Clinton Rejects ‘Bush-Cheney Power Grab’

Joe Conason / Truthdig Oct 25, 2007 The senator rarely surrenders a juicy quote without a struggle. Yet her familiar preference for caution over candor is gradually changing with each step that she takes toward her party's presidential nomination. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Verizon Admits Domestic Spying Role

Staff / Truthdig Oct 17, 2007 Under pressure from Congress, Verizon has provided some insight into the government's domestic surveillance program. The telecommunications giant defended the legality of its actions, but admitted complying "as expeditiously as possible" when federal officials, without a subpoena, asked for telephone and Internet records. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Imagine Peace — A Ray of Light in Dark Times

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Oct 17, 2007 John Lennon would have turned 67 years old last week had he not been murdered in 1980 by a mentally disturbed fan. On his birthday, Oct. 9, his widow, peace activist and artist Yoko Ono, realized a dream they shared. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Sweeping Our Inhumanity Under the Rug

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Oct 16, 2007 By simply deciding that something is a "state secret," the Bush government has avoided answering for its brutal treatment of innocent victims in the war on terror. This is a perversion of the principle of American justice. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Bush: Protect America, or at Least Its Telecom Companies

Staff / Truthdig Oct 11, 2007 First we had "Operation Iraqi Freedom." Then came the Patriot Act. And now, President Bush has co-opted another vague term that's hard to argue with, emptied it of its intended significance, and altered it to mean "let big telecom companies that aided the administration in its dubious wiretapping activities off the hook." Yes, folks, this latest round of rhetorical gymnastics has brought us "the Protect America Act." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Robot Insects Spying on Protesters?

Staff / Truthdig Oct 10, 2007 It sounds far-fetched, but a number of protesters swear they've spotted robotic insects hovering around anti-war rallies. The government denies deploying robot spies, but it's known that the U.S. military has had robotic flies, such as the one above, since World War II. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Secret Torture Memos Shame Justice Dept.

Staff / Truthdig Oct 4, 2007 In 2005, the Justice Department issued two secret opinions on torture that endorsed and protected the administration's desire to use physically and psychologically traumatizing interrogation techniques. Then-Deputy Attorney General James Comey reportedly warned his colleagues that they would be "ashamed" when their work became public. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Ellsberg Warns of Possible ‘Police State’ in U.S.

Staff / Truthdig Sep 26, 2007 Just to put current world events in perspective, here's a transcript of a recent speech by Daniel Ellsberg, the former Defense Department analyst who released the Pentagon Papers to the press during the Vietnam War, about some potential developments that could severely harm our country in the not-so-distant future. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Colbert and Wolf Talk Fascism, Blackwater, Vodka

Staff / Truthdig Sep 22, 2007 For his part, Stephen Colbert doesn't see Naomi Wolf's point about Blackwater USA's recent shameful shenanigans in Iraq somehow heralding a fast-approaching era of fascism in America. Instead, the faux-pundit believes the trend is more toward "a bull market for shooting people" these days. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Big Brother Update With National Intel Director

Staff / Truthdig Aug 24, 2007 J. Michael McConnell, the director of national intelligence, has in part explained Congress' hurry to revise domestic surveillance law. It seems that the FISA court, established three decades ago to keep the government from abusively spying on American citizens, decided that the administration's warrantless wiretapping program was illegal -- and that just wouldn't do. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Democrats Punt on National Security

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Aug 10, 2007 Some lawmakers were furious over the administration's actions regarding a surveillance bill, but in the end members of the majority party in Congress caved in under political pressure. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Insert Orwell Reference Here

Staff / Truthdig Apr 5, 2007 Street surveillance is taking an alarming turn for the interactive in England. As part of a government plan to target "antisocial" behavior and petty crime, closed-circuit television cameras will be installed around the country with the capacity to talk back to people engaging in unseemly acts in public places. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )