DAILY KOS CO-AUTHOR FINED $30K FOR UNETHICAL STOCK TOUT  —  Prominent liberal blogger Jerome Armstrong has agreed to pay nearly $30,000 in fines in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over allegations that Armstrong touted the stock of a software company …

Bush Apparently Had Lyme Disease  —  President Bush was treated a year ago for what appears to have been Lyme disease, the White House said yesterday in disclosing the results of his annual physical exam.  —  A report of the president's recent medical examination said his case had …

Romney: Giuliani's NYC 'Sanctuary' for Illegal Immigrants  —  Republican Presidential Contender Calls Giuliani's New York a 'Sanctuary' for Illegals  —  For 10 years, Romney used the services of a landscaping company for his Belmont, Mass., estate that hired illegal workers from Guatemala …

Democrats Praise Military Progress  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - One senator said U.S. troops are routing out al-Qaida in parts of Iraq.  Another insisted President Bush's plan to increase troops has caused tactical momentum.  —  One even went so far on Wednesday as to say the argument could be made that U.S. troops are winning.

Endeavour Lifts Off!  —  NASA's Administrator and top launch managers celebrated the flawless liftoff of Space Shuttle Endeavour Wednesday evening as the fulfillment of a legacy.  —  "A launch operation doesn't get any better than this, it can't," Administrator Mike Griffin said following the launch.

Who is the Real Feminist?  —  I saw a link on Vox Day's blog to one of those silly quizzes that I often get suckered into taking for no other reason than curiosity or perhaps just procrastination from actual real work I should be doing.  The quiz asked the question, "Are You a Feminist?" and if you are interested, here is my score:

Pakistan May Declare State of Emergency  —  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The government of embattled Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said Thursday it may impose a state of emergency because of "external and internal threats" and deteriorating law and order in the volatile northwest near the Afghan border.

Bush May Try to Cut Corporate Tax Rates  —  President Cites Need To Compete Globally  —  President Bush said yesterday that he is considering a fresh plan to cut tax rates for U.S. corporations to make them more competitive around the world, an initiative that could further inflame a battle …

New Republic Iraq Stories Questioned  —  NEW YORK — A magazine gets a hot story straight from a soldier in Iraq and publishes his writing, complete with gory details, under a pseudonym.  The stories are chilling: An Iraqi boy befriends American troops and later has his tongue cut out by insurgents.

First Father: Tough Times on Sidelines  —  There are times in the life of George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States and father of the 43rd, that people, perfect strangers, come up to him and say the harshest things — words intended to comfort but words that wind up only causing pain.

Fair but Unbalanced  —  How the media promote false pessimism about the economy.  —  Not that it needed any help, but the already energized debate about journalistic bias was electrified when Rupert Murdoch, owner of the "fair and balanced" Fox News Channel, struck a deal to buy The Wall Street Journal.

One billion Muslims to turn into suicide bombers if Makkah, Madina are attacked: NA  —  ISLAMABAD: The treasury and opposition members in National Assembly (NA) Wednesday have made it clear on US that one billion Muslims will turn into suicide bombers if the holiest places of Makkah and Madina …

CAIR Identified by the FBI as part of the Muslim Brotherhood's Palestine Committee  —  Dallas—In testimony Tuesday, FBI Agent Lara Burns reported before the jury in the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) trial that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was listed as a member …

Saudis might take Bibles from tourists  —  Despite a series of initiatives aimed at generating foreign tourism, the Saudi Arabian government continues to bar Jews and Christians from bringing items such as Bibles, crucifixes and Stars of David into the country and is threatening to confiscate them on sight …

AT&T drops Pearl Jam's call  —  In a prominent nod to one of the festival's lead sponsors, the logo for this year's Lollapalooza concerts in Chicago includes the tag line, "delivered by AT&T."  But Sunday's headliner Pearl Jam complained that AT&T delivered less than the band's full performance during its Lollapalooza webcast.

Freedom from the press: Google News lets newsmakers comment on stories  —  Beginning this week, Google News will start posting user comments, but only from people actually featured in news stories.  Newspapers that were unhappy about Google News using snippets of their articles will probably …