New Israeli-Hezbollah fighting breaks out  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon - A large fight between Israeli forces and Hezbollah guerrillas broke out Thursday evening on the Lebanese side of the border, the Israeli army said, adding that its troops suffered casualties but did not elaborate.

Lamont Pulls Even With Lieberman In Latest Poll  —  HAMDEN, Conn. — Democratic challenger Ned Lamont has pulled into a dead heat in his U.S. Senate race with incumbent Joe Lieberman, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday.  —  The poll shows Lamont ahead 51-47 percent …

In Spain, anti-Semitism is new leftist trend  —  Spanish Jews knew there were hard times ahead.  Prime Minister Zapatero has not disappointed them  —  Madrid: Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain and Secretary General of the Socialist Party, arrived to power at a time nobody expected, not even inside the Party.

Nasrallah speaks, vows surprises  —  Hizbullah leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, spoke for the first Thursday since the beginning of the week, saying Hizbullah's entire infrastructure and leadership hierarchy were still intact and functional.  —  "I can confirm without exaggerating …

Response to right-wing personal attacks  —  As I've noted several times in the last couple of weeks, my focus on the lawlessness, extremist rhetoric and violence-inciting tactics of the Bush movement and its followers in the blogosphere has triggered a slew of posts on multiple blogs devoted …

Marriott Hotels Ban Smoking In Rooms  —  Marriott International Inc., the nation's largest hotel chain, said yesterday that it will ban smoking in its nearly 400,000 hotel rooms in the United States and Canada, casting the decision as less about public health and more about taking care of the bottom line.

CREW FEC COMPLAINT AGAINST REP. DELAY PAC - ARMPAC - RESULTS IN $115,000 FINE  —  One of Largest Fines in FEC History  —  Washington, DC - Last night, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) released a conciliation agreement reached with Americans for a Republican Majority political action committee …

Middle East: Hezbollah to Blame for Current Strife, 56% Say  —  Many Fear a Wider Regional Conflict to Come  —  A week into the renewed violence between Israel and Lebanon triggered by the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers, 56% of Americans say that Lebanon-based terrorist group Hezbollah is to blame for the conflict.

Why I'll Vote for Bolton  —  As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I have had the rare opportunity to witness firsthand how the diplomatic process works and, in some cases, how it fails.  Recently, despite our nation's best efforts, the world — and particularly the Middle East …

Minutemen not watching over funds  —  A growing number of Minuteman Civil Defense Corps leaders and volunteers are questioning the whereabouts of hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of dollars in donations collected in the past 15 months, challenging the organization's leadership over financial accountability.

Judge Gives Wal-Mart Reprieve on Benefits  —  In a setback to state efforts to force employers to provide more generous health benefits, a federal judge yesterday struck down a Maryland law that was aimed at the nation's largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores.  —  The judge ruled that the federal …