Sens. say Gonzales lied  —  The Senate veered closer to a contempt finding against the White House on Tuesday after an acrimonious appearance by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, with the Judiciary Committee's senior Republican offering options for taking the Bush administration to court.

Disfavor for Bush Hits Rare Heights  —  In Modern Era, Only Nixon Scored Worse, And Only Truman Was Down for So Long  —  President Bush is a competitive guy.  But this is one contest he would rather lose.  With 18 months left in office, he is in the running for most unpopular president in the history of modern polling.

Sept. 11 Security Bill to Include Protections for Citizens Who Report Suspicious Activity  —  WASHINGTON — After nearly a week of intense, behind-the-scenes wrangling, congressional negotiators late Tuesday agreed to include in the pending Sept. 11 security bill sweeping liability protections …

Taliban Allegedly Kill One South Korean Hostage Killed, Others Freed  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban militants claimed they shot and killed one South Korean hostage on Wednesday while a group of abductees was freed and taken to a U.S. military base, officials said.

TSA: Terrorists may try 'dry runs'  —  Security officers alerted to possibility of airport attack after seizures  —  WASHINGTON - Airport security officers around the nation have been alerted by federal officials to look out for terrorists practicing to carry explosive components onto aircraft …

CU regents fire Ward Churchill  —  BOULDER — The University of Colorado's Board of Regents today fired professor Ward Churchill, 2 1/2 years after his comments about the victims of the 9/11 attacks sparked a firestorm.  —  The regents, in an 8-1 vote, said Churchill committed academic misconduct.

Specter to probe Supreme Court decisions  —  Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) plans to review the Senate testimony of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel J. Alito to determine if their reversal of several long-standing opinions conflicts with promises they made to senators to win confirmation.

Bush and Iraqi: Frequent Talks, Limited Results  —  Once every two weeks, sometimes more often, President Bush gathers with the vice president and the national security adviser in the newly refurbished White House Situation Room and peers, electronically, into the eyes of the man to whom …

1. Tall, dark and handsome  —  Political party: Democrat.  —  Dating status: Married to wife, Beth.  —  Women of all ages and political persuasions swoon when Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.) comes near.  During a recent elevator ride in the Rayburn House Office Building …

YouTube debate garners mixed bag  —  Viewership down but more young voters watched  —  Monday's debate gave YouTube users a chance to post video questions and have them answered by the candidates.  CNN said 407,000 viewers in the 18-to-34 demographic watched the debate.  (CNN via Associated Press)

On patrol with Iran's fashion police  —  It all starts with one simple sentence, spoken almost in a whisper, but which has a thunderous effect.  —  A female police officer deployed in Tehran's latest moral crackdown tells a woman that her manto (overcoat) is too short and infringes Iranian Islamic dress rules.

Few Muslims 'back suicide bombs'  —  Support for suicide bombings against civilians has fallen sharply across the Muslim world since 2002, a major survey has suggested.  —  However, 70% of Palestinians interviewed said they believed such attacks were sometimes justifiable.

How Fresh Is Your Cable News?  Check the Label  —  This just in!  There's no more news on TV, at least not on the cable news networks.  Plain old news apparently just isn't good enough anymore, so TV news stories have been getting new and improved names.  —  President Bush's latest news conference?