Olmert gives IDF green light to expand ground offensive  —  Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz on Friday ordered the Israel Defense Forces to implement an expanded ground operation in Lebanon.  —  The cabinet approved an operation Wednesday calling for a push to the Litani River …

Pakistan: Suspected London Plane Terrorists Have Al Qaeda Connection  —  LONDON — Police arrested 40 people in cities throughout Italy in raids on Muslim gathering places in a security crackdown after Britain thwarted an alleged terror plot, the Interior Ministry said Friday …

Three Middle Eastern Men Found With 1000 Cell Phones  —  (TV5) — Around 1:00am August 11th three men purchased cell phones from the Wal-Mart store on M-81 near the corner of M-24 in Caro.  Wal-Mart places a limit on the number of cell phones that can be purchased at once, that number is three.

BUSH AND CHENEY'S REIGN OF ERROR  —  VEEP SAYS CONN. VOTERS AIDING AL QAEDA.  NOW, THAT'S SCARY.  —  THESE PEOPLE have no shame.  Their contempt for democracy is so great they will stop at nothing to undermine it.  Their adherence to fundamentalist beliefs that blinds them to reality is frightening.

Democrats assail GOP fundraising effort  —  WASHINGTON - Democrats assailed the Republicans Friday for e-mailing a fundraising appeal mentioning the war on terror hours after British authorities disclosed they had disrupted a plot to blow up aircraft headed to the United States.

GOP Candidates Facing Troublesome Trend  —  Republicans determined to win in November are up against a troublesome trend - growing opposition to President Bush.  —  An Associated Press-Ipsos poll conducted this week found the president's approval rating has dropped to 33 percent, matching his low in May.

LGF Exclusive: How Much Does It Cost to Buy Global TV News?  —  An LGF reader who worked for Associated Press TV News sent me the following article explaining how APTN works, and suggesting a reason why their coverage of the Middle East is so overwhelmingly biased against Israel:

Montana Senate: Burns Bouncing Back  —  Candidates Tied at 47%  —  The most recent Rasmussen Reports election poll in Montana shows incumbent Republican Senator Conrad Burns and Democrat Jon Tester tied at 47% (see crosstabs).  This month's results mark an improvement for Burns …

Peace activist murdered by Palestinian  —  Angelo Frammartino, a 24 year-old Italian student, planned to set up summer camp for Palestinians; He was attacked and murdered by Arab knifeman  —  Angelo Frammartino, a 24 year-old student from Italy who arrived in Israel as a human rights organization activist …

President Remains Eager to Cut Entitlement Spending  —  The Bush administration has begun sounding out lawmakers and other key figures about mounting a new bipartisan effort to rein in the costs of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security after the midterm elections, according to officials in the administration and on Capitol Hill.

State Still Checking Lieberman's Petitions  —  U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman is acting like he is a candidate in November's general election, but it won't be known for several days whether his petition drive to gain a spot on the ballot is successful.  —  The morning after his primary defeat to Ned Lamont …