Wyoming Sen. Craig Thomas Dies at 74  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Wyoming Sen. Craig Thomas, a three-term conservative Republican who stayed clear of the Washington limelight and political catfights, died Monday.  He was 74.  —  The senator's family issued a statement saying he died Monday evening …

Obama now virtually tied with Clinton, poll shows  —  WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are essentially tied for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, the first time that the New York senator hasn't clearly led the field.

Broadcasters Win Appeal Of FCC's Profanity Ruling  —  A federal appeals court tossed out an indecency ruling against Rupert Murdoch's Fox television network yesterday and broadly questioned whether the Federal Communications Commission has the right to police the airwaves for offensive language.

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 …

A Cuban death rehearsal  —  135 » Witness » A Cuban death rehearsal  —  With Fidel Castro apparently on the verge of death, I returned to Cuba to visit old friends.  Little has changed over recent years and life for most Cubans remains harsh.  Yet western visitors continue to romanticise the place

An Unacceptable Nominee  —  President Bush's latest appeals court nominee, Leslie Southwick, has a disturbing history of insensitivity to blacks and other minority groups.  The Senate should reject this nomination and make clear to the White House that it will reject all future nominees …

Judge Throws Out Charges in Guantánamo Prisoner Case  —  A military judge here dismissed the war crimes charges against a Canadian detainee today, saying there was a flaw in the procedure the military has used to file such charges against Guantánamo detainees.

A war that never ends  —  Forty years ago tomorrow, Israel wielded its terrible swift sword against the attack-poised armies of Egypt, Syria and Jordan - and saved the Jewish state from destruction.  —  It was the Six-Day War, and the fledgling state's stunning victory over enemies determined …

GOP to push for Jefferson expulsion  —  House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) moved quickly to force the expulsion of Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) from Congress following his indictment Monday on federal corruption charges.  —  The Republican leader will ask members of the House …

GOP wives are a pol's breast friend: Front-runners get ample attention on the front lines  —  Does the heaving bosom play well among Bible Belt Republicans?  Among New Hampshire primary voters?  —  How else to explain, as debate week begins, the bursting out all over by GOP front-runners' wives?

Cheated of Future, Iraqi Graduates Want to Flee  —  They started college just before or after the American invasion with dreams of new friends and parties, brilliant teachers and advanced degrees that would lead to stellar jobs, marriage and children.  Success seemed well within their grasp.

Congressman Sought Bribes, Indictment Says  —  Representative William J. Jefferson, the Louisiana Democrat at the center of an investigation that included an F.B.I. raid at his Congressional office and accusations that he hid $90,000 in bribe money in his home freezer, was indicted Monday …