Whistleblower website WikiLeaks has published what it says are about 76,000 United States military and diplomatic reports about Afghanistan filed between 2004 and January of this year.

The firsthand accounts are the military's own raw data on the war, including numbers killed, casualties, threat reports and the like, according to Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.org, which published the material Sunday. On Monday Assange said the leaked reports from Afghanistan appear to contain "evidence of war crimes."

"This material does not leave anyone smelling like roses, especially the Taliban," he said, also implying that some U.S. troops had behaved improperly.

CNN has not independently confirmed the authenticity of the documents. The Department of Defense will not comment on them until the Pentagon has had a chance to look at them, a Defense official told CNN.

White House National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones issued a statement Sunday calling the documents' release "irresponsible."

"The United States strongly condemns the disclosure of classified information by individuals and organizations which could put the lives of
Americans and our partners at risk and threaten our national security," the statement said.

There's a whole lot of information in the documents and we're digging through them with you to get a sense of what's in them, what new information we're learning about the war in Afghanistan, and what the big takeaways are that you need to know about.

(READ MORE)

Filed under: Afghanistan

Alex & Derek King are two brothers, convicted of murdering their father, when they were children. Almost nine years later, Alex King joins Larry with an update on life after prison, moving on, and his attempt to help other young people stop violence.

From the Pensacola News Journal – "Derek King and his brother, Alex, were convicted of the Nov. 26, 2001, murder of their father, Terry King. Derek was 13 and Alex was 12. The brothers pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, with Derek admitting to using a baseball bat to crush his father’s skull and Alex confessing to helping come up with the murder plan."

TUNE IN TONIGHT AT 9PMET!!

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:

Do you think children charged with violent crimes should be tried as adults?

Sound off below...

Filed under: Larry King Live

WHALE WARS!!!

They’re willing to die to save whales!
the cast takes you inside the
life-and-death drama of “Whale Wars”.
Are they going too far?
And! Why Bob Barker defends the radical tactics!

Do YOU think the cast of
“Whale Wars”  is going too far?

Weigh in below!

Filed under: Larry King Live

How are people helping?  Check out these mentorship organizations below:

www.realchoices.us

www.thestaystrongfoundation.org

http://movingmountainsnyc.org

Filed under: Larry King Live

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - Nearly twenty financial firms including Citigroup and Goldman Sachs made an estimated $1.6 billion in "ill-advised" payments to executives during the peak of the financial crisis, according to a report published Friday.

In his latest review of compensation practices at companies that were bailed out by American taxpayers, White House pay czar Kenneth Feinberg condemned 17 banks and financial firms for how they rewarded employees between late 2008 and early 2009.

"These 17 exercised poor judgment," he said, during a briefing with reporters in Washington. "They shouldn't have made these payments."

Feinberg, who is moving onto handling claims related to the BP oil spill, said he would not seek to recoup those funds.

Rather, he proposed those firms adopt new rules that would allow them to restructure or cancel pay packages in the event of another financial crisis.

The report represents the latest in a series of rulings by Feinberg.

(READ MORE)

Filed under: Business News

Tune in TONIGHT at 9pmet/6pmpt for a special "Larry King Live" – we've got Dog the Bounty Hunter, Judge Greg Mathis and other discussing whether prison inmates can be reformed.  Do you think they can?  Let us know in the comments!

via Judge Mathis' website:

TV personality Judge Greg Mathis is launching a Prisoner Initiative entitled PEER standing for Prisoner Empowerment Education and Respect. Through the initiative Judge Mathis will visit jails and prisons throughout the country to encourage inmates to change their lives.  Motivated by his own experience as a troubled youth who overcame the challenges of being incarcerated, Judge Mathis will share his personal experiences and offer advice and encouragement to inmates.

To date, the Judge has made PEER appearances at the Wayne County Jail in Detroit, where he was previously sentenced to serve nearly one year, the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, GA, the State Correctional Institution at Chester, PA and most recently spoke with the youth population at Rikers Island, NY. The Judge, who is scheduled to return back to NY to speak with the adult male population at Rikers as well as visit Sing Sing, will visit Cook County Boot Camp in Chicago, IL on March 26th.

READ MORE

Posted by: LKL Producer Hunter Waters
Filed under: Justice • Larry King Live

Filed under: Hugh Hefner • Larry King Live

Megachurch pastor Rick Warren is home recovering after his eyes were burned as he pruned a firestick plant in his yard, his spokesman told CNN Thursday.

Warren was hospitalized Monday after the incident and released Tuesday, said his spokesman, A. Larry Ross. Warren is expected to make a full recovery, Ross said.

"My eyes were severely burned by a toxic poison," Warren wrote in a Twitter message Thursday morning. "Hospitalized Mon. Excruciating pain. Now home. Pray my sight loss is restored."

Though the pain was initially so intense that Warren could not open his eyes on Monday, he was seeing well enough Thursday to send the Tweet himself, Ross said. "The pain was excruciating – 12 on a scale of 1 through 10," Ross said. "It's now down to an 8."

Read more from CNN's Religion Blog

Filed under: Health • Religion • Rick Warren

Playboy, Activist & Rebel Hugh Hefner!

He gave millions to social causes and stood up for African-Americans long before the majority.  What does Hugh Hefner think about race in 2010 America?

Plus!

President Obama apologizes to ousted USDA official Shirley Sherrod!  What does it mean for race relations now?

We'll hear from Hugh Hufner tonight,
now we want to hear from you!

What do YOU think of race relations in 2010?

Filed under: Larry King Live

Editor's Note: Lt. Dan Choi received notification this morning of his honorable discharge from the army under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Here shares his statement with us.

This morning I received notification of my honorable discharge from the army under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." After 11 years since beginning my journey at West Point and after 17 months of serving openly as an infantry officer this is both an infuriating and painful announcement.

But my service continues. To all those veterans who have endured similar trials and injustices or prematurely ended their military service because of the unjust policy: our fight has only begun.

The true honor and dignity of service does not come from a piece of paper, a pension or paycheck, a rank or status; only an unflinching commitment to improve the lives of others can determine the nature of one's service. From the first moment we put on our nation's uniform and swore our solemn oath, we committed ourselves to fight for freedom and justice; to defend our constitution and put the needs of others before our own. This is not an oath that I intend to abandon. Doing so at such a time, or remaining silent when our family and community members are fired or punished for who they truly are would be an unequivocal moral dereliction that tarnishes the honor of the uniform and insults the meaning of America.

Lt. Dan Choi

Filed under: Larry King Live