N. Korea missile aimed at area off Hawaii - report  —  TOKYO (Reuters) - A North Korean missile launched on Wednesday was aimed at an area of the ocean close to Hawaii, a Japanese newspaper reported on Friday.  —  Experts estimated the Taepodong-2 ballistic missile to have a range of up to 6,000 km, putting Alaska within its reach.

Debate Headquarters [54]  —  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 …

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 …

In Conn., Lieberman Defends Seat, War Stance  —  HARTFORD, Conn., July 6 — Shunned by many in his own party because of his vigorous support for the war, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) clashed in a debate Thursday with a well-financed challenger who has roiled state politics and turned …

Emergency Over, Saith the Court  —  1861. 1941.  2001. Our big wars — and the war on terrorism ranks with the big ones — have a way of starting in the first year of a decade.  Supreme Courts, which historically have been loath to intervene against presidential war powers in the midst of conflict …

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 …

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.

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 …

Putin kissed boy 'like a kitten'  —  MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) — Vladimir Putin's decision to stop a small boy as he walked through the Kremlin and kiss his stomach was prompted by a desire to "touch him like a kitten," the Russian president said on Thursday.

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.

THE END OF DEMOCRACY PROMOTION....Marc Lynch, after running down the evidence that the Bush administration has "effectively given up on democracy promotion" in the Arab world, makes the following observation: … But that's really just a single piece of a broader, and even more remarkable turn of events …

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.

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 …