G.O.P. Senators and Bush Reach Wiretap Accord  —  WASHINGTON, March 7 — Moving to tamp down Democratic calls for an investigation of the administration's domestic eavesdropping program, Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Tuesday that they had reached agreement with the White House …

DeLay Wins Tex. GOP Primary  —  Former House Majority Leader Easily Beats Three Challengers  —  AUSTIN, March 7 — Rep. Tom DeLay, facing an unusual four-way Republican primary, won the party's nomination Tuesday, calling his victory a rejection by voters of "the politics of personal destruction."

Executive Order: Responsibilities of the Department of Homeland Security with Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives  —  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to help the Federal Government coordinate …

At Conservative Forum on Bush, Everybody's a Critic  —  If the ancient political wisdom is correct that a charge unanswered is a charge agreed to, the Bush White House pleaded guilty yesterday at the Cato Institute to some extraordinary allegations.  —  "We did ask a few members …

Iran Threatens U.S. With 'Harm and Pain'  —  VIENNA, Austria (AP) — Iran threatened the United States with "harm and pain" Wednesday for its role in hauling Tehran before the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear program.  America's ambassador to the United Nations said Iran's comments reflected the menace it poses.

Democrats' Data Mining Stirs an Intraparty Battle  —  With Private Effort on Voter Information, Ickes and Soros Challenge Dean and DNC  —  A group of well-connected Democrats led by a former top aide to Bill Clinton is raising millions of dollars to start a private firm that plans …

House Agrees To Vote On Ports  —  Efforts by the White House to hold off legislation challenging a Dubai-owned company's acquisition of operations at six major U.S. ports collapsed yesterday when House Republican leaders agreed to allow a vote next week that could kill the deal.

Cuellar leads Rodriguez in congressional grudge match  —  SAN ANTONIO - With thousands of votes yet to be counted in his home county, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar held a small lead over former congressman Ciro Rodriguez early Wednesday in the Democratic primary in House District 28.

Take the Fifth  —  South Dakota's invitation to snuff your embryo.  —  Monday morning, Gov. Mike Rounds signed into law a ban on nearly all abortions in South Dakota.  He called it a "direct challenge" to Roe v. Wade.  But the ban also poses a direct challenge to the pro-life movement …

Elite Troops Get Expanded Role on Intelligence  —  WASHINGTON, March 7 — The military is placing small teams of Special Operations troops in a growing number of American embassies to gather intelligence on terrorists in unstable parts of the world and to prepare for potential missions to disrupt, capture or kill them.

New animal resembles furry lobster  —  PARIS, France (AP) — Divers have discovered a new crustacean in the South Pacific that resembles a lobster and is covered with what looks like silky, blond fur, French researchers said Tuesday.  —  Scientists said the animal, which they named Kiwa hirsuta …

The Crappiest Invention of All Time  —  Why the auto-flushing toilet must die.  —  After a stint of telecommuting, I recently returned to working in a large downtown building.  My office shares a men's room with everyone who works on our level.  The bathroom sports three stalls …

Thinking Things Through  —  Speaking of abortion, Digby has linked to this amazing video from At Center Network of anti-abortion protesters being asked whether women who have abortions should go to jail.  Since it's only available in Real format and it'll eat into their bandwidth, I've taken the liberty of uploading the vid to YouTube.

Congress Votes to Renew Patriot Act, With Changes  —  Congress voted yesterday to renew a four-year-old anti-terrorism law that makes it easier for federal agents to secretly obtain Americans' records and communications, even as some lawmakers warned that voters are growing increasingly concerned …