Poll Finds Disapproval of Bush Unwavering  —  President Bush prepares to leave office with no evidence that public opinion toward him is softening during his final days in power, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.  —  When asked about Mr. Bush's performance over the last eight years …

The Only Thing We Have to Fear . . .  is Obama.  —  Barack Obama is the apostle of hope.  But he also arouses the flipside of hope—fear.  And while the fear he stirs may turn out to be unfounded, it's not irrational.  People don't know who Obama really is or where his ideological center of gravity rests …

Ethics cloud still hangs over Rangel  —  A herd of tax reporters trails Charles B. Rangel everywhere he goes these days, like a team of pilot fish feasting on whatever morsels the raspy, talkative Ways and Means Committee chairman casts aside.  —  Late last year, that media herd was feasting …

Obama's train ride: Lincolnesque imagery  —  PHILADELPHIA - Supporters of President-elect Barack Obama are assembling in Philadelphia this morning for a “town hall'-styled address and the start of a thematic train ride that will deliver the incoming president to Washington this evening.

RNC candidates turn up the partisan heat on Obama  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Despite the climate of national goodwill surrounding Barack Obama as he prepares to take the oath of office, two of the candidates vying to lead the Republican National Committee unleashed harsh attacks against the president-elect on Friday.

‘Drug-crazed idiot’ Boy George jailed for 15 months for chaining male escort to wall and beating him … Boy George was jailed for 15 months yesterday for falsely imprisoning a male escort.  —  The former Culture Club singer - real name George O'Dowd - shackled Audun Carlsen to a wall …

Fox reporter: Bush ‘inherited the 9/11 attacks.’  —  Today, President Bush left for Camp David for what is expected to be his last departure from the White House via Marine One.  During Fox News's coverage of the event, hosts Martha MacCallum and Wendell Goler tried to rewrite history for Bush:

Circuit City to Shut Down  —  Circuit City Stores, a bellwether American retailer, said Friday that it would go out of business, stripping the nation of its second-largest consumer electronics chain.  —  The company, which filed for bankruptcy protection in November but had hoped to emerge …

Justices to Hear 2 Cases Brought Against Schools  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide two cases pitting parents against public schools.  —  One concerns a 13-year-old honor student who was subjected to a strip search by school officials in Arizona looking for prescription-strength ibuprofen.

January 10, 2009: The Intifada is globalized as the Gaza War becomes a world war  —  On January 10, the war between Israel and Hamas became a global conflict.  No longer confined to the Gaza Strip, the fighting spread to cities around the world: what were billed as “anti-war” …

Recount: Trial on Coleman challenge to begin on Jan. 26  —  Republican Norm Coleman's trial challenging DFLer Al Franken's lead in the U.S. Senate recount will begin Jan. 26, according to an order issued this afternoon by the three-judge panel that will hear the case.

Calif. tax refunds to be delayed starting Feb. 1  —  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California's controller says he will begin a 30-day delay on tax refunds and other payments starting Feb. 1 because the state is running out of money.  —  Controller John Chiang said Friday he must delay $3.7 billion …

Arabs lost 2.5 trillion dollars from credit crunch: Kuwait … Arab investors have lost 2.5 trillion dollars from the credit crunch, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad al-Sabah, whose country hosts an Arab economic summit next week, said on Friday.  —  “The Arab world has lost 2.5 trillion dollars …