Cleric Suspends Battle in Basra by Shiite Militia  —  BAGHDAD — The Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr on Sunday called for his followers to stop fighting in Basra and in turn demanded concessions from Iraq's government, after six days in which his Mahdi Army militia has held off …

New Backing for Obama As Party Seeks Unity  —  WASHINGTON — Slowly but steadily, a string of Democratic Party figures is taking Barack Obama's side in the presidential nominating race and raising the pressure on Hillary Clinton to give up.  —  Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is expected …

Report Says HUD Secretary Will Resign  —  WASHINGTON — Housing Secretary Alphonso R. Jackson is expected to resign Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday night.  —  Mr. Jackson has scheduled a news conference for 9:45 a.m., 15 minutes before Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr …

Bush booed loudly while throwing out first pitch in Nationals home opener.  —  President Bush delivered the first pitch tonight at the new Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. to a resounding chorus of boos.  After being announced, Bush was showered by boos as he strode to the mound.

Superdelegates: A guide to the undecided  —  In a Democratic nominating contest that could ultimately be decided by their votes, divining the intentions of the 794 Democratic superdelegates has become something of a Washington parlor game.  —  By nearly all counts — generally measured …

Gore launches $300 million campaign  —  Former Vice President Al Gore is launching a $300 million, bipartisan campaign to try to push climate change higher on the nation's political agenda.  —  The three-year campaign by the Alliance for Climate Protection will begin Wednesday …

There's nothing funny about prison rape  —  Smirking at sexual attacks on inmates makes us all less safe.  —  'From the studio that brought you ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ " intones the preview for the light comedy “Let's Go To Prison,” “comes a penetrating look at the American penal system.

FACTBOX-Zimbabwe's meltdown in figures  —  (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's economy lies in ruins with the world's highest inflation, chronic food shortages and queues for bread as long as those of people voting in the country's crucial election on Saturday.  —  Below are some figures showing …

Steps that can safeguard America's economy  —  Neither US financial institutions nor the economy are likely to suffer from a lack of central bank liquidity provision.  New lending facilities are coming along almost weekly, the safety net has been expanded to include non-bank primary dealers …

McCain Faces Test in Wooing Elite Donors  —  With attention focused on the Democrats' infighting for the presidential nomination, Senator John McCain is pressing ahead to the general election but has yet to sign up one critical constituency: the big-money people who powered the Bush fund-raising machine.

Obama had greater role on liberal survey  —  During his first run for elected office, Barack Obama played a greater role than his aides now acknowledge in crafting liberal stands on gun control, the death penalty and abortion- positions that appear at odds with the more moderate image he's projected during his presidential campaign.

Maupin's remains found in Iraq  —  digg us!  del.icio.us!  —  Sgt. Matt Maupin is dead, the parents of the missing Clermont County soldier said today.  —  Maupin's remain were found in Iraq, nearly four years after he was captured by insurgents, his parents said.