Maryland Senate: Cardin Maintains 7-Point Lead  —  Steele (R) 43% Cardin (D) 50%  —  Despite a late and bitter Democratic primary, Democratic Congressman Benjamin L. Cardin is maintaining a moderate lead of 50% to 43% over Lieutenant Governor Michael S. Steele (R) (see crosstabs).

Lawyer Is Due for Sentencing in Terror Case  —  Lynne Stewart in her former law office.  She was convicted in 2005 of aiding a high-profile terrorist.  —  Lynne F. Stewart, the firebrand lawyer known for defending unsavory criminals, now faces the possibility of living out her life like many of them …

Saddam prosecutor's brother shot dead in Iraq  —  Gunmen ambush kin in front of his wife; Saddam verdict to be read Nov. 5  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - The brother of the chief prosecutor in Saddam Hussein's second trial was shot dead in front of his wife at his home in the capital Monday …

Bush's Press Secretary Is Raising Money, and Some Eyebrows  —  Tony Snow draped his lanky frame across a wooden lectern, leaned forward and gazed out at 850 adoring Republicans who had paid $175 apiece to hear him speak.  There was a conspiratorial gleam in his eye, as if he was about to reveal …

Iraq will wait to disarm militias  —  BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said in an interview with USA TODAY that his government will not force militias to disarm until later this year or early next year, despite escalating violence in Baghdad fueled by death squads and religious warfare.

2 GOP senators urge new Iraq strategy  —  WASHINGTON - Two leading Republican senators called Sunday for a new strategy in Iraq, saying the situation in getting worse and leaving the United States with few options.  —  Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and John Warner of Virginia are part …

Agents raid homes of Rep. Curt Weldon's daughter, close friend  —  Federal agents raided the home of the daughter of U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon (R., Pa.) and his longtime friend Charlie Sexton this morning.  —  The agents departed Karen Weldon's three-story brick home on Queen Street in Philadelphia with arms loaded with boxes.

Nation under a nuclear cloud  —  'Racially impure' children killed  —  THE North Korean regime's obsession with racial purity has led to the killing of disabled infants and forced abortions for women suspected of conceiving their babies by Chinese fathers, according to a growing body of testimony from defectors.

REID'S SMELLY WINDFALL  —  BACK-$CRATCHING WITH DEVELOPERS  —  SENATE Minority Leader Harry Reid's ethics woes continue to mount.  An Associated Press expose shows that Reid pushed through changes in federal law that helped the senator get rich - via complex land deals with a lobbyist who's also tied up in a federal bribery case.

GOP on a Mission to Save Santorum  —  Republicans go all-out to boost the trailing Pennsylvania senator, a key social conservative.  —  ROSYLN, Pa. — Keith Hollenberg, a member of the evangelical Assemblies of God church, is worried that one of his political heroes is about to lose his bid for reelection.

Gerry Studds; Gay Pioneer in Congress  —  Gerry E. Studds, the first openly gay person elected to Congress and a longtime proponent of environmental protection, New England fishermen and human rights, died Oct. 14 at Boston Medical Center, several days after he collapsed while walking his dog.

Jihadists and Jews  —  Democratic strategist and former Michael Dukakis campaign manager Susan Estrich, and the former American Civil Liberties Union president in Massachusetts, Harvey Silvergate, recently joined the attorneys representing two alleged Boston al Qaeda funders.

Navy 'too weak' for big role in Korea blockade  —  By Thomas Harding, Damien McElroy in Washington and Richard Spencer in Beijing  —  Plans to impose a blockade of North Korea to prevent the regime acquiring nuclear weapons were thrown in disarray last night.

BBC mounts court fight to keep 'critical' report secret  —  The BBC has spent thousands of pounds of licence payers' money trying to block the release of a report which is believed to be highly critical of its Middle East coverage.  —  The corporation is mounting a landmark High Court action …

In Final Weeks, G.O.P. Focuses on Best Bets  —  Senior Republican leaders have concluded that Senator Mike DeWine of Ohio, a pivotal state in this year's fierce midterm election battles, is likely to be heading for defeat and are moving to reduce financial support for his race and divert party money …

Specter's Role in Passage Of Detainee Bill Disputed  —  The news reached Democrats working on the military commissions bill in the Senate cloakroom the morning of Sept. 27.  Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), a sponsor of two amendments giving detainees a right to challenge their detention or treatment …