Rice meeting with Olmert in Israel  —  JERUSALEM - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, leading the first high-level U.S. diplomatic mission since war broke out in Lebanon, said Tuesday the time has come for a new Middle East and an urgent end to the violence hanging over the region.

CNN's Robertson Now Admits: Hezbollah 'Had Control' of His Anti-Israel Piece  —  Better late than never?  On CNN's Reliable Sources on Sunday, CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson added all of the caveats and disclaimers that he should have included in his story last week …

Democratic candidates concerned about fate if Lieberman loses  —  WATERBURY, Conn. —As U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman tried to rally his supporters with a campaign visit from former President Bill Clinton Monday, some Democrats acknowledged they're worried a Lieberman primary loss could hurt other Democratic candidates on the November ballot.

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 …

Peace prize winner 'could kill' Bush  —  NOBEL peace laureate Betty Williams displayed a flash of her feisty Irish spirit yesterday, lashing out at US President George W.Bush during a speech to hundreds of schoolchildren.  —  Campaigning on the rights of young people at the Earth Dialogues forum …

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.

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 …

Maryland Senate Candidate Arrested on Rape, Assault Charges  —  It looks like the crowded field for the Democratic nomination for Senator in Maryland just lost one candidate.  —  David Dickerson is one of 18 Dems seeking the nomination.  But he was arrested by Baltimore County police …

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 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.

Maybe Now We'll Get It  —  Maybe, as this terrible business in Lebanon unfolds, we'll finally get it:  —  Guerrillas like to hide behind civilians.  —  Muslim guerrillas take it a step further: "Civilians" are a weapon to them — as much a part of the fight as the AK-47 or RPG they carry.

RUDY, THE FRONT-RUNNER  —  CRUISING AHEAD OF MCCAIN  —  July 24, 2006 — IT'S early in the game yet, but it's becoming undeniable: Rudy Giuliani will run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 - as the clear front-runner.  —  For months, the media have treated their favored candidate …

Gore Makes Personal Environmental Appeal  —  Former Vice President Al Gore said his conscience is regularly challenged by a consumerism that contributes to the global warming he has made it his mission to reverse.  —  "It is so hard for those of us who want to live according to our values …