From ugly DeMint to Blackberry bruises....

From American Progress:

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) blames U.S. troop deaths on Congress's Iraq debate. "Al-Qaida knows that we've got a lot of wimps in Congress," DeMint said at a luncheon Tuesday. "I believe a lot of the casualties can be laid at the feet of all the talk in Congress about how we've got to get out, we've got to cut and run." He later added that while Iraq has "gone badly and it's a mess, it would have been worse if we hadn't gone in."

"The United States is among the least peaceful nations in the world, ranking 96th between Yemen and Iran, according to an index of 121 countries." Iraq ranks last.

President Bush "is under pressure from European allies to give ground on climate change at next week's meeting of the world's richest countries, but policy experts say prospects for a breakthrough are slim."

"Twenty months after its depleted ranks of soldiers and airmen were pressed into service for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Louisiana National Guard still lacks hundreds of military troop trucks that can handle high water as it faces a new storm season that begins Friday." The culprit, they say, is Iraq.

The Supreme Court ruling this week "in favor of an Alabama employer that had underpaid a female employee for years" is effectively "gutting a key part of the Civil Rights Act," The New York Times writes. "Fortunately, Congress can amend the law to undo this damaging decision." House Education and Labor Committee chairman George Miller (D-CA) and others have announced plans to do just that.

Global warming is shrinking the Great Lakes, New Scientist reports. "Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water in the world by surface area, is experiencing its lowest water levels since the record set in 1926."

"A NATO helicopter on a night mission crashed late yesterday in southern Afghanistan, killing all seven service members aboard in what officials believe was a coordinated attack in an area known for aggressive Taliban fighting."

"A Sunni police chief praised by U.S. forces for clearing his city of insurgents has been arrested following an investigation into alleged murder, corruption and crimes against the Iraqi people, the U.S. military said Wednesday."

And finally: The World Bank Blackberry bruise. "After his introduction as the U.S. pick to lead the World Bank, Robert Zoellick said he had to turn off his BlackBerry. He wears the device on his belt, and typically keeps it on vibrate. 'I'm getting bruises,' he said, pointing to it. 'I've never had so many emails.'"

Wrap...