Bush to Press for U.S. Ban on Same-Sex Marriage  —  WASHINGTON, June 2 — President Bush is beginning a major push for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, part of a new campaign to appease cultural conservatives who say he and his party abandoned their issues after the 2004 elections.

Terrorism raids sweep Toronto  —  Police across the Greater Toronto Area launched counterterrorism raids yesterday, arresting at least eight people in a roundup expected to continue overnight and beyond.  —  "We anticipate more arrests, but not necessarily tonight," an RCMP source said of the arrests …

UK TIMES SMEARS OUR MARINES  —  Look very carefully at the photo featured in the UK Times's report from June 1, 2006 titled "Massacre Marines blinded by hate:" (big hat tip - Joe G.)  —  If you are left with the impression that the dead bodies on the ground were massacred by our Marines, that is exactly what the Times intends.

Police hunt for lethal chemical suicide vest  —  A DESPERATE search is under way for a "chemical vest" that a British suicide bomber was ready to deploy in a terror attack on London.  —  Police fear that the strike, using a home-made chemical device, was imminent after an informant told MI5 …

White House Opens Door To Dissenters  —  Aversion to Criticism Appears to Be Fading  —  When retired Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey criticized the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war three years ago, he was lambasted as an armchair general and deemed an adversary by the Pentagon.

Busby on defense, says she misspoke  —  If an election can turn on a sentence, this could be the one: "You don't need papers for voting."  —  On Thursday night, Francine Busby, the Democratic candidate for the 50th Congressional District, was speaking before a largely Latino crowd in Escondido when she uttered those words.

Initial Response to Marine Raid Draws Scrutiny  —  WASHINGTON, June 2 — Marine commanders in Iraq learned within two days of the killings in Haditha last November that Iraqi civilians had died from gunfire, not a roadside bomb as initially reported, but the officers involved saw no reason …

"Media Matters"; by Jamison Foser  —  Murtha, Reid, and Hillary Clinton are just the latest progressive leaders to face deeply flawed media coverage — but they won't be the last  —  Last week, we wrote: … The recent media treatment of Sen. John P. Murtha (D-PA), Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid …

Rise of Lobbyist Shines a Light on House Ties  —  WASHINGTON, June 2 — Letitia Hoadley White arrived on Capitol Hill 25 years ago as a 22-year-old receptionist with a bachelor's degree in fashion design, fresh from a job at Women's Wear Daily.  —  When her boss, Representative Jerry Lewis …

Kennedy: Vote against Iraq war my best  —  WORCESTER, Mass. - Sen. Edward Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) on Friday declared his vote against the Iraq war the best he has cast since being elected in 1962.  —  The Massachusetts Democrat also predicted that his party would regain control of both chambers of Congress this fall.