MSNBC, CBS Radio suspend Imus show  —  But charity event will air as scheduled Thursday and Friday  —  NEW YORK - After a career of cranky insults, radio star Don Imus was fighting for his job Monday following one joke that by his own admission went "way too far."

Obama Ditches CBC/Fox Debate  —  Barack Obama has chosen not to attend September's Democratic presidential primary debate co-sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute and Fox News, an aide said, effectively dooming the event.  —  Obama is the only member of the Congressional Black Caucus running …

JOSHUA'S FIDDLE....Have you read Gene Weingarten's cover story in this week's Washington Post magazine?  Basically, he took a world-class violinist (Joshua Bell) and had him play for about an hour at the entrance to a DC Metro stop to see if anyone would notice.  To a good approximation, no one did.

Worse Than Apartheid?  —  BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Hani Hayek, an accountant who is the Christian mayor of the tiny majority-Christian Palestinian village of Beit Sahour, was angry last week as he drove me along the Israeli security wall.  "They are taking our communal lands," he said …

Elizabeth Edwards afraid of neighbor  —  She has never met `rabid Republican,' but wouldn't be nice  —  RALEIGH —Elizabeth Edwards says she is scared of the "rabid, rabid Republican" who owns property across the street from her Orange County home — and she doesn't want her kids going near the gun-toting neighbor.

Frozen bay turns otters into easy prey  —  PORT HEIDEN: Hunger leads animals to seek food on the tundra.  —  By ALEX deMARBAN  —  An extra-cold winter on the Alaska Peninsula has frozen sea otters out of the bay and pushed them onto the tundra near Port Heiden where they're easy prey for wolves, humans and hunger.

Shiites Call for U.S. to Leave Iraq  —  BAGHDAD — Tens of thousands of Shiites _ a sea of women in black abayas and men waving Iraqi flags _ rallied Monday to demand that U.S. forces leave their country.  Some ripped apart American flags and tromped across a Stars and Stripes rug.