Afghans protest rumored desecration of Koran by U.S. troops  —  Hundreds of protesters in Kabul burn an effigy of President Obama, a sign of rising religious conservatism and anti-Americanism in the country.  The U.S. military denies committing acts of sacrilege.

Prosecutors Turn Tables on Student Journalists  —  EVANSTON, Ill. — For more than a decade, classes of students at Northwestern University's journalism school have been scrutinizing the work of prosecutors and the police.  The investigations into old crimes, as part of the Medill Innocence Project …

FACT CHECK: Health insurer profits not so fat  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Quick quiz: What do these enterprises have in common?  Farm and construction machinery, Tupperware, the railroads, Hershey sweets, Yum food brands and Yahoo?  Answer: They're all more profitable than the health insurance industry.

Va. GOP makes timely adjustment to changes in state  —  McDonnell looks to end string of Democratic victories  —  In the 12 years since James S. Gilmore III last claimed the governor's mansion for Republicans, Virginia has undergone dramatic demographic changes, becoming more populous, diverse, wealthy and educated.

Veteran reporter's 5 lessons for Obama  —  Editor's note: Columnist and author Helen Thomas, 89, was a United Press International correspondent for 57 years and covered every U.S. president since John F. Kennedy.  Craig Crawford is a TV commentator and political writer.

Democrats Are Optimistic That Public Option Will Be Approved  —  Several Democratic senators voiced optimism on Sunday that Congress would pass a health care bill containing at least the germ of a government-run insurance program.  Their expectations were grudgingly seconded by Senator John McCain …

New Nukes!  —  Since taking office, President Obama has consistently asserted that one of his foremost priorities is to transform America's energy landscape and move us away from high levels of carbon emissions and imported energy toward clean energy and less foreign dependence.

Deadly Blasts Rock Baghdad, Killing Dozens  —  BAGHDAD—Two powerful car bombs near high-profile government offices rocked the capital on Sunday in the deadliest attack here this year, killing at least 136 people and raising fresh worry about the capabilities of Iraq's security services ahead of national elections scheduled for January.

Historians Reassess Battle of Agincourt  —  MAISONCELLE, France — The heavy clay-laced mud behind the cattle pen on Antoine Renault's farm looks as treacherous as it must have been nearly 600 years ago, when King Henry V rode from a spot near here to lead a sodden and exhausted English Army …

Obama outs Fox, but reveals a big flaw  —  Surely President Barack Obama and his advisers don't really think that their feud with Fox News will do anything but enhance the cable network's viewership.  A deeper problem is what the flap reveals about Team Obama, which seems to be more comfortable with campaigning than governing.

In Defense of the ‘Balloon Boy’ Dad  —  FOR a country desperate for good news, the now-deflated “balloon boy” spectacle would seem to be the perfect tonic.  As Wolf Blitzer of CNN summed up the nation's unrestrained joy upon learning that the imperiled boy had never been in any peril whatsoever …

The Ultimate Claim of Gender Discrimination  —  I don't know Joanne Lipman, whose op-ed in the New York Times asks the salient question: was 9-11 bad for women?  Maybe she is a cagey humorist, a sly provocateur who seeks to remind us that for some victimologists, it's always about their peculiar gripe.

WILL PUTS ON LEATHER JACKET, DONS SKIS, EYES SHARK.... When my friend Mustang Bobby emailed yesterday to tell me George Will had written an entire column praising Rep. Michele Bachmann, I thought he was kidding.  Will may be conservative, but he considers himself something of an intellectual and serious thinker.

Making someone else pay  —  Suppose that, besides being the Enemies of All Mankind, health insurers are actually right.  —  Some companies noted last week that Congress' plans to mandate that everyone buy health insurance include only weak penalties.  The plans also make insurers take on customers who are already sick.

Man's World at White House?  No Harm, No Foul, Aides Say  —  WASHINGTON — Does the White House feel like a frat house?  —  The suspicion flared in recent weeks — and not for the first time — after President Obama was criticized by women's advocates and liberal bloggers for hosting …