Big Families Win Wars

Tough new air security crackdown begins today

(NEWSER) - In the toughest new airline security rules in history, all US-bound passengers from 14 nations considered state sponsors of terrorism or "countries of interest" will be patted down, and their carry-on baggage will be searched. The new rules will apply beginning today to travelers from Afghanistan, Algeria, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, MSNBC reports. More»

US faces leaders not 'ready' or 'able' to talk things out

(NEWSER) - The Obama administration wants to talk to countries like Afghanistan and North Korea—but you can’t make a deal with leaders who aren’t ready or able to make one, Thomas Friedman writes in the New York Times. The US is trying to employ classic diplomacy in an “age of pirates, failed states, nonstate actors, and nation-building—the stuff of snipers, drones, and generals, not diplomats.” More»

(NEWSER) - When President Obama unveils his strategy for Afghanistan tomorrow, he will for the first time ask Iran to help bring peace to the region, Marc Ambinder writes for the Atlantic. Obama may not mention Iran by name, but he will ask neighboring nations to form a group to mediate disputes and lay out long-term goals. “It will be clear, in any event, that Iran ought to be included in the group,” writes Ambinder. More»

Kid toll rises as Pakistan bomb kills 30 people

(NEWSER) - The toll of child victims in an Afghanistan suicide bombing yesterday has risen to 14, reports the Guardian. An exploding truck in eastern Afghanistan killed the children as they walked home from the last day of school for the year. There's no doubt the driver spotted the kids before detonating the bombs, apparently intended for a meeting of tribal elders, said officials. Bloodied textbooks and small shoes lay among the carnage. The explosions also killed a guard and soldier, and injured 58. More»

'I could have used different rhetoric' prez says on farewell swing

(NEWSER) - Looking back on his years in office, President Bush admitted yesterday he regrets using phrases like "bring 'em on,” and “dead or alive,” which “indicated to people that I was, you know, not a man of peace." In "retrospect I could have used a different tone, a different rhetoric," he tells the Times of London. More»