The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio  —  Despite the dramatic expansion of viewing and listening options for consumers today, traditional radio remains one of the most widely used media formats in America.  Arbitron, the national radio ratings company, reports that more than 90 percent …

In Aiding Poor, Edwards Built Bridge to 2008  —  John Edwards ended 2004 with a problem: how to keep alive his public profile without the benefit of a presidential campaign that could finance his travels and pay for his political staff.  —  Mr. Edwards, who reported this year that he had assets …

'Sicko' leaves top Democrats ill at ease  —  Leading candidates are sidestepping direct comment on filmmaker Michael Moore's proposals for universal healthcare.  —  WASHINGTON — With the release of Michael Moore's "Sicko," a movie once again is adding sizzle to an issue that's a high priority …

Border bill backers seek boost in enforcement provisions  —  Senate negotiators of a compromise immigration bill are writing a catchall amendment, sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to bolster enforcement provisions of the bill, including a more robust "touchback" requirement for illegal immigrants.

Why Pro-Choice Is a Bad Choice for Democrats  —  I KEEP reading about a universe in which social conservatives are warming to Rudy Giuliani.  But this would have to be a place where his estranged children and three wives and multiple appearances in fishnets were irrelevant to the Republican base.

Cheney claims a non-executive privilege  —  He asserts he's exempt from showing an agency how his office keeps secrets because he's not fully part of the administration.  —  WASHINGTON — For the last four years, Vice President Dick Cheney has made the controversial claim that his office …

What's Not to Like  —  The soft side, and the underside, of Hillary Clinton's campaign.  —  Hillary Clinton doesn't have to prove she's a man.  She has to prove she's a woman.  —  She doesn't have to prove to people that she's tough enough or aggressive enough to be commander in chief.

Senate Adopts Energy Bill Raising Mileage for Cars  —  The Senate passed a broad energy bill late Thursday that would, among other things, require the first big increase in fuel mileage requirements for passenger cars in more than two decades.  —  The vote, 65 to 27, was a major defeat …

CIA to Air Decades of Its Dirty Laundry  —  Assassination Attempts Among Abuses Detailed  —  The CIA will declassify hundreds of pages of long-secret records detailing some of the intelligence agency's worst illegal abuses — the so-called "family jewels" documenting a quarter-century …

Guantanamo Splits Administration  —  Arguments Center on How to Handle Remaining Detainees  —  Senior Bush administration officials are engaged in active discussions about closing the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but deep divisions remain regarding the fate …

Romney aide is the focus of probe  —  Allegedly acted as State Police trooper  —  State Police are investigating one of Mitt Romney's top campaign aides for allegedly impersonating a trooper by calling a Wilmington company and threatening to cite the driver of a company van for erratic driving …

Nancy Pelosi supports the troops-the Canadian troops, that is  —  Oops, they did it again.  —  Last year, the DNC embarrassed itself with a website purporting to support US troops.  Only one problem, as a sharp-eyed tipster told me: The soldier depicted in the patriotic display was Canadian.

Research Finds Firstborns Gain the Higher I.Q.  —  The eldest children in families tend to develop higher I.Q.'s than their siblings, researchers are reporting today, in a large study that could settle more than a half-century of scientific debate about the relationship between I.Q. and birth order.

'The Left' Moves Front and Center  —  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Why can't the left get any respect?  —  Whenever you use the word "left" in American politics, you feel almost compelled to add quotation marks.  Today's left is not talking about nationalizing industry, abolishing capitalism or destroying the rich.

Julian Beever, the greatest sidewalk artist in the world...  ... finished his piece for the Charleston (WV) FestivALL today.  I was lucky to be able to be there.  He's a great guy to talk to and he just works like a madman.  —  Julian hails from the midlands of Great Britain but now resides in Belgium.