A Scandal-Scarred G.O.P. Asks, 'What Next?'  —  Scott Reed, a Republican strategist, was at a dinner in Philadelphia on Monday night when his cellphone and Internet pager began beeping like crazy.  Only later did he learn why.  His party was buzzing with news of a sex scandal involving a Republican United States senator — again.

Carlson claimed that after incident in a public bathroom, he assaulted the man who "bothered" him  —  On the August 28 edition of MSBNC Live, hosted by MSNBC general manager Dan Abrams, Tucker Carlson, host of MSNBC's Tucker, asserted, "Having sex in a public men's room is outrageous.

Soros-linked group hit with huge fine  —  The Federal Election Commission has fined one of the last cycle's biggest liberal political action committees $775,000 for using unregulated soft money to boost John Kerry and other Democratic candidates during the 2004 elections.

Iraq's Sadr orders halt to attacks on US-led troops  —  NAJAF, Iraq (AFP) - Radical Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his dreaded Shiite militia on Wednesday to stop attacks on US-led forces as part of a six-month suspension of the militant group's activities.

Former security guard Jewell dies  —  ATLANTA - Richard Jewell, the former security guard who was erroneously linked to the 1996 Olympic bombing, died Wednesday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.  —  Jewell, 44, was found dead in his west Georgia home, GBI spokesman John Bankhead said.

Fine unscrupulous mortgage lenders  —  T he implosion of the subprime lending industry is more than a temporary blip in our econ-omic progress.  It is a cancer that, given today's integrated financial markets, threatens to spread with devastating impact to housing and to our economy as a whole, unless we act to contain it.

Wyoming leapfrogs Iowa and New Hampshire  —  Wyoming Republicans have jumped to the head of the pack in the US presidential nominating process, moving their caucus to January 5, ahead of even the traditional early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire.  —  While the move puts Wyoming …

Edwards: Americans should sacrifice their SUVs  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards told a labor group he would ask Americans to make a big sacrifice: their sport utility vehicles.  —  The former North Carolina senator told a forum …

Democratic fundraiser is a fugitive in plain sight  —  California authorities have sought businessman Norman Hsu for 15 years.  Since 2004, he has carved out a place of honor raising cash for such candidates as Hillary Rodham Clinton.  —  WASHINGTON — For the last 15 years …

Census Shows a Modest Rise in U.S. Income  —  The nation's median household income grew modestly in 2006, the Census Bureau reported yesterday, even as the percentage of people without health insurance hit a high.  —  Experts said the rise in income was mainly a reflection of an increase …

The Big Picture(s)  —  In the midst of the still-lingering controversy over the truthiness of The New Republic's "Baghdad Diarist," more than a few people suggested that war supporters, unable to discredit the real bad news coming from Iraq, targeted the Scott Thomas Beauchamp stories as a weak link.

Anatomy of a Tribal Revolt  —  Some aspects of the war in Iraq are hard to fit into "classical" models of insurgency.  One of these is the growing tribal uprising against al Qa'ida, which could transform the war in ways not factored into neat "benchmarks" developed many months ago and thousands of miles away.

WEARING THE BLACK FLAG (3)  —  The story began here.  Latest chapter here.  —  Speaking of the Petraeus report....  It seems that those who routinely feed from the various toilets along the left wing information sewer are currently being feel about said upcoming report.  (Not think, mind you, but feel.

Bush May Fight for New Attorney General  —  President Seeks Agreement With Policies  —  A half-dozen or so lawyers are being discussed among administration officials as possible candidates to replace Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, but no clear favorite has emerged …