Delay Decision on Cuts, General Says  —  The top American commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, has recommended that decisions on the contentious issue of reducing the main body of the American troops in Iraq be put off for six months, American officials said Sunday.

Second Bin Laden Tape Expected  —  Brian Ross Reports:  —  A second tape from Osama bin Laden was recorded in the same location as the video released last week.  —  People in the intelligence community who have seen the tape feel it is directly related to the 9/11 anniversary since …

Study finds left-wing brain, right-wing brain  —  Even in humdrum nonpolitical decisions, liberals and conservatives literally think differently, researchers show.  —  Exploring the neurobiology of politics, scientists have found that liberals tolerate ambiguity and conflict better than conservatives because of how their brains work.

Democrats Reach Out to Hispanic Voters  —  Democratic presidential candidates courted the fast-growing Hispanic electorate on Sunday night by debating on a Spanish-language television network, where they promised to swiftly overhaul the immigration system and accused Republicans and President Bush of stoking anti-Hispanic sentiment.

New Vent: Checking up on The New Republic; Update: Foer ducks; Update An interview with the Beauchamp investigator  —  Michelle interviews The Weekly Standard's Michael Goldfarb about the Scott Thomas Beauchamp scandal.  We also stop by The New Republic's office in Washington to see if editor Franklin Foer will talk with us.

Thompson climbs in GOP poll  —  WASHINGTON — Former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson has gotten a modest bump in support after finally announcing he's running for the Republican presidential nomination, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds.  And Arizona Sen. John McCain may have started to turn around his beleaguered campaign.

Listening to Petraeus  —  The president had the courage to change course on Iraq.  Does Congress?  —  Today, Gen. David Petraeus—commander of our forces in Iraq—returns to Washington to report on the war in Iraq and the new counterinsurgency strategy he has been implementing there.

Prisons Purging Books on Faith From Libraries  —  Behind the walls of federal prisons nationwide, chaplains have been quietly carrying out a systematic purge of religious books and materials that were once available to prisoners in chapel libraries.  —  The chaplains were directed by the Bureau …

Democrats' Struggle to Change Course in Iraq Has Produced Much Debate, Little Action  —  On the morning of Dec. 18, 2006, the phone lines in the office of incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid suddenly lit up — a warning signal that the coming debate over Iraq could prove a perilous exercise for congressional Democrats.

Activists take Al Gore to task on his diet  —  He may be the hero of the environmental movement for his crusade against global warming but Al Gore is about to be targeted by animal rights activists over his carnivorous contribution to greenhouse gases.  —  Citing United Nations research …

U.S. to Target Iranian Arms Entering Iraq  —  BARDA, Iraq — The Pentagon is preparing to build its first base for U.S. forces near the Iraqi-Iranian border, in a major new effort to curb the flow of advanced Iranian weaponry to Shiite militants across Iraq.