Top Items:
Associated Press:
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.
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CNN:
Israel strikes Beirut airport, blocks ports — BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) — Israeli aircraft bombed Beirut International Airport on Thursday before blocking naval traffic in Lebanese waters as Israel expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah guerrillas who kidnapped two Israeli soldiers.
Ynetnews:
Al-Aqsa leader: West Bank rocket war is on — Terror leader announces start of missile barrage nearing Israel's main population centers — While Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip have been contending with almost daily missile attacks, Palestinian rockets will now be launched regularly …
Ravi Nessman / Associated Press:
Israel Hits Lebanon After Troops Snatched — Israel bombed and shelled southern Lebanon and sent ground troops over the border for the first time in six years Wednesday after Hezbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers. The fighting killed eight Israeli soldiers and three Lebanese.
Discussion:
Fox News, The Adventures of Chester, TigerHawk, Blue Star Chronicles, Assorted Babble, The Dumb Ox and Blogs of War
Sam F. Ghattas / Associated Press:
Israeli warplanes attack Beirut airport — BEIRUT, Lebanon - Israel intensified its attacks against Lebanon on Thursday, blasting Beirut's international airport and the southern part of the country in its heaviest air campaign against its neighbor in 24 years. Nearly three dozen civilians were killed, officials said.
Pajamas Media:
Widening Into War?: The Israeli Response in Lebanon and Gaza — July 12, 2006 19:11 PDT An unconfirmed Debka File report asserts that "Iran's national security adviser Ali Larijani flies to Damascus aboad special military plane Wednesday night as war tension builds.... Iranian air force …
Ze'ev Schiff / Haaretz:
ANALYSIS: Israel is at risk of embarking on three-front war — Two weeks after the start of the IDF's extensive operation in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah opened a second front on the northern border. The second front, which could expand into Israel, started just as the first did …
Associated Press:
Kassam fired from Gaza, no damage — Palestinians fired a Kassam from northern Gaza Thursday morning. No one was wounded and no damage was caused by the rocket which landed south of Ashkelon. The IDF was responding with artillery fire from outside the Strip.
Kate Zernike / New York Times:
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.
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Jonathan Weisman / Washington Post:
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.
Discussion:
Bring it On!
Greyhawk / Mudville Gazette:
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.
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Lois Romano / Washington Post:
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.
Discussion:
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Pete Yost / Associated Press:
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 …
Discussion:
Needlenose, Don Surber, The Next Hurrah, WTF Is It Now??, FishBowlDC, Public Eye, Brilliant at Breakfast, TalkLeft, Firedoglake and In Search Of Utopia
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Sharon Kehnemui Liss / Fox News:
Novak: No Bush Administration Effort to Discredit Joe Wilson
Novak: No Bush Administration Effort to Discredit Joe Wilson
Discussion:
News Hounds, Iowa Voice, NewsBusters.org, Flopping Aces, Villainous Company and The All Spin Zone
Jon Tevlin / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
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 …
Ennis / Sepia Mutiny:
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.
Discussion:
Guardian, The Agonist, Attytood, Reuters, Suburban Guerrilla, Hyscience and Blue Crab Boulevard
Hotline On Call:
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 …
Amelia Gentleman / New York Times:
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.