Former President Ford dies at 93  —  LOS ANGELES - Gerald R. Ford, who picked up the pieces of Richard Nixon's scandal-shattered White House as the 38th president and the only one never elected to nationwide office, has died.  He was 93.  —  "My family joins me in sharing the difficult news …

TROOPS HALP JON CARRY IN IRAK  —  On his visit to Iraq, Senator Kerry apparently got something like the silent treatment from the troops who are "stuck" there.  WDAY's Scott Hennen quotes a message from a friend serving in Iraq: … Scott comments:

Biden wants Rice to testify on Iraq policy … WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. Joseph Biden, the incoming chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said he has invited Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to testify during three weeks of hearings in January about the Iraq war.

Details of the escalating conflict in Somalia have been in the news lately and the country's instability has caught the attention of the Bush administration.  Concerned that it could turn into a haven for terrorists, there is much talk in Washington that Somalia is becoming another important battleground in the global war on terrorism.

Bush's New Look on Iraq: Weary  —  Watching President Bush in recent weeks has become a grim kind of reality TV show.  In almost every news conference, speech and photo opportunity, the topic is the same: what to do about the grinding war in Iraq.  Bush has let the facade crack open …

U.S. ready to send 3,500 troops: sources  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon is expected to send 3,500 troops into Kuwait to stand ready for use in Iraq, senior defense officials said on Tuesday as the Bush administration weighs adjusting force levels in the war.

Star Tribune being sold to private equity firm  —  A private equity firm has reached an agreement to buy the Star Tribune from the McClatchy Co., publisher Keith Moyer announced today.  —  Avista Capital Partners, an investment group focused on media, health care and energy companies …