NPR: Al Qaeda Outlook: Strong To Very Strong. So How Is That Whole Iraq Thing Going? Bulls 13, Drunks 0.

Al Qaeda Outlook: Strong To Very Strong. So How Is That Whole Iraq Thing Going? Bulls 13, Drunks 0.

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NEWSCAST -- The White House releases an update on Iraq, President Bush wants Congress to reserve judgment until September. A G.A.O. sting operation found that it was fairly easy to get the materials for a dirty nuke. Lady Bird Johnson, former first lady dies at age 94. A Mississippi reform school is sued for allegedly shackling female students for 12 hours a day. The Lebanese army ratchets up the assault on Islamic extremists who've been holed up in a refugee camp for months. Wal-Mart is going to start prosecuting shoplifters sixteen and older (wait, they weren't doing that already?).

AL QAEDA REGROUPS -- If I was keeping a list of yesterday's reports that DID NOT make me sleep better, I'd say the one titled, "Al Qaeda better positioned to strike the West" would have been kind of near the top. Particularly worrying to intelligence officials is the ease with which Al Qaeda leadership set up safe havens in western Pakistan.

WHITE HOUSE REPORTS ON IRAQ -- President Bush says he still "believe(s) we can succeed" in Iraq. As proof, he presented a report that finds at least some progress is being made on a few of the "benchmarks" that were laid out by Congress. Democrats aren't buying it and the pressure is building on Mr. Bush to come up with a withdrawal plan. The President wants to wait until September to talk about it. That's when a big report comes out on whether or not The Surge is working.

TOTAL BULL -- Thirteen people were injured today during the "running of the bulls" in Pamplona, Spain. Reportedly one of the 1,300 pound bulls started running "the wrong way" sending people into even more of a panic. The run took six minutes instead of the usual two, which added to the number of people being gored. I think this kind of gruesome photo says it all. The medical worker has this look on her face like 'how could this have happened?' The answer seems to be: They were running with 1,300 pound bulls.

Did you mean: How to crack a safe: Alright, so Ocean's 11 they weren't, but a group of robbers who broke into a Colorado amusement center did get all resourceful on it when they couldn't break into the safe. They went in the other room and Googled "how to crack a safe." Insanely, it totally worked. They got away with 12k and haven't been caught yet.

Luke Burbank

11:39 AM ET | 07-12-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

For many years I've viewed the running of the bulls as a sort of organized preview of the Darwin Awards and looking at the apparent location of the goring shown in the first picture in the link you reference in your story only confirms my opinion.

Sent by Sioux | 1:09 AM ET | 07-13-2007

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