Brown's U.K.'s New Prime Minister

Tony Blair Steps Down

Tony Blair stands down as prime minister today after a decade in office, making way for Britain's new leader Gordon Brown, amid rampant speculation that Blair will be made an international envoy to the Middle East.

Attorney General Wins"Sitting Duck Award"

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales won American newspaper columnists' annual "Sitting Duck Award" for being an easy target."This is our way of saying thanks for the low-hanging fruit," said Samantha Bennett, vice president of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist.

Israel Freeing Prisoners As Goodwill

Olmert said he was willing to resume a U.S.-sponsored program of two-weekly talks to push forward with efforts to found a Palestinian state, despite Hamas's control of Gaza."I'm optimistic that, especially in these turbulent days ... an opportunity has been created to seriously move forward with the regional peace process. I don't plan to let this opportunity slip away," said Olmert.

The Iraq War Saga-The Case Of Some More Hangings

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein's cousin, widely known as "Chemical Ali", was sentenced on Sunday to hang for masterminding a genocidal military campaign that used poison gas against Iraq's Kurds in the 1980s

Does Energy Bill Reflect Shift In Political Power?

The Senate approved comprehensive energy legislation late Thursday, after adopting a bipartisan compromise that would boost automobile fuel economy standards.

But senators rejected a package of energy tax incentives and abandoned a renewable energy mandate, handing Democrats two high- profile defeats.

The 65-27 vote came after a delay of several hours, as Democrats fought off a last-minute lobbying blitz by the auto industry and tried to round up senators who had already left the building, a leadership aide said.

The bill (HR 6) would mandate the use of 36 billion gallons of ethanol by 2022, create new efficiency standards for appliances and federal buildings and promote new energy technologies.

It also would ban price gouging during federal emergencies and subject the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to U.S. antitrust laws — provisions that have drawn White House veto threats.

VP Cheney Plans To Shut Info Office

Cheney's office , over the objections of the National Archives , has exempted itself from a presidential executive order that seeks to protect national security information generated by the government, according to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Gitmo Gets More Attention

Even though the White House has announced no timeline for a final decision in the midst of its renewed deliberations about whether to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, some of the Republican presidential candidates are taking the opportunity to remind their base where they stand.

North Korea To Shut Reactor In 3 Weeks?

TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States expects North Korea to shut down the reactor at the heart of its nuclear arms development program within about three weeks, top U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill said on Saturday.

Congress Subpeonas 2 Former Bush Aides

By LAURIE KELLMAN


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congress issued subpoenas Wednesday for former presidential counsel Harriet Miers and political director Sara Taylor, reaching directly inside the White House for the first time in the probe of the firings of federal prosecutors.

The Bush administration appeared in no hurry to encourage the pair to testify, as the subpoenas demanded. Complying could set a precedent for testimony by another adviser not yet on the subpoena list: presidential counselor Karl Rove.

The Democratic chairmen of House and Senate committees implicitly threatened a constitutional showdown if the White House does not comply with the subpoenas - or strike a deal.

Immigration Overhaul: Bush Not Convincing?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush changed few minds on a bipartisan immigration overhaul on Tuesday at a rare luncheon meeting with Senate Republicans aimed at reviving the stalled legislation, lawmakers said.

Bush acknowledged the bill that would legalize millions of unlawful immigrants ignited passions but said it was the best way to protect U.S. borders, a major concern for conservatives in his party who oppose it.

Bush's Low Ratings Analyzed

Despite President Bush's low popularity, he is still getting better marks than the weakest ratings for Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter, according to a new analysis from Harris Interactive.

Is Bush's Clout Diminished?

WASHINGTON - President Bush is putting his influence within his own party to the test Tuesday as he pleads personally with skeptical Senate Republicans to resurrect his immigration bill.

Despite his confident tone Monday about the measure's fate, Bush is facing a hostile audience that has shown little appetite for following his lead on the contentious issue.

Senate Republicans Fight Off Gonzales Rebuke

The Democrats had sought a showdown that would force Mr. Gonzales to retreat or President Bush to abandon his support of the attorney general, who has come under strong criticism from both parties for the dismissals of federal prosecutors and recent disclosures about partisanship in hiring at the Justice Department.

Instead, the Democrats’ effort failed in a procedural step that fell seven votes short of the 60 needed to end debate and move to a vote on the resolution. The vote was 53 to 38. Most of the Senate’s 48 Republicans voted against the motion, but 7 voted to proceed. No Democrats voted against the motion.

Bush Get Warm Greeting In Tirana

Thousands of Albanians gave the U.S. president a warm welcome in Tirana after he arrived in Albania on Sunday.(When he gets back, the Senate plans on greeting him with the 'Gonzalez & Immigration' issue.)

Colin Calling To Close Guantanamo?

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former secretary of state Colin Powell said Sunday he favours immediately closing the notorious Guantanamo Bay military prison and moving its detainees to facilities in the United States. (With an already weakened and financially stretched prison system is that strategy/idea realistically viable?)

G8's $60 bln AIDS and Africa pledge criticized

World powers on Friday pledged $60 billion to fight AIDS and other killer diseases ravaging Africa but development campaigners complained the Group of Eight had pledged little fresh cash for the poor.(These developments are very positive to see. One hopes that this will make the world leaders think about the enviroment, and it's inter-connecting changes around the world. Or are they really for the enviromment?)