SPB News for Saturday.

Harold Ford Heckled Over Fox Comment At Netroots Nation — Former congressman Harold Ford was billed as a sheep amidst the wolves when he was booked for an appearance at the Netroots Nation conference here in Austin. And while for the most part the DLC head and self-described ‘centrist’ Democrat received

GOP cancels state convention; panel to pick Nevada national delegates

Israel makes arrests in alleged plot against Bush Israel accused six Arabs on Friday of trying to set up an al Qaeda [al-CIAduh] cell in Israel and said one of them had proposed attacking helicopters used during a visit by President [sic] George W. Bush. Israel's Shin Bet counter-intelligence agency said one of the suspects had used his mobile phone to film helicopters at a sports stadium in Jerusalem that was used as a landing site for Bush's delegation. The suspect then posted queries on Web sites frequented by al Qaeda operatives, asking for guidance on how to shoot down the helicopters, the agency said in a statement.

Security Fears Shadow Obama Tour Barack Obama 's planned trip to Israel and the West Bank has raised security concerns to levels not seen since the Illinois senator began his presidential bid, officials tell the DRUDGE REPORT. Coming just weeks after shots were fired at Israel's TLV airport during a farewell ceremony for France's Sarkozy, from an apparent suicide of a security guard, Obama's trek to the region has become a serious logistical and safety challenge.

Pentagon plays down KBR's electrocution of US soldiers in Iraq A US Senate panel has been made aware of more inferior electrical work by a private contractor on military bases in Iraq. The panel investigating the electrocutions of Americans on bases in Iraq was told last week by electricians who had been employed in Iraq, that employees of the KBR company had little electrical expertise and some could not even speak English.

Terrorism Funds to Let Brass Fly in Style --New luxury in wartime has alienated lower-ranking Air Force officers, congressional staff members; nonprofit group calls program a waste of money. The Air Force's top leadership sought for three years to spend counterterrorism funds on "comfort capsules" to be installed on military planes that ferry senior officers and civilian leaders around the world, with at least four top generals involved in design details such as the color of the capsules' carpet and leather chairs, according to internal e-mails and budget documents. Production of the first capsule -- consisting of two sealed rooms that can fit into the fuselage of a large military aircraft -- has already begun.

U.S. Army Shooting Live Pigs in Trauma Training on July 18 PETA has received shocking information from a whistleblower in the U.S. military, who says that the Army is planning to shoot live pigs in an open range with M16A2 and M4 rifles at the U.S. Army Garrison at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii on July 18. The Army's stated purpose of this training exercise is to teach combat medics how to manage traumatic battlefield wounds and injuries--even though more effective non-animal simulators are readily available. Leading medical experts agree these simulators offer superior training. PETA is calling for an immediate end to this inhumane training exercise as well as a ban on the use of all animals for training military medics. Most medical schools long ago ended the use of animals for trauma training.

Congressman still faces airport screening problem Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta says a mix up on a terrorist watch list is still wreaking havoc on his air travel five years after the problem arose. The 11-term Democratic congressman wrote to the House Homeland Security Committee this week that he's still subjected to repeated airport searches and required to present multiple forms of identification. The problem persists even though Homeland Security recently gave him a letter to show airlines that was supposed to clear things up. If it's still happening to a congressman, he wrote, "you can only imagine what the average American suffers."

Felons Seeking Bush Pardon Near a Record Felons are asking President [sic] Bush for pardons and commutations at historic levels as he nears his final months in office, a time when many other presidents have granted a flurry of clemency requests. In addition, prominent federal inmates are asking Mr. Bush to commute their sentences. Among them are Randy Cunningham, the former Republican congressman from California and John Walker Lindh, the so-called American Taliban.