ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES KILL 15 IN LEBANON: Israeli warplanes repeatedly bombed Beirut's southern suburbs and pounded other areas of Lebanon on Monday, killing at least 15 people. Fierce fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah guerrillas in south Lebanon killed one soldier, the army said. The new strikes and ground battles came hours before Arab League foreign ministers were to meet in Beirut for a hastily convened session to show solidarity with Lebanon. Both sides appeared to take advantage of the days before a cease-fire resolution, formulated by the U.S. and France, is put to a vote in the U.N. Security Council. Hezbollah rocket launched its deadliest rocket barrage on Israel on Sunday, killing 12 Israeli soldiers and three civilians. Israeli warplanes began carrying out a series of air raids on southern Lebanon early Monday. AP: Israeli air strikes kill 15 in Lebanon

RICE CALLS U.N. PLAN CRUCIAL STEP TO PEACE: Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice pressed Sunday for approval of a draft U.N. resolution calling for a "cessation of hostilities" between Israel and Hezbollah, saying it is a crucial "first step" toward resolving the conflict. Acknowledging that passage of the resolution would not immediately end the fighting that has raged for most of the past month, Rice said that it nonetheless offers a framework that would not only eventually end the hostilities but also stabilize the area going forward. The resolution does not call for Israeli troops to immediately withdraw from Lebanon, a point that has drawn sharp opposition from key players in the conflict. Even as Rice called for the resolution's quick passage in the United Nations, Syria, which is one of Hezbollah's main sponsors, said the proposal is unacceptable. Washington Post: Rice Calls U.N. Plan Crucial Step to Peace

FIGHTING IN BAGHDAD'S SADR CITY KILLS 3: Iraqi and U.S. forces raided a Shiite militia stronghold of Baghdad Monday, triggering a gunbattle that left three people dead, while 10 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a funeral in Saddam Hussein's hometown. A roadside bombing southwest of Baghdad killed three U.S. soldiers late Sunday, the U.S. military said. No further details were released. Seven other people were killed and six bodies were found Sunday. In Baghdad, sounds of heavy gunfire and explosions rattled the Sadr City district starting about 1 a.m. Monday and lasted for more than an hour. Iraqi government television and aides to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said U.S. aircraft were attacking buildings in the area. AP: Fighting in Baghdad's Sadr City kills 3

ARAB WORLD FINDS NEW ICON: The success or failure of any cease-fire in Lebanon will largely hinge on the opinion of one figure: Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of Hezbollah, who has seen his own aura and that of his party enhanced immeasurably by battling the Israeli Army for nearly four weeks. With Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon, Sheik Nasrallah can continue fighting on the grounds that he seeks to expel an occupier, much as he did in the years preceding Israel's withdrawal in 2000. Or he can accept a cease-fire -- perhaps to try to rearm -- and earn the gratitude of Lebanon and much of the world. Analysts expect some kind of middle outcome, with the large-scale rocket attacks stopping but Hezbollah guerrillas still attacking soldiers so that Israel still feels pain. In any case, the Arab world has a new icon. NY Times: Arab World Finds New Icon

SENATORS SUGGEST WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQI CIVIL WAR: Two U.S. senators said an escalation of sectarian violence in Iraq could require a new congressional mandate, leading to the potential withdrawal of American forces from the country. "This is a civil war. I think the generals, the other day, were cautious in their language. But I think they were telling us something loud and clear to anyone who wanted to listen," said Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, Connecticut Democrat. "And I, frankly, don't believe that U.S. military people can necessarily play referee in that kind of a situation. "I think we're being asked to do something that is impossible for us to achieve under these circumstances," Mr. Dodd told CBS' "Face the Nation." His comments were echoed by Sen. Chuck Hagel, Nebraska Republican, who told CBS, "It is very wrong to put American troops in a hopeless, winless situation, just keep feeding them into what's going on. That's irresponsible, and that is wrong." Washington Times: Senators suggest withdrawal from Iraqi civil war

GETTING IN LATE APPEALS IN CT SENATE PRIMARY BATTLE: Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman delivered a "closing argument" to Democratic voters Sunday, asserting that his support for an unpopular war in Iraq is no reason to reject him Tuesday. Two days before his primary with Ned Lamont, an anti-war challenger leading by 13 percentage points in a recent poll, Lieberman disputed that he is President Bush's "best friend and enabler," reciting his past criticisms of Bush over the war, the environment and social issues. But even as the three-term incumbent made his late appeal, accompanied by former Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia, some advisers conceded for the first time that a loss Tuesday should prompt Lieberman to reflect before pursuing plans to continue as a petitioning candidate in a three-way race. Hartford Courant: Getting In Late Appeals In CT Senate Primary Battle

NEW LIEBERMAN RADIO ADS HIT HARD: As their bitter primary campaign winds down with an appeal for the black vote, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman is contrasting his civil rights record with Ned Lamont's membership in a Greenwich country club "not known for its diversity." On the last weekend before the Tuesday primary, Lieberman's campaign diverted resources to television and radio ads, including a hardhitting spot heavily playing on black radio stations, "Membership." The 60-second commercial suggests that Lamont, a wealthy Greenwich cable television entrepreneur, was racially insensitive for his 16-year membership in the Round Hill Country Club. "It's terribly disappointing," Lamont said Saturday, dismissing the ad as the last gasp of a flagging campaign. "The idea that the senator at the end of an 18-year career would cast charges like that is very sad." Hartford Courant: New Lieberman Radio Ads Hit Hard

DEMOCRATS MUM ON 'CORRUPTION': Democrats have reined in their use of the "culture of corruption" mantra in their efforts to oust congressional Republicans from power, fearing the slogan would backfire after two senior members of their own party were implicated in ethical scandals. Last year, minority-party leaders announced that they would offer something different from a culture of corruption, after a series of indictments and resignations involving Majority Leader Tom DeLay and other Republican lawmakers. The phrase became a regular Democratic refrain. Then, FBI officials revealed they found $90,000 in marked $100 bills in Rep. William J. Jefferson's freezer, and the Democrats opted to change course. Now, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, who is regularly asked why the term has been shelved, spins the culture of corruption question to say Republicans are incompetent and beholden to special interests. Washington Times: Democrats mum on 'corruption'

PROTESTERS RETURN TO CRAWFORD: The peace movement has returned to this tiny town near President Bush's vacation home, where thousands gathered last year to support activist Cindy Sheehan in her protest of the Iraq war. Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004, came back to Crawford on Sunday -- the same day that Arabs and Muslims from across Texas gathered at the Crawford Peace House, the modest headquarters for antiwar activity here, to protest the violence and the civilian death toll in Lebanon. Sheehan defended her decision to use a third party to buy 5 acres of land near Bush's ranch to conceal her identity. She paid for the property with insurance money she received from the government after her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, was killed. L.A. Times: Protestors Return to Crawford

MOVEON LOOKS TO CT FOR 1ST 2006 ELECTION VICTORY: Other than the candidates, no one has more riding on this week's Connecticut Democratic Senate primary than MoveOn.org, a liberal organization at the edgy intersection of politics and the Internet. With victory for Ned Lamont, the group can claim a role in helping an anti-war challenger dump Sen. Joe Lieberman, who supports President Bush's policy in Iraq and has the backing of the Democratic establishment. A come-from-behind win for Lieberman would mark yet another setback for MoveOn in its parallel campaign — to strengthen its credentials as a force to be heeded by Democrats as they seek congressional majorities this fall. AP: MoveOn Looks to CT for 1st 2006 Election Victory

CRITICS SAY POLITICS DRIVING IMMIGRATION HEARINGS: When House leaders announced their plan to hold 21 immigration hearings in 13 states during the August recess, they said it demonstrated a commitment to battling illegal immigration and securing the border. But some Democratic and Republican lawmakers said the schedule of the hearings had only heightened their concerns that the Republican leadership was using immigration as a weapon in the battle over fiercely contested House and Senate seats around the country. Several immigration hearings are being held far from the border with Mexico, in districts where Republican lawmakers are engaged in competitive races for the House, including Evansville, Ind.; Concord, N.H.; and Glens Falls, N.Y. NY Times: Critics Say Politics Driving Immigration Hearings

GOVERNORS EMBRACE HEALTHCARE CHOICES: Two years ago, the nation's governors were wrestling with soaring healthcare costs, rising populations, and agonizing choices over how to keep their Medicaid programs afloat. Now, as governors are holding their annual summer meeting, healthcare seems less hopeless. Their choices are vastly different as many states embark on unprecedented experiments to revamp the healthcare program for the poor, and healthcare overall. Massachusetts has captured the spotlight with a universal health insurance plan that demands everyone in the state get insurance, and gives them help to get it. In different shapes and sizes, other states have begun experiments, from West Virginia to Idaho, Florida to Maine. The fall elections also are a major topic at the three-day gathering of the National Governors Association, which opened Saturday. Thirty-six states will elect governors this fall.
Boston Globe: Governors Embrace Healthcare Choices