The Clinton Hostage Drama  —  As I type I do not know how hostage situation will turn out; obviously I hope that it ends peaceably with no one hurt [Wish granted, see UPDATE] [E&P identifies the perpetrator as Leeland Eisenberg; a Leeland Eisenberg of Rochester, NH was cited for stalking and DUI in 2007.

Source: Nathan's Friends, Family Used NYPD Service  —  Cops Chauffeured Relatives Around Without Her In Car  —  The revelations continue in the case of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and the security detail for Judith Nathan, his one-time mistress who is now his wife.

Give Dana Perino a Raise  —  Q Why should we depend on him?  —  MS. PERINO: Because he is the commander on the ground, Helen.  He's the one who is making sure that the situation is moving —  Q You mean how many more people we kill?  —  MS. PERINO: Helen …

FOX News Poll: Clinton Narrowly Leads Democratic Hopefuls in New Hampshire  —  NEW YORK — Hillary Clinton narrowly leads the pack of Democratic hopefuls in New Hampshire, with Barack Obama coming in a close second.  In addition, while Bill Richardson is barely on the radar screen nationally …

War funding compromise shot down  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — A top Democrat who had hinted that a compromise on war funding was possible appeared to back away from the idea Friday as the Democratic congressional leadership refused to consider it.  —  On Thursday, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pennsylvania …

WH says 1,000,000 docs handed over  —  The Bush administration recently passed an unusual landmark: 1 million documents to Congress since Democrats gained control of both chambers in January, the White House says.  —  The White House has resisted demands for many more.

late night old friends  —  Is this thing on?  —  Hi.  I'm Julia, and I'm new (when I get to it, I blog here).  Anyway, as long as I have you all here, I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity to put in a bid for my favorite Giuliani scandal, which I think is being unjustly neglected.

Romney badmouths Huckabee, Rudy in Iowa  —  CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa—Acknowledging a tightening race in Iowa, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney challenged rival Mike Huckabee's fiscal record of raising taxes in Arkansas and supporting in-state tuition breaks for children of undocumented immigrants.

Witness Names to Be Withheld From Detainee  —  Defense lawyers preparing for the war crimes trial of a 21-year-old Guantánamo detainee have been ordered by a military judge not to tell their client — or anyone else — the identity of witnesses against him, newly released documents show.

Confirmed: Sen. Boxer's Impeachment Grudge  —  Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), through a spokeswoman, now acknowledges she is blocking former Rep. James Rogan's (R-Calif.) nomination to the federal bench because of his role in impeaching former president Bill Clinton.

Rudy Put $400,000 In Advance Funds On Credit Card For Travel Expenses  —  We've been swimming in credit card receipts from Rudy Giuliani's administration today, and one thing in particular has struck us: in 2001, apparently with an eye to future globetrotting, Giuliani's administration sent a check for $400,000 to American Express.

Potential Hot Spots Article Index :  —  Current 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006  —  Items About Areas That Could Break Out Into War  —  The government's own inflation data put the inflation rate at 7,600 percent a year.  Economic analysts outside of Zimbabwe think it may be even higher …

100 walk out on Ashcroft talk  —  Former AG defends security measures in CU speech  —  ITHACA — In the face of shouting dissenters and shrouded protesters, former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft stood firmly behind his conviction Thursday that the 2001 USA Patriot Act strengthened America's freedom …

Calls in Sudan for Execution of British Teacher  —  Hundreds of demonstrators in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, poured into the streets on Friday demanding the execution of a British teacher who was convicted of insulting Islam because her class of 7-year-olds named a teddy bear Muhammad.

Study Details How U.S. Could Cut 28% of Greenhouse Gases  —  The United States could shave as much as 28 percent off the amount of greenhouse gases it emits at fairly modest cost and with only small technology innovations, according to a new report.  —  A large share of the reductions …

Lawmakers Set Deal on Raising Fuel Efficiency  —  Congressional negotiators reached a deal late Friday on energy legislation that would force American automakers to improve the fuel efficiency of their cars and light trucks by 40 percent by 2020.  —  The proposal, which would require automakers …