Thanks and Praise  —  Thanks and Praise: I photographed men and women, both Christians and Muslims, placing a cross atop the St. John's Church in Baghdad.  They had taken the cross from storage and a man washed it before carrying it up to the dome.  —  A Muslim man had invited the American soldiers from …

U.S. Aid to Musharraf is Largely Untraceable Cash Transfers  —  After Pervez Musharraf declared martial law this weekend, Condoleezza Rice vowed to review U.S. assistance to Pakistan, one of the largest foreign recipients of American aid.  Musharraf, of course, has been a crucial American ally since …

Venezuela Students Shot After Anti-Chavez Protest  —  Nov. 7 (Bloomberg) — Venezuelan student protesters were fired on, resulting in two gun-shot injuries, when they returned to campus today from a march opposing President Hugo Chavez's plan to rewrite the nation's constitution.

President Bush Participates in Joint Press Availability with President Sarkozy of France  —  PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. President, welcome.  Thank you very much for coming here to Mount Vernon, and thank you for coming to the United States.  I think it's safe to say that you've impressed a lot of people here on your journey.

Comments About Global Warming  —  I was privileged to work with John Coleman, the founder of The Weather Channel in the year before it became a reality and then for the first of the 6 years I was fortunate to be the Director of Meteorology.  No one worked harder than John to make The Weather Channel …

Good as Gold  —  Kevin Drum calls Ron Paul a "fruitcake" and demands that you—yes, you!—stop taking him so damn seriously. … Dean Barnett trods some of the same territory, arguing that Paul is a crazy candidate for crazy people who won't run on sensible ideas like doubling Gitmo and moving …

Clinton, Giuliani Locked in Dead Heat, Poll Shows  —  John Harwood reports on the presidential race.  —  Democrats enter the 2008 presidential race with powerful political advantages, but face a tough and unpredictable battle because of the vulnerabilities of front-runner Hillary Clinton.

When Good News Is Bad News  —  While the following good news stories may come as a great disappointment to many people, we Iraqis welcome the developments:  —  This Arabic story says Baghdad officials decided to reopen 10 main roads in the city by removing concrete barriers.

ENDA passes the House.  —  The House passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) passed this evening with a 235-184 vote.  Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), on the verge of tears, one of two openly gay members of the House, delivered an emotional speech denouncing the efforts of conservatives …

For Candidates, Web Is Power And Poison  —  Clinton, in Particular, Draws Equal Parts Cash and Vitriol  —  Candidates use the Internet to generate buzz, draw grass-roots support and raise record amounts of money.  But in the intense, round-the-clock world of online presidential campaigning, the good comes with the bad.

Ex-Navy Instructor Promises to Hit Back If Attacked on Torture  —  Malcolm Nance, good-spirited though he is, is a pugnacious guy.  Nearly 20 years' service in the Navy, including time instructing would-be Navy SEALs how to resist and survive torture if captured.  Intelligence and counterterrorism expert.

Girl gets detention for hugging  —  Illinois middle school bans public displays of affection; parents urge change  —  MASCOUTAH, Ill. - Two hugs equals two days of detention for 13-year-old Megan Coulter.  —  The eighth-grader was punished for violating a school policy banning public displays …

The YouTube killer: eight die in schoolroom shooting massacre  —  The chilling home-made video shows a young man staring out of a blood-red screen, pointing a gun and declaring: "I, as a natural selector, will eliminate all who I see unfit."  —  Hours after posting his "massacre manifesto" …