Press Conference by the President  —  White House Conference Center Briefing Room  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all.  Please be seated.  Fancy digs you got here.  Thanks for your hospitality.  It's good to visit with you.  I look forward to taking some of your questions.

Ignoring the Propaganda in Tehran  —  The government of Iran appears set to reject the European incentive package on Tuesday.  A show of strength?  A diplomatic blunder?  Iranians themselves don't know what to think.  —  "No, don't worry.  We are peaceful people," Arash says.

Judge Orders Justice Department Investigation of Leak to CBS Report  —  A federal judge has ordered a Justice Department probe into how CBS News obtained a story two years ago disclosing an FBI investigation into a pro-Israel lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Italy won't send troops to Lebanon force if Israel 'keeps shooting'  —  Italy, which has offered to lead a United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, will be unable to send troops if Israel "keeps shooting", Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said Tuesday.

Sec/Def Lieberman?  —  Plus Steely Dan, Hot Tuna and more  —  Frank Rich writes here of these same folks who gave us the catastrophe that is Iraq and cheered Israel toward its folly who now "apoplectically fret that Mr. Lamont's victory signals the hijacking of the Democratic Party by the far left …

Calendars show Armitage met reporter  —  WASHINGTON - Then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage met with Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward in mid-June 2003, the same time the reporter has testified an administration official talked to him about CIA employee Valerie Plame.

Hip-hopper sings Steele praise  —  Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons will be the host of a campaign fundraiser Thursday for Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele's run for U.S. Senate.  —  The fundraiser for Mr. Steele, a Republican who would be the state's first black U.S. senator if elected …

Smoking cuts for classic cartoons after UK complaint  —  LONDON (Reuters) - Turner Broadcasting is scouring more than 1,500 classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons, including old favorites "Tom and Jerry," "The Flinstones" and "Scooby-Doo," to edit out scenes that glamorize smoking.

THE RISK POOL  —  The years just after the Second World War were a time of great industrial upheaval in the United States.  Strikes were commonplace.  Workers moved from one company to another.  Runaway inflation was eroding the value of wages.  In the uncertain nineteen-forties …

Israel, US foil Iran arms transfer  —  ANKARA, Turkey  —  Israeli and American intelligence agencies alerted Turkish authorities last Friday that several Lebanon-bound Iranian planes, loaded with military hardware meant for the Hizbullah, were making their way through Turkish airspace, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

Exclusive Poll Results Show Allen Losing Ground  —  GOP Allen's Once Large Lead Evaporates: In an election for the United States Senate in Virginia today, 8/21/06, incumbent Republican George Allen edges Democrat challenger James Webb 48% to 45%, according to an exclusive SurveyUSA poll conducted for W*USA-TV in Washington, DC.

Scientists Offer Proof of 'Dark Matter'  —  Analysis of Galactic Collision Said to Reveal Mysterious Substance  —  For decades, many scientists have theorized that the universe is made up of nearly undetectable mysterious substances called dark matter and dark energy.

At Guantanamo, Caught in a Legal Trap  —  6 Algerians Languish Despite Foreign Rulings, Dropped Charges  —  SARAJEVO, Bosnia — On Jan. 18, 2002, six men suspected of plotting to attack the U.S. Embassy were seized here by U.S. troops and flown to Cuba, where they became some of the first arrivals …