HRW: We can't contradict IDF findings  —  While sticking to its demand for the establishment of an independent inquiry into a blast on a Gaza beach 10 days ago that killed seven Palestinian civilians, the Human Rights Watch conceded Monday night for the first time since the incident …

Returning to "06 cr 128"  —  What will follow will be a rather frank discussion of our reporting of and involvement in the Rove indictment matter.  If you like simple answers or quick resolutions, turn back now.  This is our report to our readership.  Our primary sources for this report …

Frothy Junior  —  Yee Haw!  The Codpiece is back with a vengeance!  And guess who can't keep his grubby little hands away from it.  You guessed it: Joe Klein.  —  Via John Amato: … That's right.  Bush is stuck in the mid-30's, his brain narrowly escaped indictment and he had to mount …

Rice warns North Korea on missile test  —  WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned North Korea on Monday it will face consequences if it test-fires a missile thought to be powerful enough to reach the West Coast of the United States.  —  "It would be a very serious matter and …

Court Splits Over Wetlands Protections  —  WASHINGTON, June 19 — The Supreme Court set the stage for a re-examination of the 1972 Clean Water Act, as it narrowly ruled today in favor of two Michigan property owners who have sought to develop tracts designated as wetlands.

SHILL TO HACK  —  June 18, 2006 — Jerome Armstrong, the political strategist who followed a famous Internet fundraising effort for Howard Dean in 2004 with a book on "people-powered politics," has a sordid past as a shill for a worthless dot-com stock.  —  Armstrong, 42, touted …

Cheney Sees Success in Warding Off Attacks  —  Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that aggressive U.S. action is responsible for preventing new terror attacks since the Sept. 11 strikes.  —  "Nobody can promise that we won't be hit," Cheney said.  But he credited a determined offense …

Interview: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  —  This month, Rolling Stone ran an investigative feature claiming that Republicans used a systematic combination of voter disenfranchisement and fraud, centered in Ohio, to rob John Kerry of a win in the 2004 presidential election.

Poll: Clinton gets high 'no' vote for 2008  —  Respondents also ranked who they were likely to vote for  —  (CNN) — With the presidential election more than two years away, a CNN poll released Monday suggests that nearly half of Americans would "definitely vote against" Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Japan pulling troops from Iraq  —  TOKYO, Japan — Japan will withdraw its ground troops from Iraq, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi announced Tuesday.  —  Japan's 600 military troops based in the southern Muthana province are all non-combat personnel helping to rebuild the infrastructure.

Taleban use children as shields to fight British  —  TALEBAN fighters used women and children as human shields as they tried to escape into the mountains of Afghanistan, British troops claimed yesterday.  —  The tactics were revealed in the first account by those who fought …

Truthout "Trying to Mitigate Hysteria" Over Leopold Stories, Tactics  —  I spoke with Truthout editor Marc Ash this afternoon.  His correspondent Jason Leopold wrote a number of stories involving Karl Rove's legal worries — that the White House adviser had been indicted …

What Gingrich can teach Pelosi  —  Democrats licking their chops in 2006 should remember what happened to the GOP's class of '94.  —  THAT WAS QUICK.  Earlier this month, Rep. John P. Murtha, Democrat of Pennsylvania, began circulating a letter to colleagues informing them of his decision …

Banned  —  Schoolgirls are forced to take off chastity rings - or be ordered out of lessons  —  It is only a band of silver, imprinted with a Bible verse, worn by a schoolgirl.  —  But the decision by one of the country's top state schools to ban American-style 'purity rings' …

Federal contracts up 86% under Bush; Halliburton rises 600%  —  Top contractor Lockheed got contracts larger than budget of Congress, Dept. of Interior  —  WASHINGTON — A new report claims that a "shadow government" of federal contractors has exploded in size over the last five years.

Rather eyes exit after 44-year CBS run  —  NEW YORK — CBS is expected to announce Tuesday that former "CBS Evening News" anchor Dan Rather will leave the company after 44 years at the network.  —  Rather's contract runs through November but he is expected to leave the network immediately to pursue other opportunities.