Giuliani OK after checkup at hospital  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Republican Rudy Giuliani planned to head home to New York City on Thursday after spending the night in a St. Louis hospital getting checked out for flu-like symptoms, his campaign said.  —  “After precautionary tests …

Clinton Advisers Say Edwards Is a Threat  —  2-WAY RACE?  DO I HEAR 3?  —  Clinton Advisers Say Edwards Is a Threat  —  INDEPENDENCE, Iowa — Advisers to Hillary Clinton have been pushing the notion that John Edwards poses a growing threat in the Iowa caucuses, suggesting …

TOM TANCREDO TO DROP OUT OF PRESIDENTIAL RACE  —  Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo plans to drop out of the race during an announcement Thursday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa, GOP sources close to the campaign have told FOX News.  —  Tancredo, who has aggressively pushed …

Powerful Iraq cleric may extend freeze on militia  —  NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is considering extending a freeze on the activities of his powerful Mehdi Army militia, his official spokesman said.  —  “Yes, there is a chance that the freeze on the Mehdi Army …

Taking a Turn for the Weird  —  MANCHESTER, N.H. — Maybe it's the rush of pre-Christmas preparations.  Or maybe it's the effects of too many holiday parties.  But life has suddenly become very confusing on the way to the 2008 presidential election.  —  A bit over a week ago, almost everything seemed normal.

Congress's Mixed Results  —  FOR CONGRESSIONAL Democrats, the first session of the 110th Congress offered a sobering lesson in the practical limits of majority control.  Democrats delivered part of what they had promised to the voters who returned them to power last November and recorded some significant achievements.

Mike Huckabee's Legacy  —  Huckenfreude!  That's blogger Ross Douthat's splendid word - taken from schadenfreude, the German term for taking pleasure in the misfortune of others - to describe glee over the miseries Mike Huckabee's candidacy is inflicting on the GOP establishment.

A Nuclear Site Is Breached  —  South African Attack Should Sound Alarms  —  An underreported attack on a South African nuclear facility last month demonstrates the high risk of theft of nuclear materials by terrorists or criminals.  Such a crime could have grave national security implications …

Official: Justice Dept. slowed probe into phone jamming  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department delayed prosecuting a key Republican official for jamming the phones of New Hampshire Democrats until after the 2004 election, protecting top GOP officials from the scandal until the voting was over.

In Charity and Politics, Clinton Donors Overlap  —  Over the last decade, former President Bill Clinton has raised more than $500 million for his foundation, allowing him to build a glass-and-steel presidential library in Little Rock, Ark., and burnish his image as an impresario of global philanthropy.

Crackdown has illegal immigrants leaving Arizona  —  NOGALES, Sonora - It's a common scene this time of year: streams of overloaded cars, pickups and vans with U.S. license plates crossing into Mexico for the holidays.  —  Most are filled with Hispanic families from Arizona and other states …

Sondra K-Grande Conservative Blogress Diva 2008  —  When we launched the Grande Conservative Blogress Diva contest this year, we expected to have a number of blogresses nominated and seconded as we did.  So, we assumed a run-off would be necessary.  —  What we did not anticipate was the number of glitches in this year's competition.

Kristol, Krauthammer Are Out of Time  —  Bill Kristol.  —  Two conservative Time magazine columnists are on their way out the door: Neither William Kristol nor longtime contributor Charles Krauthammer will be on contract with the magazine starting next month.

EPA Chief Denies Calif. Limit on Auto Emissions  —  Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson yesterday denied California's petition to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks, overruling the unanimous recommendation of the agency's legal and technical staffs.