To the Point

At the White House today, President Bush and Iraq's Prime Minister al-Maliki said American troops will be sent to Baghdad from other parts of the country. Tomorrow, Maliki will address a joint session of Congress. Meantime, as Condoleezza Rice moved on from Beirut and Jerusalem in an effort to find what she calls a "sustainable" solution to the latest Middle East crisis, Israel renewed its heavy bombing of Lebanon's capital city. The Secretary of State is in Rome for meetings with UN officials, Europeans and three "moderate" Arab states, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt. Earlier, she stood at the side of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Ohlmert who said reaffirmed that Israel's battle was not with the Lebanese people but with Hezbollah itself. We look at the Secretary of State's plan for an international force in Southern Lebanon and what her talks have accomplished so far. Making News: President Bush Says Troops in Iraq to Move to BaghdadPresident Bush and Nouri al-Maliki met today at the White House. Despite six weeks of security crackdown in Baghdad, the widespread violence continues. President Bush says more American troops will work with Iraqi security forces in Baghdad, the city now seen as the key to holding Iraq together. We look at US support for the war with Peter Baker of the Washington Post and hear about the challenges of dealing with Iraqi security forces infused with sectarian militias from Edward Wong, who's in Baghdad for the New York Times.Reporter's Notebook: Bush May Face Lawsuit over Bill-Signing StatementsSenator Arlen Specter (R-PA) says Congress should be able to sue the President in federal court and he's drawn up a bill to make that a reality. President Bush has issued between 750 and 800 so-called "signing statements" indicating that new laws might be unconstitutional. The American Bar Association says that in itself violates the constitutional requirement that presidents either sign a bill, cast a veto or take no action at all. Charlie Savage first revealed the practice in the pages of the Boston Globe.

Lebanon's Prime Minister says his nation's being "torn to shreds." UN Secretary General Kofi Annan wants an "immediate cease-fire." But Israel says it won't stop fighting until Hezbollah has been disabled, and the US says it'll take time for what it calls a "permanent solution." The Bush Administration is said to have replaced short-term peace and stability as its goal in the Middle East with long-lasting change. Will that stance in the current crisis mean another rift with allies who are calling for peace now? Will it confirm the belief of Arabs that the US and Israel are one and the same? We hear from Palestinians, Israelis, former peace negotiators and other Middle East experts.Making News: UN Secretary General Calls for Immediate End to Mid-East Conflict Secretary General Kofi Annan today accused Hezbollah of starting the trouble and Israel of over-reaction. He told the UN Security Council that 500,000 refugees could soon become more than a million. Colum Lynch, who covers the United Nations for the Washington Post, has the details.Reporter's Notebook: President Bush Addresses the NAACP for the First TimeFor five years, America's oldest civil rights organization has invited President Bush to address its annual convention, but until today he had "other commitments." We hear what he told NAACP delegates about racism and the Republican Party and how they reacted. Julie Davis is White House Correspondent for the Baltimore Sun. Curley Clark is President of the Jackson County-Moss Point NAACP.

As the US struggles to evacuate Americans from Beirut, Israel says it might consider an international peacekeeping force in Southern Lebanon. Meantime, as Israeli air strikes continue and Hezbollah rockets still land in northern Israel, the international community is pushing for a joint cease-fire by Israel and Hezbollah. Israel and the Bush Administration say the "root cause" of the trouble is Hezbollah, and are calling for the group to first return captured Israeli soldiers and stop its rocket attacks before Israel ends its bombardment of Lebanon. We hear about the American refugees, update the early stages of diplomatic efforts to end the fighting, and learn more about Hezbollah's origins, its charismatic leader and its relations with Hamas, Syria and Iran. Making News: The American Evacuation Effort from LebanonHundreds of Europeans are fleeing Lebanon and the United Nations is evacuating family members and nonessential staff. The United States has flown a few dozen Americans out by helicopter and many more are very unhappy. Thanassis Cambanis, who is in Beirut for the Boston Globe, has more on evacuation efforts and the increasingly tense situation in Lebanon.Reporter's Notebook: Parents Face Moral Dilemma in Human-Embryo GlutThe Senate is about to revisit the issue of stem cell research with the Bush White House threatening a veto if it's expanded to allow use of human embryos created in fertility clinics around the country. An estimate half-million human embryos are now frozen in fertility clinics around the US. The Washington Post's Liza Mundy, author of "Souls on Ice" in this month's Mother Jones magazine, says the couples who contributed cells to those embryos are facing excruciating choices.

Segment #1: More Violence--and Hesitant Diplomacy--in the Middle EastThere is international talk--but no action yet--on how to reduce the deadly exchange of bombs and rockets between Israel and Hezbollah. At the G8 summit in Russia, Britain's Tony Blair expressed support for international peacekeepers on the Israeli-Lebanese border. Russia's Vladimir Putin said he might contribute troops. At the United Nations, Secretary General Kofi Annan supported the idea, but US Ambassador John Bolton had reservations. Annan has sent an envoy, who's in Beirut with plans to go to Jerusalem, where Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made a formal speech to the Knesset. We have updates from Jerusalem, Beirut, Damascus and Cairo. Segment #2: Capitol-Hill Talk--but No Action--on Immigration ReformIllegal immigration sounds like a federal issue, but even with all three in Republican hands, the House, Senate and White House can't agree on what to do about 11 million undocumented workers already here and more coming into the country everyday. Meantime, virtually every state--not just those who share international borders, must shoulder heavy burdens for education, health care and law enforcement. In at least 30 state capitols, legislators are taking things into their own hands. We hear how American states are trying to fill the federal vacuum on illegal immigration.

Segment #1: President Putin and the G8 The G8 is often called the club of rich nations. Some US Senators have called for Russia's expulsion because of human rights and purported backsliding on democracy, but this weekend, Russia is hosting the summit for the first time. In the run-up to this weekend's G8, President Bush and Vice President Cheney are playing good-cop and bad-cop with Vladimir Putin. In Lithuania recently, Cheney made a pointed public speech on Russian democracy, provoking Putin to make a snide reference yesterday to Cheney's infamous hunting accident. Can they overcome their differences on Iran, energy security for Western Europe and Russian democracy? We hear from three Russia experts, including a leading scholar who's recently met with both Presidents. Segment #2: Israel and Hezbollah Escalate Military Campaigns"There can be no illusions: Israel is at war." That's from analysis in today's Jerusalem Post, as Israeli bombs continue to fall in Lebanon and Hezbollah rockets strike cities in northern Israel. Hezbollah's headquarters appears to have been destroyed. Israel says incoming rockets were made in Iran. President Bush today called on Israel to "limit damage to Lebanon... and spare civilians from harm." Arab nations denounced what they called "a barbaric military campaign;" countries from China to Europe expressed concerned about destabilization of the entire Middle East. French President Jacques Chirac called the Israeli offensive "totally disproportionate." What are the prospects for diplomacy before the violence escalates out of control? We have updates from the Middle East and the United Nations. Making News: Update on the Northern Israel-Southern Lebanon SituationIsraelis in Haifa and other cities have been warned to stay off the street as Hezbollah rockets continue to fall. In Beirut, Hezbollah says its headquarters have been destroyed and its leader, Sheik Hassan Nazrallah, has declared war on Israel in a televised speech. Greg Myre, Jerusalem Correspondent for the New York Times, joins us from the Israel-Lebanon border.

Mumbai, formerly Bombay, has been resilient in the wake of eight simultaneous bomb explosions on the city's public train lines that killed more than 200 and injured 700 more. The trains were back on schedule less than 24 hours after the attacks and the Bombay Stock Exchange climbed a healthy three percent the following day. Indian authorities have rounded up 350 possible suspects. Similar to the 2004 bombings in Madrid and public transportation bombings in London last summer, Monday's explosions preceded peace talks--both the G8 Summit in Russia, to begin this weekend, and ongoing talks between India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf. Was it an act of international terrorism or a statement by homegrown terrorists, protesting India's quick growth toward globalization? Diana Nyad guest hosts. Making News: Israel Bombs Lebanon after Hezbollah Kidnaps SoldiersYesterday, Hezbollah militants attacked several towns in northern Israel, wounding civilians and capturing two Israeli soldiers. The Lebanese group has demanded an exchange of Arab prisoners in Israeli jails for the soldiers. Today, after Israel's concentrated attack on Lebanese airports, aimed at crippling civilian and military air access, Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel's populous port city of Haifa. We get an update from Nicholas Blanford, who's in Beirut for the Christian Science Monitor, and Kevin Peraino, who's in Jerusalem for Newsweek.Reporter's Notebook: Wider Flaws Found in Boston's Big Dig TunnelIt was conceived as a $14.6 bill engineering marvel to replace the city's central highway with an underground system. But over the course of 15 years of construction, Boston's Big Dig was fraught with trouble, from leaks and defective panels to accusations of using inferior quality concrete. On Monday, a section of tile fell and crushed a car. The driver escaped but couldn't save his wife. Joe Dwinell is assistant metro editor of the Boston Herald.

Segment #1: Israel Launches Assault in Southern Lebanon after Soldiers' AbductionCalling Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers and the killing of seven more an "act of war," Israel today sent tanks, bombers and troops into Southern Lebanon, after Hezbollah captured two Israeli solders and killed seven more. In Washington today, Israeli Ambassador Daniel Ayalon faulted Lebanon's government for its repeated pattern of attacks, followed by request for negotiations. Lamenting Israel's occupation of Gaza, Lebanon's ambassador to the US, Farid Abboud, suggested that the situation could have been avoided had Israel agreed to a requested prisoner exchange. At the United Nations, Kofi Annan condemned the Israeli action "without reservation." We update the action and the prospects for diplomacy. Segment #2 Changing Tactics in the War on TerrorIn 2002, President Bush signed an executive order saying the Geneva Conventions did not apply to suspects captured in the war on terror. Yesterday, after a US Supreme Court decision, the White House says they do after all. While there's disagreement about whether that really amounts to a change in policy, there's little dispute that other policies have changed, that what Time magazine calls a "muscular... unilateralist vision of US power" has been replaced by multilateral diplomacy and less confrontation. Reporter's Notebook: Petting Zoo and Popcorn Factory on Terrorist Target ListThe National Asset Database is the list of likely American targets in the war on terror. Indiana has more potential target than any other state--50% more than New York, twice as many as California. Included are Old MacDonald's Petting Zoo, the Amish Country Popcorn Factory and the Sweetwater Flea Market. It sounds like a joke, but that's the finding of the Department of Homeland Security's own inspector general, according to Eric Lipton of the New York Times.

After last week's Supreme Court decision on inmates at Guant--namo Bay, White House spokesman Tony Snow said today, "We want to get it right." He released a Defense Department memo saying that terrorist suspects are entitled to the protections of the Geneva Conventions. As the Bush White House was reversing its stand, the Senate Judiciary Committee was taking its own look at last week's decision. Meantime, the horrors of the war in Iraq continue with release of a videotape on Islamic web sites purporting to show the mutilated bodies of two American soldiers kidnapped and killed last month south of Baghdad. At least 47 more people were killed in bombings and shootings around the country. The increased violence is creating an average of 90 new widows a day in Iraq. We update a Senate committee debate on what the rules ought to be for the treatment and trials of suspects in the war on terror and hear about the plight of Iraqi widows and the chance of help from Iraq's new laws and police forces amid sectarian differences.Reporter's Notebook: Indian Commuter Trains Bombed During Rush HourMumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is India's financial capital and one of its major cities. Today, its commuter rail network was hit with seven bombs in rapid succession. The latest death toll is 147, with more than 439 injured. India's major cities are on high alert and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is placing the blame on "terrorists." Anuj Chopra reports for the Christian Science Monitor in southern India.

Joe Lieberman coasted to an easy reelection victory six years ago, when he was also on the ballot as Al Gore's running mate. But now, his ardent support for the war in iraq has made him Public Enemy Number One among left-wing Internet bloggers who are targeting him for defeat in next month's Connecticut primary election. Will division's over the war hurt the party's chances of reclaiming Congress in November? And could there be ramifications for the party's presidential hopes in '08? Conan Nolan guest hosts.Making News: Baghdad Erupts in Violence as Saddam Boycotts TrialSeven people were shot and killed on a bus today in a Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad. The attack came a day after two car bombs exploded outside a Shiite mosque in the capital, killing at least 12. That attack came hours after Shiite gunmen went on a rampage in another Sunni neighborhood, killing at least 40. Dan Murphy is a staff writer for the Christian Science Monitor in Baghdad.Reporter's Notebook: Disputed Mexican Election Felt by US, Mexican AmericansIts historic second free presidential election has left Mexico bitterly divided along political lines. National Action Party candidate Felipe Calderon won only 220,000 votes of 41 million cast, but leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has demanded a recount, claiming fraud and voting irregularities. Political scientist Fernando Guerra considers the impact of election results on Mexican Americans and relations with the US.

Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit is still being held by Palestinian militants who attacked his tank brigade on June 25, killing two soldiers. Israel has responded with a major military incursion in Gaza, less than a year after its forces formally withdrew. But there may be signs of a break in the escalating violence triggered by the kidnapping. A top Israeli official said today that Israel might be willing to exchange Palestinian prisoners for the soldier, something it has refused to even discuss until now. What are the options for ending the crisis? What affect is the situation having on moderate voices in the region? Where do Israelis and Palestinians go from here? What are the prospects for a prisoner exchange, which is what the Palestinians want? What political issues are helping drive the crisis on both sides? What are the options for ending the escalating violence? Guest host Sara Terry explores the possibilities for a resolution to the escalating violence. Making News: President Bush Holds a Full News Conference in ChicagoPresident Bush held a press conference in Chicago this morning, addressing everything from the economy and the war on terrorism to immigration and North Korea. It was an unusual event as President Bush rarely holds out of town news conferences. Peter Wallsten is White House Correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and co-author of the forthcoming One-Party Country: the Republican Plan for Dominance in the 21st Century. Reporter's Notebook: First Anniversary of London BombingsTwo minutes of silence fell across Great Britain today, in memory of the 52 killed and 700 wounded in the July 7 terrorist attacks carried out on London's transit system last year. In the aftermath of London's deadliest attack since World War II, relations have grown increasingly strained between Britain's large Muslim community and the wider population. Ihtisham Hibatullah is the organizer of Islam Expo, a showcase of Muslim culture in North London.