When Do We Publish a Secret?  —  SINCE Sept. 11, 2001, newspaper editors have faced excruciating choices in covering the government's efforts to protect the country from terrorist agents.  Each of us has, on a number of occasions, withheld information because we were convinced that publishing it could put lives at risk.

GOP Seeks Advantage In Ruling On Trials  —  National Security Is Likely Rallying Cry, Leaders Indicate  —  Republicans yesterday looked to wrest a political victory from a legal defeat in the Supreme Court, serving notice to Democrats that they must back President Bush on how to try suspects …

Do Political Leaders Make Legitimate Targets Of War?  —  Israel's threat to assassinate Hamas PM Ismail Haniyeh if the terrorist group does not return Gilad Shalit unharmed has created an international uproar.  Many pundits and diplomats have scolded Israel for escalating a conflict unnecessarily …

Weekends With the President's Men  —  There is a lens in the birdhouse at the driveway of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's home at St. Michaels, Md.  —  JUST an hour and a half from Washington, across the 4.3-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge, or less than 30 minutes in a government-issue Chinook helicopter …

Poll: Good News Fails to Boost Bush's Job Approval  —  In a new TIME survey, Americans say the President is performing poorly and that the country is increasingly on the wrong track  —  A spate of good news at home and abroad has so far failed to boost how Americans feel about President Bush's job performance.

State Tracked Protesters in the Name of Security  —  Officials say they have stopped monitoring antiwar and political rallies.  The practice violates civil rights, Atty. Gen. Lockyer says.  —  SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office in charge of protecting California against terrorism …

Gitmo win likely cost Navy lawyer his career  —  'Fearless' defense of detainee a stinging loss for Bush  —  Lt. Cmdr.  Charles Swift — the Navy lawyer who beat the president of the United States in a pivotal Supreme Court battle over trying alleged terrorists — figures he'll probably have to find a new job.

Moderate Islamists Found … SULEIMANIYA, IRAQ - When I went to the Middle East for a six-month extended visit I wanted to see if I could find a genuinely moderate Islamist political party, one that not only practices democracy but also believes in it.  There was a slight chance Hezbollah might fit that description.

G.I.'s Investigated in Slayings of 4 and Rape in Iraq  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 30 — The American military is investigating accusations that soldiers raped an Iraqi woman in her home and killed her and three family members, including a child, American officials said Friday.

Budget impasse shuts down N.J. government  —  TRENTON, N.J. - Gov. Jon S. Corzine shut down the state government Saturday after a deadline to adopt a new balanced budget expired, bringing road construction projects to a halt and furloughing tens of thousands of state employees indefinitely.

Munitions Found in Iraq Renew Debate  —  Panel Is Divided Over Whether Troops Uncovered Weapons of Mass Destruction  —  Do the 20-year-old Iraqi chemical munitions found by U.S. and coalition forces support the prewar contention that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and justify the invasion of Iraq?

Judge Acquits 2 Ex-Detectives in Mob Killings  —  A federal judge tossed out the racketeering convictions of two retired New York City detectives yesterday — including eight murders for the mob — because the statute of limitations had run out, despite citing overwhelming evidence that the men had committed …