Senate limits Gonzales' hiring authority  —  WASHINGTON - The Senate voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to end the Bush administration's ability to unilaterally fill U.S. attorney vacancies as a backlash to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' firing of eight federal prosecutors.

'We want this baby polar bear dead' say animal rights lobby  —  Tiny, fluffy and adorable, Knut the baby polar bear became an animal superstar after he was abandoned by his mother.  —  He rapidly became the symbol of Berlin Zoo, whose staff bottle-fed him and handed out cuddles in between

Mitt's Commie phrase sparks rage  —  Cubans in Miami are steaming mad at former Gov. Mitt Romney for shooting his mouth off in stumbling Spanish, mispronouncing names and erroneously associating a notorious Fidel Castro-spewed Communist catch phrase with freedom fighters.

War Bill Includes Tempting Projects  —  Democrats' Tactic Poses Dilemma for Some Lawmakers  —  House Democratic leaders are offering billions in federal funds for lawmakers' pet projects large and small to secure enough votes this week to pass an Iraq funding bill that would end the war next year.

John W. Backus, 82, Fortran Developer, Dies  —  John W. Backus, who assembled and led the I.B.M. team that created Fortran, the first widely used programming language, which helped open the door to modern computing, died on Saturday at his home in Ashland, Ore. He was 82.

Congress Job Approval Back Down Again This Month  —  January and February uptick appears to have dissipated  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The modest uptick in approval of the job being done by Congress has dissipated for the most part after only two months.  Congress job approval had risen …

Victory for Free Expression at San Francisco State University  —  No Punishment for Stepping on Hamas, Hezbollah Flags  —  In a crucial victory for free expression, San Francisco State University (SFSU) announced yesterday that its College Republicans will face no punishment for hosting …

The President's oh-so-noble reliance on "executive privilege"  —  There are several important facts to note about the President's vow at this afternoon's Press Conference to resist attempts to compel Karl Rove and Harriet Miers to testify to Congress, under oath, with regard to the firing of the U.S. attorneys.

Soldier's dad tells Bush, `This war is wrong'  —  The two-page letter is signed from the "proud father of a fallen soldier."  —  A little more than six weeks ago, his soul a cauldron of grief and rage, Richard Landeck, 56, of Wheaton addressed and mailed it to President Bush.

THE IRAQ SURGE: WHY IT'S WORKING ...  'I WALKED down the streets of Ramadi a few days ago, in a soft cap eating an ice cream with the mayor on one side of me and the police chief on the other, having a conversation.  " This simple act, Gen. David Petraeus told me, would have been "unthinkable" just a few months ago. "