Has Israel lost the spirit of '76?  —  THIRTY YEARS AGO this week, on July 4, 1976, Israel carried out one of the most spectacular rescue missions in history — the raid on Entebbe airport in Uganda that freed more than 100 Jewish hostages being held by Arab and German terrorists.

The Power of Hillary  —  "Hillary Clinton really is one of the weakest . . . nominees with whom the Democrats could be saddled."  —  "Democrats are worried sick about her chances."  —  "Just give someone else a chance, so we in the Democratic Party can elect a Democrat."  —  "She cannot possibly, possibly win."

WHO DIED AND LEFT YOU PRESIDENT?  —  Yesterday Los Angeles Times editor Dean Baquet and New York Times executive editor Bill Keller returned to the scene of the crime: "Why do we publish a secret?"  The first half of the column consists of throat-clearing platitudes; the second half a remembrance of crimes past.

Farm Program Pays $1.3 Billion to People Who Don't Farm  —  EL CAMPO, Tex. — Even though Donald R. Matthews put his sprawling new residence in the heart of rice country, he is no farmer.  He is a 67-year-old asphalt contractor who wanted to build a dream house for his wife of 40 years.

Hiring Federal Lobbyists, Towns Learn Money Talks  —  TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. — Rebuffed on several requests for state and federal financing to help rebuild its crumbling bridge, this small resort town was all but resigned to raising the money by doubling the 50-cent bridge toll, increasing property taxes and issuing bonds.

Maryland Senate Race May Hinge On Ethnicity  —  Mfume Leads Cardin In Sharply Divided Primary, Poll Shows  —  Former NAACP president Kweisi Mfume leads U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin in what is shaping up to be a racially polarized Democratic Senate primary in Maryland, even as roughly a third …

Designer who rescued 406 Jews in Nazi-occupied Netherlands dies  —  Jaap Penraat, an architect and industrial designer who helped 406 Jews sneak out of Nazi-occupied Netherlands and withstood torture to protect fellow members of the resistance, has died, his daughter said.

LAST STAND  —  On May 31st, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced what appeared to be a major change in U.S. foreign policy.  The Bush Administration, she said, would be willing to join Russia, China, and its European allies in direct talks with Iran about its nuclear program.

Roberts Is at Court's Helm, but He Isn't Yet in Control  —  WASHINGTON, July 1 — As the dust settled on a consequential Supreme Court term, the first in 11 years with a change in membership and the first in two decades with a new chief justice, one question that lingered was whether …

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.

Journalists and 'leakers' feel heat  —  NEW YORK - Headline by headline, a trickle of news leaks on Iraq and the antiterror campaign has grown into a steady stream of revelations, and from Pennsylvania Avenue to Downing Street, Copenhagen to Canberra, governments are responding with pressure and prosecutions.

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."