Bombs kill at least 65 people in Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - At least 65 people were killed and 113 wounded after two nearly simultaneous bombs struck a predominantly Shiite commercial area in central Baghdad Monday, police said.  —  The first blast occurred shortly after noon when a bomb left …

Bill Richardson Enters '08 Field  —  Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico jumped into the 2008 presidential race today, announcing that he had formed a campaign exploratory committee in order to seek the Democratic nomination.  —  "I am taking this step because we have to repair the damage that's …

A WRETCHED STEW  —  After I became aware of the learned critic John Simon in the late 1960's I saw him on one of the daytime television talk shows.  Jacqueline Susann was the guest; the host was David Frost, and Frost was conducting a gushing interview with Susann about The Valley of the Dolls.

Pastor to defy city's order to evict homeless from church grounds  —  Long Beach cleric says allowing people to sleep on the steps is a 'religious act.' Officials cite safety, sanitation concerns.  —  Inviting a confrontation with city officials, the senior pastor at a venerable Long Beach …

Intelligence Community to Congress: "The dog ate my national intelligence estimate"  —  Back in July, I reported that, in spite of pressure from CIA analysts, intelligence czar John Negroponte was blocking a new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraq.  The CIA describes an NIE as …

Chavez to U.S.: 'Go to hell, gringos!'  —  CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez told U.S. officials to "Go to hell!" on his weekly radio and TV show Sunday for what he called unacceptable meddling after Washington raised concerns about a measure to grant Venezuela's fiery leftist leader broad lawmaking powers.

Turkish Police Arrest Teenage Suspect in Editor's Killing  —  The Turkish police on Saturday arrested a 17-year-old suspect in the killing of a newspaper editor who championed Armenian rights, Turkish authorities said.  —  The editor, Hrant Dink, 52, a Turk of Armenian descent …

U.S. Toll in Iraq Is 27 for Deadly Weekend  —  The United States military said that two marines died Sunday in western Iraq and that an additional seven service members died Saturday.  The deaths brought the weekend toll to 27 and made Saturday the third-deadliest day for United States forces since the war here began.

Website offers whistleblowers chance to go global  —  THE internet could become even more difficult for governments to regulate with a new website, Wikileaks, promising to provide a safe haven for whistleblowers to upload confidential documents.  —  Australians are among the volunteers behind the site.

Unhappy Days  —  Has Arnold Schwarzenegger jumped the shark?  —  When politicians break their pledges not to raise taxes, they come up with the darnedest evasions.  Take Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who wants to levy new charges on California doctors, hospitals and employers to help pay for his $12 billion health-care plan.

Milton Friedman @ Rest  —  Email from a Nobel Laureate.  —  In July last year, the late Milton Friedman, Nobel laureate in economics in 1976, granted an interview to The Wall Street Journal.  Today we publish material from a question-and-answer exchange he had by email—shortly after their meeting …

Video: SNL hammers Hillary on Iraq  —  Lieberman and a precious few others aside, their "hawks" are opportunistic liars who only supported the war initially because it was politically expedient to do so.  We've always known that.  —  Their base knows it, too.  —  Blowback

Taking Middle Schoolers Out of the Middle  —  When John Smith, a swaggering sixth grader at one of New York City's growing collection of kindergarten- through eighth-grade schools, feels lost, he heads downstairs to the colorful classroom of his former third-grade teacher, Randi Silverman, for what she calls a "Silverman hug."

MTP Transcript for Jan. 21, 2007  —  MR. TIM RUSSERT: Our issues this Sunday: the war in Iraq.  Should Congress support President Bush's plan to send more American troops to Iraq?  Yes, says the leading advocate for a troop increase.  —  SEN. JOHN McCAIN (R-AZ): These moves will give …

Exclusive: On Sunday night conference call with major donors, Clinton says she's going to win  —  In a private Sunday night conference call with several hundred major donors, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) trumpeted the success of her website-announced campaign and revealed that healthcare …

How America Met the Mideast  —  America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present  —  Norton.  778 pp.  $35  —  We often hear that Americans know little about other nations; a bigger problem is that we know too little about ourselves, our history and our national character.

Army Says Improper Orders by Colonel Led to 4 Deaths  —  Army investigators say that Col. Michael D. Steele, a decorated combat veteran and brigade commander in Iraq, issued improper orders to his soldiers that contributed to the deaths of four unarmed Iraqi men during a raid in May, according to military documents.