Gaza groups ready to deal on cease-fire, release of Shalit  —  All groups in Gaza, including Hamas, would now accept a cease-fire deal with Israel which would include releasing Gilad Shalit, according to the Palestinian Agriculture Minister, who also heads the coordinating committee of Palestinian organizations there.

Democrats Lose if Lieberman is Defeated  —  The most interesting question about the possibility that Connecticut Democrats could deny Joseph Lieberman renomination is whether that would help or hurt the senator's political prospects.  Or, for that matter, the Democratic Party's.

Can Blogging Derail Your Career?  —  7 Bloggers Discuss the Case of Juan Cole  —  With the debut of his Web log, Informed Comment, four years ago, Juan R.I. Cole became arguably the most visible commentator writing on the Middle East today.  A professor of modern Middle East and South Asian history …

U.S. Says It Knew of Pakistani Reactor Plan  —  Congress Learned of Nation's Nuclear Expansion From Independent Analysts  —  The Bush administration acknowledged yesterday that it had long known about Pakistan's plans to build a large plutonium-production reactor, but it said the White House …

Massive blackout continues in St. Louis  —  AP — _ ST. LOUIS (AP) _ Nearly a quarter-million homes and businesses still had no electricity Monday as the city struggled to recover from last week's devastating thunderstorms.  —  The blackout has kept air conditioners from cooling homes since Wednesday …

Talks on WTO's Doha round collapse  —  U.S. presidential 'fast track' trade authority to expire in 2007.  —  GENEVA (Reuters) — Talks by major trade powers to save the World Trade Organization's Doha Round collapsed on Monday, leaving the future of negotiations on a global free trade deal in doubt.

Raise Wages, Not Walls  —  THERE are two approaches to illegal immigration currently being debated in Congress.  One, supported by the House, emphasizes border control and law enforcement, including a wall along the Mexican border and increased border patrols.

The New King of Big TV's Is Queen-Size  —  Will buying a TV set one day involve choosing between full, queen and king sizes?  —  Panasonic said last week that it would begin selling a 103-inch flat-panel plasma television in the United States in time for the holiday season.

HILLARY GATHERS AN ARMY  —  INCLUDES 3G FOR STYLIST  —  July 24, 2006 — WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign army has increased its ranks to 50 staffers and more than 20 consultants, specialists in everything from fund-raising to speech-writing to hairstyling and makeup.

The Boxer Meltdown  —  Maura and CTBob had quite the face off with Barbara Boxer today when they tried to dodge the public in an event only annnounced to the press at a local candy store normally closed on Mondays.  (You'll remember Maura from her encounter with Lieberman when the dog ate Joe Biden's train schedule.)

The Digital Brown Shirts  —  I don't know who Al Gore had in mind when he spoke of Nazi-like tactics being used against the media two years ago; it's usually best not to give examples when you're making things up.  When it comes to finding examples of the mythical digital Brown Shirt …