April 19,  2004 Moanday

Bob Woodward: Plan of Attack
With CIA Push, Movement to War Accelerated
The second of five articles adapted from Bob Woodward's new book about President Bush's decision to go to war against Iraq, this excerpt recounts how the CIA's estimate of Saddam Hussein's arsenal became the White House's key rationale for war.
• Part 1: Deciding on War

Hollywood's AB list:
anti-Bush filmmakers

New York Daily News - 4-19-04

President Bush may have a bigger bankroll for TV campaign commercials, but some prominent filmmakers are ready to do battle with him in the movie theaters. Among the flicks due for release before the November election:

Saudis Pledged Oil Price Cut Before U.S. Vote -Report

Reuters - Sun Apr 18, 4:40 PM ET

Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, promised President Bush the Saudis would cut oil prices before November...

Bush Bad Decisions News

Bremer: Iraqis Not Ready to Run Security

AP -  4-19-04

Iraqi security forces will not be ready to protect the country against insurgents by the June 30 handover of power,

US creating domestic security task force
MSNBC -  4-19-04
... nations, large gatherings nationwide for Fourth of July celebrations, the July Democratic convention in Boston, the August Republican convention in New York ...

A Heady Mix of Pride and Prejudice Led to War
New York Times -  4-19-04
... promises made to allies like Saudi Arabia (Prince Bandar, Mr. Woodward reveals, was ... In the final walkup to war, Mr. Bush repeatedly asks associates: "What's ...

Airing of Powell's Misgivings Tests Ties in the Cabinet
Wilmington Morning Star, NC -  4-19-04
... For the people long familiar with Mr. Powell's thinking, his misgivings about an American occupation of Iraq, and his insistence on getting full international ...

US army says will wait before moving on rebel cleric
Reuters, India -  4-19-04
... to kill or capture radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who is ... the number of its troops in Iraq and extend ... opposition Democrats say President George W. Bush faces a ...

 Terrorism Inciting News

Sharon's banana republics
Guardian, UK -  4-19-04
The study of American-Israeli relations has preoccupied two generations of scholars. Two competing schools of thought addressed the "who wags whom" debate. ...

Israel vows to hit Hamas abroad
Guardian, UK - 4-19-04
The Israeli government made it clear yesterday it was ready to extend its policy of assassinating Palestinian leaders to those living abroad, after Saturday's ...

Disturbing News

Police gun down guardsman
Salt Lake Tribune, UT - 4-19-04
By Michael N. Westley. Neighbors say that a Utah National Guardsman who was shot and killed by police early Sunday morning was a good man who had a bad day. ...

Militant Cleric Says Attack on London 'Inevitable'

Reuters - Sun Apr 18, 5:04 PM ET

Several Islamic militant groups are preparing attacks on London, making such a strike unavoidable, a radical Muslim cleric said in an interview with a Portuguese magazine published Sunday.

Okla. City Kin Still Seek Coconspirators

AP - Sun Apr 18, 6:32 PM ET

For Jannie Coverdale, the search for suspects in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that killed her two grandsons and 166 other people did not end with the arrests of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.

Warming Climate Disrupts Alaska Natives' Lives

Reuters - Fri Apr 16,10:10 AM ET

Anyone who doubts the gravity of global warming should ask Alaska's Eskimo, Indian and Aleut elders about the dramatic changes to their land and the animals on which they depend.

Georgia Passes Laws Limiting Protests

AP - Sun Apr 18, 1:34 PM ET

Robert Randall never knew free speech could cost so much — in dollars and in compromises — until he tried to organize a large-scale, peaceful demonstration for this summer's G-8 summit.

US set to fine Washington bank, investigators eye Saudi accounts in money-laundering probe

AFP - Sun Apr 18, 5:14 PM ET

US regulators are preparing to slap fines on Riggs Bank for not reporting millions of dollars in potentially suspicious transactions, and investigators are eyeing Saudi accounts in a money-laundering probe.

Iraq War news

99 U.S. Soldiers in Iraq Killed in April

AP - Sun Apr 18, 9:50 PM ET

Ten U.S. troops were killed on Saturday in combat across Iraq — including five U.S. Marines killed in pitched battles near the Syrian border — and an eleventh soldier died in a tank rollover, the military said.

Sadr militia backs UN peacekeeping forces in Iraq: spokesman

AFP - Sun Apr 18, 4:32 PM ET

A spokesman for radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr called for the sending of UN peacekeeping troops to Iraq and demanded the immediate withdrawal of US-led occupation forces, in an interview with Bulgarian television.

Private commandos shoot back on the Iraq firing line

AFP - Sun Apr 18, 3:16 PM ET

Ex-military commandos armed with M4 rifles are fighting insurgents in Iraq as part of a private contracting force, many of them hired by the US-led coalition, raising some deep concerns.

Jesse Jackson takes up cause of abucted driver
Independent, UK - 4-19-04
The Rev Jesse Jackson, the black civil rights leader and former presidential candidate, has begun mediation efforts to secure the release of Thomas Hamill, an ...

Iraq job fair draws applicants
Tallahassee Democrat, FL - Apr 18, 2004
... subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root were in a war zone. ... Many applicants were hired on the spot at the job fair that ended Saturday. ...

With CIA Push, Movement to War Accelerated

washingtonpost.com - 4-19-04

This is the second of five articles adapted from "Plan of Attack," a book by Bob Woodward that is a behind-the-scenes account of how and why President Bush decided to go to war against Iraq. Simon & Schuster.

'Baghdad Boil' Afflicting U.S. Troops

AP - Sun Apr 18,10:26 PM ET

Staff Sgt. Eric DiVona didn't notice the small bumps on his face and left earlobe until he returned from serving nine months in Iraq. Nothing much, he thought, probably just a spider bite. But soon those bumps erupted into open sores, one growing to the size of a half dollar.

Spanish Leader Pulling Troops From Iraq

AP - Mon Apr 19, 2:09 AM ET

Spain's prime minister on Sunday ordered Spanish troops pulled out of Iraq as soon as possible,

Business News

High costs depress makers of milk-based goods, delight farmers
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA -4-19-04
... Strategic Resource Group, a retail consultant who tracks the dairy industry, predicted that many retailers would simply pass along the milk price increases to ...

FEATURE-High US beef prices defy mad-cow scare – Forbes 4-19-04

Inflation Makes A Comeback
TIME - 4-19-04
... materials, the prices of which have been on a tear (see YOUR TIME, page 148). Nails, envelopes, paper clips, wallboard and such foods as cereal and meat should ...

Oil price up as Middle East tensions seethe
Forbes - 4-19-04
... Reuters) - Oil prices rose back toward recent peaks on Monday as rising tensions in the Middle East fuelled a rally driven by tight US gasoline supplies for ...

Air of US inflation has chilling effect on some Americans
Salt Lake Tribune, UT - 4-19-04
... on the rise and demand for goods and services picking up, gasoline, milk, soybeans ... The ability to raise prices is good news for many US industries after several ...

Airline tickets prices to go sky high
Trinidad & Tobago Express, Trinidad and Tobago - Apr 17, 2004
The thousands of people who travel during the August vacation ought to brace themselves for higher than usual airline prices as carriers raise their prices in ...

Rising oil prices splash through whole economy
Wisconsin State Journal, WI - Apr 17, 2004
... crude oil prices have a wider impact than gasoline. <. "It's impacting the transportation sector," he said. "It continues to impact the airline industry, over ...

Iraq Job Fair In Florida Attracts Prospects Despite Deaths, ...
WPTV, FL - 4-19-04
... subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root were in a war zone. ... Many applicants were hired on the spot at the job fair that ended Saturday. ...

Tech News

Web sites help locate cheapest gasoline
The State, SC -4-19-04
... GasBuddy.com (www.gasbuddy.com) is a portal site for more than 170 Web sites from around the United States and Canada, where volunteers post prices.

FTC to Look Closer at 'Spyware'

washingtonpost.com - 4-19-04

A relatively new kind of software that resides in many computers and tracks its users' Web-surfing habits or triggers pop-up advertisements has come under scrutiny by federal regulators who have already cracked down on deceptive or misleading spam

.

Boeing In-Flight Web Plan Gets Airborne

AP - Sun Apr 18, 3:28 PM ET

Delayed after post-Sept. 11 airline turmoil and bumped by its original U.S. patrons, Boeing Co.'s Internet service for commercial airplanes is finally getting airborne.

Good News

Stars Raise Cash for George Clooney's Dad

AP - Fri Apr 16, 5:19 PM ET

Some of Hollywood's top draws, including Oscar winners Michael Douglas and Renee Zellweger, "Friends" cast member Courteney Cox Arquette and actress Drew Barrymore, are playing supporting roles in the candidacy of a Kentucky Democrat.
 

Some Gay Groups to Protest GOP Convention

AP - Sun Apr 18, 8:17 PM ET

President Bush's efforts to ban gay marriage are driving gay rights activists to plan protests and other attention-grabbing events in New York City this summer during the Republican convention.

MoveOn Bake Sales Raise Anti-Bush Funds

AP - Sat Apr 17, 9:44 PM ET

Raising money to unseat President Bush was a cakewalk Saturday, when a liberal advocacy group said it organized at least 1,000 bake sales nationwide to raise money for the effort.
 

Russia Launches Fresh Crew to Space Station

Reuters -4-19-04

A U.S.-Russian mission blasted off for the International Space Station on Monday, soaring into a perfectly blue sky above Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome.

It's not just liberals who are unhappy with George W. - Tallahassee Democrat 4-19-04

British Police Arrest 10 in Anti-Terror Raids
Reuters -4-19-04
By Kate Kelland. LONDON (Reuters) - British police arrested 10 people suspected of terrorism in raids in the northern English city of Manchester Monday. ...

Republican Shenanigans

Bush Letter Cites 'Crusade' Against Terrorism

Reuters - Sun Apr 18, 7:02 PM ET

Years after President Bush set off alarm bells in the Muslim world by referring to his war against terrorism as a "crusade," the word that Arabs equate with Christian brutality has resurfaced in a Bush campaign fund-raising letter, officials acknowledged on Sunday.

`Just say no' to sex? Educators not sure

Chicago Tribune - Sun Apr 18, 9:40 AM ET

White House backs teaching abstinence

Backlog of Immigrant Paperwork Growing

Los Angeles Times - Mon Mar 29, 7:55 AM ET

WASHINGTON — Four years ago, as a presidential candidate hoping to draw Latino votes, then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush vowed to slash the backlog

DeLay Accuses 9/11 Panel of 'Mudslinging'

AP - Sat Apr 17, 9:11 PM ET

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay urged the chairman of the Sept. 11 commission to tone down "partisan mudslinging" by the group's members, saying it could undermine the credibility of the final report.

Election Donation Proposal Gains Critics

AP - Wed Apr 14, 3:22 PM ET

A government agency has no power to impose limits on interest groups' use of corporate or union money in this year's election, and if it tried, it would violate the right of free speech, several organizations argued on Wednesday.

Odd News

Prince William Makes Water Polo Debut

AP - Sun Apr 18, 1:32 PM ET

Prince William has made his debut on the water polo squad of the Scottish national universities. But his efforts in the pool were not enough to save his team from defeat.

Supreme Court Takes Up Death Penalty Case

Mon Apr 19, 6:12 AM ET - (AP)

The Supreme Court is taking up a case that reads like a best-selling legal thriller. A psychic's tip leads to a murder suspect, a tryst occurs between the defendant's lawyer and the prosecutor and a death sentence is imposed by a judge with a drug addiction

.

After a 17 year wait, millions of locust-like insects to swarm parts of the US

AFP - Sun Apr 18, 6:41 PM ET

Locust-like insects called cicadas will make their appearance soon in biblical proportions across large swathes of the United States for about three weeks -- only to vanish and re-appear again in 2021.

Kill Mom But Don't Hurt TV, Teen Tells Hitman

Reuters - Sun Apr 18, 8:46 AM ET

A Florida teen charged with hiring an undercover policeman to shoot and kill his mother instructed the purported hitman not to damage the family television during the attack, police said.

Thousands Try Dancing With Their Dogs

Sun Apr 18, 4:51 PM ET

The music swells and Annie Schlaff and her yellow Lab Danny slip into a lively cha-cha-cha. Across the room, straight-faced trainers reveal the finer points of dancing with dogs

Cyprus bishop says yes voters will go to hell

4-19-04

Be good and you will inherit the kingdom of heavens, said Jesus. Vote yes in Cyprus's crucial referendum on April 24 and you will go to hell - or so says a Greek Cypriot bishop.

Parents lie to get kids into good schools

Sun Apr 18,10:31 PM ET

More than a quarter of parents are willing to lie to get their children into good state-run schools, a survey has found.

Spanish minister writes to Blair, the "jerk"

Sat Apr 17, 4:09 PM ET

Spain's new Defence Minister Jose Bono, best known abroad for calling Tony Blair a "complete jerk", has written to the prime minister to say it is time to put the comments behind them, a Spanish source says.

Schroeder's half-brother joins Big Brother

Sat Apr 17,11:04 AM ET

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's half-brother is set to feature on Germany's version of the worldwide reality television hit "Big Brother", newspaper Bild has said.
"Incurious George" - has president a new title?

Fri Apr 16, 9:15 PM ET

Wingless plane to take flight on Mexican roads

Sat Apr 17, 6:50 PM ET

A Guadalajara, Mexico-based company has redesigned a large airplane in which the only turbulence passengers will experience might come from potholes in pockmarked roads.

Hong Kong Customs Intercepts Canadian Pot

AP - Sun Apr 18,10:44 PM ET

Hong Kong customs officials arrested five people for allegedly ordering marijuana by mail from Canada with a total local market value of about 2.1 million Hong Kong dollars (US$269,200), officials and news reports said.