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.

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.

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.)

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 …

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.

Canada cuts ties to Palestinian Authority  —  OTTAWA — Canada has become the first country after Israel to cut funding and diplomatic ties to the Palestinian Authority over the new Hamas government's refusal to renounce violence.  —  The Conservatives say they will still offer humanitarian aid …

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.

McKinney Allegedly Punches Cop  —  According to sources on Capitol Hill, U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) punched a Capitol police officer on Wednesday afternoon after he mistakenly pursued her for failing to pass through a metal detector.  —  Members of Congress are not required to pass through metal detectors.

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 …

Congressional Candidate Slams Press Coverage of Iraq—With Bogus Photo  —  NEW YORK How far will critics of media coverage of the Iraq war go to prove reporters are wrongly focusing on the negative?  —  One answer came this week, in a shocking if amusing episode featuring one Howard Kaloogian …

The 'Immigration Backlash'  —  Of course America needs immigrants.  This is a country founded by immigrants and made richer by the imprint of newcomers in search of a land that rewards their hard work and determination to make a better life for their families.