AP NewsBreak: Richardson Ends Bid  —  MERRIMACK, N.H. (AP) - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson ended his campaign for the presidency Wednesday after twin fourth-place finishes that showed his impressive credentials could not compete with his rivals' star power.

Dem front-runners face urgent choices  —  As they confront the prospect of competing in 25 states in the next 27 days, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama face urgent strategic choices over message, money, and time.  —  Obama boasted that he is ready for “rough and tumble” …

Voter cited by opponents of Indiana's ID law registered in two states  —  WASHINGTON - On the eve of a hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Indiana Voter ID law has become a story with a twist: One of the individuals used by opponents to the law as an example of how the law hurts older Hoosiers is registered to vote in two states.

It's a Fake  —  The Pentagon's version of the encounter in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday morning, involving U.S. Navy warships and Iranian Revolutionary Guard patrol boats is, at the very least highly suspicious.  On Tuesday, the Navy released video footage and an audiotape to back its claims …

Six candidates to appear at GOP debate  —  Following the New Hampshire primary, six Republican candidates will attend Thursday night's debate in Myrtle Beach, state party officials said today.  —  Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee …

Clinton On Her Win, Rivals' “Buddy System”  —  Hours After Her N.H. Win, Comeback Clinton Raps Her Opponents … CLINTON: On Tuesday morning when I got up before the sun was up, and was out helping to deliver coffee to everybody who was working for me, I felt really good by the time I came in around early afternoon.

AT&T and Other ISPs May Be Getting Ready to Filter  —  For the past fifteen years, Internet service providers have acted - to use an old cliche - as wide-open information super-highways, letting data flow uninterrupted and unimpeded between users and the Internet.  —  But ISPs may be about to embrace a new metaphor: traffic cop.

The Libertarian Turnip Truck, Cont'd  —  In response to my post below about Ron Paul, reader Bill Sullivan writes: … Bill makes a good point.  Someone should have told him.  There are plenty of people who get paid to do that sort of thing.  I did not mean to criticize …

Goldman Sachs sees recession in 2008  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs on Wednesday said it expects the U.S. economy to drop into recession this year, prompting the Federal Reserve to slash benchmark lending rates to 2.5 percent by the third quarter.  —  In a note to clients …

Johnson backs Obama  —  MITCHELL, S.D. (AP) South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson is endorsing a colleague for the Democratic presidential nomination.  —  Johnson says he's backing Barack Obama because he's bi-partisan and wants to bridge differences between the two parties.

CIA whistle-blower Philip Agee dies in Cuba  —  HAVANA (Reuters) - Philip Agee, a former CIA spy who exposed its undercover operations in Latin America in a 1975 book, died in Havana, the Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma said on Wednesday.  —  Agee, 72, died on Monday night …

Study: 151,000 Iraqis died in 3 years after U.S. invasion  —  About 151,000 Iraqis died from violence in the three years after the United States invaded, concludes the best effort yet to count deaths — one that still may not settle the fierce debate over the war's true toll on civilians and others.