Mexico to Boost Tapping of Phones and E-Mail with U.S. Aid – Mexico is expanding its ability to tap telephone calls and e-mail using money from the U.S. government, a move that underlines how the country’s conservative government is increasingly willing to cooperate with the United States on law enforcement. The expansion comes as President Felipe Calderon is pushing to amend the Mexican Constitution to allow officials to tap phones without a judge’s approval in some cases. Calderon argues that the government needs the authority to combat drug gangs, which have killed hundreds of people this year.
Administration Ignored Intelligence Report That Predicted Post-War Chaos in Iraq – Prior to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, the nation’s intelligence services warned the president that a military invasion of Iraq would fuel Islamist extremism and provide an opportunity for al Qaeda and Iran to exploit post-invasion disorder there, according to a new report released Friday. The report undercuts several of President Bush’s key justifications for invading Iraq and exposes the extent to which the chaos the US currently finds itself in was predicted with often chilling accuracy.
Regards,
Jim