Admiral: Gitmo suicides a 'planned event'  —  First confirmed deaths follow hunger strikes at detention facility  —  (CNN) — Three prisoners at the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have hanged themselves in what is being called a "planned event," the U.S. military said Saturday.

Marine Says Rules Were Followed  —  Sergeant Describes Hunt for Insurgents in Haditha, Denies Coverup  —  A sergeant who led a squad of Marines during the incident in Haditha, Iraq, that left as many as 24 civilians dead said his unit did not intentionally target any civilians …

Many in terrorists' 'next generation' dead  —  MADRID, Spain - They rose up quickly to take up Osama bin Laden's call for jihad, ruthless men in their 20s and 30s heralded as the next generation of global terror.  —  Two years later, 40 percent are dead, targets of a worldwide crackdown …

A Mixed Bag of First Impressions by Democrats at Blog Rendezvous  —  LAS VEGAS, June 10 — Mark R. Warner, the former governor of Virginia and potential Democratic presidential candidate, went before an unconventional political audience on Saturday — a bloggers' convention …

US doctors begin Zarqawi autopsy  —  Two US doctors have begun an autopsy on the body of top militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, killed in a US-led operation in Iraq this week.  —  Questions have arisen over how Zarqawi died since the Americans revealed he had still been alive following the bombing of a safe house by US planes.

Democrats Closing Fundraising Gap With Republicans  —  Increase in Grass-Roots Support Buoys Party as GOP Efforts Falter  —  A surge in small, individual contributions is lifting Democratic campaigns this year and is helping close a Republican fundraising advantage that has existed for years …

Infiltrating Yearly Kos: Tinfoil hats spotted  —  Howard Dean, Mark Warner, and a sneak peek at our foreign policy circa 2009: the mole returns, with photos.  —  Dean's speech  —  Howard wants a minimum wage, and a (snicker) balanced budget...  There are a lot of people floating the minimum-wage balloon with this crowd.

Terrorists target civilians in Iraq  —  'The US forces do not kill civilians.  Yes, civilians got killed in Haditha and other places but it is the terrorists who target civilians in Iraq," said Zebari, to a question posed by Khaleej Times on measures adopted by his government to protect civilians.

Soccer With a Side of Slavery  —  "It is truly scandalous.  People are talking about women, importing them to satisfy the base instincts of people associated with football.  It is humiliating enough for me that football is linked with alcohol and violence.  But this is worse.

Bolton rejects 'grand bargain' with Iran  —  Time is running out for the diplomatic effort to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme and Washington has no intention of striking a comprehensive "grand bargain" with Tehran, the US's ambassador to the United Nations has warned.

Witness the Leading  —  Top biographies of top dogs.  —  1. "Churchill: A Study in Greatness" by Geoffrey Best (Hambledon & London, 2001).  —  On the night after the attacks of Sept. 11, I remember getting home at about 2:30 a.m. and seeing on my nightstand a book I had been reading …