Fitzgerald Ranked During Leak Case  —  U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald was ranked among prosecutors who had "not distinguished themselves" on a Justice Department chart sent to the White House in March 2005, when he was in the midst of leading the CIA leak investigation that resulted …

Giuliani Top Choice Among Both Moderate, Conservative Republicans  —  Gingrich, Romney do better among conservatives than moderates  —  PRINCETON, NJ — With the 2008 Republican presidential field beginning to come into shape, there are still questions and apparent opportunities for a favorite "conservative" candidate to emerge.

The abandoned cub who faces death sentence  —  A fluffy polar bear cub called Knut, who has become a media celebrity, should be given a lethal injection according to German zoologists, who say he has become too dependent on humans.  —  Their controversial claims have provoked a public outcry …

G.O.P. Candidates Confront Immigration Politics  —  Immigration, an issue that has divided Republicans in Washington, is reverberating across the party's presidential campaign field, causing particular complications for Senator John McCain of Arizona.  —  The topic came up repeatedly …

Russia Gives Iran Ultimatum on Enrichment  —  Russia has informed Iran that it will withhold nuclear fuel for Iran's nearly completed Bushehr power plant unless Iran suspends its uranium enrichment as demanded by the United Nations Security Council, European, American and Iranian officials said.

Obama's record shows caution, nuance on Iraq  —  WASHINGTON — As Senator Hillary Clinton continues to take heat for her vote authorizing the invasion of Iraq, her presidential rival, Senator Barack Obama has used his long-running opposition to the war as a cornerstone of his campaign …

Material Shows Weakening of Climate Reports  —  A House committee released documents Monday that showed hundreds of instances in which a White House official who was previously an oil industry lobbyist edited government climate reports to play up uncertainty of a human role in global warming or play down evidence of such a role.

Betraying their base — the Democrats can do it too  —  IT'S IRONIC.  Republicans by most accounts got trounced in the last election because they "lost their way."  The latest cover of Time magazine even has a picture of Ronald Reagan crying like that American Indian from the old anti-pollution ads of the 1970s.

Charter School Effort Gets $65 Million Lift  —  The charter school movement, begun 16 years ago as an alternative to struggling public schools, will today make its strongest claim on mainstream American education when a national group announces the most successful fundraising campaign …

Extremist students take over mosque  —  HARDLINE international students have wrested control of a major NSW mosque, ousting the local cleric amid accusations the group is rapidly converting followers to extremist Islam.  —  Up to 150 university students from Saudi Arabia …

Climate scientist sees cover-up  —  A NASA scientist who said the Bush administration muzzled him because of his belief in global warming yesterday acknowledged to Congress that he'd done more than 1,400 on-the-job interviews in recent years.  —  James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute …