WHAT MURTHA REALLY SAID  —  Previously we noted a controversial speech by Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) at a town hall meeting in Miami, FL, June 24, 2006.  Elizabeth Baier, the reporter on the story, was forced by her editors at the Sun-Sentinel to do a hatchet job (or it was done for her) …

Judge's ruling keeps DeLay on ballot  —  AUSTIN - A federal judge ruled today that Republicans cannot replace former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay on the ballot for the 22nd Congressional District race.  —  U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks, a Republican appointee, ruled that DeLay must appear …

Enron founder, facing prison, dies in Aspen  —  What he couldn't do in the courtroom, former Enron Chairman Ken Lay may finally be able to achieve in death — avoid a criminal record.  —  Lay, 64, who died of a heart attack in Aspen, Colo., early Wednesday morning, will likely have his case vacated …

N.Y. Court Says Lawmakers Should Consider Gay Marriage  —  The New York Court of Appeals ruled this morning that the state Constitution does not guarantee a right to marriage for same-sex couples, and that state lawmakers, not the courts, are better suited to consider the issue.

Why Economists Like Immigration  —  With members of the House and Senate sparring over immigration reform, it is worth summarizing why most economists are sympathetic with the more welcoming approach of the Senate bill.  —  The study of economics leaves a person with two strong impulses.

Debate Headquarters [51]  —  Track the Discussion Online: Can't get enough?  Check out some of the blogs following the debate tonight.  —  LamontBlog (unoffocial) |  Firedoglake |  MyDD |  Atrios |  Connecticut Local Politics |  Blog for America  —  Rapid Response: Rebut misleading answers …

Syndicate Will Look Into Alleged Coulter Plagiarism On Its Own — And Possibly With Electronic Tool  —  NEW YORK Universal Press Syndicate issued a statement this afternoon saying it might look into the plagiarism allegations against Ann Coulter in two possible ways.

N.J. Gov., Lawmakers Reach Deal on Budget  —  TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey's governor and lawmakers reached a deal Thursday on a new state budget, six days into a state government shutdown that shuttered casinos and threw more than 80,000 people out of work.  —  Gov. Jon S. Corzine …

Suicide: Not Painless  —  Michelle Malkin has responded to my post on UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Denice Denton's suicide.  Quick recap: Malkin called Denton a "capitulationist chancellor" after Denton failed to expel or punish students who angrily protested and kicked military recruiters off campus.

IDF soldier, 21 Palestinians killed in IDF raid in north Gaza  —  An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed Thursday afternoon during an Israel Defense Forces operation in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia.  —  First Lieutenent Yehuda Bessal was seriously wounded when shot …

Consultant Breached FBI's Computers  —  Frustrated by Bureaucracy, Hacker Says Agents Approved and Aided Break-Ins  —  A government consultant, using computer programs easily found on the Internet, managed to crack the FBI's classified computer system and gain the passwords of 38,000 employees …

King won't decide first question till cameras roll  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — CNN's Larry King has interviewed every president since Richard Nixon.  Tonight at 9 p.m. ET he conducts his second interview with President George W. Bush since his election in 2000.  —  The interview will be broadcast from the White House.

For the Record  —  I am disheartened by Andrew Baron's decision to spread misinformation.  He knows I cannot move to LA without a job...but insists on spinning things this way to shore up his assertion that I am "walking away" from Rocketboom.  I did not walk away.  I did not accept Andrew's idea of "partnership".

Bloggers battle old-school media for political clout  —  Online journals gaining greater influence, scrutiny  —  WASHINGTON — When a writer for The New Republic, the 92-year-old doyen of elite Washington opinion journals, accused the nation's most prominent political blogger of using …

Fallen Soldier Gets a Bronze Star but No Pagan Star  —  At the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in the small town of Fernley, Nev., there is a wall of brass plaques for local heroes.  But one space is blank.  There is no memorial for Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart.  —  That's because Stewart was a Wiccan …

Army charges officer for refusing to fight in Iraq  —  SEATTLE (Reuters) - The U.S. Army filed three charges on Wednesday against an officer who refused to fight in Iraq due to objections over the legality of the war.  —  First Lt. Ehren Watada, who supporters say is the first commissioned U.S. officer …

Reports conflict about Zubeydi's fate  —  Conflicting reports emerged on Thursday night about the fate of the the Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades West Bank commander Zakariya Zubeydi, after Border Police's undercover elite Yamas unit, surrounded the home where Zubeydi was believed to be holed up in together with a number of other wanted men.

Steiger, Downie Refused to Join Keller/Baquet Op-Ed  —  NEW YORK Managing Editor Paul Steiger of The Wall Street Journal and Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. of The Washington Post were both asked to be part of last weekend's unique joint Op-Ed piece by the editors of The New York Times …

al-Qaeda releases tape commemorating the 7/7 London bombings (UPDATED)  —  As-Sahab banner announcing upcoming al-Qaeda tape commemorating the 7/7 London bombings.  Banner courtesy of Rita Katz of the SITE Institute.  —  Last evening, ABC News' Brian Ross reported, via the Blotter …

Ann and Barbara  —  (Update: I'm hearing that Boxer might be going a little wobbly on her decision to stump for Joe.  If she were to issue a statement today saying she is not coming to Connecticut, that would just be a wonderful thing and she would be deserving of all praise for supporting women's rights with her decision.