‘Era of open government’ behind information policy reversal

To expand openness and transparency, the Obama administration has rescinded a Bush administration standard on withholding government documents, Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday. All Obama administration departments and agencies will release documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act unless doing so is forbidden by law or would harm a government interest, Holder said.

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Dungeon trial: Fritzl changes plea to guilty on all charges

Josef Fritzl, who had been accused of keeping his daughter in a cellar for decades and fathering her seven children, changed his plea to guilty to all the charges made against him Wednesday in an Austrian court. Fritzl had already pleaded guilty to incest and other charges, but previously denied charges of murder and enslavement.

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Austrian to plead guilty to rape and incest, lawyer says

Josef Fritzl, the Austrian accused of keeping his daughter in a cellar for decades and fathering her seven children, will plead guilty to rape and incest when his trial opens Monday, Fritzl’s lawyer told CNN. However, Fritzl will deny other charge he faces: murder, enslavement and assault, attorney Rudolph Mayer said Sunday. The 73-year-old expects to spend the rest of his life in prison, Mayer added

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Talking with the Taliban: Obama Idea Draws Skepticism

Seeking alliances with more moderate Taliban elements against al-Qaeda is not a new idea in the Afghanistan-Pakistan context, but until now it is one that has typically drawn a skeptical response — from U.S. officials who have regularly cast doubt on the wisdom of Pakistan pursuing such agreements

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Leahy calls for ‘truth commission’ on torture

The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman called Wednesday for the establishment of a nonpartisan "commission of inquiry" to investigate allegations of wrongdoing against former Bush administration officials in their prosecution of the war on terrorism. Nothing “did more to damage America’s place in the world than the revelation that our great nation stretched the law and the bounds of executive power to authorize torture and cruel treatment,” Sen.

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Commentary: Lifting image ban respects war dead

The reversal of two decades of policy on images of returning war casualties is an important and welcome milestone for the American people. NEWARK, Delaware (CNN) — The reversal of two decades of policy on images of returning war casualties is an important and welcome milestone for the American people.

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