Largest Iraq Air Assault Since '03 Begins  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — U.S. forces, joined by Iraqi troops, on Thursday launched the largest airborne assault since the U.S.-led invasion, targeting insurgent strongholds north of the capital, the military said.  —  The military said the operation …

House rejects spending for birth control  —  JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - An attempt to resume state spending on birth control got shot down Wednesday by House members who argued it would have amounted to an endorsement of promiscuous lifestyles.  —  Missouri stopped providing money for family planning …

Bush Restates Terror Strategy  —  2002 Doctrine of Preemptive War Reaffirmed  —  President Bush issued a new national security strategy today reaffirming his doctrine of preemptive war against terrorists and hostile states with chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, despite the troubled U.S. experience in Iraq.

JUSTICE GINSBURG THROWS DOWN THE GAUNTLET  —  Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsburg gave a speech in South Africa last month, which, for some reason, is just now being publicized.  Ginsburg's speech was titled "A Decent Respect for the Opinions of [Human]kind."

The lesson, my friends...  ...is that no matter what you do, Rush Limbaugh is going to crow about it, Ken Mehlman is going to do a mass-mailing about it, and the American Family Association will launch a boycott over it.  —  And even if you choose to do nothing, all of them will still attack you …

Researcher Will Face Charges in Steele Case  —  Federal prosecutors have decided to bring charges against a Democratic researcher accused of fraudulently obtaining a credit report on Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, now a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate.

Al Qaeda Threatens U.S. on Video  —  Yesterday we broke the story that a new al Qaeda video was making the jihadi rounds.  Today there is confirmatian.  Yes, we actually break news around here sometimes.  —  The video features 'martyr' Fahd Farraj al-Juwair, the former Emir of Al-Qaeda …

I'm Blue  —  I have uncovered a sinister plot.  —  As I've mentioned, I was in Austin this week.  Cool city— one of those great, Southern college towns where be-baseball-capped frat guys and be-dreaded hippies mostly-happily coexist, though usually at different bars.

Hey, Big Spender  —  Should we have known that President Bush would bust the budget?  —  This week's column is a question, a brief one addressed with honest curiosity to Republicans.  It is: When George W. Bush first came on the scene in 2000, did you understand him to be a liberal in terms of spending?

Chafee refuses to rule out voting to censure Bush  —  Like the Democratic senator who initiated the proposal, the Rhode Island Republian believes the president's decision to initiate wiretaps without court orders was illegal and says he looks forward to the debate on the program that will likely ensue.

Senate Bill Would Override State Health Coverage Rules  —  GOP backers see the legislation as a way for insurers to offer more affordable plans.  Critics say it would undermine treatment protections.  —  WASHINGTON — The battle over healthcare moved to a new front Wednesday …

'Temporarily Relieved'  —  Yale suspends the anonymous emailer who blasted Taliban critics.  —  Yale University still isn't talking about why it admitted a former top Taliban official as a student, but yesterday the Yale Law School issued an apology to two alumni whom one of its officials …

FEC raises the stakes for blog bill  —  The Federal Election Commission (FEC) yesterday postponed a controversial decision on subjecting Internet political speech to campaign-finance regulations, raising the stakes for today's scheduled House vote on a bill that exempts all blogs, Web ads and other online communications.

THE FALLING MAN REVISITED  —  Some images leave an indelible mark on your heart and soul.  —  Like "The Falling Man" on 9/11:  —  Credit: Richard Drew, AP  —  His identity has not been confirmed, though many have speculated over the last 4 1/2 years.  Tom Junod wrote an extraordinary piece …