House OKs plan to withdraw US troops  —  WASHINGTON - The Iraqi government is achieving only spotty military and political progress, the Bush administration conceded Thursday in an assessment that war critics quickly seized on as confirmation of their dire warnings.

Christian activists disrupt Hindu prayer in US Senate  —  WASHINGTON: Christian activists briefly disrupted a Hindu invocation in the US Senate on Thursday, marring a historic first for the chamber and showing that fundamentalism is present and shouting in the US too.

Correspondent Inference Theory  —  Two people are sitting in a room together: an experimenter and a subject.  The experimenter gets up and closes the door, and the room becomes quieter.  The subject is likely to believe that the experimenter's purpose in closing the door was to make the room quieter.

An Inconvenient Turbine: Conservation vs. Preservation  —  Homeowners Who Go Green  —  Face Neighbors' Objections;  —  How Gore Got His Solar Panels  —  In neighborhoods across the country, there's a battle brewing: the environmentalists vs. the aesthetes.

Okay, finally the...  ADVANTAGE RUDY  —  Okay, finally the definitive story.  Last night we were bringing you the latest on the proxy fight between the Giuliani and McCain campaigns over who could have the most prominent or outrageous campaign official involved in a prostitution scandal.

Poison for Profit  —  In November 2006, America's dogs and cats started dying painful, mysterious and sometimes gruesome deaths—canaries in the coal mine of a food safety system on the verge of collapse.  Previously healthy pets would suddenly vomit blood and bile, produce bloody diarrhea and lose control of bladder and bowel.

Democrats Take the Lead in Raising Money Online  —  The Democrats have established a commanding and growing dominance over Republicans in securing contributions online, reshaping the fund-raising landscape heading into the 2008 elections.  —  Online donations are emerging as a cornerstone …

Dingell calls our bluff  —  Last Sunday, Rep. John Dingell appeared on the C-SPAN show Newsmakers for a 30-min. interview (transcript here; video accessible via the website), and caused an enormous ruckus with this: … The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press …

Brown message to US: it's time to build, not destroy  —  Minister signals foreign policy shift ahead of PM's Washington trip  —  The first clear signs that Gordon Brown will reorder Britain's foreign policy emerged last night when one of his closest cabinet allies urged the US to change …

Democrats Will Try to Counter Ruling on Discrimination Suits  —  A Supreme Court decision restricting workers' ability to sue for wage discrimination has prompted Democrats to introduce legislation to counteract the ruling.  —  In May, the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 against a supervisor …

Iran's Jews reject cash offer to move to Israel  —  Iran's Jews have given the country a loyalty pledge in the face of cash offers aimed at encouraging them to move to Israel, the arch-enemy of its Islamic rulers.  —  The incentives — ranging from £5,000 a person to £30,000 for families …

THE REPUBLICAN RIDDLE  —  How Should the GOP Go in '08—and in '07 on Iraq?  —  Director, U.Va. Center for Politics  —  Over the decades the Republican Party has secured a reputation as the orderly bunch in our (mainly) two-party system.  Its members like to have a designated successor …