memeorandum: Mahdi Army gains strength through unwitting aid of U.S. (Tom Lasseter/Real Cities)

9:35 AM ET, February 2, 2007

Top Items:

Eleven Palestinians killed in ferocious Gaza fighting — Eleven Palestinians were killed, including two children - aged eight and five - in ferocious fighting Friday between Hamas and Fatah gunmen. — Also among the dead were a Palestinian Authority intelligence commander, his bodyguard …

Discussion: Classical Values

Ali Waked / Ynetnews:

Iranian agents nabbed in Gaza, 1 commits suicide — Palestinian security forces arrest sat least five Iranians at Hamas-linked university in Strip, say men sent by Iran to train Islamic group. Hamas commander believed to have orchestrated kidnapping of Israeli soldier Shalit injured in raid, report says

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard

Ibrahim Barzak / Associated Press:
Gaza erupts in fatal clashes after truce

Discussion: Captain's Quarters

Associated Press:
Brief Gaza cease-fire ends in gunfire

Discussion: alphabet city and Jay Currie

Associated Press:

FBI Agent Testifies Libby Learned About Plame from Cheney — WASHINGTON The "CIA leak" trial resumed today, after two critical days of testimony from reporters Judith Miller and Matt Cooper. As in past days, E&P will provide running updates here. — After a long day or legal wrangling …

Discussion: CANNONFIRE

David Ignatius / Washington Post:

A Failed Cover-Up — Why was the White House so nervous in the summer of 2003 about the CIA's reporting on alleged Iraqi attempts to buy uranium from Niger to build a nuclear bomb? That's the big question that runs through the many little details that have emerged in the perjury trial …

Discussion: Soccer Dad

David Corn: Libby Trial:Was Scooter Set Up? Did Cheney Conspire?

Washington Post:
FBI Agent: Libby Said He Was Surprised to Hear About Plame From Russert

Discussion: True Blue Liberal

Tom Ashbrook / onpointradio.org: The Cheney Factor

Tom Lasseter / Real Cities:

Mahdi Army gains strength through unwitting aid of U.S. — BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military drive to train and equip Iraq's security forces has unwittingly strengthened anti-American Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia, which has been battling to take over much of the capital city …

Discussion: Right Wing Nut House, Balloon Juice, The Moderate Voice, The Heretik and The News Blog

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Must read: U.S. troops say Iraqi army in Baghdad is filthy with JAM

Discussion: THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

Kevin Drum / Political Animal: THE BATTLE OF BAGHDAD....If Tom Lasseter is to be believed …

Ian Sample / Guardian:

Scientists offered cash to dispute climate study — Scientists and economists have been offered $10,000 each by a lobby group funded by one of the world's largest oil companies to undermine a major climate change report due to be published today. — Letters sent by the American Enterprise Institute …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Bradford Plumer, AMERICAblog, CorrenteWire, Think Progress, Democrats.com, Daily Kos and Daily Pundit

Richard Garner / Independent: All pupils to be given lessons in climate change

Washington Post:

Iraq at Risk of Further Strife, Intelligence Report Warns — A long-awaited National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, presented to President Bush by the intelligence community yesterday, outlines an increasingly perilous situation in which the United States has little control …

Discussion: TPMmuckraker, Think Progress, DownWithTyranny!, The Carpetbagger Report, Taylor Marsh, IraqSlogger.com and AMERICAblog

Jim Kuhnhenn / Associated Press:

Senate ups wage to $7.25 over two years — WASHINGTON - The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to boost the federal minimum wage by $2.10 to $7.25 an hour over two years, but packaged the increase with controversial tax cuts for small businesses and higher taxes for many $1 million-plus executives.

Discussion: the talking dog, The Reaction, The Democratic Daily, Donklephant and The Left Coaster

Lori Montgomery / Washington Post:
Senate Adds Tax Breaks To Minimum Wage Bill

Discussion: The Democratic Daily

Bob Geiger:
Senate Democrats Hammer Through Minimum Wage Hike

Discussion: DownWithTyranny! and The Agonist

Carl Hulse / New York Times:

Compromise Senate Measure Rebuffing Bush's Iraq Buildup Gathers Support — A revised Senate resolution criticizing President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq drew new support Thursday as two authors of a sterner resolution of disapproval said they would accept the compromise, fashioned by Senator John W. Warner.

Discussion: Bradford Plumer

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
Senate Critique of Bush's Iraq Plan Wins New Support

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, NewDonkey.com and Washington Post

Thomas E. Ricks / Washington Post:

Senators Challenge Gen. Casey On Iraq War — Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the Bush administration's nominee to be the Army chief of staff, got an unusually harsh reception yesterday from some members of the Senate Armed Services Committee for his performance as the top U.S. commander in Iraq …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Horses Mouth and DownWithTyranny!

David S. Cloud / New York Times: General Parries Senate Attacks on Iraq Record

Maya Angelou / Washington Post:

Molly Ivins Shook the Walls With Her Clarion Call — The walls have not come down, but they have been given a serious shaking. — That Jericho voice is stilled now. — Molly Ivins has been quieted. — The writer and journalist, dearly loved and admired by many, hated and feared by many …

Discussion: DownWithTyranny! and Pottersville

U.S. Newswire:

Landmark Legal Foundation Nominates Rush Limbaugh for 2007 Nobel Peace Prize — Contact: Eric Christensen of Landmark Legal Foundation, +1-703-554-6100, +1-703-554-6119 (fax), eric@landmarklegal.org — LEESBURG, Va., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Landmark Legal Foundation today nominated …

Discussion: Riehl World View, EU Referendum, Scared Monkeys, The Democratic Daily, Liberal Values, Hot Air, Brutally Honest, Associated Press and Agence France Presse

New York Times:

Florida Shifting to Voting System With Paper Trail — Gov. Charlie Crist announced plans on Thursday to abandon the touch-screen voting machines that many of Florida's counties installed after the disputed 2000 presidential election. The state will instead adopt a system of casting paper ballots counted …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, CNN Political Ticker, Instapundit.com and Liberal Values

Jonathan Martin / The Politico:

McCain, Giuliani Skipping Some Conservative Events — A speech given by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney before a National Review-sponsored conference last week may have been panned as unfocused, but in the eyes of those who attended, he at least had one thing going for him: He showed up.

Discussion: NY Daily News, The Right's Field and USA Today

Hotline On Call:
More Third Party Talk From Viguerie

Discussion: Primary Monitor Blog and Brendan Nyhan

Wikinews:

Cartoon promotion goes awry and causes bomb scare in Boston — From Wikinews, the free news source you can write! — Two men alleged to have placed the boxes have been charged, and Turner Broadcast Systems apologized. Boston's mayor will pursue compensation to the city for the cost of the scare.

Discussion: Donklephant