Senate Confirms Mukasey By 53-40  —  Historically Low Tally for New Attorney General  —  A divided Senate narrowly confirmed former federal judge Michael B. Mukasey last night as the 81st attorney general, giving the nominee the lowest level of congressional support of any Justice Department leader in the past half-century.

Kerik's Corruption Case Dogs Giuliani  —  The scene outside the old Victorian-style courthouse in Dubuque on Thursday morning showed that the indictment of Bernard B. Kerik is at the very least a big distraction for Rudolph W. Giuliani's presidential campaign.

Clinton tops 2008 rivals, gets $530M in earmarks  —  Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) has won tens of millions of dollars more in federal earmarks this year than her rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, even though two of them have significantly more Senate seniority.

Police Block Bhutto From Attending Rally  —  The opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was placed under house arrest this morning, her political party said.  Streets were filled with police officers carrying batons and shields, and trucks blocked roads, trying to prevent access to a protest rally …

Things Are Tough All Over  —  But Mrs. Clinton is no Iron Lady.  —  The story as I was told it is that in the early years of her prime ministership, Margaret Thatcher held a meeting with her aides and staff, all of whom were dominated by her, even awed.  When it was over she invited …

59 schoolchildren killed in Afghan blast  —  KABUL, Afghanistan - Dozens of schoolchildren and five teachers were among those killed in a suicide attack in northern Afghanistan earlier this week — the country's deadliest since the fall of the Taliban — the government said Friday.

A Failure to Lead  —  The Democratic Congress is more interested in acting out than in taking positive action.  —  This week is the one-year anniversary of Democrats winning Congress.  But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid probably aren't in a celebrating mood.

Editor's Note: The Tale of the Tip  —  · It started as an aside in a longer interview, but it became an Internet sensation within hours.  —  Anita Esterday, a waitress at the Maid-Rite in Toledo, Iowa, told NPR's David Greene in a report that aired on Morning Edition Thursday that …

History and Calumny  —  Today, I'm going to write about a slur.  It's a distortion that's been around for a while, but has spread like a weed over the past few months.  It was concocted for partisan reasons: to flatter the prejudices of one side, to demonize the other and to simplify …

Germany's Day of Destiny  —  While 9/11 has shaped US foreign policy and national identity significantly, German identity and foreign policy has been shaped even more by 9.11. — that's how we write "November 9th."  —  This is what happened on November 9th in Germany:

Waterboarding Is Torture, Says Ex-Navy Instructor  —  A former Navy survival instructor subjected to waterboarding as part of his military training told Congress yesterday that the controversial tactic should plainly be considered torture and that such a method was never intended for use …

A Bush Veto Is Overridden for the 1st Time  —  With Action on Spending Bills, Hill Signals Fight With White House Over Priorities  —  A year after Democrats won control of Capitol Hill, Congress delivered its clearest victory yet over President Bush yesterday, resoundingly overturning …

Huge offshore oil discovery in Brazil  —  RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) — A huge offshore oil discovery could raise Brazil's petroleum reserves by a whopping 40 percent and boost this country into the ranks of the world's major exporters, officials said.  —  The government-run oil company …