Where the Votes Are, So Are All Those Calories  —  Running for president is like entering a competitive eating contest and a beauty pageant all at once.  Candidates are expected to eat local specialties often and with gusto, yet still look attractive and fit.

Cellphone Tracking Powers on Request  —  Secret Warrants Granted Without Probable Cause  —  Federal officials are routinely asking courts to order cellphone companies to furnish real-time tracking data so they can pinpoint the whereabouts of drug traffickers, fugitives and other criminal suspects …

Second Amendment Showdown  —  The Supreme Court has a historic opportunity to affirm the individual right to keep and bear arms.  —  The Supreme Court has agreed to take up a case that will affect millions of Americans and could also have an impact on the 2008 elections.

Corker "Underwhelmed" With President Bush  —  Tennessee Senator Bob Corker raised some eyebrows at a luncheon at the Chattanoogan hotel Tuesday with remarks about President Bush.  —  Speaking to a crowd of about 500 supporters, led by Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey …

The Real Rudy  —  Rudy Giuliani can play a little rough at times, but there are some moments when an inner light turns on and he turns downright idealistic.  One of those moments came on Oct. 10, 1996, as he stepped on the podium at the Kennedy School of Government to deliver a speech on immigration.

Meet the women who won't have babies - because they're not eco friendly  —  Had Toni Vernelli gone ahead with her pregnancy ten years ago, she would know at first hand what it is like to cradle her own baby, to have a pair of innocent eyes gazing up at her with unconditional love …

Returnees Find a Capital Transformed  —  Security Is Better, But Freedoms Are Tempered by Fear  —  Iraqis are returning to their homeland by the hundreds each day, by bus, car and plane, encouraged by weeks of decreased violence and increased security, or compelled by visa and residency restrictions …

Collapse of Rail, Subway Strike Is a First Success for Sarkozy  —  President Sarkozy of France is on the verge of a breakthrough in his ambitious plan to wean his country off the restrictive working practices he believes stand in the way of national prosperity.

Taliban control half of Afghanistan, says report  —  The Taliban has a permanent presence in most of Afghanistan and the country is in serious danger of falling into the group's hands, according to a report from an international think tank.  —  The Senlis Council claimed that the insurgents controlled …

Clinton wins surprise support from former French first lady  —  PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won surprise backing from the wife of former French President Jacques Chirac on Thursday, together with a pledge to join her on the campaign trail.

On Iraq, a State of Denial  —  It does not have the drama of the Inchon landing or the sweep of the Union comeback in the summer of 1864.  But the turnabout of American fortunes in Iraq over the past several months is of equal moment — a war seemingly lost, now winnable.

For Lawyers, Perks to Fit a Lifestyle  —  Even lawyers need a hug.  When workdays stretch into worknights and the pressure to meet the quota for billable hours grows, lawyers and staff members at the firm of Perkins Coie can often expect a little bonus.  —  In Perkins Coie's Chicago office …

Biden's heartache, past burdens can't defuse heart, ideas  —  There's one knock you always hear on Sen. Joe Biden:  —  He talks.  A lot.  —  The Democratic presidential candidate has been called "verbose," said to be prone to "blathering" and "known for loquacity."

With Iraq Improving, Will Neocon Ideas Return?  —  More than seven months ago, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., claimed that Iraq was "lost."  —  But that was hardly the case.  In fact, Sunni insurgents were just beginning to turn on al-Qaida and join us.