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Israel continues to pound Lebanon with bombs for a 10th day, primarily targeting Shiite areas in the south and east of the country. An Israeli general has warned that Israel could expand ground operations in southern Lebanon, where there have been fierce clashes between its troops and Hezbollah. Meanwhile, civilians in Lebanon continue to seek shelter from the fighting.

Soldiers with the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division in Kuwait are poised for a major ground combat operation in Iraq, and many believe it will come soon. A few woke up in the middle of the night to listen to President Bush's address to the nation. Some expressed relief that the waiting is almost over. But there's also anxiety, according to NPR's Eric Westervelt, who's with Charlie Company of the 315th. He reports that only three of the 150 troops in that company have combat experience.

About 1,000 U.S. soldiers parachute onto an airfield in an area controlled by Iraqi Kurds in an effort to threaten the Iraqi regime from the north. It's the largest and most public deployment yet of U.S. ground forces in the Kurdish enclave -- and a sign that the United States may be opening a second military front against Baghdad. NPR's Ivan Watson reports.

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Alan Klapmeier, CEO and co-founder of Cirrus Aircraft, which makes an airplane equipped with its own parachute. Over the past week, two different Cirrus pilots encountered in-flight emergencies and brought their planes safely to the ground by deploying their on-board parachutes -- only the second and third emergency uses of the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). This technology was first used in an emergency in October 2002.

President Bush's solid performance in recent polls shows support for his handling of foreign policy, according to members of his campaign. Despite criticisms stemming from the Sept. 11 commission hearings and Bob Woodward's book Plan of Attack, Bush's approval rating has remained steady, and he has gained ground on likely Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

The mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota recently visited Laotian Hmong refugees who are living illegally on the grounds of a famous Buddhist temple in Thailand. His visit precedes the opening of a U.S. refugee resettlement program for the Hmong who are unable to return to Laos and unwelcome in Thailand. Doualy Xaykaothao reports.

Confusion continues to surround a U.S. attack in western Iraq that killed more than 40 people. The U.S. military says the target of the air and ground assault early Wednesday was a suspected safe house for foreign fighters infiltrating Iraq from nearby Syria. But Iraqis in the area say the victims were participating in a wedding celebration. Hear NPR's Eric Westervelt.

We'll hear the speech made by New York City police officer Steven McDonald last night before the Republican National Convention. He talks about the need for politicians to address morality, and expressed his support for right-to-life delegates. A former Navy corpsman, he talked about his pride in serving his country, about the need to rekindle the pride of the nation, and the need to ground political discourse within a moral and familial framework.

Phyllis Joffe reports on the Fund for New American Plays, as it celebrates its 10th anniversary season. The Fund was established by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington and American Express, to encourage the creation of new American plays. At a time when alternatives to federal funding for the arts are increasingly in demand, the Fund was instrumental in getting such works off the ground as "The Kentucky Cycle," "The Heidi Chronicles," "Angels in America," and David Henry Hwang's "Golden Child," now at the Kennedy Center.

Linda talks with Rudolph Ten Hoedt (HUT) about the political crisis in Ecuador, where there are three people claiming to be president. Last night, the congress voted to oust President Abdala Bucaram on grounds of "mental incapacity," but he has refused to step down, and is barricaded inside the national palace. Congress swore in its leader as interim president, but the nation's vice president is insisting that she is now president. Much depends on what the army does...for now, the military says it's not taking sides and it's up to the politicians to resolve the dispute.