Iran Rejects Offer For Nuclear Talks  —  The Iranian government has told senior European officials that it will not accept the only condition set by the Bush administration and its Western allies for talks on the country's nuclear program and will continue enriching uranium …

Exclusive Poll Results Show Allen Losing Ground  —  GOP Allen's Once Large Lead Evaporates: In an election for the United States Senate in Virginia today, 8/21/06, incumbent Republican George Allen edges Democrat challenger James Webb 48% to 45%, according to an exclusive SurveyUSA poll conducted for W*USA-TV in Washington, DC.

Washington Whispers  —  Don't laugh, but a loaner training kayak in the pool of the House of Representatives gym made the difference in President Bush's House victory for a pork-busting line-item veto.  "That's spot on," says Colorado Rep. Mark Udall, who helped talk 34 other Democrats into backing the measure 247 to 172.

The Ongoing Battle for Baghdad  —  Map of Baghdad and location of the for worst neighborhoods.  Click map to view.  —  The city of Baghdad, as well as Baghdad Province has become the epicenter of violence in Iraq.  In a recent press briefing, Major General Bill Caldwell stated …

New York Times' Eavesdropping Story Wasn't The Only One Squashed For Bush During 2004 Campaign  —  This Sunday the New York Times' Bill Keller got dresed down on the paper's letters page, with scores of readers taking the executive editor to task for being evasive in his previous explanations regarding why …

Judge Orders Justice Department Investigation of Leak to CBS Report  —  A federal judge has ordered a Justice Department probe into how CBS News obtained a story two years ago disclosing an FBI investigation into a pro-Israel lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Poll: GOP up after terror arrests  —  WASHINGTON — The arrest of terror suspects in London has helped buoy President Bush to his highest approval rating in six months and dampen Democratic congressional prospects to their lowest in a year.  —  In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday …

Israel, US foil Iran arms transfer  —  ANKARA, Turkey  —  Israeli and American intelligence agencies alerted Turkish authorities last Friday that several Lebanon-bound Iranian planes, loaded with military hardware meant for the Hizbullah, were making their way through Turkish airspace, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

Who's the senator who wants spending kept secret?  —  The Washington DC Examiner Newspaper, The Examiner  —  WASHINGTON - A Senate staffer — who shall remain nameless here — must have awakened on the wrong side of the bed Monday morning.  Said staffer exploded in response …

Scientists Offer Proof of 'Dark Matter'  —  Analysis of Galactic Collision Said to Reveal Mysterious Substance  —  For decades, many scientists have theorized that the universe is made up of nearly undetectable mysterious substances called dark matter and dark energy.

President on Another Planet  —  For a moment there, I was almost encouraged.  George W. Bush, the most resolutely incurious and inflexible of presidents, was reported last week to have been surprised at seeing Iraqi citizens — who ought to be grateful beneficiaries of the American occupation …

Killing Won't Win This War  —  THREE years into the Sunni insurgency in Iraq, everyone from slicksleeved privates fighting for survival in Ramadi to the echelons above reality at the Pentagon still believes that eliminating insurgents will eliminate the insurgency.  They are wrong.

A Man, a Plan, a Dam.  Then, an F.B.I. Call.  —  On July 25, Jim Bensman of Alton, Ill., attended a public meeting on the proposed construction of a bypass channel for fish at a dam on the Mississippi River.  Less than a week later, he was under investigation by the F.B.I. — the victim …

Russian plane crashes in Ukraine  —  A Russian passenger plane carrying 170 people has crashed in eastern Ukraine.  —  Thirty bodies have been found at the crash site, about 45km (30 miles) north of Donetsk, a Russian official said.  —  The Tupolev-154 was flying from southern Russia …

Bush lied, JonBenet died?  (Update: Absurdly biased AFP photo series added)  —  Texas Rainmaker finds the smoking gun. … On a hunch, I did a Google search for "Seth Brigham" and got this: … Must be a coincidence.  —  As for Bush, I think he's in the clear.  We've got a much better lead on this one.

Smoking cuts for classic cartoons after UK complaint  —  LONDON (Reuters) - Turner Broadcasting is scouring more than 1,500 classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons, including old favorites "Tom and Jerry," "The Flinstones" and "Scooby-Doo," to edit out scenes that glamorize smoking.

Tories open nine-point lead as Labour drops to 19-year low  —  David Cameron is on course for a possible general election win, according to a Guardian/ICM poll published today that shows support for the Conservatives climbing to a lead that could give them a narrow majority in the Commons, while Labour has plunged to a 19-year low.

Battle for DeLay's seat could help tilt balance of power  —  SUGAR LAND, Texas - Charity is rare in partisan politics, and nobody ever accused Republican powerhouse Tom DeLay of cutting Democrats any slack.  But the former House majority leader's resignation could hand Democrats the gift …