Minn. Bridge Collapse Reveals Brittle America: Expert Op-Ed  —  Yesterday's tragedy makes it clear that the U.S. has been squandering its infrastructure legacy by turning a reckless blind eye to critical upgrades, says a national security expert, former Coast Guard officer and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Obama says use of nuclear weapons to fight al-Qaida 'not on the table,'  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Thursday he would not use nuclear weapons «in any circumstance.  —  «I think it would be a profound mistake for us to use nuclear weapons …

America's Economic Mood: Gloomy  —  Broad Public Pessimism  —  Spurs Democratic Candidates  —  To Target Business Interests  —  WASHINGTON — Americans are feeling decidedly sour about the economy and those in charge of it, fueling Democratic efforts to target business interests in the 2008 election campaign.

Judge's ruling spurs scramble for spy powers  —  A federal judge's secret ruling restricting the intelligence community's surveillance powers helped spur a Capitol Hill bid to grant Bush new authority.  —  A secret ruling by a federal judge has restricted the U.S. intelligence community's surveillance …

Rove Aide Refuses to Answer Questions on U.S. Attorney Firings  —  Here's a little taste of how Scott Jennings answered any questions that had anything remotely to do with the firing of U.S. attorneys this morning.  —  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) …

On US Missles and Military in Pakistan  —  Obama fans have been posting that John Edwards advocates for the unilateral military adventure in Pakistan as does Obama: … Edwards lack of clarity is a disappointment, and he raises a confusing logic that is shared with Obama's 'end one war …

D.C. elites want you to shush on Iraq  —  Be afraid when the same centrist consensus that has a lousy track record on the war lashes out at partisans.  —  By By Matthew Yglesias  —  The united states is now well into the fifth year of a war in Iraq that has, at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars …

In Fox News, Giuliani Finds a Friendly Stage  —  Roger Ailes and Rudolph W. Giuliani have been pulling for each other for nearly two decades.  —  Mr. Ailes was the media consultant to Mr. Giuliani's first mayoral campaign in 1989.  Mr. Giuliani, as mayor, officiated at Mr. Ailes's wedding …

Students must remember 'God' in Texas pledge  —  Texas students will have four more words to remember when they head back to class this month and begin reciting the state's pledge of allegiance.  —  This year's Legislature added the phrase "one state under God" to the pledge …

Bush Insults BBC Political Editor at Press Conference  —  NEW YORK At a recent press conference at Camp David, President George Bush insulted BBC political editor Nick Robinson, the Daily Mirror reports.  —  Robinson, who has asked Bush pointed questions in the past such as whetherthe president was …

Edwards: "Giuliani is Bush on Steroids"  —  Just got back from an Edwards event in San Francisco.  He threw out a lot of red meat — in particular savaging the big oil, drug, and insurance companies — and these deep blue Americans loved every minute of it.  —  Edwards is awesome on the stump.

House Passes Children's Health Plan 225-204  —  Over angry Republican objections, the House on Wednesday passed a sweeping expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program, financed with increases in tobacco taxes and cuts in subsidies to private Medicare insurance plans for older Americans.

House Dems upset over split on war  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reversed herself on Iraq strategy Wednesday, revealing a fight within the Democratic Caucus over how much Democrats should compromise to gain agreement with Republicans on the unpopular war.

McCain plans to attack ethics bill  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) plans to take a break from the campaign trail to speak out against the Democratic lobbying reform package when it hits the floor at the end of the week, according to one of the bill's chief opponents, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)