Israeli Aircraft Continue Raids on Gaza; Arab Anger Rises  —  The Israeli army said some areas around Gaza had been declared a “closed military zone,” a move which some analysts depicted as a potential precursor to a ground offensive.  Above, tanks near the Gaza border.  More Photos >

McConnell Puts the Brakes on Stimulus Plan  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voiced skepticism today about the emerging economic stimulus plan, applying a brake to Democratic plans to quickly pass up to $850 billion in spending and tax cuts soon after President-elect Barack Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration.

CAROLINE'S CRIB  —  SEN. HOPEFUL'S $50M SPREAD  —  Forget Chappaqua.  —  This amazing Martha's Vineyard spread will be the next home-away-from-the-Beltway for New York's junior senator if Caroline Kennedy is tapped to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton.  —  The 366-acre estate …

Gag-worthy: Bipartisan indignance over “Barack the Magic Negro” parody  —  Oh, give me a super-sized break.  —  Leftie '60s leftover/songwriter Peter Yarrow at the Huffington Post fumes over the “Barack the Magic Negro” parody that has RNC candidate Chip Saltsman in hot water.

As if Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.  —  In Moscow, Igor Panarin's Forecasts Are All the Rage; America ‘Disintegrates’ in 2010  —  MOSCOW — For a decade, Russian academic Igor Panarin has been predicting the U.S. will fall apart in 2010.

TV News Winds Down Operations on Iraq War  —  Quietly, as the United States presidential election and its aftermath have dominated the news, America's three broadcast network news divisions have stopped sending full-time correspondents to Iraq.  —  “The war has gone on longer than a lot …

Coleman, Franken differ on rejected ballots  —  The U.S. Senate recount stalled today as campaign lawyers publicly bickered over the disputed absentee ballots.  —  With a Minnesota Supreme Court-imposed deadline approaching and the sniping among lawyers increasing, the U.S. Senate recount stalled today …

Study: ‘Virginity pledges’ are ineffective  —  Youths who promise abstinence are also less likely to use protection  —  Teenagers who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are just as likely to have premarital sex as those who do not promise abstinence and are significantly less likely …

David Gregory shows why he's the perfect replacement for Tim Russert  —  (updated below - Update II - Update III)  —  Several months before he was named as moderator of Meet the Press, David Gregory went on MSNBC to categorically reject Scott McClellan's accusations that the American media failed …

Emanuel to resign House seat Friday  —  Rep. Rahm Emanuel will resign his House seat Friday.  —  Emanuel, set to serve as chief of staff to President-elect Barack Obama, sent a letter to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Monday indicating that he planned to step down at the end of the week.

Bush Apologetics 09-11-01  —  A bit about my history with the outgoing Bush Administration: I volunteered, worked as a paid advance staffer, and served in two transition teams for President George W. Bush from June of 1999 through the summer of 2002.  I worked for him because I believed in his message of …

Under Bush, OSHA Mired in Inaction  —  In early 2001, an epidemiologist at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration sought to publish a special bulletin warning dental technicians that they could be exposed to dangerous beryllium alloys while grinding fillings.

For Kurdish Girls, a Painful Ancient Ritual  —  The Widespread Practice of Female Circumcision in Iraq's North Highlights The Plight of Women in a Region Often Seen as More Socially Progressive  —  Sheelan Anwar Omer, a shy 7-year-old Kurdish girl, bounded into her neighbor's house with an ear-to-ear smile …

Kulongoski to pursue mileage tax  —  A year ago, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced it had demonstrated that a new way to pay for roads — via a mileage tax and satellite technology — could work.  —  Now Gov. Ted Kulongoski says he'd like the legislature to take the next step.