Taliban chief's death a big U.S. victory  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — The killing of the top Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah, a one-legged fighter who orchestrated suicide attacks, beheadings and an ethnic massacre, marks a major victory for the U.S. campaign at a time of flagging Afghan support over civilian killings.

Hagel hints at independent White House bid  —  Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel on Sunday hinted at the possibility of running for the White House as an independent, saying a credible third party ticket would be beneficial to the country.  —  "I am not happy with the Republican Party today …

Judge in Padilla case comes under pressure  —  When Jose Padilla first entered her courtroom in 2006, Miami federal judge Marcia Cooke ordered security guards to uncuff the al-Qaida suspect.  —  "No handcuffs in court, please," she said.  —  It was a small gesture, but one that signaled …

FDL Book Salon: The Thumpin'  —  (Ordinarily we have book authors on Book Salon to discuss their works.  We were approached by the publisher to review the book and we invited author Naftali Bendavid to join us but did not hear back.  We decided to review the book anyway — JH)  —  Hi FDL!

CLERK RINGS UP N.J. JIHAD JERKS  —  HOW HERO HELPED TO STOP PLOT  —  It all began on a frigid January day with 10 bearded Muslim men huddled in the parking lot of a Circuit City debating who would go inside to have a copy made of a tape showing them firing guns and praising jihad.

Fortress America's gate is open  —  Most terrorists seem like bumbling losers if they're caught before the act: That's certainly true of the Fort Dix jihadists who took their terrorist training DVD to the local audio store to be copied.  It was also true of the Islamists arrested in Toronto …

Bush playfully conducts orchestra in Va.  —  JAMESTOWN, Va. - JoAnn Falletta was doing what a conductor should — concentrating on the orchestra in front of her.  No wonder it took her a few seconds on Sunday to realize someone behind her was motioning for a try.  President Bush.

Troy Scheffler And Hamline University  —  Mitch Berg and I had the opportunity to invite Troy Scheffler to our studio yesterday to talk about his suspension from Hamline University for his protest against the gun-free zone policy of the school.  After the Virginia Tech massacre …

More Pageantry  —  It's that time of year again: the Miss Universe pageant is fast approaching.  The finale will be Monday, May 28, in Mexico City.  In the meantime, you can follow developments on the official Miss Universe site.  The candidates are assembling in Mexico City, and more is added to the pageant's web site every day.

What We Got Right in Iraq  —  Once conventional wisdom congeals, even facts can't shake it loose.  These days, everyone "knows" that the Coalition Provisional Authority made two disastrous decisions at the beginning of the U.S. occupation of Iraq: to vengefully drive members of the Baath Party …

Give bigger government a chance  —  For too long, we've bought the idea that government has failed us.  —  ON APRIL 2, this newspaper reported that the Los Angeles Police Department had asked Philip Morris USA for a $50,000 donation to help fund its investigation into counterfeit cigarettes.