BP VP: Static Kill Has Better Chance of Success Than Top Kill

BP Senior Vice President, Kent Wells, said that he expects the planned ‘static kill’ to begin on Tuesday, and that the operation will fare better than the previous attempt to stop the oil, ‘top kill,’ because the cap prevents mud from escaping out the top of the well.  The ‘static kill’ oeration will take several days to complete, said Wells.

By Philip Bunnell

Police In Virginia May Now Check Immigration Status

Virgina Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) has authored a legal opinion that will allow law enforcement officials in the state to check the immigration status of those they stop or arrest. More in today’s Washington Post online…

Obama Promises to Bring Iraq War to "Responisble End"

President Barack Obama spoke today in Atlanta to the Disabled American Veterans, an event effectively marking the end of combat operations in Iraq, which is officially set to end on August 31.  Obama praised the troops and asked the nation to show respect for their sacrifice.  The president emphasized that his administration has “brought more than 90,000 of our troops home from Iraq,” making good on his campaign promise to bring the war to a close.  However, as the war in Iraq winds down, the war in Afghanistan is becoming increasingly more deadly to American troops.  Obama asked for support for the war in Afghanistan, saying, “if Afghanistan were to be engulfed by an even wide insurgency, al Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates would have even more space to plan their next attack,” and that “as President of the United States, I refuse to let that happen.”

-Philip Bunnell

Fed. Judge Refuses to Dismiss VA Healthcare Lawsuit

A federal judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Virginia Republican Attorney Gen. Ken Cuccinelli II which challenges the constitutionality of the recent healthcare reform bill signed into law in March.  The lawsuit was filed immediately after President Obama signed the bill on March 22, citing that the federal law conflicts with a Virginia law which mandates that residents do not have to buy health insurance.

By Philip Bunnell

Ban Ki-moon Has High Hopes for Israeli Flotilla Raid Panel

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement today praising a new panel formed to investigate the May 31 raid on an Gaza-bound aid flotilla by Israeli forces.  The flotilla originated in Turkey, and the raid heightened diplomatic tensions between Turkey and Israel.  Ban Ki-moon says that he hopes the panel’s findings will strengthen relations between the two countries.

by Philip Bunnell