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Willa Thayer / Associated Press:
Al-Qaida calls for holy war against Israel — CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader issued a worldwide call Thursday for Muslims to rise up in a holy war against Israel and join the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza until Islam reigns from "Spain to Iraq." — In the message broadcast …
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Jerusalem Post:
Report: Nasrallah is in Damascus — A top Iranian envoy was in Syria on Thursday for talks on the Israeli-Hizbullah conflict in a meeting that brought together the guerrilla organization's two key sponsors, according to Iranian news reports. A Kuwaiti newspaper reported …
Benny Avni / New York Sun:
Annan's Claims On Casualties May Unravel — UNITED NATIONS — An apparent discrepancy in the portrayal of events surrounding the deaths of four unarmed U.N. observers in Lebanon threatens to unravel Secretary-General Annan's initial accusation that Israel "deliberately" targeted the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon.
Uri Dan / New York Post:
GRIM DAY FOR ISRAEL IN LEB — NINE SOLDIERS KILLED IN CLASHES WITH HEZ — July 27, 2006 — JERUSALEM - Israel suffered its darkest day of the two-week Lebanese war yesterday, when nine soldiers were killed, including eight in a well-planned ambush that turned into fierce six-hour, house-to-house battle inside a Hezbollah stronghold.
Discussion:
Daily Pundit
Amos Harel / Haaretz:
IDF: Nasrallah talk less bellicose — An Israel Defense Forces analysis of the messages transmitted by Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah to his men during the fighting in Lebanon reveals a slightly different tone from the one he took in three public television interviews …
New York Times:
World Powers Fail to Agree on Plan to End Fighting, Underscoring U.S. Influence on Israel — ROME, July 26 — World powers failed to agree Wednesday on a plan to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, underscoring the power of the United States to prevail when it comes to dealing with Israel.
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Kate Zernike / New York Times:
Iraqi Leader Embraces Terror Fight in Speech to Congress — WASHINGTON, July 26 — Addressing a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq described his country as the "front line" in the fight against terrorism and vowed to make Iraq an "active player" …
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James Taranto / Opinion Journal:
Best of the Web — War on Words — Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki spoke this morning to a joint meeting of Congress, and some Democrats seized an opportunity to burnish their credentials as supporters of Israel, CNN reports: … Well, what exactly did al-Maliki say? Here are some quotes:
Joshua Partlow / Washington Post:
'Waiting to Get Blown Up' — Some Troops in Baghdad Express Frustration With the War and Their Mission — BAGHDAD, July 26 Army Staff Sgt. Jose Sixtos considered the simple question about morale for more than an hour. But not until his convoy of armored Humvees had finally rumbled …
Deanna Bellandi / Associated Press:
Chicago Council Passes 'Living Wage' Act — CHICAGO — The City Council brushed aside warnings from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to approve an ordinance that makes Chicago the biggest city in the nation to require big-box retailers to pay a "living wage." — The ordinance, which passed 35-14 Wednesday …
Discussion:
Cato-at-liberty
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Associated Press:
Tour de France winner failed drug test in race — Team to dismiss Landis if excessive level of testosterone confirmed — Tour de France champion Floyd Landis tested positive for high levels of testosterone during the race, his Phonak team said Thursday on its Web site.
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Peggy Noonan / Opinion Journal:
A Few Questions — Why does the president call the secretary of state "Condi"? And what exactly is his philosophy? — Why does President Bush refer in public to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as "Condi"? Did Dwight Eisenhower call his Secretary of State "Johnny"?
Rolling Stone:
Iran: The Next War — Even before the bombs fell on Baghdad, a group of senior Pentagon officials were plotting to invade another country. Their covert campaign once again relied on false intelligence and shady allies. But this time, the target was Iran. BY JAMES BAMFORD
Media Matters for America:
CNN or CBN? Phillips asks apocalypse authors: "[A]re we living in the last days?" … For the second time in three days, CNN featured a segment on the potential coming of the Apocalypse, as indicated by current conflicts in the Middle East. The July 26 edition of CNN's Live From …
Discussion:
The Carpetbagger Report, ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, CBS News, All Spin Zone, Pharyngula and Rising Hegemon
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
To raise profile, Murtha will stump for 41 Dems — Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), who has suspended his race to become majority leader in the event that the Democrats capture the House, plans to campaign in 41 races around the country where he said party leaders believe he can be helpful.
Tim Starks / CQ.com:
House Panel Faults Pace of U.S. Intelligence Overhaul — A House subcommittee has concluded that the Bush administration has been slow to implement major changes in information sharing and other key provisions of the 2004 law that overhauled the U.S. intelligence community.
Derrick Z. Jackson / Boston Globe:
A message for Democrats — WASHINGTONNANCY PELOSI bared fangs to show that the Democratic Party no longer has toothless gums. On national security, she said, ``When you think of women and defense and security, think of a lioness. You come anywhere near our cubs, you're dead.
Angela K. Brown / Associated Press:
Jury Finds Yates Not Guilty in Drownings — After being acquitted by reason of insanity in her children's bathtub drowning deaths, Andrea Yates won't spend her life in prison - but she will be committed to a state mental hospital. — One day after her acquittal, Yates will learn Thursday …
Discussion:
Shot In The Dark, NewsBusters.org, Thoughts of an Average Woman, GINA COBB and The Mahablog
Jennifer Medina / New York Times:
For Some Jews, Israel and Iraq Cloud View on Lieberman — HARTFORD, July 26 — Lesley Korzennik walked into a diner in Norwalk recently hoping to vent her frustrations with Senator Joseph I. Lieberman — over his continued support for the war, among a litany of other things. "I'm furious at him," she said.
Haaretz:
Security cabinet decides against expanding Lebanon operation — The security cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, decided Thursday morning against expanding the Israel Defense Forces operation in southern Lebanon, Israel Radio reported. — The discussion came a day after nine IDF troops …
New York Post:
BACK TO BAGHDAD — THE NEW STRUGGLE IN IRAQ — July 27, 2006 — WHEN I visited Baghdad in March, there was no civil war. There is no civil war in Iraq today. But it's beginning to look as if there might be one tomorrow. — Something vital has changed. In Baghdad.
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