Report: Israel gives Syria ultimatum  —  London-based Arabic language newspaper Al-Hayat says Israel gave Syria 72 hours to stop Hizbullah's activity, bring about release of kidnapped IDF troops.  'Israel will not end military activity until new situation created that will prevent Syria …

Putin to Bush: "We Certainly Would Not Want to Have the Same Kind of Democracy as They Have in Iraq"  —  During a press conference today at the G8 summit in Russia, President Bush told President Vladimir Putin that Americans want Russia to develop a free press and free religion "like Iraq."

Wiretap Surrender  —  SENATE JUDICIARY Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) has cast his agreement with the White House on legislation concerning the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance as a compromise — one in which President Bush accepts judicial review of the program.

Evaluating Lieberman: A Party Guy?  —  WASHINGTON — By the numbers, Joe Lieberman is a true, consistent Democrat.  —  He votes with Democratic colleagues almost all the time.  His record gets him high marks from interest groups close to the party, from the AFL-CIO to the NAACP.

Rove Secretly Runs The New York Times  —  New York, New York (SatireNewsService) - In a stunning development that would appear to have broad implications for the independence of America's newspaper industry, New York Times Publisher, Edwin 'Pinch' Sulzberger today revealed …

Gunfire lasted 5-7 minutes  —  HARLINGEN — South Texas sheriff's deputies on Thursday were investigating whether Mexican gunmen who fired on deputies and Border Patrol agents from across the Rio Grande had crossed into the United States.  —  Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino said 200 …

Public Schools Perform Near Private Ones in Study  —  WASHINGTON, July 14 — The Education Department reported on Friday that children in public schools generally performed as well or better in reading and mathematics than comparable children in private schools.

GAY MARRIAGE IN TENNESSEE: Not likely to happen in the near future, but some people are sufficiently upset at the possibility that there's a proposed amendment to the Tennessee Constitution that would define marriage as one-man/one-woman.  I think that's a terrible idea: Such amendments …

New House Majority Leader Keeps Old Ties to Lobbyists  —  Representative John A. Boehner won the job of House majority leader amid a post-Abramoff clamor for an overhaul of lobbying and ethics rules.  But nearly six months later, the changes are still tied up in Congress.

Clash Over Stem Cell Research Heats Up  —  Scientists Dispute Claims of Leading Foe of Bill to Ease Embryo Restrictions  —  With just days to go before the Senate is scheduled to vote on a hotly anticipated bill that would loosen President Bush's restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research …

Post-9/11 Option Grants Under Scrutiny  —  The WSJ continues its recent habit of burying killer stories in the under read Saturday edition.  This week's bombshell has to do with post 9/11 earnings grants: … What makes this so pathetic is that corporate executives could have stepped …