VOLUME No: 79 Issue No:4

Washington, D.C. October 28, 2005

Libby Indicted Friday, Karl Rove was not

Lewis Libby Jr., chief of staff for Vice-President Dick Cheney, was indicted on Friday on charges of lying and obstruction of justice in an inquiry into the unmasking of a covert C.I.A . officer. Mr. Libby was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of obstruction, two counts of perjury, and two of making false statements in the course of an investigation that raised questions about the administration's rationale for going to war against Iraq, how it treats critics and political opponents, and whether high White House officials shaded the truth. Mr. Libby resigned just before the indictment was handed up. The charges are all felonies, and could spell political ruin for the 55-year-old lawyer, unless the charges are dismissed or he is acquitted. Karl Rove, President Bush's senior advisor and deputy chief of staff, who is also under investigation by special counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald, was not charged today but will remain under investigation.

Miers Withdraws Nomination

Bush's nominee for Supreme Court justice, Harriet Miers, withdrew her nomination on Thursday after weeks of criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike. Miers didn't even make it to the Senate Judiciary Committee for the chance to get a hearing. Conservatives, many of whom didn't support Miers from the start claiming that not enough about her background was known, were elated at the news as were many Democrats.

Iraqi Sunnis Submit List of Candidates for December Elections

A Sunni Arab coalition submitted its list of candidates for the December election Friday, joining other political factions in the race and signaling hope for greater Sunni participation in the Iraqi reconstruction political process. Getting more Iraqis on board will help to speed the process, Washington hopes, and bring the day when U.S. soldiers can go home a little sooner. This news comes as the U.S. death toll in Iraq hit 2000 this week, a further blow to U.S. morale and producing more doubts about U.S. operations in the war-ravaged country.

The U.S. is Stepping Up Campaign Against North Korea

The Bush administration is urging nations from China to the former Soviet Union to deny overflight rights to aircraft that the United States says are carrying weapons technology. The call is part of the Bush administrations' expansion of what it calls ''defensive measures'' against North Korea, according to two senior administration officials. The move is showing a crackdown on weapons technology which the U.S. hopes will send a warning to other potentially dangerous nations.