Blair steps up pressure on Iran as US moves in  —  Tony Blair warned Iran yesterday that the dispute over the 15 British servicemen seized in Gulf waters last week could move into a "different phase" if diplomacy failed to secure their release.  —  His words, immediately condemned by Iran as …

Senate Signals Support for Iraq Timeline  —  The Senate today narrowly endorsed a Democratic-led effort to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq a year from now, voting down a Republican amendment that would have stripped the provision from a $122 emergency spending bill.

Sweeps in Iraq Cram Two Jails With Detainees  —  Hundreds of Iraqis detained in the Baghdad security crackdown have been crammed into two detention centers run by the Defense Ministry that were designed to hold only dozens of people, a government monitoring group said Tuesday.

Michael Ware: "I dont know what part of Neverland Senator McCain is talking about..."  —  During an interview on "The Situation Room" this afternoon, John McCain told Wolf that he needs to "get up to speed" and stop reporting three-month-old news from Iraq.  According to McCain …

Hillary on Track for Nomination  —  With every passing week it becomes more likely that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic Party nominee for president.  This thought, alone, should provide the strongest possible motivation to the Bush administration and the Washington Republicans …

House GOP: Protect 'John Does' on flights  —  House Republicans today surprised Democrats with a procedural vote to protect public-transportation passengers from being sued if they report suspicious activity — the first step by lawmakers to protect "John Doe" airline travelers already targeted …

Sewage 'tsunami' kills five, scores missing  —  AT least five Palestinians drowned in a "sewage tsunami" when a water treatment reservoir burst, flooding a village in the northern Gaza Strip.  —  The deluge, triggered by the collapse of a septic system aid organisations had long warned …

New Drive Afoot to Pass Equal Rights Amendment  —  Federal and state lawmakers have launched a new drive to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, reviving a feminist goal that faltered a quarter-century ago when the measure did not gain the approval of three-quarters of the state legislatures.

The Entourage Is Gone.  The Jet Is Gone.  But for the Ex-Speaker, the Work Goes On.  —  Former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert usually trundles through the Capitol's hallways alone these days, his head down, chin buried in his chest, without the coterie of aides who trailed him just a few months ago …

FBI didn't mean to break the law, Mueller says  —  WASHINGTON - The FBI didn't deliberately break the law by improperly obtaining thousands of Americans' phone, e-mail and financial records, Bureau Director Robert Mueller told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.  —  That was the good news.

McCaffrey Paints Gloomy Picture of Iraq  —  In Contrast to His Previous Views, Retired General Writes of 'Strategic Peril'  —  An influential retired Army general released a dire assessment of the situation in Iraq, based on a recent round of meetings there with Gen. David H. Petraeus and 16 other senior U.S. commanders.