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 …

Dirge for a 'Surge'  —  In the latest NEWSWEEK poll Bush's approval rating remains at its all-time low as his plan to increase the number of U.S. troops in Iraq is met with widespread disapproval.  Looking to '08, declared candidate Hillary Clinton is in a statistical dead heat with other potential nominees.

National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2007  —  A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America  —  America was founded on the principle that we are all endowed by our Creator with the right to life and that every individual has dignity and worth.

President's Radio Address  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.  For many Americans, the new year began with a resolution to live a better and healthier life.  Whatever goals you have set for yourself this year, one goal we can all share is reforming our Nation's health care system.

State aims for Feb. 5 primary to boost clout  —  The move from June 3 would give California more influence in the 2008 presidential race.  —  SACRAMENTO — With Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's backing, state lawmakers from both parties are moving rapidly to make California a player in choosing …

Media Blackout: "I Shot the Non-Muslim"  —  The assassination of Turkish-Armenian writer Hrant Dink is being universally portrayed as ethnic strife, a political act by Turkish nationalists against an Armenian critic.  —  Call me Mr. Suspicious, but when I see the entire media monolith pushing …

Former FEMA head in NYC: party politics played role in Katrina response  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Political storm clouds gathered again over the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina as former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown said party politics influenced decisions …

Chavez admits Castro gravely ill  —  Cuban leader Fidel Castro is battling to save his life, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said.  —  Mr Chavez, a close friend of Cuba's left-wing leader, said he hoped Mr Castro would recover but admitted he faced a hard struggle.

Unbowed  —  Joe Lieberman: "It is critical that we take advantage of this opportunity to win."  —  WASHINGTON—The war in Iraq brings to Joe Lieberman's mind an old Mark Twain story.  "When a cat jumps on a hot stove, the cat never jumps on the stove again because the cat always assumes the stove is hot …