U.S. Set to Join Iran and Syria in Talks on Iraq  —  American officials said Tuesday that they had agreed to hold the highest-level contact with the Iranian authorities in more than two years as part of an international meeting on Iraq.  —  The discussions, scheduled for the next two months …

African American Voters Shift Support to Obama  —  The opening stages of the campaign for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination have produced a noticeable shift in sentiment among African American voters, who little more than a month ago heavily supported Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton …

Democrats Back Away From War Fund Plan  —  WASHINGTON — House Democratic leaders are backing away from a plan to scale back U.S. involvement in the Iraq war by using Congress' most powerful tool _ withholding money in the budget.  —  Instead, party officials said Tuesday …

Prince says McDonald's should be banned  —  The Prince of Wales hit out at McDonald's yesterday, suggesting that banning the US chain was the "key" to children eating more healthily.  —  His controversial comment provoked an immediate reaction from the fast-food company, which called the words …

An Editor's Confession: I'm the Source of 'Slow Bleed'  —  With a mixture of pride and remorse, I have a confession: I am the author of the Democratic Party's "slow-bleed strategy" for ending the war in Iraq.  —  I had nothing to do with the details of the plan that Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) floated two weeks ago.

Mall of America wants $234 million subsidy package  —  The Mall of America wants a subsidy package worth $234 million to help double its size.  —  Though last year's request for public dollars went nowhere, the Mall of America has an even bigger proposal for expansion using public subsidies.

Glenn Beck Claims Olbermann Is 'Killing...The World's Democracy,' 'Smacks Of...McCarthyism'  —  MSNBC host Keith Olbermann is profiled in this month's issue of Rolling Stone.  In the piece, Olbermann shares his thoughts on right-wing CNN Headline News host Glenn Beck:

U.S. and Iraqi Forces Arrest 16 Suspected in Killings and Kidnappings  —  American and Iraqi troops on Tuesday stormed several buildings in Sadr City, Baghdad's main bastion of Shiite militancy, and detained at least 16 people suspected of participating in militia violence including killings …

New Light Shed on CIA's 'Black Site' Prisons  —  On his last day in CIA custody, Marwan Jabour, an accused al-Qaeda paymaster, was stripped naked, seated in a chair and videotaped by agency officers.  Afterward, he was shackled and blindfolded, headphones were put over his ears, and he was given an injection that made him groggy.

U.S. Sanctions With Teeth  —  Everybody knows that economic sanctions don't work.  Just look at the decades of fruitless pressure on Cuba.  But guess what?  In the recent cases of North Korea and Iran, a new variety of U.S. Treasury sanctions is having a potent effect, suggesting that the conventional wisdom may be wrong.

Two GOP Factions May End Feud in Favor of Fighting Democrats  —  Now that Republicans are in the minority in Congress, a pair of dueling GOP organizations that fund congressional candidates may be reaching a détente of sorts, as they embrace the shared goal of reclaiming the majority in 2008.

'Lost Tomb of Jesus' Claim Called a Stunt  —  Leading archaeologists in Israel and the United States yesterday denounced the purported discovery of the tomb of Jesus as a publicity stunt.  —  Scorn for the Discovery Channel's claim to have found the burial place of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and …

Glenn Greenwald, Thomas Ellers, and Rick Ellensburg: The Three Most Hypocritical Men on the Planet  —  A suicide bomber apparently tried to kill Dick Cheney, and many commenters at the Huffington Post lamented his lack of success.  The offending comments have been removed from the post in question, but you can read some of them here.

Daley cruises to 6th term  —  Richard M. Daley laid claim to history on Tuesday, steamrolling two opponents and winning a sixth term that promises to make him the longest-serving mayor in Chicago history.  —  Another four years in the office will push Daley past the current record-holder …

Some push for Huckabee to run for Senate, not president  —  Though his long-shot presidential campaign is still in its early stages, some wish former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee would drop his national aspirations and return home to wage what they see as a vital campaign against Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) in 2008 instead.

Asian, European markets drop for 2nd day  —  TOKYO - Chinese stocks bounced back Wednesday after their biggest decline in a decade, but stock markets elsewhere in Asia and Europe fell for a second day amid investor jitters about possible slowdowns in the Chinese and U.S. economies.