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.

Iran's Leader Writes to President Bush  —  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written a letter to President Bush, a spokesman for Iran's hard-line government said Monday.  The letter proposed "new solutions for getting out of international problems and the current fragile situation in the world …

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 …

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 …

Choosing War  —  We as humans believe that we are rational and logical.  We believe that our rational choices can control the outcome of our lives.  We believe in this control because, in this world that seems so anarchic and chaotic, we could not operate or continue to exist without it.

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 …

Rove's Time in Limbo Near End in CIA Leak Case  —  Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald is wrapping up his investigation into White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove's role in the CIA leak case by weighing this central question:  —  Did Rove, who was deeply involved in defending President Bush's use …

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.

Many Youths Disregard Their Virginity Pledges, Harvard Study Says  —  According to interviews, more than half have sex within a year.  But one pro-abstinence group disputes the findings.  —  BOSTON — Virginity pledges, in which young people vow to abstain from sex until marriage …

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.

Congress shaping telecom law in private  —  Real work will be done in conference committee, where the public has no influence but lobbyists do.  —  WASHINGTON — The House and Senate are preparing to vote on telecommunications legislation that could affect every American who surfs the Internet, watches cable TV or uses a phone.

CIA's Foggo Expected to Resign Soon  —  Brian Ross and Richard Esposito Report:  —  Dusty Foggo, the executive director of the CIA linked to a bribery investigation, is expected to resign soon, according to CIA officials and his associates.  —  Outgoing CIA Director Porter Goss had refused …

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.