GOP Losses Span Nearly All Demographic Groups  —  Only frequent churchgoers show no decline in support since 2001  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The decline in Republican Party affiliation among Americans in recent years is well documented, but a Gallup analysis now shows that this movement away …

Poll: Reid's re-election numbers don't add up  —  CARSON CITY — Nearly half of Nevadans have had enough of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid as the powerful Democrat heads into his re-election campaign, a new Las Vegas Review-Journal poll finds.  —  About a third of the state's voters …

Credit Card Industry Aims to Profit From Sterling Payers  —  Credit cards have long been a very good deal for people who pay their bills on time and in full.  Even as card companies imposed punitive fees and penalties on those late with their payments, the best customers racked up cash-back rewards …

I did not say Cheney killed Benazir: Hersh  —  LAHORE: US journalist Seymour Hersh on Monday contradicted news reports being published in South Asia that quote him as saying a “special death squad” made by former US vice president Dick Cheney had killed Benazir Bhutto.

The Cheney Fallacy  —  Why Barack Obama is waging a more effective war on terror than George W. Bush.  —  Former Vice President Cheney says that President Obama's reversal of Bush-era terrorism policies endangers American security.  The Obama administration, he charges, has …

CIA Officials Fear That New Rules May Hinder Interrogations  —  Intelligence Officials Privately Warn That New Rules May Hinder Their Interrogations  —  Battered by recriminations over waterboarding and other harsh techniques sanctioned by the Bush administration, the CIA is girding itself …

DCorps: New Survey Reveals Obama Closing the Democrats Historical National Security Gap  —  Democracy Corps  —  Research Categories … Executive Summary  —  A new Democracy Corps poll released by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner today shows that after 100 days in office, President Barack Obama has …

Having confessed to lifting copy, the New York Times' columnist almost sets things right. … - She responded promptly to the charge of plagiarism when confronted by the Huffington Post and Politico.  (Many plagiarists go into hiding or deny getting material from other sources.)

Obama Avoids Test on Gays in Military  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has decided to accept an appeals-court ruling that could undermine the military's ban on service members found to be gay.  —  A federal appeals court in San Francisco last year ruled that the government must justify …

Palin camp eyed Clinton alliance  —  In an unusual attempt to forge an alliance between two of the most prominent families in American politics, John Coale, a Washington-area Democratic donor and onetime adviser to Sarah Palin, urged the conservative Alaska governor to use her political action committee …

Russian, US diplomats launch arms control talks  —  MOSCOW - Russian and U.S. negotiators sat down for difficult nuclear arms control talks Tuesday amid hopes that warming relations could help the two former superpowers reach an agreement seen as essential for global stability.

Obama Scored Big at Notre Dame  —  At least the president is forthright about his principles.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Seldom does dawn rise on an America where the morning's New York Times displays a more intuitive grasp of a story than the New York Post.

Netanyahu stands firm against demands from Obama  —  Israel stood firm against demands from Barack Obama on Monday to cease the construction of Jewish settlements and embrace the “two-state solution” to achieving peace in the Middle East.  —  Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister …

U.S. to Check Immigration Status of People in Local Jails  —  Obama Administration's Enforcement Push Could Lead to Sharp Increase in Deportation Cases  —  The Obama administration is expanding a program initiated by President George W. Bush aimed at checking the immigration status of virtually every person booked into local jails.

Dan Brown's America  —  The movie treatment of his novel, “Angels and Demons,” is cleaning up at the box office this week.  The sequel to “The DaVinci Code,” due out in November, might bouy the publishing industry through the recession.  And if you want to understand the state of American religion …

Talk of insurance mandate growing  —  Health care could soon go the way of the automobile, with users having no choice but to buy insurance coverage.  —  Within four years, every American could be required to own health insurance or pay their way through tax penalties.

CNN Poll: Pelosi facing Gingrich-like approval ratings  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — As Nancy Pelosi continues to face a firestorm over what she may have known about aggressive government interrogation techniques, and when, a new survey has more unpleasant news for the House Speaker.

Conviction of Former Media Mogul Black to Be Reviewed  —  The Supreme Court agreed yesterday to review the conviction of media magnate Conrad Black, who is serving a 6 1/2 -year sentence for mail fraud and obstruction of justice.  —  Black was convicted in 2007 of stealing more than $6 million …

Local Banks Face Big Losses  —  Journal Study of 940 Lenders Shows Potential for Deep Hit on Commercial Property  —  Commercial real-estate loans could generate losses of $100 billion by the end of next year at more than 900 small and midsize U.S. banks if the economy's woes deepen, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal.

White House wins court fight on e-mail disclosure  —  WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the office that has records about millions of possibly missing e-mails from the Bush White House does not have to make them public.  —  The appeals court in Washington ruled …

Nation Digest: Bill Clinton Named U.N. Special Envoy for Haiti  —  Bill Clinton has been appointed U.N. special envoy for Haiti, a part-time position in which the former U.S. president will aim to attract private and government investment and aid for the poor Caribbean island nation …