Congressman Payne, NJ superdelegate, switches from Clinton to Obama  —  Rep. Donald Payne (D-10th Dist.), a New Jersey superdelegate who had been supporting Hillary Clinton for president, has switched his allegiance to Barack Obama.  —  “After careful consideration, I have reached the conclusion …

Al Qaeda in Iraq leader not captured - U.S.  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the head of al Qaeda in Iraq, has not been captured, a senior U.S. military official told CNN on Friday.  —  Iraqi authorities said Thursday that al-Masri had been captured in Mosul.

Obama: McCain is ‘losing his bearings’  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Barack Obama chastised John McCain Thursday for engaging in “smear” politics, and defended himself from critics who question whether he is capable of being commander-in-chief, during a wide-ranging interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer …

Clinton campaign opposes giving Obama more Mich. delegates  —  LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign opposes Michigan's plan to give fewer delegates to her and more to rival Barack Obama, a campaign spokesman said Thursday.  —  The Democratic National Committee stripped Michigan …

Cindy McCain says she'll never release her tax returns  —  WASHINGTON - Cindy McCain says she will never make her tax returns public even if her husband wins the White House and she becomes the first lady.  —  “You know, my husband and I have been married 28 years and we have filed separate tax returns for 28 years.

The Obama Democrats' Ostrich Moment  —  The full-court press to force Hillary from the presidential race ain't working.  She will win the West Virginia, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico primaries.  —  But the screwed-up, patchwork system the Democrats are using to choose delegates has given small states …

Once-secret memos question Clinton's honesty  —  A decade before Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton admitted fudging the truth during the presidential campaign, federal prosecutors quietly assembled hundreds of pages of evidence suggesting she concealed information and misled a federal grand jury …

Thinking About November  —  The fight for the Democratic nomination seems to be winding down.  It's not completely over, but the odds now overwhelmingly favor Barack Obama.  —  Assuming that Mr. Obama is the nominee, he'll lead a party that, judging by the usual indicators …

Rendell as Obama's VP does not make sense  —  Now that the primary season finally appears to be winding down and exhausted political junkies like myself can take a breather before the pre-convention definition and registration battles begin, the talk is shifting to what arrangements …

Pentagon Drops Post in Pakistan for Top General  —  WASHINGTON — When the Pentagon announced in March that Maj. Gen. Jay W. Hood would become the senior American officer based in Pakistan, it reflected the military's aim to put a crisis-tested veteran in a critical job at a pivotal …

3 accused of using corpse head to smoke pot  —  The Kingwood teenager's story of decapitating a corpse and using the head to smoke marijuana was so outlandish that at first Houston Police Department senior police officer Jim Adkins did not believe it.  —  Yet, Kevin Wade Jones Jr., 17 …

Many Economists Back McCain, but More Are Silent  —  Almost half of the economists in the latest Wall Street Journal forecasting survey decided against answering a question on which presidential candidate offers the most responsible fiscal policies.  However, Sen. John McCain was the clear favorite of those who answered the question.

Code Pink Protesters Try Witchcraft at Anti-Marine Rallies  —  Code Pink is now resorting to witchcraft to beef up the number of its supporters protesting Berkeley's controversial Marine Corps Recruiting Center.  —  The women's anti-war group has told ralliers to come equipped with spells …

Larsen endorses Obama after Hill meeting  —  Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) surprise visit Thursday to the House floor has already paid dividends in the form of a superdelegate endorsement.  —  Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) announced, after meeting with Obama at the Democratic Congressional …