'Scouting' the Hill on Iraq  —  National security adviser Stephen J. Hadley visited Capitol Hill just before Congress adjourned for the Fourth of July.  Meetings with a half-dozen senior Republican senators were clearly intended to extinguish fires set by Sen. Richard Lugar's unexpected break from President Bush's Iraq policy.

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 …

Live Earth branded a foul-mouthed flop  —  Live Earth has been branded a foul-mouthed flop.  —  Organisers of the global music concert - punctuated by swearing from presenters and performers - had predicted massive viewing figures.  —  But BBC's live afternoon television coverage attracted …

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 …

Job Vacancies At DHS Said To Hurt U.S. Preparedness  —  A Fourth of Top Positions Not Filled, Report Says  —  The Bush administration has failed to fill roughly a quarter of the top leadership posts at the Department of Homeland Security, creating a "gaping hole" in the nation's preparedness …

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.

Tunneling Near Iranian Nuclear Site Stirs Worry  —  The sudden flurry of digging seen in recent satellite photos of a mountainside in central Iran might have passed for ordinary road tunneling.  But the site is the back yard of Iran's most ambitious and controversial nuclear facility …

Hoppy's Commentary For Monday  —  Research shows West Virginia is tilting back toward blue for the 2008 presidential race.  —  A survey of 400 likely voters completed in May by the political consulting firm of Fabrizio, McLaughlin and Associates finds that if the election were held …

A Blog That Made It Big  —  The Huffington Post, Trending Up and Left  —  NEW YORK — In the high-ceilinged SoHo offices that once housed an art gallery, Rachel Sklar is juggling a slew of stories destined for the virtual pages of the Huffington Post.  —  There's her interview with author Gay Talese …

Voters Excited Over '08 Campaign; Tired of It, Too  —  "I'm afraid we are going to get tired of all this hoop-de-la," said Kathy Shaffer, an elementary school teacher from Clear Lake, Iowa.  "It is too much for too long.You get tired of it.  You put mute on the commercials."

IMMIGRATION AND TERRORISM....Why do Islamic radicals mount so many terrorist attacks in Europe and so few in the United States?  After all, we're the Great Satan, aren't we?  McClatchy reports: … I wish this could be stapled on the foreheads of Tom Tancredo and every one of his immigration-hating dittoheads in Congress.

Mr. Cheney's Minority Report  —  Princeton, N.J.  —  TWENTY years ago this week, Lt. Col. Oliver North testified for six days before a special joint House and Senate investigating committee.  Permitted by the Democratic majority to appear in his bemedaled Marine uniform …

A Battle Over Expansion of Children's Insurance  —  The fight over a popular health insurance program for children is intensifying, with President Bush now leading efforts to block a major expansion of the program, which is a top priority for Congressional Democrats.