German Suitcase Bombs Were Primed to Go Off, Kill (Update2)  —  Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) — Two suitcases containing bottles of gasoline, propane gas and a detonating device that were found abandoned in German regional trains last month were bombs primed to go off and kill a ``high number'' of people, police said.

Bush Vows to Fight Wiretapping Ruling  —  President Bush said today that he is confident that a federal court ruling against his administration's electronic surveillance program will be overturned, and he described those who hailed the ruling as naïve.  —  "I would say that those who herald …

Israel alarm at UN force members  —  Israel says it would be "difficult if not inconceivable" to accept nations which do not recognise its right to exist as part of a UN force in Lebanon.  —  Israeli UN envoy Dan Gillerman was speaking after Indonesia and Malaysia, which do not recognise Israel, pledged troops for the UN deployment.

Wal-Mart Image-Builder Resigns  —  The civil rights leader Andrew Young, who was hired by Wal-Mart to improve its public image, resigned from that post last night after telling an African-American newspaper that Jewish, Arab and Korean shop owners had "ripped off" urban communities for years …

Officials: U.S. blocked missiles to Hezbollah  —  WASHINGTON — The United States blocked an Iranian cargo plane's flight to Syria last month after intelligence analysts concluded it was carrying sophisticated missiles and launchers to resupply Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, two U.S. intelligence officials say.

No JonBenet Apologies Necessary  —  THE PRESS NEEDN'T REGRET ITS COVERAGE OF THE CASE.  —  This morning finds at least four press-hounds baying their apologies to the Ramseys on behalf of their colleagues or society at large.  They beg the family's forgiveness for having ever suspected them of killing JonBenet.

Would Party Forgive Joe?  —  Lieberman Says Democrats Can Count On Him If He Wins; Vice Versa Is Iffy  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman says he'll stick with the Democrats if he wins his third-party re-election bid - but will the Democrats stick with him?

TV News Vultures Circling JonBenet's Corpse — Again  —  The top story on TV news last night was not the Iraq war or tentative Lebanon peace, or major court rulings on tobacco and warrantless wiretapping, or oil prices or pension "reform" or any of a dozen stories that affect millions of citizens.

Katherine Harris sees endorsements fizzle  —  ORLANDO, Fla. - Katherine Harris' attempt to boost her campaign with a series of high-profile endorsements wilted Thursday when none of the officials appeared at her campaign rally and one of them said Harris wrongly included him on her list of supporters.

Photojournalism in Crisis  —  The Israeli-Hezbollah war has left many dead bodies, ruined towns, and wobbling politicians in its wake, but the media historian of the future may also count as one more victim the profession of photojournalism.  In twenty years of researching and teaching …

Video provokes questions of Lebanese army  —  Lebanese forces move southward; Beirut airport reopens  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) — A video showing Lebanese soldiers cordially offering Israeli troops glasses of tea during the military offensive earlier this month has hit Israeli and Hezbollah airwaves.

New Limits Set Over Marketing for Cigarettes  —  A federal judge ordered strict new limitations on tobacco marketing on Thursday after finding that cigarette makers deserved to be punished for a decades-old conspiracy to deceive the public about the dangers of smoking.

Breaking the law has consequences  —  My overall analysis of today's extraordinary federal court decision on the NSA warrantless eavesdropping program is in the post below, here.  I also have an article up at Salon summarizing the importance of this ruling, here.

Texas GOP back Houston councilwoman  —  PEARLAND, Texas - Republican agreed Thursday to support a Houston city councilwoman as the write-in candidate on the November ballot in place of former House Majority leader Tom DeLay, who resigned from Congress in June amid allegations of money laundering.

Hagel awaits nation's mood  —  In the tenth August of his Senate career, this is a time of reflection for Chuck Hagel.  Decision time comes later, and it can wait.  —  Gliding above the green hills of northeastern Nebraska this week in a King Air bound from Norfolk to Sioux City, the shirtsleeved senator embraces the moment.

An Open Letter to Günter Grass  —  First: why an open letter?  I have never written one before, whereas you have written dozens.  You are, so to speak, Europe's leading man of open letters.  I admit that the idea of turning the tables on you did appeal to me.

Fill the cup  —  One more hour of Headline News and I'll be done  —  Apparently Ace is whining that there are Americans who don't act like seven year-old girls at their first Kiwanis Halloween Haunted House who screech and go,"Omigawdomigawdomigawd" and do the pee-pee dance every time that CNN …

President Bush Meets with Economic Advisors  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming.  We've just finished a really informative meeting with my economic team.  I want to thank them for their service to the country.  I'm really proud to be serving the American people alongside them.