BREAKING NEWS: Electoral initiative backers give up  —  Plagued by a lack of money, supporters of a statewide initiative drive to change the way California's 55 electoral votes are apportioned, first revealed here by Top of the Ticket in July, are pulling the plug on that effort.

Reports: Military junta cuts Internet access in Burma; Sniper reportedly killed Japanese journalist Kenji Nagai; Update: Videos added  —  Update 9:50am Eastern.  PJM pays tribute to monks and bloggers.  —  And read Agam's Gecko, an Asian-based blog that has followed the Burmese democracy movement for many, many years.

Lee Bollinger's Illusory Idealism  —  What the Columbia president is forgetting.  —  Many commentators have argued that Columbia University President Lee Bollinger was unwise—or, in Arnold Ahlert's view, "idiotic"—to have hosted Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Six inconvenient truths about the U.S. and slavery  —  Those who want to discredit the United States and to deny our role as history's most powerful and pre-eminent force for freedom, goodness and human dignity invariably focus on America's bloody past as a slave-holding nation.

Leading GOP Candidates Skip Debate on Black Issues  —  4 Contenders Attend Fundraisers Instead  —  Fred D. Thompson was at a fundraiser in Franklin, Tenn. Mitt Romney was gathering checks in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Rudolph W. Giuliani was in California raking in some last-minute cash just north of Napa.

Cigarette surveillance program begins today  —  Motorists bringing large numbers of smokes into state will be charged  —  NASHVILLE — Starting today, state Department of Revenue agents will begin stopping Tennessee motorists spotted buying large quantities of cigarettes in border states …

Mistake costs dishwasher $59,000  —  MIAMI, Florida (CNN) — For 11 years, Pedro Zapeta, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, lived his version of the American dream in Stuart, Florida: washing dishes and living frugally to bring money back to his home country.

The Islamic Reformation  —  Those who call for an Islamic 'Reformation' are missing the point: it has already happened, unfortunately.  —  Since 2001 a plethora of writers have made calls for an Islamic "Reformation".  Many hopes (and careers) are pinned on the idea, but there is no such thing coming.

State Dept. Tallies 56 Shootings Involving Blackwater on Diplomatic Guard Duty  —  The State Department said Thursday that Blackwater USA security personnel had been involved in 56 shootings while guarding American diplomats in Iraq so far this year.  It was the first time the Bush administration had made such data public.

Showdown Looms as Child Health Bill Passes  —  The Senate, with an overwhelming bipartisan vote yesterday, sent President Bush a $35 billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, setting up the biggest domestic policy clash of his presidency and launching a fight that will reverberate into the 2008 elections.

New Hampshire prepares a rocky ride for Clinton  —  Hillary Clinton's lead in the polls is no guarantee of victory in New Hampshire, where they want a contest not a coronation  —  The smooth road to the White House down which Hillary Clinton has sped so far threatens to become rocky in the Granite State of New Hampshire.

Dems unite to slam Limbaugh, GOP silent  —  As a rule, Democrats and their allies are a little slow when it comes to organized outrage.  A high-profile Republican will say or do something that most decent Americans would find outrageous, progressive blogs will call him or her on it …

Wilkes faces court date on Friday  —  Celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos is waging an aggressive defense of Brent Wilkes, a California businessman accused of bribing former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.).  —  Wilkes and alleged co-conspirator John Michael are set to appear before a judge Friday …

The war president "at peace" with himself  —  Bush's 2003 conversation with the Spanish prime minister shows his smug determination to invade Iraq at all costs.  —  George W. Bush answers a question during a joint news conference with Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar …

Wanted: Democratic Straight Talk on Iraq  —  Yes, you heard it right: At the Dartmouth College debate Wednesday evening, not one of the three leading Democratic candidates could pledge that all U.S. combat troops would be out of Iraq by the end of his or her first term as president.

Blackwater Shooting Scene Was Chaotic  —  Participants in a contentious Baghdad security operation this month have told American investigators that during the operation at least one guard continued firing on civilians while colleagues urgently called for a cease-fire.

France Flips While Congress Shifts  —  WASHINGTON — Ahmadinejad at Columbia provided the entertainment, but Sarkozy at the U.N. provided the substance.  On the largest possible stage — the U.N. General Assembly — President Nicolas Sarkozy put Iran on notice.