World:
Musharraf declares emergency in Pakistan
Gen. Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan on Saturday, suspending the constitution, replacing the chief justice before a crucial Supreme Court ruling on his future as president, and cutting communications in the capital. [think it can't happen here? Do you remember this?]

His leadership threatened by an increasingly defiant court and an Islamic movement that has spread to Islamabad, Musharraf's emergency order accused some judges of "working at cross purposes with the executive" and "weakening the government's resolve" to fight terrorism.

Seven of the 17 Supreme Court judges immediately rejected the emergency, which suspended the current constitution. Police blocked entry to the Supreme Court building and later took the deposed chief justice and other judges away in a convoy, witnesses said.

U.S. disrupts al-Qaida operations by freezing financial assets
For years the three Saudi men had worked as a loosely organized team, according to US intelligence. They'd funneled thousands of dollars in cash – and non-monetary help such as Al Qaeda training manuals – to Islamist militants in the Philippines.

At one point they'd even paid $18,000 for an operation to blow up the US or Australian embassies in Manila, allege US officials. But Philippine authorities disrupted the plot before it could be realized. Get more info here.

Petraeus Personally Introduces Disgraced Ahmed Chalabi To U.S. Troops
On Sunday, McClatchy reported that disgraced Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi had “re-emerged as a central figure” in the U.S. strategy for Iraq. His latest job: to press Iraq’s government to “deliver better electricity, health, education and local security services to Baghdad,” as “the next phase” of the escalation.

Today, Blackanthem.com reports that Petraeus has been trumpeting his new alliance with Chalabi, introducing him to U.S. troops serving in Iraq:

Gen. David Petraeus, commanding general, Multi-National Force-Iraq, Dr. Ahmad Chalabi, director of services in Iraq, and Dr. Safi Al-Sheik, director of the Iraqi National Reconciliation Committee, met with Soldiers and leaders of the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga., who are operating in the Arab Jabour area.

OPEC says pumping more won't bring oil price down
Representatives from top oil producing countries Tuesday blamed the steady advance of oil toward $100 a barrel on a combination of financial speculation, geopolitical instability and a shortfall in refining capacity.

The president of OPEC, Mohammed bin Dhaen al-Hamli, who is also the oil minister of the United Arab Emirates, pledged to keep markets amply supplied. But at an oil industry conference in London, he said there was only so much OPEC could do in the current circumstances to keep a lid on prices.

"Increasingly oil markets are being driven by forces beyond OPEC's control, such as geopolitical events and the growing influence of financial investors," Hamli said. "We are of course concerned about the high level of oil prices." Read the whole story here.

National:
Immunity deals 'routine' for contractors Limited immunity has been routinely offered to private security contractors involved in shootings in Iraq, State Department officials said Tuesday, denying such actions jeopardized criminal prosecution of Blackwater USA guards accused of killing 17 Iraqi civilians.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack declined to discuss specifics of the agency's role in the investigation, but said any immunity deals should not stop the Justice Department from prosecuting.

"It's up to the investigators and prosecutors to determine what kind of case they have ... and ultimately whether to bring prosecution," McCormack told reporters. Details...

Kucinich Doubts Bush's Stability
Dem hopeful says 'something wrong' with President's mental state following Bush comments about Iran and World War III. All this while Kucinich confirmed seeing an unidentified flying object at the Washington state home of actress Shirley MacLaine. He said, with a smile, he would open a campaign office in Roswell, New Mexico, home to many alleged UFO sightings.

Dollar Dives After Fed Rate Cut
The dollar skidded to a new low against the euro Wednesday while the British pound broke through $2.08 after the Federal Reserve lowered a key interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 4.5 percent.

The Canadian dollar bought more than $1.06 for the first time since 1957. The 13-nation euro soared to $1.4503, its fourth new high in as many trading days, while the British pound bought $2.0813, after having hit a high of $2.0822 Wednesday. More Info

Donald Rumsfeld’s “snowflake” memos
Rummy's memos to his staff instructed his staff to link IRAQ to IRAN, use "bumper sticker statements" retaliated against reporters who wrote unfavorably about the occupation of Iraq and commented that Muslims are lazy. "Too often Muslims are against physical labor, so they bring in Koreans and Pakistanis while their young people remain unemployed.” The White House said that Rummy’s views are not in line with the president’s views.

In Other News..
'Private Note to Bush from Hagel Calls For Direct, Unconditional, Comprehensive Talks with Iran'

Ralph Nader Sues Democratic Party...

Pentagon providing Turkey with intelligence on Kurdish rebels

Pakistani police detain 500 activists

U.S. urges Islamabad to restore democracy [you know...the kind that uses a military coup to jump-start it I imagine]

GAO: Reduction In Violence Due To ‘Ethnically Cleansed Neighborhoods’ In Iraq

Lawyers And Police Clash In Pakistan, Hundreds Detained

North Korea to begin disabling nuclear facilities Shutdown

Report: Hezbollah guerrillas stage secret military maneuvers

From The Right: Robert Bluey: Bush's Bold Veto Congressional Republicans have tried hard this year to reclaim the GOP's traditional "brand" as the party of fiscal responsibility. They're about to face a test that will show whether their rhetoric matches reality.

From The Left: Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Helene Cooper: In Pakistan, Officials See Few Options for US For more than five months the United States has been trying to orchestrate a political transition in Pakistan that would manage to somehow keep General Pervez Musharraf in power without making a mockery of President Bush's promotion of democracy in the Muslim world. On Saturday, those carefully laid plans fell apart spectacularly.

Quote Of The Day: “I’ve got a grandson that would make a wonderfully able public servant if he ran, George P.,” ... “And Pierce, Neil’s son. They have an interest in politics.” George H. W. Bush watch it here

(Sources: ChristianScienceMonitor, AP, FoxNews, Int'lHeraldTribune, Breitbart, ThinkProgress, TownHall, YouTube, McClatchy, BlackAnthem, WashingtonTimes, TruthOut, CapitalHillBlue, WashingtonNote)