Pentagon Releases 9/11 Mastermind’s Confession

Staff / Truthdig Mar 15, 2007 The military has released a confession attributed to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the supposed mastermind of 9/11. According to the partially redacted transcript of his secret hearing, Mohammed claimed responsibility for 28 attacks, including 9/11, the Bali bombing, a number of operations that were never carried out and some that were not thought to be closely related to al-Qaida. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Hussein Death Penalty Upheld

Staff / Truthdig Dec 26, 2006 It's possible that even greater shame awaits the U.S. in 2007, apparently as early as next month. From the NYT: "An Iraqi appeals court today upheld a death sentence for Saddam Hussein in a decision that clears the way for his execution within 30 days, Iraqi officials said." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Truthdigger of the Week: Lt. Cmdr. Charles Swift

Staff / Truthdig Dec 16, 2006 Truthdig tips its hat to the Navy lawyer who on Dec. 11 won a major ACLU award for his successful defense in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, the U.S. Supreme Court case that dashed Bush administration efforts to try terror suspects in special military courts. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Truthdigger of the Week: John Paul Stevens

Staff / Truthdig Jul 1, 2006 Truthdig salutes the 86-year-old Supreme Court justice who wrote the majority opinion in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, which struck down the military tribunals Bush set up to try Guantanamo detainees. But more important, this decision, in the words of a Yale law professor, "effectively undermines the Administration's strongest claims about Presidential power," and may constitute the legal framework necessary to halt the more egregious of Bush's civil liberties-infringing programs -- like warrantless wiretapping and holding terrorism suspects without trial. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Court Ruling: Gitmo Brass Shrugs, Bush Lawyer Shudders

Staff / Truthdig Jun 30, 2006 The admiral in charge of the Guantanamo military detention center said he doubts Thursday's Supreme Court ruling on presidential authority will have any effect on his operations. But a Bush administration lawyer wasn't as sanguine, saying about the decision, "It's very broad, it's very significant, and it's a slam." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Washington Post: Court Ruling a Body Blow to Bush

Staff / Truthdig Jun 30, 2006 In an analysis, the Washington Post says, "the Supreme Court has struck at the core of his presidency and dismissed the notion that the president alone can determine how to defend the country." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Court Ruling May Cancel Bush’s ‘Blank Check’ for Terror War

Staff / Truthdig Jun 29, 2006 Specifically, today's Supreme Court ruling held that the president overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees. But more important, Think Progress interprets the ruling to mean that "the Authorization for the Use of Military Force -- issued by Congress in the days after 9/11 -- is not a blank check for the administration." Also, SCOTUSblog says the ruling means that the Geneva Convention does apply to the conflict with Al Qaeda, and consequently "this almost certainly means that the CIA's interrogation tactics of waterboarding and hypothermia (and others) violate the War Crimes Act." Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )