News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
New Iraq Bloodshed Kills 66
Bush launches push to counter Iraq war criticism - Video
Iraq army seen fit in 18 months, bombs kill 50
Iraqi businesses cling on, hoping for better times
Commander optimistic about Iraqi forces
Bush links Iraq success to U.S. safety
Firefights Mark Further Splintering in Iraq
Local Soldiers to Leave for Middle East

Operation Enduring Freedom
3rd BSTB Soldiers Neutralize IED Threat in Korengal Valley

Homeland Security / War on Terror
UK Terror Suspects in Court
British bombing suspects to be held for another week - Video
9/11 ads ask where you heard the news
22 Bombs Shake Thailand

Troops on Trial
Hamdania Hearings to Begin
Death penalty option dropped in U.S. Iraq killing - Video

Other Military News
U.S. considers new military command for Africa - Video
Army Meets its Retention Goal

Mid-East Ceasefire
Israel Rejects Annan's Demand to Lift Blockade
Annan voices support for Palestinian unity govt - Video
Lebanon refuses contact with Israel
Israel Pulls Troops From Gaza

Immigration / Border Control
Tighter U.S. border control boosts smuggler profit

Worldwide Wackos
Iran Scoffs at Nuke Deadline
Report may expose Iran to sanctions - Video
U.S. Military Sees Iran's Nuke Bomb 5 Years Away
Annan to press Jordan and Syria on Lebanon truce - Video
Chavez vows solidarity with Syria against U.S., Israel - Video

Homegrown Moonbats
California takes lead in global warming fight

Politics / Government
Democrats accuse Rumsfeld of political smear
Man arrested in death of Giuliani aide
Student's Rights Violated By Anti-Bush Shirt Censoring

In the Courts
Judge Tosses 'Grossly Excessive' $50M Vioxx Award

Mother Nature
Ernesto Picks Up Speed
Ernesto Dumps Heavy Rain on Florida - Video
Feeble Ernesto headed for Carolinas - Video
National Guard on alert for Ernesto
Hurricane John Pummels Mexican Coast
Link: NOAA's Three-Day Storm Tracker
Hurricane John Lashes Mexico
Typhoon Ioke Bears Down on Wake Island
Hurricane John takes aim at Mexico beach resorts - Video
Earth's formerly thin ozone layer is recovering

Media in the Media
Couric sheds 20 pounds in doctored publicity photo
CNN `Live From...' the ladies room
China Jails Spying Reporter

News from My Neck of the Woods
'An Incredible Tragedy' - Father charged with murder

Oddities
Brothels take the sting out of pump prices
"Bonnie and Clyde" smooch to rob
Is Peru's famed 'Ice Maiden' in danger?

Other News of Note
Polygamist Leader May Control Sect From Jail
Video: Escaping From Warren Jeffs
Video: Warren Jeffs Appears in Court
Polygamist sect leader to face Utah charges first
Man Stabs Neighbor Believing He Molested His Daughter
Cops: High School Shooting Suspect Admitted Killing Dad

Fox News
Sex Offender Found Guilty of Murdering Dru Sjodin
Average Daily Commute for U.S. Workers Falls 48 Seconds
10 Worst Cities for Commuters
CEOs' Pay Doubles After 9/11
Controller Turned Back as Ky. Flight Took Wrong Runway
At Least 30 Drown After Boat Capsizes in Ganges River
22 Bombs Shake Thailand
Mississippi Most Obese State
Stocks to Watch: Advo Inc.
Federer, Nadal Win First Rounds at U.S. Open
FULL U.S. OPEN COVERAGE

Reuters: Top News
Monitors blame Sri Lanka forces for aid massacre - Video
Warner Bros. to release 10 high-definition films
Electronics trade show picks up pace
Chinese students spend summer holidays trading faces
Anger speeds up deterioration of lungs: study
Body acceptance tied to healthy eating
Country music awards set for three-way showdown
Dow, Nasdaq gain after growth data - Video
ADVO shares fall sharply
Nikkei up as Konica gains, Rakuten down
TiVo reports deeper loss on expenses
American Eagle rises, JDS falls
BP probe may stir UK watchdog
Unloved bonds make investor comeback
On the Radar: Analysts like Anixter
Valassis sues to void $1.3 billion ADVO merger
Smithfield Foods' new boss hungry for more growth
Clorox names Coca-Cola executive as CEO
Starbucks August sales eyed for spending trend
Newsweek editor to step down: paper
China vows to improve importers' negotiating power

AP World News
Kentucky controller slept only 2 hours
Actor Glenn Ford dies at 90
Key Coca-Cola exec joins Clorox as CEO
Happy returns for Serena, Hingis, Safin
GM withdraws CBS' 'Survivor' sponsorship
Dow, Nasdaq both close up 13 points
1st woman space tourist readies for trip
Nominees announced for 2006 CMA Awards
Sluggish growth predicted for economy
U.S. moves to basketball semifinals
AP: Don't keep secrets on cell phone
Chappelle says he's glad he left TV show

Military.com
Hooping for Hope
Detect, Deter, Defend and Defeat
Poll Shows Split on Arms Issue

CENTCOM: News Releases
COALITION FORCES FREE KIDNAP VICTIM

KIDNAPPED RAMADI POLICE EMPLOYEE RESCUED BY IRAQI SOLDIERS

USJFCOM
UR 2015 multinational participation combines operational experience with cultural heritage - podcast
Joint Systems Baseline Assessment 2006 prepares for operational stage - podcast

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
Casey Details Threats in Iraq - Story
Truth Serves as Powerful Weapon
American Grit Will Mean Victory
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Iraqi, U.S. Forces Provide Medical Aid - Story
Dustoff Crews Bring Mercy From Above - Story
Infantry Soldiers Tackle Counter-IED Course - Story
Concert Gives Soldiers a Break from War - Story

IN IRAQ
45th Sustainment Brigade Assumes Command
101st Airborne Soldiers Free Kidnap Victims
‘Gators’ Prowl Highways Surrounding Fallujah
Medics Provide Health Services to Villagers
Iraqi Army Soldiers Get Behind the Wheel
Joint Effort Decreases Terrorist Activity
Pendleton Marines Prepare for Deployment - Photos
Four-Legged Protectors Get Care Packages

BACKGROUND
IRAQ
Renewal In Iraq
Iraq: Security, Stability
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report (PDF)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Weekly Reconstruction Report (PDF)
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Fact Sheet: Budget Request
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

CASUALTIES
Officials Identify Casualty - Story

Weather
Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut
An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Gitmo

Today in History
1535 - Pope Paul II excommunicates King Henry VIII of England.
1842 - Congress authorizes the U.S. Naval Observatory.
1864 - Battle of Jonesborough (Atlanta campaign).
1886 - Charleston, SC, is the site of the first major earthquake recorded in the eastern U.S. 1887 - Thomas A. Edison patents the Kinetoscope (produces moving pictures).
1907 - England, Russia and France form the Triple Entente.
1919 - In Chicago, the Communist Labor Party of America is formed; the Ukranian Army kills 35 members of a Jewish defense group.
1935 - FDR signs an act prohibiting the export of U.S. arms to "belligerents."
1954 - The U.S. Census Bureau is established; Hurricane Carol (the first major named storm) hits New England, killing 70.
1955 - Lufkin, TX sees the first microwave TV station; Chicago, IL sees a demo of the first solar-powered automobile.
1962 - Trinidad and Tobago gain independence from Britain.
1965 - Congress establishes the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
1971 - Dave Scott becomes the first person to drive a car on the Moon.
1978 - Symbionese Liberation Army founders William and Emily Harris plead guilty to the 1974 kidnapping of newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst.
1979 - The Howard-Koomur-Michels comet collides with the Sun; Donald McHenry is named to succeed Andrew Young as ambassador to the U.N.
1980 - Poland's Solidarity labor union is founded.
1985 - Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker, is captured in East Los Angeles.
1988 - A 5-day power blackout of downtown Seattle begins.

Birthdays
0012 - Caligula (Gaius Caesar), third Roman emperor (37-41 AD)
1907 - Ramon Magsaysay, statesman (U.S. Legion of Merit-1952)
1916 - Daniel Schorr, broadcast journalist (CBS)
1928 - James Coburn, actor (Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape)
1931 - Dan Rather news anchor (CBS-TV)
1935 - Eldridge Cleaver, Black Panther turned Republican
1945 - Leonid I. Popov, cosmonaut (Soyuz 35, 40, T-7)
1977 - Paul Garber, helped establish Washington, DC's Air and Space Museum.

Passings
1057 - Leofric, husband of Lady Godiva
1879 - William Barber, 6th U.S. chief engraver (1844-79)
1888 - Mary Ann Nicholls, prostitute, first of at least five murders by Jack the Ripper

Reported Missing in Action
1967
Carey, David J., USN (PA); A4E shot down (pilot, wingman to Stafford - on his first operational mission), released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive and well as of 1998

Perry, Richard C., USN (NV); A4E shot down (pilot, section leader to Stafford and Carey), remains returned November, 1986

Stafford, Hugh A., USN (MD); A4E shot down (pilot), released by DRV March, 1973 - alive as of 1998

1968
Bartocci, John E., USN (NY); F8H crashed during a night-time carrier landing (pilot)