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Key military operations have been delayed until fall, efforts to improve local government are having little impact, a Taliban assassination campaign has brought a sense of dread to Kandahar and a turning point may not come until November, and perhaps later.
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The oil and gas industry spent years and tens of millions of dollars polishing the image of deep shelf exploration, making it sound as safe as boarding a flight to Orlando. But the no-worries message industry regulators, executives and ad campaigns — persuasively pitched to Congress, the Obama administration and the public — contrast sharply with the work-a-day reality of deep shelf drilling. Unlike commercial aviation or nuclear power, the offshore energy industry retains -- even takes great pride in -- the high-risk, high-reward ethic of its "wildcat'' heritage.
- The Wall Street investment banks at the center of the subprime mortgage meltdown face broadening state and federal inquiries into whether they duped investors into buying dicey mortgage securities or manipulated ratings agencies into bestowing investment grades on those faulty products.
- Engineers launched their latest effort to curb the crude oil gushing from a busted underwater well in the Gulf of Mexico Thursday as lawmakers in Washington wrangled over what legislative steps to take. One question: Why in the first year of the George W. Bush administration did the government agency that oversees overshore drilling drop proposed rules to require additional controls on blowout preventers?
- A federal court on Thursday ordered the Pentagon to set free from Guantanamo Ravil Mingazov, a former Russian Army ballet dancer turned devout Muslim whose plight captured the imagination of a Massachusetts college town.
- Sen. Matt Bartle's eight-year quest to crack down on strip clubs and adult bookstores finally succeeded Thursday night. The Missouri Senate voted 27-4 to ban full nudity and prohibit adult businesses from selling alcohol.
- The Republican Party's front-runner for governor, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, threw his support Thursday behind a tough new immigration law in Arizona that he criticized as "far out" just two weeks ago. McCollum joined U.S. Senate contender Marco Rubio in abandoning his previous opposition to the toughest crackdown on illegal immigration in the nation. Both said they changed positions in light of amendments that aimed to outlaw ethnic and racial profiling by the police.
- Shell executives in Alaska are drafting a letter to the head of the federal Minerals Management Service proposing additional measures the company will take to safeguard against a major oil spill as the company plans to drill in Arctic waters this summer.
- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will revive a plan to house 15,000 nonviolent felons in county jails instead of state prisons, a cost-cutting move that likely would result in some inmates leaving jail early.
- The oil spill in the Gulf hasn't affected the price or availability of most seafood. But most oysters Americans eat are harvested along the U.S. coasts, and 67 percent come from the Gulf region. Economists and other experts have been warning that the cost of everything from coffee to tires could be collateral damage from the spill. The uptick in the price of oysters could be a leading indicator.
- The oil and gas industry spent years and tens of millions of dollars polishing the image of deep shelf exploration, making it sound as safe as boarding a flight to Orlando. But the no-worries message industry regulators, executives and ad campaigns — persuasively pitched to Congress, the Obama administration and the public — contrast sharply with the work-a-day reality of deep shelf drilling. Unlike commercial aviation or nuclear power, the offshore energy industry retains -- even takes great pride in -- the high-risk, high-reward ethic of its "wildcat'' heritage.
- No, Mr. President, I will not stand for it. I am not ready to give up my rights in the name of fighting terrorism.
I resented the thought of cowering to terrorism by surrendering freedoms under the past administration and, believe me, I will fight you and yours on this one.
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