Exclusive Book Excerpt: How an Al-Qaeda Cell Planned a Poison-gas Attack on the N.Y. Subway  —  The plot was called off by Bin Laden's No. 2 only 45 days from zero hour, according to a new book by Ron Suskind  —  Al-Qaeda terrorists came within 45 days of attacking the New York subway system …

My Unwitting Role in the Rove 'Scoop'  —  The May 13 story on the Web site Truthout.org was explosive: Presidential adviser Karl Rove had been indicted by Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald in connection with his role in leaking CIA officer Valerie Plame's name to the media, it blared.

2 Missing U.S. Soldiers Are Sought in Iraq  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 17 — American soldiers on Saturday went house to house, scanned the streets from helicopters and dove into irrigation canals to try to find two of their comrades who had been reported captured by insurgents in an ambush south of the capital.

How Hastert benefited from sale  —  Planned highway could sweeten asset near Plano  —  The complex structure of a real estate transaction in Kendall County last December left House Speaker Dennis Hastert with a seven-figure profit and in prime position to reap further benefits …

'Star Trek' Fans, Deprived of a Show, Recreate the Franchise on Digital Video  —  MASON NECK STATE PARK, Va. — Paul Sieber was wearing a "Star Trek" uniform in the deep Virginia woods when he found himself surrounded by a leathery-looking gang.  —  Fortunately, the ruffians were dressed up as Klingons …

Obama's Profile Has Democrats Taking Notice  —  Popular Senator Is Mentioned as 2008 Contender  —  EAST ORANGE, N.J. — Barack Obama was standing before a packed high school auditorium when he noticed a familiar face in the crowd — none other than singer Dionne Warwick.

Ayatollah's grandson calls for US overthrow of Iran  —  The grandson of Ayatollah Khomeini, the inspiration of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, has broken a three-year silence to back the United States military to overthrow the country's clerical regime.  —  Hossein Khomeini's call …

US military airstrikes in Afghanistan outnumber those in Iraq  —  WASHINGTON — As fighting in Afghanistan has intensified over the past three months, the US military has conducted 340 airstrikes there, more than twice the 160 carried out in the higher-profile war in Iraq …

'He was the first and closest target' … Paul Schrum wanted to see X-Men: The Last Stand, but his wife wasn't interested in the film.  So on Thursday evening- which is her night for mah-jongg with friends - he hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, and headed off to a multiplex up the road in Owings Mills.

9/11 Commission: Somalia Retreat Inspired Bin Laden  —  From National Review's Media Blog: … The author, Stephen Spruiell, goes on to cite the Frontline story "Hunting Bin Laden" to demonstrate how the pullout of Somalia may have inspired Bin Laden.  —  But we don't need to take PBS's word for it.

Along Part of the Border, A Zero-Tolerance Zone  —  Tough Program Is Discouraging Illegal Crossings  —  DEL RIO, Tex. — On June 1, the three Ordaz-Valtierra brothers from Mexico illegally crossed the Rio Grande with the same dream that so many other Latin American immigrants have …

Democrats offer a 'new direction'  —  Congressional Democrats announced "a new direction for America" yesterday, outlining a litany of promises to raise the minimum wage and lower gas prices, college tuition and the cost of health care.  —  "Democrats are united in presenting a new direction for America …

SPLAT, AGAIN  —  Kei suddenly crashed.  I got the techs to reboot it, and two minutes later it crashed again.  —  Rebooted again, and currently working, but disconnected from the net while I investigate.  —  Annika sez: i heard a rumor about a hacker threat?  —  Yes.