memeorandum: I used the word "refugees" in an earlier post to describe … (Talking Points Memo)

Iranian President Says Nuclear Program Poses No Threat — KHONDAB, Iran — Iran's hard-line president on Saturday inaugurated a heavy-water production plant, a facility the West fears will be used to develop a nuclear bomb, as Tehran remained defiant ahead of a U.N. deadline that could lead to sanctions.

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard and protein wisdom

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Sarah Baxter / Times of London: Iran takes new nuclear step

Maggie Farley / Los Angeles Times:
U.S. May Curb Iran

Discussion: Daily Kos

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Surprise! Iran opens heavy-water production plant

Discussion: Slapstick Politics

Associated Press:
Iran, defying United Nations, opens plant for producing heavy water

Discussion: NewsHog

Captain Ed / Captain's Quarters:
Surprise! — Iran has unveiled its surprise and its answer …

Discussion: Liberty and Justice and The Glittering Eye

Michael Slackman / New York Times:
Iran Opens Plant That Can Produce Plutonium

Discussion: The Belgravia Dispatch, Blue Crab Boulevard, Right Wing Nut House and A Blog For All

Fox News:

Captors Release Two FOX News Journalists Kidnapped in Gaza Aug. 14 — GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Two FOX News journalists were released by their kidnappers Sunday, nearly two weeks after they were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. — The freeing of FOX correspondent Steve Centanni, 60 …

Discussion: Outside The Beltway

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DEBKAfile:

DEBKA-Net-Weekly 267 Revealed: Palestinian warlord Zakaria Dughmush (picture) kidnapped the Fox News journalists on behalf of Hamas — The Hamas team which abducted Israeli soldier Gilead Shalit on June 25 sought to ease the pressure for his release by staging a more spectacular snatch.

Discussion: Liberty and Justice

Khaled Abu Toameh / Jerusalem Post: PA: Kidnappers to free Fox newsmen

Associated Press: Case of kidnapped Fox journalists could be resolved

Mike Pechar / The Jawa Report:
Kidnapped Fox News Journos Freed

Discussion: Hyscience

White House:

President's Radio Address — THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. — Earlier this week, I had coffee with Rockey Vaccarella in the White House. Rockey is from Saint Bernard Parish in Louisiana, and he and his family lost everything they owned to Hurricane Katrina.

Discussion: The Mahablog, The American Street and Associated Press

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Talking Points Memo:

I used the word "refugees" in an earlier post to describe those who were dispaced by Katrina. TPM Reader DW objects: … I am aware of that concern, which was raised frequently in the weeks following Katrina. The "negative connotation" that DW and others refer to is that "refugee" suggests second-class citizenship.

Discussion: The Mahablog and The American Street

Washington Post:
Katrina's Damage Lingers For Bush

Discussion: Blogcritics, The Left Coaster, AMERICAblog and Raising Kaine

Jennifer Medina / New York Times:

Mrs. Clinton Offers to Raise Money for Lamont Campaign — In a private meeting at her Chappaqua, N.Y., home on Friday, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton offered to help Ned Lamont in his battle to unseat Senator Joseph I. Lieberman by sponsoring a fund-raiser, campaigning by his side and lending him one of her top political strategists.

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Democratic Daily, Night Bird's Fountain, Daily Kos and Donklephant

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Neil Vigdor / Stamford Advocate:

Hillary Clinton pledges to back Lamont — Ned Lamont's winding road from the political fringe to the darling of his party took him to the Chappaqua, N.Y., home of U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton yesterday, where the former first lady pledged her full support for the Senate nominee over coffee.

Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:
Line Five, Party of One?

Discussion: The News Blog

Desi / Mia Culpa:

Down, down, down! — Newsweek: — Bush's approval rating has taken a slight dip since the last NEWSWEEK Poll in mid-August. While 38 percent of respondents approved and 55 percent disapproved of his job performance back then, now 36 percent approve and 56 percent disapprove.

Discussion: Blogcritics and Liberal Values

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Unmesh Kher / Time:

Poll: Iraq, Lebanon Hurt the U.S. War on Terror — In survey, 59% say Bush has no clear policy to deal with terrorism, but his job-approval ratings improve — While President Bush may be getting a slight uptick in his job-approval numbers, the situation in Iraq and Lebanon has been a setback in the war on terrorism, Americans say.

Discussion: Mia Culpa and Political Arithmetik

Michael Isikoff / Newsweek:

The Man Who Said Too Much — A book coauthored by NEWSWEEK's Michael Isikoff details Richard Armitage's central role in the Valerie Plame leak. — Katsumi Kasahara / AP (l.) ; Lawrence Jackson / AP — According to a new book, the State Department has known for years that Armitage (left) outed Plame

Discussion: Needlenose, TalkLeft, The Next Hurrah and Liberal Values

Michael Portillo / Times of London:

France about-turns into a bigger military mess — 'Il faut aller à Gorazde. " ("We must push through to Gorazde. ") The French defence minister would repeat it like a chant. It was 1995. In Srebrenica, a United Nations so-called safe haven in Bosnia, 8,000 men had been slaughtered by Bosnian Serbs.

Discussion: The Belmont Club and Blue Crab Boulevard

Wesley J. Smith / Weekly Standard:

Science by Press Release — "NEW STEM CELL METHOD avoids destroying em-bryos," the New York Times headline blared. "Stem cell breakthrough may end political logjam," chimed in the Los Angeles Times. "Embryos spared in stem cell creation," affirmed USA Today.

Discussion: The American Thinker

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Rick Weiss / Washington Post:
Critic Alleges Deceit in Study On Stem Cells

Discussion: The Corner and A Chequer-Board of Nights …

Michelle Roberts / Associated Press:

Army Corps worries about Big Easy levees — NEW ORLEANS - Despite aggressive efforts to repair the New Orleans levee system following the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, it isn't clear yet whether it could withstand a hurricane with heavy storm surge this year, the head of the Army Corps of Engineers conceded Saturday.

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Eric Lipton / New York Times:
Despite Steps, Disaster Planning Still Shows Gaps

Discussion: Taylor Marsh

Iain Dale / Iain Dale's Diary:

Fined for Being a Christian — I was listening to the news this morning and caught the tail end of a piece which I thought said that a footballer had been arrested to making the sign of the cross during a football match. Nah, I thought. Must have misheard.

Discussion: Cranmer and The Corner

Sarah El Deeb / Associated Press:

Israel seeks troops from Muslim nations — JERUSALEM - Israel said Saturday it was encouraging some Muslim countries to send peacekeepers to southern Lebanon, a contribution that would lend credibility to the heavily European force. — EU nations pledged 6,900 troops Friday …

Robert Salladay / Los Angeles Times:

Gov. Settles Suit Brought by Former TV Host — SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has settled a lawsuit in London brought by a former British TV host who accused the governor of fondling her and later said the governor's aides had smeared her reputation, attorneys for both sides said today.

Discussion: MyDD and LA Observed

Allahpundit / Hot Air:

Israeli airstrike on Reuters SUV? (Update: Video added) — The BBC says the cameraman, Fadel Shana, is with Reuters. The other journalist, who is seriously injured, is affiliated with a local website. Three bystanders were also hurt. Witnesses say the car was clearly marked "TV" on all sides.

Discussion: JunkYardBlog and Little Green Footballs

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Associated Press:
Witnesses: Israel strikes Reuters car

Discussion: Done With Mirrors