ABC News: Politics

RSS FEED FOR ABCNEWS Politics INDEX

1. Bush to Seek $419.3 Billion for Defense --President Bush Will Ask Congress for $419.3 Billion for Defense for the Pentagon
2. Rice Says Diplomacy Can Succeed in Iran --Condoleezza Rice Says Diplomacy Can Succeed in Iran; Allies United to Nudge Mideast Peace
3. GOP Sees Short Time to Sell Soc. Sec. Plan --Republican Senators Say Bush Has Short Time to Sell His Social Security Plan
4. Activist Backs Dean for Democrat Chair Bid --Rosenberg Abandons Bid for Democratic National Committee Chairman and Backs Front-Runner Dean
5. Judge Allows Challenge to Wash. Gov. Race --Judge Allows Challenge to Washington Governor's Race, but Says He Can't Order New Vote
6. Bush Vows to Push Ahead on Social Security --Bush Vows to Push Ahead on Social Security Overhaul, Acknowledges Tough Battle Ahead
7. Embattled Secretary of Calif. to Resign --California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley to Resign As Handling of Election Funds Probed
8. Months Later, N.C. Ag Chief Admits Defeat --Months After Election, North Carolina's Agriculture Commissioner Agrees He Lost
9. Ralph Reed Files to Run for Ga. Lt. Gov. --Former Director of Christian Coalition Files Papers Enabling Bid for Lieutenant Governor
10. Chicago Mayor Promises Crackdown on Fraud --Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley Promises Crackdown on Fraud, Says City's Image in Danger

BBC News | Americas | World Edition

Updated every minute of every day - FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY

1. 'Child torture' couple arrested --US police arrest a Florida couple who went on the run after they were accused of torturing five children.
2. Court rejects tobacco lawsuit --A US court rejects a lawsuit accusing the tobacco industry of covering up the effects of smoking.
3. Uribe illness delays crisis talks --An ear infection forces Colombia's President Uribe to cancel trips to Venezuela and three European countries.
4. Guantanamo 'leaves scars' --Guantanamo detainees risk developing "irreversible psychiatric symptoms", say UN human rights inspectors.
5. US to pull out 15,000 from Iraq --The US is to withdraw 15,000 troops from Iraq from next month, after extending their tour of duty to secure the 30 January poll.
6. US planes in false hijack threats --Two Delta airline international flights are briefly held on landing after false hijack threats are received against them.
7. 'Arrest threat' to Rumsfeld trip --A possible visit to Germany by Donald Rumsfeld may be at risk over a move to indict him there for war crimes.
8. Rice urges 'united front' on Iran --US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calls for a common approach towards Iran's nuclear programme.
9. Martha Stewart for Trump TV --Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is to appear on a TV show based on Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" - once she gets out of jail.
10. NFL: Steelers QB is top rookie --Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is the NFL's rookie of the year.

BBC News | News Front Page | World Edition

Updated every minute of every day - FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY

1. Rice urges 'united front' on Iran --US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calls for a common approach towards Iran's nuclear programme.
2. 'Darfur - key to peace in Sudan' --Sudan's peace deal in the south will fail if violence in the western Darfur region continues, a UN envoy warns.
3. 'Child torture' couple arrested --US police arrest a Florida couple who went on the run after they were accused of torturing five children.
4. Iraq army 'intimidated by rebels' --Iraq's security forces are losing men because of "severe intimidation" by rebels, a US general says.
5. Greek church rocked by scandals --The Greek Orthodox Church suspends a senior bishop amid claims of clergy fixing the outcome of court trials.
6. UK call for phone-tap trials --Britain's top police officer is calling for phone-tap evidence to be used in court cases involving terror suspects.
7. Italian woman kidnapped in Iraq --An Italian woman journalist is snatched from a street in Baghdad by a group of armed men, Iraqi police say.
8. Shia candidates lead Iraqi poll --Iraq's main Shia Muslim coalition is ahead as counting continues in the landmark elections, officials say.
9. Debt relief on G7 agenda --Finance ministers from the G7 end a two-day meeting in London by discussing debt relief and the weak dollar.
10. Cricket: Smith leads S Africa win --Graeme Smith hits his first one-day century to lead South Africa to a three-wicket win over England.

BBC News | Programmes | World Edition

Updated every minute of every day - FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY

1. The Interview --Massoumeh Ebtekar is Iran's first female vice-president and one of the highest-ranking women in the Muslim world. She talks to Owen Bennett-Jones about her country's relationship with the US.
2. Reporting Religion --As Catholics wait for news about the health of Pope John Paul II, what impact does the changing state of his health have on his followers around the world?
3. Analysis --Opinion polls predict victory for Thaksin Shinawatra in Sunday's Thai elections. We profile the prime minister and his very business-like approach to politics.
4. Africa poverty: Is enough being done? --Nelson Mandela and the UK Prime Minister are calling on the world's major powers to do more to tackle poverty in Africa. What is needed?
5. Is this a new era for US foreign relations? --US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has spoken of the need for diplomacy. Is this a new era for US foreign policy?

Christian Science Monitor | Commentary

Monitor editorials, columns (from Daniel Schorr and others), and opinion pieces from noted experts.

1. Condi Sails Forth --She has an historic opportunity to work with Europe in the Middle East.
2. Too-Cozy Columnists --More journalists need a fuller awareness of their role in preserving the integrity of the fourth estate.
3. Salvo in intel turf war? --Pentagon activities in Iraq and beyond look like an invasion of CIA territory.
4. At halftime, bring back the marching bands --Wouldn't it be grand to not have to worry about an errant breast appearing?
5. Why so desperate to parse popularity of 'Housewives'? --The ABC hit is clever and well written. Let's not overanalyze its success.
6. Letters to the Editor

Christian Science Monitor | Top Stories

Read the front page stories of csmonitor.com.

1. Bush road-tests an ambitious agenda --He tries to build on momentum of State of the Union and Iraq vote, but resistance runs deep.
2. Border life unfazed by US warning --Drug battles and 27 abductions of Americans trigger Mexico advisory.
3. Koranic duels ease terror --In Yemen, a theological contest cools Al Qaeda hotbed.
4. Debate grows over who owns Medicaid costs --Bush is expected to announce trims in healthcare spending, placing the burden back on fiscally strapped states.
5. One dream of redemption ... one of dynasty --What it will take for the long-suffering Eagles to win the Super Bowl - and how the Patriots plan to stop them.

Christian Science Monitor | USA

Independent coverage of US politics, economics, and society.

1. Bush road-tests an ambitious agenda --He tries to build on momentum of State of the Union and Iraq vote, but resistance runs deep.
2. Chicago fights corruption's long shadow - again --A high-profile probe and a towing scandal are the latest in the city's struggles against crooked deals.
3. Debate grows over who owns Medicaid costs --Bush is expected to announce trims in healthcare spending, placing the burden back on fiscally strapped states.
4. One dream of redemption ... one of dynasty --What it will take for the long-suffering Eagles to win the Super Bowl - and how the Patriots plan to stop them.
5. State of the Union address --Remarks as prepared for delivery.
6. Bush outlines second-term goals --Blitz to sell politically risky remake of Social Security blasts off today.

Christian Science Monitor | World

Daily, award-winning international news from csmonitor.com

1. Border life unfazed by US warning --Drug battles and 27 abductions of Americans trigger Mexico advisory.
2. Koranic duels ease terror --In Yemen, a theological contest cools Al Qaeda hotbed.
3. One man's mission to bring relief to cut-off villages --Sam Schultz bought a plane ticket, hired a boat and crew, and was soon sailing down Indonesia's Sumatran coast to help survivors.
4. Thai vote: democratic backslide? --A strong economy is expected to hand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra a solid majority Sunday.
5. Reporters on the Job

Foxnews: U.S. & World

(By http://www.newsisfree.com/syndicate.php - FOR PERSONAL AND NON COMMERCIAL USE ONLY!)

1. Annan Wastes No Time
2. Couple Captured
3. Two Charged in Kidnap, Killing of Ind. Girl
4. Suspect in Fatal Jewel Robberies Arrested
5. Bombs 101
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7. Psychiatrist: Zoloft Caused Boy to Kill
8. AOL Spammer Pleads Guilty
9. Passenger Questioned in JFK Terror Scare
10. Judge Nixes New York's Gay Marriage Ban

Foxnews: Politics

Politics (By http://www.newsisfree.com/syndicate.php - FOR PERSONAL AND NON COMMERCIAL USE ONLY!)

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2. Bush Takes Social Security To States
3. $419.3B for Defense
4. Gonzales: No. 1 Priority is Fighting Terror
5. Budget to Raise College Loan Limits
6. Capitol Hill Mulls 'Regime Change' in Iran
7. Bush Budget to Be Rolled Out Monday
8. Rosenberg Drops DNC Chair Bid
9. White House Chef Turns In His Spatula
10. Possible Security Glitch in FBI E-Mail System

IHT: Africa & Middle East

International Herald Tribune (By http://www.newsisfree.com/syndicate.php - FOR PERSONAL AND NON COMMERCIAL USE ONLY!)

1. Shiites keep huge lead in Iraq
2. Rice works to bolster ties with Europe
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4. Iraq seeks money back from relief program

IHT: Americas

International Herald Tribune (By http://www.newsisfree.com/syndicate.php - FOR PERSONAL AND NON COMMERCIAL USE ONLY!)

1. Rice works to bolster ties with Europe
2. Greenspan offers hope on cutting trade gap
3. ADV: Advance Your Career Today --Increase your earning potential with an accredited online degree. Enroll at Kaplan University - the trusted name in education. Point, click, get ahead. Choose your field of study.
4. Max Schmeling, 99, boxing great, dies
5. Largely partisan vote confirms Gonzales as attorney general

IHT: Asia & Pacific

International Herald Tribune (By http://www.newsisfree.com/syndicate.php - FOR PERSONAL AND NON COMMERCIAL USE ONLY!)

1. New Year holiday begins travel nightmare in China
2. 104 on plane feared dead in crash
3. Japan hit by human variant of mad cow
4. ADV: Free $95 Commodity Investor’s Kit --Learn some of the best ways to participate in commodity markets with free, easy-to-follow audio and video tapes. IRA approved. Risk of loss exists in futures trading. Serious investors only.
5. In Afghan camps, winter bites deep
6. Nepalese feeling isolated under state of emergency

IHT: Europe

International Herald Tribune (By http://www.newsisfree.com/syndicate.php - FOR PERSONAL AND NON COMMERCIAL USE ONLY!)

1. Rice works to bolster ties with Europe
2. Anti-Semitic letter embroils Duma
3. Church suspends a bishop
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5. Tymoshenko named Ukrainian prime minister

IHT: Europe

International Herald Tribune (By http://www.newsisfree.com/syndicate.php - FOR PERSONAL AND NON COMMERCIAL USE ONLY!)

1. Rice works to bolster ties with Europe
2. Anti-Semitic letter embroils Duma
3. Church suspends a bishop
4. ADV: Advance Your Career Today --Increase your earning potential with an accredited online degree. Enroll at Kaplan University - the trusted name in education. Point, click, get ahead. Choose your field of study.
5. Tymoshenko named Ukrainian prime minister

IHT: Special Reports

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2. Looking to vault into the top tier
3. 'Last mile' is longest in German DSL battle
4. Satellites bring broadband to remote corners of Europe

IHT

International Herald Tribune (By http://www.newsisfree.com/syndicate.php - FOR PERSONAL AND NON COMMERCIAL USE ONLY!)

1. Indecency police
2. Russia's Neptune
3. Japan hit by human variant of mad cow
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5. Rice deflects talk of strike on Iran
6. Petri dishes and growth: Finding the right formula
7. Europeans seek role in training Iraq police

NYT > Home Page

New York Times > Breaking News, World News & Multimedia

1. Appellate Court Backs Companies in Tobacco Case --A federal appeals court ruled that the government cannot force tobacco companies to turn over $280 billion in profits.
2. Iraqi Police Use Kidnappers' Videos to Fight Crime --The videotaped messages juxtaposed images of the masked insurgents with the cowed men they became once captured.
3. Judge's Ruling Opens Window for Gay Marriage in New York --A New York State judge in Manhattan ruled that denying gay couples licenses to marry violates the State Constitution.
4. Shrinking Student Pools Force Public Universities to Fish Afar --Many big public universities are plunging into what private colleges have already mastered: scouring the nation in search of students.
5. A Child Learns a Harsh Lesson in Politics --Emma Reisner, who was to star in PBS's "Postcards From Buster," found out just how unwelcome her same-sex parents are in Mr. Rogers' old neighborhood.
6. Working for Top Bosses on Wall St. Has Its Perks --The role of the executive assistant has drawn scrutiny after the disclosure that the former New York Stock Exchange chairman's assistant was paid $240,000 a year.

NYT > Opinion

Find editorial, opinion & Op-Ed articles from Brooks, Dowd, Friedman, Herbert, Kristof, Krugman, Safire & more. Read or e-mail a letter to the editor.

1. The Senate and Mr. Gonzales --Giving Alberto Gonzales the nation's top legal post is a terrible signal to send the rest of the world, and to American citizens concerned with human rights.
2. Promoting Democracy in Egypt --Washington must confront Egypt's president, Hosni Mubarak, and other regional autocrats with consistent calls for political freedom and open multiparty elections.
3. Keeping Out of the Otero Mesa --Opening the Otero Mesa area of New Mexico to oil and gas leasing could desecrate irreplaceable natural wealth.
4. Afraid to Discuss Evolution --The tendency of many school districts to duck controversy by avoiding the teaching of evolution serves students and the nation poorly.
5. Corrections --Because of an editing error, a letter on Jan. 23,
6. Our Battered Constitution --The Bush administration has left no doubt about its contempt for a number of our supposedly most cherished constitutional guarantees.
7. Gambling With Your Retirement --President Bush wants Americans to take a loan from the government and use it to buy stocks, and if that turns out to have been a mistake - well, too bad.
8. Triage at Abu Ghraib --Doctors at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq lacked the resources for the humane treatment of prisoners.

NYT > International

Find breaking news, world news, multimedia & opinion on the US, Africa, Canada, Mexico, South & Central Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Iraq.

1. Shiite Bloc Maintains Lead, but Iraq's North Has Yet to Be Tallied --With 35 percent of Iraqi polling places reporting, Shiite parties held a huge lead. But no results have been from northern provinces with many Kurdish and Sunni voters.
2. Iraqi Police Use Kidnappers' Videos to Fight Crime --The videotaped messages juxtaposed images of the masked insurgents with the cowed men they became once captured.
3. Rice Gets Pledge From Schröder to Do More to Help Iraq --Chancellor Gerhard Schröder also gave a warm endorsement of President Bush's call for democracy in Iran.
4. 104 Are Lost in Crash of Afghan Plane --Three American aid workers were among the 104 passengers and crew feared dead after their plane crashed in the mountains southeast of Kabul.
5. U.S. Helicopters Ending Mission in Indonesia --The United States aircraft carrier that provided the base for dozens of daily helicopter flights carrying food and water to tsunami victims in Aceh ended its mission today.
6. Greek Church Struggles to Quell Raft of Scandals Involving Clergy --Greece's top Orthodox clerics scrambled to salvage the church's credibility as clergymen were implicated in drug dealing, antiquities theft, trial rigging and lewd conduct.

NYT > National

Find breaking news and multimedia on health care, The Supreme Court, NASA, politics and government, taxes, the White House, education and business.

1. With Political Backdrop, Bush Continues Social Security Pitch --During a three-state tour today President Bush urged lawmakers of both parties to confront tomorrow's problems today.
2. Tapes Show Enron Arranged Plant Shutdown --The Enron Corporation arranged to take a plant off-line on the same day that California was hit by rolling blackouts in early 2001, according to audiotapes.
3. 2 Sides Finish at the Trial of Ex-Priest in Abuse Case --The jury began deliberating in the case of Paul R. Shanley, a defrocked priest accused of sexual abuse, and went home after half an hour.
4. Despite Desperate Measures, Baby With Rare Disease Dies --Hannah Mollie Stimell, a 13-month-old girl, endured an arduous and complex treatment that her parents and doctors hoped would cure her of a fatal genetic disease.
5. Two Planes Land Safely in New York Afer Hijacking Threat --Two Delta Airlines flights received hijacking threats Friday, but both landed in New York without incident, federal authorities said.
6. Harvard Seeks to Advance Opportunities for Women --The president of Harvard University announced initiatives to improve the status of women on the faculty, including a commitment to create a senior recruiting post.

NYT > Week in Review

Find news, essays and opinion on politics, the President of the United States, international relations, new trends & ideas, the public editor and more.

1. The Great Middle East Shake-Up --The war in Iraq is transforming the Middle East and its relations with the United States in directions the Bush administration might not have expected.
2. TV's Busby Berkeley Moment --These days, reality television is instructional in an atavistic way: the focus is less on the middle class and more on the wealthiest 1 percent and the striving people at the bottom.
3. One Clear Conscience, 60 Years After Auschwitz --In the teeth of the Holocaust, Miecyslaw Kasprzyk, a Pole from the town of Wielicka, had the courage to save one life.
4. Divorce Ties Chile in Knots --Since Chile became the last country in the Western Hemisphere to legalize divorce, almost nobody is lining up outside the courts, except lawyers.
5. Give a Blood Chit to the Confusion Agent --The Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms is striking for the resourcefulness of the compilers and for its surreal humor.
6. Must-Haves for the Next Humvee --Designed for a different era and a different kind of war, the military's beleaguered flagship truck, the Humvee, is starting to look like the Edsel of Iraq.
7. Jan. 23-29 --Democrats on Capitol Hill have vigorously disputed the fitness of Condoleezza Rice, a black woman, to become secretary of state, and promised to raise tough objections to a Hispanic nominee, Alberto R. Gonzales, the president's choice for attorney general.
8. The Week Ahead --HANGOVER ALERT The mood during the run up to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, which begins next Saturday, took a dark turn after shootouts between drug gangs in two of the city's slums killed three children on Jan. 20. Brazilian officials began an immediate crackdown on the drug gangs out of worry that the festival could become a security and public relations nightmare.
9. Correction --An article on Jan. 16 about the way presidents fare in their second terms misstated the reason Bill Clinton was impeached. He was accused of perjury and obstruction of justice, not of having an affair with an intern.
10. A Tide of Islamic Fury, and How It Rose --Two strains of history are coming into play at once in the Middle East - the growth of Islamic radicalism and the long hostility between the Sunni and Shiite sects.

OpinionJournal.com

From The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page

1. Reform at Home --President Bush seeks to usher in a new progressive era.
2. Reigning Cats and Dogs --Cellphones for your dog and other things to spend money on.
3. TONY & TACKY --Earning an easy "A." Plus not so free music.
4. A Gesture With a Point --Iraqis give terrorists the finger.
5. Now Make Iraq's Vote a Strategy For Our Protection --What has the West done for the dissidents of the Middle East?
6. Normal Service Resumed --The George Bush the nation re-elected is back.
7. An Idea Whose Time Has Come --Let's make the Super Bowl a national holiday.
8. The 60% Solution --Worried about the ACLU? Display only the commandments Jesus taught us.
9. Noonan Night --Tune in this weekend for a discussion featuring Peggy Noonan.

Telegraph News | Breaking News

The latest news stories from telegraph.co.uk

1. Lift phone tap ban in terror trials, says new Met chief --Tony Blair's anti-terrorism policy has been put under fresh pressure after the country's most senior policeman called for phone tap evidence to be used to bring suspects to trial, rather than holding them indefinitely under house arrest.
2. Condi's star debut on world stage --America's new secretary of state plays the hawk and dove on her visit to London. Alec Russell in Washington and George Jones report.
3. Vital NHS reforms 'in deep trouble' --Three vital elements of Labour's health service reforms are in "deep trouble", leaving its plans in disarray, the head of the country's doctors has said.

Telegraph News | International News

International News from telegraph.co.uk

1. Confident French illuminate 'Olympic city' --An unmistakeable air of confidence has settled over the French capital's bid to host the next Olympic Games but one.
2. Unwelcome wind of reality blows through the dusty corridors of power --With corruption allegations sweeping through the miles of tatty corridors at the United Nations headquarters, the organisation is finally having to face up to realities of a changed world.
3. Dutch plan test aimed at curbing Muslim migrants --People applying to live in the Netherlands will have to take an examination to prove that they understand the language and culture, the government proposes.
4. Hitler's eyrie becomes a playground for the rich --Rising out of the mist amid some of the most sublime alpine scenery in Europe, a spa hotel built on the site of Adolf Hitler's mountain eyrie hopes to exorcise the ghost of the Nazi leader.
5. Just another day at Vatican despite the Pope's illness --The Pope is "eating normally'' and continues to make progress as he recuperates from a serious throat infection.
6. Corruption scandal hits the Greek Church -- The Greek Orthodox Church suspends a senior bishop and an influential priest surrendered to police as corruption allegations involving bribery, drug dealing and sexual favours swamp the country's powerful clergy.
7. Moroccans recall torture and terror as they confront 'the black years' --Diplomats based in the Moroccan capital of Rabat see the newly formed Justice and Reconciliation Commission as another significant step towards democracy in the Arab world.
8. Kennedys to sell off the family 'clutter' --An auction in New York of family items owned by the Kennedys later this month will invite bidding for chipped crockery, a fibreglass kitchen tray and a pair of folding suitcase racks described as "mid-20th century".
9. Tatar fury over Yalta monument to Stalin
10. Protest at Gibraltar sub repair

Telegraph Opinion | Leaders

Leader columns The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph

1. Condoleezza Rice brings morality to realpolitik --Condoleezza Rice is seeking to change the image of an oil-driven American foreign policy by putting morality back on the agenda.
2. Graft at the UN --The UN is facing tough times as the scandal surrounding the oil-for-food programme in Iraq intensifies.
3. Weld gophers' carrots here --The Telegraph Crossword first appeared in 1925, and 24,594 puzzles later retains its cruciverbal allure.

Telegraph Opinion

Comment from The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph

1. Africa doesn't need handouts: it needs honest governments --Niall Ferguson argues that the real threat to prosperity in Africa is corruption at the highest levels of government.
2. You can't go wrong with a dominatrix --Although received pronunciation was abandoned once audiences demanded more warmth, Sarah Sands argues that the authoritative tones of the past are alive and well in the guise of Satellite Navigation.
3. You'll never believe what happened when we tried to renew three passports --Adam Nicolson discovers the pitfalls of attempting to renew a passport.
4. In our Brave New World, 82 per cent is a minority --Imogen Stubbs finds her patience tested by her local council's strange interpretation of the word 'democracy'.
5. Notebook --By Frank Johnson
6. Way of the world --By Craig Brown
7. Sacred mysteries --By Christopher Howse

The Politic

Stories from the current online edition of The Politic.

1. Where Art and Politics Meet --Oliver Stone has won three Academy Awards and five Golden Globes for his directing and screenwriting. From bringing viewers into the lives of American soldiers in Vietnam to prompting the U.S. Congress to pass a resolution concerning freedom of information, Stone's films have had a profound impact on modern politics.
2. Campaigns Take Notice --Conventional wisdom holds that young Americans don't pay attention to and don't participate in electoral politics. Conventional wisdom argues that young citizens are politically apathetic. Conventional wisdom dictates that efforts to appeal to young people represent an inefficient use of precious resources for political campaigns.
3. Crafting Leaders at Yale --Kingman Brewster Jr., the grand, wily, wacky eminence who ran Yale from 1964 to 1977, wanted it to produce each year 1,000 "leaders in their generation ... who will have a constructive impact on our society thirty years later." He'd have been pleased with his latest harvest of presidential timber: Joe Lieberman ('64, Yale Law '67), John Kerry ('66) and Howard Dean ('71), not to mention Bill and Hillary Clinton (both Yale Law '73).
4. Debate versus Activism --Last spring, I asked a politically involved friend why he never came to Yale Political Union (YPU) student debates. He laughed, and gave me a surely-you-jest look. Upon discovering that my question was serious, he rattled off a long list of reasons, most of which I had heard before: Union members are pompous, the Union is out-of-touch with real world politics, and that the debates don't accomplish anything of value.
5. America's Youth and Voting --College students, and young adults in general, are being touted as the new Swing Vote for 2004. With only slightly more than 500 votes in Florida having decided the 2000 Presidential election, and close races in upwards of 15 battleground states, these young voters could be a decisive factor.
6. Stealing from California --Blue Cross of California was originally founded in 1937 as a hospital service corporation to keep hospitals open during the Great Depression. For the last 55 years, Blue Cross has operated as a non-profit health insurance company serving Californians. However, in 1993, Blue Cross of California CEO Leonard Schaeffer decided that it was time for a change.
7. The Lost Federalism --Senator Zell Miller of Georgia made news late this spring when he introduced legislation to repeal the Seventeenth Amendment and return to the original mode of electing senators by state legislatures rather than by popular vote. He argued that letting states choose their U.S. senators would force senators to be more accountable to their state governments and would help restore the careful balance that once existed between the states and the federal government.
8. The Democrats' Next Contender --Richard Blumenthal has served as Connecticut's Attorney General for an unprecedented four terms since his first election to the office in 1990. As Attorney General, he has focused his attention on fighting Big Tobacco while protecting consumer rights, civil rights, and the environment.
9. Re-educating America: --Look closely. Somewhere in middle America where two presidential candidates ask desperately for your vote, dig deep beneath the dialed-up rhetoric of 2004's sexiest campaign issues - Iraq, the War on Terror, our troubled economy, even same-sex marriage - and you will find two very different pictures of what education is like in America.
10. Re-Thinking Racial Preferences --Fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, race issues still command attention in the schools, workplaces and courtrooms of America. Affirmative action, in particular, remains controversial in the wake of recent Supreme Court rulings. Let us begin with the proposition that affirmative action would end tomorrow if it were opposed by its main beneficiaries, African Americans.

Guardian Unlimited

Intelligent news and comment throughout the day from The Guardian newspaper

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2. Iran attack 'not on US agenda' --George Bush's new secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, insists the US has no plans to attack Iran "at this point".
3. Telegraph axes 90 journalists --Cuts to fund a £150m investment in new presses and extra colour pages.
4. Ex-Libertine Doherty granted bail --Arts: Pop singer Pete Doherty is granted bail when he appears in court charged with robbery and blackmail.
5. Executives deny blame for broken rail --UK: Four men deny responsibility for the broken rail that led to four deaths in the Hatfield rail crash.
6. Windsor Castle conman jailed --Crime: A man described as one of the most professional conmen ever is jailed for four and a half years.
7. Hanging up their gloves --Economic dispatch: Britain's two main parties agree over the economy for the first time ever, writes Victor Keegan.
8. The show must go on --Rome dispatch: As the Pope recovers from his health scare, Sophie Arie finds it's business as usual at the Vatican.
9. UN oil-for-food chief took Saddam bribes --World: UN official who headed the oil-for-food programme for Iraq obtained bribes from Saddam Hussein's regime.
10. US opposes UK's debt relief plan --Politics: The US puts up an obstacle to Gordon Brown's plan to set up a multi-billion dollar aid facility.

TIME Magazine Online: Columnists

The latest work from TIME's columnists

1. Richard Corliss: That Old Feeling: Anna May Win --Part II of Richard Corliss' tribute to the pioneer Chinese-American star
2. Richard Corliss: Anna May Wong Did It Right --Richard Corliss on the pioneer Chinese-American star
3. Michael Elliott: A Mixed Meeting in Davos --At the World Economic Forum, aid to the developing world took center stage--and China remained a mystery
4. Tony Karon: Blogged Down in Iraq --Who won, and what's next?
5. Joe Klein: The End of Rose-Petal Fantasies --A less peremptory, more conservative U.S. foreign policy could help solve troubles in Iraq
6. Richard Corliss: Whoooooooo's Johnny? --Richard Corliss on the cool, unknowable dude of late-night
7. Leon Jaroff: Tempest in Tallahassee --Florida State University considers chiropractic
8. Tony Karon: After the Palestinian Elections --Abbas claims Arafat's mantle, but peace may be no closer
9. Andrew Arnold: I Moved Your Damn Cheese! --TIME.comix on Tom Hart's 'Hutch Owen: Unmarketable!'
10. Charles Krauthammer: Shock and Awe --In sorrow and glory we find our common humanity

TIME Magazine Online: Top Election Stories

TIME's top stories about the U.S. election

1. In Victory's Glow --The extraordinary triumph of President George W. Bush
2. New Faces --A teetotaler from South Dakota. A farmer from Colorado. A muckraker from Louisiana. Among newcomers headed for the Senate next year, these freshmen stand out
3. Inside The War Rooms --Bush and Kerry weren't only battling each other. In the hunt for every last vote, each man had to rediscover his own instincts as well. TIME takes you behind the scenes
4. The No. 1 Priority --Bush's legacy will depend on whether he can stabilize Iraq and get the troops home. That won't be easy
5. What Happens to the Losing Team? --Having lost five of the past seven presidential elections, the Democrats have to decide whether to reinvent their party and who should lead it forward
6. Obama's Ascent --How do you leap from neighborhood activist to U.S. Senator to perhaps higher office? Even for Barack Obama, it's more complicated than it looks
7. Candidates In the Wings --The G.O.P. race for 2008 starts now, and many of the contenders are already working hard for the right to inherit the Bush mantle
8. How Bush Almost Let It Slip Away --Charles Krauthammer on the gamble of campaigning on Iraq
9. The Outside Players --They fought hard from the sidelines. Now Bush's victory makes some of them winners too--and some losers
10. Buck Up, Liberals: How to Get Over It --Democrats need to avoid a civil war and instead pick a stronger candidate

TIME Magazine Online: Top Nation Stories

TIME's top stories about domestic affairs

1. State of the Union: Big Themes, Small Details --The President delivers a soaring foreign policy address--and an earthbound domestic plan
2. Capital Letters: Splits Within the GOP; Dems Get Religion --TIME's Perry Bacon reports from the Hill
3. Evangelicals in America --American Evangelicalism seems to defy unity, let alone hierarchy. Yet its members share basic commitments. TIME's list focuses on those whose influence is on the rise or who have carved out a singular role
4. What Does Bush Owe the Religious Right? --They helped re-elect the President, and Christian conservatives want payback. A look inside the struggle over their agenda
5. Trying Out a More Soulful Tone --Should the Democrats find more religion?
6. Cam Phones, Go Home --The ability to snap pictures on the go is being curtailed
7. An Early Eye On 2008 --Among the earliest Democratic contenders: Wesley Clark, Joe Biden and John Kerry
8. The Russians Are Coming --The FBI is concerned about Moscow's growing number of spies. What secrets are they looking for?
9. A Snapshot of Teen Sex --The first map of romantic liaisons in a U.S. high school reveals an elaborate, high-risk trail of love
10. How Rumsfeld Plans to Shake Up the Spy Game --The Defense Secretary pushes his generals to field a larger and more aggressive clandestine force

TIME Magazine Online: Top World Stories

TIME's top stories about international affairs

1. New Political Storms in Iraq? --The power struggle between the Shiite coalition and prime minister Allawi may present tough choices for the U.S.
2. Inside the Pope's Illness --News of John Paul II's hospitalization causes waves
3. Making Sense of Iraq's Vote --Election leaves all stakeholders facing new choices
4. Hunt for the Bomb Factories --TIME follows a team of U.S. Army weapons hunters as they race to separate the insurgents from their arsenals
5. The Russians Are Coming --The FBI is concerned about Moscow's growing number of spies. What secrets are they looking for?
6. How Rumsfeld Plans to Shake Up the Spy Game --The Defense Secretary pushes his generals to field a larger and more aggressive clandestine force
7. Will Chávez's Oil Still Flow? --The Venezuelan leader wants to export more oil to China
8. Bremer's Next Insurgency: Auditors --Vulnerable areas of CPA funds spark questioning
9. Can Iraq Rule Itself? --Amid continuing violence, Iraqis prepare for a crucial election. Here's what it will take for the next government to gain legitimacy--and why the new leaders may demand that the U.S. withdraw
10. The Opponents: Insurgents, Boycotters, and Skeptics --Which groups are not participating, and why not?

TIME Magazine Online: Most Emailed Story of the Day

See which stories are TIME's most emailed of the day

1. TIME Magazine Archive Article -- Grow Up? Not So Fast -- Jan. 24, 2005 --MEET THE TWIXTERS. THEY'RE NOT KIDS ANYMORE, BUT THEY'RE NOT ADULTS EITHER. WHY A NEW BREED OF YOUNG PEOPLE WON'T--OR CAN'T?--SETTLE DOWN
2. The Commission Squeeze --The Internet can make it cheaper to buy a house, but not everyone is putting out the welcome mat
3. TIME - Richard Corliss - : Whoooooooo’s Johnny? --Richard Corliss on the cool, unknowable dude of late-night
4. Stealth Attack On Evolution --Who is behind the movement to give equal time to Darwin's critics, and what do they really want?
5. TIME Magazine Cover: They Just Won't Grow Up - Jan. 24, 2005 --er 5.0 Sun Jan 23 12:54:49 2005 -->

TIME Magazine Online: Top Photoessays

TIME's top photoessays

1. The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals --American Evangelicalism seems to defy unity, let alone hierarchy. Yet its members share basic commitments. TIME's list focuses on those whose influence is on the rise or who have carved out a singular role
2. Aliens of the Deep --A sneak-peak into the new film that offers an unprecedented look at denizens of the ocean floor
3. Pictures of the Week --A groundhog has his day, a president has his say and New Yorkers run a famous race a different way
4. Election Day in Iraq --Iraqis go to the polls to determine the future of their country
5. Johnny Carson: 1925 - 2005 --A Life in Pictures
6. At the Epicenter --Photographs by James Nachtwey and John Stanmeyer from Aceh, the area hardest hit by the tsunami
7. Dangerous Patrol --As election day nears, the violence intensifies in Iraq
8. California Weather Crisis --Torrential rain and snow bring mudslides and flooding to the Golden State
9. What Was Lost --South Asia is inundated, leaving behind scenes of unimaginable destruction as the survivors look for missing kin and relief workers try to head off a humanitarian catastrophe
10. A President's Life --Photographer Christopher Morris captures George W. Bush in public and private moments

TIME Magazine Online: Top Stories

TIME's top stories of the day

1. Donovan's Revenge --Often dissed but never down, the Super Bowl-- bound Philadelphia quarterback may get the last word yet
2. Remembering Bob Marley --Christopher John Farley on the singer, who would have turned 60 Sunday
3. New Political Storms in Iraq? --The tough choices ahead for the U.S.
4. State of the Union: Big Themes, Small Details --The President delivers a soaring foreign policy address--and an earthbound domestic plan
5. Inside the Pope's Illness --News of John Paul II's hospitalization causes waves
6. That Old Feeling: Anna May Win --Part II of Richard Corliss' tribute to the pioneer Chinese-American star
7. The Next Action Hero --With flying feet and a unique style, Thailand's Tony Jaa is ready to take on Jackie Chan and Jet Li
8. Oedipus Wrecks --A hilarious family horror story, Hollywood style
9. Louisa May on Broadway --Alcott's young-adult classic Little Women has been turned into a musical that even grownups can like
10. What Does Bush Owe the Religious Right? --They helped re-elect the President, and Christian conservatives want payback. A look inside the struggle over their agenda

washingtonpost.com - Editorials

Editorials

1. Counterrevolution -- PRESIDENT BUSH and other Western leaders are still celebrating the democratic revolution in Ukraine, but in other former republics of the Soviet Union an entirely different response is underway. Post-Soviet leaders who, like Ukraine's former regime, have lived by corruption, rigged elections and thuggish repression are frantically seeking to head off a repeat of the popular "orange revolution," or the earlier "rose revolution" in Georgia. In recent weeks they have banned opposition parties, thrown their most plausible democratic challengers in jail and cracked down on Western pro-democracy organizations. They have also sought help from a familiar address: the Kremlin of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
2. Bartleby Democrats -- HERMAN MELVILLE'S "Bartleby, the Scrivener" tells the tale of a lawyer's assistant who inexplicably stops doing his job, instead spending his days staring blankly at a brick wall. "I'd prefer not to," he invariably tells his employer when asked to copy a paper, go to the post office or even answer a question. "No: at present I would prefer not to make any change at all," Bartleby says when asked to leave. In their response to President Bush's State of the Union address Wednesday night -- indeed, in much of their reaction to Mr. Bush's push on Social Security -- the Democrats share a disturbing resemblance to Bartleby.
3. Viagra for Seniors -- DISAPPOINTINGLY, the decision to allow Medicare to pay for impotence drugs was not actively taken by a particular official or government department, as some reports this week seemed to imply. In fact, the decision to allow Medicare to pay for Viagra, Levitra and Cialis for senior citizens was simply implicit in the original Medicare drug benefit legislation passed in December 2003. At that time, Congress removed nine classes of medicines from inclusion in the federal benefit, including fertility drugs, weight-loss drugs, nonprescription drugs and barbiturates. All other drugs, if they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and if they are "medically necessary," can in theory be paid for by Medicare, and therefore by the federal government.
4. State of the Union -- LAST NIGHT'S State of the Union address was to be the moment, so the country was told, when President Bush would spell out his plans for Social Security. That turned out to be true, in part. Mr. Bush's speech, combined with additional information put out by the White House, for the first time described the size and structure of the private retirement accounts the president envisions. But Mr. Bush and his aides offered no specifics on the more difficult question of what changes would be made elsewhere in Social Security to make the program solvent. Mr. Bush acknowledged that hard choices will have to be made. But rather than leading on that central issue, he simply offered a list of what he described as other people's ideas. He made a persuasive case that the Social Security program needs to be put on a stronger financial footing, but he wouldn't say how that should be done.
5. Open Trade -- THE CHIEF innovation of the World Trade Organization has been to add a quasi-judicial dispute-settlement unit to the global trade machinery. Rather than resort to tit-for-tat trade wars, countries can take their disagreements to a panel of judges who interpret the WTO's rules and decide which party is violating them. This pressure valve has worked. In its 10 years of operation, the dispute-settlement unit has received more than 300 cases and issued rulings on about 80; because of its mediation, trade fights have been less vicious than they otherwise would have been. But the dispute-settlement mechanism has one major flaw: Its deliberations are too secretive.
6. Taking Sides -- YOU MIGHT expect that in its short legislative session the Virginia General Assembly would have more important business than intervening in internal arguments within the Episcopal Church over gay rights. But a bill pending in the state Senate would make it far easier for Episcopal congregations upset at the church's consecration of a gay bishop in New Hampshire to bolt from the national church yet keep their buildings and property. The bill, championed by Sen. William C. Mims (R-Loudoun), responds to a real problem: Mr. Mims argues persuasively that Virginia law on the subject is archaic. But his bill would make matters worse, not better. It should be voted down.
7. Car Tax Giveaway -- VIRGINIA Republicans, whose appetite for electoral victory exceeds their sense of responsibility, have proposed a massive tax break for car owners. No matter that Virginia can ill afford the cut, which would drain hundreds of millions of dollars annually from state coffers, nor that the proposal would subvert a landmark legislative compromise hammered out less than a year ago, nor even that it would imperil the state's top-shelf credit rating and leave its finances vulnerable to the next economic downturn. Republican state lawmakers, with their eye on elections for governor and House of Delegates this year, would throw fiscal common sense to the wind.
8. Egypt's Test for Mr. Bush -- "DEMOCRATIC reformers facing repression, prison or exile can know: America sees you for who you are -- the future leaders of your free country," President Bush said in his inaugural address. "When you stand for your liberty we will stand with you." It didn't take long for that promise to be tested. On Saturday Egyptian police arrested and roughed up Ayman Nour, the dynamic young leader of a new opposition party calling for liberal democracy in that strategic Middle Eastern country. On Monday Mr. Nour was ordered to jail for 45 days on a patently bogus charge of forgery. To Egyptians, his real offense was obvious: offering a moderate democratic alternative to the corrupt dictatorship of President Hosni Mubarak.
9. Judicial Wake-Up Call -- ONLY TWO WEEKS ago U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon threw out lawsuits by detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, ruling that there was "no viable legal theory" under which he could intervene in the military's handling of detentions at the base. This week Judge Joyce Hens Green of the same court refused to dismiss a much larger group of cases presenting substantially the same issues. Not only can foreign detainees bring cases alleging violations of the Geneva Conventions, she ruled, but they have due process rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution as well -- rights the administration is violating with tribunals to determine their status that both deny detainees access to classified evidence and deny them lawyers to confront the evidence they can't see.
10. Invitation to Corruption -- IT'S GONE ON long enough. The D.C. practice, sanctioned by law, of allowing exploratory committees to collect contributions of unlimited amounts from donors, without having to disclose their identities or file reports with the Office of Campaign Finance, must be brought to a halt. The process lacks accountability, violates the spirit of campaign finance reform and invites corruption. If D.C. residents want to minimize sleaze and the influence of large amounts of unregulated money in District politics, they will insist that the D.C. Council close the dangerous loopholes in the exploratory committee law.

washingtonpost.com - George W. Bush

George W. Bush

1. 'I See a Great Day Coming' -- Following are excerpts of President Bush's victory speech yesterday, as transcribed by eMedia MillWorks Inc.:
2. An Upbeat Night After an Uneasy Day --As aides juggled nerve-racking election returns, President Bush invited reporters into his residence last night to record the tableau of the president, his family and his dog serenely watching the numbers.
3. Bush Confident but Busy --President Bush ended his reelection campaign Monday with a soggy six-state sprint focused on the small towns and fervent supporters that were the linchpin of his strategy.
4. Unprecedented Peril Forces Tough Calls --Like the "war on terrorism," which it often intersected, President Bush's efforts against nuclear proliferation has followed many paths.
5. Some Possibilities if Bush Wins --President Bush plans major changes in his Cabinet if he wins a second term -- perhaps nominating the first female defense secretary and first black attorney general -- but very little change among the small group of his closest advisers.
6. Afghanistan, Iraq: Two Wars Collide --The debate over the Iraq war has echoed within the ranks of the administration, even among those who support much of the president's agenda.
7. Laura Bush, Smiling but Tough --The red-white-and-blue buses still say "Bush-Cheney '04: A Safer World, a More Hopeful America," but the country music is softer, so is the stage lighting, and the attacks are more ladylike.
8. A Close Final Round --In their third debate, Sen. John Kerry and President Bush again brought out their well-worn buzzwords and slogans.
9. 2 Trouble Spots for Bush --Growing voter focus on Iraq and the continued weakness of the president in Philadelphia suburbs are tilting Pennsylvania toward John Kerry.
10. Isolation From Press Could Be Hindrance --Bush advisers said the president may pay a price for his decision to remain isolated from unexpected questions when he faces Sen. John F. Kerry in Friday's town-hall-style debate.

washingtonpost.com - Nation

Nation

1. Tobacco Penalty Nixed --A federal appeals court Friday rejected the government's attempt to recover $280 billion from tobacco companies, even if the Department of Justice prevails in its suit that the companies defrauded and mislead the American public.
2. NY Judge Clears Way for Same-Sex Marriages --Comparing prohibitions on same-sex marriage to once-common laws against interracial marriage, a trial court judge in Manhattan ruled Friday that same-sex couples have a right to wed under the state constitution.

washingtonpost.com - Op-Eds

Op-Eds

1. Which Foreign Policy? -- Are the neoconservatives "up" or "down" in the second Bush administration? Will their agenda of transformational regime change in the Middle East be dominant in Bush II, or will their influence be reduced?
2. Free to Dance in Iraq -- "At polling centers hit by explosions, survivors refused to go home, steadfastly waiting to cast their votes as policemen swept away bits of flesh."
3. Bluster Over 'Buster' -- Last week I experienced deja vu. PBS -- the Public Broadcasting Service -- decided not to distribute an episode of its cartoon "Postcards From Buster" in which Buster the animated bunny meets two children whose parents are lesbians. The same day the secretary of education sent PBS a letter demanding that the network not air this show. "Many parents would not want their young children exposed to the lifestyles portrayed in the episode," she wrote.
4. Ignoring the Smoke -- Watching President Bush's speech Wednesday night, I thought of Irwin Allen, Hollywood's master of disaster, the man who gave us "The Towering Inferno," "The Poseidon Adventure" and a host of other films in which calamity follows catastrophe until everybody dies, except the extremely good-looking. And I thought of the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.
5. Feeding the 'Crisis' -- Our country could profit from an honest debate about the future of Social Security. Judging from President Bush's State of the Union address, that is not the kind of debate we are about to have.

washingtonpost.com - Politics

Politics

1. Rice: No Plan to Attack Iran --After a series of tough statements about Iran from the Bush administration, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday that U.S. still had "many diplomatic tools" to use in the showdown over Tehran's alleged nuclear weapons program and other issues.
2. Bush Touts Many Options --President Bush said Friday he is willing to do anything except raise payroll taxes to shore up the Social Security system, as the White House moved to overcome bipartisan resistance to the president's new plan for individual accounts.
3. Bush Dines With Russian Fugitives --Two partners of imprisoned oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, each o