Schlesinger Steals The Show  —  The ghost of Crazy Eddie was channeled Monday by a man who would be Connecticut's next senator — and whose name is neither Lieberman nor Lamont.  —  This candidate's name is Alan Schlesinger (pictured in top photo).  He is the official candidate nominated …

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.

Blind sheik's lawyer gets 28 months  —  NEW YORK - Civil rights lawyer Lynne Stewart was sentenced Monday to 28 months in prison on a terrorism charge for helping a client who plotted to blow up New York City landmarks communicate with his followers.  —  Stewart, 67, could have faced up to 30 years in prison.

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 …

Congressman Weldon outs alleged leaker  —  Tonight, I had the opportunity to hear Congressman Curt Weldon speak at Penn at an event sponsored by the Penn Israel Coalition (full disclosure: I am a PIC board member).  The Congressman did not cancel his speaking engagement despite last night's headlines …

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 …

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 …

Venezuela at the UN Security Council - today's vote  —  Today's final tally: Guatemala 110; Venezuela 77  —  Updated with current results.  Please scroll down  —  In today's WSJ (subscription) Chavez's U.N. Gambit  —  The world's club of dictators is backing Chávez's bid for a Security Council seat

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 …

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.

Boycott Indonesia—Stop Murdering Christians Now!  —  Civil war is in the air in Indonesia.  Christians are daily being slaughtered and the government does little to protect them.  —  Two of our longtime blog-friends, Stan the Infidel and Big White Infidel, are furious over the treatment of Christians in Indonesia.

Iran leader in Bush 'Satan' claim  —  Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has reportedly delivered a scathing attack on US President George W Bush, saying he is inspired by Satan.  —  Speaking to a group of supporters, Mr Ahmadinejad said he himself had inspirational links to God, Iranian media reports.

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.

Five months ago, the Internet's top search engine Google was accused of banning conservative websites from its news crawl.  Last week, the e-behemoth offered to purchase YouTube, the preeminent provider of videos over the Web that has recently been implicated in censorship of its own.

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".

MATIER AND ROSS  —  Has the mayor's new girlfriend, who is only 20, been drinking?  —  San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's new squeeze, Brittanie Mountz, just turned 20 last month — and that raises a couple of questions about the couple's nights on the town.

Case Narrative  —  In light of last night's 60 Minutes broadcast, it's worth reviewing how a case virtually devoid of evidence, constructed upon a tissue of procedural irregularities, could have reached this stage.  The case has thus far divided into five periods; with each new stage, the miscarriage of justice has intensified.