Bush slams leak of terror finance story  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush on Monday sharply condemned the disclosure of a program to secretly monitor the financial transactions of suspected terrorists.  "The disclosure of this program is disgraceful," he said.

Writer Sat on His Own Life-and-Death Story  —  For a reporter whose specialty is digging out secrets, Murray Waas has been keeping one about himself for a long time.  —  He was once diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer and told he had little chance of survival.

Spinning Haditha  —  So I receive a phone call from a reporter at ABC News.  They are working on a story about Haditha, and the reporter's comments to me go something along the lines of; "I am particularly interested in your recent pieces on Haditha in which you say that in order to understand what happened …

Democrats split on a 2d run by Kerry  —  Some embrace recent rhetoric; others say it's time for a new face  —  WASHINGTON — Senator John F. Kerry has intensified his quest to regain the Democratic presidential nomination with a sharp move to the left, presenting himself in high-profile speeches …

Decisions: campaign finance limits nullified; five rulings overall  —  (NOTE: The next decision day will be Wednesday, the Supreme Court announced.  Five decisions remain (see below).  Presumably, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., will announce on Wednesday when the Term will end.

Was Saddam Regime a Broker for Terror Alliances?  —  Prologue:  —  Newly declassified documents captured by U.S. forces indicate that Saddam Hussein's inner circle not only actively reached out to the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan and terror-based jihadists in the region …

Lessons from a Larger-than-Life President  —  Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most remarkable figures in America's story.  Adventurous, brave, opinionated, a larger-than-life personality, he was a man of action, energy and motion.  T.R. loved what he called "the literature of history" …

Call for Lobbying Changes Is A Fading Cry, Lawmakers Say  —  Calming of Political Storm Cited as Reason for Attitude Shift  —  When Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) announced his resignation as majority leader in January — soon after lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to corruption charges — House Republicans panicked.

The Dems' Iraq gap  —  Senate Democrats' resolutions on the war are dubious from both a policy and political standpoint.  —  IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE THAT DEMOCRATS in the U.S. Senate would use the war in Iraq to send a political message to the party faithful, as some did last week in voting …

Fletcher rides a few hundred feet home  —  BUT KENTUCKIANS URGED TO WALK MORE  —  FRANKFORT - Under a blue Kentucky sky, birds sing from the boughs of the oaks and magnolias on the Capitol lawn.  People walk their dogs.  Joggers pass by.  —  Gov. Ernie Fletcher finishes a day at the office …

Afghan Leader Losing Support  —  KABUL, Afghanistan, June 25 — Many Afghans and some foreign supporters say they are losing faith in President Hamid Karzai's government, which is besieged by an escalating insurgency and endemic corruption and is unable to protect or administer large areas of the country.