US says torture ban doesn't apply at Gitmo!
Bush administration lawyers, fighting a claim of torture by a Guantanamo Bay detainee, argued that the new law that bans cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees in U.S. custody does not apply to people held at the military prison

GOP lawmaker vows to kill ports deal
Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee will push legislation that would not only kill a Dubai-owned company's bid to operate in U.S. ports, but would kick out any foreign-owned company that owns U.S. terminals or other key infrastructure.
The move is in direct opposition to the position of President Bush

TIMES-BLOOMBERG POLL
Ports deal faces wide opposition
Bush's ratings sink to all-time low, weighed down by the Dubai firm uproar and discontent over Iraq

San Antonio, parts of So. Texas in worst-level drought
An "exceptional drought" is declared after widespread crop and pasture losses, extreme fire risk and shortages of water in reservoirs, streams and wells, creating water emergencies.

Bexar to use "AT&T Center template" to lure MLB
County Judge Nelson Wolff will present a stadium financing plan to the Florida Marlins, a step that may lead to more intense relocation negotiations between the county and the Major League Baseball franchise.

Leininger PAC fielding ethics complaint
A group that opposes school vouchers asked the Texas Ethics Commission on Thursday to investigate whether two political action committees financed by voucher proponent James Leininger violated campaign finance laws.
The assistant treasurer for one of the PACs, All Children Matter, responded that he might have failed to report a Leininger donation through an oversight but that he is not trying to hide anything.

CBS42 AUSTIN
How Texas politicians really spend their campaign money
"Well, I had a sort of Jimmy Stewart notion that it was going to be spent on their campaigns, but as it turns out, most of it goes to support their lifestyle, nice apartment in Austin, nice car, go on trips entertainment on the Super Bowl," Fred Lewis with Campaigns for People said.

Third Schlitterbahn set to make a splash in Galveston
$34M Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark to include a 70,000-square-foot retractable building designed to allow this area to operate year-round.

The Onion
Hurricanes to get full names this season
"In fact, tropical storms Alberto Fergus, Beverly Stenwick-Brown, and Chris Stubbs Jr. have already received names under the new system."

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Few are likely to care to whom the Oscars go
Forget about the Oscar bump -- this year's batch of Academy Award nominees will be lucky to escape the weekend without dragging down the Oscar telecast ratings to record lows

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