Pardon Lasts One Day for Man in Fraud Case  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush changed his mind on Christmas Eve, pulling back a pardon he had extended a day earlier to a Brooklyn developer at the center of a Long Island real estate fraud case and adding a bizarre twist to the episode.

Minnesota Supremes Shoot Down Crucial Coleman Lawsuit, Making A Franken Win Nearly Certain  —  Norm Coleman just got a Christmas present from the Minnesota Supreme Court: A giant lump of coal.  —  In a unanimous decision handed down just now, the state Supremes denied Coleman any relief …

Iraq Declares Christmas an Official Holiday for First Year  —  BAGHDAD — Iraq's Christians, a small minority in the overwhelmingly Muslim country, quietly celebrated Christmas on Thursday with a present from the government, which declared it an official holiday for the first time.

White House Views on Past 8 Years Diverge  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have been unusually talkative in recent weeks, sharing candid thoughts in a string of exit interviews.  But after eight years of a tight partnership that gave Mr. Cheney powerful influence inside …

Poll: America's honeymoon with Obama continues  —  CNN Deputy Political Director  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Call it a love affair so far between Barack Obama and the American people.  —  More than eight in 10, or 82 percent, of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Wednesday approve …

Reboot the FCC  —  We'll stifle the Skypes and YouTubes of the future if we don't demolish the regulators that oversee our digital pipelines.  —  Economic growth requires innovation.  Trouble is, Washington is practically designed to resist it.  Built into the DNA of the most important agencies created …

Top Bush Aides to Linger on High-Profile Boards  —  As President Bush settles in for his last Christmas in office, he has been busy handing out presents to some of his top aides.  And they are not the kind that require wrapping paper or a bow.  —  The White House announced on Wednesday …

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Christmas C4 speech sparks row  —  Channel 4 will screen an alternative Christmas message from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, in a move that has provoked widespread condemnation.  —  President Ahmadinejad's address will focus on spiritual messages …

Federal agencies examining deadly Lake Township plane crash  —  A preliminary report on Friday night's plane crash that killed a Summit County man should be posted in early January, but it likely will be several months before the National Transportation Safety Board completes its investigation.

Obama's Job-Creation Program Flunks Basic Math: Caroline Baum  —  A A A  —  Dec. 24 (Bloomberg) — President-elect Barack Obama is still four weeks away from inauguration, and already the size of government is growing.  His initial goal of creating 2.5 million new jobs has been upped to 3 million …

Pope issues plea for end to child abuse  —  VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict led the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics into Christmas at a midnight mass Thursday in which he appealed for an end to child abuse in all its forms.  —  He also called for peace in the Middle East, ahead of a possible trip to the region next year.