Think Progress

Australian Prime Minister John Howard, a strong ally of President Bush, is “secretly planning to begin withdrawing” the 1,500 Australian troops from Iraq by February 2008.

URL: Think Progress

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News Hounds

For those of you watching Fox's c-o-n-t-i-n-u-i-n-g coverage of "terror in the UK" (June 30, 2007), please be advised that correspondents from the Times of London and Sky television aren't exactly outside folks bringing a fresh perspective to Fox's coverage. Sky and the Times of London are part of Rupert Murdoch's family of companies, so beware. You're not getting an independent opinion when one of their "journalists" appears on Fox.

URL: News Hounds

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Balkinization

Yup. That lede of Linda Greenhouse's just about captures the October 2006 Term.

The three primary exceptions were (i) the Masschusetts v. EPA decision (especially for its discussion on standing); (ii) the four Texas death-penalty cases that Greenhouse discusses, demonstrating that "the state and federal courts" in Texas "remain to the right of the Supreme Court" -- to the right of a 5-4 majority, anyway; and (iii) Executive war powers, where yesterday's stunning grant of the petition on a motion to rehear in Boumediene suggests that at least in this one area, Justice Kennedy might continue to break with his conservative colleagues.

Of course, a large part of this decided trend can be explained by Justice Alito replacing Justice O'Connor. At the time of her resignation, I identified 31 5-4 decisions in her final decade on the Court that could very well be overturned by a Court with a more conservative Justice replacing her. (That list can be found here. ) So far, only two of those precedents have been (de facto) overruled -- but they're big ones: Carhart and the BCRA title II section of McConnell. And although Grutter was not overruled, its impact was severely ...   more »

Guardian Unlimited World Latest

Flow of desperate migrants into South Africa intensifies as inflation and shortages worsen.

URL: Guardian Unlimited World Latest

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Guardian Unlimited World Latest

The Female Eunuch author is unimpressed with Richard Neville's memoirs of the era of flower power and free love.

URL: Guardian Unlimited World Latest

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Guardian Unlimited World Latest

Public outcry over death of a 12-year-old has forced health authorities in Egypt to ban female circumcision.

URL: Guardian Unlimited World Latest

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