Palestinian militant leaders rally behind Iran  —  TEHRAN (AFP) - Palestinian militant leaders have rallied behind Iran, vowing to resist pressure to recognise Israel and supporting the Islamic republic in its stand-off with the West over its nuclear programme.

Anger at Bush May Hurt GOP At Polls  —  Intense and widespread opposition to President Bush is likely to be a sharp spur driving voters to the polls in this fall's midterm elections, according to strategists in both parties, a phenomenon that could give Democrats a turnout advantage over Republicans for the first time in recent years.

New Worry Rises After Iran Claims Nuclear Steps  —  Of all the claims that Iran made last week about its nuclear program, a one-sentence assertion by its president has provoked such surprise and concern among international nuclear inspectors they are planning to confront Tehran about it this week.

Muslims outraged by new cartoon of Prophet in Hell  —  An Italian magazine has infuriated Muslims by publishing a cartoon showing the Prophet Mohammed cut in half and burning in Hell.  —  The drawing appears in Studi Cattolici, a monthly magazine with links to the ultra-conservative Roman Catholic group, Opus Dei.

Demonstrations on Immigration Harden a Divide  —  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., April 14 — Al and Diane Kitlica have not paid close attention to the immigration debate in Congress.  But when more than 100,000 mostly Hispanic demonstrators marched through Phoenix this week, the Kitlicas noticed.

Outrage at Funeral Protests Pushes Lawmakers to Act  —  Members of Westboro Baptist Church demonstrating in February in Anoka, Minn., near the funeral for Cpl. Andrew Kemple, who was killed in Iraq.  People opposed to the church's views carried flags nearby.

Congress Approval at 12-Year Low  —  Rating slipped four percentage points since March  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Public approval of the job Congress is doing has dipped to its lowest level of 2006, and is now the worst Gallup has recorded since the closing days of the Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994.

We were liberals once and had dry pants  —  Expect the bedwetting set and their neocon overlords to attempt to make a big hoohah over the the Euston Manifesto for the next week or so.  —  What is the Euston Manifesto, you might rightly ask.  —  Well, since you asked so nicely …

'Roe v. Wade': The divided states of America  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two hours after South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds signed an abortion ban last month, NARAL Pro-Choice America blasted an e-mail to its supporters: "Is your state next?"  —  The South Dakota legislation and the abortion rights group's warning …

Bush Was Right About Iraq's Quest For Uranium  —  In a surprising editorial, The Washington Post deviated from the conventional anti-Bush media position on two counts.  It said President Bush was right to declassify parts of a National Intelligence Estimate to make clear why he thought Saddam Hussein was seeking nuclear weapons.

Neil Young sets his sights on Bush  —  He is country rock's biggest icon, and he is angry.  Recorded in secret, his forthcoming album savages the war in Iraq.  One track says it all: 'Impeach the President'  —  It started as a rumour - gossip shared by fans on internet chat sites.

America's 10 Best Senators  —  Those who make a difference in the U.S. Senate — and five Senators who are falling short  —  By law, just about anyone can be a U.S. Senator.  The Constitution requires only that you have reached your 30th birthday, reside in the state you represent and have held American citizenship for nine years.

Generals, See Progress  —  The struggle to form a unity government in Iraq continues, but signs of hope are emerging.  One of the sticking points continues to be Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, who has so far refused to resign; however, on Sunday the Iraqi Shia Alliance reported it was close to a deal to replace him.

Meet Masood Farivar  —  The Afghan Yale refused to admit.  —  In February, former Yale admissions dean Richard Shaw was explaining why the university had admitted Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi.  Yale once had, as the Times put it, "another foreigner of Rahmatullah's caliber" who applied.

Why Newt Is So Much Fun to Watch  —  He's older and wiser, but as refreshingly unorthodox as ever  —  "How many of you have ever used an automatic bank machine overseas?"  Newt Gingrich asks, and since this is a pretty affluent New Hampshire audience, a fair number of people raise their hand.