Nothing Improper  —  My decision some months ago to privately seek the resignations of a small number of U.S. attorneys has erupted into a public firestorm.  First and foremost, I appreciate the public service of these fine lawyers and dedicated professionals, each of whom served his or her full four-year term as U.S. attorney.

Are mobile phones wiping out our bees?  —  Scientists claim radiation from handsets are to blame for mysterious 'colony collapse' of bees  —  It seems like the plot of a particularly far-fetched horror film.  But some scientists suggest that our love of the mobile phone could cause massive food shortages …

Gwen Ifill Calls Out Russert, Brooks For Their Silence On Imus  —  This morning on NBC's Meet the Press, PBS anchor Gwen Ifill directly called out host Tim Russert and fellow guest David Brooks for failing to speak out against Don Imus' offensive remarks.  —  "There has been radio silence …

Case Closed  —  Tax cuts mean growth.  —  It's that time again, and I was thinking of the old joke about paying your taxes with a smile.  The punch line is that the IRS doesn't accept smiles.  They want your money.  —  So it's not that funny, but there is reason to smile this tax season.

Taking a Bat to Prejudice  —  Like many New Yorkers leaving home for work on April 15, 1947, he wore a suit, tie and camel-hair overcoat as he headed for the subway.  To his wife he said, "Just in case you have trouble picking me out, I'll be wearing number 42."

American radio icon Don Imus disgraced, fired after threat to reveal 9/11 secrets  —  Source:  —  Pages: 12  —  In a clear sign of its intent to reign in dissident American media personalities, and their growing influence in American culture, US War Leaders this past week launched …

Musharraf rules out Pak-US joint action against terrorists  —  WASHINGTON: President General Pervez Musharraf has rejected "absolutely and totally" the prospect of a joint US-Pakistan military operation to pursue retreating insurgents inside Pakistan.  —  "The whole population of Pakistan …

YOU FIND YOU'RE BACK IN VEGAS WITH A HANDLE IN YOUR HAND:  —  The sordid story of Muhammed Shahwani takes a new turn.  Shahwani, you'll recall, is the  —  Iraqi intelligence chieftain, surviving since the halcyon days of Iyad Allawi's tenure as premier.  His credentials as a survivor …

McCain draining war chest  —  Sen. John McCain has spent nearly two-thirds of the money he raised for his presidential campaign this year, leaving him with less than half the cash his major opponents have in the bank.  —  McCain, an Arizona Republican who raised less money than former Massachusetts …

McCain, Graham Used Iraq War Critics' Strategy to Increase Pressure on Maliki  —  Echoing Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) Iraq speech last week, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) defended the Iraq escalation this morning on Fox News and said that Congress' efforts to set a withdrawal timeline would do nothing …

The White House Email Scandal: Sorting Through the Spin  —  The White House has acknowledged that many years' worth of official email-which is required by law to be preserved-has been "lost."  The reason it was lost is because many White House staffers, most notably Karl Rove …

"There was the risqué;, sexually offensive, sometimes racially offensive, satire, and then there was this political salon about politics and books."  —  NBC chief White House correspondent David Gregory has good insight into Imus (in this really well-done Newsweek piece by Weston Kosova):

TD Blog Interview with Knut Royce  —  Knut Royce is a journalist who was a major contributor to three Pulitzer Prize winning stories for such publications as Long Island's Newsday before joining the Center for Public Integrity as a Senior Fellow.  He has won numerous journalism awards …

Firewall Fairy Is A Nappy Ho  —  Rich: … No, it's not possible and if you think Imus took full responsibility and didn't try to blame anybody for his "lynching", then you aren't paying attention, you crack-smoking honky.  —  ntodd  —  [Update: Atrios is also a nappy ho for never linking to me.]