Bush, Blair to announce 'phased withdrawal' from Iraq  —  Michael Smith, a reporter for the London Sunday Times, broke the Downing Street Minutes in 2004.  —  LONDON — Tony Blair and George Bush will announce that they are to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq at a summit in Washington as early as this week, RAW STORY has learned.

Reclaiming the Democratic Agenda  —  Though you'd never know it from surfing the Internet, there exists in the Democratic Party a substantial body of politicians and policymakers who believe the U.S. mission in Iraq must be sustained until it succeeds; who want to intensify American attempts …

FBI Says Jefferson Was Filmed Taking Cash  —  Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.), the target of a 14-month public corruption probe, was videotaped accepting $100,000 in $100 bills from a Northern Virginia investor who was wearing an FBI wire, according to a search warrant affidavit released yesterday.

Whistle-Blower's Evidence, Uncut  —  Former AT&T technician Mark Klein is the key witness in the Electronic Frontier Foundation's class-action lawsuit against the telecommunications company, which alleges that AT&T cooperated in an illegal National Security Agency domestic surveillance program.

Iran denies 'mischievous' allegations on Jews  —  Iranian officials and politicians have strongly condemned a Canadian newspaper report alleging that Iran had passed a law requiring Jews to wear yellow badges on their clothes.  —  The story also claimed Christians and Zoroastrians …

Anti-war video bogus?  —  I can't get this to load, but I'm putting the link out there anyway because someone sent me a long message this morning questioning its veracity.  Not just the claims that are made, either; I'm talking about mistakes in his uniform, etc.

LISTENING IN  —  A few days before the start of the confirmation hearings for General Michael Hayden, who has been nominated by President Bush to be the head of the C.I.A., I spoke to an official of the National Security Agency who recently retired.  The official joined the N.S …

Rove Lawyer Has a Pet Peeve  —  Robert Luskin, Karl Rove's lawyer, says he spent most of the day on May 12 taking his cat to the veterinarian and having a technician fix his computer at home.  —  He was stunned, therefore, when journalists started calling to ask about an online report …

Justice prays for a Prez in 'real trouble'  —  Just how bad are things for President Bush?  —  Pretty bad, I'd say, if even Clarence Thomas is worried about him.  —  The other night at a Washington book party for the President's sister, Doro Bush Koch, the Supreme Court justice arrived with his wife …

Montenegro chooses independence  —  Montenegro has narrowly voted for independence from its union with Serbia, near-complete results say.  —  The head of the country's electoral commission said 55.4% of voters had voted to secede from Serbia, just above the 55% required for victory.

Graduates get an apology  —  NEW PALTZ - New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. told about 900 SUNY New Paltz graduates Sunday that he was sorry.  —  It wasn't an apology for anything Sulzberger, who first joined the Times in 1978 as a Washington correspondent, specifically did.

Coalition: Attacks Kill Up to 80 Taliban  —  KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A U.S.-led nighttime airstrike against a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan killed up to 80 suspected rebels, military officials said Monday.  The local governor and a doctor said 17 civilians also were killed.

Protests, Applause Greet Rice at BC  —  A few students turned their backs but more stood to applaud as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice received an honorary degree and addressed graduates at Boston College on Monday.  —  After weeks of turmoil and anti-war protests over Rice's invitation …

A Hard Bill to Love  —  WASHINGTON — A less permissive tone on immigration was signaled in the Senate last Tuesday when a proposal to cut guest worker visas down to 200,000 from 350,000 was supported by a surprisingly one-sided vote of 80 to 17.  The mood change was not influenced by a leader …