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Tuesday

Supreme Court Throws Out Suit Against Ashcroft

Abdullah al-Kidd (right) and his attorney, Lee Gelernt, on Feb 14. Al-Kidd has lost his bid to sue then-Attorney General John Ashcroft for alleged violations of Kidd's rights when he was arrested in 2003. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption

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Damian Dovarganes/AP

Law

Supreme Court Throws Out Suit Against Ashcroft

The court ruled the former attorney general cannot be sued for his role in the post-Sept. 11 arrest of an American Muslim. Abdullah al-Kidd was detained as a material witness two years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, even though he had cooperated with the FBI and was never charged with a crime.

Supreme Court Throws Out Suit Against Ashcroft

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Al-Qaida's Paper Trail: A 'Treasure Trove' For U.S.

Al-Qaida is known to keep meticulous records. Experts say that's the influence of Osama bin Laden, shown in 1998, who was obsessed with documenting everything. Rahimullah Yousafzai/AP hide caption

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Rahimullah Yousafzai/AP

Osama Bin Laden Killed

Al-Qaida's Paper Trail: A 'Treasure Trove' For U.S.

From its earliest days, al-Qaida leaders insisted on receipts for everything from floppy disks to explosives. Experts say that was the influence of Osama bin Laden, who earned an undergraduate degree in economics and public administration. That obsession with record-keeping has come back to haunt the organization.

Al-Qaida's Paper Trail: A 'Treasure Trove' For U.S.

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Monday

National

Gates: Defense Cuts Will Shrink U.S. Role Worldwide

Defense secretary Robert Gates is expected to step down next month. In what may have been his final policy speech last week, he leveled a warning to Congress and the White House — deep cuts in the Pentagon's budget will mean both a smaller military, and a diminished U.S. role around the world. In a column at ForeignPolicy.com, Stephen Walt argued, that's not necessarily a bad thing: "We should be focusing a lot more attention on long-term capacity building than fighting costly wars in places that don't matter very much (like Afghanistan)."

Gates: Defense Cuts Will Shrink U.S. Role Worldwide

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Friday

Rand Paul, Tea Party Ask: What About Privacy?

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks during a Tea Party Town Hall meeting in February at the National Press Club in Washington. The freshman lawmaker is being hailed by civil libertarians for putting privacy concerns over the Patriot Act back in the spotlight. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

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Alex Wong/Getty Images

Politics

Rand Paul, Tea Party Ask: What About Privacy?

The freshman senator from Kentucky emerged this week as the prominent voice against Patriot Act surveillance provisions. He battled leaders of both parties to consider the impact of the measure on Americans' privacy.

Obama Wields His ... Autopen?

President Obama's signature. Chuck Kennedy/The White House hide caption

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Chuck Kennedy/The White House

Politics

Obama Wields His ... Autopen?

The long-distance signature machine has its critics, but it had a great admirer in Thomas Jefferson and was found to produce a valid presidential signature during the George W. Bush administration. Now, it has signed an extension of the USA Patriot Act into law.

Obama Wields His ... Autopen?

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Patriot Act Extension Came Down To The Wire

Congress scrambled to renew three controversial provisions of the anti-terror Patriot Act that otherwise would have expired at midnight Thursday. Minutes before that deadline, President Obama was awakened in France; there he ordered an automated signing into law of the four-year extension.

Patriot Act Extension Came Down To The Wire

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Wednesday

Bin Laden's Death Alters Debate Over Afghanistan

Members of the Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment watch as a massive dust storm is just seconds away from enveloping Patrol Base Fires in Sangin District, Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. Roughly 100,000 service members are in Afghanistan, and their future there is being newly considered in Washington after the death of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption

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David Gilkey/NPR

World

Bin Laden's Death Alters Debate Over Afghanistan

Different schools of thought can be found all over Washington — whether U.S. forces should press harder than before, leave immediately or try to reconcile with Taliban leaders. In any case the U.S. will need Pakistan's help, analysts say, but its commitment to tackling terrorism is being debated.

Bin Laden's Death Alters Debate Over Afghanistan

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Monday

Politics

Making It Official: Hunting Al-Qaida Worldwide

A House bill that would authorize the Obama administration to attack al-Qaida and its associates everywhere will be the focus of debate on the floor this week. The death of Osama bin Laden is helping to fuel the idea. Liberal groups worry it would make the U.S. the master of the world.

Making It Official: Hunting Al-Qaida Worldwide

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Law

Chicago Trial To Put Pakistan Spy Agency On The Spot

Pakistani-Canadian Tahawwur Rana is accused of helping facilitate the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. But in the lead up to his trial, the focus hasn't been on Rana's guilt or innocence: It's been on Pakistan.

Chicago Trial To Put Pakistan Spy Agency On The Spot

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Tuesday

Area 51 'Uncensored': Was It UFOs Or The USSR?

Area 51, seen from above, in 1968. U.S. Geological Survey hide caption

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U.S. Geological Survey

Author Interviews

Area 51 'Uncensored': Was It UFOs Or The USSR?

Fresh Air

Area 51 is classified to the point that its very existence is denied by the U.S. government. Journalist Annie Jacobsen says it's not because of aliens or spaceships — but because the government used the site for nuclear testing and weapons development.

Area 51 'Uncensored': Was It UFOs Or The USSR?

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Thomas Drake Faces Espionage Charges

Former NSA executive Thomas Drake stands accused of being an enemy of the state and faces charges related to espionage and revealing secret government information. Drake claims he is a whistle-blower who followed the rules and that the government is out for revenge, not justice.

Thomas Drake Faces Espionage Charges

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Monday

Two U.S. Terrorism Cases Have Ties To Pakistan

Hafiz Khan, the imam of the Miami Mosque, also known as Flagler Mosque (pictured), was arrested Saturday along with two of his sons. They, along with three others, were charged with allegedly providing money and support to the Pakistani Taliban. This case, along with another in Chicago linked to the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India, places U.S.-Pakistani ties under intense scrutiny. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Law

Two U.S. Terrorism Cases Have Ties To Pakistan

One involves a Chicago businessman who stands accused of helping plot the 2008 attacks on Mumbai, India. The other case is in Miami, where two local imams and several family members were charged with allegedly providing money and support to the Pakistani Taliban. The cases come as the U.S. relationship with Pakistan is under scrutiny.

Two U.S. Terrorism Cases Have Ties To Pakistan

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Saturday

One Last Battle: Spinning Bin Laden's Legacy

A still image from video footage released by the U.S. Department of Defense shows Osama bin Laden watching himself on TV. Rex Features/AP hide caption

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Rex Features/AP

Osama Bin Laden Killed

One Last Battle: Spinning Bin Laden's Legacy

Almost as important as finding and killing the al-Qaida leader was what came afterward: telling the story of the operation in such a way that U.S. interests were advanced. Strategic communication efforts have not always been handled all that skillfully, and managing this story was no exception.

One Last Battle: Spinning Bin Laden's Legacy

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