G.O.P. Candidates Criticize Slur by Conservative Author  —  Three of the leading Republican presidential candidates on Saturday denounced one of their party's best-known conservative commentators for using an antigay epithet when discussing a Democratic presidential contender at a gathering of conservatives here.

Expert on Soviet Intelligence Shot in Adelphi  —  Federal and local law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting in Prince George's County that critically injured a prominent intelligence expert who specializes in the former Soviet Union.  —  Paul Joyal, 53, was shot Thursday …

Afghanistan: US forces attack suspected al Qaeda hideout  —  Christopher Isham and Gretchen Peters Report:  —  For the past two days, U.S. and NATO forces have been conducting a major attack against a compound in a remote area of Eastern Afghanistan where Osama bin Laden or another senior al Qaeda leader …

Another Hillary defector  —  WASHINGTON - Greg Craig, a Washington super-lawyer with close ties to the Clintons, is supporting Sen. Barack Obama for President.  —  Craig was a White House special counsel defending President Bill Clinton in the Senate impeachment trial.

Doubts Rise as States Hold Sex Offenders After Prison Terms  —  The decision by New York to confine sex offenders beyond their prison terms places the state at the forefront of a growing national movement that is popular with politicians and voters.  But such programs have almost never met …

Since you asked  —  A left-wing extremist exhibits many, but not necessarily all, of the following attributes:  —believes that the decision to go to war in Iraq was not an individual case of monumental stupidity, but a consequence of America's fundamental imperialistic nature.

The Must-Do List  —  The Bush administration's assault on some of the founding principles of American democracy marches onward despite the Democratic victory in the 2006 elections.  The new Democratic majorities in Congress can block the sort of noxious measures that the Republican majority rubber-stamped.

NY Times' Nagourney compares hatemonger Coulter to Sen. Clinton  —  In a belated report on right-wing pundit Ann Coulter's reference to former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) as a "faggot," New York Times reporter Adam Nagourney purported to explain a denunciation of Coulter's remark by Edwards, as though it needed explanation.

Bill Maher is Sorry the Assassination Attempt on Dick Cheney Failed  —  In 2002, ABC made the decision to not renew Bill Maher's contract after he made some disgraceful comments on his program "Politically Incorrect" concerning America's military response to 9/11.

The Million-Dollar Kid  —  Government figures put the total cost of raising a child at $279,000, but some increasingly common expenses can send the number soaring over $1 million.  Where you fall on the kid-spending spectrum.  —  The government says families in the top-third income bracket …