Officials: Hastert "In the Mix" of Congressional Bribery Investigation  —  Brian Ross Reports:  —  The Speaker of the House Representatives, Dennis Hastert, is under investigtaion by the FBI, which is seeking to determine his role in an ongoing public corruption probe into members of Congress …

Inconvenient Truths Indeed  —  Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" opens around the country this week.  In the film Gore pulls together evidence from every corner of the globe to convince us that climate change is happening fast, we are to blame, and if we don't act immediately, our Earth will be all but ruined.

GRASSLEY UNVEILS TOP 10 FLAWS WITH AMNESTY AND GUEST WORKER OF COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL  —  Sen. Chuck Grassley today said the immigration reform bill being debated in the U.S. Senate is riddled with loopholes and flaws.  During a speech on the Senate floor …

Putting stem-cell research back on the front-burner  —  Exactly one year ago tomorrow, the House easily passed bi-partisan legislation that would remove restrictions on embryonic stem cell research.  The companion measure in the Senate had a filibuster-proof majority, Bill Frist endorsed …

Desperate for Supporters, DeLay Turns to Stephen Colbert  —  A good sign that Tom DeLay doesn't have the facts on his side: the top source for his latest defense against his critics is Stephen Colbert.  —  This morning, DeLay's legal defense fund sent out a mass email criticizing the movie …

OLMERT SPEECH TO JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS: WITNESSING HISTORY  —  And a reliable witness am I.  —  Ehud Olmert became the first Israeli prime minister in more than a decade to address a joint meeting of both houses of Congress.  Before I describe this most impressive speech and the historic moment …

Official secrets  —  The Washington Post had a thoughtful editorial yesterday entitled "Official Secrets" and subtitled "Be careful what you read."  The nub of the Post's argument is in this paragraph.  —  "The administration is seeking to convert a moribund World War I-era espionage law …

Special counsel: Cheney may be called to testify  —  Prosecutor says vice president's 'state of mind' relevant in CIA leak case  —  WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney could be called to testify in the perjury case against his former chief of staff, a special prosecutor said in a court filing Wednesday.

Keep 'America' in Michigan schools  —  State bureaucrats want to do what Stalin, Osama could only dream about  —  C ensoring the word "America" from our own schools is something Josef Stalin, Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden would never have thought possible.  Michigan has done it without a whimper.

Desperate Telcos: When the Going Gets Tough, the Absurd Rumors Get Going  —  Opponents of Internet freedom seem shocked that Google, MoveOn, the Christian Coalition, and 700 other diverse organizations are fighting on the same side to preserve the Internet that has revolutionized democratic participation …

Newspaper apologizes for anti-Iran report  —  Tehran summons envoy to explain Canadian leader's remarks  —  OTTAWA, Canada (Reuters) — A Canadian newspaper apologized Wednesday for an article that said Iran planned to force Jews and other religious minorities to wear distinctive clothing to distinguish themselves from Muslims.

Senator McCain Worked Blue  —  On New York Stage  —  Behind Closed Doors, Republican Works in Material: 'I'd Tell Shiites and Sunnis, "Stop the Bulls**t"'; Fresh From Falwell, Attacks Right-Wing Nativism  —  For all the national attention surrounding John McCain's two highly anticipated …