Watch News Channel 8 Video  —  LAKELAND - When he wasn't sending pornographic movies to and asking for explicit photos from a teenage girl in Polk County, a Maryland man was bragging about his job as a spokesman at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, law enforcement officers said.

Found Object: DeLay on Hardball  —  To see just how grateful Chris Matthews was for getting the Tom DeLay scoop, and what DeLay may think of Hillary Clinton, go here.  Thanks to the usual source gods.  —  Player not working?  Download the quicktime video here.

Couric Announces Departure From 'Today' Show  —  Katie Couric, the most successful host in the more than 50-year history of NBC's "Today" show, told her audience of more than 6 million viewers this morning that she will step down from the program and leave NBC when her contract concludes at the end of next month.

John McCain on The Daily Show  —  The Daily Show with Jon Stewart had a live interview with Senator John McCain (R-AZ) on Tuesday's program. … Of course, it is crucial to understand the context in which the interview took place.  Bear in mind that The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is above …

Apple Allows Windows on Its Machines  —  Turning a decades-long rivalry on its head, Apple Computer introduced software today that it says will easily allow users to install Microsoft's Windows XP operating system on Apple's newest computers.  —  The software, Boot Camp …

US War Planners Should Listen to Israel Regarding Iran  —  As I stated on Christopher Lydon's NPR show, Radio Open Source, tonight — one of the take-aways from my recent Israel trip is that Israeli national security bureaucrats — diplomats and generals — have far greater confidence …

Schools Ban Patriotic Clothes, Flags  —  SAN DIEGO — In the wake of last week's immigration-reform protests, one school district is taking drastic measures, banning all symbols of patriotism, both U.S. and Mexican.  —  Images: Schools Ban Patriotic Clothes, Flags  —  Discuss: District Bans Patriotic Clothes, Flags

Yes, It's Anti-Semitic  —  Academic papers posted on a Harvard Web site don't normally attract enthusiastic praise from prominent white supremacists.  But John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt's "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy" has won David Duke's endorsement as "a modern Declaration …

Democracy In Iraq Not A Priority in U.S. Budget  —  While President Bush vows to transform Iraq into a beacon of democracy in the Middle East, his administration has been scaling back funding for the main organizations trying to carry out his vision by building democratic institutions such as political parties and civil society groups.

The Plame Game  —  What Murray Waas's big scoop may really tell us about Bush's pre-war deceptions.  —  Murray Waas's latest scoop — in which he broke new ground with a detailed account of the Bush administration's deceptions about Iraq — has won plenty of plaudits already.

86 the Anti-527 Action  —  We're old enough to remember when the Republican mainstream was against restricting campaign finance.  That was about four years ago.  Way back then, House leaders were decrying McCain-Feingold as damaging to the GOP's electoral fortunes and probably unconstitutional.

Mass. Bill Requires Health Coverage  —  State Set to Use Auto Insurance As a Model  —  BOSTON, April 4 — The Massachusetts legislature approved a bill Tuesday that would require all residents to purchase health insurance or face legal penalties, which would make this the first state to tackle …

2 Justices Indicate Supreme Court Is Unlikely to Televise Sessions  —  WASHINGTON, April 4 — Television cameras are not about to enter the Supreme Court any time soon.  —  That was the unmistakable message that two Supreme Court justices gave Congress at a hearing on Tuesday on the court's budget.

Agencies Not Protecting Privacy Rights, GAO Says  —  Government agencies that use private information services for law enforcement, counterterrorism and other investigations often do not follow federal rules to protect Americans' privacy, according to a report yesterday by the Government Accountability Office.

Has Al Qaeda demoted Zarqawi?  —  Reports say the insurgent leader in Iraq has been stripped of political duties after backlash from Amman bombings.  —  Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq and one of the region's most prominent insurgents, has been demoted within Al Qaeda's ranks, according to recent reports.