Santorum: 500 Chemical-Weapons Shells Found In Iraq (Updated And Bumped)  —  Negroponte letter can be viewed in PDF format here.  —  According to numerous sources but not yet on the wires, Senator Rick Santorum announced a few minutes ago that the US has found 500 chemical-weapons shells in Iraq.

THE BLOGOSPHERE'S SMOKE-FILLED BACKROOM:  —  Are Jerome Armstrong and Markos Moulitsas (of the famous Daily Kos) engaged in a pay-for-play scheme in which politicians who hire Armstrong as a consultant get the support of Kos?  That's the question that's been bouncing around the blogosphere ever since …

If Necessary, Strike and Destroy  —  North Korea Cannot Be Allowed to Test This Missile  —  North Korean technicians are reportedly in the final stages of fueling a long-range ballistic missile that some experts estimate can deliver a deadly payload to the United States.

Leaders: Broad Immigration Bill Unlikely  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - In a defeat for President Bush, Republican congressional leaders said Tuesday that broad immigration legislation is all but doomed for the year, a victim of election-year concerns in the House and conservatives' implacable opposition …

Kentucky Tech Official Responds on Blog Ban  —  Finally, we have a response from the Fletcher administration on their blog ban.  —  Mark Routledge, Deputy Commissioner of the state's Commonwealth Office of Technology (COT), which manages internet service for the state government, told me that the state had not targeted specific sites.

Senate rejects bid to raise minimum wage  —  WASHINGTON - The Republican-controlled Senate smothered a proposed election-year increase in the minimum wage Wednesday, rejecting Democratic claims that it was past time to boost the $5.15 hourly pay floor that has been in effect for nearly a decade.

Guillen apologizes for use of homosexual slur  —  Outspoken Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen apologized Wednesday for using a derogatory term in referring to Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti, then kept up his criticism of the writer.  —  Guillen went into a profanity-laced tirade …

Rallied by Bush, Skittish G.O.P. Now Embraces War as Issue  —  WASHINGTON, June 21 — Just a few weeks ago, some Republicans were openly fretting about the war in Iraq and its effect on their re-election prospects, with particularly vulnerable lawmakers worried that its growing unpopularity was becoming a drag on their campaigns.

The Democrats Reassess  —  Effort to Win Battle of Ideas Includes New Web Site and Journal  —  This is idea week for the Democratic Party.  —  On Thursday, NDN (formerly the New Democrat Network) will convene its annual conference.  NDN, founded by Simon Rosenberg, has recently …