NATIONAL & WORLD NEWS April 26, 2008

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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-The Tarnished Brass
As it prepared to invade Iraq five years ago, the Bush administration calledup retired military officers to help sell the war. Defense Secretary DonaldRumsfeld and his propaganda team courted as many as 75 retired militaryofficers who could best market the Pentagon line, particularly ontelevision. As detailed in The Times on Sunday, many of these officers usedtheir access to Pentagon bigwigs to promote their private businesses.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/opinion/26sat2.html?ref=opinion

-A Shameful, Ugly Ad
Manipulative. Shameful. Race-baiting. Those are the only words to describe anew television ad from the Republican Party running in North Carolina thatattacks Senator Barack Obama as "too extreme" for the state.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/opinion/26sat4.html?ref=opinion

-Mugabe's Party Loses in Recount
HARARE (Reuters) - President Robert Mugabe's party has failed to securecontrol of Zimbabwe's parliament in a partial recount of the March 29election, results showed on Saturday, handing the ruling party its firstdefeat in 28 years.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-zimbabwe-election.html?hp

-Zimbabwe Rounds Up Opposition Members and Election Monitors
JOHANNESBURG - Truckloads of heavily armed police officers rounded uphundreds of people at the headquarters of Zimbabwe's opposition party onFriday as plainclothes investigators descended on independent monitors ofthe nation's disputed elections last month, according to oppositionofficials, witnesses and the police.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/world/africa/26zimbabwe.html


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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Party Fears Racial Divide
Attacks Could Do Lasting Harm, Democrats Say
The protracted and increasingly acrimonious fight for the Democraticpresidential nomination is unnerving core constituencies -- AfricanAmericans and wealthy liberals -- who are becoming convinced that the partycould suffer irreversible harm if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton maintains hersharp line of attack against Sen. Barack Obama.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/25/AR2008042503707.html?hpid=topnews

-A Not-So-Solid Republican South
TUPELO, Miss. -- While the eyes of the political world were focused onPennsylvania last week, I played hooky for a day at the invitation of theLee County Library and bumped into a story as revealing in its way as thelatest round in the struggle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Amongother things, it explains why John McCain found it useful to spend last weektouring poverty-stricken areas in the South, where Republicans rarely go.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/25/AR2008042502782.html

-Farrakhan's Pennsylvania Admirer
The old Irving Berlin tune "The Song Is Ended (But the Melody Lingers On)"captures the aftermath of Pennsylvania's Democratic primary -- with a twist.
The contest is, indeed, over. But the tune that's slow in parting is more ofa sour note than a sweet sound.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/25/AR2008042502976_pf.html

-Iranians Aspire to Sharpen Public Image
Lobbying Group Seeks to Promote Heritage, Build Political Clout
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/25/AR2008042503354.html?hpid=topnews

-Prayer Day 'Hijacked' by Evangelicals, Critics Say
Groups Complain That Application Process for May 1 Observance Excludes SomeReligions
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/25/AR2008042502859.html?hpid=sec-religion


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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Beware of e-mails, calls asking for personal info
WARNING: Be on the lookout for emails and phone calls involving your taxrefund or economic stimulus payment. Thieves are posing as IRS agents toaccess to taxpayer bank accounts.
Fort Lauderdale Police Detective Kathy Collins almost took the bait: ane-mail that said it was from the Internal Revenue Service telling her shequalified for a bigger refund.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/sfl-staysafe.emailfraud,0,7486667.story

-Free trade agreements help U.S. as much as trading partners
ISSUE: Continent's leaders praise NAFTA.
OK, maybe President Bush and his Mexican counterpart, Felipe Calderon,weren't the most popular spokesmen to rally a defense for NAFTA.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editafnaftasbapr26,0,7449660.story


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Fla. fate to be decided May 31
The Democratic National Committee is slated to decide May 31 if Florida'spresidential primary votes will count.
http://www.miamiherald.com/campaign08/story/510303.html

-Indiana polls: Obama-Clinton dead-heat
Barack Obama has called Indiana his "tie-breaker'' in the three-state seriesof primaries that started with Hillary Clinton's victory in Pennsylvaniathis week.
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/04/indiana_polls_obamaclinton_dea.html

-To the rescue of endangered grocery bags!
Seattle is thinking about making shoppers pay 20 cents for every new paperor plastic bag. San Fransciso has outlawed plastic bags altogether at largesupermarkets. Boston is also considering a ban, while Phoenix is giving awayfree canvas bags.
http://www.miamiherald.com/418/story/510307.html


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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Obama and Clinton: two cynical losers
Despite having all the trumps, the Democrats have squandered the chance of alifetime
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/gerard_baker/article3811396.ece

-Indiana polls: Obama-Clinton dead-heat
Barack Obama has called Indiana his "tie-breaker'' in the three-state seriesof primaries that started with Hillary Clinton's victory in Pennsylvaniathis week.
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/04/indiana_polls_obamaclinton_dea.html

-How to Manufacture a Popular-Vote Victory
The Clinton campaign, which is losing the pledged delegate race, is nowtalking up a different metric: the cumulative popular vote.
http://www.observer.com/2008/how-manufacture-popular-vote-victory

-Sleeping with the enemy
The mainstream news media jumps into bed with another propagandist.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-huffington24apr24,0,3587621.story

-Turning tide in Indiana
Worried about Iraq and the economy, some Republican Hoosiers are feelingblue, and may vote that way, too
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/04/26/turning_tide_in_indiana/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Today%27s+paper+A+to+Z

-Clinton fundraiser defects to Obama campaign
Gabriel Guerra-Mondragon, a former ambassador to Chile under PresidentClinton, is joining the Illinois senator's national finance committee.
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-fundraising26apr26,0,2111231.story

-Clinton Challenges Obama to more Debates
EAST CHICAGO, Ind. - Democratic presidential candidates have held more than20 debates. Evidently that's not enough for Hillary Clinton.
http://blogs.reuters.com/trail08/2008/04/25/clinton-challenges-obama-to-more-debates/

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