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 Supports a Pullout Date in Iraq War Bill  —  The Senate went on record for the first time on Tuesday in favor of a withdrawal date from Iraq, with Democrats marshaling the votes they needed to deliver a forceful rebuke to President Bush's war policy.  —  By a vote of 50 to 48 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

On the Firing Line  —  D. Kyle Sampson was a team player.  Tomorrow, Alberto Gonzales's former chief of staff will tell a Senate panel who called the shots.  —  W alking into the FBI gym for a basketball game in 2003 or 2004 to play against John Ashcroft and his boys …

Bush's Royal Trouble  —  President Bush enjoys hosting formal state dinners about as much as having a root canal.  Or proposing tax increases.  So his decision to schedule a mid-April White House gala for Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah signified the president's high regard for an Arab monarch who is also a Bush family friend.

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 …

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 …