Washington Post: Iraq vote yields higher turn out than expected

Observers said the vote yielded a higher turnout than expected and less violence than feared.

ABC News: Vice President Cheney criticized for his attire at Auschwitz ceremony

Vice President Cheney raised eyebrows for wearing an olive drab parka, hiking boots and knit ski cap to represent the US at the solemn ceremony commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz. Other leaders wore dark, formal overcoats and dress shoes or boots.

CNN: Both the US and Syria seek to freeze terrorist's assets

The administration acted to freeze the assets of Sulayman Khalid Darwish, a Syrian who is financing insurgents in Iraq. Both the US and Syria are asking UN member countries to freeze Darwish's assets. The Syrian Embassy said in a statement that Darwish is on top of the wanted list by Syrian security forces and counterterrorism intelligence agencies.

It is good to see the US and Syria working together on this. Is this a precursor to a new cooperative era?

BBC: Hamas said it is prepared to accept a temporary truce with Israel

if the Israelis stop targeted killings and release all Palestinian prisoners. Israel said it would stop targeted killings, see below. Is peace about to happen in the Middle East? Let us pray and hope it will happen.

ABC News: Israel will stop targeted killings

Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity said Israel has informed the Palestinians of their decision to stop targeting Palestinian militants for death, fulfilling a key Palestinian demand for a truce to end four years of violence.

ABC News: Senior administration official says this years deficit will hit $427 billion

A record amount partly driven by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

CNN: prosecutors want to show 'erotic materials'

Oh please, do we really have to see it?

ABC News: Despite many problems, Iraqis are optimistic

Yahoo! News/LATimes: Israel and the Iranian nuke issue

Things are heating up even higher as Vice President Dick Cheney stated that "[i]f in fact the Israelis became convinced the Iranians had significant nuclear capability-given the fact that Iran has a stated policy that their objective is the destruction of Israel-the Israelis might well decide to act first." Germany, France and Britain are trying to negotiate with Iran on the issue, an approach US officials say they support "but refuse to join as they express doubts over its prospects."

CNN: Johnny Carson dies at 79

He was always always kind, Dr. Joyce Brothers said. "[H]e never said a cutting remark in all of the years that I watched the show, and watched it for years and years, because it was fun to go to bed feeling happy and pleased. He was kindness personified."

CNN: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas deploys security forces around northern Gaza

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas deployed about 2,000 security forces around northern Gaza to stop attacks on Israel.

CNN: Meanwhile Iran said it has the military might to deter attacks against it

CNN: The Pentagon says Mr. Hersh's article is outrageous and constitutionally specious

CNN: Seymour Hersh said on CNN that the US is planning for possible airstrikes on Iran

Hersh, the same journalist who revealed in the New Yorker and Reuters that the US is conducting reconnaisance over Iran, stated on CNN's "Late Edition" that US officials were involved in "extensive planning" for a possible attack--"much more than we know". Hersh said his information came from "inside" sources who divulged it in the hope that publicity would force the administration to reconsider. "I think that's one of the reasons some of the people on the inside talk to me". White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett said his story was riddled with inaccuracies.

Reuters: US conducting secret reconnaissance missions inside Iran

The New Yorker magazine reported, as does Reuters, that the US has been conducting secret reconnaissance missions inside Iran to help identify potential nuclear, chemical and missle targets. Great. Let's just let the whole wide world know.

BBC: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon orders a crackdown on militants

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says he has given his troops a free hand to launch a crackdown on Palestinian militants. "Despite the change in Palestinian leadership, we have yet to see them taking any action against terror".

ABC News: British museum report said US forces have caused substantial damage to the ancient city of Babylon

The report was quoted in Saturday's Guardian newspaper. US and Polish military vehicles had crushed 2,600 year old pavement in the city, and archeological fragments were used to fill sand bags. Lord Redesdale, head of Britain's all party parliamentary archeological group told the Guardian he was horrified. "Outrage is hardly the word, this is just dreadful".

REUTERS: The Muslim world has seen a great compassion in the American people

The President said in his interview with ABC news that in responding to the tsunami, many in the Muslim world have seen the great compassion of the American people.

Washington Post: The National Intelligence Council reports that Iraq has replaced Afghanistan

as the training ground for the next generation of "professionalized" terrorists. Iraq provides terrorists with "a training ground, a recruitment ground, the opportunity for enhancing technical skills". Foreign terrorists found tons of unprotected weapons caches that they are now using against US troops. They are believed to make up a large portion of today's suicide bombers. Iraq has joined the list of conflicts that have deepend solidarity among Muslims and have spread radical Islamic ideology.

Which is why, in this writer's humble opinion, we must win in Iraq, and follow them as they disperse into their respective home countries. However, we must never forget that this war is also a war against radical ideology. Somehow, we must not forget to win the populace and we cannot do it by force alone.

CNN: militants kill 5 Israelis at Gaza checkpoint

Yahoo! News: Hamas leader says Hamas is open to truce with Israel

Let us hope so.

Yahoo!News/AP: Health Officials worry about malaria in tsunami affected regions

CNN: Power crew arrives in remote village

Emergency officials in Alaska's North Slope succeeded in dropping a power crew into the remote village of Kaktovik under blizzard conditions in an attempt to restore electricity to the community of 300 residents.

ABC News: The President: Going to Iraq is worth it

In an interview with Barbara Walters the President felt that we'd find wmds but going to Iraq was worth it even if there were no wmds there. Saddam was dangerous and the world is safer without him in power.

CNN: 19 year old Marine on liberty shoots it out with local police

19 year old Andres Raya was scheduled to report back to Camp Pendleton when he allegedly engaged local police into a shootout in Ceres, CA.. Raya's mother told the Modesto Bee that her son had come back "different" from his last assignment in Falluja. He was shot and killed after a 3 hour search. He had killed a police sergeant and seriously wounded another officer.

CNN: Justice Scalia is afraid if the tribe wins

"It would create a chaotic situation in New York state if we say you have jurisdiction over any piece of land you buy." Justice Scalia stated.

BBC: Hu Jintao shows his stripes

"He is a very determined communist leader" said Liu Junning of the Chinese Cultural Research Institute. "After the resignationof his rival, he is more powerful than before. And apparently he wants to be even more powerful"

CNN: Alaskan village loses power

Villagers struggle to keep warm

Yahoo!News/AP:Human Rights Watch: Vietnam continues to oppress ethnic minorities

HRW accused Vietnam of mass arrests and torture of ethnic minorities.

ABC News: The Palestinians elect Mahmoud Abbas by a wide margin

BBC correspondent: divisions hinder Indoensia's aid relief in Aceh

Indonesian soldiers say their tsunami relief work in the province of Aceh is being hindered by clashes with rebels. The rebels in turn accuse the military of using the disaster as a pretext for a renewed offensive.

Aceh has suffered one of the longest conflicts in south Asian history. The tsunami has increased its suffering.

The UN and the aid agencies say they must be allowed a long term presence to help get Aceh back on its feet but that still depends heavily on the cooperation of the Indonesian military.

CNN: Feds paid pundit to push Gov't program

The Department of Education paid conservative radio print and television host Armstrong Williams taxpayer money $240,000 to promote the Department's No Child Left Behind Act.

CNN: Swedish woman loses husband son and mother

"I lose my baby in the wave. I can't hold him. It's like oil. I call 'Johannes.Johannes," she says. "I can never forgive myself for dropping my baby. I will always see his eyes when he disappears."

BBC: Aceh rebels 'impede tsunami aid'

Indonesian soldiers in Aceh say their relief work is being hampered by attacks from separatist guerrillas. The cease-fire in the long running conflict has been declared but now appears to be under strain. Secretary of State Colin Powell has warned Indonesia that military equipment provided for relief work should not be used against the rebels. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is due in Aceh on Friday.

Let's hope the cease fire holds. Maybe this conflict can be settled peacefully. There has been enough death to last 10 lifetimes.

Yahoo!News/AP: Hendrix had the best 'Guitar Face'

Jimi Hendrix received 24 percent of the 3,000 votes cast online by the public and a poll by some 20 celebrity judges. BB King captured 18 percent followed by Angus Young of AC/DC with 16 percent.

Yahoo!News/AP: Zaka forensics team: we are experiencing something from the days of Genesis

Zaka- a group of ultra-Orthodox Jewish forensic workers who have matched body parts to identities after countless scenes of carnage in Israel, have described the aftermath of the tsunami as a disaster of biblical proportions. "Only during the great flood in Genesis have there been sights like this, so many corpses, so many", said Yehuda Meshi-Zahav a team leader. "We are experiencing...something from the days of Genesis". Other forensic teams have dubbed Zaka as the "team that sleeps with the dead" because they toil nearly 24 hours a day at Buddhist pagodas transformed into morgues to identify those who died.

ABC news:Klansman arrested for 1964 slayings

ABC News: Roadside bomb kills 7 GIs in their 35ton Bradley

"The blast was so powerfulthat the soldiers' 35-ton Bradley Fighting Vehicle-one of the most heavily armored vehicles in the U.S. arsenal-flipped over, landing in a ditch adjacent to the road. None inside the Bradley survived."

Yahoo!News/AP: Radical Islamic groups are distributing aid in Indonesia

S Korean intelligence has raised concerns for the safety of its aid workers. US and Australian officials are aware of their presence but they say things should be ok.

CNN: Andrea Yates' murder convictions overturned

Because the false testimony of the psychiatrist substantially affected the outcome of the trial. The Texas jury was unable to reconcile the jury instruction with the fact that post partum depression severely affects the mental state of the mother.

NY Times: 10 Ex-WorldCom directors agree to pay $18million of their own money

To settle a class action lawsuit by investors who lost hundreds of millions of dollars. A drop in the bucket if you ask me.

NYTimes: the Drug Industry agrees to release more clinical trial data

The global pharmaceutical industry unveiled plans on Thursday to publish more data about trials of medicines in a bid to reassure patients following recent alarms over drug safety

Reuters: Justice Breyer reported for jury duty but was excused from the jury pool

The local court's presiding justice didn't recognize Justice Breyer, before discovering his name on the list of potential jurors. Justice Breyer, through a Supreme Court spokeswoman said he did not view jury duty as a burden. "Jury duty is an important civic duty because juries decide guilt or innocence."

Yahoo! News: McAfee warns of an increase in malware attacks

BBC: Tsunami loved ones united by the web

CNN: US tsunami death toll up to 36 people

The Washington Times: GOP leaders itching to push 'reforms'

The 109th Congress convened with Republican leaders in both Houses itching to pass a complete package of 'reforms'

Yahoo! News: 6.0 aftershock hits Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Yahoo! News/AP: Malaysian ship picks up survivor 100 miles from shore

Washington Post/Reuters: Gunmen assassinate Baghdad Governor

Baghdad governor Ali al Haidri was assassinated by gunmen in the capital Tuesday, police and hospital sources said.

CNN: Ex Presidents to lead private aid effort

CNN: Woman rescued after 5 days adrift

A Malaysian tuna ship rescued a woman who had been adrift for 5 days after the tsunami swept her out to sea from her home in Sumatra.

Reuters: A boy named Tsunami

Washington Post: US begins aid delivery in Sumatra