A Miami federal judge has denied bond for the 7 men accused in the aspirational Sears Tower bombing plan.

Each of the men faces four counts: two counts of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and one count each of conspiracy to destroy buildings by explosives and sedition against the U.S. government. The counts carry maximum sentences of between 15 and 20 years.

Rush Limbaugh's shrink has copped to writing a viagra presecription for Rush in his own name. So...Rush's deferred prosecution stays.

The state attorney's office said Dr. Steve Strumwasser's name was on the Viagra bottle, not Limbaugh's. Strumwasser, who is Limbaugh's psychiatrist, told authorities he "agreed to have his name on the label in an effort to avoid potentially embarrassing publicity for the suspect," according to a filing by the prosecutor's office.

"Thus, the medication contained in the subject pill bottle was legitimately prescribed to the suspect by his physician," the filing said.

But, what about the doctor?

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld didn't want to answer questions of a congressional committee investigating allegations of a whistleblower at Abu Ghraib. So, Congressman Chris Shays (R-CT) has supboenaed him.

Shays, chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on national security, is investigating allegations made by Army Spec. Samuel Provance that his attempts to provide information to investigators about prison abuses were rebuffed and that he then was retaliated against for providing unclassified information to the media.

"The bottom line is it's critical that our oversight inquiries be taken seriously by executive branch departments and that we get timely access to the information we need to do our job," Shays said. "Today we are demanding that the Department of Defense provide information that is critical to our investigation."

Government officials must report gifts from foreign governments. The Washington Post details some today. George Tenet made out pretty well while working for the CIA. In some cases, the gifts were turned over to the GSA or the CIA. The Post outlines the rules for keeping gifts from foreign governments. Here are some tidbits of who got what:

Italian President Silvio Berlusconi gave $540 in silk ties to senior presidential adviser Karl Rove on June 4, 2004. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) received a Versace leather wallet and purse from Shobha Oza, secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Mahila Congress in July 2004. (The purse and wallet were turned over to the secretary of the Senate.) Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, gave the New York senator a rug -- value unknown -- that is displayed in her office.

Enron's Ken Lay has died of a heart attack at his home in Aspen.

Pitkin County sheriff's deputies and an ambulance were dispatched to the Lay vacation home in Old Snowmass, Colorado, early Wednesday morning and transported him to Aspen Valley Hospital. He was pronounced dead there shortly after 3 a.m. Mountain time (0900 GMT).

"A coroner's autopsy is pending. There will be no further information or press release from this office until autopsy results are available later this week," the county said in a statement.

More details here. The family issued a short statement.

With the immigration hearings beginning today, more details of the Korean missile launch and Joltin' Joe still in the news, there should be plenty for you to talk about while I'm in court this morning. You choose the topics, these or others, and I'll be back this afternoon.

The investigation into former soldier Steven Green, charged with raping a teenage Iraqi girl and murdering her family, is taking a new turn:

Military officials initially had believed that the three soldiers attacked in the town of Yousifiya were selected because they were in a vulnerable position when separated from the rest of their unit. But as information about the alleged rape-killing has emerged, so have new theories about the kidnapping-murders.

"Was it a target of opportunity or was it a warning: don't do this to our women?" said the military official.

Were the June kidnappings, murders and beheadings of U.S. soldiers in Yousifiya revenge for the March rape and killings in Mahmoudiya? It makes sense to me. The towns are very near each other. But what I don't understand is why only Green was charged. Another soldier, referred to as KP1, also allegedly raped the girl.

The New York Times reports Bush is considering compromising on immigration reform by agreeing to a bill that only addresses security enforcement and makes no provision for the undocumented or guest workers.

Republicans both inside and outside the White House say Mr. Bush, who has long insisted on comprehensive reform, is now open to a so-called enforcement-first approach that would put new border security programs in place before creating a guest worker program or path to citizenship for people living in the United States illegally.

Bush and Cheney got briefed last week on the "Pence Plan," proposed by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN.) Officially named the "Border Integrity and Immigration Reform Act," you can read Pence's description of it here and here. It includes the creation of "Ellis Island Centers" where private firms will recruit guest workers.

To end the 4th of July, here's a piece of history and a blending of American and Brit with a little Canadian thrown in. Playing "My Back Pages" together.... Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Neil Young and Tom Petty, at Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden. Watch as they each take the lead in their own inimitable styles.

"I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now."

Hillary Clinton has released a statement on Joe Lieberman's announcement yesterday that he will petition his way on the November ballot if he loses the primary to Ned Lamont:

''I've known Joe Lieberman for more than thirty years. I have been pleased to support him in his campaign for re-election, and hope that he is our party's nominee,'' the former first lady said in a statement issued by aides. ''But I want to be clear that I will support the nominee chosen by Connecticut Democrats in their primary,'' the New York Democrat added. ''I believe in the Democratic Party, and I believe we must honor the decisions made by Democratic primary voters.''

....''The challenges before us in 2006 call for a strong, united party, in which we all support and work for the candidates who are selected in the Democratic process,'' Clinton said in her statement of Tuesday.

Good for Hillary, sticking with the Democrats. Jane at Firedoglake said yesterday she'd take this position, as I noted in discussing Lieberman's statement here.

America. Land of the free, home of the brave. I used to enjoy the 4th of July, with all its connotations to freedom and democracy. This year it rings hollow.

We may still be the home of the brave, witness the troops risking their lives in Iraq and Afganistan, but we are no longer the land of the free and now I feel sad when I see pictures of the Liberty Bell accompanied by the slogan, "Let Freedom Ring."

I blame President Bush and his administration of fear-mongers, willing to strike fear of terror in the heart of every American to fulfill his bid for unbridled exectuive power, for the demise of our civil liberties. We had an attack on 9/11 and yes, many people died. But that did not warrant taking away the very constitutional rights that made us the beacon of liberty in the free world. I also blame the radical right henchman in Congress, like James Sensenbrenner and Tom Tancredo, as well as xenophobic Americans, who would put a "closed" sign on the Statue of Liberty.

Great headline at the BBC: Lieberman Fights for his Political Life.

The New Haven Independent lists the issues on which Lieberman has sided with Bush instead of the Democrats:

the Iraq war, tax policy, civil liberties, the right to question the president, health care, the recently passed energy bill, and the nominations of right-wing presidential appointees like Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and Supreme Court nominees John Robers and Samuel Alito.

Lieberman told Harry Reid that if he wins as an Independent, he wants to stay in the Democratic Caucus.

I'm no political strategist, but it sounds to me like Joe is hoping to run as an Independent so he can get Rebublicans to vote for him to make up for the Democrats he loses to Ned Lamont. It's probably his best strategy right now.

Especially with many top Democrats, even Hillary, according to Firedoglake's sources, saying they will support the winner of the Democratic primary.