Another Assassination in Beirut - Continuously Updated  —  The only thing that surprises me even slightly about today's political assassination in Beirut is that the victim was Pierre Gemayel, a Christian, rather than Fouad Seniora, a Sunni.  —  All the assassination victims after Rafik Hariri, a Sunni, have been Christians.

Robert Altman, Leading Director, Dies at 81  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Robert Altman, the caustic and irreverent satirist behind "M-A-S-H," "Nashville" and "The Player" who made a career out of bucking Hollywood management and story conventions, died at a Los Angeles Hospital, his Sandcastle 5 Productions Company said Tuesday.

Muslim scholar calls for airline boycott  —  Six imams were removed from a US Airways flight at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Monday and questioned by police for several hours before being released, a leader of the group said.  —  One of the Muslim scholars removed …

Romney: 'I'm a conservative Republican'  —  WASHINGTON - Eager to position himself as the most conservative GOP presidential hopeful, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney accused Sen. John McCain Monday of being "disingenuous" on gay marriage.  —  In an interview with The Examiner …

John McCain's Real Plan for Iraq  —  I talked with John McCain Sunday morning in the green room just before "This Week."  I asked him why he continued to call for more troops for Iraq when he must know it's a political non-starter.  He said he thought it important for the morale of the troops.

Elder Bush takes on son's Arab critics  —  ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Former President George H.W. Bush took on Arab critics of his son Tuesday during a testy exchange at a leadership conference in the capital of this U.S. ally.  —  "My son is an honest man," Bush told members …

Poll: More Americans prefer Bush's father  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Only one in four Americans believe President Bush is a better president than his father, George H. W. Bush, a new CNN poll has found.  —  Six in 10 said the elder Bush, who served one term from 1989-1993, did a better job in office …

The Lingo Of Vietnam  —  The way President Bush whisked through Vietnam — oh, if only we had done the same 40 years ago — it seemed as if he was feeling an obvious parallel with the war in Iraq.  His aides, who somehow lose IQ points by mere proximity to the commander in chief …

Judge cites 'elaborate scheme' to defraud state  —  Ex-coin dealer told to pay nearly $17M  —  Tom Noe, convicted of stealing millions from a fund for Ohio's injured workers to live a fraudulent lifestyle that included luxury homes in two states, will pass into retirement age in a prison uniform.

Pelosi-Harman friction strains Democrats' unity  —  WASHINGTON — When Jane Harman left Congress in 1998 to run for governor of California, her colleague Nancy Pelosi threw her a party — a chocolate-fudge sundae "social" in the House members' dining room.  —  Two years later …

IMMUNITY FOR THOSE WHO REPOST DEFAMATORY MATERIAL: The California Supreme Court just held, in Barrett v. Rosenthal, that Internet users who post (to Web sites or discussion groups) material created by others are immune from liability.  —  Federal law, 47 U.S.C.

Reno Files Challenge to Terror Law  —  Former Attorney General Janet Reno and seven other former Justice Department officials filed court papers Monday arguing that the Bush administration is setting a dangerous precedent by trying a suspected terrorist outside the court system.

U.S. Considers Raising Troop Levels in Iraq  —  Pentagon officials conducting a review of Iraq strategy are considering a substantial but temporary increase in American troop levels and the addition of several thousand more trainers to work with Iraqi forces, a senior Defense Department official said Monday.