The Death of Heath Ledger  —  The actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday afternoon in an apartment in Manhattan, according to the New York City police.  Signs pointed to a suicide or an accidental overdose, police sources said.  Mr. Ledger was 28.  [Now online: Comprehensive coverage prepared for Wednesday editions of The Times.]

Fred Thompson Quits Presidential Race  —  NAPLES, Fla. (AP) - Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson quit the Republican presidential race on Tuesday, after a string of poor finishes in early primary and caucus states.  —  “Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States.

Senator Edwards, We Need You To Lead  —  John Edwards should challenge his rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to go back to Washington, DC and fight against retroactive immunity for the telecoms.  —  The Republicans are not going to let Reid punt and extend the Protect America Act …

Barack Obama Talks to The Brody File  —  I just finished my sit-down interview with Sen. Barack Obama here in Greenville, S.C. We talked about everything from last night's debate, his troubles with Sen. Hillary Clinton and continuing Internet rumors that he's a Muslim.

The blog swarm Chris Matthews never saw coming  —  “I get it."  — Chris Matthews, January 17  —  When Chris Matthews' long-winded monologue at the opening of the January 17 Hardball program eventually touched down with an apology to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) …

Obama most likely Democrat to unify America  —  THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY in South Carolina this year offers voters an unusual choice.  Earlier votes have winnowed out the most experienced candidates, leaving a field with fewer accomplishments and differences on policy, but including two candidates …

Found in Translation  —  FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds spills her secrets.  —  Most Americans have never heard of Sibel Edmonds, and if the U.S. government has its way, they never will.  The former FBI translator turned whistleblower tells a chilling story of corruption at Washington's highest levels …

Clinton's Key Strength  —  Kevin Drum thinks Americans simply don't want to move on: … This is the relevant issue, I think.  I wrote: … My own view is that America's crisis is a very deep one.  The markets are reflecting the fact that seven years of Bush have added $32 trillion to future debt …

Gov. Blunt won't seek second term  —  Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt, a Republican, just announced that he's not running for re-election this fall.  —  In a statement that shocked political leaders, in both parties, Blunt released a TV address “announcing that having achieved virtually everything …

Study: False statements preceded war  —  WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Petraeus: I Need Another Six Months To Determine Whether 'We've Reached A Turning Point'  —  In the past few months, conservatives such as Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) have been quick to declare victory in Iraq.  In November, McCain said that “we've succeeded militarily.”

Clinton-Obama Slugfest  —  Who lands a clean punch?  Edwards was there, too.  —  In one of the liveliest debates of the 2008 presidential campaign, the three top Democrats slugged it out in Myrtle Beach, S.C. We noted some low blows:  — Clinton falsely accused Obama of saying he …

Clinton Now Looking Beyond S.C.  —  Focus on 4 Delegate-Rich States Is Considered Risky  —  The next Democratic presidential nominating contest will take place in South Carolina on Saturday, but Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has already turned her full attention to places such as this …