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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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 …

Shut Your Loophole  —  ADD LOOPHOLE TO THE LIST OF WORDS THAT SHOULD BE BANNED FROM JOURNALISM.  —  Upon entering the English language in the late 16th century, the word loophole defined the narrow opening in a wall through which defenders jetted arrows, javelins, or stones at foes.

Michigan Young Republican pleads guilty in sex case  —  The former head of the Michigan Federation of Young Republicans admitted today that he sexually abused a colleague during a national convention here last summer.  —  Michael Flory, a 32-year-old attorney from Jackson, Mich. …

G.O.P. Leaders Fight Expansion of Children's Health Insurance  —  Republican leaders of the House and Senate on Tuesday attacked proposals that call for a major expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program, to be financed with higher tobacco taxes.  —  "Republicans will fight these proposals …

Conservatives call for Bush to emphasize 'leaving Iraq'  —  Some conservative activist leaders, fearing voter anger with the Iraq war, want President Bush and GOP leaders to begin emphasizing that U.S. troops will be "leaving Iraq" to give Republicans cover as they head into a tough political landscape in 2008.

Service Civilians and the Wounds of War  —  Many Fill Vital Roles in Iraq, but Medical Care Can Be Spotty  —  Traveling through Sunni insurgent territory north of Baghdad, the U.S. military convoy was nearing a base when a roadside bomb ripped into the lead Humvee, leaving its gunner …

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.