Unaware as Levees Fell, Officials Expressed Relief  —  WASHINGTON, March 1 — A newly released transcript of a government videoconference shows that hours after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, federal and state officials did not know that the levees in New Orleans were failing …

The Justices Look at Some Shapely . . . Congressional Districts  —  The Supreme Court hosted its own performance of "Beauty and the Beast" this week.  On Tuesday, it heard the plea of Anna Nicole Smith, the former stripper and Playboy Playmate seeking a share of her deceased husband's fortune.

BREAKING: Al-Qaeda Infiltrated UAE Government, According To 2002 Letter  —  New evidence has emerged that key agencies of the United Arab Emirates may have been infiltrated by al-Qaeda.  In May or June of 2002, al Qaeda officials wrote a letter to the UAE government claiming the emirates were "well aware" of the infiltration.

U.S., India Seal Nuclear Deal  —  Accord Sets Up Sharing of Data, Fuel to Satisfy Rising Energy Needs  —  NEW DELHI, March 2 — President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh struck what both leaders called an historic agreement Thursday to provide U.S. nuclear power assistance …

Black Flight  —  The exodus to charter schools.  —  MINNEAPOLIS—Something momentous is happening here in the home of prairie populism: black flight.  African-American families from the poorest neighborhoods are rapidly abandoning the district public schools, going to charter schools …

Rhetoric of Unreality  —  When late in the spring of 1940 people of southeastern England flocked across the Channel in their pleasure craft and fishing boats to evacuate soldiers trapped on Dunkirk beaches, euphoria swept Britain.  So Prime Minister Winston Churchill sternly told the nation …

Prisons Often Shackle Pregnant Inmates in Labor  —  Shawanna Nelson, a prisoner at the McPherson Unit in Newport, Ark., had been in labor for more than 12 hours when she arrived at Newport Hospital on Sept. 20, 2003.  Ms. Nelson, whose legs were shackled together and who had been given nothing stronger …

U.S. Reviewing 2nd Dubai Firm  —  The Bush administration, stung by the public outcry over the Dubai port deal, has launched a national security investigation of another Dubai-owned company set to take over plants in Georgia and Connecticut that make precision components used in engines for military aircraft and tanks.

U.S. Is Reducing Safety Penalties for Mine Flaws  —  CRAIGSVILLE, W.Va. — In its drive to foster a more cooperative relationship with mining companies, the Bush administration has decreased major fines for safety violations since 2001, and in nearly half the cases, it has not collected the fines …

The Best Blogging Newspapers in the U.S.*  —  "Who seems to really know what they're doing...?"  —  That was the starter question for the Blue Plate Special team: fifteen undergraduates in journalism at NYU, two graduate students, one professor.  (A.k.a. "the Specials" or "Blue Plates.")

Saudi Group Alleges Wiretapping by U.S.  —  Defunct Charity's Suit Details Eavesdropping  —  Documents cited in federal court by a defunct Islamic charity may provide the first detailed evidence of U.S. residents being spied upon by President Bush's secret eavesdropping program …

Citibank Offering Illegal Aliens Mortgages With Below Market Interest Rates, Down Payment Assistance And No Mortgage Insurance Requirements  —  Citibank has been offering illegal aliens mortgages by using Taxpayer ID numbers instead of Social Security numbers to bypass the fact that these people are illegal aliens.