Rape Charges Dropped in Duke Case  —  DURHAM, N.C.  —  Prosecutors dropped rape charges Friday against three Duke University lacrosse players accused of attacking a stripper at a team party, but the three still face kidnapping and sexual offense charges.  —  According to court papers filed Friday …

Polls for the Republican Nomination  —  Pollster.com has an interesting summary of the poll standings for the Republican nomination in 2008.  It makes the point, largely overlooked by political writers of all stripes, that Rudy Giuliani has been leading John McCain in the large majority of polls, albeit usually by narrow margins.

Lawmaker stands firm on Quran criticism  —  ROCKY MOUNT, Va. - A congressman said Thursday that he will not retract a letter warning that unless immigration is tightened, "many more Muslims will be elected" and use the Quran to take the oath of office.  —  Republican Rep. Virgil Goode …

Al Qaeda Sends a Message to Democrats  —  Brian Ross and Hoda Osman Report:  —  Al Qaeda has sent a message to leaders of the Democratic party that credit for the defeat of congressional Republicans belongs to the terrorists.  —  In a portion of the tape from al Qaeda No. 2 man …

SNOWE, LANDRIEU CREATE BIPARTISAN, CONSENSUS-BUILDING GROUP IN SENATE  —  Senators Want to Build on Success of "Gang of 14"  —  Washington D.C. - U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) and Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) announced today that they want to build on the success of the "Gang of 14 …

COURT ADOPTS "SEE NO EVIL" APPROACH IN CAMPAIGN FINANCE CASE; MAJOR CHANGES COULD BE ON THE HORIZON  —  Following up on this post, the 2-1 decision of the federal district court issued today in Wisconsin Right to Life v. FEC, if upheld by the Supreme Court, could bring us back to the days …

Pundits lose grip on reality when dealing with the Internet  —  What is it about the Internet that makes some political pundits, columnists and reporters so goofy?  It seems like almost every time I read a mainstream media story about political Web sites and bloggers, the pieces are full of ill-informed junk.

Media-Sourcing Debate on Deck at Capitol  —  Congress Is Likely to Revisit  —  Calls for Federal Shield Law  —  As Baseball Case Culminates  —  WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is increasingly at odds with some Republicans over its efforts to make journalists reveal confidential sources.

CIA exercise reveals consequences of defeat  —  The CIA this month conducted a simulation of how the Iraq war affects the global jihadist movement, and one conclusion was that a U.S. loss would embolden al Qaeda to expand its ranks of terrorists as well as pick new strategic targets …

Study Suggests Incentives on Oil Barely Help U.S.  —  The United States offers some of the most lucrative incentives in the world to companies that drill for oil in publicly owned coastal waters, but a newly released study suggests that the government is getting very little for its money.

Iraqi Prime Minister Tells Gates He'll Let U.S. Decide on Troop 'Surge'  —  Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told visiting Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates that he would let U.S. generals decide whether there is a need for a "surge" in U.S. troops deployed in Iraq, according to Iraqi officials with knowledge of the meeting.

Lovely.  —  According to Network World's Paul McNamara, the communications director for U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT), Todd Shriber, hired two 'hackers' to break into the computer of his alma mater, Texas Christian University, and change his college grades.

Update: Path to Freedom for Tyrone Brown  —  The Court Grants Tyrone Brown a Christmas Gift  —  A recent "20/20" story about a Texas man who has been imprisoned for the past 16 years because he violated his parole by using marijuana outraged an overwhelming number of viewers, who have sent daily e-mails of support to Tyrone Brown.