Terror Suspects Sought Ties With al-Qaida  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Seven young men arrested in an alleged plot against the Sears Tower were part of a group of "homegrown terrorists" who sought to work with al-Qaida but ended up conspiring with an informant, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Friday.

Jon Stewart, Enemy of Democracy?  —  This is not funny: Jon Stewart and his hit Comedy Central cable show may be poisoning democracy.  —  Two political scientists found that young people who watch Stewart's faux news program, "The Daily Show," develop cynical views about politics and politicians …

State of emergency declared in Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Iraqi government declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew Friday after insurgents set up roadblocks in central Baghdad and fired on U.S. and Iraqi troops outside the heavily fortified Green Zone.

Can Journalists Be Prosecuted for Publishing Classified Information?  Should They Be?  —  Can the reporters and editors at the New York Times and Los Angeles Times be prosecuted for knowingly publishing classified information in an unauthorized manner, resulting in harm to the security of the United States?

The Great Divide: How Westerners and Muslims View Each Other  —  Europe's Muslims More Moderate  —  Introduction and Summary  —  After a year marked by riots over cartoon portrayals of Muhammad, a major terrorist attack in London, and continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan …

Executive Order: Protecting the Property Rights of the American People  —  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to strengthen the rights of the American people against the taking of their private property, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Mondale: Force an option for stopping North Korea  —  Former Vice President Walter Mondale says he supports a pre-emptive U.S. strike against a North Korean missile that is raising nuclear fears around the globe.  —  Earlier this week North Korea announced it was preparing to test a missile that could reach United States mainland.

For Diehards, Search for Iraq's W.M.D. Isn't Over  —  WASHINGTON, June 22 — The United States government abandoned the search for unconventional weapons in Iraq long ago.  But Dave Gaubatz has never given up.  —  Mr. Gaubatz, an earnest, Arabic-speaking investigator who spent the first months …

General Reports Spike in Iranian Activity in Iraq  —  Iranian support for extremists inside Iraq has shown a "noticeable increase" this year, with Tehran's special forces providing weapons and bomb training to anti-U.S. groups, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said yesterday.

Mineta Resigns As Transportation Secretary  —  WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta is stepping down from his Cabinet position.  —  Mineta, 74, is one of President George W. Bush's longest-serving Cabinet members.  He has served in the position since Bush assumed the presidency in 2001.

Why I Love Australia  —  WASHINGTON — In the Australian House of Representatives last month, opposition member Julia Gillard interrupted a speech by the minister of health thusly: "I move that that sniveling grub over there be not further heard.''  —  For that, the good woman was ordered removed from the House, if only for a day.

BLOG THIS:  —  In response to Jason Zengerle's most recent post on The Plank—"Hope you're not tired of this Kos stuff"—no, I for one am definitely not tired of Zengerle's artful and honest exposure of someone who, more and more, seems to represent the purest, most classical strain of hypocrisy.

Does The New Republic have a new Stephen Glass in Jason Zengerle?  —  Over the last few days, Jason Zengerle of The New Republic has been engaged in a bizarre crusade to depict "liberal bloggers" as a bunch of mindless, obedient zombies who take orders about what to write from Markos Moulitsas …

DEMOCRACY RISING  —  KUWAITIS' VOTE A NEW ARAB MILESTONE  —  June 23, 2006 — KUWAITIS go to the polls next week to elect a new National Assembly, which will in turn approve a new prime minister and Cabinet.  —  The Kuwaitis will be making history for a number of reasons.

Bandanna banned in Springfield mall  —  Officials won't explain how headgear is offensive.  —  SPRINGFIELD (AP) - A southwest Missouri mall defended its dress code after a security guard told a 10-year-old girl her bandanna decorated with peace signs, smiley faces and flowers violated the mall's code of conduct.

From Wake Up Call: St. Pete Times's Rove/Satan Story  — According to this St. Petersburg Times story, saved here for posterity, "Karl Rove said that he would be plotting the Republican Party's fall election strategy with his longtime comrade-in-arms, Satan."