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 …

Warning Shots Fired Near Korean Border  —  SEOUL, South Korea — Gunfire rang out Saturday along the heavily armed no man's land separating the divided Koreas, as regional tensions mounted in anticipation of communist North Korea's plan to test its first atomic bomb.

Warner's Iraq Remarks Surprise White House  —  The White House, caught off guard by a leading Republican senator who said the situation in Iraq was "drifting sideways," responded cautiously on Friday, with a spokeswoman for President Bush stopping short of saying outright that Mr. Bush disagreed with the assessment.

Busted!  Harold Ford Jr. - Life Imitates Lawyer  —  Democrat Harold Ford Jr. is found guilty!  —  Ford Impersonates a lawyer on CNN with Wolf Blitzer  —  (20 seconds)  —  Harold Ford Jr. says, "I'm a lawyer.  You would expect all of those who are interviewed to be truthful and candid and forthcoming."

THE NEW RELIGIOUS SOCIALISTS  —  I found this to be an interesting news article for several reasons, not the least of which is the title and the attitude of the writer.  However, I would like to focus more on the content: … Every American who values freedom of speech and an open …

Foley Story Wasn't Reported, Until It Was  —  · Months ago, several major media outlets learned about troubling e-mails Rep. Mark Foley had sent to former pages — but they didn't feel they had enough information to go public with the story.  Brian Ross of ABC News got the same information …

Lamont's Lull  —  In a record week, futures in Ned Lamont continued to plummet in the political market.  Big board polls put the Connecticut Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate falling sharply behind incumbent independent Joseph Lieberman.  Most legit polls that insiders and serious observers look …

A True Blowout is Now Possible  —  After looking at the news for the past 10 days or so, I have to wonder how Democrats can possibly fail in their efforts to take both the House and the Senate.  —  The national atmospherics don't merely favor Democrats; they set the stage for a blowout of cosmic proportions next month.

Danish TV shows cartoons mocking Prophet Mohammad  —Text+COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Danish state TV on Friday aired amateur video footage showing young members of the anti-immigrant Danish Peoples' party engaged in a competition to draw humiliating cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.

Castro Is Reported to Have Cancer  —  U.S. intelligence reports now say the Cuban leader's condition appears terminal, government officials tell TIME  —  Ever since President Fidel Castro was sidelined for what was said to be abdominal surgery last July, Cuban officials have maintained …

Update on the Federal Budget Deficit  —  The Mark Foley micro-scandal can't change the fact that the American economy is going great guns.  The 2006 budget deficit figures were just released, and the deficit is not only getting better, it is now relatively small by historical standards.

Google in Talks To Buy YouTube For $1.6 Billion  —  Deal Could Put Search Giant  —  In Top Spot for Online Video;  —  A Front Door for Web Visits  —  The latest prize in the great Internet land grab, online-video company YouTube Inc., could soon be snapped up by Google Inc.