Flag Amendment Narrowly Fails in Senate Vote  —  WASHINGTON, June 27 — A proposed Constitutional amendment to allow Congress to prohibit desecration of the flag fell a single vote short of approval by the Senate on Tuesday, an excruciatingly close vote that left unresolved a long-running debate …

Israeli Troops Move Into Gaza  —  Captured Soldier Sought; Palestinians Reach Political Pact  —  GAZA CITY, June 28 — Israeli ground troops pushed into the Gaza Strip early Wednesday in a military operation aimed at freeing a captured soldier whose fate has transfixed much of the country.

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.

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.

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.

Rush Limbaugh jokes about Viagra find  —  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Investigators were trying to determine Tuesday whether Rush Limbaugh violated a deal with prosecutors in a long-running prescription fraud case when authorities found he had a bottle of Viagra that was apparently prescribed to someone else.

Democrats vow to block pay raises until minimum wage increased  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Democrats ratcheted up their election-year push for an increase in the federal minimum wage Tuesday by promising to block a congressional pay hike unless some of the lowest-paid hourly workers get their first raise in nearly a decade.

AP INCORRECTLY CLAIMS SCIENTISTS PRAISE GORE'S MOVIE  —  The June 27, 2006 Associated Press (AP) article titled "Scientists OK Gore's Movie for Accuracy" by Seth Borenstein raises some serious questions about AP's bias and methodology.  —  AP chose to ignore the scores of scientists …

Analyst Says He Warned of Iraqi Resistance  —  Days after the United States invaded Iraq, senior U.S. officials were warned that Iraqi Sunnis would strongly resist American troops' occupation efforts, according to testimony given yesterday before Senate Democrats.

Damage Study Urged on Surveillance Reports  —  WASHINGTON, June 27 — Senator Pat Roberts, the chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, asked the director of national intelligence on Tuesday to assess any damage to American counterterrorism efforts caused by the disclosure of secret programs …

Bush jogs with wounded soldier  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush took a jog Tuesday with a soldier who lost part of both legs in Iraq, following through on a bedside promise even the president had doubts about at the time.  —  Despite a slight drizzle, Bush and Staff Sgt. Christian Bagge took …

Number of US visas to Saudis doubles  —  For the first time since the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the US State Department has begun to sharply increase the number of entry visas granted to Saudi Arabian nationals seeking to visit the United States, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

Peace and Quiet  —  FOUR PROJECTS FOR RIGHTEOUS ANTI-WAR TYPES.  —  The Daily Kos lot received such a Niagara of ridicule for their meeting in Las Vegas (Alexander Cockburn's column in The Nation, available in a slightly different form on the Counterpunch site, making me almost feel sorry for them) …