Give us guns - and troops can go, says Iraqi leader  —  Listen to the interview with Nouri al-Maliki  —  America's refusal to give Baghdad's security forces sufficient guns and equipment has cost a great number of lives, the Iraqi Prime Minister said yesterday.

Court to Oversee U.S. Wiretapping in Terror Cases  —  The Bush administration, in a surprise reversal, said on Wednesday that it had agreed to give a secret court jurisdiction over the National Security Agency's wiretapping program and would end its practice of eavesdropping without warrants on Americans suspected of ties to terrorists.

Commanding majority opposes more troops in Iraq  —  WASHINGTON — A commanding majority of Americans oppose President Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq and just over half the country wants Congress to block the deployment, a Times/Bloomberg poll has found.

Iraq resolution exposes GOP divisions  —  WASHINGTON - A Democratic resolution on Iraq has attracted the support of at least two Republicans and is exposing fissures within the GOP over the unpopular war.  —  Congressional Republicans are struggling to come up with a united response …

Washington 'snubbed Iran offer'  —  Iran offered the US a package of concessions in 2003, but it was rejected, a senior former US official has told the BBC's Newsnight programme.  —  Tehran proposed ending support for Lebanese and Palestinian militant groups and helping to stabilise Iraq following the US-led invasion.

Katie: A Woman At The Table  —  One week ago, Katie sat down for a briefing at the White House, and noticed something unusual.  —  Last Wednesday, President Bush gave his address to the country about "the new way forward" for Iraq, and lots of journalists—including me, of course—were in Washington to cover it.

Area Readers Get the Joke  —  The Onion, the Gen-X satiric newspaper, is coming to Washington and will partner with The Washington Post, which will print the paper and sell local ads.  —  The Onion, which also maintains a Web site, will be distributed free in news boxes and by hawkers in Washington beginning the first week in April.

Mao was cruel - but also laid the ground for today's China  —  The crimes of communist China's founder shouldn't blind us to achievements which paved the way for its current modernisation  —  Nobody wants to be an apologist for Mao.  Even the Communist party, five years after his death …

Cancer Deaths Decline For Second Straight Year  —  The number of Americans who died of cancer has dropped for a second straight year, marking a milestone in the war on the disease, officials said yesterday.  —  More than 3,000 fewer Americans died from cancer in 2004 than in 2003 …

Obama's Past Offers Ammo for Critics  —  SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama may have a lot of explaining to do.  —  He voted against requiring medical care for aborted fetuses who survive.  He supported allowing retired police officers to carry concealed weapons …

Obama's Turn: Says He'll Introduce Iraq Legislation Calling For Phased Withdrawal  —  Barely moments after Hillary Clinton concluded her press conference this afternoon calling for a "cap" on the number of troops in Iraq, Barack Obama's office sent out a statement saying that he, too, would be introducing his own Iraq legislation.

Snow Falls In West LA, Malibu  —  CHP To Escort Motorists Through Icy Grapevine  —  SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — Snow fell on the palm trees of West Los Angeles and Malibu Wednesday afternoon as Jack Frost visited the Southland again.  —  Images: Malibu, West LA Snow  —  Video

Van Hollen and Dean bury hatchet  —  Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the new chief election strategist for the House Democrats, welcomed Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean to his office Tuesday for a "jovial" meeting in which the two pledged to work together during the 2008 election cycle.