GARETH PORTER, porter.gareth50 at gmail.com, ipsnews.net Porter is an investigative journalist and historian specializing in U.S. national security policy. He said today: “The U.S. could have had bin Laden delivered to another Islamic country or to the Organization of Islamic Conference in Saudi Arabia for a trial in mid-October 2001 but wouldn’t deal with the…

Dr. SAEED AL SHEHABI, mrsam13 at hotmail.com General secretary of the Bahrain Freedom Movement, Al Shehabi said today: “We were able to prevent the crown prince from attending the royal wedding by stating that his attendance would be considered backing of human rights violations that are taking place in Bahrain. Now the attendance of the…

ROBERT WEISSMAN, via Barbara Holzer, bholzer at citizen.org, Dorry Samuels, dsamuels at citizen.org President of Public Citizen, Weissman said today: “ExxonMobil and Shell today announced skyrocketing profits, as did BP yesterday, and as Chevron will tomorrow. The reason is simple: Prices at the gas pump are jumping, even though the cost of drilling hasn’t changed…

Reuters reports this morning: “President Barack Obama will nominate CIA director Leon Panetta as defense secretary and Army General David Petraeus as head of the American spy agency, officials said on Wednesday.” MELVIN A. GOODMAN, goody789 at verizon.net, , http://mel-goodman.dailykos.com Goodman is senior fellow at the Center for International Policy. His most recent book is…

Politico reported Monday: “A whistleblower group is calling on the EPA to fire its civil rights director in response to allegedly sexist and racist remarks he’s made involving ‘pink elephants’ and Rosa Parks. “The National Whistleblowers Center sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson on Wednesday demanding the immediate dismissal of Rafael DeLeon, director…

Numerous media outlets — including McClatchy, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The New York Times and NPR — are now releasing information from classified files originally obtained via WikiLeaks on more than 700 past and present Guantanamo detainees. LOGAN PRICE, logan — at — bradleymanning.org, @kstrel, bradleymanning.org Late last week, Price questioned President Obama at…

KATHY KELLY, kathy at vcnv.org JOSHUA BROLLIER, joshua at vcnv.org Kelly and Brollier are with Voices for Creative Nonviolence. Kelly was recently in Afghanistan and today will be participating in a demonstration at a drone command base in New York. VCRN just put out a statement condemning “the hypocrisy and immorality of the United States…

WILL POTTER, will at willpotter.com Author of the new book “Green Is the New Red: An Insider’s Account of a Social Movement Under Siege,” Potter said today: “With Earth Day approaching, everyone is talking about ‘going green.’ But most people are unaware that anti-terrorism resources are being used to target environmentalists and animal rights activists.…

AFP is reporting today: “Moqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday blasted a ban on public rallies in the Iraqi capital, saying it was ‘undemocratic’ and based on fear of rising protests. “Iraq’s government announced last week demonstrations would be allowed only at three football stadiums, ostensibly because shopkeepers in the city’s main Tahrir Square complained of losing…

T. Boone Pickens and Ted Turner speak at the National Press Club this afternoon. At 10 a.m. ET, a group of environmentalists and scientists are holding a conference call to expose what’s behind Pickens’ plans. For more information, contact: Kate Fried, Food & Water Watch Food & Water Watch reports: “Congress’s upcoming consideration of the…