Rep. Jefferson indicted in bribery probe  —  WASHINGTON - Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record), D-La., was indicted Monday on federal charges of racketeering, money-laundering and soliciting more than $400,000 in bribes in connection with years of trying to broker business deals in Africa.

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.

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.

The great right-wing fraud to repudiate George W. Bush  —  The great fraud being perpetrated in our political discourse is the concerted attempt by movement conservatives, now that the Bush presidency lay irreversibly in ruins, to repudiate George Bush by claiming that he is not, and never has been, a "real conservative."

CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL  —  New Hamposhire Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate  —  THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.  THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.  —  SCOTT SPRADLING, WMUR: Senator Obama, you get the first question of the night.  —  It has been nearly six years since 9/11.

Politico Playbook: The 'A' word  —  Good Monday morning.  As Iraq dominated last night's Democratic debate, expect CNN's Wolf Blitzer to burrow in hard on immigration when he gets the Republicans on his set on Tuesday night.  Sen. John McCain make a preemptive strike this morning at a hotel in Coral Gables …

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.

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.

Begging for Billionaire$  —  Philip Klein wants to build a better battering ram.  —  You might not think that is the the type of metaphor an eminent domain abuse crusader would employ, but Klein is a "fight fire with fire" sort if ever there was one.  —  "I think the tide is changing.

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.

Iraqi Insurgents Claim to Have Killed Missing Soldiers  —  Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz Report:  —  An Iraqi insurgent group says it has killed two missing American soldiers who they said had been captured alive.  —  According to a full translation of a ten-minute video released …

Smokers told to quit or surgery will be refused  —  Smokers are to be denied operations on the Health Service unless they give up cigarettes for at least four weeks beforehand.  —  Doctors will police the rule by ordering patients to take a blood test to prove they have not been smoking.