Rep. Jefferson indicted in bribery probe  —  WASHINGTON - Louisiana congressman William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record) received more than $500,000 in bribes and sought millions more in nearly a dozen separate schemes to enrich himself by using his office to broker business deals in Africa, according to a federal indictment Monday.

Guantanamo judge dismisses terror case  —  GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - A military judge dismissed terrorism-related charges Monday against a prisoner charged with killing an American soldier in Afghanistan, delivering a blow to the Bush administration's attempt to try Guantanamo detainees in military courts.

Democrats Lose Their Edge  —  Poll Shows Congressional Approval Ratings Have Returned to Pre-Election Levels  —  The Democrats in Congress have lost much of the leadership edge they carried out of the 2006 midterm election, with the lack of progress in Iraq being the leading cause.

CBO: Bill would only reduce illegals by 25%  —  The Senate's immigration bill will only reduce illegal immigration by about 25 percent a year, according to a new Congressional Budget Office report, Stephen Dinan will report Tuesday in The Washington Times.  —  The bill's new guest-worker program …

Scarborough has an "Imus moment"  —  Presidential candidate Fred Thompson's second-and-current wife Jeri, who is considered by some to be a "trophy wife," was the topic of an interesting conversation on Friday's Morning Joe radio talk show, which aired live on MSNBC.

Ruling Helps Prosecutors in Death Penalty Cases  —  The Supreme Court today strengthened the hand of prosecutors in death penalty cases by making it easier to remove potential jurors who express ambivalence about the death penalty or confusion about how it should be applied.

Key Bush backers rally to Fred Thompson  —  George P. Bush, a nephew of President Bush who recently joined the Navy Reserve, has contributed to the prospective presidential campaign of Fred Thompson and signed an e-mail asking friends and associates to do the same, The Politico has learned.

My Time in Swampland  —  As I settle in as a guest blogger here at Swampland, I'd like to thank Time and its readers for inviting me to share my views.  I hope I can raise the debate about the direction in which the conservative movement and the nation are heading.  I welcome questions and comments.

Feds Hoped to Snag Bin Laden Nuke Expert in JFK Bomb Plot  —  NEW YORK — Al Qaeda's reported nuclear whiz kid — a "tantalizing terror figure" with a $5 million bounty on his head — was the figure investigators had hoped to snag in their 18-month probe of a plot to blow up a New York airport, the New York Post reported Monday.

7 Turkish Troops Killed in Rebel Attack  —  ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Kurdish rebels fired rockets and grenades at a Turkish military outpost Monday, killing seven soldiers in an attack that heightened tension at a time when Ankara has threatened military action against the rebels in northern Iraq.