South Dakota law bans nearly all abortions  —  Legislation sets up court challenge  —  PIERRE, South Dakota (AP) — Gov. Mike Rounds signed legislation Monday banning nearly all abortions in South Dakota, setting up a court fight aimed at challenging the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

Suspect In UNC Hit-And-Run Wanted To 'Spread Will Of Allah'  —  Authorities Release 911 Call Made By Mohammed Taheri-azar  —  HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — A suspect who is accused of hitting students with a sport utility vehicle at the University of North Carolina made his first court appearance Monday.

Majority of Americans Believe Iraq Civil War is Likely  —  Washington Post-ABC News Poll Finds Sharp Decline in Optimism About Iraq War  —  An overwhelming majority of the public believe fighting between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in Iraq will lead to civil war and half say the U.S …

President Bush losing support among Hoosiers  —  Survey: Bush's approval rating has dropped 18 points in Indiana over the past year  —  Indiana voted twice to elect George W. Bush to the White House, but an Indianapolis Star poll indicates more than half of Hoosiers now disapprove of the job he's doing as president.

Miami judge refuses to delay sentencing for lobbyist Abramoff  —  MIAMI — A federal judge on Monday refused to delay sentencing 90 days for disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff despite statements from government lawyers that sending Abramoff to prison could jeopardize his cooperation in ongoing criminal probes.

Oscars Ratings Drop 10 Percent From 2005  —  ABC is in for a "Crash" landing in the Oscar ratings.  —  The Academy Awards were down 10 percent from last year's ceremony, based on preliminary Nielsen Media Research ratings from the nation's 55 biggest markets.

Taliban Man at Yale  —  University officials are embarrassed—but not embarrassed enough.  —  Are there no limits to how arrogant and out-of-touch America's Ivy League schools can get?  Last week it emerged that Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi, former deputy foreign secretary of the Taliban …

US envoy hints at strike to stop Iran  —  · Bolton says nuclear plant can be 'taken out'  —  · UN agency meets to send report to security council  —  Julian Borger Washington  —  The US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, has told British MPs that military action …

Hollywood's Real Phobia  —  It isn't fear of gays.  —  Always trust content from kf reader "G": … Note to F. Rich and competing Oscar pundits: It's not too late for that America-is-homophobic-after- all column. ...  Update: LAT's Kenneth Turan claims firsties on the Hollywood-is-homophic angle.

Levee Fixes Falling Short, Experts Warn  —  Corps Rejects Claim Of Substandard Soil  —  NEW ORLEANS — The Army Corps of Engineers seems likely to fulfill a promise by President Bush to rebuild New Orleans's toppled flood walls to their original, pre-Katrina height by June 1 …

Bangla Bhai Arrested in Bangladesh  —  Fresh on the heels of the arrest of Abdur Rahman, Bangladesh nabs the other most wanted terrorist in the country  —  Bangladesh has scored the second high profile arrest of an al-Qaeda linked terrorist in less than a week, and essentially captured …

Kabuki Congress  —  Imagine being stopped for speeding and having the local legislature raise the limit so you won't have to pay the fine.  It sounds absurd, but it's just what is happening to the 28-year-old law that prohibits the president from spying on Americans without getting a warrant from a judge.

Bush to Propose Line-Item Veto Legislation  —  Bush to Send Congress Proposal for Line-Item Veto Bill; President Has Not Vetoed Legislation in 5 Years  —  WASHINGTON Mar 6, 2006 (AP)— President Bush plans to send proposed legislation to Congress on Monday that would allow him to control spending …

Scant Drop Seen in Abortion Rate if Parents Are Told  —  For all the passions they generate, laws that require minors to notify their parents or get permission to have an abortion do not appear to have produced the sharp drop in teenage abortion rates that some advocates hoped for, an analysis by The New York Times shows.

Denying al-Qaida  —  The issue is historical now, but still worth exploring.  Why, for two distinct groups of Americans, has it become a matter of conviction held with religious intensity that there cannot have been any relationship between al-Qaida and Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq?

Looking Back (and Ahead) With Edwards  —  CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — "Sometimes," says John Edwards, "people need a breather."  He is not talking about himself, although surely he needed one after his brief rocket ride through the upper atmosphere of national politics.

Two-Stage-to-Orbit 'Blackstar' System Shelved at Groom Lake?  —  SPACEPLANE SHELVED?  —  For 16 years, Aviation Week & Space Technology has investigated myriad sightings of a two-stage-to-orbit system that could place a small military spaceplane in orbit.  Considerable evidence supports …

When Would Jesus Bolt?  —  Meet Randy Brinson, the advance guard of evangelicals leaving the GOP.  —  The Republicans were filibustering the Bible bill.  On a Tuesday afternoon in early February, Republican legislators in Alabama took to the crimson-carpeted floor of the state house …