Iraqi official: Al-Qaida in Iraq leader wounded  —  Al-Masri reportedly hurt, in custody; aide slain in skirmish north of Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - The leader of al-Qaida in Iraq was wounded and an aide was killed in a clash Thursday with Iraqi forces north of Baghdad, the Interior Ministry spokesman said.

OLBERMANN RE-UPS WITH MSNBC—CONF CALL AT NOON TODAY  —  Olbermann Named Managing Editor of "Countdown" And Will Contribute To NBC Network News Programming  —  "Countdown" Up an Amazing 89% Over 2006  —  Media Conference Call at NOON TODAY (ET)  —  Dial (866) 332-6117 Conference ID #9265852 to participate

Reid Schedules Saturday Vote on House's Iraq Resolution  —  Senate Democratic leaders abruptly switched course in the Iraq war debate today, shelving a complicated non-binding resolution that has run into procedural hurdles, in favor of a House version that simply states Congress's objections to President Bush's troop escalation plan.

Auditors: Billions squandered in Iraq  —  WASHINGTON - The U.S. government has squandered as much as $10 billion in public money on Iraq reconstruction aid because of overcharges and unsubstantiated expenses.  More is yet to come, federal investigators said Thursday.

Democrats in State Capitols Push Antiwar Resolutions  —  Frustrated by the inability of Democrats in Congress to pass a resolution opposing President Bush's policies in Iraq, state legislators across the country, led by Democrats and under pressure from liberal advocacy groups, are pushing forward with their own resolutions.

Antarctic temperatures disagree with climate model predictions  —  COLUMBUS , Ohio - A new report on climate over the world's southernmost continent shows that temperatures during the late 20th century did not climb as had been predicted by many global climate models.

Bush Regains His Footing  —  It may seem perverse to suggest that, at the very moment the House of Representatives is repudiating his policy in Iraq, President Bush is poised for a political comeback.  But don't be astonished if that is the case.  —  Like President Bill Clinton …

Why I had to quit the John Edwards campaign  —  During my brief tenure as blogmaster for a Democratic presidential contender, I experienced the right-wing smear machine firsthand  —  As one of the thousands, possibly millions, of bloggers out there holding forth on everything from cooking to politics …

Rep. Jefferson Gets Seat on Homeland Security  —  Rep. William Jefferson, the Louisiana Democrat who's facing an ongoing federal corruption probe, is being granted a spot on the Homeland Security Committee, according to Democratic aides.  —  The appointment will be announced Friday …

Dispatches From the Scooter Libby Trial  —  After hours of lawyer wrangling Wednesday, the judge called the jury into the courtroom.  All but one of them entered wearing a bright red T-shirt with a white heart over the left breast.  Seated in their rows, they looked like a box of maraschino cherries.

Rudy's New Social Conservatism  —  Pundits of all political persuasions have been chattering about whether Rudy Giuliani, whose name is invariably modified by the description "social liberal," can overcome the objections of many religious conservatives to win the Republican nomination.

NBC sinks too low for this talking head  —  Like some second marriages and most Hollywood sequels, it's usually a bad idea for a columnist to revisit the same topic.  But last week's discussion of renegade blogger and NBC military analyst Bill Arkin proved some larger points.

CONGRESSMAN MURTHA CRAFTS BILL TO PREVENT IRAQ TROOP DEPLOYMENTS  —  WASHINGTON — A powerful Democrat and Iraq war foe said he intends to introduce legislation in the coming weeks that would effectively end President Bush's plans to send 21,500 more troops into Iraq by setting limits on which troops can be sent.