CIA Leak Prosecutor Goes to Grand Jury  —  WASHINGTON - Special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald early Wednesday went before a federal grand jury looking into the leak of the identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame.  —  It is believed to be only the second session the prosecutor …

President Announces Tony Snow as Press Secretary  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.  I'm here in the briefing room to break some news.  I've asked Tony Snow to serve as my new press secretary.  —  Tony already knows most of you, and he's agreed to take the job anyway.  (Laughter.)

Loose lips win Pulitzers  —  Four of the prizes honored Bush-bashing and leaking secrets.  How is that good?  —  ON JUNE 7, 1942, shortly after the Battle of Midway, the Chicago Tribune carried a scoop: "Navy Had Word of Jap Plan to Strike at Sea."  The story, written by a correspondent …

Rumsfeld and Rice Make Unannounced Visit to Iraq  —  BAGHDAD, April 26-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made an unannounced joint visit to Iraq Wednesday to bolster the new emerging government and to ensure that the sometimes disjointed U.S. political …

Rather may blog after leaving CBS  —  Last night I had a 5-minute talk with Dan Rather, former CBS News anchor and managing editor.  We covered topics that weren't covered in the 1.5 hour interview with Orville Schell.  Dan Farber of CNET took a picture of us talking.

Lethal Cruelty  —  Lethal injection is considered by some to be a more humane alternative to the electric chair.  But the Supreme Court hears arguments today in a case that shines a light on the reality: if lethal injection is poorly administered, it can in fact be particularly barbaric.

Percentage of Uninsured Americans Rising  —  NEW YORK - The percentage of working-age Americans with moderate to middle incomes who lacked health insurance for at least part of the year rose to 41 percent in 2005, a dramatic increase from the 28 percent in 2001 without coverage, a study released on Wednesday found.

'PROGRESSIVE' MEDIA STALLS: 'AIR AMERICA' IN AUDIENCE PLUNGE NYC, 'DAILY KOS' BOOK SELLS ONLY 3,600 COPIES  —  Left-leaning new media has hit turbulence at the marketplace, newly released stats show.  —  A book hyped by major media as documenting a progressive revolution of "blogs" …

Bush Takes Steps to Ease Increase in Energy Prices  —  WASHINGTON, April 25 — President Bush announced a series of short-term steps on Tuesday intended to ease the rise in energy prices, including a suspension of government purchases to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve …

U.S. media response to cartoons skewered  —  As dozens gathered Tuesday night in a University of Chicago lecture hall to discuss the visceral and sometimes violent reaction to cartoon depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, Muslim students who had been invited decided to watch a movie across campus instead.

German Brothel Removes Muslim Flags Amid Threats  —  It must have seemed like a good idea at the time.  Europe's largest brothel, the Pascha in Cologne, which incidentally claims to be the world's only brothel with a money-back guarantee for dissatisfied customers, attached the flags …

Is the Press Covering the Iraq War On the Cheap?  —  The media needs to send more "troops" to cover the war and provide much-needed coverage.  What's stopping them?  Fear of violence, certainly, but also limits on training and insurance.  Joe Galloway also notes the military's "growing resistance" to embeds.