81% in Poll Say Nation Is Headed on the Wrong Track  —  Americans are more dissatisfied with the country's direction than at any time since the New York Times/CBS News poll began asking about the subject in the early 1990s, according to the latest poll.  —  In the poll, 81 percent of respondents …

More Than 1,000 in Iraq's Forces Quit Basra Fight  —  BAGHDAD — More than 1,000 Iraqi soldiers and policemen either refused to fight or simply abandoned their posts during the inconclusive assault against Shiite militias in Basra last week, a senior Iraqi government official said Thursday.

New Signs of Mugabe Crackdown in Zimbabwe  —  Zimbabwe's government staged separate police raids on Thursday against the main opposition party, foreign journalists and at least one democracy advocate, raising the specter of a broad crackdown aimed at keeping the country's imperiled leaders in power.

McCain, Clinton Head to Memphis for MLK Anniversary  —  Laura Meckler and Nick Timiraos report on the presidential race.  —  Sens. John McCain and Hillary Clinton, possible opponents in the fall campaign, will both be in Memphis Friday to mark the anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King Jr. …

Clinton Adviser's Colombia Talks  —  Penn Met to Discuss Free-Trade Pact  —  Fought by Senator  —  Hillary Clinton's chief campaign strategist met with Colombia's ambassador to the U.S. on Monday to discuss a bilateral free-trade agreement, a pact the presidential candidate opposes.

Air America Host Randi Rhodes Suspended For Calling Hillary A “Big F*cking Whore”  —  Air America host Randi Rhodes called both Geraldine Ferraro and Hillary Clinton “whores” in a recent appearance, seen below.  Rhodes, who hosts a weekday radio show on Air America, said to the cheering crowd, “What a whore Geraldine Ferraro is!

Dangerous assumptions  —  Roger Pielke, Jr1, Tom Wigley2 & Christopher Green3  — Roger Pielke Jr is in the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0488, USA.  — Christopher Green is in the Department of Economics, McGill University, Montreal H3A 2T7, Canada.

Employers slashed 80,000 jobs in March  —  WASHINGTON - Employers buffeted by talk of recession slashed 80,000 jobs in March, the most in five years and the third straight month of losses.  —  At the same time, the national unemployment rate rose from 4.8 percent to 5.1 percent …

McCain returns $3m in checks as he considers public funding  —  In another sign that John McCain is moving toward accepting public financing this fall, the Republican's campaign is returning about $3 million in checks to contributors who have given money for his general election campaign …

McCain Holds Off on Secret Service Protection  —  Weeks after clinching the Republican presidential nomination, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) still has no Secret Service protection and has not requested it, the head of the agency told Congress yesterday.  —  Director Mark Sullivan …

Basra Assault Exposed U.S., Iraqi Limits  —  When Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki launched an offensive in Basra last week, he consulted only his inner circle of advisers.  There were no debates in parliament or among his political allies.  Senior American officials were notified only a few days before the operation began.

Absolut arrogance and the advertising agency behind the reconquista ad  —  You know what has been heartening the past two days as reaction to the Absolut Reconquista ad continues to pour in?  The fact that so many of you still take our sovereignty seriously and are willing to give voice to your concerns without apologizing for it.