IAEA Reports on Iran's Continued Defiance; UNSC Must Swiftly Enact Sanctions  —  We've just received a copy of the IAEA report being distributed to diplomats at the UN today on Iran's nuclear program.  Read the whole IAEA report exclusively here on Vital Perspective.

President Bush Addresses American Legion National Convention  —  Fact Sheet: Winning the Struggle Between Freedom and Terror in the Middle East  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much.  Please be seated.  Thanks for the warm welcome.  It's great to join you here in one of America's most beautiful cities.

Laffey Takes Commanding Lead in Republican U. S. Senate Primary  —  U.S. Senator Lincoln Chafee may lose his seat to challenger Steve Laffey, according to a new statewide Republican primary voter poll released today by the Bureau of Government Research and Services at Rhode Island College.

BYRD ADMITS HE PLACED A HOLD, NOW LIFTS IT  —  West Virginia Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd admits that he placed a "secret hold" on legislation that would make uncovering the Byzantine world of federal contracting as easy as typing a Google search.  —  Tom Gavin, spokesperson for Byrd …

Gingrich: Powerful Pelosi 'would be a disaster'  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. - Ex-U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Wednesday that the thought of California Rep. Nancy Pelosi becoming the next leader of the House and being third in line to the presidency is frightening.

PRESIDENT BUSH 'ASSASSINATED' IN NEW TV DOCUDRAMA  —  This is the dramatic moment when President George Bush is gunned down by a sniper after a public address at a hotel, in a gripping new docudrama soon to be aired on TV.  —  Set around October 2007, President Bush is assassinated as he leaves the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago.

Laura Bush hails Burns' record  —  BELGRADE - First lady Laura Bush campaigned for U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns here Wednesday, calling the Republican a strong advocate for Montana farmers and families.  —  "In Washington, Senator Burns is a respected voice on the issues facing rural communities …

Cousin: Rampage driver became enraged after argument with mother  —  The arguments began over the weekend.  Omeed Popal begged his father for permission to return to Afghanistan to be with his new bride.  —  The tension heightened Tuesday morning when his mother, like his father, refused to let him go.

Tweaking of 'No Child' Seen  —  Education Chief Urges Bigger Role for States in Initiative  —  As schools nationwide open for business, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings took the opportunity yesterday to compare the centerpiece of the administration's education policy to soap.

Salt Lake sounds off in protest and support  —  A crowd of thousands cheered Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson for calling President Bush a "dishonest, war-mongering, human-rights violating president" whose time in office would "rank as the worst presidency our nation has ever had to endure."

There Is Silence in the Streets; Where Have All the Protesters Gone?  —  It was almost painful the other night to hear Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young sing about a war whose purpose Americans never really understood, started by a president who didn't tell the truth and then waged the war ineptly.

Now is the Time to Act on S. 2590  —  I'm very encouraged to see that all one hundred Senators have now answered the blogosphere's inquiries on the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act.  Now is the time to act.  In September, I will bring S. 2590 to the floor of the Senate for the vote it deserves.

The Democrats' Dysfunctional Calendar  —  Well, the Democrats have gone and messed it up again.  —  I came back from a one-week vacation, out of reach of the news, to learn that the Democratic National Committee in its wisdom had further muddled the calendar of events for choosing the 2008 presidential nominee.

Misguided Muslim groups  —  Focus should be on extremists' war against the West.  —  On Aug. 10, British police arrested 24 Muslim suspects in a plot to blow up 10 U.S.-bound jetliners over the Atlantic.  If successful, the attack would have killed thousands of people.

Stereotyping is leading to terror, says first Muslim Miss England  —  The first Muslim to be crowned Miss England has warned that stereotyping members of her community is leading some towards extremism.  —  Hammasa Kohistani made history last year when she was chosen to represent England in the Miss World pageant.