Reuters photo by Morteza Nikoubazi
British naval personnel held as hostages in Iran for the past two weeks wave to reporters after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he would free them as a “gift to the British people.”

Compiled by MARK MAATHUIS and BRENDAN McGARRY

International News

You go girls, political women take a stand: Pelosi meets with Syrian President, Clinton criticizes Bush

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the first-ever female Speaker of the House, defied President Bush’s efforts to isolate Syria on Wednesday by meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad to discuss peace talks with Israel, the Associated Press reported. The gesture was a reflection of Pelosi’s willingness to embrace more of the Iraq Study Group’s recommendations to renew diplomatic ties with U.S. rivals in the Middle East. Bush has refused to meet directly with leaders of hard-line Islamic states.

Meanwhile, another high-profile female politician criticized Bush on the diplomatic front for what she said was tarnishing the reputation of the United States throughout the world. According to an article published Wednesday in The Washington Post, Democratic presidential contender Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., told an Iowa crowd, “We need a president again who understands life is not simple,” she said. “You can’t just point your finger or wave a magic wand and expect everybody to do what you want them to do. We’ve got to get back to that patient, persistent diplomacy, making friends and allies.”

Fifteen British Sailors Will Be Free, Says Iranian President

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said they would be released after the press conference where he announced the news. “I announce their freedom and their return to their people,” he said. “They will go to the airport and will join their families.” He called his gesture “a gift.”

This is not the first time Iran held Westerners hostage. In 1979 after the Revolution, Iranian militants stormed the U.S. Embassy and took approximately 70 Americans captive. They were released after 444 days.

This time, it took less than two weeks. But Iran made sure they got some of the sailors on tape “confessing their crime.”Click here to watch the video.

Climate Changes: We All Go Down Together

President Bush said the heat-trapping gases measurements taken at the federal level are “sufficient,” but the U.S Supreme Court ruled state governments have the authority to regulate them further. Apparently, it is just another matter where the President stands alone.

At the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) an environmental conference, held in Brussels, Belgium, scientists and European politicians are gathered to finish the second of four U.N. reports on global warming. It states that “global warming is a fact” and “that the odds humankind is to blame are 90 percent.”

EU environmental commissioner Stavros Dimas criticized the U.S. for ignoring the Kyoto Treaty. Without the U.S., other countries will be less likely to follow its regulations. “Unpopular measurements cannot be avoided,” Belgium Prime Minister Guy Verhofstad says, “But consumers will have to change their behavior too.”

Click here to read more about the conference.

National News

Man fatally shoots ex-girlfriend at CNN Center

An Atlanta man is facing murder charges after shooting his ex-girlfriend in the CNN center in downtown Atlanta, CNN reported Tuesday. Witnesses said the suspect, Arthur Mann, who was described in his 30s, fatally shot his ex-girlfriend, Clara Riddles, 22, of College Park, Ga., at point-blank range. “He looked like he had the gun right on top of her head and shot her,” a CNN.com producer told reporters. Read more quotes from witnesses at CNN.com.

Clinton shatters fundraising record, Obama not far behind

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., raised more than $26 million for her White House bid during the first three months of 2007, shattering former Vice President Al Gore’s record of $8.9 million in 1995, the Associated Press reported Sunday. The 2008 presidential races are expected to break the $1 billion mark, which begs the question: Is running for president really worth this much money?

Meanwhile, the super-hyped Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., raised $25 million during the same period.

On the Republican side, Mitt Romney’s fundraising record was not too shabby. Romney leads his Republican competitors, having raised $21 million in the first three months of 2008, The Washington Post reported.

Vote Different Ad Maker Comes Out

His real name is Phil de Vellis, but his is better known as parkRidge47. The “Vote Different” ad he made has been watched over 3 million times. He gives an interview — on Youtube.com of course — to explain why he did it and what tools he used to create the “1984″ style Obama Barack ad.
Watch the ad. Watch the interview.

News of the Weird

Did Keith Richards really snort his father’s ashes?

Office workers around the world broke into laughter Tuesday when they read the celebrity news of the day: Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards admitted to snorting cocaine along with his father’s ashes. The quotes in the story seemed verifiable enough: “The strangest thing I’ve ever tried to snort? My father,” he reportedly told the British music publication NME Magazine. “He was cremated and I couldn’t resist grinding him up with a little bit of blow. My dad wouldn’t have cared. It went down pretty well, and I’m still alive.” But, according to the latest Associated Press article, his publicist said it was all just an April Fool’s joke.