Feinstein: I Wasn’t Briefed Beforehand on Bank Program

Staff / Truthdig Jul 3, 2006 The White House says it briefed Congress on its bank records collection program long ago, but Senate Intelligence Committee member Diane Feinstein says she was briefed only after it became clear that the N.Y. Times was going to run its story on the program. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Sanity: House Doesn’t Up Funds for Abstinence-Only Programs

Staff / Truthdig Jun 18, 2006 Maybe it was towering piles of evidence attesting to the fact that virginity pledges don't work, but whatever it was, Congress declined to add more funds to abstinence-until-marriage programs. (Via Salon.) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Iran: Incentive Package a ‘Step Forward’

Staff / Truthdig Jun 16, 2006 The six-nation incentive package aimed at halting Iran's uraniam enrichment appears to have some purchase in Tehran. But don't start celebrating. The Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei again vowed that Iran would never back down on its nuclear program. This is also bad news for Cheney and Rumsfeld: The appearance of diplomatic progress will make a future U.S. invasion all the tougher to justify. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Iran Turns Down Direct Talks Offer

Staff / Truthdig Jun 3, 2006 Iran has rejected an offer by America and five other world powers to extend a series of rewards in exchange for Iran's abandonment of its nuclear program. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Iran Deal: Good Faith or Another Charade?

Staff / Truthdig Jun 2, 2006 Even though the U.S. and five other countries have offered Iran a series of rewards for giving up its nuclear program, Bush and Cheney have given the world ample reason to be skeptical that the White House has any intention of settling this issue diplomatically. (And we're not alone in this sentiment.) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Was Bush’s Offer to Iran Designed to Fail?

Staff / Truthdig Jun 1, 2006 That's the provocative question posed by this N Times article "It became obvious to Mr Bush that he could not consider military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites unless he first showed a willingness to engage Iran's leadership directly over its nuclear program and exhaust every nonmilitary option" Has a decision to hit Iran already been made? Are we seeing a charade like the one before the Iraq war?. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Gonzales Sidesteps Legal Issues of NSA Spying

Staff / Truthdig May 24, 2006 The attorney general, in defending the NSA's collection of millions of U.S. phone records, claims it is constitutional--but conveniently ignores the fact that it appears to be illegal. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Did Telcos Use Scapegoat-for-Hire in NSA Case?

Staff / Truthdig May 21, 2006 Via Business Week, we learn that an entire niche industry has sprung up to provide the government with commercially purchased telecommunications records that the government isn't allowed to purchase itself. (TPM Muckraker has a good sum-up.) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Has AT&T Sent Out the Most Ironic Mailer Ever?

Staff / Truthdig May 17, 2006 You won't believe the envelope that the phone company has apparently been sending out. If it's not a hoax, the irony is so thick that not even an NSA eavesdropper could penetrate it. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

BellSouth: We Didn’t Give Data to NSA

Staff / Truthdig May 16, 2006 The phone company says that, despite the claims made in the USA Today story, it never provided phone records to the NSA. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Cheney Reportedly Pushed NSA to Spy Domestically

Staff / Truthdig May 14, 2006 In the wake of Sept 11, the vice president argued that the NSA should intercept purely domestic calls and e-mails without warrants, reports the N Times The NSA ultimately decided against the idea, but this report leaves no doubt about Cheney's regard for civil liberties . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Don’t Believe the Flawed NSA-Spying Poll

Staff / Truthdig May 13, 2006 The Washington Post loaded a poll so it would appear that most Americans support the NSA's phone record collection program. Blogger Jane Hamsher did the original analysis on this sloppy poll, and Buzzflash sums it up. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )