Iran denies inspectors access to site  —  VIENNA, Austria - Iran has turned away U.N. inspectors wanting to examine its underground nuclear site in an apparent violation of the Nonproliferation Treaty, diplomats and U.N. officials said Monday.  —  The officials, who spoke on condition …

Annan to give UNIFIL 'teeth'  —  UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is expected to recommend Monday that the rules of engagement of the enhanced UNIFIL force to be deployed in Lebanon include opening fire on Hizbullah where necessary, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

Charges Over Terror Plot  —  Eleven suspects in the alleged UK airport terror plot have been charged.  —  Police have also revealed that they found bomb-making equipment and martyrdom videos during their investigations.  —  They said eight people had been charged with conspiracy to murder and preparing acts of terrorism.

Bush's Brain  —  The president just doesn't communicate anymore.  —  When a U.S. president has a 40% approval rating, critics declare open season.  Last week Britain's Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott had to deny a report that he had called the Bush administration "crap" …

NY'S LAMONT WANNABE  —  WILL NETROOTS TAKE ON HILLARY?  —  JONATHAN Tasini has less than a month to become New York's Ned Lamont.  The Democratic primary is on Sept. 12, he's at 13 percent in the polls and he's just had his best fund-raising week ever online.

British Authorities Charge 11 in Bomb Plot  —  Authorities Find Bomb Equipment and "Martyrdom" Tapes  —  British authorities today announced terrorism and murder-conspiracy charges against 11 people in the alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners, saying their searches since Aug. 10 …

Police Chief Says He Exaggerated Post-Katrina Crime  —  The New Orleans police chief during Hurricane Katrina, Eddie Compass, says he unnecessarily "heightened people's fears" by repeating unconfirmed reports of out-of-control crime in the city during the aftermath of the storm …

McCain Mines Elite of G.O.P. for 2008 Team  —  Senator John McCain is locking up a cast of top-shelf Republican strategists, policy experts, fund-raisers and donors, in a methodical effort to build a 2008 presidential campaign machine that is drawing supporters of President Bush despite the sometimes rocky history between the two men.

Banish The Bling  —  A Culture of Failure Taints Black America  —  Have we taken our eyes off the prize?  The civil rights movement continues, but the struggle today is not so much in the streets as in the home — and with our children.  If systemic racism remains a reality …

Is Tomorrow Doomsday?  —  Asa Eslocker Reports:  —  While no extra safeguards are in place, U.S. law enforcement are not ignoring the possible significance of tomorrow's date, August 22, a date that marks an important historic event on the Islamic calendar.

British Law Against Glorifying Terrorism Has Not Silenced Calls to Kill for Islam  —  From his home on the northwest edge of this city, Muhamad al-Massari runs a Web site that celebrates the violent death of British and American soldiers.  It is visited by tens of thousands of people every day, he said.

Our Covert Enemies  —  In our war against Islamo-fascist terrorism, we face enemies both overt and covert.  The overt enemies are, of course, the terrorists themselves.  Their motives are clear: They hate our society because of its freedoms and liberties, and want to make us all submit to their totalitarian form of Islam.

LIEBERMAN AND RUMSFELD  —  I've really got no dog in the whole Lieberman/Lamont fight.  I live in Manhattan, not Connecticut, and this blog has never focused much on senatorial races and the like.  So I wasn't going to write about it much, if any.  But today I hear that Lieberman has called for Don Rumsfeld's resignation.

Not all polls predicting doom for GOP  —  Voters are said to be in a sour, anti-Republican mood this year, but some polls have contradictory findings that indicate voters aren't thrilled with the Democrats either and could change their minds by Election Day.

Rules of polite Washington discourse  —  Jonathan Turley (who, for those with the new law professor fetish, is one at George Washington University) puts his finger on why there is so much desire to focus on the "quality" of Judge Taylor's written opinion while all but ignoring the fact …

Dangers await Lebanon returnees  —  When Um Ali Mihdi returned to her home in the southern Lebanese city of Bint Jbeil two days ago, she found a 1,000lb (450kg) Israeli bomb lying unexploded in her living room.  —  The shell is huge, bigger than the young boy pushed forward to stand reluctantly next …