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

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

U.S. highways badly in need of repair  —  Thousands of bridges need rebuilding, but funding hasn't kept up  —  Are U.S. bridges in disrepair?  —  Aug. 2: A government database reveals more than 13 percent of the nation's bridges need significant repairs.  But just how big a safety issue is it?

Forward or Back?  —  Recent steps on infrastructure issues  —  Senate Passes Infrastructure Improvement Act, the Senate late Thursday night passed the ASCE-endorsed National Infrastructure Improvement Act (S. 775), a bill that would establish a national commission to assess the physical condition …

Tancredo: Threaten to bomb Muslim holy sites in retaliation  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo's campaign stood by his assertion that bombing holy Muslim sites would serve as a good "deterrent" to prevent Islamic fundamentalists from attacking the United States, his spokeswoman said Friday.

Gates Offers Blunt Review of Progress in Iraq  —  Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday that he was discouraged by the resignation of the Sunnis from Iraq's cabinet and that the Bush administration might have misjudged the difficulty of achieving reconciliation between Iraq's sectarian factions.

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.

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 …

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.

Authorities: Recovery efforts going better than expected  —  Recovery operations today on the Mississippi River where the Interstate 35W bridge collapsed have gone better than expected, authorities said today.  —  Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek said at an afternoon news conference …