratorium
JERUSALEM - Israel has given the green light for the building of 112 new homes in a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank despite a partial moratorium on such construction, a minister said on Monday.
The news surfaced as US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in the region, a day after the Palestinians agreed to hold indirect talks with Israel while warning that further settlement growth would threaten the entire peace process.