U.S.: Test points to N. Korea nuke blast  —  WASHINGTON - An air sampling taken after North Korea's claimed nuclear test detected radioactive debris consistent with an atomic explosion, Bush administration and congressional officials said Friday night.  They said no final determination …

FBI investigates Rep. Curt Weldon  —  WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is investigating whether Republican Rep. Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania traded his political influence for lucrative lobbying and consulting contracts for his daughter, according to sources with direct knowledge of the inquiry.

Shays defends comments on Abu Ghraib  —  U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays was under fire yesterday after saying in a debate earlier this week that the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison was not torture but rather a "sex ring" involving National Guard troops.  —  Amnesty International officials …

Happy Birthday, Navy  —  The US Navy turns 231 years old today.  —  A message from the Navy's Master Chief Petty Officer Joe R. Campa: … Thanks to each and everyone serving in the U.S. Navy.  —  If you have a loved one in the Navy (or any service branch for that matter), I've got a fabulous related gift idea.

Bush Is Said to Have No Plan if GOP Loses  —  Some Republican strategists are increasingly upset with what they consider the overconfidence of President Bush and his senior advisers about the midterm elections November 7-a concern aggravated by the president's news conference this week.

Beyond the Coup Rumors, Options for Iraq  —  As the security situation in Baghdad has deteriorated over the past month, there has been growing talk among Iraqi politicians about a "government of national salvation" — a coup, in effect — that would impose martial law throughout the country.

Iraqi federalism vote: Behind the contradictory numbers  —  The Iraqi parliament voted (Wednesday, October 11) 140 to nothing, in a more-or-less routine vote, to approve the federalism-procedures bill.  Or did they?  The New York Times said so.  But the Iraqi paper Azzaman said the vote was 138 to nothing …

Gay Marriage Losing Punch as Ballot Issue  —  The debate over same-sex marriage was a black-or-white proposition two years ago when voters in 11 states barred gay couples from marrying.  —  But this year shades of gray are everywhere, as eight more states consider similar ballot measures.

Holy Land group's co-founder sentenced  —  Ghassan Elashi, co-founder and former chairman of the now-defunct Richardson-based Holy Land Foundation, was sentenced Thursday to six years and eight months in prison on charges that he did business with a terrorist and violated export laws with his brothers and their company InfoCom Corp.

Democratic Faces That Could Launch Thousands of Votes  —  With a Parade of Attractive Candidates, the Party May Benefit From the Politics of Beauty  —  AUBURN, N.Y. — Maybe Democratic candidate Michael Arcuri is running strong in this Republican House district because he pledges to expand health coverage …

Which Law Prof Blogs Have the Juice?  —  TaxProf Blog has a 6.4 "Blog Juice Rating," determined by:  — Number of Bloglines subscribers (40%)  — Alexa rank (15%)  — Technorati ranking (30%)  — Number of inbound links via Technorati (15%)  —  Here are the Blog Juice Ratings for various law professor blogs:

"Racist" Schoolgirl (14 yrs old) Arrested in al-Britannia  —  In al-Britannia, you end up in jail if you complain that immigrants do not speak English, but if you are saying that those who insult Islam should be killed, it's OK.  —  A quote from The Manchester Evening News, 12 October 2006:

The Human Cost of the War in Iraq  —  I urge you to carefully read the study first.  Very few people seem to have actually done so.  —  In comparison, the much-criticised Iraq Body Count relies only on media reports (mostly Western and often by conflating 2 different sources) for their maximum body count of 48,639 civilians.

U.S. Economy: Fuel-Price Drop Spurs Consumer Spending (Update2)  —  Oct. 13 (Bloomberg) — Lower gasoline prices encouraged Americans to spend more on clothing, furniture and building materials, and propelled consumer confidence to the highest level in more than a year.