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Newsweek Retracts Its Article on Koran LAT — Permalink The magazine says it was incorrect in reporting that a U.S. interrogator defiled the holy book. Newsweek on Monday retracted an article that said the U.S. military had confirmed that an interrogator at the Guantanamo Bay prison flushed a copy of the Koran... | |
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Avedon Carol: The media storm — I'm really disgusted with the Newsweek retraction, of course, but this is, after all, the same... Kevin Drum: DOG BITES EDITOR....Let's see now.... The Newsweek retraction story is on Page 1 of the New York Times, Page 1 of the LA Times, and Page 3 of the Washington Post. Patterico: The L.A. Times editors who approved this article evidently agree: [snipped quote] Make a mental note of this example. |
Magpie @PacificViews: Missing the point entirely. That's not exactly news when we're talking about the 'mainstream' media in the US. Cori Dauber: Insult to Injury — The tone of the LA Times coverage of the retraction is very specific: not only was it White House... Garrett M. Graff: This "unnamed" Newsweek reporter in the LA Times: "A Newsweek journalist familiar with the reporting on the article... |
| Also: Jay Rosen, Jim Romenesko, Mark R. Levin | |
Newsweek Retracts Guantanamo Story By / WaPo — Permalink Newsweek issued a formal retraction yesterday of the flawed story that sparked deadly riots in Afghanistan and other countries, after the magazine came under increasingly sharp criticism from White House, State Department and Pentagon officials. | |
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RCox: Since the Washington Post owns Newsweek, it seems likely that Howard Kurtz did see the official statement but he isn't... Hugh Hewitt: Will the Washington Post Company, Newsweek's owner, suffer similar fallout as those examples listed above? Probably not. Jay Rosen: Newsweek's Take-Our-Word-For-It World — It was next-to impossible for us to judge the Periscope item for ourselves;... |
Garrett M. Graff: There was, however, this odd juxtaposition: The Post's nearly-full page A3 coverage today was bylined by, as usual,... Cori Dauber: Update: Editor Whitaker tells Howard Kurtz the same thing, that they issued the second statement, the explicit... Jim Romenesko: > Isikoff: We blame ourselves for not understanding ramifications (NYT) > Zelnick would have "reservations" about... |
| Also: Patterico | |
Star Wars VI By / Weekly Standard — Permalink THE FINAL Star Wars is, as writer-director George Lucas promised, a tragedy—but it's not the tragedy Lucas thinks it is. Ever since he began making his second set of Star Wars movies a decade ago, Lucas said that Episode III: Revenge of the Sith would be... | |
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La Shawn Barber: Does that make me a Sci-Fi nerd? I can live with that. ;) Addendum: SPOILER ALERT! John Podhoretz hates the new movie. Pejman Yousefzadeh: . . John Podhoretz doesn't like Revenge of the Sith. Click for his take, but be warned that it contains spoilers. Orrin Judd: RETURN OF THE STIFF: Star Wars VI: Naboo, Dooku, and a mission to the Wookiees. |
TheAnchoress: John Podhoretz doesn't think much of the new movie, anyway. Don't read him if you don't like spoilers. Ed Driscoll: Hopefully The Last Update: John Podhoretz definitely believes that Star Wars ROTS. John Podhoretz: RE: LIGHTEN UP ON STAR WARS |
The Secret Way to War By / New York Review of Books — Permalink It was October 16, 2002, and the United States Congress had just voted to authorize the President to go to war against Iraq. When George W. Bush came before members of his Cabinet and Congress gathered in the East Room of the White House and addressed the... | |
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Lambert @Corrente: We'll get around to that. Mark Danner's essay on The Downing Street memo (back) is terrific. Kevin Drum: We can hope, can't we? Mark Danner writes about the memo in the New York Review of Books this week. |
Avedon Carol: And, there's a big piece about it The New York Review of Books dated 9 June. And, of course, read everything that Digby says. |
News Transcript DefenseLINK — Permalink SEC. RUMSFELD: Good afternoon. In 1961, President Kennedy took office and found a U.S. defense establishment that was still largely arranged to re-fight World War II. He ordered an extensive consolidation of bases to meet the challenges of the Cold War that was then flaring into a somewhat dangerous phase. | |
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LeanLeft: PBS, Newsweek, and the Right's War on the Press — Filed under: Politics Media — Kevin First, it is important to... Steve Soto: Really? That's not what the Pentagon actually said last week Scott, on May 10th: "Q: Different issue. |
Julian Sanchez: Olberman also points to this briefing: "GEN. MYERS: It's the — it's a judgment of our commander in Afghanistan, General... Jeralyn Merritt: It was just last Thursday, at a military briefing, that General Richard Myers said the protests and deaths had more to... |
Funding for impotence drugs riles lawmakers By / Washington Times — Permalink The federal government will spend nearly $2 billion in the next decade on male impotence drugs under its Medicare program, according to a new cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office that is fueling some lawmakers' efforts to end that spending. | |
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Red @ScaredMonkeys: Until the political brain surgeons decided to include impotence drugs like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra to the covered list of drugs to the Medicare drug coverage program. Christy @ThinkProgress: The latest: According to a new report by the Congressional Budget Office, the federal government is planning to spend almost $2 billion in the next decade on male impotence drugs. |
Arianna Huffington: The Times' look at the Big O comes on the same day as a report that over the next decade the federal government, through... Cookie Jill: the moonie times" and yet they are all up in arms about giving money for women to prevent pregnancies.... probably caused by those 4 hour erections. |
Buchanan sees 'war' within conservatism By / Washington Times — Permalink Pat Buchanan speaks of American conservatism in the past tense. "The conservative movement has passed into history," says the one-time White House aide, three-time presidential candidate, commentator and magazine publisher. | |
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Ken Masugi: Pat Buchanan on the End of Conservatism — Pat Buchanan has served the conservative cause well—in earlier days. John Podhoretz: Posted at 11:50 AM PAT PILES ON [John Derbyshire] Excellent we-are-doomed-doomed talk from Pat Buchanan here. Taegan Goddard: Quote of the Day — [snipped quote] — Pat Buchanan, in an interview with the Washington Times. Link | Related News |
James Joyner: Buchanan sees 'war' within conservatism (Washington Times) [snipped quote] While I often disagree with Buchanan's vision,... Zoe Kentucky: I'm not sure how to interpret any of this, why Pat Buchanan is saying these things, but they are very interesting things indeed. Steve Dillard: "Buchanan sees 'war' within conservatism": The Washington has an interesting article on Pat Buchanan out today. |
Harvard Will Spend $50 Million to Make Faculty More Diverse By / NYT — Permalink Lawrence H. Summers, the embattled president of Harvard University, announced yesterday that the university would spend at least $50 million over the next decade to recruit, support and promote women and members of underrepresented minority groups on its faculty. | |
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Tom Maguire: $50 Million For Diversity And All I Got... The Harvard press office does a great job, getting this headline in the... James Joyner: Harvard to spend $50 million on diversity (Reuters) [snipped quote] See NYT story, too. |
Dr. Steven Taylor: Harvard to Spend for Diversity — Via the NYT: Harvard Will Spend $50 Million to Make Faculty More Diverse "Lawrence H... Orin Kerr: Harvard To Focus on Faculty Diversity: The New York Times reports: "Lawrence H. Summers, the embattled president of... |
The Memo That Won't Quit By / WaPo — Permalink Some two weeks after it was first leaked in London, a British memo about the run-up to war in Iraq is finally generating a serious amount of attention from the American media. | |
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Avedon Carol: Too right. Still, Kevin says Froomkin reckons the Downing Street memo is a UXB that may still provide some fireworks. |
Kevin Drum: Still, maybe there's some good news in all this: Dan Froomkin opines today that the British memo might be "less a dud than a bomb with a long, slow fuse." |
'Good Morning America' Gains on 'Today' NYT — Permalink The "Today" show's lead over "Good Morning America" dwindled to perhaps 70,000 viewers last week, according to early estimates provided yesterday to NBC and ABC by Nielsen Media Research. | |
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Joe Gandelman: NBC's Today's Rating Lead May Vanish Tomorrow As ABC's Good Morning America Gains Fast — America's love-affair with... Jim Romenesko: Additional items for May 17, 2005 > Lehrer will raise "unshirted hell" if CPB goes after "NewsHour" (Inq) > Sun brief... |
Brian Stelter: Morning Show Wars: The Tightening Gap — "The Today show's lead over Good Morning America dwindled to perhaps 70,000... Cori Dauber: Perhaps the "News" Should Try Mentioning the News — Today Show ratings continue to tank. |
Fox Says Comments Were Misinterpreted By / AP — Permalink "/ Vicente Fox's office on Tuesday insisted his comments that Mexicans work jobs blacks don't want in the United States were misinterpreted, a day after he told leaders in the U.S. black community that he regretted "any hurt feelings." | |
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Chris Lawrence: Vicente Fox retracts anti-black comments — Steven Taylor links a story that says Fox blames the furor over his recent... |
Dr. Steven Taylor: Lost in Translation? Via the AP: Fox Says Comments Were Misinterpreted . Hmm. |
The Smug Delusion of Base Expectations NRO — Permalink Count me out of the Newsweek feeding frenzy. We're in the grips of a pathology. And it's not media bias. Here's the late-breaking news (you'll want to be sitting down for this): The mainstream media is ideologically liberal and instinctually hostile to George W. Bush, U.S. foreign policy, and the American military. | |
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Andrew Cochran: With respect to "Newsweek," Steve cited Andrew McCarthy's column today and added, "I don't think the problem is... |
Hugh Hewitt: UPDATE: Bill Kristol has his take up at WeeklyStandard.com. Andy McCarthy has his at NationalReview.com. |
Stronach crosses floor to join Liberal cabinet By / Globe and Mail — Permalink In an explosive development leading up to Thursday's dramatic budget vote, Conservative MP Belinda Stronach has crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party as the new Human Resources Development Minister. | |
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Matthew Yglesias: But today comes the news that moderate Tory Belinda Stronach has had enough with the new, more rightwing Conservative Party and will be jumping ship to join the Liberal cabinet. Rickheller @Centerfield: Canadian Flip — Something unusual has happened in Canada—a moderate Conservative politician who ran for party leadership has crossed the aisle to join the Liberals. |
Damian Penny: Damned if the Liberals might not pull this off. Update: a bombshell: Stroncach has crossed the floor. |
Harvard to spend $50 million on diversity Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Harvard University President Lawrence Summers, under fire for comments on women in the sciences, said the school would spend $50 million over 10 years to promote diversity on its faculty and reform the way women in science and engineering are treated. | |
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Michelle Malkin: BOWING TO HARVARD'S P.C. GODS — Harvard U.'s Larry Summers pays penance for his politically incorrect remarks about... K. J. Lopez: HARVARD FINE — Larry Summers earmarks $50 million for diversity promotion. |
Tom @ScaredMonkeys: One man's giving into PC is another man's diversity. More from Michelle Malkin |
Galloway v the US Senate: transcript of statement By / Times of London — Permalink "Senator, I am not now, nor have I ever been, an oil trader. and neither has anyone on my behalf. I have never seen a barrel of oil, owned one, bought one, sold one - and neither has anyone on my behalf. | |
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Steve Clemons: And today, George Galloway just tore the smug triumphalism and conceit of Senator Norm Coleman away in one of the great orations of the year. |
Greg Saunders: Earlier in his address, Galloway also threw a couple more pointed barbs at the Bush Administration : "As a matter of... |
British lawmaker blasts U.S. on Iraq allegations AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - British lawmaker George Galloway vehemently rejected a Senate subcommittee's claim that Saddam Hussein awarded him lucrative allocations under the U.N. oil-for-food program and accused its chairman of maligning his good name. | |
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Steve Soto: You might be able to see the testimony through this MSNBC video link. |
Jeff Goldstein: Galloway blasts U.S. on Iraq allegations — From the AP: [snipped quote] Reached for comment, the newly democratic... |
Senate Defies Bush, Approves Highway Bill By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) - The Republican-controlled Senate brushed aside a presidential veto threat Tuesday and passed a $295 billion highway bill, arguing that massive spending on bigger and better roads was necessary to fight congestion and unsafe roadways. | |
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New Donkey: Today's lopsided Senate passage of a $295 billion highway bill will provide a nice test for Republicans at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. |
Pejman Yousefzadeh: Veto with verve. Veto with panache. Veto with 'tude. But above all else, veto. This is ridiculous beyond measure. |
A Critic Takes On the Logic of Female Orgasm By / NYT — Permalink Evolutionary scientists have never had difficulty explaining the male orgasm, closely tied as it is to reproduction. But the Darwinian logic behind the female orgasm has remained elusive. | |
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Tom Maguire: And while we wait, let's note that today's Times is fountain of news on the intersection of evolution and sexuality, with the tip that the female orgasm is for fun. Tbogg: Mrs. Darwin faked it — I hope it's not too late for the ID proponents in Kansas to add this to their arguments on why... Orrin Judd: DUDE, YOU'RE HARSHING ON MY JUST-SO'S: A Critic Takes On the Logic of Female Orgasm (DINITIA SMITH, 5/17/05, NY Times)... |
Chris Lawrence: It's all about the O — The New York Times today attempts to get to the bottom of the question of the evolutionary... Zoe Kentucky: Evolutionary "Fun" — A new book posits that the female orgasm serves no evolutionary or adaptive purpose. Ed Cone: Dr. Alcock on female orgasm "'The female orgasm,' she said, 'is for fun.'" NYT article on evolutionary purposes (maybe none) of female orgasm. |
| Also: Glenn Reynolds | |
Showdown looms on Capitol Hill as Galloway talks tough By / Times of London — Permalink A BRITISH MP will make an unprecedented appearance on Capitol Hill this morning to confront a panel of US senators who have accused him of being in the pay of Saddam Hussein. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: The Times of London reports today, "Last week the seven Republicans and six Democrats on the Senate permanent... Scott Burgess: It's quite conceivable that Mr. Galloway expects the panel to be a bunch of virtually illiterate Bible-thumpers that he... |
Charles Johnson: Galloway Rants for Senate — Today, pro-terrorist antisemitic MP George Galloway will confront the "Christian... |
British Lawmaker Denies Oil-For-Food Claim By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — British lawmaker George Galloway vehemently rejected a Senate subcommittee's claim that Saddam Hussein awarded him lucrative allocations under the U.N. oil-for-food program and accused its chairman of maligning his good name. | |
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Steve Soto: Coleman, after probably changing his underwear in the nearest men's room, saved his tough comments until after Galloway had left, which is a typical GOP practice. |
Michael Froomkin: Both the Washington Post story and especially the Reuters report (perishable link) are worth a look too. |
Galloway attacks Senate for 'mother of all smokescreens' By / Times of London — Permalink George Galloway, the Respect MP, attacked a US Senate committee today for its "schoolboy errors" over claims that Saddam Hussein awarded him lucrative contracts under the UN Oil-for-Food programme. | |
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Steve Soto: British MP George Galloway, today British Member of Parliament George Galloway came to Washington today and... |
Cookie Jill: old blighty...home to curiously strong mints and men with curiously strong words the brits have a way of ripping senators a new one and sounding so genteel. |
Analysis: Cause and effect -- another look at Newsweek By / UPI — Permalink WASHINGTON, May 16 (UPI) — An errant Newsweek item about a desecrated Koran at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba that sparked deadly riots in the Muslim world may not be entirely to blame for the violence. | |
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Cori Dauber: Here's Why We Love Pam Hess — I've linked to the work of the UPI's Pentagon correspondent before, and here (via Instapundit) is her analysis of the Newsweek situation. |
Glenn Reynolds: MORE ON NEWSWEEK: The UPI's Pamela Hess says that Newsweek blew it, but that the Bush Administration needs better PR efforts. |
Galloway takes on US oil accusers BBC — Permalink British MP George Galloway has told US senators who accused him of profiting from Iraq oil dealings their claims were the "mother of all smokescreens". In a combative performance before a Senate committee, the Respect Coalition MP accused the US lawmakers of being "cavalier" with justice. | |
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Steve Soto: Instead, Galloway came and blasted both Republicans and Democrats alike for their support for the war, their "cavalier"... |
Oliver Kamm: BBC spins again — The BBC 'reports': "Earlier this month, Mr Galloway, who was expelled from the Labour Party for his... |
Newsweek Says It Is Retracting Koran Report By / NYT — Permalink After a drumbeat of criticism from the Bush administration and others, Newsweek magazine yesterday went beyond an apology it issued Sunday and retracted an article published May 1 that stated that American interrogators at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, had tried to rattle Muslim detainees by flushing a Koran down a toilet. | |
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Dirty Harry: The New York Times uses the Newsweek debacle as an opportunity to trot out every unsubstantiated charge of abuse at Guantanamo. Ramesh Ponnuru: Then there's this, from Katharine Seelye and Neil Lewis in the New York Times story on the Newsweek retraction: "Both... Digby: Lovely DiRita — So everybody is rightly quoting the liar Myers (he must be since his version of events is completely at... |
Jim Miller: Newsweek Retracts Their Koran Story — The magazine has now, finally, retracted their story. Tom Maguire: Let's toss in a bit of supporting evidence from the NY Times: [quote] Erik Saar, a co-author of the book "Inside the Wire" and...[end quote] Brian Stelter: In an interview with the New York Times, he contrasted his action and retraction of the Quran story with that of CBS... |
| Also: Gregory Djerejian, Joe Gandelman, Roger L. Simon, Josh Marshall, John Podhoretz, Michelle Malkin | |
Free the Grapes? By / TCS — Permalink Both oenophiles and constitutional law scholars eagerly awaited the Supreme Court's decision in Granholm v. Heald, in which the Court was expected to decide the constitutionality of state bans on direct-to-consumer shipments of wine (and other types of alcohol). | |
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Pejman Yousefzadeh: STILL MORE ON THE WINE CASES — Stephen Bainbridge furthers his coverage of the issue with this article. |
Steve Bainbridge: Free the Grapes? My TCS column on the Supreme Court's interstate wine shipment decision is now up. |
Affair with staffer a mistake, Mfume says By / Baltimore Sun — Permalink Attempting to distance himself from allegations that he created a hostile environment for women at NAACP headquarters, U.S. Senate candidate Kweisi Mfume yesterday called his affair with a female staffer at the organization a brief, "boneheaded" mistake. | |
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Alexander K. McClure: 2006 Maryland Senate Race — Kweisi Mfume has made a very interesting statement on his affair with a female staffer at... Kos @DailyKos: MD-Sen: Mfume's boneheaded move — The Mfume campaign has hit a roadblock. [snipped quote] It's hard to overcome this sort of thing. |
Taegan Goddard: Mfume Calls Affair "Boneheaded" — U.S. Senate candidate Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) called his affair with a female staffer at... |
Hariri takes on slain father's mantle in polls Reuters — Permalink BEIRUT (Reuters) - The son and political heir of slain former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri said on Tuesday the anti-Syrian opposition would sweep Lebanon's general elections and indicated he could lead the government after the ballot. | |
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Captain Ed: That gives the current rise to power of Hariri's second son Saad, who has led the Future opposition coalition to the top... |
Smash: Lebanon: The Son Rises — THE SON of slain former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri will soon take up his father left off in the next Lebanese government, Reuters reports. |
Pundits for money (and news for free) By / Salon — Permalink You can't stand David Brooks but you read his column anyway, twice a week. Paul Krugman's anti-Bush rants ring so true for you that you ditch your work in the morning to email them to your friends. | |
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RCox: Ironically, it is left to Salon.com which has struggled for years with pay-wall punditry to ask: "Is the New York Times... Ann Althouse: UPDATE: Here's a Salon piece criticizing the Times. (Salon ought to know the effects of putting up a pay-wall.) Jeralyn Merritt: New York Times to Charge for Reading Op-Ed Writers — The New York Times has announced it will begin charging online... |
Joe Gandelman: New York Times Opts Out Of The (Free) Conversation — Starting in September it's likely you'll find the New York Times... Jim Romenesko: Sulzberger: TimesSelect won't make columnists irrelevant — Salon Even when it costs $49.95 a year to read them online,... Atrios: Relevance — My guess is the New York Times will get a surprising number of subscriptions for its new pay service. |
| Also: Kos @DailyKos | |
The Newsweek Riots NRO — Permalink A telling error. How many stories has Newsweek written about the Bush administration allegedly "skewing intelligence" by relying on raw, insufficiently sourced data? How many times has it lamented that these mistakes have hurt the U.S. abroad? Too many to count. | |
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TheAnchoress: Rich Lowry has a very good look at what Korangate tells us about the state of the press. |
PGL: The Newsweek Uproar: Rich Lowry Insults His Readers - Again — I guess going over the top to support the White House's... |
NEWSWEEK ISIKOFF TOLD RESIGNATION WOULD NOT BE ACCEPTED Drudge Report — Permalink NEWSWEEK's top executives and editors are standing firm behind reporter Michael Isikoff after the magazine retracted his story that U.S. investigators found evidence interrogators at Guantanamo Bay desecrated the Quran. | |
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Kevin Aylward: Koran-In-The-Crapper Scorecard - Drudge Edition — The Drudge Report nearly went to DefCon Siren with NEWSWEEK ISIKOFF... |
Dirty Harry: Newsweek: More Pathetic Today Than Yesterday — This is just stupid. Anyone buying this? Please. What a lame charade. |
Hemmer Considers Departure From CNN By / WaPo — Permalink Bill Hemmer, co-anchor of CNN's "American Morning," may leave the cable news network after being told that executives want to shift him to the post of senior White House correspondent. "It is no secret that other outlets have expressed interest in me," Hemmer, whose contract expires in the fall, said last night. | |
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Brian Stelter: > "It is no secret that other outlets have expressed interest in me," Hemmer told the Washington Post. Jim Romenesko: CNN wants Hemmer to move from morning show to WH — Washington Post "American Morning" co-anchor Bill Hemmer may leave... |
Garrett M. Graff: Also, he's a wee bit pissed that CNN has leaked word about the possible move: "So CNN leaked word; that's the tactic they've chosen," he told Howard Kurtz. |
A Father's Dream By / NRO — Permalink Like many fathers, I find myself gazing at my sons and dreaming about what they will become. I have a vision for the most important parts — that they become strong, gentle husbands and fathers, servants and leaders, better men than me. | |
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Blackfive: , James M., and Peter J. for sending the link to a soon to be NRO classic - A Father's Dream - where Tony Woodlief... |
Chad The Elder: Mamas, Let Your Babies Grow Up To be Snipers — Tony Woodlief writes on the dreams of a dad at NRO: I have to begin by... |
Newsweek Urged to Do More to Repair Damage By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House says Newsweek took a "good first step" by retracting its story that U.S. investigators found evidence interrogators at Guantanamo Bay desecrated the Quran, but it wants the magazine to do more to repair damage caused by the article. | |
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Roger L. Simon: The Non-Ideology Ideology — I had to smile when I read the following this morning on the Newsweek contretemps: Daniel... |
K. J. Lopez: WHITE HOUSE AND NEWSWEEK — What will Putin think? |
Gov. Readies Special Election to Attack Legislature, Unions By / LAT — Permalink SACRAMENTO — After five months of failing to sway Democrats to his "year of reform," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has directed his political staff to prepare for a special election campaign that would attack the California Legislature and its union benefactors. | |
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Ezra Klein: Settling Scores — Arnold, still smarting from last month's whipping at the hands of the public sector unions, has decided to use the governor's office to settle the score. |
Taegan Goddard: Schwarzenegger Prepares for Special Election — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) [snipped quote] the Los Angeles Times reports. |
The Reporter Who Put Monica on the Map By / NYT — Permalink Investigative reporters come in a couple of varieties. There are the quiet, scholarly types who troll the archives and pore over documents. And there are the gumshoes, obsessive and indefatigable, who tend to dress like Columbo, never let go of a story and seldom see eye to eye with their editors. | |
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Rich Lowry: And the paper quotes Isikoff: "The Pentagon saw the item before it ran, and then they didn't move us off it for 11 days afterward." Jay Rosen: Whitaker also told Charles McGrath of the Times: "Everybody behaved professionally and by the book in this case." |
Garrett M. Graff: Kurtz, though, makes a surprise appearance in the NYT's coverage too: In Charles McGrath's profile of Isikoff, he... Gregory Djerejian: A Forgotten Villain of l'Affaire Newsweek — No, not Mike "Gotcha" (or not!) Isikoff. |
Selective Outrage LAT — Permalink According to chaos theory, the flapping of a single butterfly's wings can trigger a hurricane halfway across the globe, a phenomenon known as the "butterfly effect." Now the Bush administration thinks it has detected something that might be called the "Newsweek effect." | |
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Skippy: an editorial from the latimes (you may have to register to read it): according to chaos theory, the flapping of a single... |
Patterico: The Really Interesting Question is Why You Consider That Such an Interesting Question The L.A. Times says the flap... |
Gannon's story left critics tarnished, too By / Boston Globe — Permalink WASHINGTON — Jeff Gannon's 15 minutes of fame is running a little long, with a lengthy profile in June's Vanity Fair in which the onetime White House reporter for a website run by a Republican fund-raiser talks about his newfound celebrity. | |
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Garrett M. Graff: An Age-Old Question Answered — Writing in the Boston Globe today, Peter S. Canellos, the paper's D.C. bureau chief,... |
Jim Romenesko: Blame bloggers? : All news now requires quotation marks Boston Globe Peter S. Canellos writes in his piece on bloggers'... |
Computer Virus Spews Right-Wing Spam AP — Permalink NEW YORK - A computer virus spewed neo-Nazi-tinged spam in English and German into inboxes over the weekend. The virus, first spotted on Thursday, sends out a blast of e-mail to addresses found on infected PCs. | |
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Captain Ed: Yahoo! and/or the AP have called the Nazi material "right wing": [snipped quote] As RM asked in an e-mail to me, what if... James Joyner: Computer Virus Spews Right-Wing Spam (AP) "A computer virus spewed neo-Nazi-tinged spam in English and German into inboxes over the weekend. |
Arthur Chrenkoff: Today's German virus doesn't even do any nasty things to your hard drive, merely politely suggests you read one of the... |
Pentagon: No Abuse of Koran, Afghan Protests Unrelated By / Voice of America — Permalink The U.S. Defense Department says an inquiry has so far not confirmed an incident reported by Newsweek magazine, in which an interrogator at the Guantanamo detention facility allegedly put a Koran into a toilet in order to upset some prisoners. | |
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Tom Maguire: In Which I Sort Of Agree With Kevin Drum — The latest Dem talking point on the "Newsweek Lied" debacle is that Newsweek... Echidne: In any case, whether the news is true or not will not make much difference in the Middle East, according to some observers. Attaturk: I know it has been in one of the posted links before, but again...I'm sure we all remember when General Dick ("Yes... |
Kevin Drum: RIOTS IN AFGHANISTAN...General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke to reporters about... Roger Ailes: No. "Riots ensued across the Islamic world and people died because of what one reporter wrote"? Bullshite. Johnny Cochran? |
'New York Times' to Start Charging for Some Web Content in September Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK The New York Times announced today that it will start charging for some online content, beginning in September. The new, premium level of membership will be called TimesSelect, and participants will have exclusive access to Op-Ed and news... | |
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Daniel Drezner: The NYT op-ed shakedown — I don't have a great deal to offer on the New York Times' decision to charge for some its... Richard Bradley: Richard Bradley: The New York Times Gets Greedy — The Times has just announced that it's going to start charging $49.95 for "premium" content on the web. Virginia Postrel: This bit may suggest why the NYT has made the otherwise puzzling decision to charge for online access to its op-ed columns. |
Jon Henke: New York Times to charge for Op-Eds — This is gonna leave a mark: [snipped quote] Naturally, as most observers are... John Hawkins: This decision may lead to more short term dollars for the New York Times, but it's a mistake that will cost them money... Pejman Yousefzadeh: LUDDITES — The decision by the New York Times to hide its columnists behind a pay barrier is as strange as it is disappointing. |
| Also: Roger Ailes | |
Newsweek Flap Spurs Debate Over Sources By / WSJ — Permalink In journalism, "sources" is becoming a dirty word. At a time when the U.S. media's credibility with the public is under attack, newspapers and newsmagazines are having to defend their time-honored practice of citing unidentified sources in stories. | |
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Joe Gandelman: One school of thought focuses more on the journalistic failures and what it says about the quality of reporting and corporate fail-safe systems supposedly in place. Tom Biro: Hagan: The future of anonymous sourcing — Tuesday's Wall Street Journal features a piece by Joe Hagan about sourcing and journalism in today's world. |
Garrett M. Graff: Joe Hagan, writing in the WSJ, examines the problem of sourcing facing journalists right now, lining up some powerful defenders of the practice. Jim Romenesko: "I think there's not enough use of unnamed sources, frankly" — Wall Street Journal That's what Bob Woodward tells Joe Hagan. |
In Divided Darfur, a Shared Will to Fight By / WaPo — Permalink MUHAJARA, Sudan — Tarjab Jalab, a sinewy, bearded rebel commander in the Sudan Liberation Army militia, limped across this scarred and half-empty village on a bandaged foot. Dozens of leather pouches hung from his arms and legs, each containing Koranic verses. | |
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Betsy Newmark: The Washington Post has a good, yet very depressing look at Darfur and how the conflict looks to continue for many, many years. |
Cori Dauber: What did the UN decision to submit Darfur cases to the ICC do? It made people at the UN feel better. And that's about it. |
US 'backed illegal Iraqi oil deals' Guardian — Permalink The United States administration turned a blind eye to extensive sanctions-busting in the prewar sale of Iraqi oil, according to a new Senate investigation. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: Julian Borger and Jamie Wilson of the Guardian dropped a bomb on the UN oil-for-food scandal so beloved by the Right,... Steve Soto: In advance of tomorrow's third hearing on the subject, the Guardian is reporting in Tuesday's edition that another... Attaturk: Uff da! Norman Coleman — not quite a genius, from the Guardian. The Democratic Staff Report on the UN Oil for Food Program. |
RJ Eskow: Per Kevin Drum, the new Senate report says that 'the US treasury failed to take action against a Texas oil company,... Steve M.: The Guardian minces no words: US 'backed illegal Iraqi oil deals' ...A report released last night by Democratic staff... Cookie Jill: "- the guardian" ex-minister of france blames us - the international herald tribune "the u.s. treasury department... |
| Also: Kevin Drum | |
Anchors Comic And Serious Win Peabodys By / WaPo — Permalink NEW YORK, May 16 — Two newsmen — one fake, the other recently evacuated from his anchor chair in the wake of scandal — were among those honored Monday at the 64th annual Peabody Awards. | |
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Tim Graham: YOU'RE NO CHURCHILL, MR. RATHER — The Washington Post reports Dan Rather "got downright Churchillian" in remarks at the... |
Jim Romenesko: Stewart, Rather among those honored at Peabody Awards — Washington Post "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" won for its... |
Europe unites in hatred of French By / Telegraph — Permalink Language, history, cooking and support for rival football teams still divide Europe. But when everything else fails, one glue binds the continent together: hatred of the French. Typically, the French refuse to accept what arrogant, overbearing monsters they are. | |
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Andrew Stuttaford: Well, the Telegraph (do I detect a little gloating, chaps?) has the details: "Perhaps unsurprisingly, Britons described them as "chauvinists, stubborn, nannied and humourless". Jan Haugland: Everybody hates the French — Europeans have more than anti-Americanism in common, they also hate the French. Ace: A delightful survey of Europeans dishes: [quote] Perhaps unsurprisingly, Britons described them as "chauvinists, stubborn, nannied and humourless".[end quote] |
Charles Johnson: Europe Unites in Hatred of French — The UK Telegraph has discovered the one thing that unites Europe: hatred of the French. Arthur Chrenkoff: Hate us, we're French — Why be hard on the Americans for disliking the French, if all their continental neighbors seem hardly more charitable? TheAnchoress: People in various EU countries were asked what they thought of the French. |
| Also: Damian Penny, Tom @ScaredMonkeys, McQ, Peter Burnet | |
Rather, Mapes Reunited at Peabodys Broadcasting & Cable — Permalink Mary Mapes, the producer of the 60 Minutes II Abuse At Abu Ghraib, was on hand as the 64th Annual Peabody Awards were officially handed out at a New York luncheon Monday, and so was Dan Rather. | |
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Captain Ed: Rather & Mapes, Together Again — The Peabody Awards luncheon yesterday provided a stage for the reunion of Dan Rather... Brian Stelter: Afterwards, Mapes told Broadcasting & Cable that she never believed CBS News investigated whether the disputed facts behind the National Guard story, were in fact true. |
Jim Romenesko: A total of 32 prizes were awarded Monday. > Rather's acceptance speech didn't mention CBS News' Heyward (B&C) |
Uzbeks Say Troops Shot Recklessly at Civilians NYT — Permalink MOSCOW, May 16 - Even as Uzbekistan's government maintained that it had acted cautiously and minimized the use of force in putting down a prison break and demonstration late last week, survivors said Monday that government security forces had fired indiscriminately at unarmed civilians and struck women and children. | |
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Forkum: Today, The New York Times reports that Uzbeks Say Troops Shot Recklessly at Civilians. Steve Soto: White House Still Hasn't Condemned Uzbekistan Slaughter — I'm still waiting for the White House condemnation of their... |
Brad Plumer: A few things about the recent violence in the eastern part of the country, though,—in which, reportedly, 500 protestors have been killed by the government. Matthew Yglesias: Uzbekistan — I can't say that I've been following these events closely, and really the whole region's been off my radar... |
Iraq Government Calls for an End to Mosque Raids By / NYT — Permalink BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 16 - In a gesture calculated to ease tensions with Iraq's dispossessed Sunni Arab minority, the new Shiite majority government announced Monday that it had ordered the army to stop raiding mosques, arresting clerics and "terrifying worshipers." | |
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Rich Lowry: The Times details a few of our experiences to this point: "Ramadi, another insurgent stronghold, has also been the scene... |
Tacitus: Now they are all safe havens for the killers. |
U.S. Long Had Memo on Handling of Koran By / WaPo — Permalink More than two years ago, the Pentagon issued detailed rules for handling the Koran at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, requiring U.S. personnel to ensure that the holy book is not placed in "offensive areas such as the floor, near the toilet or sink, near the feet, or dirty/wet areas." | |
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Cori Dauber: Day Late and a Dollar Short — The Post finally gets around to publishing the policies for dealing with copies of the Koran down at Guantanamo. |
Rich Lowry: RULES FOR HANDLING THE KORAN — This Washington Post piece has a run-down of the rules at Gitmo: "The Pentagon memo,... |
Kuwaiti women get the vote By / AP — Permalink Kuwait today approved women's political rights, clearing the way for women to run in parliamentary elections for the first time in Kuwait's history. The bill was approved in a 35-23 vote in parliament with one abstention, bringing scores of women activists in the gallery to their feet in applause. | |
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David T: "No dress code, no Islamic law and no nonsense" — Women in Kuwait's extremely limited democracy have finally been... |
Trey Jackson: Kuwaiti Women Get The Vote — Lost in the Newsweek-Strikes-Out-Agai n-At-Helping-Us-Lose-The- W ar meme is this bit of... |
Computers Now Grading Students' Writing By / AP — Permalink COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Student essays always seem to be riddled with the same sorts of flaws. So sociology professor Ed Brent decided to hand the work off - to a computer. Students in Brent's Introduction to Sociology course at the University of Missouri-Columbia now submit drafts through the SAGrader software he designed. | |
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Lindsay Beyerstein: My Job Is Safe For Now — Guest post: hilzoy (who is a philosophy professor) Department of Louise brings scary, scary... |
Hilzoy @ObsidianWings: My Job Is Safe For Now by hilzoy Department of Louise brings scary, scary news: people are not just developing, but... |
Bill Moyers Responds to CPB's Tomlinson Charges of Liberal Bias: "We Were Getting it Right, But Not Right Wing" Democracy Now — Permalink In his first public address since leaving PBS six months ago, journalist Bill Moyers responds to charges by Kenneth Tomlinson - the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting - of liberal bias and revelations that Tomlinson hired a consultant to monitor the political content of Moyers' PBS show "Now." | |
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The Poorman: Bill Moyers, one of our favorite Texas Baptists, explains the syndrome: "We're seeing unfold a contemporary example of... Avedon: The Moyers speech — Bill Moyers Responds to CPB's Tomlinson Charges of Liberal Bias: "We Were Getting it Right, But Not Right Wing" - transcript, .mp3, and streams. |
Ed Cone: Here's a transcript. Moyers: "I came to see that news is what people want to keep hidden, and everything else is publicity." |
Press Gaggle by Scott McClellan By / White House — Permalink Q — (inaudible) — what's the White House — MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I find it puzzling that Newsweek now acknowledges that the facts were wrong, and they refuse to offer a retraction. There is a certain journalistic standard that should be met, and in this case it was not met. | |
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Steve Soto: McClellan Lied At Press Gaggle Yesterday — It looks like Scott McClellan was caught in a lie yesterday, during his... Faiz @ThinkProgress: Flashback: The White House's Single, Anonymous, Unreliable Source — Today, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan... |
Kos @DailyKos: Think Progress: [quote]Today, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan lectured the media about a "journalistic standard that should be met" before running with a story.[end quote] Cori Dauber: And of course there's the fact that the change comes after a day of fairly public pressure from the White House. |
Candidates Make Last Pitch for L.A. Votes By / AP — Permalink LOS ANGELES (AP) - In a final push for votes, the two candidates for mayor pumped hands in diners and swept through senior centers on Monday while exchanging prickly jabs that have been the hallmark of the campaign. | |
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Ezra Klein: LA Mayoral Race — Kevin writes: [snipped quote] Motion made and seconded*. Well, kinda. I won't actually be voting tomorrow. |
Kevin Drum: LOS ANGELES MAYOR FINALE....The endless Los Angeles mayoral race ends today, and I have to say that it's not a day too soon for me. |
Source: Ill. Governor's Office Subpoenaed By / AP — Permalink CHICAGO - Gov. Rod Blagojevich's office has received subpoenas from a grand jury investigating allegations that his chief fundraiser traded jobs for campaign contributions, a source close to the investigation said Monday. | |
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Jayson @PoliPundit: Shades of Tammany Hall — In Illinois. P.S. - I would presume Mayor Daley, Senior, is rolling over in his grave. |
Alexander K. McClure: Democratic Honesty — Wow, Jayson beat me to it by around ten seconds. My bet is that the former Mayor Daley will be so angry that he will vote Republican next time. |
What did liberals believe? MSNBC — Permalink Man Bites Dog "Alterman: Bush is Sorta Right..." My piece on Bush, FDR and Yalta is on The American Prospect website, here. Since we're all writing about liberalism, here is a capsule history, written off the top of my head, that I hope might help. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: I'm going. — Eric Alterman has a pocket history of American liberalism here that I partly agree with, but not entirely. |
Brendan Nyhan: As Eric Alterman points out, even the Middle East Studies Association — no one's idea of a pro-Israeli body — has... |
Newsweek Retracts Account of Koran Abuse by U.S. Military By / NYT — Permalink Newsweek formally retracted a recent report today that said the Koran had been desecrated by American guards at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, an article linked to riots in Pakistan and Afghanistan that led to the deaths of at least 17 people. | |
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Captain Ed: Newsweek Still Blames The Pentagon For Bad Journalism — Today's New York Times shows that Newsweek is sticking with its... Tom Burka: McCelllan explained that the President thought that the recent Newsweek debacle required the Administration to reexamine its own poorly sourced actions. Garrett M. Graff: The second day story on the Newsweek flap is breaking down into two angles—one examining how Newsweek responded as a... |
Rich Lowry: From the New York Times: "In the interview, Mr. Whitaker expressed frustration at the Pentagon for not informing the... Steve Soto: Oh, and the Defense Department didn't challenge the story Condi when they had the chance to; they only weighed in ten... Riggsveda @Corrente: Or in the words of one of the administration's poster boys for credibility, Scott McClellan: "The image of the United States abroad has been damaged." |
| Also: Jay Rosen, Jim Romenesko, Suzanne Nossel, Taegan Goddard, Jan Haugland | |
Newsweek Retracts Story on Quran Abuse By / AP — Permalink "/ Afghanistan, said Monday it was retracting its report that a military probe had found evidence of desecration of the Quran by U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay. | |
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Charles Johnson: Holding Newsweek's Feet to the Fire — White House Urges Newsweek to Do More. Jay Rosen: "— Mark Whitaker, Monday." As these quotations show, it was news weakly made that helped trigger fatal events far beyond the world of Newsweek and its subscribers. Steve @BeggingToDiffer: MISSING THE POINT — Newsweek is retracting its report that U.S. interragators desecrated the Koran at Guantanamo Bay. |
Attaturk: People are dead," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said. "People need to be very careful about what they say, just as they need to be careful about what they do." Patterico: If you do that, you'll be fine. UPDATE: Newsweek's editor has now officially retracted the story. Captain Ed: A couple of hours ago, Newsweek retracted its false story about flushing Qu'rans down Gitmo toilets that started deadly... |
| Also: Jayson @PoliPundit, La Shawn Barber, John @PowerLine, Michelle Malkin | |
Newsweek Retracts Koran-Desecration Story By / Fox News — Permalink NEW YORK — Newsweek on Monday retracted a story alleging interrogators at Guantanamo flushed the Koran down a toilet in front of detainees. "Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had... | |
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Tom Paine: There's a bit of an urban legend going around you may have heard of on some of the whackier conspiracy sites, scrawled... Joe Gandelman: Fox News has the tantilizing question of the year when it notes in its report:"Newsweek did not say what caused the turnabout." Charles Johnson: UPDATE at 5/16/05 2:35:57 pm: Newsweek Retracts Koran-Desecration Story. |
Patrick Ruffini: A Test for Liberals — For all the liberal Newsweek enthusiasts hell-bent on assuming the worst about the United States... Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Update 2 : Reuters story, Fox News Update: More from Michelle Malkin More from Bloomberg [quote] "Based on what we know now,...[end quote] Robin Burk: Newsweek Retracts Quran Story — After insisting there was no reason to do so, Newsweek has retracted their story saying that U.S. interrogators desecrated Qurans at Gitmo. |
| Also: Tom Biro, Jeff Goldstein | |
Lucas on Iraq war, 'Star Wars' CNN — Permalink CANNES, France (CNN) — "Star Wars" director George Lucas says that although he wrote the original film during the Vietnam War, his six-part saga could apply to the war in Iraq. | |
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David Adesnik: Arthur Chrenkoff is up in arms about George Lucas' comparison of Bush's America to the Galactic Empire. Juan Cole: Revenge of the Stiff — Or, He Asked for It CNN reports that Star Wars director George Lucas said his movies could apply... Arthur Chrenkoff: I noted with interest your recent remarks in Cannes: [snipped quote] Yes, we were very wrong indeed - to you, the Empire... |
Patrick Ruffini: George Lucas and company seemed determined to ruin whatever chance Revenge of the Sith has of ever entering the pantheon... Red @ScaredMonkeys: From CNN: "''In terms of evil, one of the original concepts was how does a democracy turn itself into a... FrancoAlemán: GEORGE LUCAS vs. Arthur Chrenkoff: pretty clear to me that it's Arthur who has the higher hand. |
New Survey Finds Huge Gap Between Press and Public on Many Issues By / Editor and Publisher — Permalink NEW YORK A new survey to be released Monday reveals a wide gap on many media issues between a group of journalists and the general public. In one finding, 43% of the public say they believe the press has too much freedom, while only 3% of journalists agree. | |
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Bill Hobbs: Newsweak Update — I've learned from a pretty good source who has a connection inside Newsweek that the magazine, still... The Poorman: Today, this little fact is known by 14% of the American public. James Joyner: New Survey Finds Huge Gap Between Press and Public on Many Issues (Editor & Publisher) "A survey to be released... |
Jan Haugland: A press crisis of confidence — Now isn't this a surprise: A survey to be released Monday reveals a wide gap on many... John Hawkins: A poll done by the University of Connecticut Department of Public Policy certainly seems to confirm that. Joe Gandelman: BIG Gap Between Public And Press — A new poll finds a big gap between the public and a group of journalists surveyed... |
| Also: Ezra Klein, Glenn Reynolds, Gerry @DalyThoughts, Taegan Goddard | |
Newsweek Retracts Report on Koran Insult After U.S. Pressure By / NYT — Permalink The White House and State Department said today that Newsweek should do more than apologize for publishing a small item on May 9 saying the Koran had been desecrated by American guards at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, an item linked to riots in Pakistan and Afghanistan that led to the deaths of at least 17 people. | |
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Jay Rosen: Now that the report has been fully retracted, people have been asking me what I think about this seriously screwed-up story. Jim Romenesko: Newsweek formally retracts Koran abuse story — New York Times Editor Mark Whitaker's one-sentence statement: "Based on... |
Ann Althouse: America Right was, understandably, fixated on the Newsweek story, but there was very little about it on Air America. |
Kuwaiti women win right to vote BBC — Permalink The Kuwaiti parliament has voted to give women full political rights. The amendment to the Kuwait's electoral law means women can for the first time vote and stand in parliamentary and local elections. It was passed by 35 votes for, 23 against, with one abstention. | |
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Damian Penny: Better late than never — Kuwaiti women have been granted the right to vote and run for office. Orrin Judd: THAT WAS QUICK: Kuwaiti women win right to vote (BBC, 5/17/05) "The Kuwaiti parliament has voted to give women full political rights. Marc @USSNeverdock: The BBC reports "The Kuwaiti parliament has voted to give women full political rights. " |
Charles Paul Freund: On Monday, the parliament finally passed the legislation. (Link via Instapundit.) Clayton Cramer: Kuwait has just given women the right to vote and hold public office. This might have happened anyway. Glenn Reynolds: THIS SEEMS LIKE GOOD NEWS: [snipped quote] Stay tuned. UPDATE: And don't miss this week's Carnival of the Revolutions, collecting democracy-blogging around the world. |
| Also: Tully @Centerfield | |
Kuwait Approves Women's Political Rights By / AP — Permalink KUWAIT CITY - Kuwaiti lawmakers approved political rights for women Monday, clearing the way for females to participate in parliamentary elections for the first time in the Gulf nation's history. However, fundamentalist Muslims included a requirement that any female politician or voter abide by Islamic law. | |
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McQ: A good example of that is found in Kuwait: [snipped quote] It's easy to look down our noses and say this sort of thing "is long overdue". Captain Ed: Now that issue can be put to rest, as Kuwaiti women have finally been granted complete political rights in the... Pejman Yousefzadeh: Progress is being made in the Middle East: "Parliament extended political rights to Kuwaiti women Monday, but religious... |
Daniel Berczik: Not everybody is overjoyed: [quote] Islamic conservatives called the law a "bombshell'' and accused the government of bowing to foreign pressure.[end quote] Praktike: Victory for women in Kuwait — At last, they'll get the right to vote, albeit with some ambiguous restrictions (read the article). Kevin Drum: WOMEN GET THE VOTE IN KUWAIT...Via Praktike, a firsthand blog account of Kuwait's decision to allow women to vote:... |
Deadly Mistake By / NRO — Permalink The shakily sourced May 9 Newsweek report that interrogators had desecrated a Koran at Guantanamo Bay is likely to do more damage to the U.S. than the Abu Ghraib prison scandals. What is also deeply disturbing is that the journalists who put the report out seem somewhat clueless about this reality. | |
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Donald Sensing: Among others, the authors cite Paul Marshal, who asks about Newsweek's editors, [snipped quote] According to Newsweek,... Cori Dauber: Couldn't anyone who'd done significant amounts of reporting on the Islamic world have seen this one coming? Michelle Malkin: Paul Marshall at NRO: Deadly mistake Ace of Spades renames Newsweek "Al-Newsweek." Jeff Harrell designs the cover you won't see. |
Joe Katzman: As Paul Marshal notes: [quote] "Equally disturbing is the fact that Newsweek reporters seemed to have little idea how explosive such a story would be.[end quote] Ed Driscoll: But the other element is that Newsweek surely had to have considered that in the tinderbox atmosphere that is the Middle... |
Reid Says Showdown Imminent in Senate By / AP — Permalink "/ President Bush's controversial judicial nominees, saying their fate along with the future of long-standing filibuster rules will be settled in a showdown on the Senate floor. | |
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Captain Ed: New Offer: Throw Less People Under The Bus — The Senate Democrats have reportedly made a new offer to the GOP to avert... Steve Dillard: Silver lining: The only positive thing I can say about the proposed deal being negotiated between the dems and the six... |
Jeralyn Merritt: Senate Showdown Imminent — Democratic Minority Leader Sen. Harry Reid said talks have broken down with Republicans over the nuclear option. Taegan Goddard: No Deal — Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) "declared an end Monday to compromise talks with Republican leaders... |
Newsweek Retracts Report About Koran Desecration (Update2) Bloomberg — Permalink May 16 (Bloomberg) — Newsweek magazine today retracted a report it published earlier this month that sparked riots in Afghanistan and elsewhere, leaving at least 16 people dead. | |
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Lambert @Corrente: "''We have made clear, I think, that there is the utmost respect for religion of the prisoners,'' Boucher said. (via Bloomberg)" More lies. |
Glenn Reynolds: NEWSWEEK has retracted its Koran-flushing story now, after its earlier weak apology didn't satisfy. Good for them. |
The Empire Strikes Bush By / WaPo — Permalink "This is how liberty dies — to thunderous applause." So observes Queen Amidala of Naboo as the galactic senate grants dictator-to-be Palpatine sweeping new powers in his crusade against the Jedi in the final "Star Wars" movie opening this week. | |
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Patrick Ruffini: In his own drably predictable way, the Hack pounces too. But is the comparison all that unwelcome? Red @ScaredMonkeys: It would appear that critic's reviews on "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," is no different. Michael Froomkin: My Brother Tries Movie Criticism — The Empire Strikes Bush: "This is how liberty dies — to thunderous applause." |
Barbara O'Brien: Speaking of films, George Lucas is out promoting Start Wars episode 3 and saying there are parallels between the Empire and the Bush Administration. Greg Saunders: Greg Saunders: The Dark Side Dan Froomkin sees through the bad dialogue and flashy special effects1 to see the real... |
Newsweek withdraws Koran report BBC — Permalink US magazine Newsweek has issued a full retraction of its report that a Koran was flushed down a toilet at Guantanamo Bay by US interrogators. It said a US military investigation had failed to corroborate the story and apologised for carrying the report. | |
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Cori Dauber: It was not a particularly elegant statement of concession: In a one-sentence statement released on Monday evening,... Jan Haugland: Just as leftist bloggers rush to defend Newsweek and insist that the magazine neither backed down nor apologized, Newsweek fully retracts the story. |
Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Update: The BBC puts it's spin on the announcement, sending reporters to the farthest reaches of Pakistan to find those that find fault with Newsweeks rebuttal. McQ: But that still doesn't change the fact that 16 people are dead because they got it wrong. More here. |
Eastern Fronts American Prospect — Permalink While Bush administration officials are obsessed with politics in the Greater Middle East, two dangerous problems are emerging in East Asia: the Taiwan Strait and the 38th Parallel in Korea. | |
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Clayton Cramer: Wal-Mart & Preparing For War With China — Matthew Yglesias discusses recent published reports in which a Chinese... Praktike: Miscalculation watch — Speaking of J-Lo, he has an article in TAP(!) about Taiwan and South Korea. |
Matthew Yglesias: Aircraft Carrier — Praktike rightly flags the apparent — and strange — belief of at least some inside the Chinese... Brad DeLong: Time to Learn from Tojo Hideki... Ted Galen Carpenter and Justin Logan write: American Prospect Online - ViewWeb: Clearly, the X factor for China is potential U.S. intervention. |
Court Strikes Down Ban on Wine Shipments By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — Wine lovers may buy directly from out-of-state vineyards, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, striking down laws banning a practice that has flourished because of the Internet and growing popularity of winery tours. | |
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Steve Bainbridge: (Link) Even casual followers of the Supreme Court will note that this is a VERY unusual lineup. Jonathan H. Adler: SUPREMES LIBERATE WINE SALES — Today the Supreme Court struck down state prohibitions on interstate wine sales. |
Tom @ScaredMonkeys: Court Strikes Down Ban on Wine Shipments [snipped quote] The real interesting thing that caught my eye was how the Court voted. Steve Dillard: "Court Lets Wine Lovers Buy Out-Of-State": Like Professor Adler, I have not yet had a chance to read the Court's... |
Newsweek report on Quran matches many earlier accounts Raw Story — Permalink Contrary to White House assertions, the allegations of religious desecration at Guantanamo published by Newsweek May 6 are common among ex-prisoners and have been widely reported outside the United States, RAW STORY has learned. | |
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Steve Soto: Desecration of the Koran did occur, no matter how many times Condi or the White House lie about it. Steve M.: Well, Newsweek's trying, but this CNN story suggests that nobody's buying: Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan were... |
Lambert @Corrente: Give me a minute, OK? ] Meanwhile, Raw Story cites many other examples of desecration of the Koran. Nico @ThinkProgress: Indeed, variou s other reports in the media and by NGOs suggest that U.S. interrogators have desecrated the Quran on multiple occassions. |
Darwin's evolution theory loses out in mock trial Hindustan Times — Permalink Charles Darwin's theory of evolution was on trial in Topeka, Kansas, and it seems the legendary British naturologist lost to an "intelligent designer" - a barely disguised euphemism for God. | |
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Greg Saunders: Greg Saunders: The Verdict Is In Not that you should be too surprised by the rigged outcome : "The mock trial of... Amanda Marcotte: Culturally Unifying Stupidity — A report from the Hindustan Times lets us in on the real reason they hate us. |
Greg @TheTalentShow: The Verdict Is In — Not that you should be too surprised by the rigged outcome : "The mock trial of Darwin's theory by... |
White House Criticizes Newsweek By / WaPo — Permalink The White House today appeared to challenge Newsweek to retract the admittedly flawed report that sparked deadly riots in Afghanistan and other countries, while Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the story has "done a lot of harm" to U.S. efforts to reach out to the Muslim world. | |
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TheAnchoress: Newsweek RETRACTS but the damage is done I'm very glad to read that Newsweek has retracted its report of American troops at Gitmo desecrating the Muslim holy book. Taegan Goddard: Bonus Quote of the Day — [snipped quote] — White House spokesman Scott McClellan, with no sense of irony, criticizing the errors in a recent Newsweek report. |
Red @ScaredMonkeys: Update: Newsweek Retracts Koran Story However, the problem is its tough to put the genie back in the bottle once it has been opened. |
Newsweek retracts story on Koran under pressure Reuters — Permalink "/ Afghanistan that killed 16 people and the White House criticized it. "Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered Koran abuse at Guantanamo Bay," Newsweek Editor Mark Whitaker said in a statement, a day after apologizing for the report. | |
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Cernig: Goose Covers Newsweek — I was going to do a long post about the by now famous Newsweek apology. Dr. Steven Taylor: Newsweek Retracts — Via Reuters: Newsweek retracts story on Koran desecration [snipped quote] Sadly, I suspect that this... |
McQ: Newsweek retracts Koran story — Well, well ... [snipped quote] Now in my book, a retraction is a fairly final journalistic act. |
Muslims doubt Quran climbdown CNN — Permalink KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) — Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan were skeptical after a U.S. magazine backed away from a report that U.S. interrogators desecrated copies of the Quran while questioning prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. | |
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Barbara O'Brien: While the Right Blogosphere enjoys its wallow in triumphalism, Muslims in Afghanistan are skeptical. TheAnchoress: Once again, if only someone had asked for something more than, "can you prove this allegation is not true" perhaps we... Red @ScaredMonkeys: According to CNN, Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan were skeptical after Newsweek backed away from their initial report. |
Jan Haugland: The Muslim extremists who seized on this story can all too easily dismiss the climbdown as a result of US government pressure. Joe Gandelman: CNN, quoting Reuters, has this tidbit: [quote] "We will not be deceived by this," Islamic cleric Mullah Sadullah Abu Aman told Reuters in the northern Afghan province of Badakhshan.[end quote] |
NYTimes.com to Offer Subscription Service By / NYT — Permalink The New York Times announced today that it would offer a new subscription-based service on its Web site, charging users an annual fee to read its Op-Ed and news columnists, as the newspaper seeks ways to capitalize on the site's popularity. | |
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Chris Lawrence: Interrupting the two-step flow — James Joyner links a MarketWatch piece that claims the New York Times is going to put... |
Jim Romenesko: > Read the New York Times memo on TimesSelect (Romenesko Memos) > Sulzberger: Decision to charge fee came after a year... |
Pakistan Repeats Demand for Quran Probe By / AP — Permalink (05-16) 15:19 PDT ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan on Monday reiterated its demand for an investigation into the alleged desecration of Islam's holy book at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, hours before Newsweek retracted the report claiming a Quran was flushed down a toilet to rattle detainees. | |
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Smash: We don't know what the ultimate facts are." UPDATE — NEWSWEEK issues a retraction: [snipped quote] Too late. |
Michelle Malkin: Pakistan wants a probe of the now-retracted allegations of Koran desecration. Ben Johnson at Front Page Magazine writes about Newsweek's victims. |
Newsweek Apologizes WaPo — Permalink But critics are already pouncing on the story as the latest in a high-profile series of media blunders at such respected news organizations as the New York Times, USA Today and CBS News. In this case, the consequences — deadly riots — were far more serious than a breach of journalistic ethics. | |
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Glenn Reynolds: But Newsweek's Mark Whitaker says: "I suppose you could say we should have foreseen the consequences of the report, but we didn't." Gerry @DalyThoughts: Newsweek's Mark Whitaker (hat tip, Glenn Reynolds) says, "I suppose you could say we should have foreseen the consequences of the report, but we didn't." |
Red @ScaredMonkeys: Thank you Newsweek for giving the hate-America at all cost crowd in the Muslim world a voice. |
The Illusion of 'Managing' China By / WaPo — Permalink There has been much disc ussion recently about how to "manage the rise of China." The phrase itself is soothing, implying gradualism, predictability and time. Time enough to think and prepare, to take measurements of China's trajectory and adjust as necessary. | |
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DJ Drummond: The China Campaign — Robert Kagan writes about the "Illusion of Managing China" in the Washington Post, and to some degree his comments are apt. Stanley Kurtz: Finally, Sunday's Washington Post featured a superb China op-ed by Robert Kagan. |
Dale Franks: Cold War II — Robert Kagan writes that any hope we have of "manging" China's ascent from Third World despotism to First World Democracy is probably futile. Matthew Yglesias: Congressional Republicans messed up highway policy, so we should let them mess up Social Security, too. Robert Kagan. |
The House's crazy Aunt Louise and Uncle John The Hill — Permalink Remember when Democrats used to sneer at Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), back when he chaired the House Government Reform Committee, calling him a right-wing nut for his various investigations of the Clinton administration? | |
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Rep. John Conyers: Imagine my shock and surprise when I read his column in today's Capitol Hill Newspaper, "The Hill." |
Jeralyn Merritt: Over at the Huffington Post Blog, Rep. John Conyers lambasts journalist Bryon York for his column last week referring to... |