Terror Fears as Blind Sheikh Faces 'Medical Emergency'  —  Richard Esposito Reports:  —  The imprisoned al Qaeda spiritual leader known as the "Blind Sheikh" suffered a "medical emergency" at the Springfield federal prison last week, and the FBI is warning his death could lead al Qaeda …

Should Johnson be unable to continue to serve, it could halt the scheduled Democratic takeover of the Senate.  Democrats won a 51-49 majority in the November election.  —  (CBS/AP) Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota was hospitalized and underwent surgery late Wednesday …

Iraq needs a Pinochet  —  The general was no saint, but he's a better model to follow than Castro.  —  I THINK ALL intelligent, patriotic and informed people can agree: It would be great if the U.S. could find an Iraqi Augusto Pinochet.  In fact, an Iraqi Pinochet would be even better than an Iraqi Castro.

Press Briefing by Tony Snow  —  White House Conference Center Briefing Room  —  MR. SNOW: All right, welcome.  Let me run through the President's schedule for today.  Normal briefings.  He had a meeting with the President of Benin a while ago; also remarks at the White House Summit on Malaria.

Granite Status: More than one Dem eyeing 2008 Senate primary  —  MOVE OVER, JEANNE.  Sure, she'd be the 800-pound gorilla, but former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen isn't the only Democrat strongly considering running for the U.S. Senate against John E. Sununu in 2008.  —  State Sen. David Gottesman of Nashua is strongly weighing a run.

Saudi Royal Family, Gov't Split on Iraq  —  AP Photo NY118  —  CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Saudi Arabia's royal family and government leaders are deeply divided over how to handle the growing crisis in Iraq and other looming Mideast problems like Iran, with some favoring strong aid to fellow Sunnis and others more cautious.

A message from the DU admins: Please stop posting baseless conspiracy stuff about Senator Johnson.  —  Skinner ADMIN (1000+ posts)  —  A message from the DU admins: Please stop posting baseless conspiracy stuff about Senator Johnson.  —  I have instructed the mods to lock or delete …

Duke Lacrosse Accuser Gives Birth  —  CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — WRAL's Julia Lewis has confirmed that the accuser in the Duke lacrosse case gave birth late Thursday at UNC Hospitals.  —  Her pregnancy had not been public knowledge until now.  —  When WRAL called her boyfriend's home Thursday evening …

Bakker, Brown: What the hell happened to Christianity?  —  Editor's note: Jay Bakker, son of former Praise The Lord leaders Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Messner, is minister of Revolution Church and subject of a new documentary series, "One Punk Under God," on Sundance Channel.  Marc Brown is a Revolution staff member.

Farewell to Pax Americana  —  With hindsight we may see 2006 as the end of Pax Americana.  Ever since World War II, the United States has used its military and economic superiority to promote a stable world order that has, on the whole, kept the peace and spread prosperity.

Blogging 'set to peak next year'  —  The blogging phenomenon is set to peak in 2007, according to technology predictions by analysts Gartner.  —  The analysts said that during the middle of next year the number of blogs will level out at about 100 million.

A Guide to Grading Exams  —  It's that time of year again.  Students have taken their finals, and now it is time to grade them.  It is something professors have been looking forward to all semester.  Exactness in grading is a well-honed skill, taking considerable expertise and years of practice to master.

Bush Officially Embraces Vietnam-Era Strategy Of Publicizing Enemy Body Counts In Iraq  —  In late October, Bush told a group of conservative journalists that the administration had made a decision not to report the number of Iraqis killed by the U.S. military.