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.

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.

SIX TERRORISTS KILLED DURING BAGHDAD RAID  —  MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ  —  COMBINED PRESS INFORMATION CENTER  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq  —  703.270.0320 / 0299  —  Release A070101a  —  SIX TERRORISTS KILLED DURING BAGHDAD RAID  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Coalition Forces killed six terrorists …

Welcome to 2007: Fact-Checking the New York Times  —  Little Green Footballs is running slower than a mule on Valium this morning, apparently because of a link in this article at the New York Times that's sending a deluge of people looking for the cellphone video of Saddam Hussein's execution: Hard Choices Over Video of Execution.

Universal Health Care Run by Psychotics  —  I'm glad there's widespread liberal discussion about the health care system and the need to fix it.  Paul Krugman made a forceful argument about it today in his Op-Ed, but it's really the same argument that heroic blogger nyceve makes on a regular basis …

Iraqis learn the art of legal "workarounds"  —  (updated below)  —  This depressing New York Times article by John Burns and Marc Santora details the frantic, reckless manner in which Saddam Hussein was shoved into the noose in clear violation of Iraqi law.  We can't even get a hanging right.

Rose Parade Features 'Star Wars' Tribute  —  Nature's grandeur was on full display at the 118th Rose Parade on Monday, featuring a bounty of floral creations that included a fire- breathing dragon protecting a castle, hummingbirds hovering over blossoms and a frog trying to lap up some water.

Iran can still be stopped  —  It is possible to prevent the political and security landslide.  Iran can still be stopped.  —  The government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is rapidly leading Israel to a political and security downfall while Iran is racing towards achieving a nuclear weapons capability.

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 …

Labelling cheese as junk food 'unfair'  —  New advertising rules that will officially label cheese as "junk food" were condemned yesterday by the dairy industry as unfair, misleading and counter-productive.  —  Under regulations coming into force this month, broadcasters will be banned …

Veil-wearing Muslim women are part of our fight - al-Qaeda chief  —  AL-QAEDA'S deputy leader said yesterday that any Muslim woman who wears the veil in Western countries is a supporter in what he described as a fight between Islam and "Zionist Crusaders".  —  Ayman al-Zawahri issued …

Middle Stance Emerges in Debate Over Climate  —  Amid the shouting lately about whether global warming is a human-caused catastrophe or a hoax, some usually staid climate scientists in the usually invisible middle are speaking up.  —  The discourse over the issue has been feverish since Hurricane Katrina.

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?

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 …