Iranian general played key role in brokering Iraq cease-fire  —  BAGHDAD — Iraqi lawmakers traveled to the Iranian holy city of Qom over the weekend to win the support of the commander of Iran's Qods brigades in persuading Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr to order his followers to stop military operations …

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 …

HUD Secretary Expected to Quit  —  WASHINGTON — Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson is expected to announce his resignation Monday, according to people familiar with the matter, a decision that will deal a blow to the Bush administration's efforts to tackle the housing crisis.

Gore Launches Ambitious Advocacy Campaign on Climate  —  Former vice president Al Gore will launch a three-year, $300 million campaign Wednesday aimed at mobilizing Americans to push for aggressive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, a move that ranks as one of the most ambitious and costly public advocacy campaigns in U.S. history.

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 …

Remains of Soldier Missing Since '04 Are Found in Iraq  —  BATAVIA, Ohio (AP) — The father of a soldier listed as missing-captured in Iraq since 2004 said Sunday that the military had informed him that his son's remains were found in Iraq.  —  The man, Keith Maupin, said at a news conference …

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.

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 …

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.

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.