Edwards's Bloggers Cross the Line, Critic Says  —  Two bloggers hired by John Edwards to reach out to liberals in the online world have landed his presidential campaign in hot water for doing what bloggers do — expressing their opinions in provocative and often crude language.

Baghdad Push Begins, U.S. Military Says  —  The long-awaited Baghdad security operation has begun, the top United States military spokesman in Iraq said today, also confirming that a transport helicopter had come down near Baghdad.  He declined to comment on any casualties.

Bill Banning iPods In Crosswalks Slated For Albany  —  State Sen. Kruger: Electronic Devices Put Many In Danger  —  (CBS) NEW YORK First it was cell phones in cars, then trans fats.  Now, a new plan is on the table to ban gadget use while crossing city streets.

Lawmakers Revolt Against Long Hours  —  Even before Democratic leaders have made good on promises to harness lawmakers five days a week, cross-party opposition is growing, with senators ready to revolt and House members simmering over the new schedule.  —  The most popular move afoot …

Matthews drops the F-bomb.  —  Once again allowing his emotions to get the better of him, Hardball host Chris Matthews told Don Imus this morning that he's "so sick of Southern guys with ranches running this country.  I want a guy to run for President who doesn't have a f**king — I'm sorry, a ranch."

Global Warming and Hot Air  —  You could be excused for thinking that we'll soon do something serious about global warming.  Last Friday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) — an international group of scientists — concluded that, to a 90 percent probability, human activity is warming the Earth.

Iran Considers Gasoline Rationing  —  Sitting on a mountain of oil, the Iranians move toward gas rationing.  —  IRANIANS are among the world's biggest consumers of gasoline because the product is kept at an artificially low price through government subsidies.

Thoughts on Music  —  With the stunning global success of Apple's iPod music player and iTunes online music store, some have called for Apple to "open" the digital rights management (DRM) system that Apple uses to protect its music against theft, so that music purchased from iTunes can be played …

Wal-Mart and a Union Unite, at Least on Health Policy  —  They have established one of the fiercest rivalries in the American economy, attacking one another's organizations through dueling blogs, newspaper advertisements and news conferences.  —  But this morning, in an extraordinary meeting in Washington …

Libby Live: Tim Russert, One  —  Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be live-bloggers.  Trying to keep up with the tapes of rapid-fire Fitz and soft-spoken Scooter was no fun.  But now we're back in the world of live witnesses, who hopefully will pause for breath more often ...

WE DO USE BOOKS THAT CALL JEWS 'APES' ADMITS HEAD OF ISLAMIC SCHOOL  —  The principal of an Islamic school has admitted that it uses textbooks which describe Jews as "apes" and Christians as "pigs" and has refused to withdraw them.  —  Dr Sumaya Alyusuf confirmed that the offending books exist …

Pelosi's push for jet remains up in air  —  The Bush administration has agreed to provide House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with regular access to an Air Force passenger jet, but the two sides are negotiating whether she will get the big aircraft she wants and who she may take as passengers …