‘Oddball’ protrait emerges  —  Suspect's family, pals offer clues  —  As authorities searched for clues into what could have sent a University of Alabama neurobiology professor on an alleged killing spree, friends and family yesterday described Braintree native Amy Bishop as an awkward introvert …

Evan Bayh to retire  —  Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh will not seek re-election this year, a decision that hands Republicans a prime pickup opportunity in the middle of the country.  —  “After all these years, my passion for service to my fellow citizens is undiminished, but my desire to do so by serving …

Rachel Maddow Stuns Rep. Aaron Schock By Calling Out His Spending Hypocrisy (VIDEO)  —  What's Your Reaction: … A heated exchange took place during NBC's “Meet the Press” on Sunday when MSNBC host Rachel Maddow accused Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) of hypocrisy for railing against a spending bill …

Series of missteps by climate scientists threatens climate-change agenda  —  With its 2007 report declaring that the “warming of the climate system is unequivocal,” the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won a Nobel Prize — and a new degree of public trust in the controversial science of global warming.

U.S. hunts for English-speaking bombers  —  Christmas Day bomb suspect reveals plot  —  U.S. and allied counterterrorism authorities have launched a global manhunt for English-speaking terrorists trained in Yemen who are planning attacks on the United States, based on intelligence provided …

Corrections  —  EDITORS' NOTE  —  In a number of business articles in The Times over the past year, and in posts on the DealBook blog on NYTimes.com, a Times reporter appears to have improperly appropriated wording and passages published by other news organizations.

White House revamps communications strategy  —  White House officials are retooling the administration's communications strategy to produce faster responses to political adversaries, a more disciplined focus on President Obama's call for “change” in Washington and an increasingly selective use of the president's time.

Clinton says U.S. fears Iran is becoming a military dictatorship  —  DOHA, QATAR — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that the United States fears Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has gained enough power to potentially supplant the Tehran government.

Fleming Slightly Hurt After Accident in Biden Motorcade  —  In a statement, Jay Carney, a spokesman for the vice president, said that two former athletes “were taken to a local hospital as a precaution.  They were both evaluated and have since been released.”

Goldman Goes Rogue - Special European Audit To Follow  —  At 9:30pm on Sunday, September 21, 2008, Goldman Sachs was saved from imminent collapse by the announcement that the Federal Reserve would allow it to become a bank holding company - implying unfettered access to borrowing from the Fed …

U.S. Housing Aid Winds Down, and Cities Worry  —  ELKHART, Ind. — Over the next six months, the federal government plans to wind down many of its emergency programs for housing.  Then it will become clear if the market can function on its own.  —  People here are pretty sure the answer will be no.

Some Democrats keep distance from Obama  —  Aligning themselves too closely with the White House could be a strategic mistake ahead of the midterm election, they fear.  It's an approach that has the administration's tacit blessing.  —  Reporting from Washington - As President Obama's approval ratings sag …

Obama's New OIC Envoy Defended Activist Who Aided Terrorist Group  —  (CNSNews.com) - President Obama's newly appointed envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference was quoted in 2004 as saying an American who aided a Palestinian terrorist group was the victim of “politically motivated persecutions” …

Dodd: Obama will be elected to a second term ‘overwhelmingly’  —  Presidet Obama will be “re-elected overwhelmingly,” Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) confidently predicted today.  —  Appeaing on Imus in the Morning, Dodd rejected a comparison between Obama and Jimmy Carter and said Obama will be more political successful.

Politicians as News Analysts Raise Questions on Their Goal  —  Sarah Palin.  Mike Huckabee.  Newt Gingrich.  —  Today, that is a list of paid Fox News political analysts.  Two years from now, it could be a list of Republican presidential candidates.  —  A former Fox analyst …

McCain challenger launches bid to unseat Arizona senator  —  Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth will formally launch his campaign on Monday.  —  (CNN) - The Republican party's most recent presidential nominee has earned a primary challenge from the right on President's Day.

A lethal business model targets Middle America  —  Sugar cane farmers from a tiny Mexican county use savvy marketing and low prices to push black-tar heroin in the United States.  —  First Of Three Parts  —  Immigrants from an obscure corner of Mexico are changing heroin use in many parts of America.

Taliban Fighters Said to Flee Under Coalition Pressure  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — A large number of Taliban fighters have fled the city of Marja, their former stronghold in Helmand Province under pressure from United States and Afghan forces and may have crossed the border into Pakistan, the Afghan interior minister said on Monday.