Today's coverage agenda: car dealers, Pelosi, Obamas, nukes, Netanyahu
Here is the lineup we're working on today:
In US news ...
• Jeremy Kutner talks to Chrysler dealers among the 789 getting closure notices today from Chrysler headquarters.
• Speaker Pelosi, embattled over accusations that she didn't do all she should have to check harsh interrogations of terror suspects, has come back swinging at her critics – even accusing the CIA of lying. Gail Chaddock looks at how much has her leadership been damaged by the torture flap?
• A US appeals court finding that police can use GPS devices to track suspects’ travels – without a warrant or other judicial approval – represents an expansion of police powers and, by the judges’ own admission, is possibly a “troublesome” invasion of privacy. Yvonne Zipp probes where the law stands, beyond that one judicial district, on the issue of GPS use in law enforcement.
• After hearing Secretary of Education Arne Duncan deliver the commencement address, Stacy Teicher Khadaroo talks to graduating seniors and their parents at St. Michael’s College in Vermont about higher education and money.
• Mark Guarino is reporting on priests and devout Catholics objecting to Obama giving the commencement address at Notre Dame, and exploring whether Obama's policies on abortion and stem-cell research are starting to cost him some Catholic support.
• The Obama administration plans to resume military commissions to try the Guantanamo detainees, after making some modifications to the rules of evidence. It’s yet another step closer to Bush administration policies on handling of terrorism suspects, and Peter Grier finds that so far it is satisfying no one.
• Mike Farrell sets the scene for Michelle Obama’s commencement speech at the University of California, Merced. That she accepted the invitation over more elite colleges is part of the new first lady’s effort to broaden her appeal. Her strategy so far is working.
• James Gimpel has studied which Patchwork Nation community types across the country tend to read the most blogs.
In world news ...
• Ben Arnoldy in Pakistan looks at how safe Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are. He is finding that while the Taliban may not break into military headquarters to launch the bomb any time soon, it may be stealing the loyalties of well-placed engineers and scientists who could someday spill important secrets.
• James Marson is writing from Ukraine, where financial meltdown and political gridlock are raising concerns that radicalism could gain more traction.
• Tom Peter looks at Benjamin Netanyahu's new gambit to achieve “unprecedented cooperation” between Israelis and Arabs to contain the Iranian threat. Skeptics among Middle East analysts say Netanyahu’s Iran focus may be an attempt to divert attention from the peace process.
• Israel’s entry into the annual Eurovision competition raised eyebrows (and some controversy) this year with their Jewish-Arab singing duo. Josh Mitnick writes that on the eve of the competition, it seems as if the performers have a political statement contrary to Israel's current policy.
