Bush denies Congress access to aides  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush invoked executive privilege Monday to deny requests by Congress for testimony from two former aides about the firings of federal prosecutors.  —  The White House, however, did offer again to make former counsel Harriet Miers …

Syria Invades Lebanon  —  A few days ago Lebanese daily newspaper Al Mustaqbal quietly reported a limited Syrian invasion of Lebanon.  (Via Naharnet.) … This happened immediately before I left town for two days.  When I returned I was surprised to find no mention of this whatsoever anywhere else in the media.

Fired McCain Aides May Be Hired by Thompson  —  WASHINGTON — The downsizing of Senator McCain's presidential campaign is coming at an opportune time for Fred Thompson, the former Tennessee senator who is likely to jump into the race officially any day now and seeking to build a campaign staff in the early primary states.

USAT/Gallup Poll: Steady leads for Giuliani & Clinton  —  Fresh results from the latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, parts of which are being released this hour:  —  • In the race for the Republican presidential nomination, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani has a 10 percentage point lead nationally …

Moment of Truth for the President  —  Will he reject disastrous advice to compromise with opponents of the war?  —  The New York Times leads today with David Sanger's story, "In White House, Debate Is Rising On Iraq Pullback; Political Considerations; Not Waiting For Sept. 15, Aides Seek to Forestall G.O.P. Defections."

Second Chances  —  General David Petraeus visits Baqubah.  —  When distinguished visitors come to almost-where the action is, it can be disruptive to the point of wasteful.  I've heard commanders grumble all over Iraq about the steady streams of VIPs who, while intending to be seen observing operations …

Atheists applaud Ellison's views on Cheney, Libby, 9/11  —  "You'll always find this Muslim standing up for your right to be atheists," he told the group.  —  Freshman Congressman Keith Ellison was among friends Sunday — in this case, a gathering of atheists — so his support for a fistful …

U.S. Military Losses Hit 4,000 in Iraq, Afghanistan  —  Four thousand U.S. service members have died in U.S. President George W. Bush's ``war on terror'' in Iraq and Afghanistan 5 1/2 years after American forces ousted the Taliban in December 2001.  —  A total of 3,596 have died in Iraq since …

Viewers don't warm up to 'Live Earth' coverage  —  NEW YORK — NBC's three-hour primetime "Live Earth" special, which included highlights from Saturday's global concerts, failed to generate much enthusiasm in the ratings.  —  The estimated 2.7 million viewers was slightly under …

Democrat blogger wants to shoot Rush Limbaugh  —  Also calls for volunteer to assassinate Ted Nugent  —  A Democratic Party blogger says he wants to shoot Rush Limbaugh and is calling for volunteers to assassinate rock star Ted Nugent, who champions the Second Amendment.

BUSH APPROVAL: NEWSWEEK 26%, TREND 27.9%  —  A Newsweek poll taken 7/2-3/07 finds approval of President Bush at 26%, disapproval at 65%, unchanged from Newsweek's previous poll done 6/18-19.  With the addition of the Newsweek poll, the trend estimate stands at 27.9%.

National Hurricane Center director leaves position  —  (CNN) — National Hurricane Center director Bill Proenza has left his position, CNN has learned.  Sources say Proenza is still employed with the center, but the nature of his new position is unclear.  —  Deputy Director Ed Rappaport has been temporarily placed in charge.

EXCLUSIVE: Army Missed Recruiting Goal Again  —  ABC News' Jonathan Karl and Luis Martinez report: Already stretched thin by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is having a hard time finding new recruits.  ABC News has learned the Army missed its recruiting goal in June for the second month in a row.