BEAUCHAMP INVESTIGATION CONCLUDED  —  After a thorough investigation that lasted nearly a week the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division has concluded that the allegations made by Private Thomas Scott Beauchamp, the "Baghdad Diarist", have been

House erupts in chaos  —  In a massive flare-up of partisan tensions, Republicans walked out on a House vote late Thursday night to protest what they believed to be Democratic maneuvers to reverse an unfavorable outcome for them.  —  The flap represents a complete breakdown in parliamentary procedure …

KOS: "WE ARE THE CENTER!"  —  Is left-wing blog entrepreneur Markos Moulitsas Zúniga, AKA "Kos," the new liberal king maker of the Democratic Party?  At his opening day press conference for the annual YearlyKos Convention in Chicago, Kos told the assemblage: "There is no Jesse Jackson wing of the Democratic Party anymore.

EDWARDS IN A BIZ HATE & $WITCH  —  John Edwards, who yesterday demanded Democratic candidates return any campaign donations from Rupert Murdoch and News Corp., himself earned at least $800,000 for a book published by one of the media mogul's companies.  —  The Edwards campaign …

Doesn't Sound Like A Funding Issue  —  MnDOT officials had concerns about the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River last winter, focusing on the same fatigue and potential cracking that has grabbed the focus of the post-collapse coverage.  Engineers debated whether to apply patches …

ACID FLASHBACK  —  Last night the whole YearlyKos aggregation finally gathered in one place, a sort of cozy airplane hangar somewhere within McCormick Place.  The room was so spacious that the audience—something like fourteen hundred people—could be comfortably seated at big round tables rather than rows of seats.

'Depth of mistrust' in Iraq unforeseen  —  With Sunnis' exit from government, Pentagon chief Gates says the focus will be on achieving reconciliation at a provincial level.  —  ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates acknowledged Thursday …

Romney: Hezbollah role model for U.S.  —  Urges emulating welfare projects used by terror group against Israel  —  JERUSALEM - Republican presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney has cited the social welfare network of the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group as a role model the U.S. should copy to help promote …

Serviceman Shouted Down at YearlyKos  —  The American Prospect: AN ODD CLOSE. … Video, please.  —  (Hat tip: Exurban League.)  —  UPDATE at 8/3/07 10:46:52 am:  —  I'm not familiar with the exact regulations on this, but for the sake of argument let's say that it was against the rules for a uniformed soldier to ask a question.

Capitol police warned of DC terror attack in next six weeks  —  An increased threat of another al Qaeda attack between now and Sep. 11 of this year has caused Capitol Police officials to step up security on Capitol Hill, Roll Call reported.  An unnamed Capitol Police source told Roll Call …

Hillary will attend YearlyKos breakout session  —  NOTE: I'm the Clinton campaign's Internet Director  —  Last night, there was an announcement at YearlyKos that Hillary would not conduct a breakout session after the Presidential Leadership Forum.  Attendees who were under the impression …

Flying Saucers Go Into Production  —  A "flying saucer" that glides three metres above the ground and carries two people has gone into commerical production.  —  US company Moller International has begun to manufacture parts for its Jetsons-like personal flying pod, the M200G Volantor.

THE CLINTON-OBAMA CAGE MATCH....At the risk of going all meta on you, I have to confess that I'm fascinated by the recent foreign policy mini-fracases between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama (talking with foreign leaders last week, striking Pakistan and using nukes this week).

President Bush Meets with Counterterrorism Team  —  Washington, D.C.  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming.  Director Mueller, thank you for your hospitality.  I'm honored to be here at the headquarters of the FBI.  Just had a beginning of a series of meetings today …