IDF captures airstrip, gains foothold east of Rafah  —  Israeli fighter jets struck the northern Gaza Strip around 2 p.m. Wednesday, firing missiles at open areas.  The strike is part of the army's "pressure pot" tactic, meant to turn up pressure on Gaza by placement of troops and weapons fire with a minimum of casualties.

GOP bill targets NY Times  —  House Republican leaders are expected to introduce a resolution today condemning The New York Times for publishing a story last week that exposed government monitoring of banking records.  —  The resolution is expected to condemn the leak and publication …

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.

Court nixes part of Texas political map  —  WASHINGTON - 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.

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.

Incumbent wins easily as Jacob's immigration challenge fizzles  —  LEHI - Incumbency overcame the anti-immigration wave in Utah's 3rd Congressional District Republican Primary.  —  Five-term Rep. Chris Cannon had a commanding lead over political newcomer John Jacob with 89 percent of the precincts reporting at press time.

Democrats vow to block pay raises until minimum wage increased  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — A week after the GOP-led Senate rejected an increase to the minimum wage, Senate Democrats on Tuesday vowed to block pay raises for members of Congress until the minimum wage is increased.

Bush Calls on Senate to Pass Line-Item Veto  —  President Bush pushed the Senate yesterday to give him and his successors the power to strip special projects out of spending bills, part of a broader political effort to assuage disaffected supporters that he really is a fiscal conservative despite the growth of government on his watch.

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.

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 …

US Senate's Stevens short on votes for telco bill  —  WASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens said on Tuesday he does not yet have the necessary votes to get legislation to overhaul communications laws through the full Senate.

Breaking News...Samarra bombers arrested!!  —  In a news conference currently being broadcast on TV, Iraq's national security advisor Muwaffak al-Rubaie says Iraqi security forces arrested Abu Qudama al-Tunisi in a raid in the suburb of al-Dhuloiya north of Baghdad.

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 …