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.

Clinton Releases Proposals to Help the Middle Class  —  DENVER, July 24 — With divisions in the Democratic Party on full display nationwide, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton sought to stake out the center here on Monday, issuing a broad policy platform geared toward helping middle-class voters …

Access Denied  —  What do you do when the people you represent want to be represented by someone else?  What do you do when the your highest approval ratings come from members of the party you claim to differentiate yourself from?  What do you do when you're down and desperate?

A Proportionate Response is Madness  —  If by chance you have the search engine LexisNexis and you punch in the words "Israel'' and "disproportionate,'' you run the risk of blowing up your computer or darkening your entire neighborhood.  Just limiting the search to newspapers and magazines …

For One Senate Candidate, the 'R' Is a 'Scarlet Letter'  —  The candidate, immersed in one of the most competitive Senate races in the country, sat down to lunch yesterday with reporters at a Capitol Hill steakhouse and shared his views about this year's political currents.

Top Iraqi's White House Visit Shows Gaps With U.S.  —  Iraqis buried their dead Monday from another suicide bombing.  Prime Minister Maliki has tried without success to end such violence.  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 24 — When Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki visits the White House on Tuesday …

50 percent of U.S. says Iraq had WMDs  —  Half of Americans now say Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when the United States invaded the country in 2003 — up from 36 percent last year, a Harris poll finds.  Pollsters deemed the increase both "substantial" and "surprising" …

Good Luck, Mr. Leopold  —  After giving Jason Leopold the heads up on my story almost two weeks ago, he claimed I was threatening him.  I did no such thing but this was a tactic used by Leopold, Larisa Alexandrovna of Raw Story, and John Dean, their lackey - allege threats where there were none.

Poll: Donnelly, Chocola in tight race  —  Pollster: Indicators say Chocola in trouble  —  Democratic challenger Joe Donnelly appears to have a slight edge in his bid to upset Republican incumbent Chris Chocola for the 2nd District congressional seat, according to a districtwide poll taken on behalf of The Tribune and WSBT-TV.

Nice Rats, Nasty Rats: Maybe It's All in the Genes  —  On an animal-breeding farm in Siberia are cages housing two colonies of rats.  In one colony, the rats have been bred for tameness in the hope of mimicking the mysterious process by which Neolithic farmers first domesticated an animal still kept today.

WAKING NIGHTMARES:  —  A week ago, I entertained a nightmare scenario whereby Moqtada Sadr sends his Mahdi Army militia to fight alongside Hezbollah.  The nightmare would be Israel attacking Sadr in retaliation for his attacks on the IDF or Israeli civilians, thereby prompting the inevitable …

50 Most Beautiful People on Capitol Hill  —  #1 Michelle Persaud, 27  —  Staff counsel  —  Michelle Persaud's delicate features burst into a smile as she describes the mistake many men make with her.  —  Seeing her dark eyes and mocha skin, her flowing black tresses and expansive lashes …

Rep. Hefley defends Mollohan  —  Former House ethics committee Chairman Joel Hefley last week quietly inserted a statement into the Congressional Record defending Democratic Rep. Alan Mollohan's service on the panel and scolding GOP leaders for attempting to change ethics rules at the start of the 109th Congress.

Bush Job Approval at 37%  —  Similar to 37% average rating for all of June  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A new USA Today/Gallup poll finds 37% of Americans approving of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 59% disapproving.  Despite many extraordinary events dominating the news over the past weeks …

60 years later, NPR's Schorr is still a 'precious resource'  —  The media mix By Peter Johnson  —  Daniel Schorr is used to producers popping into his Washington, D.C., office at National Public Radio to ask, on deadline: Which war came first, Korea or Vietnam?  (Answer: Korea.)