Iraqi claims U.S. GIs beat wounded man  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi man who was one of the first people on the scene of the U.S. airstrike targeting Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said he saw American troops beating a man who had a beard like the al-Qaida leader.  —  The witness, who lives near …

Gingrich May Run in 2008 If No Front-Runner Emerges  —  Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) expects to run for president in 2008 if the contest for the Republican nomination still seems wide open late next year, he said yesterday.  —  In remarks that were critical of both parties' recent performance …

UPDATED: Senate Candidate Webb Caught In Bigotry Web  —  Yes, Virginia, in Virginia you should file this one in your Reprehensible Department File: … THEN READ MORE: … True.  And he didn't show him with horns, cutting a pound of flesh from a Christian child, or digging a new Grand Canyon …

Gathering Highlights Power of the Blog  —  LAS VEGAS, June 9 — If any more proof were needed of the rising influence of bloggers — at least for the Democratic Party — it could be found here on Friday on the Las Vegas Strip, where the old and new worlds of American politics engaged …

Brown: E-mail shows Bush glad FEMA took Katrina flak  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — The former emergency management chief who quit amid widespread criticism over his handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina said he received an e-mail before his resignation stating President Bush was glad …

9/11 Commissioner Criticizes Coulter  —  A member of the Sept. 11 commission on Friday lashed out at conservative pundit Ann Coulter for a "hate-filled attack" in saying the widows whose husbands died in the World Trade Center used the deaths for their own political gain.

Iraq War Critic Surprises Democrats  —  Murtha Says He Will Run for Majority Leader if Party Wins  —  Rep. John P. Murtha (Pa.), one of the Democrats' leading antiwar voices, startled his political colleagues yesterday by announcing he would seek a senior leadership position if the Democrats win control of the House in November.

Councilman asks Geno's to lose 'Speak English' sign  —  PHILADELPHIA -  —  At a City Council meeting Thursday, Councilman Jim Kenney asked Geno's Steaks to take down its sign that says, "This Is AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING SPEAK ENGLISH."  —  That's just the latest example of how an English …

Teacher witnessed transformation of some bomb-plot suspects  —  A Muslim religious leader in Toronto who knows some of those charged in the suspected bomb plot says the young men underwent rapid transformations from normal Canadian teenagers to radicalized introverts.

Poop prank has Musgrave staff fuming  —  A UNC emeritus professor is charged with returning the congresswoman's mailer - with interest.  —  A former professor of French at the University of Northern Colorado has been cited for allegedly making a special delivery to U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave that reeked of political partisanship.

Secret report brands Muslim police corrupt  —  Fury over internal Met study which says Asians need special training  —  A secret high-level Metropolitan police report has concluded that Muslim officers are more likely to become corrupt than white officers because of their cultural and family backgrounds.