F.B.I. Head Admits Mistakes in Use of Security Act  —  Bipartisan outrage erupted on Friday on Capitol Hill as Robert S. Mueller III, the F.B.I. director, conceded that the bureau had improperly used the USA Patriot Act to obtain information about people and businesses.

D.C.'s Ban On Handguns In Homes Is Thrown Out  —  Fenty Promises to Fight Appellate Court's Ruling  —  A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that the District's longtime ban on keeping handguns in homes is unconstitutional.  —  The 2 to 1 decision by an appellate panel outraged D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty …

Bush and Chávez Spar at Distance Over Latin Visit  —  SÃO PAULO, Brazil, March 9 — President Bush began the first full day of his weeklong trip to Latin America here on Friday promising job-creating aid but ended up competing for attention with President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela …

Democrats link pet causes to troop plan  —  WASHINGTON - Democrats seeking votes for their Iraq-withdrawal plan have stuffed the bill it's in with billions of dollars for farms, flu preparedness, New Orleans levees, home heating and other causes.  —  Some critics say the Democrats are simply …

The Saturday Cartoons  —  All cartoons are posted with the artists' express permission to BobGeiger.com.  Please visit the following sites to see more work from these fine cartoonists:  —  Nick Anderson, Houston Chronicle  —  Tony Auth, The Philadelphia Inquirer  —  Justin Bilicki, City Pulse

Kopel: Coulter and Campos: Two sides of the same coin  —  One's right, one's left, but both often too shrill  —  They seem like opposites: she's tall, blond and right-wing; he's short, balding and left-wing.  Yet both are extremely intelligent weekly columnists with a gift for turning a clever phrase.

Privatized Walter Reed Workforce Gets Scrutiny  —  Army Facility Lost Dozens Of Maintenance Workers  —  The scandal over treatment of outpatients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center has focused attention on the Army's decision to privatize the facilities support workforce at the hospital …

Europe agrees to embrace nuclear option in battle to save the planet  —  David Charter and Rory Watson, Brussels  —  The role of nuclear power in Europe received an unexpected boost yesterday as EU leaders hailed a landmark climate change deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and switch to renewable fuels.

Reports of Progress In Iraq Challenged  —  Critics Cite Administration's Past Rhetoric  —  President Bush on Tuesday cited "encouraging signs" of military and political progress in Iraq as his new strategy gets underway.  On Wednesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice noted that "things are going reasonably well."

Free Radical  —  Ayaan Hirsi Ali infuriates Muslims and discomfits liberals.  —  NEW YORK—Ayaan Hirsi Ali is untrammeled and unrepentant: "I am supposed to apologize for saying the prophet is a pervert and a tyrant," she declares.  "But that is apologizing for the truth."

POLITICAL WINDS SHIFTING ON IRAQ?  —  The National Journal reports this morning that momentum on the Iraq issue may be shifting from the Democrats to the Republicans: … To see how frustrated the Democrats are feeling, check out this video of Congressman David Obey going ballistic on a group of antiwar liberals.