For President, First a Leak; Now, a Jam  —  WASHINGTON, April 7 — That President Bush authorized an aide to disclose classified intelligence on Iraqi weapons, as asserted in court papers, comes as no shock to official Washington.  The leaking of secrets has long been a favored tool of policy debate …

THE IRAN PLANS  —  Would President Bush go to war to stop Tehran from getting the bomb?  —  The Bush Administration, while publicly advocating diplomacy in order to stop Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon, has increased clandestine activities inside Iran and intensified planning for a possible major air attack.

Kerry Sharply Criticizes Bush on Several Fronts  —  Senator John Kerry made a slashing attack on the Bush administration yesterday, comparing it to the faltering government in Iraq and equating its war strategy with its planning for Hurricane Katrina, while also invoking Jesus as he criticized federal Medicaid policy.

Threat of Shiite Militias Now Seen As Iraq's Most Critical Challenge  —  BAGHDAD, April 7 — Shiite Muslim militias pose the greatest threat to security in many parts of Iraq, having killed more people in recent months than the Sunni Arab-led insurgency, and will likely present the most daunting …

Congressman's Special Projects Bring Complaints  —  As lawmakers have increasingly slipped pet projects into federal spending bills over the past decade, one lawmaker has used his powerful perch on the House Appropriations Committee to funnel $250 million into five nonprofit organizations that he set up.

Why the Immigration Deal Flopped  —  Politics wins out, as a compromise plan falls apart.  But don't count out immigration reform just yet.  —  Talk about cold feet.  Less than 24 hours after the leaders of the Senate's Democratic and Republican families had announced a marriage of convenience …

Movement for Santorum?  —  Wednesday afternoon Rasmussen Reports released a poll on the Pennsylvania Senate race that raised a few eyebrows.  The poll showed Senator Santorum trailing State Treasurer Bob Casey by nine points (50-41), representing the first time Santorum had closed the gap …

Co-workers: DHS official had previous pornography incident  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — A Department of Homeland Security spokesman charged with soliciting a minor over the Internet was disciplined in a previous job after an incident in which pornographic images were seen on an office computer, his friends and former co-workers said.

Snow's Job  —  Why no Wall Street CEO wants to be the new Treasury secretary.  —  Several Democrats yesterday unveiled the Hamilton Project, an effort to create a new vision for economic policy.  Republicans, meanwhile, are trying to engineer their own Hamilton project …

Late Night FDL: Transmitting Extremism  —  (Tonight's guest poster is David Neiwert of Orcinus.)  —  The snow crunched loudly beneath my feet in the winter of 2000 when I walked the short distance from the roadway back to the Aryan Nations compound near Hayden Lake, Idaho.

Pub smoking ban 'will boost female binge drinking'  —  Smoke-free bars and public houses will attract more female customers and could fuel the rise in binge drinking among women, a report warns.  —  It points out that as bars and pubs become more appealing venues to women …

Air trends 'amplifying' warming  —  Environment Correspondent, BBC News website, in Vienna  —  Reduced air pollution and increased water evaporation appear to be adding to man-made global warming.  —  Research presented at a major European science meeting adds to other evidence that cleaner air …

Thoughts on Bush's Role in Press Leaks  —  Currently, there are a couple of U.S. government officials who have been charged, prosecuted, and/or ordered to serve prison time because they were involved in leaks of national security information.  —  One of these people is former Defense …