14 held in terror police swoop  —  Armed police have arrested 14 men following anti-terror raids in London, including 12 arrests at a restaurant in the Borough area.  —  Two people were held elsewhere in the city in what police said was an intelligence-led operation.

Bush's Shift of Tone on Iraq: The Grim Cost of Losing  —  President Bush's newest effort to rebuild eroding support for the war in Iraq features a distinct shift in approach: Rather than stressing the benefits of eventual victory, he and his top aides are beginning to lay out the grim consequences of failure.

Workers Of The World, Rise Up Against Your (Democratic) Oppressors!  —  With the Democrats demanding a raise in the federal minimum wage and campaigning on the issue to highlight their sympathy for American workers.  That sympathy, as Power Line noted earlier this evening, doesn't even extend beyond their own payroll.

Target Intercepted In Anti-Missile Test  —  In First Such Success Since 2002, U.S. Simulates North Korean Attack  —  The U.S. military shot down a target missile using its long-range missile defense system yesterday, the first time such a test has intercepted a mock enemy warhead since 2002, officials said.

New Questions About Inquiry in C.I.A. Leak  —  An enduring mystery of the C.I.A. leak case has been solved in recent days, but with a new twist: Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the prosecutor, knew the identity of the leaker from his very first day in the special counsel's chair …

Martyrs wanted  —  I was planning to maintain a tasteful silence about the forced conversion of Fox newsmen Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig.  I expressed my gratitude at their release, and was going to let the humiliating subject lie.Others haven't, however, so let's go:

FBI Role in Terror Probe Questioned  —  Lawyers Point to Fine Line Between Sting and Entrapment  —  Standing in an empty Miami warehouse on May 24 with a man he believed had ties to Osama bin Laden, a dejected Narseal Batiste talked of the setbacks to their terrorist plot and then uttered …

Attacks on Jews soar since Lebanon  —  Synagogues and citizens have been targeted  —  BRITISH Jews are facing a wave of anti-Semitic attacks prompted by Israel's conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon.  Synagogues have been daubed with graffiti, Jewish leaders have had hate-mail and ordinary people …

Coda on Siegel  —  We all owe Lee Siegel a moment of grateful silence.  His blog may be gone, his reputation wrecked — but "blogofascism" is a term that will endure, bringing great joy and happiness to generations who'll never know the first thing about its originator.  Three cheers for you, Lee Siegel.

U.S.: 'bad news' in Afghan drug war  —  WASHINGTON - The U.S.-backed strategy to fight Afghanistan's massive drug trade has been unsuccessful in stemming opium cultivation, which is expected to hit record levels this year, a senior U.S. official said Thursday.