Pluto gets the boot  —  Pluto no longer a planet, say astronomers  —  PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AP) — Leading astronomers declared Thursday that Pluto is no longer a planet under historic new guidelines that downsize the solar system from nine planets to eight.

Israel may 'go it alone' against Iran  —  Israel is carefully watching the world's reaction to Iran's continued refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, with some high-level officials arguing it is now clear that when it comes to stopping Iran, Israel "may have to go it alone," The Jerusalem Post has learned.

'Morning After' Pill Is Cleared for Wider Sales  —  The Food and Drug Administration today approved over-the-counter sales of the "morning-after" contraceptive pill to women 18 and older, resolving one of the most contentious issues in the agency's 100-year history.

In New Method for Stem Cells, Viable Embryos  —  Biologists have developed a technique for establishing colonies of human embryonic stem cells from an early human embryo without destroying it.  This method, if confirmed in other laboratories, would seem to remove the principal objection to the research.

General: Iran Training Shiite Insurgents  —  WASHINGTON — The Iranian government is training and equipping much of the Shiite insurgency in Iraq, a senior U.S. general said Wednesday, drawing one of the most direct links by the Pentagon.  —  Brig. Gen. Michael Barbero also said it was too soon …

Candidates from Both Parties Shun Partisan Label  —  Newsflash!  President Bush is unpopular.  No wonder Democrats across the country are dutifully attempting to tie every Republican candidate to their unpopular leader.  —  But most Republicans are under no illusions about the President's standing or mood of the electorate.

Black students ordered to give up seats to white children  —  Status of Red River Parish bus driver is unknown.  —  vwelborn@gannett.com  —  COUSHATTA — Nine black children attending Red River Elementary School were directed last week to the back of the school bus by a white driver who designated the front seats for white children.

Careers and Marriage  —  Forbes.com published a story Aug. 22 by editor Michael Noer on two-career relationships that provoked a heated response from both outside and inside our building.  Elizabeth Corcoran, a member of our Silicon Valley bureau and principal author of the magazine's current cover story …

MCCAIN IS BASHING BUSH ON IRAQ, and some people are pretty angry at him for backstabbing.  —  The substance of McCain's claim is pretty weak: I don't recall Bush ever saying that Iraq would be a "day at the beach," and in fact casualties to date are considerably lower than what was generally expected …

Search and Replace: Q, N  —  Summary: In this post I look at the report released by the House Intelligence Committee.  It serves two purposes, in my opinion: To present the first "case" against Iran, under the guise of calling for better intelligence on Iran.

What the Terrorists Want  —  On Aug. 16, two men were escorted off a plane headed for Manchester, England, because some passengers thought they looked either Asian or Middle Eastern, might have been talking Arabic, wore leather jackets, and looked at their watches — and the passengers refused to fly with them on board.

A Matter of Appearances  —  When Judge Anna Diggs Taylor was given the job of deciding whether the Bush administration's wiretapping program was unconstitutional, she certainly understood that she would be ruling on one of the most politically charged cases in recent history.

Marine Called Haditha Shootings Appropriate  —  A sergeant who examined the scene hours after Marines killed two dozen Iraqis in Haditha last year said the shootings appeared to be an appropriate response to a coordinated insurgent attack, according to a sworn statement obtained by The Washington Post.

Is a Housing Crisis Approaching?  —  Our conversation yesterday — and the weak Existing Home Sales data — lead us to an inevitable question: Is a Housing Crisis Approaching?  —  For some insight into this issue, let's pull some data from a fascinating discussion in Barron's this past weekend.

Lieberman to Campaign With Republicans Today  —  Because nobody could have predicted it — Joe Lieberman will be campaigning with GOP candidates Jodi Rell and Rob Simmons today at the Groton sub base (the one that Holy Joe claims to have singlehandedly saved).