The Supreme Court ruled 5 to 3 today that proposed military trials at Guantanamo Bay violate both U.S. military justice law and the Geneva conventions. Writing for the majority, Justice John Paul Stevens said that President Bush did not have the authority to order the trials and that “trial by military commission raises separation-of-powers concerns of the highest order.”

Israel continues to put pressure on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, while its defense minister, Amir Peretz, said today that a “surprising diplomatic breakthrough” may be possible. Israeli forces have detained Palestinian lawmakers and ministers, launched further air strikes, and taken over the Gaza airport all in an effort to force militants connected to Hamas to release a captured Israeli soldier. Militants in Gaza have reportedly continued to attempt to kidnap more Israelis and blasted a hole in the Gaza-Egyptian border.

The G-8 has given Iran a Wednesday deadline to respond in a “clear and substantive” manner to a proposal put forward by the countries in an effort to defuse tensions over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Government officials recovered a stolen Veterans Affairs laptop computer that contained personal information on 26.5 million veterans and military personnel. House committee members have criticized the VA for blaming the incident on a staffer who took the laptop home, where it was stolen. AP found that the VA had authorized the staffer to use the laptop at home.

Good news came for 200,000 people of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., who evacuated from their homes Wednesday. Early this morning levees prevented the cresting Susquehanna River from flooding the town. Other areas across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic have not fared so well. At least 10 deaths have been linked to the heavy rains.

Architects presented the latest version of the Freedom Tower in New York yesterday. The tower still lacks tenants and may end up primarily housing government offices.