NBC: N. Korea prepares 2nd missile test  —  The revelations from South Korean media follow Wednesday's confirmation by the United States that it had prepared its missile interceptors to meet a specific threat - North Korea's launch of a long-range missile said to be capable of reaching Alaska.

Senate Colleagues to Help Lieberman  —  WASHINGTON — Embattled Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman is getting a little help from his Senate friends as he tries to fend off an anti-Iraq war challenger in an intraparty fight.  —  Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware, Barbara Boxer of California and Ken Salazar …

Breaking: Decision reached on Yale Taliban; Update: Talibanned  —  Just got an e-mail from Clinton Watson Taylor of the "Nail Yale" blog, which is currently offline while Town Hall works out the bugs.  A reporter from the New York Times called him this afternoon for reaction to the news …

Mexico election - liveblogging the District counts  —  The 300 federal election District Committees are reporting their vote package counts.  Remember, they are not counting vote by vote.  The votes from each casilla (poll) are sealed in "paquetes" and may not be opened except in 4 very special cases.

UPDATE: Coulter's Syndicate Requests Report From Plagiarism Prober — As She Hits Back at 'NY Post'  —  NEW YORK Universal Press Syndicate has requested a copy of a report about Ann Coulter's alleged plagiarism, according to a post on the TPMmuckraker.com blog.

Ken Lay's Last Evasion  —  To Some, CEO Is Cheating Them One More Time  —  Ah, Kenneth Lay of Enron: America hardly knew you before your trial, but learned after your big-hammer jury conviction that you had left countless suckers broke, employees cheated and stockholders betrayed.

ONE-WAY TICKET TO VENEZUELA  —  I've done a little browsing on Expedia for Cindy Sheehan, who says she'd rather live under Venezuelan thug Hugo Chavez than in America (transcription below).  (Here's the video via Allah.)  Here are current one-way ticket prices from NYC to Caracas:  —  Fund-raiser, anyone?

Iraq How-to Manual Directed Arab Military Operatives In Afghanistan  —  An Arab regime, possibly Iraq, supplied how-to manuals for Arab operatives working throughout Afghanistan before 9/11, and provided military assistance to the Taliban and Al Qaeda.  —  That's the most likely conclusion drawn …

A Touchy Topic: Boomer in Chief Hits the Big 6-0  —  WASHINGTON, July 5 — Let us now peek into the psyche of America's most powerful baby boomer, George W. Bush.  —  He is not given to self-analysis — "George is not an overly introspective person," his wife, Laura, once said with dry understatement …

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 …

Lady Liberty Trades In Some Trappings  —  MEMPHIS, July 4 — On Independence Day, Lady Liberty was born again.  —  As the congregation of the World Overcomers Outreach Ministries Church looked on and its pastor, Apostle Alton R. Williams, presided, a brown shroud much like a burqa was pulled away …

Bush told Cheney to discredit diplomat critical of Iraq policy  —  President George Bush directed his vice-president, Dick Cheney, to take personal charge of a campaign to discredit a former ambassador who had accused the administration of twisting prewar intelligence on Iraq, it emerged yesterday.

Climate Change Politics: The Deniers and The Apologists  —  Since I posted that I might focus on global warming, I've started to do research on the existing groups working on the problem.  Here's what I've found is going on, a sort of sketch of the landscape.  Every day brings a new dire piece of news on global warming.