Republican wins bellwether House race  —  A former Republican congressman narrowly beat his Democratic rival early Wednesday for the right to fill the House seat once held by jailed Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a race closely watched as a possible early barometer of next fall's vote.

Retirement Account of DeLay's Wife Traced  —  With Disclosure, Family's Known Benefits From Ties With Lobbyist Exceed $490,000  —  A registered lobbyist opened a retirement account in the late 1990s for the wife of then-House Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) and contributed thousands of dollars …

Proposal Would Let Iran Enrich Uranium  —  TEHRAN, June 6 — The confidential diplomatic package backed by Washington and formally presented to Iran on Tuesday leaves open the possibility that Tehran will be able to enrich uranium on its own soil, U.S. and European officials said.

Senate Emphasis on Ideology Has Some in G.O.P. Anxious  —  WASHINGTON, June 6 — Though some Republican candidates may relish the Senate's current concentration on same-sex marriage and other ideologically charged topics, Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island is not among them.

Ann Coulter, Meet Ted Rall  —  One of the topics that flew under my radar yesterday came from an interview Ann Coulter did with Matt Lauer on the Today show, promoting her new book, Godless.  Other bloggers have picked up this story before I did, where I saw it at Rick Moran's Right Wing Nuthouse.

Technology Sharpens the Incumbents' Edge  —  Redistricting Also Complicates Democrats' Effort to Take Control of House  —  In Ohio's 1st Congressional District, Republican incumbent Steve Chabot is running up against his toughest reelection challenge in years.  But his Democratic opponent is running up against Chabot's computer.

Bush Turns to House in Immigration Debate  —  ARTESIA, N.M., June 6 — President Bush tried on Tuesday to win back the trust of conservatives who have distanced themselves from him on immigration, promising to "get this border enforced" and warning those who enter the country illegally that "if you get caught, you get sent home."

McKinney deal may be in works  —  Lawyer rejects talk of any negotiations  —  WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors investigating the confrontation between Rep. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia and a Capitol police officer have been talking privately with McKinney's office in hopes of resolving …

Salvaging Iraq  —  The images from Iraq are of hell on earth: On Sunday 12 Iraqi students traveling to Baqubah to take their final exams were dragged from a bus and killed because they practiced the wrong religion.  The next day gunmen dressed in police uniforms kidnapped 56 people near …

Plan to storm Parliament alleged  —  Terror suspects remanded for bail hearings  —  Jun. 6, 2006.  —  SURYA BHATTACHARYA AND JESSICA LEEDER  —  Bombings, an armed assault on Parliament and even the beheading of Prime Minister Stephen Harper were among a chilling miscellany …

Block the Vote, Ohio Remix  —  If there was ever a sign of a ruling party in trouble, it is a game plan that calls for trying to win by discouraging voting.  —  The latest sign that Republicans have an election-year strategy to shut down voter registration drives comes from Ohio.