W pushes envelope on U.S. spying  —  New postal law lets Bush peek through your mail  —  WASHINGTON - President Bush has quietly claimed sweeping new powers to open Americans' mail without a judge's warrant, the Daily News has learned.  —  The President asserted his new authority …

Negroponte to Leave Job to Be State Dept. Deputy  —  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has persuaded John D. Negroponte to leave his post as director of national intelligence and come to the State Department as her deputy, government officials said last night.  —  Negroponte's move would fill a crucial hole on Rice's team.

In the House, Suddenly Righteous Republicans  —  Thirty-one-year-old Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) is not a large man, standing perhaps 5 feet 3 inches tall in thick soles.  But he packed a whole lot of chutzpah when he walked into the House TV gallery yesterday to demand …

To Win in Baghdad, Strike at Tehran  —  As early as next week, President Bush is expected to give a major speech announcing a new strategy in Iraq.  This is an excellent opportunity for the administration to announce a big strategic change that could dramatically improve America's prospects in Iraq.

The Right Minimum Wage  —  A federal minimum wage is an idea whose time came in 1938, when public confidence in markets was at a nadir and the federal government's confidence in itself was at an apogee.  This, in spite of the fact that with 19 percent unemployment and the economy contracting …

RANGEL BOOTS VEEP  —  EVICTS CHENEY FROM CHOICE CAPITOL DIGS  —  Rep. Charles Rangel has evicted Vice President Dick Cheney from his office in the Capitol, and the Harlem heavyweight is moving into the prime digs today, The Post has learned.  —  Gilded letters were freshly painted atop …

Miers Resigns As White House Counsel  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Harriet Miers, President Bush's failed Supreme Court nominee, has submitted her resignation as White House counsel, the White House announced Thursday.  —  White House press secretary Tony Snow said the president reluctantly accepted …

Majority of Americans View Media Coverage of Iraq as Inaccurate  —  Most likely to say coverage is too negative  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A majority of Americans — 56% — believe that the news media's coverage of the situation in Iraq is generally inaccurate.  About 4 out of 10 Americans agree …

A Chance To Change The Game  —  This past Election Day, the American people sent a clear message to Washington: Clean up your act.  —  After a year in which too many scandals revealed the influence special interests wield over Washington, it's no surprise that so many incumbents were defeated …

Eye on the Clock, House Democrats Put Their Focus On '100 Hours'  —  It sure sounds like a race against time.  Democrats have given themselves a mere 100 hours to break the bonds between lobbyist and lawmaker, boost homeland security, raise the minimum wage, fund stem cell research …

Passed Over by Pelosi, Harman Doesn't Get Even.  She Gets Mad.  —  Catfight aftermath: Rep. Jane Harman is still quite irked that House Speaker-designee Nancy Pelosi nixed her for chairman of the House intelligence committee — and she's not exactly being stoic about it.

Is This A Franchise?  —  The UN has announced yet another investigation into yet another series of allegations of sexual abuse of refugees under the protection of UN peacekeepers.  The London Telegraph had earlier reported on the systemic abuse of children in Sudan, and Turtle Bay …

The 100 Hours Rush  —  Speaker Pelosi learned a few things from Tom DeLay.  —  Congratulations to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her fellow Democrats, who begin their new control of Congress today.  They also deserve full marks for paying attention while in the minority, because it's clear Democrats learned …

Our Iraqi Mistake  —  WHAT WAS IT, EXACTLY?  —  Listen to the MP3 audio version of this story here, or sign up for Slate's free daily podcast on iTunes.  —  Virtually everyone now agrees that the war in Iraq has been a vast mistake.  But what, exactly, was the nature of that mistake?

O Mighty Crisis  —  THE "CONSTITUTIONAL COLLAPSE" OVER JUDICIAL PAY.  —  I have been accused by readers of being far too fond of the new chief justice.  Several of my colleagues have broken into song when they see me—a little ditty linking me to the chief with a chorus that ends, "k-i-s-s-i-n-g."

Snow: Americans 'Out of Touch With Reality' In Iraq  —  Just weeks ago, President Bush insisted that the United States was "absolutely" winning in Iraq.  Recently, as the casulties have mounted, he's toned back his sunny rhetoric slightly, saying the United States was not "winning or losing."