(A volcano in Alabama that turns into a thunderstorm with hail and a tornado? Yeah, time to lay off.)
However, some stories are still front page news:
'Uncharted territory' as city floods in Iowa
Cedar Rapids also loses power; nine Iowa rivers at or near record levels
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Flooding rivers across Iowa forced more residents to evacuate, with at least 10,000 people in Cedar Rapids among them as the rising Cedar River burst its banks Thursday.
Rescuers had to use boats to reach many stranded residents in the city of 120,000, and people could be seen dragging suitcases up closed highway exit ramps to escape the water. It wasn't clear just how high the river had risen because a flood gauge was swept away by the swirling water.
"We're just kind of at God's mercy right now, so hopefully people that never prayed before this, it might be a good time to start," Linn County Sheriff Don Zeller said. "We're going to need a lot of prayers and people are going to need a lot of patience and understanding."
Scouts praised for response to tornado in Iowa
BLENCOE, Iowa (AP) — Boy Scouts who came to each others' aid after a tornado that killed four of their comrades and injured 48 people were hailed as heroes Thursday for helping to administer first aid and search for victims buried in their flattened campsite.
Iowa rescue workers cut through downed branches and dug through debris amid rain and lightning Wednesday night to reach the camp where the 93 boys, ages 13 to 18, had huddled for safety through the twister. They and 25 staff members were attending a weeklong leadership training camp.
Lloyd Roitstein, an executive with the Mid America Council of the Boy Scouts of America, reminded reporters at a news conference Thursday that the Boy Scouts motto is "Be Prepared."
"Last night, the agencies and the scouts were prepared," he said. "They knew what to do, they knew where to go, and they prepared well."
Tight security a month from quake
A month on from the Sichuan earthquake, Chinese officials have imposed tight security in some of the damaged areas, apparently to prevent protests.
Police in the city of Dujianyan stopped parents from holding a memorial ceremony at the rubble of a collapsed school where their children died.
Journalists were told they were banned from the city, and some were detained.
***
Meanwhile, THE story of the day...
Justices: Gitmo detainees can challenge detention in U.S. courts
The decision marks another legal blow to the Bush administration's war on terrorism policies.
The 5-4 vote reflects the divide over how much legal autonomy the U.S. military should have to prosecute about 270 prisoners, some of whom have been held for more than six years without charges. Fourteen of them are alleged to be top al Qaeda figures.
Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy said, "the laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times. Liberty and security can be reconciled; and in our system reconciled within the framework of the law."
Kennedy, the court's swing vote, was supported by Justices John Paul Stevens, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, generally considered the liberal contingent.
...
The Bush administration has urged the high court not to get involved in the broader appeals, saying the federal judiciary has no authority to hear such matters.
Four justices agreed. In a sharp dissent, read in part from the bench, Justice Antonin Scalia said the majority "warps our Constitution."
The "nation will live to regret what the court has done today," Scalia said. He was supported by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
This, folks, THIS is why I vote Republican. I'm extremely unhappy with Bush, but I can't complain about his Supreme Court picks.
It's also why I hate the thought of McCain as our nominee. Even if we somehow get him over Obama, I foresee him picking another swing vote like O'Connor or Kennedy, not a solid constitutional conservative.
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