Today's Details

-The Senate today fell one vote short of approving a constitutional amendment that would have enabled Congress to ban desecration of the American flag. The vote was 66 to 34. To pass, the measure needed 67 votes. The excruciatingly close vote was a disappointing blow to supporters who have fought since 1989 to create a constitutional amendment. But it was the closest they have come to achieving their goal in three attempts in the Senate. (I know that I've been sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for this vote. Flag burning has such an adverse impact on our society and way of life and must be stopped! The flag is just a symbol of something much greater than the cloth it is made from and 66 senator's do not get that. Burning the flag isn't a threat to our democracy. Voter irregularities are a threat to our democracy. Putting a lid on the press is a threat to our democracy. Using CIA agents as political fodder is a threat to our democracy. One party rule is a threat to our democracy. Unchecked presidential power is a threat to our democracy. But flag burning? Not a threat to our democracy.) DETAILS

-Israeli troops entered southern Gaza and planes attacked two bridges and a power station, knocking out electricity in most of the coastal strip early Wednesday and stepping up the pressure on Palestinian militants holding captive a 19-year-old Israeli soldier. Meanwhile, a Palestinian militant group on Wednesday threatened to kill an abducted Jewish settler if Israel doesn't stop its raid on the Gaza Strip. DETAILS