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  —  “Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States.

Heath Ledger, Actor, Is Found Dead at 28  —  The actor Heath Ledger was found dead this 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.

Clinton, Edwards hold private post-debate meeting  —  MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (CNN) — What were they talking about?  —  Hillary Clinton and John Edwards met privately backstage following a very contentious Democratic presidential debate in this coastal city, sources with both campaigns confirm to CNN.

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 …

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 …

Mystery in Brooklyn: Bomb factory at Columbia University professor's home  —  The NY Daily News reports today on a disturbing discovery at a Columbia University instructor's home: … Clatts cannot be located.  Who is he? … The NYTimes reports on a bizarre twist in the case …

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 …

Why Republicans Fear Obama  —  Columbia, South Carolina — I went to Barack Obama's rally here, on Sunday night, with a Republican friend who had never seen the Illinois senator in action before.  Watching the crowd of more than 3,000 fill up the convention center, watching the people send …

Dow Plunges then Recovers; Fed Lowers Rates; The Case Against Fiscal Stimulus  —  Today, as expected after the foreign markets plunged over the MLK holiday, the Dow started off by plunging almost 500 points (just about what the prediction markets expected, btw).  But then it gained most of it back:

OBAMA vs. CLINTON....AGAIN....It's possible — likely, even — that everyone is tired of conversations about whether Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton would be more effective if they win the presidency.  That's doubly true since it's essentially unknowable at this point.

Huckabee Broke  —  Less than a month after a huge upset victory, and promises that fundraising would be ramped up, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is asking his senior staff to keep working for him without pay, while lower level campaign staff are seeing their salaries cut dramatically or eliminated altogether.