Free Republic

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., must not be a fan of the Rolling Stones. Apparently, the rock group's refrain, ''You can't always get what you want,'' doesn't mean much for the Arizona senator who co- sponsored the impressive campaign finance-reform bill of last March. When President Bush signed that bill into law, it was up to the Federal Elections Commission -- to which Mr. Bush had recently appointed a foe of the bill -- to set forth election guidelines under the strictures of the new law. In a 4-1 decision, the commissioners voted for a narrow interpretation of the verb solicit,...

Martha Stewart may be the diva of domesticity, but there's one New York judge who thinks she's the queen of lies.In a January 2000 opinion, Administrative Judge Thomas Sacca hammered Stewart for a "lack of credible testimony" in her bid to get out of paying New York $221,000 in back taxes from 1991 and 1992.In his 40-page ruling, Sacca repeatedly shot down Stewart's attempts at proving she lived in Connecticut and not in New York — using material from her magazine and book to contradict her statements.In one case, Stewart argued she "rarely visited New York," but the judge...

Blast levels besieged Hebron building: Israel says armed group was inside BY SORAYA SARHADDI NELSON Herald World Staff HEBRON, West Bank - An explosion Friday night blasted away a large section of the Palestinian municipal compound where 15 armed Palestinians were believed to be hunkered down. Early today, a second explosion brought down the rest of the building. ''I saw hills of rubble,'' said Mohammed Maswadeh, a Palestinian who lives near the compound. He said his windows were blown out by the blast about 120 yards away. ``There's nothing called the headquarters anymore.'' Continues.

Hear the one about the baby suicide bomber?All of Israel did yesterday, when a photograph of a Palestinian toddler suited up with red headband and sticks of ersatz explosives was splashed across the front pages on the nation's newspapers.The unidentified tot's uncle insisted the costume was just a joke."The photograph was taken some time ago at a party when someone dressed up the cutest baby as a suicide bomber," the uncle said in an interview with Britain's Sky News. "What's all the fuss about?"The Israelis said that if this was meant to be a joke — it bombed."What is...

Combat air patrols to resume over U.S. on the Fourth BY JAMES KUHNHENN Herald Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - The Pentagon said Friday that combat air patrols over U.S. airspace will resume over the July Fourth holiday. The Federal Aviation Administration will also ban flights in the vicinity of major American monuments. The increased vigilance was not a response to any specific terrorist threat, administration officials stressed. ''It's a major holiday and we're just beefing up to be prepared for anything,'' a senior defense official said, asking not to be identified. Continues.

KABUL, Jun 29, 2002 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- A big explosion was heard to the northwest of Kabul military airport at 4:30 on Friday afternoon, a spokesman of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said Saturday. Murat Pekgulec told reporters in a regular press briefing that it was not known whether the explosion was triggered by bomb or rocket. He declined to give any details about casualties or damages, noting that the ISAF and the local police were making a joint investigation. Turkish Mjor Pekgulec also confirmed that two cars were found full of explosive materials in the city...

Bomb suspect, Broward man spoke, FBI says BY DAVID KIDWELL dkidwell@herald.com A Sunrise man arrested on immigration charges June 12 had several telephone contacts with suspected dirty bomber Jose Padilla in the months prior to Padilla's trip to the United States, according to federal sources involved in the probe. Authorities believe the connections between Padilla and Adham Amin Hassoun -- with his own ties to Islamic extremist groups -- bolster FBI suspicions of a broader network of terrorist operatives still working in the United States. ''They are trying to intimidate him into helping them,'' said Hassoun's lawyer, Akhtar Hussain. ``And...

Stamp rate hike to be costly BY TONY PUGH Herald Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - When the cost of a first-class postage stamp jumps from 34 cents to 37 cents on Sunday, the U.S. Postal Service will address one problem and aggravate another. The rate hike -- the third in 18 months -- will provide the debt- ridden agency more than $4 billion a year in new revenue. But it could also cost millions of customers. That's because every time the cost of mailing a letter goes up, more consumers and businesses turn to the Internet to electronically present and pay...

<p>June 29, 2002 -- A furious President Bush yesterday warned corporate chiefs to stop "trying to fudge the numbers" - and the White House said he wants "bad apples" to go directly to jail.</p> <p>Bush will come to Wall Street to personally deliver that stern message to the titans of industry on July 9 as he copes with escalating corporate scandals that could spell political and economic trouble.</p>

<p>June 29, 2002 -- SAN JOSE, Calif. - Twice in the past two years, Apple Computer executives sold company stock for millions just weeks before Apple warned of disappointing earnings. Each warning sent shares tumbling.</p> <p>While the sales could have an innocent explanation, analysts consider them unusual because there were no other large stock dumps by Apple executives during the same period.</p>

W A S H I N G T O N, June 28 —It's common to deride Aaron Brown's "as I was driving in to work today, thinking about writing the page I'm reading to you now..." style as a little bit too navel-gazing and self-referential. It is also common for the Note, when it's stuck for a lead — either because there's too much big news out there, or too little — to steal stuff from our journalistic heroes such as the aforementioned Mr. Brown. So: as we were sitting here this morning trying to come up with our lead...

<p>June 29, 2002 -- SALT LAKE CITY - A man whose son-in-law was questioned in the disappearance of Elizabeth Smart said the FBI took a knife and a golf hat from his home.</p> <p>Dave Morse Sr.'s son-in-law, Richard Ricci, worked at the Smart home as a handyman more than a year ago. He is now in custody on an unrelated parole violation and has not been charged in the disappearance of the 14-year-old girl.</p>

W A S H I N G T O N, June 29 — Secretary of State Colin Powell says President Bush may have "jarred some nerves" with his strong stand against Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, but he believes international support for the new policy is solid. In an interview Friday with The Associated Press, Powell specifically referred to backing by European and Arab countries even though there is little indication among these countries that they fully embrace Bush's position. "I think it is universally recognized," Powell said, alluding to Bush's contention that the leadership of Arafat and his colleagues has...

<p>June 29, 2002 -- Two Met players told cops they smoked marijuana in the shadow of Shea Stadium after Wednesday night's game - and it caused one of them to become violently ill and go into seizures, sources said yesterday.</p>

President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were both out fundraising on Friday. Cheney was in Raleigh, North Carolina, with GOP Senate candidate Elizabeth Dole. Mr. Bush was a little closer to home. He rode up Connecticut Avenue to the Marriot Wardman Hotel for a lunch for moderate Republican Maryland Rep. Connie Morrella. He then headed off to Camp David for the weekend. Cornyn Shuns WorldCom: GOP Senate candidate and Texas attorney general, John Cornyn, has moved his July 13 fundraiser, which was originally to be hosted by WorldCom Inc.'s chief operating officer, Ron Beaumont, and his wife Linda at...

A plan for African development hailed by the world's industrial powers as a possible turning point for the impoverished continent failed to please some of those it was intended to satisfy. "The hot-air brigade returned a scandalous plan for no action on Africa. They recycled stale commitments without saying how and when they would act," said Neville Gabriel, a South African Catholic Bishops Conference director. The Group of Eight concluded its two-day summit Thursday in Kananaskis, Alberta, by endorsing the New Partnership. Initiated by African leaders, the plan is based on the idea that foreign investment will help spur development...

The House narrowly passed a White House-backed Medicare prescription drug plan early Friday. The vote in the Republican-controlled House was 221-208 after Republican leaders scrambled all week to shore up support from some reluctant party members who disliked one aspect or another of the complex $350 billion, 10-year plan. Eight Democrats and eight Republicans crossed party lines. Republicans had accused Democrats of wanting a budget-busting plan that would hurt Medicare in the long run. "We're putting people before politics by lowering the costs of prescription drugs now and guaranteeing an affordable benefit under Medicare," said House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Democrats,...

Israel's army released a photograph showing a Palestinian baby dressed like a suicide bomber with fake ammunition belts and explosives strapped to its body and a headband of the Islamic militant group Hamas. The British television network Sky News interviewed a man who said he was the baby's uncle. The man said the picture — which appeared in Israeli newspapers Friday — was authentic. Col. Miri Eisin, a senior intelligence analyst for the army, said the ammunition probably was not real. “The picture was originally taken during a rally or a graduation party at the university,” the baby's uncle, who...

It's too early to call it an avalanche of momentum or even a trend, but it is slowly becoming clear that the federal courts are backing the Bush administration in the legal war on terror. On Friday, the Supreme Court gave the Justice Department two minor victories in the area of immigration detention. The justices agreed to hear two important cases next term. Earlier in the week, a federal appeals court sided with the administration in the case of Yassir Esam Hamdi, an American citizen now currently held incommunicado as an "enemy combatant." Combine those recent rulings with the government's...

<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) --After reaching key compromises on missile defense and the Crusader cannon, the Senate and House overwhelmingly passed bills Thursday to approve President Bush's military expansion.</p> <p>The Republican-led House quickly voted a lopsided 413-18 to pass a $354.7 billion defense spending bill that provides a $34 billion boost to the military with pay raises, new hardware and other Pentagon demands to fight terrorism.</p>