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 …

"Bong Hits 4 Jesus," "Bong Hits 4 Jesus," "Bong Hits 4 Jesus"...  It never gets old, does it?  It's funny, and it will always be funny.  "Bong Hits 4 Jesus."  People will be laughing about that line in Conlaw classes years and years from now.  I hope the Supreme Court writes an interesting opinion …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

FBI Issues New Rules For Getting Phone Records  —  The FBI, which has been criticized for improperly gathering telephone records in terrorism cases, has told its agents they may still ask phone companies to voluntarily hand over toll records in emergencies by using a new set of procedures, officials said yesterday.

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 say.

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 …

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 …

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.

Communist Party USA Gives Its History to N.Y.U.  —  The songwriter, labor organizer and folk hero Joe Hill has been the subject of poems, songs, an opera, books and movies.  His will, written in verse the night before a Utah firing squad executed him in 1915 and later put to music, became part of the labor movement's soundtrack.

Wasted Lives  —  Back when I was in the National Guard and fearing a call-up for the war in Vietnam, I went to England on vacation.  So it may be only natural, I suppose, that the thing I most starkly recall from that trip was England's majestic cathedrals — not for the Gothic wonder of them all, but for the tombs of fallen soldiers.

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 …