68 Iraqis were killed, 17 of them children on schoolbuses, in the southern Iraqi city of Basra today.

Suicide bombers killed at least 68 people, 17 of them children incinerated in minibuses taking them to school, in coordinated strikes on police stations in Iraq's southern city of Basra on Wednesday.

Basra is a stronghold of Iraq's Shi'ite majority. It had been relatively quiet lately. President Bush has blamed al Qaeda for the deaths.

The Guardian has more.

DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe had this to say in response to numerous Republican attacks on John Kerry's military record:

"Since Bush himself is in no position to criticize John Kerry on his military service, he has opted instead to let others do his dirty work for him But whether he's making this charge himself or relying on surrogates, we welcome any opportunity to contrast Kerry's distinguished record of service as a Naval officer who faced combat and was wounded in Vietnam to Bush using his family connections to get placed in the Texas Air National Guard, requesting to not be sent overseas and then not even bothering to show up for duty or even fulfilling his required length of service. Simply put, Kerry has a proud record of sacrifice and service whereas Bush has a record of cashed-in connections and evasion."

Don't miss the DNC's side-by-side comparison of Bush and Kerry's military records (pdf.)

7 of the Apprentice candidates were on Larry King Live tonight. Donald Trump appeared by phone. He offered to put Troy through college. Very, very nice moment.

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The Judge in the Kobe Bryant case today denied Kobe's request for his accuser's medical and psychological records. The issue was whether the accuser waived her privilege in the documents by talking about her treatment with other people.

Larry Pozner, past president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said the defense still can seek testimony from people who have direct knowledge about the woman's purported suicide attempts and prescription drug use. "The defense has a bathtub full of evidence on her suicide attempts that is not in the medical records – it's just plain old-fashioned (eyewitness) testimony," Pozner said.

The Judge has not ruled yet on whether Kobe can introduce evidence of the accuser's other sexual encounters that allegedly occurred around the same time as the incident with Kobe. Kobe's defense is arguing that these acts, rather than acts with Kobe, maybe the cause of any claimed injuries. Hearings on the rape shield law and the suppression of Kobe's statements will resume Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday there will be hearings on a defense request for discovery and the accuser's request to set a trial date.

You can read the Judge's ruling here. (pdf)

by TChris

High school students gathered on the White House lawn yesterday to stage a mock graduation ceremony. The students -- children of immigrants who haven't been legally admitted to the United States -- hoped to call attention to the DREAM (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) Act, a proposed law that would allow such students to become permanent citizens after two years of college, trade school or military service.

"Under current law, these young people generally derive their immigration status solely from their parents," the National Immigration Law Center said in a statement, "and if their parents are undocumented or in immigration limbo, most have no mechanism to obtain legal residency even if they have lived most of their lives [in the U.S.]. The DREAM Act provides such a mechanism for those who are able to meet certain conditions."

The story of Marie Gonzales illustrates the need for this legislation.

by TChris

The United Nations Human Rights Commission today voted to support a resolution calling for the worldwide suspension of the death penalty. The United States, as it does every year, voted against the resolution, allying itself with such notable protectors of human rights as China and Saudi Arabia.

by TChris

Given our society's thirst for vengeful punishment, you're never too old or infirm to go to prison.

A grandmother from Algonquin was sentenced this morning to 18 months in prison after admitting she wrote a $22,000 bad check for a luxury sport-utility vehicle to a McHenry County car dealer.

The prison term for Betty A. Gooch, 75, was part of a plea bargain with McHenry County prosecutors, who insisted she spend time behind bars for the deceptive practices conviction.

Gooch suffers from a number of medical problems. She appeared at her sentencing this morning in a wheelchair.

Prosecutors claim that prison was "the only way" to stop Gooch from committing more crimes. Really? Probation agents can't effectively supervise an elderly woman in a wheelchair?

Kevin at Political Animal notes that a Republican is complaining that Bush isn't leveling with the American people about the continued cost of the war in Iraq. Who is it? Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

From the Washington Post:

Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, charged that the president is playing political games by postponing further funding requests until after the election, to try to avoid reopening debate on the war's cost and future. Weldon described the administration's current defense budget request as "outrageous" and "immoral" and said that at least $10 billion is needed for Iraqi operations over the next five months.

David Sirota reports:

Desperate to tamp down outrage from Congress, the White House and its allies yesterday spun out various responses for Bob Woodward's allegation that the Administration secretly took $700 million from the hunt for Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and diverted it into Iraq war planning in 2002. Yet no one provided any proof that Woodward's charges were inaccurate, nor fully denied that a secret transaction occurred. Check out today's Progress Report which analyzes the White House's reactions. Notice the last bullet showing how by Condoleezza Rice's logic, Austin, Texas is the same region as Nicaragua...

There's more on David Sirota's blog here.

The Village Voice reports that Dick Cheney rewarded Roger Stone for shutting down the Florida recount by letting him pick the Interior Dept. officials who would regulate Indian gaming. Stone has since made millions from Indian tribes needing Interior approval to open casinsos. Also implicated: GOP insider Scott Reed.

by TChris

As President Bush makes his support of the deceptively-named Patriot Act a central pillar of his reelection campaign, an editorial in the New York Times reminds us that there is more to the Act than provisions allowing the FBI and intelligence agencies to share information. The Act was a John Ashcroft wish list, giving law enforcement agencies unprecedented power to pry into private records and to conduct "sneak and peek" searches -- allowing government agents to sneak into a home, conduct a search, and sneak out without notifying the residents that their privacy has been invaded.

The President contends that the Patriot Act is a vital tool in his war on terror, but the Times reminds us that he isn't telling the rest of the story.

Mr. Bush's own Justice Department told Congress last fall that the act's loosened restrictions on government surveillance were regularly being used in nonterrorism cases, like drug trafficking and white-collar crime.

People who have seen the Patriot Act in action believe it gives the police too much leeway. The Times is not alone in criticizing the Act as Bush calls for its extension. Lawrence, Kansas just joined "nearly 300 communities and four state legislatures across the United States in expressing opposition to the act."

Congress passed the Patriot Act in the wake of 9/11 without serious debate. Rather than blindly supporting the Act's extension, it is time to have that debate. Rather than pretending that every element of the Act focuses on terrorism, it is time to decide which (if any) features of the Act deserve to be extended, and which are inconsistent with the fundamental values that underlie our nation.

In light of President Bush’s new PATRIOT Act campaign, you may be interested in this statement made April 20 on the Senate Floor by Sen. Durbin, chief sponsor of the SAFE Act. We received it by email and are reprinting it below in it's entirety. John Kerry is a co-sponsor of the SAFE Act. For those who just want Sen. Durbin's conclusion, here it is:

The President wants even broader powers than the PATRIOT Act now allows. Yesterday he called for a new law to let Federal agents obtain private records and conduct secret interrogations without the approval of a judge or even a Federal prosecutor. This goes way beyond anything that we have ever seen in terms of trying to make America safe. It really infringes on our basic rights. We all agree that law enforcement needs the tools to protect us, but President Bush cannot point to a single terrorism investigation in which officials had any problem obtaining the court orders they needed. Yet he is asking for expanded authority that would undermine civil liberties and judicial review. Frankly, our current laws are adequate to the task. We need to bring terrorism under control but not at the expense of our basic rights as citizens.