memeorandum: Blue America: Jerry McNerney Turning Northern CA a Deeper Shade of Blue (Howie Klein/Firedoglake)

Captors Release Two FOX News Journalists Kidnapped in Gaza Aug. 14 — GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Two FOX News journalists were released by their kidnappers Sunday, nearly two weeks after they were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. — The freeing of FOX correspondent Steve Centanni, 60 …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, Rantingprofs, Liberty and Justice, Outside The Beltway, Tim Blair and Pajamas Media

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DEBKAfile:

DEBKA-Net-Weekly 267 Revealed: Palestinian warlord Zakaria Dughmush (picture) kidnapped the Fox News journalists on behalf of Hamas — The Hamas team which abducted Israeli soldier Gilead Shalit on June 25 sought to ease the pressure for his release by staging a more spectacular snatch.

Discussion: Liberty and Justice

Michelle Malkin:

Fox crew: Freed; forced to convert at gunpoint — Thank God. Fox News Channel reporting: … What the hell was going on? Associated Press reports: … Last night, Allah reported that Debka fingered Hamas. — FoxNews.com has video of Centanni and Wigg, plus Roger Ailes, who calls the release a "tremendous relief."

Discussion: Ms Underestimated

Khaled Abu Toameh / Jerusalem Post: PA: Kidnappers to free Fox newsmen

Associated Press:

Iranian President Says Nuclear Program Poses No Threat — KHONDAB, Iran — Iran's hard-line president on Saturday inaugurated a heavy-water production plant, a facility the West fears will be used to develop a nuclear bomb, as Tehran remained defiant ahead of a U.N. deadline that could lead to sanctions.

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard and protein wisdom

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Sarah Baxter / Times of London: Iran takes new nuclear step

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Surprise! Iran opens heavy-water production plant

Discussion: Slapstick Politics

Maggie Farley / Los Angeles Times:
U.S. May Curb Iran

Discussion: Daily Kos

Associated Press:
Iran, defying United Nations, opens plant for producing heavy water

Discussion: NewsHog

Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
Surprise! — Iran has unveiled its surprise and its answer …

Discussion: Liberty and Justice and The Glittering Eye

Michael Slackman / New York Times:
Iran Opens Plant That Can Produce Plutonium

Discussion: The Belgravia Dispatch, Blue Crab Boulevard, Right Wing Nut House and A Blog For All

Michael Isikoff / Newsweek:

The Man Who Said Too Much — A book coauthored by NEWSWEEK's Michael Isikoff details Richard Armitage's central role in the Valerie Plame leak. — Katsumi Kasahara / AP (l.) ; Lawrence Jackson / AP — According to a new book, the State Department has known for years that Armitage (left) outed Plame

Discussion: The Next Hurrah, Althouse and Liberal Values

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TalkLeft:

Richard Armitage Named as Plame Leaker — Newsweek's Michael Isikoff and David Corn's new book, Hubris, names Richard Armitage as the leaker of Valerie Plame Wilson's identity and the source for both Bob Woodward and Bob Novak. Isikoff reports in Newsweek that Armitage realized he was the leaker …

Discussion: Needlenose

White House:

President's Radio Address — THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. — Earlier this week, I had coffee with Rockey Vaccarella in the White House. Rockey is from Saint Bernard Parish in Louisiana, and he and his family lost everything they owned to Hurricane Katrina.

Discussion: The Mahablog, The American Street and Associated Press

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Talking Points Memo:

I used the word "refugees" in an earlier post to describe those who were dispaced by Katrina. TPM Reader DW objects: … I am aware of that concern, which was raised frequently in the weeks following Katrina. The "negative connotation" that DW and others refer to is that "refugee" suggests second-class citizenship.

Discussion: The Mahablog and The American Street

Washington Post:
Katrina's Damage Lingers For Bush

Discussion: Blogcritics, The Left Coaster, AMERICAblog and Raising Kaine

Jennifer Medina / New York Times:

Mrs. Clinton Offers to Raise Money for Lamont Campaign — In a private meeting at her Chappaqua, N.Y., home on Friday, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton offered to help Ned Lamont in his battle to unseat Senator Joseph I. Lieberman by sponsoring a fund-raiser, campaigning by his side and lending him one of her top political strategists.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Democratic Daily, Night Bird's Fountain and Daily Kos

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Neil Vigdor / Stamford Advocate: Hillary Clinton pledges to back Lamont

Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Line Five, Party of One?

Discussion: BobGeiger.com and The News Blog

Desi / Mia Culpa:

Down, down, down! — Newsweek: — Bush's approval rating has taken a slight dip since the last NEWSWEEK Poll in mid-August. While 38 percent of respondents approved and 55 percent disapproved of his job performance back then, now 36 percent approve and 56 percent disapprove.

Discussion: Blogcritics and Liberal Values

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Unmesh Kher / Time:

Poll: Iraq, Lebanon Hurt the U.S. War on Terror — In survey, 59% say Bush has no clear policy to deal with terrorism, but his job-approval ratings improve — While President Bush may be getting a slight uptick in his job-approval numbers, the situation in Iraq and Lebanon has been a setback in the war on terrorism, Americans say.

Discussion: Mia Culpa and Political Arithmetik

Michael Portillo / Times of London:

France about-turns into a bigger military mess — 'Il faut aller à Gorazde. " ("We must push through to Gorazde. ") The French defence minister would repeat it like a chant. It was 1995. In Srebrenica, a United Nations so-called safe haven in Bosnia, 8,000 men had been slaughtered by Bosnian Serbs.

Discussion: The Belmont Club and Blue Crab Boulevard

Iain Dale / Iain Dale's Diary:

Fined for Being a Christian — I was listening to the news this morning and caught the tail end of a piece which I thought said that a footballer had been arrested to making the sign of the cross during a football match. Nah, I thought. Must have misheard.

Discussion: Cranmer and The Corner

Michelle Roberts / Associated Press:

Army Corps worries about Big Easy levees — NEW ORLEANS - Despite aggressive efforts to repair the New Orleans levee system following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, it isn't clear yet whether it could withstand a hurricane with heavy storm surge this year, the head of the Army Corps of Engineers conceded Saturday.

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Eric Lipton / New York Times:
Despite Steps, Disaster Planning Still Shows Gaps

Discussion: Taylor Marsh

Wesley J. Smith / Weekly Standard:

Science by Press Release — "NEW STEM CELL METHOD avoids destroying em-bryos," the New York Times headline blared. "Stem cell breakthrough may end political logjam," chimed in the Los Angeles Times. "Embryos spared in stem cell creation," affirmed USA Today.

Discussion: The American Thinker

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Rick Weiss / Washington Post:
Critic Alleges Deceit in Study On Stem Cells

Discussion: The Corner and A Chequer-Board of Nights …

Robert Salladay / Los Angeles Times:

Gov. Settles Suit Brought by Former TV Host — SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has settled a lawsuit in London brought by a former British TV host who accused the governor of fondling her and later said the governor's aides had smeared her reputation, attorneys for both sides said today.

Discussion: MyDD and LA Observed