G.O.P. Candidates See Signs of Progress in Iraq  —  The leading Republican presidential candidates said today that the military escalation in Iraq appeared to be restoring stability in that country and they berated their Democratic counterparts for advocating an end to American involvement there.

Truth about global-warming deniers  —  Sen. Barbara Boxer had been chair of the Senate's Environment Committee for less than a month when the verdict landed last February.  "Warming of the climate system is unequivocal," concluded a report by 600 scientists from governments, academia, green groups and businesses in 40 countries.

Is California GOP Trying to Steal the 2008 Election?  —  Our way of electing presidents has always been fer-tile ground for mischief.  But there's sensible mischief—toying with existing laws and the Constitution to reflect popular will—and then there's the other kind …

THE BLACK SITES  —  A rare look inside the C.I.A.'s secret interrogation program.  —  In March, Mariane Pearl, the widow of the murdered Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, received a phone call from Alberto Gonzales, the Attorney General.  At the time, Gonzales's role …

Government hunts for warrantless wiretap leaker  —  Priorities: The Attorney General apologized for 'creating confusion'  —  The controversy over President Bush's warrantless surveillance program took another surprise turn last week when a team of FBI agents, armed with a classified search warrant …

Bush Signs Law to Widen Reach for Wiretapping  —  President Bush signed into law on Sunday legislation that broadly expanded the government's authority to eavesdrop on the international telephone calls and e-mail messages of American citizens without warrants.

BREAKING: Two Middle Eastern Men Carrying a Bomb Detained in South Carolina  —  Here is the report from the ABC News affiliate (hat tip: Steve Emerson's Investigative Project on Terrorism):

'Establish Islamic state'  —  Radical UK Islamist group holds London conference.  'Why is Palestine still occupied?' asks speaker  —  Yaakov Lappin  —  The British branch of a world-wide radical Islamist group, Hizb ut-Tahrir, held a conference London on Saturday, in which speakers called …

Murdoch Says He Just Wants More 'Urgency' in 'WSJ'  —  NEW YORK His Saturday business column for The New York Times (available online only via TimesSelect) mainly explores how the Bancroft family blew the deal with the News Corp. But Joseph Nocera closes it with a brief sit-down interview …

"THIS IS PART OF THE BATTLEFIELD"  —  Sergeant David D. Aguina returned to the YearlyKos gathering on Saturday, a day after he had been unceremoniously thrown out of a panel on the military and progressives.  This time he may have been out of uniform, but he told PJM's Rick Moran, that he would never give up his fight.

Republicans hardening stance on immigration  —  (08-04) 04:00 PDT Washington — An anti-immigration backlash has taken hold among Republicans in the Capitol, led in some cases by the staunchest supporters - Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina …