Court: Execute Saddam Within 30 Days  —  Iraq's highest appeals court on Tuesday upheld Saddam Hussein's death sentence and said he must be hanged within 30 days for the killing of 148 Shiites in the central city of Dujail.  —  The sentence "must be implemented within 30 days," chief judge Aref Shahin said.

Islamist Forces in Somalia Are on the Retreat  —  Islamist forces in Somalia beat a hasty retreat today to their stronghold in Mogadishu, Somalia's battle-scared capital, crumbling faster than anyone expected after a week of attacks by Ethiopian forces.  —  Burhakaba, a large inland city …

U.S. toll in Iraq surpasses that of 9/11  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - At least 36 Iraqis died Tuesday in bombings, officials said, including a coordinated strike that killed 25 in western Baghdad.  Separately, the deaths of six U.S. soldiers pushed the American toll beyond the number of victims in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Bush is bracing for new scrutiny … WASHINGTON // President Bush is bracing for what could be an onslaught of investigations by the new Democratic-led Congress by hiring lawyers to fill key White House posts and preparing to play defense on countless document requests and possible subpoenas.

Military considers recruiting foreigners  —  Expedited citizenship would be an incentive  —  An Armed Forces center in Plymouth.  US officials are trying tactics to find recruits; one involves attracting noncitizens.  (JULIA CUMES/ASSOCIATED PRESS)  —  WASHINGTON — The armed forces …

Lieberman Defends Video-Game Money  —  WASHINGTON — It has become a holiday ritual: Joe Lieberman and family-research officials hold a well-attended press conference to decry the impact on children of excessive video game sex and violence.  —  And, again in 2006, Lieberman indulged …

Going universal  —  The American healthcare system is, simply put, a mess, but we may finally be ready to fix it.  —  THE STATISTICS, by now, are well known.  Forty-seven million uninsured Americans.  Premium increases of 81% since 2000.  Small businesses failing, big businesses foundering …

Consultant Helps Democrats Embrace Faith, and Some in Party Are Not Pleased  —  As Democrats turn toward the 2008 presidential race, a novice evangelical political operative is emerging as a rising star in the party, drawing both applause and alarm for her courtship of theological conservatives in the midterm elections.

Democrats Pledge to Restrain Spending  —  Critics Say Party's Goals Are Too Lofty  —  Determined to banish their old tax-and-spend image, Democrats want to shrink the federal deficit, preserve tax cuts for the middle class and challenge the president to raise money for the Iraq war when they take control of Congress next week.

Grand Rounds 3.14  —  Welcome to Grand Rounds, the collection of the best posts in medical blogging!  —  Grand Rounds has come a long way since the last time it was hosted here.  By my count, eighty-nine unique bloggers have hosted 118 editions.  This includes doctors, nurses, students …

Iran may declare major enrichment feat  —  Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki reportedly told members of the Iranian parliament on Tuesday that Iran would soon announce that it had managed to enrich uranium using 3,000 centrifuges, an Iranian MP told the FARS News Agency on Tuesday.