Iran plotting to groom bin Laden's successor  —  Audio: Why is the policy change significant?  —  Iran is trying to form an unholy alliance with al-Qa'eda by grooming a new generation of leaders to take over from Osama bin Laden, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.

In Backing Murtha, Pelosi Draws Fire  —  House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi's endorsement of Rep. John P. Murtha's bid for House majority leader set off a furor yesterday on Capitol Hill, with critics charging that she is undercutting her pledge to clean up corruption by backing a veteran lawmaker …

US: Immigrants may be held indefinitely  —  WASHINGTON - Immigrants arrested in the United States may be held indefinitely on suspicion of terrorism and may not challenge their imprisonment in civilian courts, the Bush administration said Monday, opening a new legal front in the fight over the rights of detainees.

Lott running for whip post  —  After keeping his plans close to the vest since Election Day, Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) formally declared his bid for minority whip on Monday evening.  —  Lott had refrained from openly discussing his intentions for the whip race even after GOP Conference …

Outrage as Church backs calls for severely disabled babies to be killed at birth  —  The Church of England has broken with tradition dogma by calling for doctors to be allowed to let sick newborn babies die.  —  Christians have long argued that life should preserved at all costs …

March 14 points finger at Tehran, Damascus  —  Hariri says resignation of 5 shiite ministers 'was not a coincidence'  —  BEIRUT: The March 14 Forces accused Damascus and Tehran on Sunday of planning to topple the legitimate authorities in Lebanon and re-establish Syrian hegemony over the country.

BBC frightened of criticising Islam, says archbishop  —  The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has accused the BBC of bias against Christianity and says the broadcaster fears a terrorist backlash if it is critical of Islam.  —  The archbishop, the second most senior figure in the Church …

Florida's Martinez tapped for RNC chief  —  Florida Sen. Mel Martinez, co-author of a bill to grant amnesty to illegal aliens, has been picked by White House strategist Karl Rove to be general chairman of the Republican National Committee, RNC officials confirmed yesterday.

The Trash Princess  —  Why Americans love to hate Paris Hilton  —  Maybe 500 channels and an epidemic of bloggerhea mean that Americans have less of a common culture, but we all still share . . . Paris Hilton.  The naughty blond heiress is, like, wallpapering our brains.

Get Jim in Here, Pronto!  —  If I told you that there was something in Washington called the Baker commission but didn't tell you what it was about, you still could probably name many of its members.  If you are of a certain age, you might wonder, "Jim or Howard?"  And you might have a quibble or two.

Gates May Rein In Pentagon Activities  —  Nominee Has Opposed Defense Department's Dominance in Intelligence Efforts  —  The nomination of Robert M. Gates as secretary of defense has begun to ease concerns in the intelligence community about the rapid growth of Pentagon intelligence activities since …

Giuliani Takes First Step in Run for President  —  Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has apparently taken the first step toward a presidential run, filing with the New York Department of State late last week to form a presidential exploratory committee .

IRAQ: A FINAL (BIPARTISAN) PUSH?  —  With the nomination of Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense, the important role of the Baker-Hamilton Commission in forging a new approach in Iraq becomes even clearer.  Gates was formerly one of the principals of the Commission, and now finds himself thrust …