DID DEMOCRATS COVER UP FOLEY MISDEEDS?  —  Various Democrats are accusing Republicans of covering up Congressman Mark Foley's boy problem, a charge for which there is no evidence.  One wonders, though, whether that is exactly what the Democratic Party did.  —  How did the email …

White House aide to Rove resigns  —  WASHINGTON - A key aide to presidential political strategist Karl Rove resigned Friday after a congressional report listed hundreds of contacts between disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the White House.  —  Susan Ralston, special assistant to President Bush …

Personable Newspaper Executive Ultimately a 'Business Guy'  —  David Hiller is known for his way with people.  But observers expect him to make the bottom line his priority as publisher of The Times.  —  The occasion was the annual advertising department awards ceremony at the Chicago Tribune …

Kean calls for Hastert's resignation  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — New Jersey Republican Senate candidate Tom Kean Jr. on Friday called for House Speaker Dennis Hastert to resign over the congressional page cybersex scandal, making him the first major candidate in his party to do so.

Cannon: Teens "egging on" Foley in online sex scandal  —  WASHINGTON - Rep. Chris Cannon today attempted to clarify public comments he made last night seeming to blame teen-age congressional pages in the unfolding scandal with disgraced ex-Rep. Mark Foley.  —  "These kids are actually precocious kids …

Monologues dialogues.  —  David Brooks's column yesterday began this way (TimesSelect link): … Today, we get the letters to the editor.  Gotta defend the iconic monologues, you know.  The first letter says Brooks "misses a key point, and that is power":

Staffer Cites Earlier Role by Hastert's Office  —  House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's chief of staff confronted then-Rep. Mark Foley about his inappropriate social contact with male pages well before the speaker said aides in his office took any action, a current congressional staff member …

Investigation to Look at Facebook  —  University Says Social Networking Site 'Not Exempt'  —  Columbia will review information and images posted on students' Facebook profiles as part of its investigation into Wednesday night's Minutemen brawl, a University spokesman confirmed Thursday evening.

Job Growth Slows, Unemployment Rate Dips  —  Bush to Speak About Jobs and the Economy  —  The U.S. economy created far fewer jobs in September than anticipated, but revised job figures for previous months showed a surprisingly substantial uptick over what was previously reported.

Scandal Takes Toll on Reynolds Poll Numbers  —  National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Reynolds (N.Y.), who was considered a safe bet for re-election just a few weeks ago, was trailing his Democratic challenger in the first public polls released since the scandal surrounding former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) broke out.

RACE CLASHES HIT WINDSOR  —  Extra police are being drafted into the Windsor area today after three nights of violent clashes between white and Asian youths.  —  Gangs have fought battles in the streets using baseball bats and pitchforks.  A Muslim-run dairy which wants to build a mosque was petrol bombed.

In Border Fence's Path, Congressional Roadblocks  —  No sooner did Congress authorize construction of a 700-mile fence on the U.S.-Mexico border last week than lawmakers rushed to approve separate legislation that ensures it will never be built, at least not as advertised, according to Republican lawmakers and immigration experts.