Obama might send troops into Pakistan  —  WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday that he would possibly send troops into Pakistan to hunt down terrorists, an attempt to show strength when his chief rival has described his foreign policy skills as naive.

Murdoch Wins His Bid for Dow Jones  —  Bancroft Family Agrees  —  To $5 Billion Offer  —  After Deal on Fees  —  A New Owner for Journal  —  A century of Bancroft-family ownership at Dow Jones & Co. is over.  —  Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. sealed a $5 billion agreement to purchase …

1,028 Economists Oppose Protectionist Policies  —  In 1930, Congress passed and President Hoover signed into law the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act.  At the time, this protectionist measure was vigorously opposed by 1,028 of the nation's top economists.  They rightly predicted the tariffs would devastate the economy.

NSA Spying Part of Broader Effort  —  Intelligence Chief Says Bush Authorized Secret Activities Under One Order  —  The Bush administration's chief intelligence official said yesterday that President Bush authorized a series of secret surveillance activities under a single executive order in late 2001.

U.S. Attorney Became Target After Rebuffing Justice Dept.  —  The night before the government secured a guilty plea from the manufacturer of the addictive painkiller OxyContin, a senior Justice Department official called the U.S. attorney handling the case and, at the behest of an executive for the drugmaker …

Giuliani Seeks to Transform U.S. Health Care Coverage  —  Rudolph W. Giuliani on Tuesday called for transforming the way health care coverage is provided in the United States, advocating a voluntary move from the current employer-based system to one that would grant substantial tax benefits to people who buy their own insurance.

South Korean Christian hostage crisis: Rescue attempt reported... "The operation has started"...Refuted?  Update: Reuters withdraws rescue report Update: More conflicting reports  —  Here's the latest video report of a reported rescue operation for the 21 remaining South Korean Christian hostages kidnapped …

Spectators At The Genocide  —  The UN will finally intervene in Darfur, thanks to a unanimous Security Council vote last night, but it will have a restricted mandate that will essentially do nothing.  Up to 26,000 troops, primarily African, will deploy to Sudan over the next several months under …

Clinton Widens Poll Lead By Using Experience Card  —  WASHINGTON — New York Sen. Hillary Clinton continues to pad her lead in the Democratic race for the presidential nomination, benefiting from high marks for experience and competence, while her chief rivals lose ground and the rest …

U.S. checking possibility of pumping oil from northern Iraq to Haifa, via Jordan  —  The United States has asked Israel to check the possibility of pumping oil from Iraq to the oil refineries in Haifa.  The request came in a telegram last week from a senior Pentagon official to a top Foreign Ministry official in Jerusalem.

Sunni Arab bloc quits Iraqi government  —  BAGHDAD - Iraq's largest Sunni Arab political bloc announced its withdrawal from the government Wednesday, undermining Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's efforts to seek reconciliation among the country's rival factions.

Analysis says war could cost $1 trillion  —  Budget office sees effect on taxpayers for decade  —  WASHINGTON — The war in Iraq could ultimately cost well over a trillion dollars — at least double what has already been spent — including the long-term costs of replacing damaged equipment …

Gordon Brown for president  —  Effective today, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is the leader of the free world and the voice of hope and change that offers the first true answer of freedom to the heinous crimes of Sept. 11, 2001.  —  In his brilliant and comprehensive comments at Camp David …

Mayor Takes the Subway — by Way of S.U.V.  —  He is public transportation's loudest cheerleader, boasting that he takes the subway "virtually every day."  He has told residents who complain about overcrowded trains to "get real" and he constantly encourages New Yorkers to follow his environmentally friendly example.