Lott succeeds in leadership comeback  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Trent Lott, ousted from the top Senate Republican leadership job four years ago because of remarks considered racially insensitive, won election to the No. 2 post Wednesday for the minority GOP in the next Congress.

Rep. John Murtha defends his ethics  —  "Hardball" host Chris Matthews asks Murtha about leadership, Iraq, ethics … Host of 'Hardball'  —  In his first interview since reportedly calling a Democratic bill on lobbying and ethics "total crap," Rep. John Murtha told "Hardball" …

Abramoff Reports to Prison; Officials Focus on Reid, Others  —  Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz Report:  —  As convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff reported to federal prison today, a source close to the investigation surrounding his activities told ABC News that Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) …

Bush Initiates Iraq Policy Review Separate From Baker Group's  —  President Bush formally launched a sweeping internal review of Iraq policy yesterday, pulling together studies underway by various government agencies, according to U.S. officials.  —  The initiative, begun after Bush met …

Class Struggle  —  American workers have a chance to be heard.  —  The most important—and unfortunately the least debated—issue in politics today is our society's steady drift toward a class-based system, the likes of which we have not seen since the 19th century.

Bush reappoints overseas broadcast chief  —  WASHINGTON —President Bush on Tuesday renominated the chairman of the agency that directs U.S. overseas broadcasts even though the nomination has been stalled in the Senate amid allegations of misconduct.  —  Kenneth Y. Tomlinson was nominated again …

Conservatives wary of choice to lead RNC  —  Martinez should appeal to Latinos, but may lose support on immigration.  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush's decision to back Sen. Mel Martinez to help lead the Republican Party, a move intended to appeal to disaffected Latino voters …

One More Time for Judicial Nominees  —  After calling for bipartisanship, President Bush surprised Senate Democrats with plans to renominate a controversial list of judges - some of whom may be unacceptable even to a few Republican senators.  "It's an unfortunate signal," said one senior Democratic Senate aide.

Ancient Crash, Epic Wave  —  At the southern end of Madagascar lie four enormous wedge-shaped sediment deposits, called chevrons, that are composed of material from the ocean floor.  Each covers twice the area of Manhattan with sediment as deep as the Chrysler Building is high.

School board votes to dump JROTC program  —  After 90 years in San Francisco high schools, the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps must go, the San Francisco school board decided Tuesday night.  —  The Board of Education voted 4-2 to eliminate the popular program, phasing it out over two years.

Giuliani 'Unacceptable' for President, Conservatives Say  —  (CNSNews.com) - Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani enjoys "a lot of good will" from Republicans from his handling of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but his stance on social issues like abortion and gun control …

`Landslide Joe?'  —  Courtney Lands Capitol Nickname In Razor-Thin 2nd District Recount  —  The studious Democratic lawyer from Vernon appears to have clinched a win in the 2nd Congressional District.  —  And it took only 168 hours and 49 minutes after the polls closed on election night to receive the news.

We Still Owe You One, Mahmoud  —  Ever since he took office, there's been speculation that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was involved in the 1979 seizure of the American embassy in Tehran.  Now, it appears the Russian newspaper Kommersant has stumbled upon more evidence to back up the rumors.

Exultant Chuck Says He'll Veto the Next Alito  —  New King of Washington Promises Moderate Court; Rove-like, Plans Permanent Democratic Majority; More N.Y. Homeland Money, Iraqi Federalism  —  More than the inability to influence Iraq policy or the President's tax cuts …

Uncle Sam, keep out  —  Prior to the 2006 midterm election, the closest thing to a sure bet in politics was a statewide referendum to ban same-sex marriages.  Twenty states had considered such ballot measures, and twenty states had approved them, all by wide margins.

Pakistan votes to amend rape laws  —  Pakistan's national assembly has voted to amend the country's strict Sharia laws on rape and adultery.  —  Until now rape cases were dealt with in Sharia courts.  Victims had to have four male witnesses to the crime - if not they faced prosecution for adultery.

What motivated man accused of sending threats?  —  Chad Castagana linked to several right-wing blogs … MSNBC TV  —  Anchor, 'Countdown'  —  Keith Olbermann  —  Anchor, 'Countdown' … OLBERMANN: Federal authorities still expect the preliminary hearing for Chad Conrad Castagana to continue day after tomorrow.

Qaeda Leaders Losing Sway Over Militants, Study Finds  —  As radical Islam spreads globally through online forums and chat rooms, a group of obscure Arab religious thinkers may come to exert more influence over the jihadist movement than Osama bin Laden and other well-known leaders of Al Qaeda …

Enter, Pariah: Now It's Hugs for Lieberman  —  Senator Joseph I. Lieberman strode into a Democratic caucus gathering like he owned the place or, at the very least, like someone who is a flight risk and could leave at any minute, taking the Democrats' new majority with him.

McCain Explores 2008....  Sen. John McCain will formally open his 2008 presidential exploratory committee by tomorrow a.m., an adviser said today.  —  The committee has already built a website — http://www.exploremccain.com/ — and it will stream live his speech to GOPAC, a conservative grassroots group with a strong pedigree.