Idaho Sen. Larry Craig Denies Allegations of Same-Sex Affairs  —  Mike Rogers, who calls himself "the nation's leading gay activist blogger" has just finished a nationally-broadcast interview on the Ed Schultz Radio Show in which he alleges that Idaho Republican Senator Larry Craig has engaged in same-sex sexual activity.

Militia leader's arrest sets up test for Iraq PM  —  BAGHDAD — The Shiite movement loyal to radical cleric Moqtada Al Sadr threatened Tuesday to hold demonstrations in Baghdad, in a new test to the authority of Iraq's beleaguered government.  —  Sadr's party reacted with fury to the alleged arrest …

Bush Signs New Rules to Prosecute Terror Suspects  —  President Bush signed legislation Tuesday that creates new rules for prosecuting and interrogating terrorism suspects, a move Mr. Bush said would enable the Central Intelligence Agency to resume a once-secret program to question …

Alaska Governor: Palin (R) 47%; Knowles (D) 40%  —  Tony Knowles (D) is gaining ground in his bid to become Alaska's next governor.  However, the latest Rasmussen Reports election poll shows Republican Sarah Palin with a seven-point lead over Knowles, 47% to 40% (see crosstabs).

What Democrats Would Do  —  Against their better judgment, the Democrats are starting to taste it.  In the House, the number of Republican incumbents polling under 50 percent considerably exceeds the number of seats the Democrats need to pick up to make Nancy Pelosi speaker.

DNC Takes Out Loan For DSCC  —  The DSCC's optimism about winning the Senate is apparently contagious as the DNC is going to pony up an extra $5-10M for the Senate committee, according to sources familiar with the previously reported arrangement between the two campaign orgs.

Funding Constrains Democrats  —  Party Chiefs See Chance to Take 40-Plus Seats With TV Push  —  Top Democrats said yesterday that they are planning to significantly expand the number of GOP House seats they will target during the final 20 days of the campaign but that financial disputes …

655,000 War Dead?  —  A bogus study on Iraq casualties.  —  After doing survey research in Iraq for nearly two years, I was surprised to read that a study by a group from Johns Hopkins University claims that 655,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the war.

Lieberman Unleashed, Slaps Dodd  —  Ahh, back in New Haven.  Though the leaves are changing color, their hues are obscured by dark and drizzly weather.  Remind me never to write fiction, btw.  I'm sitting in Starbucks and making calls to piece together the Bolton decision.

Mehlman Caught with Hand in Abramoff Cookie Jar  —  Media Fail to Challenge Mehlman on Inconsistent Tales of his Relationship with Convicted GOP Lobbyist Jack Abramoff  —  Does Mehlman Really Not Remember Sabbath Dinner with Convicted Lobbyist?  —  Washington, DC - For months the media …

Taking Out The Trash  —  DemFromCT has an interesting post up this morning over at Daily Kos discussing the rise of hyper-partisanship.  He quotes an interview with the authors of The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track,Norm Ornstein and Thomas Mann:

Pro-Israeli editor beaten in Bangladesh  —  A Muslim journalist facing charges of sedition for advocating ties with Israel was recently attacked and beaten by a crowd in Bangladesh that allegedly included leading officials of the country's ruling party, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

Bush Sets Defense As Space Priority  —  U.S. Says Shift Is Not A Step Toward Arms; Experts Say It Could Be  —  President Bush has signed a new National Space Policy that rejects future arms-control agreements that might limit U.S. flexibility in space and asserts a right to deny access to space to anyone "hostile to U.S. interests."

Weldon's Ties to Serbian Businessman Part of Probe  —  Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade were surprised three years ago to be invited to a luncheon in honor of visiting Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), hosted by Bogoljub Karic, a wealthy Serbian businessman who had been barred from visiting …

The end of cod  —  A COMPLETE ban on cod fishing is the only way to prevent the species from dying out in the North Sea, scientists said last night.  —  The much-trumpeted European rescue plan for cod is failing, the official committee of European fisheries experts will tell governments on Friday.

Cheney: 'General Overall Situation' In Iraq Is Going 'Remarkably Well'  —  Rush Limbaugh interviewed Vice President Cheney on his show today.  At one point, Limbaugh asked Cheney to respond to growing frustration over U.S. efforts in Iraq.  —  Cheney acknowledged there is a …