Tests Show Snow's Cancer Has Returned  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Presidential spokesman Tony Snow's surgery to remove a small growth showed that his cancer has returned, the White House said Tuesday.  —  Snow, 51, had his colon removed in 2005 and underwent six months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with colon cancer.

Press Briefing by Dana Perino  —  White House Conference Center Briefing Room  —  MS. PERINO: Good afternoon.  I have a readout for you this afternoon of the President's meeting with the Big 3 automakers.  They had a very good meeting.  It was scheduled to go just 30 minutes; it almost went to 45 minutes.

US captures car-bombing ring in Iraq  —  The US military has captured the leaders of a car-bombing ring blamed for killing hundreds of Iraqis.  —  The news came as the departing US ambassador said Americans are in ongoing talks with insurgent representatives to try to persuade them to turn against al-Qaeda.

Republicans to Rely on President Bush's Veto to Block Troop Withdrawal Plan  —  As the Senate opened debate Monday on a $122 billion Iraq spending bill, Republicans vowed not to allow Congress to impose a withdrawal date for American troops, but said they would rely on President Bush's veto pen rather …

McCain-Feingold: Five Years of Failure  —  Five years ago today, President Bush signed into law the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002.  Today, American politics is so clean you could eat off it — except for the mud-slinging, back-scratching, favor-trading, influence-peddling, bald-faced lying, indictments, and convictions.

Plea of Guilty From Detainee in Guantánamo  —  In the first conviction of a Guantánamo detainee before a military commission, an Australian who was trained by Al Qaeda pleaded guilty here Monday to providing material support to a terrorist organization.

Mideast Leaders Agree to Meet Biweekly  —  After three days of shuttle diplomacy between Israeli and Arab cities and a late night of haggling, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today that she had persuaded Israeli and Palestinian leaders to hold talks twice a month.

Webb Aide Tried To Take Gun Into Senate Building, Capitol Police Say  —  A top aide to Sen. James Webb was charged yesterday with trying to carry a loaded pistol and extra ammunition into a Senate office building, U.S. Capitol Police said.  —  The staffer, Phillip Thompson …

Tehran's Hostages  —  Iran's act of war against our British allies.  —  Advocates of engagement with Tehran often claim that the Islamic Republic long ago shed its revolutionary pretensions in favor of becoming a "status quo" power.  They might want to share that soothing wisdom with the families …

Drudge and The Politico — poisonously joined at the hip  —  The new online political magazine, The Politico, is a pernicious new presence in our media landscape.  As I noted the other day, it really is nothing more than the Drudge Report dressed up with the trappings of mainstream media credibility.

Senate war bill features $20B in pork  —  WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Like their counterparts in the House, the Senate has larded its version of an "emergency" war spending bill with nearly $20 billion in pork-barrel outlays, including $100 million for the two major political parties' 2008 presidential conventions.

Obama's Back Story  —  While I was whiling away my youth as an insurance investigator — yes, yes, Cohen of Claims — I met the lovely Penny, a wise and beautiful woman who utterly changed my life.  She invited me to her family's summer place at the beach.  The old house had a screened-in porch …

Exclusive: Report Charges Broad White House Efforts to Stifle Climate Research  —  Justin Rood Reports:  —  Bush administration officials throughout the government have engaged in White House-directed efforts to stifle, delay or dampen the release of climate change research that casts …