Security Progress in Iraq Better, But 'Fragile and Reversible'
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Gen. David Petraeus, updating the Senate Armed Services Committee on the security situation in Iraq Tuesday morning, said in the past seven months -- since Petraeus last appeared before Congress -- there has been "significant but uneven security progress" in Iraq. "Since September, levels of violence and civilian deaths have been reduced substantially; al Qaeda-Iraq and a number of other extremist elements have been dealt serious blows; the capabilities of Iraqi security force elements have grown; and there has been noteworthy involvement of local Iraqis and local security," Petraeus said. "Nonetheless, the situation in certain areas is still unsatisfactory, and innumerable challenges remain."

Veterans, Senators Rally for General Petraeus
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Despite the damp weather, several hundred combat veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars gathered on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol early Tuesday morning, to show their support for the commanding general of the Multi-National Forces in Iraq, David Petreaus. The rally was sponsored by Vets for Freedom, a group of combat veterans that says it aims to educate the public "about the importance of achieving success in Iraq and Afghanistan and to compel Congress to listen to the Generals on the ground."

Greenspan endorses McCain
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The economy has become increasingly important in the U.S. presidential campaign, topping the list of voters' concerns heading into the November election. Greenspan, the U.S. Fed chairman from 1987 to 2006, endorsed the Republican presidential candidate John McCain in the interview.

Lance Corporal James McCain, USMC: More than just a Senator’s Son
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In his 71 years, Mr. McCain has confronted war as a pilot, a prisoner and a United States senator, but never before as a father. His son’s departure for Iraq brought him the same worry that every military parent feels, friends say, while the young marine’s experiences there have given him a sustained grunt’s-eye view of the action and private confirmation for his argument that United States strategy in Iraq is working. Born in 1988, the third of John and Cindy McCain’s children, Lance Corporal Jimmy McCain of the United States Marine Corps inherited his father’s features and slight build, outrageous humor and family tradition of military service that stretches back to the Revolutionary War. His grandfather and great-grandfather were the first parent and son to achieve four-star admiral status in Naval history. McCain joined the Marines in 2006 at the age of 17.

Poll: Majority of Americans believe McCain Best Commander-in-Chief
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Americans say Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the presumed Republican presidential nominee, would be a better commander-in-chief than the Democratic candidates: Sens. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) or Barack Obama (Ill.), according to a new poll.??The poll by the Everett Group found that 51 percent of Americans think McCain would be a better commander-in-chief than Clinton, at 32 percent. When asked about Obama and McCain, the survey found that 53 percent favored McCain while 35 percent viewed Obama as a better commander-in-chief.

McCain has ‘work to do’ with gun owners
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If Sen. John McCain expects the support of gun owners in this year’s presidential race, the Arizona Republican must make an effort to overcome some decisions the National Rifle Association (NRA) has found troubling. “John McCain still has some work to do to give them a comfort level,” Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA, said during an interview with The Hill. “Truth be told, he’s not there yet.”

Obama - The Neville Chamberlain of our time
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Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Tuesday called for a "diplomatic surge" including talks with US foe Iran. Chamberlain's legacy is marked by his policy regarding the appeasement of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany with his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding part of Czechoslovakia to Hitler. After the meeting with Hitler, Chamberlain stated, “It was peace in our time.” As a result, Chamberlain was forced to resign the premiership in 1940, after Germany invaded the Netherlands, Belgium and France.

Iran Tests Advanced Centrifuge
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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced major progress in Iran's push for nuclear power, saying Tuesday that his nation was installing thousands of new uranium-enriching centrifuges and testing a much faster version of the device. The United States and Britain quickly condemned it, and France warned Iran could face more sanctions. But Russia, an ally of Iran, dismissed the need for that, saying negotiators were preparing a new package of incentives aimed at persuading Iran to freeze uranium enrichment.

U.S. House Bill Could Be Biggest Bonanza in History For Population Control Movement
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The liberal-controlled Congress’ new version of PEPFAR is likely to be a disaster for the global pro-life and pro-family movement. Life and family advocates should take notice: we could be on the verge of losing an entire continent to the Culture of Death. Republican Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri is mincing no words about this bill. According to the Cybercast News Service, he is calling it a "blank check for abortionists abroad." As a result of this bill the U.S. will finance billions of dollars in federal monies in a culture of death abroad. Your taxes at work!

The evolution of CyberCrime Inc.
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Electronic crime is maturing, according to security experts, and with its evolution, clever criminals are adopting conventional approaches that reflect cold business sense - from supermarket-style pricing to outsourcing to specialists acting as portfolio managers, coders, launchers, miners, washers and minders of infected "zombie" computers. In the United States alone, victims of reported Internet fraud lost $239 million in 2007, with average losses running about $2,530 per complaint recorded by a special Web-based hot line operated by the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, a nonprofit corporation focusing on electronic crime.

Is your wallet leaking your personal data?
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The latest accessory popping up in travel magazines: metal-lined wallets. Their purpose is to prevent digital pickpocketing by blocking radio frequencies. The issue is bigger than just the new style of passports, which contain chips that emit information that can be read by a scanner. We're also talking about your employee ID/building access card, your automatic highway toll pass, your public transportation card, the newest wave of credit cards and gas purchasing cards, even digital drivers' licenses being developed in some states. All of these nifty bits of plastic employ versions of radio frequency identification technology, or RFID. That is, they toss out bits of data that are caught by receivers, with little or no contact, just through the air in some cases. But according to some security gurus, even when there is no receiver in the vicinity, your digital secrets are leaking from the cards in your wallet, like sound from a radio that you can't turn off.

Absolut apologizes for vodka ad
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The Absolut vodka company apologized Saturday for an ad campaign depicting the southwestern U.S. as part of Mexico amid angry calls for a boycott by U.S. consumers.

Absolut's new campaign: Celebrate homosexuality
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Calling itself the "preferred brand of vodka for gay and lesbian consumers," the Absolut Spirits Co. says it's targeting homosexuals for the first time with a campaign "embracing both the humorous and socially conscious." One new ad, called "Ruler," takes "a humorous look at gay men and their fascination with perfect, eight-inch 'member' measurements," the company says.

Three Kids? You Showoffs.
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And yet nowadays, people seem aghast if a couple wants more than two children. When Elana Sigall, a 43-year-old attorney was pregnant with her third, people came up to her constantly, she said, to admonish her: "You've got a boy and a girl already. Why don't you just leave it alone?" What's worse, the desire to have another child opens one up to charges of elitism and status consciousness. In many major U.S. cities and their suburbs having three or more children has now come to seem like an ostentatious display of good fortune. The family of five has become "deluxe." Last year, novelist Molly Jong-Fast mused, "Are people having four or five children just because they can?” How selfish!

Father Frank on Abortion
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Father Frank Pavone, Executive Director of Priests for Life explains a dismemberment abortion.

National Right to Life Endorses McCain
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The National Right to Life Committee has announced it is supporting eventual Republican nominee John McCain for president. Officials from the prominent pro-life group told LifeNews.com the difference on abortion compared with the pro-abortion Democratic candidates is significant. ??The announcement of support came after a unanimous vote of the group's board of directors. "National Right to Life supports Senator John McCain for election as President of the United States and strongly opposes both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and urges all pro-life citizens to do likewise," the group told LifeNews.com.

Komen Gave Planned Parenthood Abortion Businesses Over $700K Last Year
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A new report from a Planned Parenthood watchdog finds chapters of the Komen Race for the Cure breast cancer group gave affiliates of the national abortion business over $700,000 last fiscal year. Komen representatives also appeared to be "more concerned about assisting women after they had contracted breast cancer, than informing them to avoid breast cancer risk by avoiding abortions and having [an] early, full term pregnancy." This is an appalling lack of concern for the women the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is supposed to be helping.

LA considers global warming tax
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To fight global warming, a bill in Sacramento would enable Los Angeles County transit officials to increase taxes on motorists. It's a bad idea that may foreshadow even worse to come. Billed as a "climate change mitigation and adaptation fee," the measure would cost motorists either an additional 3 percent motor fuel tax, or up to a $90 annual flat fee, based on vehicle emissions. The new charges would be on top of taxes already paid at the pump. Either option requires a majority approval by a vote of the people.

The Birth of Freedom
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The Acton Institute is featuring the World Premiere of "The Birth of Freedom" which will be coming to theatres this summer. It is the story on how Christianity has born freedom throughout the world and the dangers that lurk around the corner is we give up on faith.

Crime Skyrockets in Italy due to prisoner release program
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Less than two years ago, Italy's prison system faced a crisis: Built to hold 43,000 inmates, it was straining to contain more than 60,000.So the government crafted an emergency plan. It swung open the prison doors and let more than a third of the inmates go free. Within months, bank robberies jumped by 20%. Kidnappings and fraud also rose, as did computer crime, arson and purse-snatchings. Italy's 2006 prisoner pardon -- which so far has allowed 27,000 inmates to go free -- worked something like a discount coupon. It lopped three years off every prison sentence, except ones for terrorism, Mafia-related crimes and a few others. A previous law already allowed anyone serving less than three years to perform community service instead of going to jail. So now, just about anyone sentenced to six years in jail doesn't have to serve a day.

Presidential Primary Results
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Republicans – Delegates – 1,191 Delegates Needed
McCain is the Republican nominee.
Democrats – Delegates – 2,025 Delegates Needed
Obama - 1640 Clinton – 1503