Somali troops capture Islamic stronghold  —  KISMAYO, Somalia - Somali government troops backed by Ethiopian tanks and fighter jets captured the last major stronghold of a militant Islamic movement Monday, while hundreds of Islamic fighters — many of them Arabs and South Asians — fled the town.

Rush to Hang Hussein Was Questioned  —  BAGHDAD, Dec. 31 — With his plain pine coffin strapped into an American military helicopter for a predawn journey across the desert, Saddam Hussein, the executed dictator who built a legend with his defiance of America, completed a turbulent passage into history on Sunday.

GOP Lawmakers Divided About 'Surge' in Troops  —  Republican lawmakers appear uneasy about — and in some cases outright dismissive of — the idea of sending many more troops to Iraq, as President Bush contemplates such a "surge" as part of his new strategy for stabilizing the country.

Chief Justice Advocates Higher Pay for Judiciary  —  WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 — Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. made judicial pay the sole topic of his second annual report, issued on Sunday, declaring that the failure by Congress to raise federal judges' salaries in recent years has become a …

US 'licence to snoop' on British air travellers  —  Britons flying to America could have their credit card and email accounts inspected by the United States authorities following a deal struck by Brussels and Washington.  —  By using a credit card to book a flight, passengers face having …

U.S. Toll In Iraq Reaches 3,000  —  The number of U.S. service members killed in Iraq since the war began in 2003 reached 3,000 on Sunday, a symbolic milestone at a time when the Bush administration is rethinking its strategy for the increasingly violent conflict.

MTP Transcript for Dec. 31  —  MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: This is the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, where the remains of the 38th president of the United States lie in state.  What is Gerald Ford's legacy?  What is the story behind the story of his pardon of Richard Nixon?

Reds Everywhere  —  Ankush points me towards an article in the Business section of The New York Times arguing for single-payer health care.  That's not exactly a common pairing, so seeing such an unexpected marriage of section and socialism does my heart good.

AP poll: Americans optimistic for 2007  —  WASHINGTON - The news from Iraq and other national headlines may be grim, but in Greenville, N.C., John Given has a new baby and his first home, and life is good.  —  So, too, for Sandra Trowbridge in tiny Magnet Cove, Ark. The situation in Iraq makes …

Past, Future, Whatever  —  The Boston Glob's odious James Carroll, surrender enthusiast extraordinaire and Kumbayah choir leader, sheds light on the world view that informs his positions:  —  "The future and the past exist only in your mind."  —  Apparently he's never attended family day at a Balkan or a Middle Eastern mass grave.

The State of the Jihad  —  A look at the state of the major theaters, and some under the radar, in the Long War  —  Waziristan.  —  The year of 2006 has seen some interesting developments in the fight against al-Qaeda and its allies across the globe.  While the war against al-Qaeda …