National News
The Hill - GOP escalates revolt
Republican leaders called for reinforcements Tuesday to ramp up pressure on Democrats with an extended battle over gas prices. House GOP bosses put out a call for their entire conference to participate in the energy protest on the chamber floor.
The Hill - House Republican leader rips Bush
A House Republican leader is lambasting President Bush on his decision not to call Congress back into session to deal with the energy crisis.
CQ - Homeland Security Chairman Demands Compliance on Port Screening
The House Homeland Security Committee chairman on Tuesday accused the Homeland Security Department of deliberately trying to undermine a law requiring 100 percent screening of cargo entering the United States by sea.
NY Times - Texas Executes Mexican Despite Objections
In a case that has drawn international attention, Texas executed José E. Medellín on Tuesday night in defiance of an international court ruling and despite pleas from the Bush administration for a new hearing.
NY Times - Guantánamo Bay Judge Admits Possible Error
As the military panel at the trial of a former driver for Osama bin Laden deliberated for a full day Tuesday without reaching a verdict, the presiding military judge said he might have given the members incorrect legal instructions about how the international law of war is to be applied here.
Washington Post - White House Denies Author's Accusations of Document Forgery
The Bush administration joined former top CIA officials in denouncing a new book's assertion that White House officials ordered the forgery of Iraqi documents to suggest a link between Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and the lead hijacker in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
International News
NY Times - As Iraq Surplus Rises, Little Goes Into Rebuilding
Soaring oil prices will leave the Iraqi government with a cumulative budget surplus of as much as $79 billion by year’s end, according to an American federal oversight agency. But Iraq has spent only a minute fraction of that on reconstruction costs, which are now largely borne by the United States.
International Herald Tribune - Afghanistan accusing Pakistan of aiding insurgents
Afghanistan's spy agency alleged on Wednesday that a member of Pakistan's consulate in the country's south helped a Taliban commander in his attempts to weaken the government.
Washington Post - A Ragtag Pursuit of the Taliban
U.S. Effort to Train Afghans as Counterinsurgency Force Is Far From Finished
International Herald Tribune - Iraqi Army willing, but not ready, to fight alone
While Americans and Iraqi civilians alike are increasingly eager to see combat operations turned over to the Iraqi Army, interviews with more than a dozen Iraqi soldiers and officers in Diyala Province, at the outset of a large-scale operation against insurgents led by Iraqis but backed by Americans, reveal a military confident of its progress but unsure of its readiness.
State News
Sacramento Bee - Schwarzenegger's trip from tax cuts to tax hike
This week, Schwarzenegger is proposing to raise taxes on coffee, cars, gas, lunches and, yes, even toilets and mattresses. In a closed-door meeting with legislators, the governor reportedly suggested a temporary, 1-cent sales tax increase to try to break the latest partisan logjam over the budget.
NC Times - State bills SDG&E $21 million
It cost California more than $21 million to fight last fall's Witch Creek and Rice wildfires, and the state wants San Diego Gas & Electric Co. to foot the bill.
San Diego Union Tribune - No volunteers seen for self-deportation program
There were no takers yesterday for a trial self-deportation program initiated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
San Diego Union Tribune - S.D. agents help bust massive ID-theft ring
For three years, San Diego-based Secret Service agents used the Internet to communicate with thieves, part of an investigation that has led to the prosecution of what federal officials call the largest identity-theft ring ever busted.
San Diego Union Tribune - County fire tax plan nears vote
All five members of the county Board of Supervisors know the November ballot is likely to be packed with tax proposals competing with theirs, but they say better wildfire suppression is too urgent to shelve.
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