Israel Plans to Occupy Strip Inside Lebanon  —  JERUSALEM, July 25 — Almost two weeks into its military assault on Hezbollah, Israel said Tuesday that it would occupy a strip inside southern Lebanon with ground troops until an international force could take its place.

President Bush and Prime Minister Maliki of Iraq Participate in Press Availability  —  Fact Sheet: Prime Minister Maliki's Meeting with President Bush  —  PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you all.  Please be seated.  —  Mr. Prime Minister, welcome to the White House.

Senate Removes Abortion Option for Young Girls  —  WASHINGTON, July 25 — The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would make it a federal crime to help an under-age girl escape parental notification laws by crossing state lines to obtain an abortion.  —  The bill was approved on a 65-to-34 vote …

Hezbollah: Israeli onslaught a surprise  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon - A senior Hezbollah official said Tuesday the guerrillas did not expect Israel to react with an all-out offensive after the capture of two soldiers, the first acknowledgment by the group that it had miscalculated the consequences of the raid two weeks ago.

Steele Slams Party  —  WASHINGTON — A Republican in a competitive Senate race called his party affiliation "an impediment," said he'd "probably not" want President Bush to campaign for him and the GOP-controlled Congress should "just shut up and get something done."

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" …

Another Trip to the Curt Weldon Employment Agency  —  As I have previously noted here, being a friend or relative of Congressman Curt Weldon, a Pennsylvania Republican, appears to be a surer path to gainful employment than a Harvard MBA.  To review: one of the congressman's daughters got …

Case Closed  —  THE TRUTH ABOUT THE IRAQI-NIGER "YELLOWCAKE" NEXUS.  —  Now that Joseph and Valerie Wilson's fantasies of having been persecuted by high officials in the administration have been so thoroughly dispelled by Robert Novak (and now that it seems the prosecutor has determined …

White House Bill Proposes System to Try Detainees  —  WASHINGTON, July 25 — Legislation drafted by the Bush administration setting out new rules on bringing terror detainees to trial would allow hearsay evidence to be introduced unless it was deemed "unreliable" and would permit defendants …

The documents seized in the FBI raid on the offices of Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) remain unread by Justice Department investigators, pending a federal Appeals Court ruling scheduled for August 27.  Jefferson is anxious to overturn the ruling of federal Judge Hogan of the Washington, DC federal District Court, who allowed the raid.

Annan: IAF hit 'apparently deliberate'  —  An Israeli bomb destroyed a UN observer post on the border in southern Lebanon, killing three peacekeepers with one other feared dead under the rubble.  UN chief Kofi Annan said Israel appeared to have struck the site deliberately.

Dump Condi: Foreign policy conservatives charge State Dept. has hijacked Bush agenda  —  Conservative national security allies of President Bush are in revolt against Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, saying that she is incompetent and has reversed the administration's national security and foreign policy agenda.