Thousands of Islamic fanatics wielding knives demand jailed teddy bear teacher is executed  —  Thousands of Islamic fanatics wielding clubs and knives are marching through the streets of Khartoum demanding the execution of teddy bear teacher Gillian Gibbons.

CNN Admits Holes in Screening of Questioners  —  CNN expressed regret yesterday for allowing a Hillary Clinton adviser to ask a question at Wednesday's Republican presidential debate, even as controversy swirled about two other questioners who have declared their support for Democratic candidates.

Murtha's surge comments a problem for Dems  —  Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), one of the leading anti-war voices in the House Democratic Caucus, is back from a trip to Iraq and he now says the "surge is working."  This could be a huge problem for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic leaders …

Mandates and Mudslinging  —  From the beginning, advocates of universal health care were troubled by the incompleteness of Barack Obama's plan, which unlike those of his Democratic rivals wouldn't cover everyone.  But they were willing to cut Mr. Obama slack on the issue, assuming that in the end he would do the right thing.

Stem Cell Vindication  —  "If human embryonic stem cell research does not make you at least a little bit uncomfortable, you have not thought about it enough."  —  A decade ago, Thomson was the first to isolate human embryonic stem cells.  Last week, he (and Japan's Shinya Yamanaka) …

A surprise turn in Iowa's Republican race  —  Huckabee suddenly appears poised to challenge Romney to win the first GOP presidential contest.  —  DES MOINES — With 34 days remaining, the Republican presidential race in Iowa has broken wide open, as Mike Huckabee surges into contention with the longtime front-runner, Mitt Romney.

Republicans Report Much Better Mental Health Than Others  —  Relationship persists even when controlling for other variables  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats or independents to rate their mental health as excellent, according to data …

Rudy Giuliani campaign team backtracks on tryst talk  —  The uproar grew Thursday over expenses for Rudy Giuliani's protection during his trysts with Judith Nathan as his campaign's initial defense - that its accounting methods were the same as previous mayors' - unraveled.

Hallelujah!  New York Times Does An Epic Fact-Check Of Rudy's Multiple Falsehoods  —  As you regulars know, this blog has been obsessing endlessly about the fact that the big news orgs have yet to take a genuinely tough line on Rudy Giuliani's chronic mendacity, which at this point has taken on a soaring, almost operatic quality.

Card Rejects Rove's Claim That Congress Pushed Bush To War: 'His Mouth Gets Ahead Of His Brain'  —  Karl Rove asserted on the Charlie Rose show recently that it was Congress that pushed the Bush administration into war with Iraq.  "The administration was opposed" to voting for a war resolution in the fall of 2002, Rove claimed.

The Candidate's 'Catch Me if You Can'  —  Reporters Following Hillary Clinton on the Campaign Trail Are Covered in Dust  —  CONCORD, N.H. — ABC correspondent Kate Snow was ready to push through the crowd and ask Hillary Clinton a question until an aide blocked the path of Snow's sound man …

Man Takes Hostages At Clinton Campaign Office  —  ROCHESTER, N.H. — ROCHESTER, N.H. An armed man has taken two campaign workers hostage at the Hillary Clinton campaign office in Rochester, police said.  —  Officials with the campaign confirmed that there were two workers taken hostage …

Biden: Impeachment if Bush bombs Iran … aleech@seacoastonline.com  —  Check back mid morning on Friday for a photo gallery from this event  —  PORTSMOUTH — Presidential hopeful Delaware Sen. Joe Biden stated unequivocally that he will move to impeach President Bush if he bombs Iran without Congressional approval.

Ron Paul on track to be biggest fundraiser  —  Ron Paul may not win his party's primary, but he is on track to capture another big title: Top Republican fundraiser for the final quarter of the money-obsessed 2008 presidential primary.  —  In the first two months of the quarter that began Oct. 1 …