Today's Details

-Former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed conceded defeat about 9:50 p.m. in Georgia’s Republican primary for lieutenant governor.“Tonight my candidacy for lieutenant governor comes to an end,” he said. DETAILS

-Ralph Reed headed for defeat in Georgia.

Reed is a national Christian activist and former head of the Christian Coalition. With 43% of precincts reporting, Reed trails opponent Casey Cagle 79,669 votes to 64.714, a difference of over 10%. DETAILS
At 9:15 p.m., Reed still had not come down to greet supporters at the InterContinental Buckhead Hotel, but was huddled with close friends watching returns come in. On his cell phone, Cobb County GOP chairman Anthony-Scott Hobbs got word that Reed was losing Cobb County by 10 percentage points, 11,000 votes to 9,000 votes. “You can’t win without Cobb,” he said. DETAILS

-The United States ordered nine warships to waters off the Lebanese coast amid fears of possible terrorist attacks on ships evacuating US nationals, officials said. DETAILS

-The US is giving Israel a window of a week to inflict maximum damage on Hizbullah before weighing in behind international calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon, according to British, European and Israeli sources. DETAILS

-More than 14,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq n the first half of this year, an ominous figure reflecting the fact that "killings, kidnappings and torture remain widespread" in the war-torn country, a United Nations report says. DETAILS

-Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) is leading the opposition to the H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. Yesterday, during debate on the bill, he held up a picture of an embryo drawn by a 7-year-old girl. Relaying a conversation with the girl’s mother, Brownback said the embryo was asking the Senate, “Are you going to kill me?”(As one famous conservative would say "Well Boo Friggin Hoo!" Please tell me - on what planet do 7 year olds sit around drawing pictures of embryo's? Mr Brownback I think your time would be better served helping to improve the lives of the living!!!!!!!) DETAILS/VIDEO

-The Bush administration is waiving the requirement that Americans have to pay or reimburse the government for being evacuated from Lebaonon, aids to two senators said. DETAILS

-The Senate voted Tuesday after two days of emotional debate to expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, sending the measure to President Bush for a promised veto that would be the first of his presidency. DETAILS