Senator Craig Announces Resignation  —  Embattled Idaho Republican Lawmaker to Step Down Sept 30  —  Sen. Larry E. Craig, the Idaho Republican caught in a police crackdown on sexual solicitation in an airport men's room, announced his resignation from the Senate today …

19 bicyclists arrested after rally turns into melee  —  Officers watching the event in downtown Minneapolis say they were attacked, escalating the confrontation.  —  Police arrested 19 bicyclists, including three juveniles, after a protest ride took an ugly turn in downtown Minneapolis Friday night.

Thompson Plans to Crash This Party  —  Fred D. Thompson, the soon-to-be-official presidential contender, has come under a good deal of criticism in New Hampshire this week for scheduling his formal announcement for next Thursday morning and thus skipping the Republican debate in Manchester on Wednesday night.

Geraldo Rivera unhinged  —  The Boston Globe has a fawning Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous-ish profile of Fox News Channel's Geraldo Rivera.  In between musing about his favorite pair of soft Uggs ("I've worn these in Tora Bora and Somalia," he says, admiring the suede slip-ons with the sheepskin lining.

Iraqi civilian deaths climb again  —  War-related fatalities rose in August, the second month in a row, suggesting that the U.S. troop increase has had little effect.  —  BAGHDAD — Bombings, sectarian slayings and other violence related to the war killed at least 1,773 Iraqi civilians in August …

Hugo!  —  Patrick's won the Hugo! —for Best Editor (long form), that is.  He just phoned from Japan to tell me.  I'll give you more news as it happens—the ceremony is still going on.  —  Yay, Patrick!  —  Rocket rocket rocket rocket rocket!

The Koran and non-Muslims - myths versus facts  —  Religious militants go angry and violent not because they read their religious texts, but because they focus on the harsher parts of those texts since they are already angry and violent for a myriad of reasons.  —  Mustafa Akyol

Welcome to the new US embassy  —  It's bigger than Saddam's palace and, with a cinema, gym and pool, is the safest and smartest place to live in Iraq...  Baghdad is a city of ruins - of burnt-out homes, of shops wrecked by suicide bombs, of the crumbling shells of Saddam-era palaces …

In Book, Bush Peeks Ahead to His Legacy  —  When President Bush is asked what he plans to do when he leaves office, he often replies curtly: "I don't have that much time to think beyond my presidency" or "I'm going to sprint to the finish."  —  But in an interview with a book author …

Candidates hope to click with keywords  —  Search engine ads link to campaigns  —  Do a Google search for "POW," and besides links to advocacy groups and databases, an ad appears that links to Republican John McCain's presidential campaign website.  —  A Yahoo search for "Iowa caucus" turns up a similar ad for Democrat Barack Obama.