Annan: Israel bombed UN base for hours  —  Staff and agencies  —  The UN general secretary, Kofi Annan, today accused the Israeli military of carrying out a sustained bombing of the UN base on the Lebanon-Israel border that culminated in the killing of four unarmed monitors.

Some Democrats say will shun Maliki speech  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. congressional Democrats voiced alarm on Tuesday over Iraq's denunciation of Israel in the Middle East conflict, and some said Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's upcoming address to Congress should be canceled unless he apologizes.

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 …

Tax Cuts May Come At a Price, Study Says  —  The federal government will need to either cut spending or raise taxes down the road to pay for extending President Bush's recent tax cuts, the Treasury Department said in a report released yesterday, dismissing the idea popular with many Republicans that such sacrifices can be avoided.

Senator Santorum Repugnant Remarks on Islam, Iran, and Syria  —  Sen. Rick Santorum (R., Pa.) remarks at the National Press Club on Wednesday July 19th 2006 calling for regime change in Iran and described "Islamic fascism" as the "great test" of this generation, as threatening to the United States …

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.

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" …

Chris Matthews comes unglued on the Imus In The Morning program.  —  If you're a rancher, according to Matthews, you can't be president.  —  Here is an excerpt of audio from Chris Matthews from earlier today on the Imus In The Morning program.  Listening is fine, but you need to really read what he had to say.

Battle for Baghdad Boils Down to Grabbing a Slice at a Time  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 25 — The Bush administration's announcement on Tuesday that it will shift more forces to Baghdad is much more than a numbers game.  It reflects a new strategy to reclaim control of the Iraqi capital and a new approach for deploying the troops.

ConocoPhillips profit leaps 65 pct. in 2Q  —  HOUSTON - Lofty oil prices fueled a 65 percent surge in ConocoPhillips' second-quarter net income, the company announced Wednesday.  Its shares rose 2 percent in morning trading.  —  The nation's third-largest oil company earned $5.18 billion …

Fox News' Ailes says he's just getting started  —  Firing poison darts at his cable-news competitors and taunting his critics in the media, Fox News Channel boss Roger Ailes celebrated the 10th birthday of his network but instead of cake, served notice that his conquest of other television empires already is under way.

Browner Still  —  At approximately 7:00 AM Central European Time I received a phone call from a blocked number.  The person on the phone told me I had written naughty things on my blog, and then laughed when I asked them who they were.  —  "You're a dead man."