Hamas Leader Badly Hurt in Israeli Bombing  —  A Hamas militant leader who has topped Israel's most-wanted list for a decade was badly wounded and underwent four hours of spinal surgery Wednesday after being wounded in an Israeli airstrike, security officials said.

Beyond the Poll Numbers, Voter Doubts About Clinton  —  Anna Shelley, a mother of three from Utah, says she is ready for a female president, and she is sure that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has what it takes.  —  But Shelley, a Democrat, is not sure she could ever pull a lever for Clinton.

Deafening silence in the blogosphere  —  While trying to deal with the tragedy in Mumbai, I have been wondering what the coverage of the story tells us about ourselves.  —  I was not surprised by MSM coverage in America: poor in local papers, better in papers with a large desi population or those with an international audience.

Couric's Twin Cities visit a well-oiled machine  —  The hugely popular media star held a closed-to-the-media "listening session," then attended a fundraiser for a local charity.  —  It was a well-orchestrated media event that excluded the media, a private invitation-only meeting in the brand …

Web Video Too Low Even for DemoRATS  —  The Democrats' landslide must not be working out as planned, because the DCCC has just unleashed the most appalling wed video since MoveOn.org's "Bush is Hitler" ads.  My guess is the backlash against this video will be so strong …

Administration Prods Congress to Curb the Rights of Detainees  —  WASHINGTON, July 12 — A day after saying that terror suspects had a right to protections under the Geneva Conventions, the Bush administration said Wednesday that it wanted Congress to pass legislation that would limit the rights granted to detainees.

Katherine Harris's Campaign Staff To Resign  —  The high command of Rep. Katherine Harris's FL Senate bid plans to resign by the end of the week, two people familiar with the campaign tell the Hotline.  —  The departing staff includes Glen Hodas, Harris's campaign manager, her spokesperson …

General Sees Need for More U.S. Forces in Baghdad  —  By PAUL von ZIELBAUER and DAVID S. CLOUD  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 12 — Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the senior American commander in Iraq, said today that "terrorists and death squads" were responsible for the surge in sectarian killings …

The extinction of mass culture  —  The advent of 300 channels and the Internet has fragmented audiences - and the explosion of choice has left us poorer  —  NEW YORK (Fortune) — Quick: Name the biggest star in prime-time television.  —  Now: Name a star created by the Internet.

Battle Looms In Congress Over Military Tribunals  —  House Republicans signaled a coming clash with the Senate over the future of military tribunals yesterday when Armed Service Committee members indicated they were inclined to give the Bush administration largely what it wants in the conduct of terrorism trials.