Texas Governor Rick Perry may be completely irrelevant, but he still has money and thus we should care about his opinion on the disturbing video released last week showing U.S. Marines urinating on the corpses of recently killed combatants. "These kids made a mistake, there's not any doubt about it," he said. "[They] shouldn't have done it, it's bad—but to call it a criminal act, I think is over the top," Perry said on CNN today. "Obviously 18, 19-year-old kids make stupid mistakes all too often and that's what's occurred here." more ›

By now you've probably seen the video of U.S. Marines urinating on dead bodies in Afghanistan. (In case you missed it, we embedded it below.) It's unclear whether the corpses were Taliban or "collateral damage," but Defense Department spokesman Capt. John Kirby says, "Whoever it is, and whatever the circumstances — which we know is under investigation — it is egregious, disgusting behavior." Yeah, this kind of thing isn't exactly ideal for winning hearts and minds, but on the plus side, it's making John McCain feel bad. more ›

As if the story of a Staten Island man getting arrested after admitting he'd tried to join the Taliban in order to get off the no-fly list weren't wild enough, now lawyers for Abdel Hameed Shehadeh are trying to suppress from court a 22-page FBI report in which the alleged wannabe spills his guts about his jihadi pals. more ›

As more details become available on yesterday's helicopter crash in the Wardak Province of Afghanistan that killed 30 Americans and 8 Afghans, authorities have determined that the aircraft was shot down by insurgents aligned with the Taliban, most-likely with a rocket-propelled grenade. The Times points out, "they could have hardly found a more valuable target," as 22 of the dead were members of the elite Navy SEAL Team 6, the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden in May. However, authorities say that none of the SEALs who were on the bin Laden raid were killed in yesterday's incident, which was the deadliest in the decade-long war in Afghanistan. more ›

Abdel Hameed Shehadeh, the former Staten Island resident who was charged with making false statements about trying to fly to Pakistan to join the Taliban, was at the Brooklyn federal courthouse for his hearing today and was held without bail. In the process, according to NY1, Shehadeh did not enter a plea, while saying he did understand the charges against him. The charges basically stem from his repeated attempts to join terrorist organizations overseas, and then telling the government he wanted to join the Taliban to get off the no-fly list. more ›

Former Staten Island resident Abdel Hameed Shehadeh was arrested last week and charged with making false statements in a matter involving international terrorism. Back in 2008, Shehadeh told FBI agents he was flying to Pakistan to attend a friend's wedding and to study. Due to the websites he created "dedicated to spreading violent jihadist ideology," he was put on the no-fly list. So in August "in a bid to get off the no-fly list—he admitted traveling to Pakistan to try to join the Taliban," according to the Daily News. Terrorism: you're doing it wrong. more ›

Abdel Hameed Shehadeh, formerly of Staten Island, has been arrested for lying about his failed attempt to join the Taliban "or a similar fighting group." According to prosecutors, Shehadeh traveled to Pakistan as a teenager in 2008 in an attempt to join the Taliban, but was turned away by Pakistani officials and forced to return to the states. He told FBI officials he traveled to Pakistan to attend a friend's wedding and to visit a university, and then lied about ever going to Pakistan when he attempted to enlist in the U.S. Army at the Times Square recruiting station. Janice Fedarcyk, head of New York's FBI office, said in a statement, "The real purpose, it is alleged, was not to join U.S. forces, but to wage war against them. Stopping one prospective terrorist can prevent untold numbers of casualties." more ›

An FBI team arrived in Pakistan yesterday to investigate whether Times Square car bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad has ties to international terror groups. The 30-year-old Pakistani-turned-naturalized American citizen has claimed that he was trained at a Taliban camp in Pakistan, but the Pakistan Taliban has denied any connection (though praised his botched bombing attempt). more ›

While the government believes that Times Square car bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad was trained and inspired by the Pakistan Taliban, the group's spokesman denied any link, telling CBS News, "This is a noble job and we pray that all the Muslim youths should follow Faisal Shahzad. But he is not part of our network," adding that the plot was "hatched by the U.S. and its allies to trap Muslim and Pushtun youth in terrorist activities" and promised to "launch attacks against the U.S. and its allies with a new zeal and style The U.S. and its European allies are our target." more ›

Faisal Shahzad, the Pakistani naturalized U.S. citizen who was charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, acts of terrorism transcending national boundaries, and other federal crimes for allegedly leaving a car bomb in Times Square, has reportedly waived his right to a rapid court hearing. According to the NY Times, "The disclosure that Mr. Shahzad has waived his right to a speedy arraignment suggests that he is continuing to provide valuable information to the office of Preet Bharara." more ›

While the Pakistani Taliban claimed credit for the Times Square car bomb found last night, today the police said there's no evidence of any link so far. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said, "Although we have not yet determined whether the Times Square car bomb is linked to any specific terrorist organization, we are working very closely with the FBI through the Joint Terrorist Task Force on this case." more ›

President Obama made a surprise trip to Afghanstan today. This is his first visit to the country since becoming president, and he said, "One of the main reasons I'm here is to just say thank you for the incredible efforts of our U.S. troops and our coalition partners. They make tremendous sacrifices far away from home, and I want to make sure they know how proud their commander-in-chief is of them." more ›

President Obama outlined his plans for the war in Afghanistan during speech given at West Point, saying that 30,000 more U.S. troops would head to the region next year and, conditions permitting, withdrawal will begin 18 months later, "These are the resources that we need to seize the initiative, while building the Afghan capacity that can allow for a responsible transition of our forces out of Afghanistan." more ›

Thousands of pages of previously undisclosed documents compiled by lawyers for 9/11 victims' families probably won't be admissible in court. But they were passed along to the NY Times, which reports that they show Saudi "support for terrorist organizations" at least through 2006. Some documents, obtained from the Treasury Department through the Freedom of Information Act, include sworn statements from various witnesses detailing the transfer of millions of dollars from prominent Saudi charities to Al Qaeda and other extremist groups. At least one charity is controlled by members of the royal family, and another witness said in a sworn statement that he witnessed an emissary for a leading Saudi prince, Turki al-Faisal, hand a check for one billion Saudi riyals (now worth about $267 million) to a top Taliban leader in '98. The Justice Department, which recently urged the Supreme Court not to hear a lawsuit brought by families against the Saudi royal family, is now fighting to keep other leaked classified documents from surfacing in court. more ›

Yesterday, the NY Times revealed that its reporter David Rohde "escaped Friday night and made his way to freedom after more than seven months of captivity in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan...Mr. Rohde told his wife, Kristen Mulvihill, that [fellow kidnapped reporter Tahir] Ludin joined him in climbing over the wall of a compound... They made their way to a nearby Pakistani Frontier Corps base and on Saturday they were flown to the American military base in Bagram, Afghanistan." Rohde, who was previously kidnapped in Bosnia, appears to be in good health, while Ludin injured his foot. The Times and Rohde's family "declined to discuss details of the efforts to free the captives, except to say that no ransom money was paid and no Taliban or other prisoners were released," with Times executive editor Bill Keller explaining, "As other victims have told us, discussing your strategy just offers guidance for future kidnappers." Mulvihill who expressed her gratitude to the Times, U.S. government and other agencies, said, "They just walked over the wall of the compound...We’ve been married nine months. And seven of those, David has been in captivity." more ›

The Washington Post offers a story about how win over Afghan "notoriously fickle warlords and chieftains" by offering them "variety of personal services." This includes "pocketknives and tools, medicine or surgeries for ailing family members, toys and school equipment, tooth extractions, travel visas, and, occasionally, pharmaceutical enhancements for aging patriarchs with slumping libidos." A CIA operative tells the WaPo, "Whatever it takes to make friends and influence people -- whether it's building a school or handing out Viagra." In one example, an older tribal leader with four younger wives was so pleased with the Viagra he "offered up a bonanza of information about Taliban movements and supply routes -- followed by a request for more pills." CNBC's Mike Huckman spoke to Pfizer, whose spokesperson said the pharmaceutical company was "certainly not" aware about the drug's use in the war against terror. But, seriously, what will the government think of next—tabs of LSD?! more ›