The Justice Dept's Torture Debate

The Justice Dept's Torture Debate
Senior Justice Department lawyers in 2005 sought to limit tough interrogation tactics against terror suspects, but were overruled.
Bumpy Road to Bankruptcy
ABC's Aaron Katersky reports from New York: Chrysler’s road to bankruptcy has hit another road block. Three state funds from Indiana have filed emergency papers this weekend asking the U-S Supreme Court to delay a deal to sell most of...
Barack Obama's German ancestors

by Andrew Malcolm and Johanna Neuman

As President Barack Obama did Dresden with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday, a genealogical study in Utah reported that the first black president in U.S. history is actually German.

Well, partly.

Provo, Utah-based Ancestry.com has found that Obama's lineageon his mother's sidecan be traced to Germany. Using online sources and microfilm from the Family History Library owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, genealogists found a document that went back to Obama's eighth great-grandfather, Conrad Wolflin, who served as mayor of Orsingen, Germany, for 30 years.

"One of the things that I love about this find is it really illustrates what you can find out about your family history," Anastasia Tyler, lead genealogist on the project, told The Salt Lake Tribune. "World history is our history."

Obama's great-grandfather, Johann Conrad Wolflin, was born on Jan. 29, 1729, in Besigheim, Wuerttemberg, Germany, and in 1750 resettled in Pennsylvania, changing his name to Wolfley.

See the rest of the report on Herr President Obama from our colleagues at the Los Angeles Times' Top of the Ticket:

Told of the Obama connection, current officials in Besigheimtourist dollars dancing in their headsjumped for joy.

Besigheim Deputy Mayor Klaus Schremps told The Associated Press Television Network that he tracked down a copy of the parish record and located Wolflin's name. "If this turns out really to be the case," he said, "we will extend an invitation to Mr. Obama, and if he would come and visit at some stage, it would be a great joy for the city and for the people."

This of course is through Obama's mother side, she of Irish and Kansas roots. His father was Kenyan.

If that were not enough to make the president feel welcome, relatives of survivors of Buchenwald concentration camp are also calling Obama family.

It seems the president's great-uncle (also on his mother's side), Charlie Payne, 84, helped liberate a sub-camp there when he was an infantryman fighting in World War II.

"The survivors see President Obama almost like a grandson of theirs," Volker Knigge, director of the Buchenwald memorial, told CNN. "The president is related to one of the brave men who came here and saw the Nazi horror firsthand."

Obama's Coming Back, And Boy, His Inbox Is Full

The president has said that his top priority for June and July is the health care legislation moving in the House and Senate, but many others are competing for his time.

Obama: "Time To Deliver" On Health Care

Obama: "Time To Deliver" On Health Care
President Barack Obama issued a strong plea for action on his health care agenda, using his weekly radio and Internet address to focus on his top domestic priority even while traveling overseas.
Clem's Chronicles: JOBS/OBAMA TRIP/CUBAN SPIES
Happy Friday night folks-here's what's happening in the world.... JOBS-Good news/bad news. The bad news first-payroll reductions(AKA job losses) continued for a 17th straight month. The good news-Bureau of Labor stats show a net job loss of 345 thousand during...
Barack Obama: America's 'first tourist'

by Mark Silva

Our friends and colleagues traveling with President Barack Obama this week have an interesting take on "America's first tourist''all eyes as he entered the Great Pyramid, all ears as he joked about how much an image inside a vault looked like him.

Ed Chen and Julianna Goldman of Bloomberg News, in writing about the president's odyssey from Saudia Arabia to Egypt and from Buchenwald and Dresden to Paris and Normandy, paint a picture of an American tourist-in-chief wearing white slacks, Navy blue polo shirt and walking shoes as he gazes at the Great Pyramid in Giza and walking down a long slope toward the Great Sphinx"Pretty neat, huh?''

Were it not for the entourage attached to the president's visit, Obama said, "I'd get on a camel.''

As Obama concludes his fourth trip abroad as presidenttraveling around Europe and Turkey a while back, going to Mexico and to Canada and now Cairo for his address to the Muslim worldhe has quickly amassed a portfolio of sightseeingserving as a contrast to his predecessor, who tended to be all-business on most of these trips (though we did get to see Bethlehem with President George W. Bush on one of our journeys to Israel with him.)

"Barack Obama is both America's first tourist and an universal ambassador," Allan Lichtman, a political history professor at American University in Washington, tells Bloomberg. He's "a persuader who is attempting to restore a foreign policy of diplomacy, positive example, and the speaking of the truth."

'"Obama, a self-described "student of history," was particularly enthusiastic about visiting the pyramids,'' they write. "While inside a small underground tomb at Giza, he pointed to a figure on a wall covered with hieroglyphics and said:

"Hey that looks like me. Look at those ears!"

"By paying homage to his host nation's cultural shrines and institutionssuch as Obama's visit... to the Sultan Hassan mosque in Cairo, one of the largest in the Muslim world, or the refurbished Church of Our Lady in Dresden, Germany, yesterdaythe president shows he is attuned to others' national sensibilities,'' Chen and Goldman write.

"Obama's excursions reinforce a key message: the importance of acknowledging and respecting cultural diversity and local history," says Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, tells them.

See their report on Obama, America's first tourist.

Proposition 8 Foes Make Odd Couple

David Boies and Theodore Olson might be one of those couples that make outsiders do a double-take. The two top attorneys were on opposite sides in the Bush vs. Gore case, which decided the 2000 presidential election. Now they've joined forces to challenge the validity of Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure passed by California voters that prohibits same-sex marriages in the state.

Obama Uses Trip To Push For Guantanamo Help

Bipartisan Health Care Deal In Jeopardy
President Barack Obama's hopes for a bipartisan health deal seemed in jeopardy Thursday as GOP senators protested his renewed support for a new public health insurance plan.
Obama TV: Is Anti-Americanism Down on Muslim News Stations?
ABC's Lara Setrakian reports from Dubai: Watching President Obama’s speech from the newsroom of Al Arabiya, a pan-Arab broadcaster based in Dubai, raised the following question: is Arab news coverage less anti-American since Obama took office? Yes, say the journalists...
Joblessness: 9.4 pct, worst in 25 years

by Jim Tankersley

The U.S. economy shed 345,000 jobs in May, pushing the unemployment rate near double-digits and bringing the total number of jobs lost in the current recession to 6 million.

But the employment figures, which the Labor Department reported this morning, offer hope that the worst of the economic downturn could be over: The number of lost jobs was the lowest since September, and it was only half of the average monthly job losses in the last half-year.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the nationwide unemployment rate now stands at 9.4 percent, the worst it has been in more than 25 years. If workers abandoned their job searches or settled for part-time employment were factored in, the rate would have been 16.4 percent.

Manufacturing employment continued to drop sharply, led by 30,000 lost jobs related to the reeling domestic automobile industry. The Bureau reported auto-related jobs have fallen by 50 percent from their recent peak in 2000.

In contrast, construction and many service industries saw their losses slow. The leisure and hospitality industry posted no losses.

Wages remained essentially flat, the bureau reported.

Capitol Hill Republicans were quick to pounce on the numbers to criticize the Obama administration's economic policies.

"This is President Obama's economy now," Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the House Republican Whip, said in a statement. Later, he added: "As job losses continue to mount, families' worries about losing their healthcare, paying their mortgage, and sending their children to college continues to intensify."

Obama Uses Trip To Push For Guantanamo Help

President Obama says he has not asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel to make "hard commitments" on allowing terrorism suspects from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to be transferred to Germany.

Obama Addresses Muslim World From Cairo

Potential GOP Candidates Turn Eyes To 2012
Potential Republican rivals have begun to stir, taking preliminary steps toward 2012 presidential campaigns aimed at rejuvenating a party that has found itself at its lowest point in a generation, the Washington Posts.
Busted: Worst of the Worst Spam & Porn Host Taken Down
ABC's Brian Hartman from Washington: A federal judge has ordered the shut down of what one internet expert calls “the worst” company in the United States for spreading illegal and malicious internet services. The Federal Trade Commission, which requested the...
Obama women heading to Paris

By John McCormick and Stacy St. Clair

Malia and Sasha Obama are starting their summer vacation with a trip to Europe.

The White House confirmed Thursday that the girls will join their parents at ceremonies Saturday marking the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, then stay on in Paris for several days with their mother.

The girls, ages 10 and 7, have made numerous trips to their father's native state of Hawaii, but have never before been to Europe. They traveled to Kenya with their parents in 2006 and are expected to make numerous additional overseas journeys now that they live in the White House.

The eventful weekend for the First Daughters follows completion today of their first semester at the Sidwell Friends School in the Washington, D.C., area.

President Barack Obama is traveling through the Middle East and Germany, before joining his family in France on Friday.

Obama Addresses Muslim World From Cairo

President Barack Obama gave a 55 minute speech from Cairo Thursday. He spoke of "a new beginning" between Washington and the Muslim world. We'll ask whether Obama succeeded in his goal of changing the tone of the conversation between the U.S. and Muslim countries.

Cheney's Role In CIA Briefings Unusual, But Legal

GM, Chrysler Defend Slashing Dealerships
Top executives from General Motors and Chrysler are defending their decision to slash dealerships around the country despite many hardships.
Emotional Nancy Reagan Unveils New Statue
Nancy Reagan unveiled a new statue at the Capitol in honor of her late husband, former President Ronald Reagan, today. Standing next to House Minority Leader John Boehner, she pulled back the veil to reveal the bronze statue. “The statue...
Gingrich on Sotomayor: Racist 'too strong'

by Michael Muskal

Newt Gingrich, the former Republican House speaker who has become a leading conservative critic, today backed away from his comments that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was a racist, but continued to question whether her philosophy qualified her to become the first Latina on the top court.

In a letter to supporters and a posting on his website, Gingrich said the use of the word "racist should not have been applied to Judge Sotomayor as a person, even if her words themselves are unacceptable."

Gingrich had joined with conservative radio personality Rush Limbaugh in calling Sotomayor a racist after a speech she gave in 2001 was widely circulated. In it, Sotomayor said: "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

See the full report on Gingrich and Sotomayor at the Los Angeles Times and here in the Swamp:

Conservatives have seized on the quote to argue that Sotomayor, 54, is an activist liberal judge who would place racial and ethnic characterizations above the law in her decisions. In private meetings with senators, Sotomayor has insisted she would follow law, not personality, in reaching decisions.

"My initial reaction was strong and direct -- perhaps too strong and too direct," Gingrich said today. "The sentiment struck me as racist and I said so. Since then, some who want to have an open and honest consideration of Judge Sotomayor's fitness to serve on the nation's highest court have been critical of my word choice."

The use of the word "racist" rankled some Senate Republicans. Top Republicans, including Alabama's Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking minority member of the Judiciary Committee, said they wanted a fair hearing and cordial airing of Sotomayor's views.

In television interviews today, Sessions said he was "very glad" that Gingrich had decided to step back from the term. "I think that will help us have a real good discussion about the serious issues that the nation faces and that the court faces," Sessions said.

But Sessions added he was still concerned about Sotomayor's past statement because it raised questions. "It's inevitable that your personal views would affect your decision-making," Sessions said. "And to me, that's directly contrary to our great history of blind justice in America."

Sotomayor today had her second day of meetings with top senators in preparation for hearings on her nomination to replace Justice David Souter, who is retiring.

Cheney's Role In CIA Briefings Unusual, But Legal

As vice president, Dick Cheney led CIA briefings with senior members of Congress on Bush-era harsh interrogation program, a news report says. Intelligence experts say Cheney's role, while highly unusual, was within legal parameters — and underscored his stake in the program.

On Gay Issues, Obama Says "Don't Ask"

On Gay Issues, Obama Says "Don't Ask"
Four-and-a-half months into his presidency, President Obama has not acted on his campaign promises on gay issues, writes Brian Montopoli, likely out of fear that doing so could hamper his ambitious agenda.
The Great Escape Is Over
Over the weekend two prisoners in Arkansas stole guard uniforms and were able to walk right out to freedom. The two wore the the uniforms and during a shift change they simply walked out of the prison. Sounded like a...
Obama's Republican Army sec'y: McHugh

by Mark Silva

President Barack Obama today nominated a longtime Republican congressman from New York state, Rep. John McHugh, to serve as secretary of the Army.

McHugh, 60, is a ninth-term member of the U.S. House from rural upstate New York, home to a legendary Army division, and the ranking Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Subject to Senate confirmation, McHugh stands to become the second high-ranking Republican in the Obama-led Pentagon. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, whom Obama carried over from the Bush administration, is one of just two Republicans serving in the president's Cabinet.

The selection of McHugh also will set off an expected competitive contest for a special election to fill the 23rd District House seat from New York, a far-ranging district that spans from Lake Champlain to the St. Lawrence Seaway. The biggest city is Plattsburgh.

"I've thought long and hard as to what might sound original at this moment, but honestly, I don't have an original thought in my mind,'' McHugh said, standing by Obama's side at the White House. "I will do everything I possibly can to work with the Army leadership to provide you and Secretary Gates the broadest based, most accurate information as you go forward.''

The Army, Obama said, has borne a serious burden in the repeated deployment of forces to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The administration is investing in its expansion, he said.

McHugh's congressional district is home to the 10th Mountain Division of the Armythe "most deployed'' unit, the president noted today. McHugh has not served in the armed forces, but has served on the board of visitors at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

(Photo of President Barack Obama and Rep. John McHugh, nominee for secretary of the Army, by Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty Images.)

McHugh, the president said, has been "a champion of men and women in uniform....

"As secretary of the Army, he will ensure that our soldiers are trained and equipped to meet the challenges of the time,'' Obama said. " At the same time, John knows that we must reform the way the Army and the Pentagon does business... As secretary, he will help lead our efforts to save taxpayers billions of dollars, and equip our soldiers with the weapons they need.''

McHugh will bring "patriotism and pragmatism'' to the mission, Obama said.

For all the differences the parties have in Congress, McHugh said, "At the end of the day,... Republicans and Democrats alike have put aside those differences and worked for the common good'' when it comes to support of the military.

"I grew up in the shadows of Fort Drum,'' said McHugh, whose father served in the Army. "The Army's always had a special place in my heart.''

McHugh had a career in local and state government, working for the Watertown, N.Y., city manager and then for a state senator in Albany, before winning election to the New York Senate in 1984. He specialized in dairy issuesindeed, his congressional homepage still calls him "a champion of dairy farmers,'' protecting their price supports.

He first was elected to Congress in 1992. He serves as ranking minority member on a committee, Armed Services, that oversees the Pentagon's budget and policies. His district also is dependent on military spending. He has served on the House Select Committee on Intelligence.

Obama, who has vowed to reach across party lines, actually has placed relatively few Republicans in high-level positions.

Gates and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who had retired as a congressman from Peoria, Ill., are the two Republican Cabinet membersRepublican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire at first accepted and then rejected Obama's appointment as Commerce secretary.

Obama recently named Jon Huntsman, the Republican governor of Utah, to serve as ambassador to China. He has experience in diplomatic posts and is fluent in Mandarin.

But the House's Republican caucus could stand to lose another seat without McHugh on the ballot. Obama carried McHugh's congressional district by a margin of 5 percentage points last yearafter former President George W. Bush carried the same district by 4 points at reelection in 2004. The governor of New York, David Paterson, must set a special election date to replace McHugh.

McHugh had easily won reelection to Congress after his initial overwhelming first victory in 1992. After Republicans gained control of the House in 1994, in his second term there he chaired a Government Reform subcommittee that ultimately led the overhaul of the U.S. Postal Service.

McHugh generally has been rated as a moderate on key votes in the House, according to the National Journal's rankings. He is a graduate of Utica College of Syracuse University, with a master's degree in public administration from the State University of New York at Albany.

Yemeni Dies At Guantanamo In Apparent Suicide

U.S. military officials say a Yemeni detainee at Guantanamo Bay has died of an "apparent suicide." The Joint Task Force that runs the U.S. prison in Cuba says guards found 31-year-old Muhammad Ahmad Abdallah Salih unresponsive and not breathing in his cell Monday night.

Cheney on gay marriage: 'People free'

Obama: GM Has "Chance To Rise Again"
Saying that a collapse of U.S. automakers would have been "devastating for countless Americans," President Barack Obama said General Motors' bankruptcy filing would give the "iconic company a chance to rise again."
Quotes of the Day
"He never signed up to be in the auto business. His election was about ending the culture wars. The old divisions were supposed to fade away. The economic mess? He inherited it. But with the final collapse of an industry...
Cheney on gay marriage: 'People free'

by Mark Silva

There's the national security side to Dick Cheney, noted hawk, and then there's the personal side, family man.

The former vice president, whose daughter Mary is gay, said today that people "ought to be free'' to enter into the union of their choice. He does not, however, support a federal law on marriage, but believes the question is best left to the states.

At the National Press Club today, where Cheney discussed the threat of terrorism after 9/11 and defended the Bush administration's interrogations and prosecution of the war against Iraq, the vice president also was asked about gay marriage, at a time when growing numbers of states, though still few, are legalizing same-sex marriages.

""I think that freedom means freedom for everyone," Cheney replied. "As many of you know, one of my daughters is gay, and it is something we have lived with for a long time in our family.

"I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish -- any kind of arrangement they wish,'' Cheney said. "The question of whether or not there ought to be a federal statute to protect this, I don't support. I do believe that, historically, the way marriage has been regulated is at the state level. It has always been a state issue, and I think that is the way it ought to be handled, on a state-by-state basis...

"But I don't have any problem with that,'' he said of the same-sex marriages that most of the states in New England, Iowa and the District of Columbia have authorized. "People ought to get a shot at that."

Although Mary Cheney, one of the former vice president's two daughters, who helped her father campaign for reelection, has been open about her life, her parents have been more protective of it.

During the 2004 campaign, in debate, the candidates for president were asked if they believe homosexuality is a choice. Then-President George W. Bush did not mention Mary Cheney, but Democratic rival John Kerry did.

The senator from Massachusetts, which since has legalized gay marriage, said: "If you were to talk to Dick Cheney's daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she's being who she was, she's being who she was born as."

Bush, during his second term, continued to speak of marriage as "a union between a man and a woman,'' but failed to gain any support for a federal marriage amendment.

But Cheney's wife Lynne made it clear in a post-debate rebuke before a crowd near Pittsburgh what she thought of Kerry's debate tactic. "The only thing I can conclude is he is not a good man. I'm speaking as a mom," she said. "What a cheap and tawdry political trick."

Staph Infection Keeps Sen. Byrd In Hospital

Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, who has served in the Senate longer than anyone in history, has developed a staph infection that has prolonged his stay in a Washington-area hospital. Byrd, a Democrat first elected in 1958, is 91.