For McCain, It Could Be State of Resurgence  —  Wide-Open Caucuses Offer Hope To a Candidate Who Has Lagged  —  A jet carrying Sen. John McCain of Arizona touched down Wednesday evening on Iowa's western border, marking a remarkable comeback for the veteran politician and opening another intriguing narrative …

U.S. Ruling Backs Benefit Cut at 65 in Retiree Plans  —  WASHINGTON — The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Wednesday that employers could reduce or eliminate health benefits for retirees when they turn 65 and become eligible for Medicare.  —  The policy, set forth in a new regulation …

Biden talks up an Iowa upset  —  DES MOINES - - Joe Biden is talking.  “Barack does a room, Hillary does a room, I do the same room and I win,” he says.  “I have absolute confidence in that.  The question is: Do I get in enough rooms?"  —  Biden is sitting at a table in a Starbucks …

McCain Still Dogged by Immigration Issue  —  Arizona Senator Faces Questions on Campaign Trail About His Immigration Position  —  When Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., campaigns in Iowa this week, sooner or later, he will surely be asked at a town hall event about one issue that has bedeviled him for months: illegal immigration.

Edwards Campaign May Have Expected Union Group Plan  —  DES MOINES — In the final days before the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3, John Edwards has stepped up his criticism of outside organizations that spend money to influence elections, repeatedly disavowing a labor group that is blanketing Iowa with commercials supporting his candidacy.

Pace of Decline In Home Prices Sets a Record  —  A closely watched gauge of U.S. home prices shows they are falling sharply across most of the nation, as a deepening slump in the housing market threatens to damp consumer spending.  —  Home prices in 10 major metropolitan areas in October …

Solar cheaper than coal and falling  —  Let me be the last in the greenosphere to note that Nanosolar has shipped its first panels, and it's no exaggeration to say that this moment will likely be seen as a historical turning point.  —  For a taste of the breathless anticipation around Nanosolar …

Tsunami aid ‘spent on politics’  —  THREE years after Australians donated $400 million to rebuild Asian lives devastated by the 2004 tsunami, aid groups are under attack for spending much of the money on social and political engineering.  —  A survey by The Australian of the contributions …

Major Retailers Feel the Squeeze From Consumers  —  As the nation's merchants began poring — or weeping — over holiday sales receipts Wednesday, a surprising pattern emerged: even brands that for years have inspired the undying devotion of shoppers felt the pinch of tightening wallets.

Andrew Sullivan: Tenaciously Behind the Curve  —  Via Memeorandum, I discovered that Andrew Sullivan is recommending the equally clueless Juan Cole's “Top Ten Myths about Iraq 2007″: … Sullivan then quotes Cole: “Among the primary effects of the ‘surge’ has been to turn Baghdad …

Best of the Web  —  Today's Video on WSJ.com: Filmmakers Maureen and James Tusty tell James Freeman about Estonia's “singing revolution. “  —  Phony Libertarian  —  Rep. Ron Paul, by far the most popular sideshow act in the 2008 presidential circus, is supposedly a libertarian.

Iran behind flood of weapons to Taliban, MacKay charges  —  Outside help makes it tough to cut supply lines, minister says  —  KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - Canada has challenged the Iranian government over concerns that weapons and bomb-making equipment are slipping across the border …

Kansas GOP Chair Sends Email Boasting of Voter Caging  —  Kris Kobach, a former counsel to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft who is currently the chairman of the Kansas GOP, sent out an email on Thur entitled “Kansas Republican Party Year in Review” in which he brags of voter caging.