Sanford met in Atlanta after returning from South America  —  Governor says he never hiked Appalachian Trail; says he cruised along the coast of Buenos Aires to unwind after stressful legislative session  —  ATLANTA — Gov. Mark Sanford arrived in the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport this morning …

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. contacted Iran's ayatollah before election  —  Administration overture to Khamenei ridiculed in sermon  —  Prior to this month's disputed presidential election in Iran, the Obama administration sent a letter to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei …

Stay Tuned for More of ‘The Obama Show’  —  In his first daytime news conference yesterday, President Obama preempted “All My Children,” “Days of Our Lives” and “The Young and the Restless.”  But the soap viewers shouldn't have been disappointed: The president had arranged some prepackaged entertainment for them.

Climate Bill Set for Vote After Deal Is Reached  —  WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has scheduled a vote Friday on a sprawling climate-change bill, signaling the Democratic leadership's confidence that it can overcome objections from Farm Belt Democrats.

Pushing the President's Buttons  —  Barack Obama, as everyone knows, is one of the most disciplined, controlled and unflappable political leaders in modern times.  Except when he grows testy.  And during Tuesday afternoon's press conference, the president's inability to mask mild annoyance was on full display.

Tapes Reveal Nixon's View of Abortion  —  WASHINGTON — On Jan. 23, 1973, when the Supreme Court struck down state criminal abortion laws in Roe v. Wade, President Richard M. Nixon made no public statement.  But privately, newly released tapes reveal, he expressed ambivalence.

The “Neda video,” torture, and the truth-revealing power of images  —  (updated below)  —  The single most significant event in shaping worldwide revulsion towards the violence of the Iranian government has been the video of the young Iranian woman bleeding to death, the so-called “Neda video.”

Documents Back Saudi Link to Extremists  —  WASHINGTON — Documents gathered by lawyers for the families of Sept. 11 victims provide new evidence of extensive financial support for Al Qaeda and other extremist groups by members of the Saudi royal family, but the material may never find …

Obama Open to Compromise as Senators Balk at Public Health Plan  —  President Barack Obama's push to create a public health-care program to compete with private insurers is meeting so much resistance from Republicans and even some members of his own party that he's signaling a willingness to compromise.

He Thinks You're Stupid  —  In his press conference today, President Obama talked about the cap-and-trade energy tax that the Democrats are trying to ram through Congress.  Obama's nose grew a couple of inches as he uttered this howler: … The idea that the energy tax will come to rest with …

New Protections for Transgender Federal Workers  —  WASHINGTON — Lawyers for President Obama are quietly drafting first-of-their kind guidelines barring workplace discrimination against transgender federal employees, officials said Tuesday.  —  The guidelines will be in an updated federal handbook …

What Obama didn't mention  —  A couple of surprising words were missing from President Barack Obama's 55-minute news conference on Wednesday: “Iraq” — and “Afghanistan.”  —  Also MIA: “Korea,” “Pakistan,” “soldiers,” “surge” and “war” — as well as the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.