EXCLUSIVE: CIA Nominee Hayden Linked to MZM  —  While director of the National Security Agency, Gen. Michael V. Hayden contracted the services of a top executive at the company at the center of the Cunningham bribery scandal, according to two former employees of the company.

Bush approval rating hits new low  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush's approval rating has slumped to 31% in a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, the lowest of his presidency and a warning sign for Republicans in the November elections.  —  The survey of 1,013 adults, taken Friday through Sunday …

Peres says that Iran 'can also be wiped off the map'  —  TEHRAN, Iran  —  Vice Premier Shimon Peres said Monday in an interview to Reuters that "the president of Iran should remember that Iran can also be wiped off the map," Army Radio reported.  —  According to Peres …

Atwar Bahjat Beheading Video a Hoax (Images / Video)  —  ****Jawa Report Exclusive****  —  A gruesome beheading video delivered to the Sunday Times purporting to be of slain journalist Atwar Bahjat is a hoax.  On Sunday, May 7th, the Times reported that they had received a low-quality video of Atwar Bahjat being slowly beheaded.

Al Gore Might Yet Join 2008 Contenders  —  Former Vice President Keeps Mum  —  As His Movie Sparks Talk of a White House Run  —  First there was Clinton-Gore.  Could Clinton vs. Gore be next?  —  For former Vice President Al Gore, a rash of favorable publicity surrounding this month's opening …

MSNBC reporter: 'I am convinced that Karl Rove will, in fact, be indicted'  —  Rush transcript from Countdown with Keith Olbermann / MSNBC.  —  MSNBC's Keith Olbermann: There are stories — possibly apocryphal — from the medieval courts of chancery in England, of lawsuits that took so long …

Moussaoui asks for new trial  —  Less than a week after he was jailed for life over the September 11 attacks, Al-Qaeda plotter Zacarias Moussaoui submitted a motion asking to withdraw his guilty plea so he can have a new trial.  —  "Moussaoui wishes to withdraw his guilty plea because when he entered …

After this bloody shambles, a question.  Is Tony Blair his own worst enemy?  —  IT IS said by some that David Bowie created his epic song Life On Mars by writing a series of rhyming couplets, chucking them all up in the air and organising the lyrics in the order that they landed.

Bush's Appointees Not As Diverse as Clinton's  —  President Bush's crop of political appointees includes fewer women and minorities than did President Bill Clinton's at comparable points in their presidencies, according to a new report by House Democrats.  —  Women made up about 37 percent …

What's in a Name?  Plenty If It's Kennedy  —  It's hard to imagine that Patrick Kennedy would have gotten elected to Congress a dozen years ago without his last name.  —  It's equally hard to imagine that the media would be going wild about his late-night car crash and prescription drug addiction if he weren't a Kennedy.

Newspaper Circulation Declines 2.6 Percent  —  Newspaper circulation fell 2.6 percent in the six-month period ending in March, according to data released Monday, as more people turned to the Internet and other media outlets for news and information.  —  The decline in average paid weekday circulation …

Heathers.  —  Where to begin?  So Stephen Colbert gave a speech that lots of people thought was funny, except for the people in the room where he gave it.  The Objective Humor Value of the speech became swiftly politicized, and finding it funny became a litmus test for True Believer and You're One of Us status.

LEFT-WING LOONIES?....Jon Chait took a lot of abuse yesterday for writing a column that suggested it would be OK if Joe Lieberman won his primary race in Connecticut: … If you think that I have no desire to get into the middle of this infantile shouting match, you're absolutely right.

His Legacy and His Library Occupy Bush's Thoughts  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush had dinner last month on the Stanford University campus at the home of George P. Shultz, who was President Ronald Reagan's secretary of state, and the topic of conversation was not, as might be expected, the war in Iraq.

U.S. Immigration Debate Is a Road Well Traveled  —  NEW YORK — They were portrayed as a disreputable lot, the immigrant hordes of this great city.  —  The Germans refused for decades to give up their native tongue and raucous beer gardens.  The Irish of Hell's Kitchen brawled and clung to political sinecures.