Press Conference by the President  —  Initial Benchmark Assessment Report  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.  Thank you.  Yesterday, America lost an extraordinary First Lady and a fine Texan, Lady Bird Johnson.  She brought grace to the White House and beauty to our country.

Christian activists disrupt Hindu prayer in US Senate  —  WASHINGTON: Christian activists briefly disrupted a Hindu invocation in the US Senate on Thursday, marring a historic first for the chamber and showing that fundamentalism is present and shouting in the US too.

Thieves steal nearly $300 million from Baghdad bank  —  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Thieves have stolen nearly $300 million from a bank in Baghdad, police and a bank official said Thursday, in what is probably one of the biggest thefts in Iraq since the 2003 war to topple Saddam Hussein.

What about the Iraqis?  —  From today's press conference with the Senate Democratic leaders.  —  I tried to get an answer to what I blogged earlier today.  —  I did not succeed.  —  TAPPER: Senator Reid, what do you say to critics who say, "Look, the Senate voted, including two of you up on the stage …

I have been "warned"  —  I can't post here anymore because my potential run for Congress  —  is not on the Democratic ticket.  —  I have been deeply grateful for all of your support over the years.  —  Your love and kindness helped me through lots of sleepless nights  —  at Camp Casey '05.

Courtroom Explodes in Laughter After ABC's Sawyer Touts Fairness of Journalists  —  Thursday's edition of "Good Morning America" featured a Diane Sawyer anecdote that revealed the low opinion Americans have of journalists.  After wrapping up a segment on people who avoid jury duty …

Delta Dental's Terrible Coverage  —  Delta Dental is currently arguing that my root canal — done at an in-network dentist — does not merit much in the way of reimbursement, and is telling me that my share of the procedure comes out to around $2,000.  A procedure, mind you, that's already been done …

An Inconvenient Turbine: Conservation vs. Preservation  —  Homeowners Who Go Green  —  Face Neighbors' Objections;  —  How Gore Got His Solar Panels  —  In neighborhoods across the country, there's a battle brewing: the environmentalists vs. the aesthetes.

Dingell calls our bluff  —  Last Sunday, Rep. John Dingell appeared on the C-SPAN show Newsmakers for a 30-min. interview (transcript here; video accessible via the website), and caused an enormous ruckus with this: … The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press …

New York Times' Leslie Wayne Continues Twisted Jihad Against Edwards  —  The journalistic titans who run The New York Times don't give a damn what I think.  But I'm going to tell them this anyway: You guys are badly botching your coverage of John Edwards, in a way that raises the question …