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TOP STORIES
White House E-Mail Lost in Private Accounts
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/11/AR2007041102167.html
The White House acknowledged yesterday that e-mails dealing with official government business may have been lost because they were improperly sent through private accounts intended to be used for political activities. Democrats have been seeking such missives as part of an investigation into the firing of eight U.S. attorneys. Administration officials said they could offer no estimate of how many e-mails were lost but indicated that some may involve messages from White House senior adviser Karl Rove, whose role in the firings has been under scrutiny by congressional Democrats. Democrats have charged that Rove and other officials may have used the private accounts, set up through the Republican National Committee, in an effort to avoid normal review. Under federal law, the White House is required to maintain records, including e-mails, involving presidential decision-making and deliberations. White House aides' use of their political e-mail accounts to discuss the prosecutor firings has also fanned Democratic accusations that the actions were politically motivated.
RELATED: Officials' e-mail may be missing, White House says
RELATED: Bush Advisers’ Approach on E-Mail Draws Fire
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/washington/12emails.html?ref=washington
Explosion Hits Iraq Parliament Inside Green Zone
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Iraq.html?ref=world
A bomb rocked Iraq's parliament building in the heavily fortified Green Zone Thursday, killing at least two lawmakers in a stunning security breach in the third month of a U.S.-Iraqi crackdown on violence in the capital, officials said. At least four other people were wounded in the blast, which shook a cafeteria while several lawmakers were eating lunch, initial media reports said. Mohammed Awad, a member of the Sunni National Dialogue Front, was killed in the blast, said Saleh al-Mutlaq, the leader of the party, which holds 11 seats in Iraq's legislature. Another female Sunni lawmaker from the same list was wounded, he said. A security official at the parliament building said a second lawmaker, a Shiite member, also was killed. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
RELATED: Blast rocks Iraq parliament, dozens wounded
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/12/AR2007041200380.html
Reaction to Ambush In Afghanistan Probed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/11/AR2007041101379.html
The U.S. military announced yesterday that it has opened a criminal investigation into whether an elite Marine Special Operations platoon used excessive force in reacting to a suicide bombing in Afghanistan last month, an incident that left at least eight Afghan civilians dead. Army Maj. Gen. Francis H. Kearney III, who commands U.S. Special Operations Forces in the Middle East and Central Asia, determined after an initial review of the March 4 incident that "the escalation of force might have been too high" and warranted an inquiry by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, said Lt. Col. Lou Leto, a spokesman for Kearney's command. "We deeply regret the loss of life and casualties that resulted from the [suicide vehicle] attack and the actions that followed," Leto said. "General Kearney wanted to really stress that our goal is the safety and security of the Afghan people."
RELATED: Probe finds excess force in Afghanistan incident
In 5-Year Effort, Scant Evidence of Voter Fraud
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/washington/12fraud.html
Five years after the Bush administration began a crackdown on voter fraud, the Justice Department has turned up virtually no evidence of any organized effort to skew federal elections, according to court records and interviews. Although Republican activists have repeatedly said fraud is so widespread that it has corrupted the political process and, possibly, cost the party election victories, about 120 people have been charged and 86 convicted as of last year. Most of those charged have been Democrats, voting records show. Many of those charged by the Justice Department appear to have mistakenly filled out registration forms or misunderstood eligibility rules, a review of court records and interviews with prosecutors and defense lawyers show. In Miami, an assistant United States attorney said many cases there involved what were apparently mistakes by immigrants, not fraud.
Today’s complete national news
Colorado
Ritter offers revisions to roadless protections
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5479382,00.html
Gov. Bill Ritter asked the federal government for an "insurance policy" Wednesday to protect 4.1 million acres of roadless areas in Colorado from development, modifying a petition submitted last year by former Gov. Bill Owens. Ritter told the Agriculture Department and the U.S. Forest Service that he wants interim protection for Colorado's roadless areas while the federal government reviews whether to keep wilderness-style protections for the lands. He also said he wanted the state Department of Natural Resources and Division of Wildlife to be able to work with federal land managers on any proposed activity within the roadless areas.
RELATED: Ritter seeks roadless area "insurance policy"
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5646418
RELATED: Ritter wants ‘insurance’ for roadless areas of state
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2007/04/12/4_12_1a_roadless.html
RELATED: Ritter sends roadless petition to Feds
Top labor, Democratic leaders in town to discuss convention
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/other_business/article/0,2777,DRMN_23916_5479197,00.html
Labor and political leaders will meet in Denver today to address ongoing disputes about the lack of unionized facilities in Denver, the site of the Democratic National Convention in 2008. AFL-CIO President John Sweeney is scheduled to meet with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. A gathering of local labor leaders also is planned. "The union movement is committed to working together with elected leaders, the DNC and others to tackle economic anxiety and make sure the focus on the Democratic Convention helps lift workers' lives," Sweeney said. Dean also will be in town for planning meetings and a public event marking Denver's choice as the host city for the August 2008 convention. He invited Sweeney after the labor federation began making noise about getting the Democrats to move the convention to a unionized venue.
RELATED: Howard Dean in Denver today
http://www.denverpost.com/newsheadlines/ci_5646129
Critic of GOP Web site questions 'partisan' call
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_5479641,00.html
A critic of the Senate Republican Web site is asking whether a state employee broke any rules by calling on state time Wednesday to grill the critic about her political bias. "What's alarming to me is clearly, he is in his official state role making partisan inquiries," said Chantell Taylor, head of the watchdog group, Colorado Citizens for Ethics in Government. "That is not what state resources are supposed to be used for. This is not advancing the public interest." But Republicans fired back that they were just defending themselves against unfair attacks from Taylor's liberal group masquerading as a government watchdog. "I think we have a right to talk to people who attack us publicly," said Senate Minority Leader McElhany, R-Colorado Springs. "Especially when they're portrayed as some government watchdog group, when in reality, they're a left-leaning hit organization." But the GOP counterattack kept alive debate over the official Senate Republican Web site - ColoradoSenateNews.com.
Teen may have been beaten for being gay
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5479654,00.html
A 15-year-old gay Centennial High School student allegedly was taunted and attacked by six classmates last week because of his sexual orientation. Anthony Hergesheimer, a recent transplant from California, underwent surgery to fix a broken nose Wednesday. Six classmates have been suspended from school and could face criminal charges. "They were throwing things at him - an oil can, a Comet can," said his mother, Theresa Ornelas, 32. The attack happened about 3:15 p.m. April 5 as Hergesheimer was walking home from school. Six students, whom Ornelas said were 16 and 17, began following him in their car and calling him names and throwing things.
RELATED: Students investigated for hate crime
http://pueblochieftain.com/metro/1176388384/8
Today’s complete Colorado news
Today’s complete daily news: http://media.progressnowaction.org/digest/041207.htm
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