News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Soldiers Deliver Supplies to Iraqi Children
Iraqi Govt. Cancels Army Leave
U.N.: Nearly 100,000 flee Iraq monthly
Violence Spikes in Iraq

Operation Enduring Freedom
Team Visits Remote Afghans Before Winter
Italian reporter freed in Afghanistan tired, happy

Homeland Security / War on Terror
U.S. Embassy: Nigeria Militants Planing Attacks
Militias kill 63, many of them children, in Darfur
U.S. envoy says Sudan president refused to see him
Egypt police find 2 tons explosives in Sinai

Troops on Trial
Deployment of convicted soldier stopped
Military.com Blog: Inside the Pendleton 8

Other Military News
WWII Vet Receives Bronze Star

Mid-East Ceasefire / Hamas Rising / Israel at War
Ariel Sharon Stable After Rushed to ICU
Palestinian women shot dead in Gaza mosque siege - Video

Worldwide Wackos
Rice says U.S. wants concrete action from Pyongyang
Russia wants extensive changes to U.N. Iran measure
Iran test-fires 3 new missiles in Gulf

Politics / Government
Bush Jabs at Dems on Economy - VIDEO
Video: Rangel on Future of Tax Plan
YOU DECIDE 2006: Complete coverage from FOXNews.com
Ohio Rep. Bob Ney Resigns Over Scandal Conviction
Elections head to tense finish - Video
Democrats unleash TV attack, radio ads

U.N. News
Greenhouse gases hit record levels in 2005: U.N.

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News
Military.com Podcast: Blackfive on Milblogs
Web Site Shut Over Nuke 'How-To' Content
Radio host fired over candidate insult

Mother Nature
Funerals begin for 5 Calif. firefighters

Oddities
2nd Man Charged With Hiding Bodies in Drain Pipe
Jonesing for a world record
Man finds letters to God at sea
Love is strange: Wait till you see my feet
Urban cowboy corrals bull in New Jersey
Canadian nabbed in live Web sex assault
Professor's Bigfoot research criticized
Police: Nude man hides awl in buttocks (This is just...wrong)

Other News of Note
Haggard: Charges Untrue
Top Evangelist admits meth buy, denies gay sex
NTSB: Stiff Wind Caused Lidle’s Plane Crash

Fox News
Wal-Mart Gives Shoppers Early Christmas
Starbucks Loses Laptops With Workers' Info
Ford, Mazda Vehicles Probed for Engine Fires
Nephew of Fighter Berbick Charged in His Death

Reuters: Top News
Blair, Merkel back alliance against climate change
Mistrial in L.A. case of Swede who wrecked Ferrari
Scientists get snapshot of AIDS defense mechanism
Holiday season may not be joyous for PC makers
Apple adds to iPod line with second red nano
Luxury vehicle demand seen slowing
Restaurant tomatoes source of Salmonella: FDA
More than a million suffer chronic fatigue
"Borat" headed for glorious U.S. box office
Kate Moss fashion award stirs controversy in Britain
Whole Foods shares dive, rivals pressure sales
Oil climbs above $59 on supply threats
Kenneth Cole shares fall on outlook
Red Robin shares crash on lowered outlook
CA falls on drop in new orders, lower outlook
Gold a weak inflation gauge
Boomer housing options
Paul DeMartino tracks widespread enthusiasm on the screens
Berkshire Hathaway profit nearly quintuples
Housing market woes to play role in U.S. elections
Progress has slowed on AT&T/BellSouth: FCC chief
Jobs flourish but won't shoo away dollar bears

AP World News
Neil Patrick Harris says he is gay
Dodgers' Maddux wins 16th Gold Glove
Smith remains hospitalized in Bahamas
'Titanic' success bittersweet to Winslet
Dow ends down 33 amid jump in oil prices
Dutch rescue succeeds in saving horses
Headstone found at Dickinson home
Kanye West upset at MTV video award loss

Military.com
Opinion: Webb as Every-vet
Get the Official Tomcat Sunset Calendar
Opinion: The Metrics of War
Sign the Veterans' Bill of Rights!

CENTCOM: News Releases
SEVERAL TERRORISTS KILLED; GRENADES, EXPLOSIVES FOUND DURING RAID

PANJSHIR PRT TREATS PATIENTS, PREPARES REMOTE AFGHANS FOR WINTER

SOLAR LIGHTS BRIGHTEN UP AB BAND

IRAQI POLICE ENTER GOVERNMENT CENTER TO DETAIN SUSPECTED INSURGENTS

AIR STRIKE KILLS TERRORISTS EAST OF RAMADI

LAND MINES TRANSITING NEAR IRAQ-IRAN BORDER

COALITION FORCES KILL ASSASSINATION TEAM

USJFCOM
Planning discussions continue for next multinational experiment
More about Multinational Experiment 5
USJFCOM to participate in Orlando military conference - podcast
U.S., international partners gain knowledge from conference - podcast
Cooperation key for partnerships
International conference discusses current operations
USJFCOM, ACT host 6th CD&E Conference in Greece
USJFCOM takes over Individual Augmentee Program - podcast

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
Iraqi Police Detain Suspects; Coalition Kills Assassination Team - Story
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
Army Corps of Engineers Teach Safety Rules - Story
UAVs Deliver Lifesaving Information to Troops - Story

IN IRAQ
Marines Ensure Iraqi Police Get Supplies
Action Film Stars Kick Up Morale in Iraq
Army Scorpion Expert Stung by Insect, Irony
Suspected Insurgents Captured in Operation
U.S. Army Husband, Wife Re-enlist at Camp Taji

IN AFGHANISTAN
Afghan Interpreters Save Lives, Impart Knowledge
Afghan Leader Visits Kabul Military Training Center
Command and General Staff College Opens
Specialist Delivers Supplies, Hope to Students

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
Soldiers, Marines Killed in Iraq - 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

National Hurricane Center

Today in History
1576 - The Spanish take Antwerp, Belgium.
1845 - The first nationally observed uniform election day in U.S.
1854 - The Alcatraz Island lighthouse is established.
1862 - The gatling gun is patented by Richard J. Gatling.
1866 - The Kingdom of Italy annexes Venetia.
1867 - 90 kegs of powder are used to remove a rock from Telegraph Hill for a seawall.
1873 - Dentist John Beers of San Francisco patents the gold crown.
1875 - The Pacific collides with the Orpheus off the coast of Cape Flattery, Washington, killing 236.
1879 - James and John Ritty patent the first cash register, in order to combat stealing by bartenders in their Ohio saloon.
1884 - Grover Cleveland is elected President.
1890 - Great Britain proclaims Zanzibar a protectorate.
1904 - Harvard builds the first stadium specifically for football.
1922 - Howard Carter discovers Tutankhamen's tomb in Egypt.
1924 - California legalizes pro boxing (illegal since 1914); Nellie Tayloe Ross is elected as the first female U.S. governor (Wyoming).
1939 - The first air conditioned automobile (a Packard) is exhibited in Chicago; the U.S. allows "cash & carry" arms sales during WWII.
1952 - Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected President.
1956 - 200,000 Russian troops are sent to deal with an anti-Stalinist revolt in Budapest; Israeli troops captures the Straits of Tiran, and reach the Suez Canal.
1957 - The second Soviet Earth satellite is launched.
1978 - Iranian troops fire on anti-Shah student protesters near Tehran University.
1979 - 500 Iranian "students" seize the U.S. embassy, taking 90 hostages, whom they will hold for 444 days.
1980 - Ronald Reagan is elected President in a landslide.
1981 - The Columbia shuttle launch is scrubbed with 31 seconds remaining.
1984 - Nicaragua holds its first free elections in 56 years (the Sandinistas win).
1986 - Democrats gain control over the U.S. Senate.
1990 - Iraq says it is preparing for a "dangerous war."
1990 - Secretary of State James Baker visits U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia.
1991 - A Mid East peace conference ends in Madrid, Spain.

Birthdays
1650 - English King William III of Orange (1689-1702)
1876 - James Fraser, designer of the buffalo nickel
1879 - Will Rogers, humorist
1916 - Walter Cronkite, news anchor (CBS Evening News 1962-81)
1918 - Art Carney, actor (Ed Norton-Honeymooners)
1931 - Darla Hood, singer/actress (Little Rascals)
1937 - Loretta Swit, actress (Hotlips Houlihan-M*A*S*H)

Passings
1984 - Merie Earle, actress (Maude-Waltons)
1995 - Yitzhak Rabin, IDF Chief of Staff, diplomat, fifth Prime Minister of the State of Israel

Reported Missing in Action
1966
Brinckmann, Robert E., USAF (NJ); F105F shot down (pilot, w/Scungio) remains returned July, 1989

Connolly, Vincent J., USAF (TX); RF101 shot down, remains recovered July, 1984

Hunt, William B., US Army SF (ID); shot and reported KIA while helping evacuate wounded (Read his story here)

Scungio, Vincent A., USAF (PA); F105F shot down (co-pilot, w/Brinckmann)

1969
The following U.S. Army Soldiers lost when their UH1H crashed (cause unknown):
Alford, Terry L. (TX); aircraft commander

Cavender, James R. (CA); pilot

Klimo, James R. (MI); door gunner

Ware, John A. (OR); crewchief

The following U.S. Army Soldiers lost when their UH1H crashed in a separate incident:
Anderson, John Steven (IA); remains recovered July, 1973

Bauer, Richard Gene, (AK); remains recovered July, 1973

Castro, Alfonso R. (CA); remains recovered July, 1973

Kennedy, Alan Gordon (CA); remains recovered July, 1973

Medaris, Rick Eggburtus (MI); remains recovered July, 1973

Payne, John Allen (NY); remains recovered July, 1973

Roach, Marion Lee (CA); remains recovered July, 1973

Hanley, Larry J., USAF (WA); F105D crashed, believed Killed

1970
Humphrey, Larry D., US Army; AWOL, escaped custody to join VC

McKay, Clyde W., Civilian - merchant seaman (CA); hijacked vessel and sailed to Cambodia, escaped custody to join VC