Tommy Thompson Is First Victim of Iowa Straw Poll  —  Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson dropped out of the race for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination tonight, a day after he finished a disappointing sixth in the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa.  —  "I have no regrets about running," Thompson said in a statement released by his campaign.

Some Democrats Fear Voter Hillary Clinton Backlash  —  The news stories, pundits and even some of her longtime political critics are noting the seemingly inexorable political advance of Senator Hillary Clinton towards the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination — but behind the scenes …

Hardline group rallies for world Islamic rule  —  More than 70,000 members of a hardline Muslim group held a rally in Indonesia that heard calls for a caliphate — or Islamic rule — to govern the world.  —  The supporters of the Hizbut Tahrir group filled up most of an 80,000-seat sports stadium …

The GOP YouTube Debate Is Back On  —  This just in: The Republican CNN/YouTube debate, in limbo for the past few weeks, is on again.  —  But Mitt Romney, who won Saturday's Iowa straw poll and has criticized the debate format, has yet to commit to the Nov. 28 event.

If Thompson Runs for President, Don't Look for Him in Reruns  —  Former Senator Fred D. Thompson of Tennessee segued neatly from Congress back to an acting career in 2002, when he joined the cast of NBC's long-running crime series "Law & Order."  —  Now that Mr. Thompson seems poised …

Italy probe unearths huge Iraq arms deal  —  PERUGIA, Italy - In a hidden corner of Rome's busy Fiumicino Airport, police dug quietly through a traveler's checked baggage, looking for smuggled drugs.  What they found instead was a catalog of weapons, a clue to something bigger.

OBJECTIVITY....Mark Kleiman comments on the convention of objectivity in the reporting of straight news: … In theory, everyone agrees with this.  The problem is, I haven't yet come across a single person who's proposed a workable solution.  Who gets to decide whether an issue is still debatable?

Fred, Fred, Fred: Thompson's Challenge Has a Name  —  In the swampy soup of hopefuls for the 2008 presidential election, there is a man with a funny name.  (No, not that one.)  —  We're thinking of the one named Fred (Thompson).  —  Say it out loud.  Do it.  Fred.  Fred.  In the South, Fray-ud.

In Fundraising's Murky Corners  —  Candidates See Little of Millions Collected by Linda Chavez's Family  —  Linda Chavez rose to prominence in the 1980s as a tart-tongued Reagan administration official and candidate for the Senate, eventually becoming a well-known Latina voice on social issues …

Merv Griffin Dies at Age 82  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) - Merv Griffin, the entertainer turned impresario who parlayed his "Jeopardy" and "Wheel of Fortune" game shows into a multimillion- dollar empire, has died.  He was 82.  —  Griffin died of prostate cancer, according to a statement …