Pat Dollard

Times Online: A seven-year-old boy was murdered by the Taleban in an apparent act of retribution this week. Afghan officials said that the child was accused of spying for US and Nato forces and hanged from a tree in southern Afghanistan. Daoud Ahmadi, the spokesman for the provincial governor of Helmand, said that the killing [...]

Problem New York Times: A government panel on Thursday essentially doubled its estimate of how much oil has been spewing from the out-of-control BP well, with the new calculation suggesting that an amount equivalent to the Exxon Valdez disaster could be flowing into the Gulf of Mexico every 8 to 10 days. The new estimate [...]

Los Angeles Times: The Obama administration fears tough U.S. sanctions Reporting from Washington — The Obama administration, which labored for months to impose tough new United Nations sanctions against Iran, now is pushing in the opposite direction against Congress as it crafts U.S. sanctions that the White House fears may go too far. Administration officials [...]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A standoff between deputies and an armed man who has barricaded himself inside a Sacramento apartment with a 15-month-old boy has stretched into the third day. Authorities say 25-year-old Anthony Alvarez has been holed up in the apartment with the boy since midday Wednesday. The standoff became more tense Thursday, with [...]

Los Angeles Times: Retail sales plunged in May by the largest amount in eight months as consumers slashed spending on everything from cars to clothing. The big drop raises new worries about the durability of the economic recovery. The Commerce Department said Friday that spending fell 1.2% last month. Auto sales were down 1.7% but [...]

AZ Central: MEXICO CITY – Anger spread in Mexico on Thursday over the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy by a U.S. border agent, even as Attorney General Eric Holder expressed “regret” over the death. Mexican President Felipe Calderón said his government was “profoundly angered” by the killing of Sergio Adrian Hernández Huereka. Calderón said [...]

Washington Post: What is this, middle school? I was all set to sit down and write about women in politics, and applaud Tuesday’s results, when off pops the new Republican nominee for senator from California, Carly Fiorina, with a comment that takes you back to the cattiness of the school cafeteria. Fiorina, all miked up [...]

Politico: Porn-busting isn’t just for Republicans anymore — and Democrats hope preventing sexual predation and dirty pictures in the world of federal mortgage insurance will give them a little lift at election time. Beguiled a bit by GOP-written amendments of a prurient flavor, Democratic leaders allowed two of their own politically vulnerable members to offer [...]

Related: Landmark Ruling: Global Warming Belief Given Same Legal Status As Religion Washington Times: Environmentalists scored their first major Senate victory regarding climate change Thursday as Democrats gave a green light to the Environmental Protection Agency to impose strict new rules on greenhouse gas emissions. Senators voted 53-47 to let the Obama administration proceed with [...]

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