NEWS CORP. CANCELS O.J. SIMPSON BOOK AND TV SPECIAL  —  NEW YORK — News Corp., the parent company of book publisher HarperCollins and the FOX network, has canceled publication of the O.J. Simpson book and television special "If I Did It."  —  "I and senior management agree with the American public …

Envisioning U.S. Talks With Iran and Syria  —  IN Washington these days, an idea the White House once treated as anathema is suddenly gaining currency: to sit down and talk directly to Iran and Syria.  —  Tony Blair is recommending it.  The Iraq Study Group headed by James Baker and Lee Hamilton may do so, too.

House Democrat Wants Draft Reinstated  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Americans would have to sign up for a new military draft after turning 18 under a bill the incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee says he will introduce next year.  —  Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. …

"Kramer's" Racist Tirade — Caught on Tape  —  WARNING: WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS PROFANE AND RACIAL  —  Michael Richards exploded in anger as he performed at a famous L.A. comedy club last Friday, hurling racial epithets that left the crowd gasping, and TMZ has obtained exclusive video of the ugly incident.

Gingrich '08: The stealth candidate  —  The controversial former House Speaker seems to throw his hat in the ring as a GOP presidential candidate, and promises that health care reform will be the big issue.  An exclusive Fortune interview.  —  WASHINGTON (Fortune) — Even a crisp Guinness stout …

Despite narrative, "conservative" and "southern" Dem victories were scarce  —  The lie that won't die.  In an interview of former Rep. and Blue Dog founding member Glen Browder, the following fantastic claim is made: … Out of 29 Democrats that have won thus far (barring further recounts) …

A brisk rise in American wages  —  Pay rose faster than the cost of living for the first time in years.  —  American paychecks are rising again at a pace not seen since the 1990s.  —  The pay increase amounts to 4 percent on average over the past 12 months, and it comes at a very helpful time for millions of households.

Anti-War Activists Plan 'Global Orgasm For Peace'  —  (CBS/AP) SAN FRANCISCO Two peace activists have planned a massive anti-war demonstration for the first day of winter.  —  But they don't want you marching in the streets.  They'd much rather you just stay home.

McCain literally sticks to the script on Iraq  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) stuck to the script yesterday during an appearance on ABC's This Week, repeating his desire to see more troops sent to Iraq.  What's interesting, however, is that McCain seemed to need his notes quite a bit to get through the discussion.

Jose Padilla also rules Iraq  —  (updated below)  —  The New York Sun has a really, really scary column this morning about The Terrorists and how much stronger they are now because the Democrats won: … Democrats are soul mates not just with The Terrorists generally …

Fox News Channel preps right-leaning satire  —  Fox News Channel might air two episodes of a "Daily Show"-like program with a decidedly nonliberal bent on Saturday nights in late January, with the possibility that it could become a weekly show for the channel.

Fighting back: the city determined not to become al-Qaeda's capital  —  A power struggle is taking place in the Sunni triangle, with tribal leaders and coalition forces aligning against a common enemy  —  A convoy of five US military humvees, each with radios crackling and a machine-gunner poking through …

Iran Urges Summit With Iraq and Syria  —  Iran has invited the Iraqi and Syrian presidents to Tehran for a weekend summit with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to hash out ways to cooperate in curbing the runaway violence that has taken Iraq to the verge of civil war and threatens to spread through the region …

'Bush doesn't think America should be an actual place'  —  Tancredo says president believes nation should be merely 'idea' without borders  —  PALM BEACH, Fla. - President Bush believes America should be more of an idea than an actual place, a Republican congressman told WND in an exclusive interview.

Want world peace?  Support free trade.  —  FAIRFAX, VA. - Everyone knows that a key to the Democrats' big electoral win was their opposition to the Iraq war.  But also, as the Wall Street Journal reported recently, "Democrats' stances against free trade helped build the party's success …

Pelosi nixes Rangel's bill to bring back the draft (Update: Video added)  —  Oddly enough, the leadership of the anti-war party doesn't think conscription is in its political interest: … You'd think an idea floated by the incoming chairman of the Ways and Means Committee would get a few weeks of respectful consideration.

Schools Slow in Closing Gaps Between Races  —  When President Bush signed his sweeping education law a year into his presidency, it set 2014 as the deadline by which schools were to close the test-score gaps between minority and white students that have persisted since standardized testing began.

Ohio fundraiser gets 18 years in prison  —  TOLEDO, Ohio - A former GOP fundraiser at the center of a scandal-plagued state investment in rare coins that helped Democrats seize power in the midterm elections was sentenced Monday to 18 years in prison.  —  Tom Noe, a prominent coin dealer accused …

Clinton is '08 frontrunner, Kerry's support slips  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York, remains the frontrunner for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination in 2008, with more than twice the support of any of her potential rivals, a new CNN poll shows.