ThinkProgress reports:

Al Jazeera’s Nazanin Sadri reports that Iran is considering a new law that would allow the death penalty for “offensive” bloggers:

Under a strict interpretation of Islamic law, Individuals can be sentenced to death for two main categories of crime. The first is murder. The second is known as ‘fasad,’ which means spreading mischief or undermining the authority or stability of the state. What that constitutes is open to interpretation. In the past it has been applied to rape, adultery, drug-related offenses, and homosexual behavior. Iran now wants to introduce the death penalty for bloggers who write about and promote illegal activities.

Obama’s global op-ed, “A Time for Global Action,” ran in over 30 newspapers and dozens of dialects yesterday. From the Sunday Times of South Africa to the Estado de Sau Paulo of Brazil, his 1,024 word essay asked the global community for help in “a new era of economic engagement to prevent a crisis like this from ever happening again.”

Another big moment for the international media came last night at Obama’s second live Prime Time press conference, when a dozen random outlets were called for questions. One of them was Agence France-Presse, (AFP).

CQ Politics reported:

The AFP correspondent might have been the only reporter to have squeezed any news out of Obama. He asked a basic question: what would Obama do to advance peace in the Middle East, when it’s likely the new Israeli government will soon be led by a prime minister not supportive of the two-state solution and a foreign minister who has insulted Arabs? Obama replied, “It’s not easier than it was, but I think it’s just as necessary.” No doubt, the first half of that reply will be splashed throughout the media in Israel and Arab countries, and be read as something of a no-confidence vote in Benjamin Netanyahu.

Who didn’t get called on? The New  York Times, USAToday and the Wall Street Journal to name a few.

Looks like bloggers aren’t the only ones edging their ways into the conversation. It appears international media, too, will give traditional outlets in America a run for their money.

Here is the next installment. I hope you enjoy. For links to the articles relevant to the video, check out the list below.

Israel Stance Was Undoing of Nominee for Intelligence Post, New York Times

Mark Mazzetti and Helene Cooper
March 11, 2009

What are U.S. goals in Afghanistan?
Helen Thomas
March 12, 2009

Bush, top aides apparently home free
Helen Thomas
March 7, 2009

Thomas: Why shouldn’t Obama aim high?
Helen Thomas
February 26, 2009

I just have to ask. What was the Republican National Committee thinking when they made their Request for Proposal (RFP) for a complete rebuild of their Web site public?

On Friday, the conservative blog, RedState, published a copy of the two-page RFP. After reading the RFP,  RedState managing editor, Erick Erikson delievered a swift blow at the GOP leadership by writing, “they don’t know what they are doing.”

Not long after posting, which appears in full below, the comments began to roll in…giving voice to a frustrated and confused Republican niche – the bloggers themselves. But they bring up a good point. Why is the RNC leadership not bringing the conservative bloggers to the table for some very dire, much needed advice?

I stumbled across an interesting article tonight about what Rush Limbaugh means to America. Though I have never heard of such a perspective, spiritual leader and Huffington Post guest blogger, Deepak Chopra, makes a compelling case for the dueling identities Limbaugh brings to American life: something “ugly and incendiary” and something “to be proud of.”

As far back as Mark Twain, the American character has been ornery. We secretly love rascals, bank robbers, tricksters, swindlers, hell raisers, and outlaws. And when we feel so inclined, we laugh at them. Rush Limbaugh may represent a toxic form of entertainment — and the bile he spews bears no resemblance to true morality — but the fact that America makes room for him is something to be proud of.

Read Chophra’s article, Rush Limbaugh: Icon of Anti-Morality, here.

I had some extra footage from my conversation with Helen Thomas on 2/19/09. In it, she talked tough to Republicans — “They drove us into the ground” — addressed the first credentialed blogger in the Press Corp, and shared her deepest concern for the crash of newspapers.