A single phrase book-ended former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s announcement speech for the 2012 presidential race: “Believe in America.”

Those three words, which Romney uttered in the opening moments of his address in Stratham, New Hampshire Thursday and which he repeated in its closing sentences, typified the broader message of Romney’s speech — a message that although times are hard now, brighter days are ahead. In adopting such a message, Romney was — whether intentionally or not — channeling the rhetoric of Ronald Reagan, the ur-president for Republican primary voters. The similarities between Romney’s announcement speech and Reagan’s 1980 announcement speech are everywhere.

The Guardian: Mitt Romney announces intention to run in 2012 US presidential race

A senior Iranian lawmaker has rapped Israel for making hollow threats about joint international action against Iran's nuclear program, warning Tel Aviv of Tehran's firm response.

Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Moshe Ya'alon said on Monday that the world must take joint action to halt Iran's nuclear activities, including a pre-emptive strike, if necessary. The former chief of staff of the Israeli army called on the world to realize what he called “nuclear threat posed by Iran” and noted that it could conduct a “pre-emptive strike” on Tehran. Spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) Kazem Jalali said that Israel will never dare to mount an attack on Iran, stressing that in case of such a move, the Israeli regime must definitely expect a “crushing and firm” response from the Islamic Republic.

PressTV: Meir Dagan: Israel attack on Iran means regional war

Fear is driving Israelis to obtain foreign passports.

The numbers are climbing rapidly and the phenomenon is intriguing: Many Israelis are longing for a second passport. If Shimon Peres (now president ) once promised "a car for every worker," a second passport is now becoming the object of desire. If our forefathers dreamt of an Israeli passport, there are those among us who are now dreaming of a foreign passport. It should not be condemned, though. It reflects a mood, a natural and understandable consequence of the real and imagined fears that have been sown here.

PressTV: Israel to evict 30,000 Palestinians
AWIP: The Ethnic Cleansing Continues: Israel Demolishes Eight Palestinian Homes, Shelters, Wells in Five Days

Despite growing doubts about the effectiveness of the conflict and international efforts to broker a ceasefire, NATO announced today that it is extending the war in Libya for an additional 90 days.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the move was important because it “sends a clear message to the Gadhafi regime: we are determined to continue our operation.” Officials justified the move as retaliation after South African President Jacob Zuma failed to negotiate Gadhafi’s departure from the country.

The announcement will also send a message to the rebels, however, that NATO intends to continue its ill-conceived war indefinitely. This may make efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in the conflict, which has been essentially stalemated since April, all but impossible.

It was also usher in a growing humanitarian disaster in western Libya, where the United Nations is reporting that food and medicine are in short supply. With NATO promising to continue bombing this half of the country for another 90 days, it seems that this will only get worse going forward.

Boehner Concerned Vote Demanding End to War Might 'Adversely Effect' War.

For a nation in a state of perpetual war, antiwar votes are a time honored tradition giving the antiwar Congressmen a chance to act like they’re accomplishing something and their more jingoistic brethren a chance to give flag-waving speeches denouncing the resolution as treason. All that changed last week when one of those run-of-the-mill Afghan votes came within 9 members of passing. The House had also been promising a vote sometime this week on a resolution demanding the end of the Libya War. Today, however, the Republican leadership announced it is postponing the vote indefinitely because of growing concern that it might actually pass. Rep. Kucinich’s (D – OH) bill is being further bolstered by an announcement today from the NATO leadership that they have extended the supposedly short-term war for another 90 days, saying they are “determined to continue our operation.” But with President Obama already well beyond his 60-day grace period, he is facing considerable opposition from both parties about his decision to launch the war.

WaPo: As House GOP Fends Off Libya Vote, Antiwar Sentiment Simmers

The internet activist and founder of whistleblower website, WikiLeaks, has been awarded the highly prestigious Martha Gelhorn Prize for Journalism 2011.

The prize is presented annually to a journalist "whose work has penetrated the established version of events and told an unpalatable truth that exposes establishment propaganda, or 'official drivel', as Martha Gelhorn called it." The judges ruled unanimously in favour of Julian Assange, whose work in exposing classified information to the public was described as "a truth-telling that has empowered people all over the world." "As publisher and editor [of WikiLeaks], Julian Assange represents that which journalists once prided themselves in - he's brave, determined, independent: a true agent of people not of power." WikiLeaks rose to prominence in early 2010 when it published documents on the American involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I was not planning to write anything tonight except the coverage of May27 but the face of Hamza and his smile makes me obliged as a human , as an Arab , as a Muslim and as an Egyptian to speak about him.

Hamza is a 13 years old boy from Syria , he lived with his parents in a village called “Al Jeezah” or “Al Giza” in Daraa governorate. His tragedy started when he marched along his family in a rally to break the siege of the city of Daraa. He was detained among hundreds of Syrian during the massacre of Siada , I remember this massacre from couple of weeks ago and how horrible it was. According to my knowledge the detainees were hundreds and they were detained in schools and even football playgrounds. Now after weeks of absence Hamza returned to his family as a dead body. He returned as dead body of full of tortures marks with his genitals. Yes his body was full of torture marks and bullets !! They cut his genitals then they killed , yes according to his autopsy he was shot down after cutting his genitals. Here is a video showing Hamza as a dead little tortured boy , I think he was being washed for the burial. This is extremely , extremely graphic video , I mean it. The genitals part was being pixelated.

Frequency: Hamza Ali Al-Khatib, 13 year old Syrian from Dar'a tortured, murdered
Frequency: Search Results for Hamza al-Khateeb
LA Times: Dead Syrian Boy Emerges as Symbol for Protesters

New York, NY-May 31, 201l. Organizers of the U.S. Boat to Gaza announced today that they expect some 50 people will be aboard The Audacity of Hope when it joins the second "freedom flotilla" in late June to break the siege of Gaza.

The announcement came on the year's anniversary of the 2010 Israeli attack on unarmed passengers aboard the Mavi Marmara, killing nine, including an 18-year old U.S. citizen of Turkish descent.

Leslie Cagan, coordinator of the U.S. Boat to Gaza, said, "We are sailing-despite threats by the Israeli armed forces to use attack dogs and snipers against us-and despite frantic diplomatic pressure by the Israeli government to prevent other countries from allowing the flotilla to sail." She commented that while Egypt has just opened the Rafah border to Gaza, the maritime blockade and the Israeli siege of Gaza still exist.

So far, 34 passengers and four crewmembers have confirmed that they will be sailing on The Audacity of Hope. They range in age from 22 to 87 years old and live in 14 states in every region of the U.S. All are committed to non-violence. Members of the press will also be on the boat.

LAGOS (AFP) – Nigerian police have raided a home allegedly being used to force teenage girls to have babies that were then offered for sale for trafficking or other purposes, authorities said on Wednesday.

"We stormed the premises of the Cross Foundation in Aba three days ago following a report that pregnant girls aged between 15 and 17 are being made to make babies for the proprietor," said Bala Hassan, police commissioner for Abia state in the country's southeast. "We rescued 32 pregnant girls and arrested the proprietor who is undergoing interrogation over allegations that he normally sells the babies to people who may use them for rituals or other purposes."

President Obama met with the entire House Republican caucus Wednesday, the latest step in the bipartisan talks aimed at slashing federal social spending by historic amounts.

The face-to-face meeting in the East Room of the White House was behind closed doors, but congressional participants said it had focused on the issue of Medicare, the program that underwrites healthcare for most Americans aged 65 and older. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, who drafted a plan to phase out Medicare and replace it with private insurance, purchased with government vouchers that would gradually shift the bulk of the healthcare costs to the elderly, claimed that Democrats were unfairly describing his proposal as one to “end Medicare as we know it.”

Police in Bristol have arrested four people after secret filming by BBC Panorama found a pattern of serious abuse at a residential hospital.

BBC: Undercover reporter haunted by abuse of patients
The Guardian: Abuse at leading care home leads to police inspections of private hospitals

LOS ANGELES — Thousands of emails written by Sarah Palin as Alaska governor are to be published, although parts of the possible White House candidate's exchanges will be censored, reports said Wednesday.

The more than 24,000 pages of emails are being released as part of Alaska's disclosure laws, but 2,415 pages the state deems privileged, personal or otherwise exempt will not be published. The Anchorage Daily News, which is among news organizations and individuals that requested to see the correspondence, said the emails are being sent to the printers this week, a process estimated to take four days.