In Haditha, Memories of a Massacre  —  Iraqi Townspeople Describe Slaying of 24 Civilians by Marines in Nov. 19 Incident  —  BAGHDAD, May 26 — Witnesses to the slaying of 24 Iraqi civilians by U.S. Marines in the western town of Haditha say the Americans shot men, women and children …

U.S. Is Debating Talks With Iran on Nuclear Issue  —  WASHINGTON, May 26 — The Bush administration is beginning to debate whether to set aside a longstanding policy taboo and open direct talks with Iran, to help avert a crisis over Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons program …

First Amendment Applies to Internet, Appeals Court Rules  —  SAN FRANCISCO, May 26 — A California appeals court ruled Friday that online reporters are protected by the same confidentiality laws that protect traditional journalists, striking a blow to efforts by Apple Computer to identify people who leaked confidential company data.

Kerry Pressing Swiftboat Case, Long After Loss  —  John Kerry starts by showing the entry in a log he kept from 1969: "Feb 12: 0800 run to Cambodia."  —  He moves on to the photographs: his boat leaving the base at Ha Tien, Vietnam; the harbor; the mountains fading frame by frame as the boat heads north …

"Media Matters"; by Jamison Foser  —  The defining issue of our time is not the Iraq war.  It is not the "global war on terror."  It is not our inability (or unwillingness) to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable health care.  Nor is it immigration, outsourcing, or growing income inequity.

Live-Blogging President Bush's Speech at West Point  —  I am listening to President Bush's speech at West Point and thinking "Why didn't he give this speech three years ago?"  —  "Long war" is the subject of this speech, and Bush is reviewing our last long war, The Cold War.

A Defiant Stance In Jefferson Probe  —  Justice Dept. Talked of Big Resignations If White House Agreed to Return Papers  —  The Justice Department signaled to the White House this week that the nation's top three law enforcement officials would resign or face firing rather than return documents seized …

Hundreds die in Indonesian quake  —  More than 2,700 people have been killed and thousands more injured by a strong earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Java, officials have said.  —  The quake, measuring 6.2, flattened buildings in a densely-populated area south of the city of Yogyakarta, near the southern coast of Java.

Senate Overwhelmingly Confirms General to Be Director of C.I.A.  —  WASHINGTON, May 26 — The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Gen. Michael V. Hayden on Friday as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, despite some senators' criticism of his role in overseeing a domestic electronic surveillance program.

The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time  —  At PC World, we spend most of our time talking about products that make your life easier or your work more productive.  But it's the lousy ones that linger in our memory long after their shrinkwrap has shriveled, and that make tech editors cry out, "What have I done to deserve this?"

THANK YOU FORT BENNING DRILL SERGEANTS...  ...for if it wasn't for you, Jesse MacBeth would have been a soldier.  This Bud's for you!  —  Background on Jesse MacBeth here.  —  McQ at QandO has more - His DD214 shows a discharge before completing training and entering the Army.  He couldn't cut it.

Bush Aide Confirmed to U.S. Bench  —  Senate Vote Puts Kavanaugh on Court of Appeals for D.C. Circuit  —  White House aide Brett M. Kavanaugh won Senate confirmation as an appeals judge yesterday after a three-year wait, a new victory for President Bush in a drive to place a more conservative stamp on the courts.

AT&T leaks sensitive info in NSA suit  —  Lawyers for AT&T accidentally released sensitive information while defending a lawsuit that accuses the company of facilitating a government wiretapping program, CNET News.com has learned.  —  AT&T's attorneys this week filed a 25-page legal brief striped …

Dowd to RNC Members: Simmer Down Now  —  RNC senior adviser/BC04 senior strategist/Ron Fournier co-author Matthew Dowd urges Republican Nat'l Committee members to favor a "comprehensive" solution to immigration, which the public believes is is "unifying — not polarizing."

Left to die on Mount Everest  —  Report that dozens of climbers passed stricken British mountaineer on way to the summit shocks first man to reach top  —  WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Mount Everest pioneer Sir Edmund Hillary said Wednesday he was shocked that dozens of climbers left …

Panel Is Told Disclosures Pose Danger to Security  —  WASHINGTON, May 26 — Recent disclosures of classified information by the press have damaged national security, several Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee said Friday at a hearing on news organizations' legal responsibilities.