Lieberman To Start Petition Drive  —  Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman is to announce today he will petition for a place on the November ballot as an "independent Democrat," giving him a chance to stay alive politically should he lose an Aug. 8 primary for the Democratic nomination.

C.I.A. Closes Unit Focused on Capture of bin Laden  —  WASHINGTON, July 3 — The Central Intelligence Agency has closed a unit that for a decade had the mission of hunting Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenants, intelligence officials confirmed Monday.  —  The unit, known as Alec Station …

Bush Directed Cheney To Counter War Critic  —  President Bush told the special prosecutor in the CIA leak case that he directed Vice President Dick Cheney to personally lead an effort to counter allegations made by former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV that his administration …

Mexico conservative creeps toward slim victory  —  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's conservative presidential candidate Felipe Calderon declared victory on Monday in a bitterly contested election and official returns appeared to show his leftist rival could no longer catch him.

Switzerland: Israel violating int'l law  —  GENEVA  —  Switzerland said Monday that Israel has been violating international law in its Gaza offensive by heavy destruction and endangering civilians in acts of collective punishment banned under the Geneva conventions on the conduct of warfare.

N. Korea warns of nuclear war if attacked  —  SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea vowed on Monday to respond with an "annihilating" nuclear strike if its atomic facilities are attacked pre-emptively by the United States.  —  The Bush administration responded sternly, saying while it had no intention …

DISSENT IS PATRIOTIC, II  —  It was a small, but stalwart crowd outside the D.C. offices of the NY Times this afternoon.  Free Republic co-organizer Kristinn Taylor told me he wasn't aware of any Times reporters or photographers covering the event outside their doorstep.

Target any white person: the chilling guidelines for Bali suicide bombers  —  Any white person is a target.  Avoid hotels because they are too well protected.  Carry the bombs in small knapsacks to avoid suspicion.  And don't worry about your escape route because you will become a "martyr".

The Great Pro-America Steak-Out  —  On Thursday we noted that Diane Wilson planned to start a hunger strike tomorrow: "I'm just a shrimper whose gonna stop eatin' to stop the war," she said in an interview with Code Pink.  Wilson urged others to join her, and said you don't even have to stop eating altogether …

Court intervenes in Calif. cross fight  —  SAN DIEGO - The U.S. Supreme Court intervened Monday to stop, at least for now, the removal of a large cross from city property in Southern California.  —  A lower court judge had ordered the city of San Diego to remove the cross or be fined $5,000 a day.

Replies to criticis of my Cheney-Rumsfeld vacation home blog - Monday, July 03, 2006 9:40 AM  —  Printable Send to a friend Comments  —  A fellow named Greenwald is having some fun with my post about the NY Times photos of Cheney's and Rumsfeld's vacation homes, which included Rumsfeld's security camera.

Ex-GI charged with rape of Iraqi, deaths  —  CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A former soldier discharged because of a "personality disorder" was accused in federal court Monday of executing an Iraqi family so he and other troops could rape and murder a young woman they had been eyeing at a traffic checkpoint.

Foam Mishap Won't Delay Shuttle Launch  —  CAPE CANAVERAL, July 3 — NASA engineers cleared space shuttle Discovery late Monday for an Independence Day launch after technicians used a makeshift inspection probe to show that the loss of a small piece of foam insulation from the external fuel tank did not pose a safety threat for liftoff.

Asheri killers surrender to IDF troops  —  Three Aksa Martyrs Brigades terrorists suspected of kidnapping and killing Itamar resident Eliyahu Asheri last week, surrendered to elite IDF troops in Ramallah early Tuesday morning after a three-hour standoff.  —  According to Army Radio …