 | | CNN | |  | Crises drive ordinary folks to empower patients A patient empowerment movement is under way, a researcher says, and many of its leaders are ordinary people. Armando and Victoria Nahum lost a son to a hospital infection and overcame their grief to help others avoid the same tragedy. Gilles Frydman watched his wife battle cancer and started a Listserv used by over half a million people.


| Jungle rebels tricked into freeing hostages The agents posed as guerrillas to infiltrate the rebel camp. Months later, they had enough power to order 15 hostages marched through the jungle to rendezvous with a helicopter, ostensibly to meet international figures. They spoke in code with the pilot and persuaded the real rebels to hand over their guns. Only then did an agent reveal his daring mission.


| Dead Vermont girl's uncle faces kidnap charges The uncle of a 12-year-old Vermont girl whose body was found yesterday faces kidnapping charges, a prosecutor says. Brooke Bennett's uncle, who could face the death penalty if convicted even without more charges, was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting another child who told police she was recruited into a sex ring, court papers say.


| Stars' passport files viewed repeatedly The State Department inspector general Thursday blasted the security of U.S. passport files, saying the repeated access of over 100 celebrities' files had gone undetected and unpunished.


| State goes to four-day week Read full story for latest details.


| Poll ranks environment, economy With the U.S. economy mired in a slump, Americans still believe saving the environment is more important than fixing the economy, according to a new poll released Thursday. But consumers are more closely divided on the issue than they have been in the past.


| Glenn Beck: Your gas money for a flat screen? 1.733.


| YouTube ordered to reveal its viewers Read full story for latest details.


| Williams sisters reach Wimbledon final Read full story for latest details.


| Students tortured, stabbed to death, report says Two French biochemistry students who were found stabbed to death in a burned-out London apartment were the victims of a "frenzied, brutal, horrific attack," say police who have appealed for information about the case.


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| NY Times | |  | Obama Strives to Retain Some Flexibility on His Iraq Policy Senator Barack Obama said Thursday that he might “refine” his plans for a phased withdrawal from Iraq, but later added that he was committed to withdrawing troops within 16 months of taking office.
By MICHAEL COOPER and JEFF ZELENY
| Judicial Screener, Now a Nominee, Faces Scrutiny For Michael E. O’Neill, who helped steer recent Supreme Court nominations through the confirmation process, there are signs that his nomination might be a difficult one as well.
By ADAM LIPTAK
| Hostages Freed in Colombia Returning Home On Thursday, three American officials in Washington, citing the sensitivity of the assistance, confirmed that the United States provided intelligence to support the operation.
By SIMON ROMERO and ANAHAD O'CONNOR
| California Fire Creeps Closer to Homes in Big Sur Residents of the scenic Big Sur Valley watched anxiously as authorities ordered more coastal residents to evacuate.
By JESSE McKINLEY
| Judge Orders Google to Turn Over YouTube Records The order raised concerns that the online video viewing habits of tens of millions of people could be exposed.
By MIGUEL HELFT
| Employers Cut Workers for a Sixth Month The unemployment rate held steady as 62,000 jobs disappeared in June, the Labor Department reported.
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM
| China’s Legacy: Let a Million Museums Bloom Most art is an unsettled category in China and museums have complicated uses.
By HOLLAND COTTER
| Fund Manager Turned Fugitive Is Sent to Prison Samuel Israel III, the hedge fund manager who fled after faking a suicide, went to prison on Thursday, 25 days late.
By ABHA BHATTARAI
| Trial Ordered in Concorde Crash That Killed 113 Continental Airlines and two of its employees face involuntary manslaughter charges related to the crash.
By ALAN COWELL
| An All-Williams Wimbledon Final Power, pressure serving and grass-court experience prevailed Thursday as Serena and Venus Williams earned the right to make the final a family affair.
By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY
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