Tape: Bush, Chertoff Warned Before Katrina  —  WASHINGTON - In dramatic and sometimes agonizing terms, federal disaster officials warned President Bush and his homeland security chief before Hurricane Katrina struck that the storm could breach levees, risk lives in New Orleans' Superdome …

India, U.S. reach landmark nuclear deal  —  Leaders agree on civilian nuclear cooperation  —  President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discuss the nuclear agreement just announced between their two countries during a pres conference in New Delhi on Thursday.

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.

What Bush Was Told About Iraq  —  Two highly classified intelligence reports delivered directly to President Bush before the Iraq war cast doubt on key public assertions made by the president, Vice President Cheney, and other administration officials as justifications for invading Iraq …

Rice shows off her fitness regime  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Condoleezza Rice, the nation's top diplomat, is appearing in a three-part TV interview in which she rides a bike, works on her abs, pumps iron and talks about her weight.  —  Public figures usually do not go public when they work on their figures …

Teacher caught in Bush "rant"  —  The Overland High educator is on administrative leave.  Cherry Creek's superintendent said a balanced viewpoint will be given to students.  —  An Overland High School teacher who criticized President Bush, capitalism and U.S. foreign policy during …

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 …

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 …

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 …

WFB AND OTHERS ON IRAQ  —  I have just been reading Bill Buckley's most recent column: … This is exactly right.  However, Bill does not offer an estimate of the likelihood of that success.  I am more reckless than Bill (translate: have far, far less of a reputation at stake), so here I go with my estimate: low to zero.

Embarrassing the Angels  —  Or, that's no way to treat a lady.  —  I want to revise and extend my remarks, as they say, from last week's column on airport security.  The reaction was great, but I have two reasons to amend.  The first is that I didn't really get to the heart …

New York Is Sued by U.S. on Delay of Vote System  —  ALBANY, March 1 — The Justice Department sued New York State on Wednesday for failing to overhaul its election system and replace its aging voting machines.  It is the first lawsuit the federal government has filed to force a state to comply …

The Clintons of Dubai  —  WASHINGTON — While Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was ripping President Bush's handling of American ports management, Bill Clinton was pushing for one of his favorite White House aides to be hired to defend the deal.  The former president proposed to the United Arab Emirates …

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 …

Doubts Back Home Fuel G.O.P. Worries Over Ports Deal  —  WASHINGTON, March 1 — Senator Jon Kyl, a staunch supporter of President Bush who faces a potentially difficult re-election fight this year, is hearing a lot from constituents in Arizona about the plan to allow a Dubai company to operate shipping terminals at Eastern ports.