Here you go, folks:

1. Former Sen. Stevens dies in Alaska plane crash (WashPost) — Four others were also reported dead.
2. China landslide: More than 700 people confirmed dead (BBC) — I wonder whether this will make front pages in China? I hope so.
3. U.S. Study Indicates Driver Error in Most Toyota Crashes (WSJ) — I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: For reliability, I’ll go with a Toyota. Wish I had the money to run out and buy a new one right now.
4. Public meetings to discuss possible police merger (thestate.com) — Not much to this story beyond meeting dates and times, but I thought y’all might like to know.
5. Fed action signals new activism on economy (WashPost) — SC boy Bernanke and his cohorts move to try to get the economy going.
6. Despite charges, Rep. Rangel says he won’t resign (WashPost) — Did we really expect he’d go peacefully?

Yeah, I’ve been kinda slack on posting today, because I’m busy with ADCO stuff. But here’s your news roundup, so quit yer whinin’…

1. Gates calls in FBI on Wikileaks (BBC) — Quoth the SecDef, “The battlefield consequences of the release of these documents are potentially severe and dangerous for our troops, our allies and Afghan partners, and may well damage our relationships and reputation in that key part of the world.”
2. Evidence Ties Manning to Afghan Leaks (WSJ) — Kind of hard to believe that a Pfc. was in a position to do this. Especially one who looks like a 12-year-old Howdy Doody.
3. Citi to Pay $75 Million in SEC Pact (WSJ) — This is “to settle regulatory charges that it failed to disclose $40 billion in subprime exposure to investors in the second and third quarters of 2007.”
4. Shaw/McEntire do not make first cut for new jet (thestate.com) — Dang. F-35s in the Midlands was going to be awesome. But we still might get them eventually. We just won’t be the first kids on the block to have ’em.
5. Graham: No citizenship for illegal immigrants’ offspring (thestate.com) — Boy, would I like to hear some elaboration on this one, particularly his use of the language, “They come here to drop a child,” which sounds to me to be just a step above the kind of dehumanizing remark we’d expect from Andre Bauer talking about free-lunch kids. Knowing Lindsey, he can probably explain it, but I’d like to hear that explanation.
6. Rangel faces 13 charges of ethical violations (WashPost) — This sets the stage for an historic trial.

Sorry I didn’t have you one of these yesterday. I’m way busy on some ADCO deadlines. But here you go:

1. Federal judge blocks key parts of Arizona immigration law (WashPost) — What? You haven’t heard about this? Then you’re obviously not a Republican politician, because they have been in apoplexy over this all day. (Of course, they blame it on Nancy Pelosi — the way Dems used to blame everything on Bush).
2. Gap In Federal Cocaine Sentences To Narrow (NPR) — I’ve seen releases from both Jim Clyburn and Lindsey Graham praising this, so it’s gotta be good, right?
3. No Survivors in Pakistan Plane Crash (NYT) — There were 152 people aboard.
4. Dems try to tie all GOP to Tea Party fringe (WashPost) — Typical partisan ploy, but then, the Republicans pandering to this element are begging for it.
5. In Many CPRs, Skip the Mouth-to-Mouth (WSJ) — This is going to make the procedure SO much more palatable to many bystanders — although less so if the victim is Christina Hendricks or Daisy Fuentes. Or Laura Linney. Or… let’s move on…
6. Study: We’re too lazy here in SC (The State) — Just to give you a talker. The most disturbing thing about this report? It’s from Businessweek.com. SC really doesn’t need any more raps on our rep from business people nationwide. And let me ask y’all: How do you watch that much TV. But hey: “We’re No. 1! We’re No. 1!”

Here’s what we have at this hour:

1. Leaks Add to Pressure on White House Over Strategy (NYT) — Pentagon Papers Redux.
2. Pentagon Eyes Accused Analyst Over WikiLeaks Data (WSJ) — Well, he’s certainly an unlikely-looking spy. He looks like Howdy Doody at age 12.
3. EU tightens sanctions over Iran nuclear programme (BBC) — Meanwhile, outside of the inward-looking US of A…
4. Chief executive of BP expected to step down (WashPost) — At which point, finally, he’ll get his life back.
5. A Futurist 40 Years Later: Possibilities, Not Predictions (NPR) — Remember Alvin Toffler? He should have mentioned, “And in the future, I will get really old-looking…”
6. Early bar closing inching closer to approval (The State) — Just to get something local on the page. What do y’all think of this? I’m for it. But you know I would be, right? My critics would call it a function of the Nanny State. I call it the Daddy State. It reflects my viewpoint as a longtime Dad. These kids don’t need to be out so frickin’ late.

Just a quick rundown:

1. Seven EU banks fail stress tests (BBC) — So I don’t know if this means they need a bypass or what, but it sounds bad. Here’s the WSJ version.
2. Oil Rig Alarm Was Not Fully Turned On, Worker Says (NYT) — Oh. Well, I guess this means that next time, we’ll want them to have it, you know… turned on. Sheesh.
3. Forecast: Federal budget gap will exceed $1.4 trillion in 2010, 2011 (WashPost) — Which is more than I make in a year. Even more than I made when I was at the paper.
4. Journalism Legend Daniel Schorr Dies At 93 (NPR) — OK, so he used to get on my nerves. But he was, indeed, a legend.
5. Biden credits Hollings with his success as VP (thestate.com) — Just to give y’all a taste of that event I missed.
6. U.S. Losing Ground In College Graduation Race (NPR) — Why back in MY day, we used to graduate — but we didn’t see it as a race.

This morning, reading the paper, I was kicking myself because I missed a couple of late-breaking local stories (the full-time mayor recommendation and Sheheen releasing his tax records — both of which, to my shame, I had to read for the first time in the paper this morning) for yesterday’s front. But hey, I’ve got a reporting staff of one, so cut me a break.

The hard thing today is coming up with a lede. Here’s what I have at this hour:

1. Obama Signs Sweeping Financial Overhaul Into Law (NPR) — Since this is anticlimactic, since we knew it was going to happen, this is a very low-key lede — one column, and maybe not quite at the top of the page. But it actually happened, unlike other things competing with it (Bernanke speculating; oil companies promising to do something), so lede it is.
2. Bernanke Sees No Quick End to High Rate of Joblessness (NYT) — In testimony before Congress today.
3. Oil Majors Building Disaster-Response System (WSJ) — The companies would pool resources to be able to respond properly next time — if there is a next time. There won’t be if drilling isn’t allowed, and this proposal is aimed to help persuade Washington to allow it.
4. White House Apologizes to Fired Official (NYT) — Wow. It’s pretty amazing how easily the White House let itself get railroaded by a smear from a right-wing blogger.
5. Sheheen Challenges Haley to be Transparent (The State) — This one’s old now because I failed to hear about it yesterday, but it’s significant as sort of the opening shot in the fall campaign.
6. Panel urges full-time mayor (The State) — With the election of a mayor who actually ran on the issues, we seem poised to finally act on two long-overdue reforms that have never gotten anywhere: A strong-mayor system for Columbia, and consolidation of city and county services. Big stuff for Columbia’s future.

Yesterday was sufficiently newsless that I saw little point in compiling this page (isn’t it liberating? none of that “gotta-put-out-the-paper-anyway” tyranny I lived with for 35 years), but today there’s more happening:

1. Senate advances jobless benefits legislation (WashPost) — After all that Obama drama, the job gets done.
2. S.C. jobless rate shrinks to 10.7% (CRBG) — But only because 8,000 of us gave up and quit looking for a job…
3. Graham is panel’s lone GOP vote for Kagan (WSJ) — Which made him the only senator on the committee of either party not voting slavishly along partisan lines. If the Republicans don’t want him any more, can the UnParty have him?
4. Sidebar on Graham political risk (NPR) — Pretty much all the national media are watching to see how Lindsey weathers the risky experience of thinking for himself. They’ve seen, with Bob Inglis, how risky that can be in SC. Actually, a better sidebar might be the WashPost one I cited on a previous post.
5. Cameron: Don’t blame BP for Lockerbie bomber release (BBC) — The new Tory PM, visiting this country, sticks up for the oil giant back home.
6. E-Books Top Hardcovers at Amazon (NYT) — I thought that was kind of an interesting take-note-of sort of thing. As the NYT said in its lede, “Monday was a day for the history books — if those will even exist in the future.”

And as we draw to the close of a slow news week in SC but a decent one elsewhere (considering it’s the dead of summer), here are the headlines:

1. Stocks Tumble on Weak Earnings, Data (WSJ) — That’s the market for you. And yes, Virginia, it’s going to be a long, mixed recovery.
2. Obama cautious as tests continue on BP oil stoppage (BBC) — And well he should be, cap or no cap.
3. iPhone 4 Buyers To Get Free Cases To Fix Signal Woes (NPR) — As a PC guy, I gotta admit to a certain rush of Schadenfreude seeing Steve Jobs on the hot seat. But he’ll be OK. And Apple will continue to have the coolest new gadgets. Just as Toyota will continue to have the most reliable cars.
4. Geithner to inherit sweeping influence (WashPost) — Something for you finance fans.
5. Boeing picks fixtures plant site (P&C) — Yeah, I know this is a day old, but I missed it yesterday, and it’s local.
6. S.C. tax receipts jump in quarter (thestate) — Ditto with this. If the trend holds, that billion-dollar cliff the governor keeps warning about when the stimulus funds (which he didn’t want anyway) run out is going to be whittled down considerably by the time the next budget has to be written.

We have a bit of actual news today:

1. BP says oil has stopped leaking from Gulf well (BBC) — Which, if it turns out to hold, is a biggie. Now we just have what — the equivalent of about 25 Exxon Valdezes to clean up, right?
2. Senate Passes Sweeping Finance Overhaul (WSJ) — Any other day, I would have led with this. It’s big; it’s important; it’s historic. Both the WSJ and the NYT are leading with it, and I can’t argue with that decision. But the possible end of the biggest oil spill in history just grabbed me a bit more. Chalk it up to my prejudice against financial news.
3. Goldman Settles With S.E.C. for $550 Million (NYT) — Sheesh. More big financial news. But this one’s significant. I mean, $550 million is more than I make in a year. Of course, it’s nowhere near the $20 billion BP is on the hook for…
4. CIA paid Iranian nuclear scientist $5 million for intel (WashPost) — You know what? Those Russian spies we caught should take some lessons from this guy. He knows how it’s done. He gets 5 mil, and they get sent home with empty pockets. Of course, the Iranian isn’t likely to get a hero’s welcome at home now that this has been leaked.
5. Economists Express More Optimism Than General Public (WSJ) — And to think, they call it the “dismal science”… or is that politics? I get confused.
6. RiverDogs give out Alvin Greene statues (AP) — That Alvin Greene is a prophet. He suggested action figures of himself as a way to promote our economy, and now somebody’s acted on it. OK, so they’re not action figures as such, but it’s a start.

Man, it’s getting tough to get to this, but I’ve done it again…

1. BP starts testing on leaky well cap (WashPost) — Is it just me, or are these oil spill stories starting to sound like deja vu all over again?
2. US soldiers die in Afghanistan as Nato toll soars (BBC) — Our side has lost 12 in 24 hours.
3. Afghans to Form Local Forces to Fight Taliban (NYT) — To be perfectly honest with you, I put this on my front because it’s written by my old friend Alissa Rubin, with whom I worked in Wichita back in the mid80s. Aside from that, the plan is interesting. One U.S. official calls it “a community watch on steroids.”
4. Farmers market delays could affect business (thestate.com) — This story didn’t blow me away (sorry, Jeff), but it’s something local.
5. FDA Panel Backs Keeping Avandia on the Market (WSJ) — And this one’s on here because there are loads of people in this country with diabetes.
6. Tea Party: It’s Not Just Taxes, It’s The Constitution (NPR) — National Public Radio is obviously making an effort to understand what the movement is about, so give ’em props for that. Apparently, the Constitution is in grave danger. Who knew?

OK, so now I’ve done it again two days in a row:

1. Court Strikes Down FCC’s Indecency Policy (WSJ) — Hey, if I were with the FCC, a decision like this would likely cause me to break out in “fleeting expletives.”
2. Crash Data Suggest Driver Error in Toyota Accidents (WSJ) — I’ve never wavered in my faith in Toyota. If ever I could afford a new car, I’d get a Prius, a Camry or a Corolla. Or maybe a Yaris. This news reinforces that, even though there were caveats.
3. Benjamin: Cities and counties must cooperate on issues (thestate.com) — New mayor gets busy working on regional cooperation.
4. District 2: Low turnout at polls today (thestate.com) — I haven’t paid much attention to this multi-candidate race to replace E.W. Cromartie. The timing has been weird, but I still wish I’d had time to sort through the alternatives. From what little I know, I’m sort of Gary Myers, DeQuincey Newman and Josh Stroman are the strongest candidates. (Strongest in the sense of being people who SHOULD get elected.) But I don’t know, so I haven’t wanted to say.
5. BP Prepares To Test New Cap At Gulf Spill Site (NPR) — BP’s probably crossing its fingers, and in this case that’s a GOOD thing.
6. George Steinbrenner, Who Built Yankees Into Powerhouse, Dies at 80 (NYT) — Which makes me think of “Seinfeld,” which is probably not fair to the man…

Here it is, folks! For today, anyway. I’ll see if I can get this going again…

1. Administration issues new drilling moratorium (WashPost) — This one’s not based on water depth.
2. Polanski is set free by Swiss (WSJ) — As Eugene Robinson puts it, “the long, unspeakable nightmare of being confined to his three-story chalet in Gstaad, the luxury resort in the Swiss Alps, is finally over.” And he will not be held accountable for raping a child in the U.S.
3. Sen. Brown to Support Financial-Overhaul Bill (WSJ) — So much for the say-no-to-everything darling of the Tea Party. I have no idea whether this is good legislation or not (it’s about money, right?), but I love it when people refuse to be pigeonholed.
4. Sheheen leads Haley in money race (thestate.com) — He’s gonna need every penny of it, too. If he had ten times as much, though, it wouldn’t be enough to counter the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of free, hagiographic media she’s getting from the national outlets.
5. Hefner’s Hold On ‘Playboy’ Could Be In Peril (NPR) — So maybe he should try holding it with both hands for a change. Sorry. Couldn’t resist… You know, I’d be cheering for this sleazebag’s competition in this corporate takeover bid if it weren’t you know, Penthouse. By comparison, Hef is almost the Mom and Apple Pie option.
6. Harvey Pekar of “American Splendor” fame dies (Cleveland Plain Dealer) — Don’t know whether this will make the front of many other papers, but it makes my virtual one. I liked what Roger Ebert said this morning: “Harvey Pekar. I guess he’s finally satisfied.” And linked to this cartoon, which is essential Pekar. He was, as the main character in “Clueless” would have said, way existential. And finally, here’s a clip from the excellent movie about Harvey starring Paul Giamatti.

A bit late, but here are our top stories:

1. Obama, Medvedev Say They’ve ‘Reset’ Relations (NPR) — Apparently, going by the picture, they decided this over cheeseburgers.
2. Jobless Bill Dies Amid Deficit Fears (WSJ) — True, I have a job now, but plenty of people out there still don’t, so this is important. You know something I noticed while I was unemployed? These sorts of developments didn’t get as much coverage as they deserved.
3. Financial overhaul negotiations focus on bank trading, derivatives (WashPost) — This, too, is important — but less interesting to me, I gotta tell ya.
4. US can ‘no longer drive global growth’ (BBC) — Geithner delivers some home truths to the Brits. I guess he means somebody besides us needs to start buying some junk.
5. Will GOP moderates defect to Sheheen? (thestate) — I thought this piece was fairly interesting. It makes perfect sense that business leaders would prefer Sheheen. But will this pattern hold?
6. Is 3-D TV For Real? (WSJ) — Neither Roger Ebert nor I will run out and buy one, but maybe you will.

First, I should probably mention as this Monday winds down that I’m going to be out of pocket most, if not all, of tomorrow. I’ll probably post something after the polls close, but most of the day I’ll be away from my laptop.

Now, our top stories at this hour:

1. Times Square Bomb Plotter Pleads Guilty in Terror Case (NYT) — Turns out this guy was actually guilty — or so he claims. Who’d’a thunk it?
2. High Court Backs ‘Material Support’ Anti-Terror Law (NPR) — Meanwhile, the Supremes back a law meant to prevent any sort of aid to terrorists, even peripheral (sort of our domestic equivalent of flotillas of humanitarian aid to Hamas-run Gaza).
3. With Scott, national GOP aims to break S.C. mold (WashPost) — How about that, a lede political story in The Washington Post about something positive regarding South Carolina? Well, positive unless you’re Strom Thurmond’s boy, who’s got to be ticked that the national party is picking a winner in the primary and it’s not him.
4. Once-gentlemanly AG race headed for Supreme Court (thestate.com) — Stupid me. I went by Todd Kincannon’s office just before 5 to see him to follow up on our conversation this morning, forgetting that he would be in court — the Supreme Court — representing his client in this case. At least, I assume that’s where he was.
5. Gulf of Mexico oil spill claims to be ‘paid quickly’ (BBC) — Note that’s from a British news source (which is why the hed says “Gulf of Mexico” instead of just “Gulf.” We’ll see, won’t we?
6. B&N Cuts Price on Nook; Amazon Responds (WSJ) — Couple more cuts like these, and I might actually sorta kinda begin to consider starting to think about getting me one of these gadgets.

Here’s what we have at this hour:

1. Obama calls for clean energy push (BBC) — That’s the broadest view, the historic view, of what he said from down on the Gulf today. He also promised to press BP to do more to make things right — which the White House says the oil giant has agreed to do. On the less rosy side, two House Democrats investigating the spill blamed “shortcuts” by BP.
2. Rawl protests Senate primary defeat (P&C) — And remember, while I’m now referring you to an MSM outlet, you read it here first.
3. Kyrgyzstan Violence Threatens Region (WSJ) — Five days of unrest pose threat to a strategically important staging area in the War on Terror.
4. Losing candidates make runoff endorsements (various) — We already had Andre Bauer endorsing Gresham Barrett (for all the good that’ll do him). But today, we got Robert Bolchoz endorsing Alan Wilson, Barbara Nielsen (the last Republican state superintendent) backing Mick Zais and James Shadd throwing his support to John Meadors.
5. Haley enjoys 20-point advantage over Sheheen (Rasmussen) — Which I actually think isn’t so very bad for Vincent at this point, given the enormous advantage she’s had in free media. Did you see the hagiographic profile of her in The New York Times over the weekend headlined — and I am not making this up — “All Her Life, Nikki Haley Was the Different One“? There’s nothing so seductive to the politically correct Eastern Establishment than a viable female minority candidate — it just blows ideology right out the window.
6. We hardly knew ye, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (WashPost) — This is more than a few hours old, but as a boomer this is still significant in my mind — and not because he was the Sausage King of America (which makes him even bigger than Abe Froman). You know how I heard of the death of this former sidekick of TV’s version of Daniel Boone? From Robert D. Raiford on the John Boy and Billy Big Show (which I had not heard in a long time) this morning. Seems Jimmy and Raiford worked at the same radio station back in the 50s.

In keeping with my somewhat anachronistic philosophy of what makes a lede story, here is my pseudo-front page for this evening:

1. GOP rebukes Knotts for Haley slur (The State) — Actually, they did more than that: The asked him to resign. To discuss that, go here. This is not a lede story on a normal day, especially since it happened last night. But there is a paucity of actual news that actually HAPPENED in the last 24 hours. Lots of interesting trend stories, but a lede has to happen, under my rules. I suppose I could lead with the BBC’s lead story — that the World Cup got under way. But a) this is not a sports blog and b) this is not England.
2. Teen Sailor’s Rescue Raises Safety, Expense Issues (NPR) — Yes, there’s an idiot born every minute. And sometimes, when they grow up, they let their teenage children sail around the world alone — and expect the rest of us to pick up the bill when things inevitably go wrong.
3. Greene certified as Democratic primary winner (P&C) — OK, so everybody else got certified, too. But the interesting part is that Alvin Greene is now official. And that makes things so wild and crazy that even the Green Party candidate (no, not “Greene Party,” Green Party) thinks he might have a chance.
4. Mystery in S.C.’s Democratic primary deepens (WashPost) — One of the candidates Clyburn mentioned in his conspiracy theory is linked to a GOP consulting firm.
5. Bauer throws support to Barrett (thestate.com) — … and Barrett throws it right back. OK, he didn’t. But at least we can dream of headlines we’d LIKE to see… Meanwhile, for a fun contemplation of the Gov Lite…
6. Kagan 1996 Memo Reveals Views on Religious Freedom (WSJ) — A study of her record may give some cultural conservatives reason to like the Obama nominee.