Israel strike hits Palestinian PM's office  —  GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli aircraft fired missiles at the Palestinian prime minister's office early Sunday, just hours after a Palestinian official said the soldier whose abduction sent Israeli troops into Gaza is alive and in stable condition.

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.

Conservative pundits reveal murderous plot by the Travel Section of the NYT!  —  (updated below)  —  I learned today from Michelle Malkin, Powerline's John Hinderaker, Red State, and David Horowitz, among others, that The New York Times not only wants to help Al Qaeda launch terrorist attacks …

Woman of The Nation  —  Strident feminism can seem out of place — even tacky — in a world where women have come so demonstrably far.  With Katie Couric at the anchor desk, Condoleezza Rice leading the State Department and Hillary Clinton aiming for the top of the ticket, many of the young …

Defiant Blair hits back at his critics  —  LONDON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair, struggling to keep his hold on power after months of questions about when he intends to resign, snapped back at critics Saturday with a defiant declaration that "this is the time to hold firm."

Kerry faces hard road in presidential bid  —  DES MOINES, Iowa - Seeking the presidency is harder the second time around.  As the race for 2008 builds, Democratic Sen. John Kerry has left little doubt about his intentions to try again after his narrow loss to President Bush in 2004.

At Guantanamo, Dying Is Not Permitted  —  A TIME Investigation: The Supreme Court handed the prisoners at Gitmo a victory, but authorities there continue to use harsh methods to break one of their most common methods of protest — the hunger strike  —  The prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba …

Discontent over Iraq may cost Republicans control of Congress, poll says  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush's job approval rating is up slightly, but discontent over the Iraq war, especially among women, is continuing to boost Democratic prospects in the struggle for control of Congress, a Times/Bloomberg poll has found.

SUPERMAN AND THE AMERICAN WAY  —  I sat through about half of Superman Returns yesterday.  The movie was boring and gave me a headache.  But that's just me.  Guess I'm just one of those people who doesn't have the patience for Hollyweird escapism that pits softened not-so-superheroes against rootless, not-so-arch enemies.

War of Words on Bank Story  —  Wall Street Journal Editorial Takes Times to Task  —  For the Wall Street Journal editorial page, there may be no more juicy target than the liberal press appearing to undermine the Bush administration's war on terror.  —  The White House and congressional Republicans …

John Edwards courts tech crowd in Seattle  —  John Edwards, the former U.S. vice presidential candidate, sought common ground with bloggers and other hard-core techies in Seattle on Friday — conceding, among other things, that he's sometimes too polished for the unvarnished Internet age.

Ronnie Earle Gets Some Comeuppance  —  A federal judge issued a little-noticed ruling that spells trouble for Travis County DA Ronnie Earle and his obsession with Tom DeLay.  Dryly calling Earle's efforts "innovative", Judge Mike Lynch ruled that political groups broke no state laws …

Muslim-only Alton Towers  —  Thrilling ... but only Muslims will be invited  —  BRITAIN'S biggest fun park has sparked a race row — with a MUSLIMS-ONLY day.  —  Up to 28,000 are expected at Alton Towers on September 17 when there will be no music, booze or gambling.

In Memphis, Two Heads of Government Visit the Home of Rock 'n' Roll Royalty  —  MEMPHIS, June 30 — Plenty of awestruck Elvis impersonators have passed through the wrought-iron gates of Graceland.  Until Friday, none had the president of the United States in tow.

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.

Domestic spying on peace groups in California by the state office of homeland security, the LAT reports.  And this interesting detail: … This excerpt jumped out at me because in the course of researching various state and local CT programs a few years ago I met Manavian who strikes …