Truthout roundup 5/30

Truthout's Matt Renner on the controversial "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007"; former prosecutors ask judge to force Miers and Bolton to testify before Congress; Army announces that suicides have reached record levels; Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are urging super delegates to declare; 34 convicted for Guantanamo protest at Supreme Court; and more ... Browse our continually updating front page at http://www.truthout.org

Matt Renner Internet Attacked as Tool of Terror
http://www.truthout.org/article/internet-attacked-tool-terror Matt Renner, of Truthout: "A controversial plan to study and profile domestic terrorism was scrapped after popular push back, however, the spirit of the legislation lives on in Senator Joe Lieberman's office. HR 1955, 'The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007' passed the House in October 2007 with almost unanimous support. The bill immediately came under fire from civil liberties watchdogs because of what many saw as a deliberate targeting of Muslims and Arabs and the possible chilling effect it might have on free speech."

Former Prosecutors Challenge White House Immunity Claim
http://www.truthout.org/article/former-prosecutors-challenge-white-house-immunity-claim Marisa Taylor, of McClatchy Newspapers: "Twenty former US attorneys, both Republicans and Democrats, urged a federal judge Thursday to intervene in a constitutional battle over whether two White House officials should be forced to testify before Congress about the firings of nine US attorneys. The former top prosecutors, including two who served under President Bush, argue in court papers that the judge should reject the Bush administration's assertion of blanket immunity for presidential chief of staff Joshua Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers in the congressional investigation."

US Army Suicides Highest in 2007
http://www.truthout.org/article/us-army-suicides-highest-2007 David Morgan, of Reuters: "The US Army on Thursday said suicides among active duty troops in 2007 had reached the highest level on record, due partly to the stress caused by deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army announced that 115 soldiers, including 22 National Guard and Army Reserve troops, killed themselves last year. That marked a 12.7 percent rise from the 102 suicides recorded in 2006. There were 85 Army suicides in 2005."

Leaders in Congress Seek to Settle on Nominee
http://www.truthout.org/article/leaders-congress-seek-settle-nominee Carl Hulse, of The New York Times: "Hoping to bring their party's presidential nomination fight to an end, the two top Democrats in Congress said they were pressing superdelegates who had yet to declare a preference in the race to make their choice public by the middle of next week. Party officials said Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, had been contacting uncommitted superdelegates, encouraging them to prepare to go public and resolve any last question about the contest between Senators Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York."

Thirty-Four Convicted in Guantanamo Protest Case
http://www.truthout.org/article/34-convicted-guantanamo-protest-case Keith L. Alexander, of The Washington Post: "Thirty-four people were convicted yesterday of misdemeanor charges stemming from a demonstration at the Supreme Court in January in which they decried conditions at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. DC Superior Court Judge Wendell P. Gardner Jr. said the demonstrators violated the law by protesting at the plaza of the Supreme Court, where such activities are banned. He rejected arguments that they were practicing free speech when they marched to the plaza, despite warnings from police, carrying banners and wearing T-shirts saying 'Shut down Guantanamo.'"