ASSOCIATED PRESS: The Philadelphia Phillies are set to visit the White House to celebrate their World Series victory. The Phillies are scheduled to meet with President Obama on Friday. A planned April visit was called off due to the death of the Phillies’ Hall of Fame announcer Harry Kalas. Spokeswoman Bonnie Clark says the Phillies plan to present a special gift to President Obama, but want the president to be the first to know what that gift will be. The Phillies are opening a three-day, four-game series with the Washington Nationals. MORE
BBC: Civil liberties groups have reacted angrily to US President Barack Obama’s decision to revive military trials for some Guantanamo Bay detainees. Mr Obama has previously denounced the Bush-era judicial system, but in a statement said new safeguards would ensure suspects got a fairer hearing. New rules include rejecting statements obtained from harsh interrogations and limitations on using hearsay evidence. There are still 240 detainees at the US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Mr Obama halted the controversial military commissions as one of his first acts on taking office in January, saying the US was entering a new era of respecting human rights. “It’s disappointing that Obama is seeking to revive rather than end this failed experiment,” said Jonathan Hafetz, a national security attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union. MORE