Sources: North Korea tests missiles  —  Western concerns focused on preparation of long-range rocket  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — North Korea tested at least two missiles early Wednesday but has not fired the long-range Taepodong-2 rocket Western observers suspect has been readied for launch, U.S. sources told CNN.

Sen. Clinton: Lieberman on own if he loses Dem primary  —  ALBANY, N.Y. — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a longtime supporter of Sen. Joseph Lieberman, said Tuesday she will not back the Connecticut Democrat's bid for re-election if he loses their party's primary.  —  "I've known Joe Lieberman for more than thirty years.

Addressing Soldiers, Bush Denounces Early Pullout in Iraq  —  FORT BRAGG, N.C., July 4 — In a rousing Independence Day speech to hundreds of soldiers and their families, President Bush warned on Tuesday that setting an artificial timetable for withdrawal of Iraq would be "a terrible mistake" …

In Ramadi, Fetid Quarters and Unrelenting Battles  —  RAMADI, Iraq, July 4 — The Government Center in the middle of this devastated town resembles a fortress on the wild edge of some frontier: it is sandbagged, barricaded, full of men ready to shoot, surrounded by rubble and enemies eager to get inside.

Bush Signaling Shift in Stance on Immigration  —  WASHINGTON, July 4 — On the eve of nationwide hearings that could determine the fate of his immigration bill, President Bush is signaling a new willingness to negotiate with House Republicans in an effort to revise the stalled legislation before Election Day.

Global Warming's Real Inconvenient Truth  —  "Global warming may or may not be the great environmental crisis of the next century, but — regardless of whether it is or isn't — we won't do much about it.  We will (I am sure) argue ferociously over it and may even, as a nation, make some fairly solemn-sounding commitments to avoid it.

Olmert Issues Veiled Threat Against Syria  —  Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday ignored a deadline to begin releasing Palestinian prisoners and instead issued a veiled threat against Syria, vowing to strike "those who sponsor" the militants in the Gaza Strip who seized a young Israeli soldier.

Former regime said at core of insurgency  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Iraqi government's list of the 41 most wanted fugitives suggests that former members of Saddam Hussein's regime form the backbone of the insurgency despite attention paid to the role of religious extremists such as al-Qaida in Iraq.

US 'flag epidemic' reaches peak on Fourth of July  —  WASHINGTON (AFP) - It's a true epidemic: the red, white and blue, stars-and-stripes banners are everywhere in the United States - on house facades, front lawns, cars and clothes.  —  Hitting an high point on the July 4 US Independence Day holiday …

Space shuttle Discovery goes into orbit  —  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In a majestic Independence Day liftoff, Discovery and its crew of seven blasted into orbit Tuesday on the first space shuttle launch in a year, flying over objections from those within NASA who argued for more fuel-tank repairs.