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The Nation.: Kucinich Will Vote for Reform, Then Fight for More 2010-03-17

"I have doubts about this bill," the congressman acknowledged Wednesday morning. "This is not the bill I wanted to support."  | "However, after careful discussions with President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, my wife Elisabeth and close friends I have decided to cast a vote in favor of the legislation," said the congressman, who added, "If my vote is to be counted, let it count now."

 

Los Angeles Times: Pakistan indicts 5 Americans on terror charges 2010-03-17

The young men from Virginia, arrested in December, deny the charges and claim they were tortured in custody, a lawyer says.

 

Scotsman: Nato special forces reined in after spate of civilian deaths 2010-03-17

THE commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan has issued new rules to "rein in" Special Forces, after a spate of botched operations left scores of civilians dead.  | Speaking days after a Scotsman investigation revealed that two pregnant women and a teenage girl had been killed in a night raid, General Stanley McChrystal said troops under different commands were sometimes working at cross-purposes.

 

Los Angeles Times: Jobs bill headed to Obama's desk 2010-03-17

The Senate today passed by a 68-29 margin a $17.6-billion measure intended to spur hiring nationwide, sending the bill to the White House for the president's expected signature.  | Once the bill becomes law, it would mark the first significant piece of job-creation legislation to pass since President Obama and the Democratic Congress earlier this year declared that they would "pivot" and focus on reversing widespread unemployment.

 

Raw Story: ACLU sues to obtain basic data, legal justification for Predator drone program 2010-03-17

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit after federal agencies neglected to answer a Freedom of Information Act request seeking documents pertaining to the legal basis for the military's Predator drone program.

 

Washington Post: Immigration reform: Stuck in the shadows 2010-03-17

On Sunday, tens of thousands of Americans who supported Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008 will gather on the Mall to protest the president's lack of action on a cause to which he had committed himself throughout the campaign: immigration reform.

 

WIBW: US Changing Controversial Rule For Holding Detainees 2010-03-17

A controversial policy that gives U.S. forces in Afghanistan four days to question detainees is being changed to give soldiers more time to interrogate the captives, Gen. David Petraeus said Tuesday.  | Petraeus told the Senate Armed Services Committee that American troops will now be able to hold detainees for up to 14 days before either releasing them or turning them over to the Afghan government. In some cases, longer detention will be an option, he said.

 

truthout: Afghanistan Enacts Law Giving Blanket Immunity to War Criminals 2010-03-17

"This law was passed with a two-thirds majority in our parliament, and according to our constitution, when a law is passed with a two-thirds majority, it does not require the president to sign it," Omer said during a briefing Tuesday, publicly acknowledging for the first time the blanket immunity provision is now law.

2010-03-17: Headlines

2010-03-16: Top Stories

Boston Globe: Dodd bill aims to overhaul financial regulatory system 2010-03-16

On nearly all of the key issues, the measure takes a relatively tough line with financial firms. A new consumer protection agency, for instance, would have the authority to write and enforce rules that would apply to banks with more than $10 billion in assets, as well as mortgage companies, credit card issuers, and other large nonbank lenders — a broader scope than Republicans have been willing to grant.

 

Reuters: Recession left "walking wounded" workers: study 2010-03-16

Many workers around the world have given up hopes of advancing in their jobs, but the bad economy is keeping them from finding new ones.

 

The Hill: Obama calls for courage 2010-03-16

There are at least three dozen House Democrats who are planning to vote no or are leaning no, according to The Hill’s whip list. If every member votes and all Republicans vote no, 37 defections would lead to a 216-215 tally. Thirty-eight “no” votes would kill the measure.

 

Boston Globe: Stevens considers retirement decision 2010-03-16

Justice John Paul Stevens, leader of the Supreme Court’s liberal wing and its oldest justice at 89, said he will certainly step down before President Obama’s term expires in January 2013.

 

Boston Globe: Obama makes urgent pitch for health bill 2010-03-16

President Obama, displaying new urgency in the final days of the health care debate, sought yesterday to rally skittish House lawmakers into voting for his signature health care overhaul, calling for political “courage’’ in the capital.

 

Washington Post: House may try to pass Senate health-care bill without voting on it 2010-03-16

The House would vote on a more popular package of fixes to the Senate bill; under the House rule for that vote, passage would signify that lawmakers "deem" the health-care bill to be passed.

2010-03-16: Headlines
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