Rule by decree passed for Chavez  —  Venezuela's National Assembly has given initial approval to a bill granting the president the power to bypass congress and rule by decree for 18 months.  —  President Hugo Chavez says he wants "revolutionary laws" to enact sweeping political, economic and social changes.

Pelosi, White House clash over Iraq  —  WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) contended Friday that President Bush is rushing new troops to Iraq and betting that Congress won't cut off funds once they're in battle.  The White House called her assertion "poisonous."

Clinton Announces Step Toward '08 Bid  —  Six years after making history by winning a United States Senate seat as first lady, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton announced this morning that she was taking the first formal step to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 …

Richardson to Launch Presidential Bid  —  New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson Plans to Take First Step Toward 2008 White House Run  —  After years of freelancing his diplomatic skills from the unlikely position as governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson is taking the first step toward a bid …

U.S. plans envision broad attack on Iran: analyst  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. contingency planning for military action against Iran's nuclear program goes beyond limited strikes and would effectively unleash a war against the country, a former U.S. intelligence analyst said on Friday.

Republicans elect Martinez to party's top post  —  WASHINGTON — Looking to rebuild after November's stinging midterm election losses, the Republican Party turned Friday to a Cuban-American senator from Florida to carry their message into the 2008 presidential election campaign.

Sadr fears for life in security crackdown  —  Mark Oliver and agencies  —  Moqtada al-Sadr has moved his family to a secure location because of fears he will become the target of a security sweep of Baghdad, it was reported today.  —  News of the radical cleric's decision came as the US military …

Late Nite FDL: We Need Your Picture  —  I just talked to Jane and she sounds fantastic.  Actually, I had snuggled up with Juan Carlos the Wonder Kitty™ about an hour ago and dozed off thinking about what to write about tonight.  The phone rang and I grabbed it before I was all the way awake.

Olbermann: Why does O'Reilly still have a job?  —  As John noted on Wednesday, Bill O'Reilly tried to blame Shawn Hornbeck, the 15 year old boy abducted in Missouri four years ago, for not trying to escape from his captor, saying he "didn't buy" Stockholm Syndrome, and later adding …

Leading Senator Assails President Over Iran Stance  —  The new chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Friday sharply criticized the Bush administration's increasingly combative stance toward Iran, saying that White House efforts to portray it as a growing threat are uncomfortably reminiscent …

Cancer study ordered into mobile phones  —  A mass study of the long-term impact of mobile phones is to be undertaken amid fears that people who have used them for more than ten years are at greater risk from brain cancer.  —  More than 200,000 volunteers, including long-term users …

Tell the Troops  —  It is bad enough for troops in Iraq to learn that their tours of duty have been extended.  It is terrible for them to have to hear about it from loved ones at home rather than from their military commanders.  —  This is what happened to about 150 New Jersey National Guard troops …

Memorable moments from this week's Libby jury selection  —  Judge Reggie Walton has "another matter" he is dealing with most of today unrelated to the Scooter Libby case.  So, the pool of potential jurors will not be returning until Monday.  This break in the "voir dire" …

Hezbollah vows 'very big action' ahead  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah promised Friday that his opposition alliance would intensify its campaign to bring down the government, pledging to mount an "effective" action in the coming days.

Court to hear campaign ads cases, six other cases  —  Returning to the much-litigated controversy over political campaign ads broadcast during election season, the Supreme Court on Friday agreed to rule on two cases that newly test the constitutionality of congressional curbs on such ads.

Daydreaming is brain's default setting, study finds … WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Daydreaming seems to be the default setting of the human mind and certain brain regions are devoted to it, U.S. researchers reported Friday.  —  When people are given a specific task to do …

Senate Tightens Rules on Tariff Breaks  —  The Senate joined the House this week by voting to make it easier for the public to track an obscure form of trade legislation that has delivered hundreds of millions of dollars in tax savings to favored corporations.