Bush Asserts Shield Could've Blocked Missile  —  WASHINGTON, July 7 — President Bush said again today that North Korea should renounce its missile ambitions, and he said he was fairly confident the United States could have intercepted a North Korean rocket headed for America.

Canadian linked to New York terrorism plot  —  A terrorist plot against New York involved at least one Canadian currently held in custody overseas, an FBI source knowledgeable about the investigation said Friday.  —  The suspect is one of eight people — three of them in custody …

The Morning After  —  We're not in the business of judging winners and losers; there are plenty of well-informed Nutmeg State voters who can make up their own minds.  But putting aside the (curiously ironic) blogger charge that Sen. Joe Lieberman's strong performance in last night's debate …

Phone Jammer to Argue DC Officials Approved  —  According to a recent court filing, indicted phone jammer Shaun Hansen may offer an affirmative defense at his upcoming fall trial, arguing that the phone jamming scheme which his company carried out had the seal of approval of both the Republican National Committee and the White House.

George W. Bush Is Dead To Me Nation cringes as the worst president ever continues long, painful slog to the end  —  It is like some sort of virus.  It is like some sort of weird and painful rash on your face that makes you embarrassed to walk out the door and so you sit there day after day …

N.Y. GAY-MARRIAGE RULING:  —  ... & BLUEPRINT FOR VICTORY  —  July 7, 2006 — SUPPORTERS of gay marriage won a resounding victory yesterday - even if they don't know it yet.  —  In a 4-2 decision, New York state's Court of Appeals made a simple, but firm, declaration …

G.O.P. Agenda in House Has Moderates Unhappy  —  WASHINGTON, July 7 — Moderate Republicans say a planned summer push by the House leadership on conservative causes like gun rights and new abortion restrictions threatens the re-election prospects of embattled centrists, who are key to the party's drive to hold Congress.

Whither the Women?  —  After Decades on Rise, Labor Participation Rate Is Down  —  The trend was clear and consistent.  Since the end of World War II and stretching to the start of the current millennium, the percentage of American women entering the labor force rose steadily …

Safe at Any Speed  —  With higher speed limits, our highways have been getting safer.  —  It's another summer weekend, when millions of families pack up the minivan or SUV and hit the road.  So this is also an apt moment to trumpet some good, and underreported, news: Driving on the highways is safer today than ever before.

Baquet on Using the L.A. Times to "Push Back" Against Blogger Critics  —  I read something disturbing last night about the way the editor of the L.A. Times views criticism of his newspaper.  Apparently, editor Dean Baquet sees criticism as something to "push back" against.

Ahmadinejad warns of Islamic 'explosion'  —  TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's hard-line president warned Friday that continued Israeli strikes against Palestinians could lead to an Islamic "explosion" targeting Israel and its Western supporters.  —  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told thousands of demonstrators gathered …

Sources say no serious plot for NYC, just hate chatter  —  One former intelligence field officer says, and two other CIA officials confirm, that the alleged plot by Muslim extremists to bomb the Holland Tunnel in New York City was nothing more than chatter by unaffiliated individuals …

General Faults Marine Response to Iraq Killings  —  WASHINGTON, July 7 — The second-ranking American commander in Iraq has concluded that some senior Marine officers were negligent in failing to investigate more aggressively the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians by marines in Haditha last November …

You Can Quote Them on That, Maybe  —  On-the-record comments from top White House officials have been precious few throughout this administration.  Lately, though, national security adviser Stephen Hadley , legislative affairs chief Candida Wolff and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten …

U.S. Secret Service Forced to Release More White House Logs Detailing Abramoff Visits  —  Available on Judicial Watch's Internet Site, www.judicialwatch.org  —  (Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption …