Nine U.S. soldiers were killed in northeast Baghdad, Iraq after a suicide bomber exploded a vehicle in the Diyala province. Twenty soldiers and one Iraqi civilian were also wounded in the blast. Earlier today, George W. Bush claimed his Iraq policy to be "a very good plan to achieve our strategic objectives."
The United States is trying to reverse Iraqi de-Baathification policies in Iraq. "On his visit to Iraq last week, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates told Maliki during a meeting Friday that Iraqi lawmakers should not take their summer recess until they passed a series of laws, including the one dealing with de-Baathification reform titled The Reconciliation and Accountability Law."
Proving that September 11th, 2001 changed nothing — the Bush Administration is still trying to build a missile defense shield. Secretary Gates was in Moscow failing to sell the 'missile defense shield' to the Russians. "The immediate answer from Russia's new defense minister, Anatoly Serdyukov, was a firm statement that the Kremlin had not dropped its strong opposition to American proposals for antimissile bases in Poland and the Czech Republic." The missile defense shield has always been a higher priority than fighting terrorism for the Bush Administration.
42 World Bank executives called for the resignation of Paul Wolfowitz in an open letter to the Financial Times. "World Bank President Wolfowitz, under investigation by the bank's board of directors, hired Robert Bennett, an attorney who represented former President Bill Clinton against sexual harassment claims."
Alberto Gonzales is still Attorney General.
There is a "serious" shortage of adequate housing in New Orleans, but yet the city has four public housing projects they won't re-open because they plan on demolishing them. Also, the city is discouraging 'poor' people from returning to the city.
Senator Hillary Clinton's approval slipped 6 points among New York voters in the Siena New York poll. Clinton is at 50 percent favorable and 42 percent unfavorable for April.
"Hillary's favorability rating is the lowest it's been in more than two years of the Siena New York poll," Greenberg said. "The fall in her rating has been dramatic since January, when she had a 60-33 favorability rating. Just as dramatic is the tightening of both the primary and general election match-ups. Hillary led Obama by 47 points in January and 32 points last month, now her lead is 22 points."
Former president George H.W. Bush hinted to Larry King the only reason Jeb isn't running for president in 2008 is because the country is experiencing "Bush fatigue".
"There's something to that — there might be a little Bush fatigue now," former President Bush told CNN's Larry King...
"I hope that Jeb, who left office looking good, is not through with politics," the elder Bush said. " I think he's a good man, most other people think that, a man of principle. And I think he's got a future."
CNN made no mention if the former president then broke down sobbing about the 'wrong' son becoming president. Long may the Brand Bush be political poison.
Systemic failure: In a letter to Andrew Card, Bush's former Chief of Staff, House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, writes:
I have received new information that suggests there may have been a systemic failure to safeguard classified information at the White House during and after your tenure as White House Chief of Staff. Multiple current and former White House security personel have informed my staff that White House practices have been dangerously inadequate with respect to investigating security violations, taking corrective action following breaches, and physically securing classified information.
At the end of his five-page letter, Waxman concludes:
The allegations of the security officers raise many questions about White House security procedures during and after your tenure as White House Chief of Staff. They describe a systemic neglect of the basic rules for protecting our nation's national security secrets.
Two separate Internet presidential debates, one for Democratic and one for Republican candidates, have been proposed by Yahoo, The Huffington Post, and Slate for the 2008 campaign.
India's first commercial rocket launched into space. Next year, India has an unmanned mission to the Moon planned.
Physicist Shi Zhengrong, a Chinese solar power researcher, is the seventh richest person in China. "Shi saw signs of a blossoming [solar] industry as Germany, Japan and other countries invested in cleaner power. Excited by a trip home that showed him China's rapid development, he startled friends by abruptly moving his wife and two Australian-born sons to his homeland in 2001 to launch a solar equipment company."
Some states are freaking out. Not because the herbicide atrazine is harming frogs, salamanders, and other amphibians, but because "a ban on atrazine... would inflict enormous financial damage on the Illinois economy" and make the state "less competitive... in the production of ethanol."
By the numbers: Bush has 636 days left in power. 3320 U.S. deaths in Iraq. Over $419,747,000,000 spent on the war in Iraq.