Murtha: Iraq killings may hurt war effort  —  WASHINGTON - The deaths of as many as two dozen Iraqi civilians and an ensuing cover-up threaten to do more harm to U.S. efforts in Iraq than even the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, a prominent congressman and war critic says.

Frist Backs Search of Congressman's Office  —  WASHINGTON — In a break with his counterparts in the House, the Senate's leader said Sunday the FBI was within its right to search the office of a congressman under investigation in a bribery case.  —  "No House member, no senator …

A Few Years, and Then Another Bush?  —  WASHINGTON — Bush III?  Or has the dynasty run its course?  —  Those are the questions some Republicans are asking themselves as political talk bubbles up yet again about President Bush's brother Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida and his interest in the White House.

Pentagon Seeks Nonnuclear Tip for Sub Missiles  —  WASHINGTON, May 28 — The Pentagon is pressing Congress to approve the development of a new weapon that would enable the United States to carry out nonnuclear missile strikes against distant targets within an hour.

Egypt democracy activist blogs from cell  —  CAIRO, Egypt - Even from his cell in an Egyptian prison, Alaa Abdel-Fattah is blogging — scribbling messages on slips of paper that make their way to the Internet and spread around the world.  —  The 24-year-old Abdel-Fattah's blog …

Elizabeth Vargas, Exiting Stage Center  —  Elizabeth Vargas says she's at peace with her decision to walk away from one of the highest-profile jobs in America.  But not everyone is so thrilled about it, especially some women.  —  Vargas, 43, stepped down as the co-anchor of ABC's …

China Syndrome  —  The Limits of Developmental Autocracy by Minxin Pei  —  A MAN WALKS INTO A BAR.  At first, he finds nothing unusual about the noisy, convivial atmosphere, but then he realizes something is a little different.  Numbers are being called out, one at a time, eliciting laughter from the patrons.

If Power Shifts In 2008  —  A Democrat Might Not Be as Different as You Would Think  —  Could the United States be better off with a Democrat in the White House in 2009?  Here are a couple of reasons the answer might be yes, even if you're not a Democrat.

Bush 'planted fake news stories on American TV'  —  Federal authorities are actively investigating dozens of American television stations for broadcasting items produced by the Bush administration and major corporations, and passing them off as normal news.  Some of the fake news segments talked …

Tester, Morrison deadlocked  —  HELENA — John Morrison and Jon Tester are running neck-and-neck in their race for the June 7 Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Conrad Burns, a Lee Newspapers poll taken last week shows.  —  Morrison received 42 percent …

New Witness Describes Alleged Iraq Atrocity  —  Girl, 12, Was Sole Survivor When Her Family Was Killed in Haditha; Congressman Says 'Mass Murder' Was Covered Up  —  May 28, 2006 — After a small group of Marines stormed the Younis family home in Haditha last November, everybody inside was killed — except one person.