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.

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 …

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 …

U.S. Study Paints Somber Portrait of Iraqi Discord  —  WASHINGTON, April 8 — An internal staff report by the United States Embassy and the military command in Baghdad provides a sobering province-by-province snapshot of Iraq's political, economic and security situation …

Demo candidate accused of showing Bush-bashing video to his students  —  Parent says West science teacher showed eighth graders video with obscenities  —  Christy Jackson does not want a teacher showing her 13-year-old son a video calling the president of the United States an a—hole during class.

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 …

Mollohan Story: A Game-Changer?  —  The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that the feds are investigating Rep. Alan Mollohan's (D-WV 01) finances and "whether they were properly disclosed."  —  According to the Journal, Mollohan's household assets exponentially grew (from $565K in '00 to at least $6.3M in' 04).

Lobbying Cases Shine Spotlight on Family Ties  —  WASHINGTON, April 8 — On Dec. 3, 2003, Aeneas Enterprises opened for business in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, and judging by its bank records, the small consulting company with no listed telephone number was an instant success.

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 …

Anyone for tennis, at the age of 150?  —  Scientific progress promises us far longer, happier lives.  Yet the 'bioconservatives' want to stop it  —  BY THE END of this century, the typical European may attend a family reunion in which five generations are playing together.

Whistle-Blower Outs NSA Spy Room  —  AT&T provided National Security Agency eavesdroppers with full access to its customers' phone calls, and shunted its customers' internet traffic to data-mining equipment installed in a secret room in its San Francisco switching center …

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 …

Frist's Southern Hospitality  —  It was with some trepidation that we opened a most interesting card, which announced on a blue-jeaned cowboy's belt buckle something called the "5th Annual VOLPAC '06 Weekend" in Nashville on April 21-23.  —  Problem was you had to unbuckle the cowboy's pants …