Hamas leaders arrested; Israeli executed  —  GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli forces rounded up dozens of Palestinian Cabinet ministers and lawmakers from Hamas, increasing pressure on the Islamic militants to release a captured Israeli soldier, and witnesses said tanks moved into northern Gaza …

Justices Back Most G.O.P. Changes to Texas Districts  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld most of the Texas congressional map engineered by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay but threw out part, saying some of the new boundaries failed to protect minority voting rights.

Insurgents offer to halt attacks in Iraq  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Eleven Sunni insurgent groups have offered an immediate halt to all attacks — including those on American troops — if the United States agrees to withdraw foreign forces from Iraq in two years, insurgent and government officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Obama: Democrats Must Court Evangelicals  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Barack Obama chastised fellow Democrats on Wednesday for failing to "acknowledge the power of faith in the lives of the American people," and said the party must compete for the support of evangelicals and other churchgoing Americans.

A SWIFT Kick in the Head  —  When asked to back up the White House accusation that a recent New York Times story put American lives at risk by disclosing vital secrets to terrorists, the best press secretary Tony Snow could do yesterday was this: "I am absolutely sure they didn't know about SWIFT."

Democrats More Eager to Vote, But Unhappy with Party  —  Gay Marriage, Inheritance Tax Among the Lowest Public Priorities  —  Summary of Findings  —  With less than five months to go before Election Day, Democrats hold two distinct advantages in the midterm campaign that they have not enjoyed for some time.

"[T]reason, plain and simple": Right-wing media figures attack NY Times over bank-tracking story … In the wake of a June 23 New York Times article describing a secret Bush administration program designed to monitor international financial transactions, numerous conservative media figures …

Commentary: Media provides cover for assault on traditional marriage  —  Editor's note: James C. Dobson is founder and chairman of Focus on the Family Action.  He has a Ph.D. in child development and is author of the best-selling book, "Bringing Up Boys."  He's currently working on a follow-up, "Bringing Up Girls."

Senator seeks tax on pimps, prostitutes  —  Grassley: 'It's a no-brainer to have the IRS go after sex traffickers'  —  NEW YORK (CNN) — Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa is hoping to stamp out the sex trade by taxing pimps and prostitutes, then jailing them when they don't pay.

For Immediate Release  —  Webb Campaign Blasts Allen Campaign For "Weak-Kneed Attacks" Against Men And Women In Uniform  —  Arlington—The campaign of U.S. Senate candidate Jim Webb today called the attacks on Webb's patriotism by Allen's campaign, "weak-kneed attacks by cowards" and demanded that Allen and his campaign apologize.

GOP's New `values Agenda' Item Fails  —  House Republicans failed Wednesday to advance a bill protecting the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.  Only a day earlier, the GOP had placed the measure on its "American Values Agenda" in hopes of bolster the party's prospects in the fall election.

Money and Speech  —  Would the Supreme Court uphold a "spending limit" for abortion?  —  Monday's campaign speech case from the Supreme Court in Randall v. Sorrel, leaves me with little new to say, which is fortunate because I have little time right now to say much about it.

Nominations Sent to the Senate  —  John Preston Bailey, of West Virginia, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of West Virginia, vice Frederick P. Stamp, Jr., retiring.  —  Mary O. Donohue, of New York, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of New York …

On the Net Neutrality Commerce Committee Tie  —  In terms of the vote, well, we pretty much expected this, though we weren't sure whether we could keep the Dems unified.  They held under intense lobbying pressure from the telecoms.  I think it's fair to say that we've reversed the momentum on this issue …