Justices Back Most G.O.P. Changes to Texas Districts  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld most of the Texas congressional map engineered by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay but threw out part, saying some of the new boundaries failed to protect minority voting rights.

Operation Summer Rains  —  Before dawn today, IDF tanks and troops went into Gaza.  Their mission is clear: to secure the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.  As National Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer told Israel Radio: … According to an army source …

Piling On the New York Times With a Scoop  —  Story on Secret Program Further Rouses Critics  —  President Bush calls the conduct of the New York Times "disgraceful."  Vice President Cheney objects to the paper having won a Pulitzer Prize.  A Republican congressman wants the Times prosecuted.

Bush's Use of Authority Riles Senator  —  WASHINGTON, June 27 — Senators on the Judiciary Committee accused President Bush of an "unprecedented" and "astonishing" power grab on Tuesday for making use of a device that gave him the authority to revise or ignore more than 750 laws enacted since he became president.

Senate Rejects Flag Desecration Amendment  —  The Senate rejected by a single vote yesterday an effort to amend the Constitution to allow Congress to ban desecration of the American flag, after a two-day debate freighted with political calculations and sharp disputes over the limits of free speech.

Obama: Democrats Must Court Evangelicals  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Barack Obama chastised fellow Democrats on Wednesday for failing to "acknowledge the power of faith in the lives of the American people," and said the party must compete for the support of evangelicals and other churchgoing Americans.

U.S. Rep. Cannon wins Republican primary  —  SALT LAKE CITY - U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon (news, bio, voting record) said his solid victory in Utah's Republican primary is good news for President Bush and those seeking a consensus on immigration policy this year.

Senator seeks tax on pimps, prostitutes  —  Grassley: 'It's a no-brainer to have the IRS go after sex traffickers'  —  NEW YORK (CNN) — Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa is hoping to stamp out the sex trade by taxing pimps and prostitutes, then jailing them when they don't pay.

we need to stop this... now  —  Guest Contributor: Sen. John McCain  —  Last week I had the honor of speaking to a group of my fellow Republicans at the presidential library of one of my heroes — President Ronald Reagan.  —  When I was first elected to Congress, I was one of many newly elected members …

Astrology  —  I'm certainly going to regret going here, but I've been somewhat amused or bemused by the scorn heaped on Jerome Armstrong over his foray into the world of astrology, with one commenter at Tapped asserting it makes him a "nutcase" and Garance implying that belief in astrology …