Journalist Jill Carroll Released in Iraq  —  BAGHDAD, March 30 — American journalist Jill Carroll, abducted in early January by gunmen in Baghdad, was released to a Sunni Arab political party in the capital Thursday morning after 82 days in captivity.  —  "I was never hurt, ever hit," she told a Washington Post reporter.

President Discusses Democracy in Iraq with Freedom House  —  Washington, D.C.  —  Fact Sheet: Strategy for Victory: Freedom in Iraq  —  In Focus: Renewal in Iraq  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.  Please be seated.  I shouldn't be so instructive to the Diplomatic Corps.  (Laughter.)

VERDICT: THE NEW YORK TIMES BLEW THE STORY  —  Yesterday, five former judges of the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the subject of the amendments to FISA that have been proposed by Senator Arlen Specter.

Borders, Waldenbooks Won't Carry Magazine  —  Borders and Waldenbooks stores will not stock the April-May issue of Free Inquiry magazine because it contains cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that provoked deadly protests among Muslims in several countries.  —  "For us, the safety and security …

Kaloogian: I'm Sorry, Photo Was a Mistake  —  "I just returned from a 10-day trip to Iraq," begins GOP candidate Howard Kaloogian's Web essay on his experiences visiting troops in the country.  The page, part of his campaign Web site, includes photographs and captions which illustrate his point …

Senate Approves Lobbying Limits by Wide Margin  —  WASHINGTON, March 29 — The Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed the first major restrictions on lobbying in more than a decade, banning lobbyists from giving gifts and meals to lawmakers and tightening rules for pet projects known as earmarks.

Afghan Christian Given Asylum in Italy  —  ROME - The Afghan man who faced the death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity received asylum in Italy Wednesday, despite requests by lawmakers in Afghanistan that he be barred from fleeing the conservative Muslim country.

Real Insecurity  —  This afternoon, congressional Democrats will, at long last, unveil their security "agenda," something they call "Real Security."  Unfortunately, the culture of obstruction they have created on important matters of national security demonstrates a profound misunderstanding …

McCain Woos the Right, Makes Peace With Falwell  —  Possible 2008 Presidential Contender Makes Inroads With GOP Base  —  March 28, 2006 — Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., still breaks from GOP orthodoxy on such issues as torture and immigration.  But operating below the radar …

The Erring Republican Authority  —  Kevin Phillips is wrong about everything.  Why is he taken so seriously?  —  In 1969, an obscure Republican political strategist named Kevin Phillips published a nerdy, statistics-laden book titled The Emerging Republican Majority that offered …

Patriots, Then and Now  —  With nations as with people, love them or lose them.  —  I had a great experience the other night.  I met some of the 114 living recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award.  It was at their annual dinner, held, as it has been the past four years, at the New York Stock Exchange.