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.

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.

SPEAKING OF IRAQ...  When you give a speech, your opening remarks set the tone.  You must make your key points early (and often) or risk them being lost on all but the most intent listeners.  The same is true for writing - or reporting.  Your opening paragraphs establish your story.

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.

Novak: Rove was a source in outing Plame  —  WASHINGTON - Columnist Robert Novak said publicly for the first time Tuesday that White House political adviser Karl Rove was a source for his story outing the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame.  —  In a column, Novak also says his recollection …

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 …

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.

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 …

Mumbai Inquiry Focuses on Militants  —  NEW DELHI, July 12 — Senior police officials investigating Tuesday's murderous attacks on Mumbai's rail system said today that they were focusing on a Kashmiri militant group, Lashkar-e-Toiba, which has denied involvement in the attacks.