LEAD: U.S. detects signs N. Korea preparing for 2nd nuke test: reports+  —  WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (Kyodo) _ (EDS: ADDING DETAILS)  —  The United States has detected fresh signs that North Korea may be preparing for a second nuclear test, according to U.S. media reports Monday.

Lawyer, Facing 30 Years, Gets 28 Months, to Dismay of U.S.  —  Lynne F. Stewart, the radical defense lawyer, was sentenced yesterday to two years and four months in prison on charges that she smuggled messages from an imprisoned terrorist client to his violent followers in Egypt.

Homes Raided In Rep. Weldon Influence Probe  —  FBI Looks at Business Run By Daughter, Political Ally  —  Federal agents raided the homes of Rep. Curt Weldon's daughter and one of his closest political supporters yesterday as part of an investigation into whether the veteran Republican congressman used …

Reid to Reimburse Campaign for Donations  —  Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid has been using campaign donations instead of his personal money to pay Christmas bonuses for the support staff at the Ritz-Carlton where he lives in an upscale condominium.  Federal election law bars candidates …

Families Flee Iraqi River Towns On 4th Day of Sectarian Warfare  —  Families fled in search of safety Monday as open warfare raged for a fourth day between Shiite militias and armed Sunni men in Tigris River towns north of Baghdad.  Militias allied with Iraq's Shiite-led government held sway in Balad city …

Ex-FDA chief to plead guilty  —  WASHINGTON — Former FDA chief Lester Crawford has agreed to plead guilty to charges of failing to disclose a financial interest in PepsiCo Inc. and other firms regulated by his agency, his lawyer said Monday.  —  The Justice Department accused the former head …

Venezuela Is Denied Security Council Seat  —  New Vote Scheduled Today as Intensive Campaign Fails to Win Two-Thirds of Ballots  —  Venezuela was stymied Monday in its bid to win a seat on the U.N. Security Council, a result that shocked diplomats who had expected President Hugo Chavez's leftist …

In Close House Races, GOP Incumbents Hold Advantage in Funds  —  Despite a rush of campaign donations to Democrats earlier this year, Republican incumbents in highly competitive races in the House have a substantial cash advantage going into the final weeks before the midterm elections.

Schlesinger steals the show at Lieberman-Lamont debate?  —  That's the word on the street, although the reality-based community has been known to confuse electoral reality with wishful thinking.  Tinti's not worried and says Connecticut Republicans realize that a vote for Schlesinger is a vote for Lamont.

Cheney Hits Heartland, and He Can Feel the Love  —  Grace Mosier lives with her mom and dad, goes to birthday parties, takes ballet classes and is just like a lot of other 6-year-old girls.  Except that she happens to be obsessed with Dick Cheney.  —  "I really, really like him," says Grace …

Peretz: French UNIFIL say will fire at IAF overflights  —  Commanders of the French contingent of the United Nations force in Lebanon have warned that they might have to open fire if Israel Air Force warplanes continue their overflights in Lebanon, Defense Minister Amir Peretz told …

Patti Smith, Flea Bid Farewell to Iconic Punk Club  —  The legendary NYC rock club gets a worthy send-off courtesy of its most famed progeny  —  At the end of a three-and-a-half hour show, on the last night of music at the New York club CBGB, Patti Smith read a list of the fallen …

U.S. Faces Obstacles To Freeing Detainees  —  BERLIN — British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett last week issued the latest European demand to close down the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  The existence of the prison is "unacceptable" and fuels Islamic radicalism around the world …

Can You Tell a Sunni From a Shiite?  —  FOR the past several months, I've been wrapping up lengthy interviews with Washington counterterrorism officials with a fundamental question: "Do you know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite?"  —  A "gotcha" question?  Perhaps.

In a Free Society, Campaigns Matter: The GOP Must Give Voters a Clear Choice  —  The elite media are giddy with anti-Republican euphoria.  Their coverage has not been this biased against Republicans in three decades.  —  The Democrats are excited and convinced they will win a big victory.

Al-Qaeda scare jolts Pakistan into action  —  KARACHI - The level of tolerance between the government of President General Pervez Musharraf and Islamists elements, whether they are part of the establishment or outside it, has reached a point of no return, a development with vast implications for the US-led "war on terror".

Poll: Support for Iraq war at all-time low  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — A poll conducted for CNN over the weekend suggests support among Americans for the war in Iraq is dwindling to an all-time low.  Just 34 percent of those polled say they support the war, while 64 percent say they oppose it.

RedState Radio: Tony Snow Enters The Blogosphere  —  Tony Snow went from being a speech writer in President George H. W. Bush's White House to the world of journalism and Fox News.  Then, this year, he returned to the White House to serve as the current President Bush's Press Secretary — a job he says is a blast.