Iraq Panel Calls Conditions 'Grave and Deteriorating'  —  Conditions in Iraq are "grave and deteriorating," with the prospect that a "slide toward chaos" could topple the U.S.-backed government and trigger a regional war unless the United States changes course and seeks a broader diplomatic …

Culture Shock on Capitol Hill: House to Work 5 Days a Week  —  Forget the minimum wage.  Or outsourcing jobs overseas.  The labor issue most on the minds of members of Congress yesterday was their own: They will have to work five days a week starting in January.  —  The horror.

New standardized math may not fit all, student says  —  Curriculum - Loss of school uniqueness, learning in groups concern kids  —  CASSADY JEREMIAS  —  When high school students across the city cracked open new math books last fall, they got their first look at the direction Portland …

On a Wing and a Prayer  —  Grievance theater at Minneapolis International Airport. … Those are the words that started it all.  Six bearded imams are said to have shouted them out while offering evening prayers as they and 141 other passengers waited at the gate for their flight out of Minneapolis International Airport.

ERRORS, OMISSIONS, INVENTIONS AND FALSEHOODS  —  A reader writes that he received the email message below sent by Professor Kenneth Stein of Emory University and the Carter Center.  Professor Stein's expertise lies in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Does water STILL flow on Mars?  —  Dramatic new photographs of Mars have revealed the possible existence of water on its surface.  —  The images - released for the first time on Wednesday by the US space agency NASA - were taken earlier this year in an attempt to unlock the secrets of the Red Planet.

Some Republicans Take a Scorched-Hill Tack  —  Leaving Budget Decisions  —  To Democrats Could Disrupt  —  New Leadership's Agenda  —  WASHINGTON — Like a retreating army, Republicans are tearing up railroad track and planting legislative land mines to make it harder for Democrats …

Wanting Babies Like Themselves, Some Parents Choose Genetic Defects  —  Wanting to have children who follow in one's footsteps is an understandable desire.  But a coming article in the journal Fertility and Sterility offers a fascinating glimpse into how far some parents may go to ensure …

NBC: 10 U.S. service members killed in Iraq  —  Meanwhile, mortar attack kills 8 Iraqis, wounds 40 in Sadr City district  —  Residents look at a minibus destroyed in a suicide bomb attack in Baghdad's Sadr City on Wednesday.  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Ten American service members were killed …

Hamas smuggled $66 million in 8 months  —  Hamas officials have managed to smuggle more than $66 million in cash through the Rafah border crossing in the past eight months, a member of the Hamas-led government revealed Wednesday.  —  Meanwhile, sources close to the Hamas-led government claimed …