Morning Papers - continued...

The Newark Star Ledger

Bruce Springsteen performs at the Meadowlands Izod Center live blog
by Jay Lustig/The Star-Ledger
Thursday May 21, 2009, 6:12 PM

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2009/05/bruce_springsteen_performs_at.html

National political group airing ads targeting N.J. GOP gov. candidate Chris Christie
by Claire Heininger and Josh Margolin/Statehouse Bureau
Thursday May 21, 2009, 7:14 PM
TRENTON -- The ad wars in the New Jersey governor's race escalated today, as national Democrats launched a television campaign targeting Republican frontrunner Chris Christie just a few weeks before the June 2 GOP primary.
Using a familiar Democratic line of attack against the former U.S. attorney, the anti-Christie ad blasts him for practicing "pay-to-play justice" by awarding lucrative monitoring contracts to his "political allies." It singles out David Kelley, former U.S. attorney in Manhattan, who investigated a stock fraud case involving Christie's brother but did not indict him.
Complete coverage of the New Jersey Governor's Race
Kelley later became one of five attorneys selected by Christie to perform 18 months of oversight of major orthopedic implant companies accused of violating federal anti-kickback laws.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/national_political_group_airin.html



Two men shot by off-duty Newark cop in Linden charged with attempted robbery
by Julie O'Connor/The Star-Ledger
Thursday May 21, 2009, 7:36 PM
LINDEN -- The shooting of two men by an off-duty Newark police officer Monday at a Linden motel was the result of a robbery gone awry, authorities confirmed today.
The shootings happened when Newark officer, Daniel DeAmorin, attempted to enter his room at the Swan Motel on East Edgar Road around 10:40 p.m. when two men approached and attempted to rob him, said Union County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow. DeAmorin, who was carrying his service weapon, fired several shots at the men, striking them both.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/two_men_shot_by_offduty_newark.html


Gov. Corzine proposes tax amnesty program to balance budget
by Claire Heininger/Statehouse Bureau
Thursday May 21, 2009, 8:21 PM
TRENTON -- Attention tax cheats: New Jersey is willing to forgive and forget.
Again.
With the recession chewing a gaping hole in tax revenues, New Jersey is one of several states turning to a tax amnesty program to raise extra cash.
The proposal, one of several budget-balancing steps announced by Gov. Jon Corzine last week, would allow deadbeat taxpayers to settle up with the state without paying the usual penalties. Interest charges of 5 percent would still apply for individuals and businesses, officials said.
It's the third time New Jersey is going to the tax amnesty well since 1996.
Corzine is hoping the tried-and-true method -- New Jersey's last two tax amnesties raised a cool half-billion combined -- produces $100 million this spring. He is trying to plug a budget deficit of $3.6 billion for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/gov_corzine_proposes_tax_amnes.html


Essex County to review cases by embattled defense lawyer Paul Bergrin
by Joe Ryan/The Star-Ledger
Thursday May 21, 2009, 8:10 PM
ESSEX -- County Prosecutor Paula Dow said today her office plans to review dozens of cases handled by Paul Bergrin, the prominent defense lawyer who was charged this week with intimidating and plotting to kill witnesses, to determine whether any should be reopened.
Bergrin, who has represented some of Newark's most notorious street gang members, was charged in federal court Wednesday with derailing prosecutions by silencing those scheduled to testify against his clients. According to a 14-count indictment, he tried to arrange the murder one witness, hired a hit man to kill a second and encouraged others to lie to authorities or flee.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/essex_county_to_review_cases_b.html


New Jersey state budget: Billions gone bye-bye
Posted by The Star-Ledger Editorial Board May 21, 2009 5:54AM
Maybe we should hire that guy who announces the Megamillions jackpots for the New York Lottery to keep us updated on our state finances.
"The New Jersey budget gap now totals: Three! Billion! Dollars!
"That's three billion dollars!"
Specifically, tax revenue is running nearly $3 billion behind the estimates Gov. Jon Corzine used in March to devise his budget for the year that begins July 1. Presenting the numbers to the Assembly Budget Committee on Tuesday, David Rosen of the Office of Legislative Services used phrases like "worst ever" and "extraordinarily and unbelievably bad."

http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/


N.J. Assembly Republicans to oppose Gov. Corzine's budget
by The Associated Press
Thursday May 21, 2009, 3:33 PM
Joe Epstein/The Star-LedgerAssembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (26th Dist.) speaks to the Assembly in this 2007 photo.
TRENTON -- New Jersey Assembly Republicans say they will unanimously oppose the state budget unless Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine adjusts the spending plan.
The Republicans, led by Assemblyman Alex DeCroce (R-Morris), want to see restoration of property tax rebates to homeowners and structural changes in the way government operates.
With 32 of 80 Assembly seats held by Republicans, their opposition is largely symbolic.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/nj_assembly_republicans_to_opp.html


Newark Mayor Cory Booker rapidly gains following on Twitter
by Ralph R. Ortega/The Star-Ledger
Thursday May 21, 2009, 7:35 PM
Robert Sciarrino/The Star-LedgerCory Booker, taking advice from celebrity Ashton Kutcher, has exploded on Twitter, attracting about 65,000 followers, making him the most popular New Jersey politician on the social networking site.
NEWARK -- Mayor Cory Booker, a man who tends to go on a bit during speeches, is in the midst of a Twitter explosion.
In recent weeks Booker has dramatically increased the number of messages, or Tweets, he posts through the social networking website -- in some cases sharing his thoughts more than two dozen times a day. That has translated into a legion of new followers who subscribe to the mayor's feed, reading his Tweets on Twitter.com or on cell phones.
Booker has opined on social issues, posted inspirational quotations, touted his beloved city, shouted out to his mom and invited folks to watch the new "Star Trek" movie with him. All of it in 140 characters or fewer.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/newark_mayor_booker_increases.html


Hearing on GOP candidate Chris Christie's involvement in fraud settlement is delayed
by Claire Heininger/The Star-Ledger
Friday May 15, 2009, 6:23 PM
Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie will not be asked to testify at a Congressional hearing before the June 2 Republican primary, officials said today.
Rep. Steve Cohen, a Tennessee Democrat and chairman of the House Judiciary subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, said he postponed the hearing -- initially scheduled for next Tuesday -- after Republicans on the committee worried "it might appear to have an effect on or it might be intended to influence the election in New Jersey."

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/hearing_on_gop_candidate_chris.html


N.J. Department of Corrections chief responds to critical report on gangs in prisons
by Chris Megerian/Statehouse Bureau
Thursday May 21, 2009, 7:23 PM
The Department of Corrections says it is "dealing proactively" with gangs in prisons, part of its response to criticism from the State Commission of Investigation, which released a report Tuesday saying it's too easy for incarcerated gang members to continue criminal activity behind bars.
Corrections Commissioner George Hayman said he welcomed the SCI's involvement in dealing with gangs.
"The challenge of dealing with gangs ... is formidable, and having the responsibility for more than 22,000 inmates, some of whom are gang-affiliated, is a heavy one," Hayman said in a statement. He also said Corrections isn't getting enough credit.
"We continue to house an offender population -- bent toward violence and power struggles -- with a minimum of disturbances," Hayman said.
The SCI had said New Jersey prisons are lucky not to have suffered a "catastrophic incident" due to the influx of gang members. It also said gangs are able to exploit corrupt guards to smuggle in drugs and cell phones, another allegation with which Hayman took issue.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/05/nj_department_of_corrections_c.html


The New Zealand Herald

Storm-lashed regions get no rain respite
4:00AM Friday May 22, 2009
By Greg Ansley
Gold Coast homeowner Andrew Breadmore was lucky to be out when a 30m gum tree split his home in Nerang. Photo / Gold Coast Bulletin
Violent storms that cut a devastating swathe through southeast Queensland and into New South Wales are expected to dump more rain into swollen rivers and hammer homes, roads and power supplies today.
Powerful winds and high seas are also expected to pound the eastern seaboard down to South Australia, and new fronts began striking Western Australia yesterday with thunderstorms, high winds and flash floods.
But while many Queensland dams reached their highest levels in years and rain soaked into drought-stricken plains, little benefit is expected to flow south into the dehydrated Murray-Darling basin.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10573778


US lawmaker offers cash to see Bush waterboarded
9:05AM Friday May 22, 2009
WESTERLY, Rhode Island - A Rhode Island Democratic lawmaker says he'll donate $100 (NZD$164) to charity for every second former President George W. Bush withstands waterboarding.
State Rep. Rod Driver also included former Vice President Dick Cheney and ex-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in his offer. He sent letters to all three.
Bush's administration allowed the interrogation technique, which simulates drowning, to be used on terror suspects. Driver says that, if Bush is so confident it isn't torture, he should try it for himself. His offer was first reported Thursday in The Westerly Sun.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10573859


UN puts security zone idea
6:15AM Friday May 22, 2009
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon recommended yesterday that security zones be established for 12km on both sides of the ceasefire line between Georgia and the breakaway region of Abkhazia where military forces and equipment would be banned.
Beyond the security zones, Ban called for "restricted zones" to be established for an additional 12km on each side where heavy military equipment including tanks, missile systems, artillery and mortars of more than 80mm would also be banned.
The only exception would be up to 10 armoured personnel carriers.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10573805


Twitter's latest microblogging megastar is a pussy
9:06AM Friday May 22, 2009
Sockington has amassed a half-million strong following on microblogging site Twitter. Photo / twitter.com
Your Views Is Twitter overrated or just misunderstood?
NEW YORK - He's one of the most popular users on Twitter. More than 500,000 follow his growing celebrity, his every adventure and, well, his cat naps.
Meet Sockington. Twitter's latest star is a microblogging cat who regales more than half a million with his musings on meal time, personal hygiene and the view from the top of the stairs.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10573860


UK adventurer adds Everest to achievements
8:49AM Friday May 22, 2009
By Cahal Milmo
Photo / Jim Eagles
Exhausted and fearful for his health, Sir Ranulph Fiennes turned his back on the summit of the world's highest mountain for a second time a year ago and declared: "I won't try Everest again. The first time I got a heart attack. This time, bad timing and weather scuppered my chances. I think any third attempt would be bad luck."
Never one to be restricted by such trifles as fate or his own wellbeing, the 65-year-old explorer and survivor of heart bypass surgery yesterday set aside his vow by trudging for seven hours in oxygen-depleted darkness to finally stand on top of the world.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10573853


$6m runaways have head start
Updated 8:47AM Friday May 22, 2009
By Rachel Tiffen
The business shut the day after it received millions. Photo / Alan Gibson
Leo Gao and his business partner, Huan Di Zhang, were struggling.
Staffing at their modest BP Barnetts station on Old Taupo Rd, Rotorua, was at a minimum. Gao's girlfriend, Cara Young, was working for free and had a 7-year-old daughter to think about. The shop's shelves were partly unstocked and it was often closed during business hours.
And the receivers were knocking at the door.
Then - with an apparent slip of a bank employee's finger - their fortunes changed dramatically.
Gao - believed to be originally from China and in his 30s - applied to Westpac bank for a $10,000 overdraft.
Instead, it put $10 million into his account. Now, he is the subject of an international manhunt.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10573818


Angler fined for $10 fish sale
5:00AM Friday May 22, 2009
A New Plymouth man is angry after being prosecuted for selling a mate $10 of gurnard to cover his petrol costs.
Roger Maine's home was raided by Ministry of Fisheries staff who confiscated his dinghy, outboard motor, ute and fishing gear, the Taranaki Daily News reported.
In New Plymouth District Court this week he admitted selling "recreational catch" and was fined $300.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10573825


Students sign up for random drug tests
4:00AM Friday May 22, 2009
Andrew Laxon
One high school had used sniffer dogs, like Murphy, but tried Rubicon because of the counselling links. Photo / Otago Daily Times
Your Views Are we losing the war against the drug P?
Today is the final of a six-part series on the damage methamphetamine is doing to New Zealand and what we can do to fix it.
Students at some Northland schools are signing up for voluntary random drug testing to prove they can stay clean for a year.
Under the Rubicon drug education programme, students who get into trouble for using drugs can sign a contract to attend counselling sessions and stay drug and alcohol-free for 12 months.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10573807


American had a 'vision' that Suu Kyi's life was under threat
8:44AM Friday May 22, 2009
By Peter Popham
John Yettaw. Photo / AP
The american man who swam across Inya Lake to Aung San Suu Kyi's villa earlier this month did so because he had "had a vision" that her life was in danger.
Speaking inside the court in Rangoon's Insein prison yesterday, where the democracy leader Ms Suu Kyi is on trial, John Yettaw told his lawyer to ask a Burmese policeman who was giving evidence at the trial if he remembered the mention of "a vision".

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10573851


Indonesia: Military defends planes
7:15AM Friday May 22, 2009
Indonesia's military insisted yesterday that a C-130 Hercules plane that crashed and killed nearly 100 people was in good condition, passing a flight test the day before it nose-dived into a village and erupted in flames.
The accident on Wednesday, during clear weather, has put a spotlight on the country's Air Force.
Survivors said they heard at least two loud explosions and felt the transport plane wobbling from left to right as it plummeted to the ground.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10573808


Egyptian tycoon sentenced to hang for singer's murder
8:36AM Friday May 22, 2009
Daniel Howden
Hisham Talaat Moustafa (left) and popular Lebanese pop singer Suzanne Tamim. Photos / AP
A murder mystery that began last year with the discovery of a Lebanese pop star stabbed to death in her Dubai apartment ended in a courtroom in Cairo yesterday with a death sentence for one of Egypt's richest and most influential men.
There was pandemonium in the court when Hisham Talaat Moustafa was sentenced to hang for paying an employee $2m (NZD$3.2m) to murder his estranged lover, Suzanne Tamim. The killer, Muhsin Sukkari, who had worked for Moustafa at one of his hotels, was also sentenced to death.
The uproar that followed the verdict was in keeping with a murder that has gripped the Middle East, sometimes resembling a gaudy Egyptian soap opera. Moustafa's relatives jostled with photographers trying to snap the tycoon seated inside a metal cage in a white jumpsuit.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10573850


Gordon Brown retreats on Gurkhas
5:15AM Friday May 22, 2009
Gurkha veterans will win the right to settle in Britain after an embarrassing climb-down by Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The change of heart was forced on the Government by a vigorous campaign led by actress Joanna Lumley and a humiliating Commons defeat on the issue.
Lumley was to discuss the new rules with the Prime Minister at Downing St today.
Ministers had previously refused to allow thousands of Gurkha veterans who retired before 1997 to settle in Britain, claiming it would cost £1.4 billion ($3.6 billion) to give residency rights to all 36,000 Nepalese ex-soldiers.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10573804


Tamil civilians face two years in refugee camps
4:00AM Friday May 22, 2009
By Andrew Buncombe
Thousands of Tamil civilians forced from their homes by the conflict in Sri Lanka could be interned in refugee camps for up to two years before they are permitted to return home, authorities in Colombo said.
And in a further revelation that will spark concern among the international community, the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) said it had been forced to suspend its aid supply to the refugees after it was refused access to the camps.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10573755


Civilian trial for Guantanamo detainee
4:00AM Friday May 22, 2009
WASHINGTON - A top al Qaeda suspect held at Guantanamo Bay will be sent to New York for trial, an Obama Administration official has said.
Ahmed Ghailani will be the first Guantanamo detainee brought to the United States and the first to face trial in a civilian criminal court - a major step in President Barack Obama's plan to close the detention centre by early next year. It was not immediately clear when the transfer will occur.
Ghailani was indicted in New York for the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Africa - attacks that killed 224 people, including 12 Americans.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10573814


Eleven charged in US mafia takedown
10:58AM Friday May 22, 2009
Curt Anderson
MIAMI - An FBI agent posing as a crooked businessman with ties to shady bankers was key to the indictment announced yesterday of 11 people on charges they ran a South Florida racket for New York's Bonanno organised crime family.
The unidentified agent was able to gain the trust of the crew and its leader, Thomas Fiore, by seeming to provide them with access to foreign bank accounts to launder criminal cash as well as help with drug trafficking and sale of stolen goods, according to the indictment.
All the while, the undercover agent wore a hidden recording device that captured their conversations. The FBI also recorded numerous telephone conversations between Fiore, other members of the crew and senior Bonanno bosses.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10573895


Tight security as Suu Kyi goes on trial
1:59PM Monday May 18, 2009
A Myanmar anti-government activist dressed as a Myanmar soldier protests outside the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok, and (inset) Aung San Suu Kyi. Photos / AP
YANGON, Myanmar - Riot police behind barbed wire barricades ringed a notorious prison where pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was to go on trial today for allegedly harbouring an American man who swam to her lakeside home.
The tight security came as activist groups, which spearheaded a bloody uprising against Myanmar's military rulers in 2007, called for protest rallies in front of the Insein prison until Suu Kyi is freed.
On the eve of the trial, her defence lawyer said Suu Kyi was innocent of the charges, which could put her into prison for up to five years.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10573049


US demands Myanmar release San Suu Kyi
9:47AM Friday May 15, 2009
Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Photo / AP
WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday urged Myanmar to immediately release pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, even as Malaysia's foreign minister warned of isolating the military-run country.
Clinton, in tough language, told reporters at the US State Department that she was deeply troubled by Myanmar's decision to charge Suu Kyi for a "baseless crime" against the Nobel Peace laureate, who faces new charges less than two weeks before her house arrest was due to end after an American man swam across a lake and entered her home.
"We oppose the regime's efforts to use this incident as a pretext to place further unjustified restrictions on her," Clinton said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10572469


Proposed 'poo tax' for island dumping
4:00AM Monday May 18, 2009
By Eloise Gibson
Maori groups oppose the dumping of sewage on Puketutu Island. Photo / Dean Purcell
Auckland's wastewater company is fighting a suggestion it should have to pay a "poo tax" to local iwi for sewage dumped on Puketutu Island.
The Auckland Regional Council and the Manukau City Council are this week considering plans by Watercare Services to drop 4.4 million cubic metres of Auckland's treated sewage on the island over the next 35 years.
The Manukau Harbour island is marked as a wahi tapu (area sacred to Maori) in the Manukau district plan, and many Maori groups oppose putting sewage there.
In a report to the Manukau City Council, planning consultant Barry Kaye said Watercare should be allowed to go ahead, but should pay $2 to a trust set up by local iwi for every cubic metre dumped.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/news/article.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10572954


US bans insecticide from food use
4:00AM Wednesday May 13, 2009
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has banned the use of the insecticide carbofuran on food crops.
The insecticide, sold under the brand name Furadan, has been under EPA review for years. Its granular form was banned in the mid-1990s because it was blamed for killing millions of migratory birds.
International efforts to remove it from sale began in 2006. It was transferred into New Zealand's hazardous substances regulations in that year, but a spokeswoman for the Environmental Risk Management Authority said yesterday there was no record of it being included in any crop pesticides still on sale.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/news/article.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10571966


Anthony Doesburg: Real-life journey to the centre of the earth
3:55AM Monday May 18, 2009
By Anthony Doesburg
New Zealand drilling technologists collecting Antarctic rock samples are having to overcome unique challenges in the name of climate change research.
As if the polar chill isn't enough to contend with, drill crews and scientists also have to drill 1000m or more into the Earth's crust from a moving ice platform.
It's a unique problem. And at this stage, with drilling due to take place during the 2012-13 summer, they haven't yet worked out how to solve it.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/news/article.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10572450


Scientists' race against time to stop frog-killing fungus
4:00AM Thursday May 14, 2009
Workers on the Caribbean island of Montserrat swab a mountain chicken frog for chytrid fungus. Photo / AP
WASHINGTON - Zoos in the United States, Panama and Mexico are deploying researchers in Central America to develop new ways to fight a fungus blamed for wiping out dozens of frog and amphibian species.
The Smithsonian Institution is leading six other zoos and institutes in the Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project, which aims to raise US$1.5 million ($2.4 million) to fight the fast-spreading chytrid fungus.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/news/article.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10572126


Talks tackle climate change finds
4:00AM Friday May 15, 2009
New Zealand weather patterns mean the Fox Glacier is still growing despite global warming.
Researchers at a three-day science conference starting in Wellington today are looking at implications of new work on climate change.
More than 150 scientists from around the world will look at past climates in New Zealand, Australia and Antarctica, the causes and effects of climate change specifically in the Southern Hemisphere, and their relationships with global climates.
At the weekend, the scientists will hold workshops on climate in Australasia and the Southern Hemisphere looking at analysis of ice-core, marine and terrestrial records as well as computer modelling of past climates.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/news/article.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10572369


Do you think New Zealanders are being overcharged for electricity?
9:56AM Thursday May 21, 2009
Updated: 11:49AM Friday May 22, 2009
Power generators overcharged customers more than $4 billion over six years by using market dominance, according to a Commerce Commission report due out tomorrow.
The study will find that the country's main electricity generators, state-owned Meridian Energy, Genesis and Mighty River Power and privately owned Contact Energy, effectively used their market power to maximise profits, including withholding power at peak times, The Dominion Post has reported.
However, it was not expected to find their actions were illegal, so no prosecutions were likely.
Do you think New Zealanders are being overcharged for electricity? Here is the latest selection of Your Views:

http://blogs.nzherald.co.nz/blog/your-views/2009/5/21/do-you-think-new-zealanders-are-being-overcharged-electricity/?c_id=466&objectid=10573649

continued...

I thought terrorists couldn't be tried in the USA, yet alone imprisoned here.

Warsame pleads guilty in deal with government (click title to entry - thank you)
by Elizabeth Stawicki, Minnesota Public Radio
May 20, 2009
St. Paul, Minn. — A former Minneapolis man who's been imprisoned for more than five years awaiting trial on terrorism charges has struck a plea deal with the U.S. government.
Mohamed Warsame pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide support to a terrorist organization. In exchange, the government will drop four other charges that include providing support to a terrorist organization and lying to the FBI.
Warsame, a Canadian citizen of Somali descent, lived in Minneapolis as a community college student before he was arrested in 2003. The government later charged him with providing support to al-Qaeda, alleging he took part in military camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan; attended lectures by Osama Bin Laden; taught English to al-Qaeda operatives, and lied to the FBI.
Warsame's lawyers say he's spent more time in prison awaiting trial longer than anyone else in U.S. history -- five and half years, primarily in solitary confinement. Warsame had maintained that he never knowingly attended an al Qaeda training camp but was on a spiritual journey seeking a "utopian" society in Afghanistan.
After court, Warsame's attorney David Thomas said his client pleaded guilty to the one count because it reduced the maximum time he could serve in prison from 30 to 12 1/2 years....

...But the latest snag was a delay by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. In 2007, Judge Jack Tunheim ruled that FBI agents failed to read Warsame his rights during one of his interrogations. As a result, Tunheim said some, but not all, of Warsame's statements to the FBI could not be used against him in court. Federal prosecutors appealed that ruling and the 8th Circuit still has not issued its decision....

Afghanistan. The War We Should Have Fought.

Clinton Says US Losing Media War in Afghanistan, Pakistan (click title to entry - thank you)
By VOA News 20 May 2009
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the U.S. is losing the media war in Afghanistan and Pakistan - something she said must be reversed.
She told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Wednesday that militants broadcasting from radio equipment on the backs of pickup trucks are threatening and intimidating people.
She says while they are spreading what she called the "worst kind of disinformation" they have been more effective than the U.S. when it comes to strategic communications.
Secretary Clinton says as a result, the Obama administration is revamping its communications strategy - looking at new ways to directly reach people in areas where militants are active - including on their cell phones.
Clinton says the U.S. must not lose the "information war" in the region, and much do a better job at communicating its values and ideals to Afghans and Pakistanis.
She is seeking $48.6 billion in State Department funding for 2010, a seven percent increase over 2009 funding levels. Clinton also says the State Department will work side-by-side with the Defense Department to promote U.S. interests and security in the region.

Reid named AP news director in Kabul (click here)
6 hours ago
NEW YORK (AP) — Robert H. Reid, The Associated Press bureau chief in Baghdad, has been appointed to a new position heading AP's coverage in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Senior Managing Editor John Daniszewski announced the appointment Thursday.
As news director for Afghanistan and Pakistan and bureau chief in Kabul, Reid will direct coverage of the widening conflict in the two countries where U.S.-supported governments are threatened by resurgent Taliban movements.
"Bob Reid has played a pivotal role in AP's coverage of the war in Afghanistan from the start in 2001 and will return to that story now," said Daniszewski, noting that Reid would be relocating to Afghanistan in a few weeks.
"His experience in Afghanistan dates to the Soviet invasion. He is an outstanding journalist, and as bureau chief and news director he will lead one of the AP's most important multimedia news operations to new heights."
The move marks a buildup of AP's operation in Afghanistan, led since 2006 by chief correspondent Jason Straziuso. In coming weeks, the cooperative will shift more journalists to the area in response to rising news demand. Reid will plan and coordinate coverage, working with Straziuso and Islamabad Chief of Bureau Chris Brummitt....

US Says 9 Militants Killed in Afghanistan (click here)
By VOA News 21 May 2009

The U.S. military said nine suspected militants have been killed in separate operations in southern and central Afghanistan.

It said U.S.-led coalition forces killed two militants and captured six others in a clash Thursday in the southern province of Helmand.

Separately, the military said seven militants were killed during an airstrike that followed a gunbattle in the central province of Ghazni Wednesday. It also said a Taliban commander was detained.

U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered 21,000 additional troops to reinforce the 38,000 U.S. troops already in Afghanistan, where the Taliban-led insurgency is spreading.

Did this, but, no $80 million for the closing of Gitmo. Right. The 'Gitmo thing' is a political volley and nothing else. It has no validity except to create a Rove wedge issue.

Associated Press
US Senate approves $100 billion IMF line of credit (click here)

Associated Press, 05.21.09, 04:59 PM EDT
The Senate approved on Thursday a $100 billion U.S. line of credit to the International Monetary Fund, rejecting an attempt by a conservative senator to remove the commitment from legislation to finance military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
By a 64-30 vote, the Senate turned back an amendment by Republican Jim DeMint that would have denied the line of credit the IMF is to use to shore up the ability of countries around the globe to cope with financial crises, along with $8 billion for existing IMF commitments.

We don't belong in Iraq. We never did.

FACTBOX-Military and civilian deaths in Iraq (click title to entry - thank you)
Thu May 21, 2009 11:42am ED
May 21 (Reuters) - Suicide bombers killed at least 22 people, including three U.S. soldiers, in the Iraqi capital and the northern city of Kirkuk on Thursday, officials said.

The soldiers died when a suicide bomber struck at a crowded market in Baghdad's southern district of Doura, making it one of the deadliest incidents in months for U.S. troops as they curtail activities before a withdrawal deadline in 2012.

Following are the latest figures for soldiers and civilians killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003:

U.S.-LED COALITION FORCES:

United States 4,299

Britain 179

Other nations 139

IRAQIS:Military Between 4,900 and 6,375

#Civilians Between 92,098 and 100,544

*# = Think-tank estimates for military under Saddam Hussein killed during the 2003 war. No reliable official figures have been issued since new security forces were set up in late 2003.

* = From www.iraqbodycount.net

(IBC), run by academics and peace activists, based on reports from at least two media sources. The IBC says on its website the figure underestimates the true number of casualties.The U.S.-led military coalition toll includes casualties from Iraq and the surrounding area where troops are stationed.

(Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit)

Calif. condor deaths shows lead still a problem

In this photo provided by the Ventana Wildlife Society, California condor No. 375 soars over the hills of Big Sur, Calif., after being treated for lead poisoning and re-released on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. Nearly a year after the California Legislature banned lead bullets in counties where California condors fly, lead poisoning appears to have has dropped among the endangered animals but it remains their No. 1 killer.



FILE - This 2003 file photo provided on March 13, 2009 by Pinnacles National Monument shows a California Condor who was brought to the Los Angeles Zoo on Friday, March 13 for treatment of lead poisoning. The bird, number 286, was the old man of the park's California condor restoration program. Hatched in a zoo, he learned to live in the wild, a hopeful sign the majestic birds' population could rise again. But in recent months during a forage for a carcass that took the endangered vulture above Pinnacles' rocky spires and nearby hunting ranches, he got lead poisoning. No. 286 recently died at the Los Angeles Zoo.

Zoos

$100M budget shortfall may doom many Dallas programs, services
11:45 AM CDT on Tuesday, May 19, 2009
By RUDOLPH BUSH and DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News
The first round of proposed cuts has put the jobs of nearly 350 city employees at risk and placed everything from police overtime to Dallas Zoo exhibits on the chopping block.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/051909dnmetdalbudget.42bb773.html


Trip to zoo with toddlers conjures memories of Tooth Fairy
Published: Monday, May 18, 2009 7:19 PM CDT
Two 6-year-olds and twin 4-year-olds took me on a trip to the Houston Zoo recently, and their conversations proved most entertaining to this middle-aged kid at heart who has no children.
Needless to say my hands were full, counting “one, two, three, four” at every turn, making sure every excited child was accounted for. One of the kindergartners, a nephew from Louisiana, was about to loose a tooth, as he reminded me outside the toothy elephant cage.
Earlier he had wondered if the Texas Tooth Fairy pays more than the one operating in the Bayou State.
So just how much does the Tooth Fairy pay these days? Here’s all I know:
She had delivered him a crisp $10 bill for his first tooth, and $2 for subsequent lost teeth.

http://www.mywesttexas.com/articles/2009/05/18/news/opinion/columns/shanna_sissom/doc4a11fb28cb1d8074108238.txt



'Zoo from Hell' trial begins in W. Haverstraw
By Steve Lieberman • slieberm@lohud.com • May 19, 2009

http://www.lohud.com/article/2009905190364


Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Bronx Zoo
Yesterday we visited the Bronx Zoo for the first time and it was wonderful! Here are some of our favorite highlights:

http://marvelouskiddo.blogspot.com/2009/05/bronx-zoo.html


May 19, 2009
First Lion Cubs in 25 Years for Blackpool Zoo
Three little female lion cubs were welcomed at the Blackpool Zoo in April and just unveiled to the media this week. Born to lioness "Gillian," the little girls mark the first lion birth at the Zoo in 25 years.

http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/2009/05/first-lion-cubs-in-25-years-for-blackpool-zoo.html


Zoo shows off new penguin chicks
Two Humbolt penguin chicks will go on show to visitors at Twycross Zoo for the first time on Friday.
Staff are having to rear the pair by hand to boost their chance of survival, as the adult birds at the Leicestershire zoo are inexperienced.
The grey-coloured chicks are two of four which hatched at the zoo a week ago and were taken out of two different nests at two days old.
The pair have been named Ann and Barbara after staff at the zoo.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/leicestershire/8057434.stm


Summer events at the Toledo Zoo
May 18, 2009
Toledo, OH—In June, The Toledo Zoo presents a new exhibit that’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before—Nature’s Neighborhood! That’s only the beginning of the fun coming to your Toledo Zoo.
Visit the Zoo’s website, www.toledozoo.org, for more information about these and other upcoming events.
May 23 Natural Feeding and Enrichment Demos
Folks love watching Toledo Zoo animals chow down, so it’s no surprise that Natural Feeding Demos are a popular part of summer at the Zoo. You’ll also see how we encourage natural behaviors and offer stimulation to the senses through enrichment! Visit www.toledozoo.org for a complete schedule of activities.

http://www.thenews-messenger.com/article/20090518/UPDATES01/90519001



Light Zoo!
May18
Thad and I had some fun with LEDs…too much fun

http://nacedesign.com/blog/archives/195


Budget Committee Passes Zoo, Golf Fee Hikes
Written by Tina Chau - tchau@kgmb9.com
May 18, 2009 11:48 PM
UPDATE: Budget Committee also passed resolutions to increase fuel and property tax.
The Honolulu City Council Budget Committee met for more than 13 hours to discuss ways to save money. Members voted to raise zoo admission and golf fees.
Also, the committee decided to delay expansion of the recycling program. Families from Waipahu to Makua wouldn't have the service until 2011 at the earliest.
The full city council would still have to vote on these measures.

http://kgmb9.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17542&Itemid=40


Brookfield Zoo's elephant exhibit to remain closed because of death
2009-05-18 - Chicago, United States
The elephant exhibit in Brookfield Zoo near Chicago is closed until further notice after the death last week of Affie, a 40-year-old African elephant. Officials are still unsure of the cause of death. About 8 a.m. Friday, Affies keepers arrived and found her lying on her side indoors not able to stand back up, according to Sondra Katzen, spokeswoman for the zoo. After hours of attempts to get the 10,400-pound elephant on her feet, she died at 2 p.m., Katzen said.

http://www.elephant-news.com/index.php?id=4654


Cute Babies and Animal Antics at Valley Zoo
May 19th, 2009 by Michael Kwan
It seems that nearly every city I visit, I have an inherent urge to see its zoo. I was particularly impressed with Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and I’ve had the chance to visit the Greater Vancouver Zoo as a “local tourist” as well. There’s just something to be said about being able to see wild and exotic animals that may not otherwise encounter during your daily journeys.

http://btr.michaelkwan.com/2009/05/19/cute-babies-and-animal-antics-at-valley-zoo/


Evansville zoo's baby camel, Miley, makes her debut
By Rich Davis
Posted May 19, 2009 at 10:57 a.m. , updated May 19, 2009 at 10:57 a.m.
Her name is Miley, and, yes, she was named after teenaged singing sensation Miley Cyrus of “Hannah Montana” fame.
Of course there’s little resemblance.
Evansville’s Miley weighs just under 50 pounds, is covered in grayish fur, has four spindly legs and will one day have two humps on her back
Star quality if you’re a camel.

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/may/19/evansville-zoos-baby-camel-miley-makes-her-debut/



Your morning adorable: Jaguar cubs at the Berlin Zoo
10:00 AM, May 19, 2009
The cubs -- two males and one female -- were born April 16 and made their first public appearance today. The zoo has named them Jumanes, Atiero and Valdivia.
Here's hoping the young cubs, unlike their cute predecessor, don't grow up to become "publicity-addicted psychos" (as reports suggest Knut has). More photos after the jump!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/05/jaguar-cubs-at-the-berlin-zoo.html


Vote! Local Bands to Play at the Zoo
May 18, 2009
Did you hear that summer concerts at the zoo were cancelled? Nope! In addition to the 2009 summer concerts going strong, the zoo has decided to let us vote to showcase a few of our favorite local bands! The deadline is May 31st, so be quick and and take the survey now. Winners will be showcased at the July 8th concert, be sure and get your tickets as those are going fast!

http://portlandoctopus.com/vote-local-bands-to-play-at-the-zoo/


Jammin' at the Zoo concerts announced
May 18, 2009 4:11 PM
Hmmm. We've always enjoyed the occasional outdoor summer concerts at the Lincoln Park Zoo because they booked quirky acts from a certain era — from ABC to They Might Be Giants. This year's lineup was just announced and, well, it's certainly a different era ...
June 26: Sister Hazel with Josh Kelley
July 24: Matt Nathanson and Brett Dennen with Pat McGee
August 28: Five for Fighting with Angel Taylor
Only that July date sounds to us remotely worth the ticket prices (which, OK, support the animals), but we know y'all love your Sister Hazel. Tickets are $23 and on sale this Friday here, by phone at (312) 742-2283 or at the Zoo’s Gateway Pavilion.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ourtown/2009/05/jammin_at_the_zoo_concerts_ann.html


Zoo, Chinese Officials Begin Talks About Pandas' Tenure
By Michael E. Ruane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 21, 2009
He has grown up before our eyes.
He has put on weight -- at 191 pounds, he's no longer a cub.
Soon, he'll be interested in girls.
And sooner still, he could be leaving home.
We're talking about Tai Shan, the National Zoo's beloved giant panda "teenager." That's right, our black-eyed boy bear is not really ours at all. And later this year, he could be heading to China.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/20/AR2009052000910.html


Stomping grounds
Donors key to zoo's new elephant home
By Jeanette Steele Union-Tribune Staff Writer
2:00 a.m. May 20, 2009
Freda Palmer, 104, of San Diego donated $2.4 million for the new exhibit. She has her birthday party every year at either the zoo or Wild Animal Park. (John Gastaldo / Union-Tribune)
Online: Explore a multimedia presentation on the exhibit at uniontrib.com/more/elephant
ELEPHANT ODYSSEY
3 acres for seven elephants, with a 7-foot-deep pool holding 137,000 gallons
Jaguars will live in a marshy wetland with rocks, reeds, a stream that flows into a pond and opportunities to swim and hunt for live fish.
Lions get rocky slopes, a stream, trees and grasses. Heated rocks will be available for lounging.
Other animals: California condors, two-toed sloths, secretary birds, camels and horses
SAN DIEGO — San Diego Zoo elephants are getting a doozy of a new home thanks to the bigheartedness of a handful of donors such as Freda Palmer, a 104-year-old retiree from Rancho Bernardo.
Palmer was one of eight contributors who supplied 66 percent of the funds for the zoo's most ambitious construction project to date: Elephant Odyssey, the $45 million multispecies exhibit opening Saturday.
“I like all animals,” said Palmer, whose late husband, Karl, was an engineer and inventor. “When I heard that this is going to be a terrific undertaking, I thought that's where I should donate.”
While other zoos struggle to assemble public money and donations for new elephant exhibits, San Diego completed its blockbuster ahead of schedule. The speed of giving surprised even zoo officials, who originally planned to build the project in two phases instead of one.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/may/20/1m20elephant014222-stomping-grounds/



Your morning adorable: Dachshund adopts tiger cub in German zoo
10:04 AM, May 20, 2009
A tiger cub born last weekend at Germany's Stroehen Zoo has already experienced the loss of two mother figures in its short life. The cub was rejected by its mother shortly after its birth. Things began looking up when the cub was adopted by Monster, a wirehaired dachshund that belonged to the zoo's owners. But Monster himself died unexpectedly.
After Monster's death, his daughter Bessi (shown here with the cub) took over mothering duties -- indeed, a zoo representative said she "fell in love" with the infant and has proved a capable guardian.
More photos of Bessi and her as-yet-unnamed charge after the jump!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/05/dachshund-adopts-tiger-cub-in-german-zoo.html



Wild Horses!
Posted at 8:49 am May 20, 2009 by Lance Miller
Somali wild ass mare with her two-week-old foal
If you thought I was going to talk about the song from the Rolling Stones, you might be disappointed. I’m actually writing about a species that most people have either not heard of or know little about: the Somali wild ass. They are related to horses but really are wild asses.

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/wild-horses/



Angry Veiled Chameleon





Visiting white tiger arrives at Seneca Park Zoo
By Linda Quinlan, staff writer
Irondequoit Post
Posted May 20, 2009 @ 03:40 PM
Irondequoit, N.Y. —
If you like “cats” of any size, shape or color, Monroe County’s Seneca Park Zoo may be the purr-fect place to be this summer.
County Executive Maggie Brooks today introduced Laska, a 500-pound, 10-year-old male white tiger, who will have a home at the zoo, located at 2222 St. Paul St., Rochester, through Labor Day.
“The rarity of a white tiger like Laska will make this up-close exhibit a truly impressive and memorable experience for everyone who visits,” Brooks said.

http://www.mpnnow.com/news/x2023747891/Visiting-white-tiger-arrives-at-Seneca-Park-Zoo



Wellington Zoo's Molly the Zebra dies
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, May 20 (UPI) -- The Wellington, New Zealand, zoo was mourning the death Wednesday of 19-year-old Molly, its last remaining zebra, officials said.
The zebra had long been suffering from various ailments that had been treated with painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication, but zoo officials decided this week they could no longer keep her comfortable and so put her down, The Dominion Post reported.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/05/20/Wellington-Zoos-Molly-the-Zebra-dies/UPI-92181242853925/



Injured female manatee gives birth at Lowry Park Zoo
Reported by: Carly Timmons
Email: ctimmons@abcactionnews.com
Last Update: 5/20 4:26 pm
TAMPA, FL -- An adult female manatee patient with a serious chest injury gave birth Monday to a full-term male calf at the David A. Straz Jr. Manatee Hospital at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo.
The birth marks only the second in the hospital’s history. The first was in May 2000. After the first 48 hours, the new calf weighing 76 pounds appears healthy and is nursing routinely, but it faces challenges from the mother’s buoyancy and position in the water due to her injuries.
The adult female manatee was spotted by an officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Wednesday, May 13 in the St. Johns River. The officer noticed the manatee was floating high in the water.

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Injured-female-manatee-gives-birth-at-Lowry-Park/FxywmJ-7mEym6e9FK7aq3w.cspx



Brew at the Zoo and Wine Too
Wednesday May 20, 2009
It's a big weekend (insert giraffe joke here) at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.
Bands, food, beer, wine, and wild animals. What a combination. Saturday and Sunday, from 1:00-6:00 p.m. you can sample local cuisine, craft beer, wine from local vineyards, watch cooking demonstrations, and visit the Kids Zone all while roaming the zoo's grounds and checking out its full-time residents. PBS Kids personalities Miss Rosa and the Science Kid will be there on Saturday (with Miss Rosa making an encore appearance on Sunday), and Teddy Folkman, a finalist on The Next Food Network Star will be cooking with beer on Saturday.
Tickets, available online or at the gate, are $45 for non-members, $30 for members, $20 for non-member children and designated drivers, and $10 for member children and member designated drivers. I've never been to this particular event, but I did go to a similar one at the zoo in Tampa, and I can tell you it was a blast. All proceeds benefit the zoo and its conservation programs.

http://baltimore.about.com/b/2009/05/20/brew-at-the-zoo-and-wine-too.htm

Did Nancy Pelosi lie? NO !!!!!!!! Panetta needs to 'shape up' his CIA !!!

The evidence regarding the indictment of the Republican Cabal and its ludicrous Republican majority during the Bush years is more than obvious. There were tapes destroyed. The paper shredders were working overtime. The opening of Gitmo was to use any measure possible to extract information about the operations of al Qaeda.

The problem the Obama Administration faces now is somewhat expected. Setting aside the $80 million believed to be needed to close Gitmo, the obvious dilemma the current administration faces in regard to the detainees was expected by me and I believe I have relayed that in earlier entries to this blog.

The Cheney 'intelligence' departmentS (Yes, that was plural. There is the FBI, military intelligence and the CIA as well as other 'autonomous' entities set up by local and state authorities such as the New York City 'task force' to track down terrorists before they strike. All these agencies have records and there is no way an investigation by the Obama Administration, Senate or House has revealed all that is known.) were 'dogged' by the Vice President, either directly or indirectly. We know that for a fact. It is well known and documented that the Vice President was chronically involved with 'sculpting' the 'methods' and 'secrecy' of information obtained and how it was obtained.

The 'task' at hand to discover 'the truth' of the 'workings' of the Bush/Cheney Adminisration will go on and as time goes by there is every reason to believe there will be more and more atrocities revealed. Currently, there are defense attorneys of the Gitmo detainees that feel comfortable making statements regarding other methods of torture used within Gitmo but still undisclosed. There is much to learn about Gitmo, but, extracting that information is going to be difficult to say the least. All those conducting such atrocities are more interested in protecting themselves than revealing 'the truth.'

I find it all too interesting to find Dickey Cheney at the head of the Republican assault against the Obama Presidency. He was the architect of this mess and it is he that is confident in speaking out while knowing the information needed to successfully prosecute detainees has disappeared along with the evidence of the torture.

The USA seems 'stuck' with the past eight years that successfully mars its reputation and methods of dealing 'humanely' with injustice and crime. That is the recklessness of the Republicans. They are power players and don't care about the decency of the USA. They have no regard for the law, except, what they can do to change the law to suit their purposes.

The Republicans bottom line is always to overwhelm the 'system' so that it has to bend to its purpose. They do it chronically in financial venues and they are doing it now to make an attack against Obama seem as though it has purpose. What the Republicans should be doing is joining with President Obama in disgust of the reality the detainees cannot be tried due to lack of evidence while they are dangerous people.

There is another reality no one is looking at and that is the fact 'war' has it own rules in 'detaining' POWs. I don't believe the detainees cannot be tried. I do believe they are POWs at this point and when the enemy is vanquished they will be disposed off according to the Geneva Conventions. Even the USA has sustained the POWs from past wars and when the war is over the POWs are returned to their native country now vanquished and cleansed of the enemy. I refuse to believe the detainees will be detainees forever.

The fact that this has 'lingered' for nearly eight years is part of the problem we face. The chronic detainment of these POWs are wearing on the American people no different than the wars themselves. There is only consolation at this point and that is the Iraq War is an unjust war that was engaged for its oil venues and not for any other purpose. That is more evident today than ever before. We need to move forward to end our occupation of Iraq and end the existance of al Qaeda and the power of The Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Only with that and the stability of the Pakistan-Afghan region will we finally be able to 'make peace' with the darkest eight years the USA has ever experienced.

Let the Bush/Cheney years of the USA be a lesson to the people of this country.

More errors in CIA interrogation briefing list
By PAMELA HESS – 19 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — New questions surfaced Wednesday about the accuracy of a CIA document meant to settle who in Congress knew about severe interrogation methods approved by the Bush administration.
Three new errors appeared to emerge in the CIA's matrix of 40 congressional briefings on so-called enhanced interrogation techniques. Those techniques include waterboarding, a form of simulated drowning, which President Barack Obama has called torture.
The CIA acknowledged one of the errors but continued to stand by its version of events in the other two cases.
The briefing chart, widely leaked to the news media two weeks ago, was compiled by the CIA at the request of members of Congress after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed in April that the CIA failed to tell her at a September 2002 briefing that waterboarding had been used against a prisoner.
That briefing occurred within weeks of the waterboarding of terrorist suspect Abu Zubaydah. He was subjected to the procedure at least 83 times.
Pelosi has been a frequent target of criticism from Republicans who are eager to argue that Democrats knew about waterboarding and did little to stop it.
The CIA chart states that a Senate staffer, Chris Mellon, attended a briefing on July 15, 2004. However, Mellon told The Associated Press that he left the Senate in April 2004 and did not attend the briefing....