Joint Chiefs Chmn. Adm. Mullen: Islamic Takeover in Pakistan 'Closer'

WASHINGTON -- The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said in an interview broadcast Friday that he was "extremely concerned" about the Taliban's recent moves closer to Pakistan's capital of Islamabad.....

Pentagon to Release Hundreds of Detainee Pics

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon will soon release "hundreds" of photographs showing alleged abuse by US personnel at prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan during the Bush administration, a US official said Friday.

"I think it will be in the hundreds," said the Pentagon official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, referring to the number of photos to be released for the first time.

The Defense Department confirmed the Pentagon had agreed to release a "substantial" number of photographs by May 28 in response to a long-running Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the New York-based rights group, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The photographs come from more than 60 criminal investigations from 2001-2006 of military personnel suspected of abusing detainees, the defense official said.

But the Pentagon rejected the portrayal of the photos by the ACLU as showing widespread abuse of detainees.

"What this demonstrates is that we have always been serious about investigating credible allegations of abuse," spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters. ....

Democrats Refuse to Allow Skeptic to Testify Alongside Gore At Congressional Hearing

Washington, DC -- UK's Lord Christopher Monckton, a former science advisor to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, claimed House Democrats have refused to allow him to appear alongside former Vice President Al Gore at a high profile global warming hearing on Friday April 24, 2009 at 10am in Washington. Monckton told Climate Depot that the Democrats rescinded his scheduled joint appearance at the House Energy and Commerce hearing on Friday. Monckton said he was informed that he would not be allowed to testify alongside Gore when his plane landed from England Thursday afternoon.

“The House Democrats don't want Gore humiliated, so they slammed the door of the Capitol in my face,” Monckton told Climate Depot in an exclusive interview.....