Lieberman, Lamont Spar in Conn. Primary Debate  —  SPEAKERS: U.S. SENATOR JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D-CT)  —  NED LAMONT, FORMER SELECTMAN, GREENWICH, CT  —  ANNOUNCER: Live from NBC 30, Connecticut's news leader, this is a "Decision 2006" special presentation, the Democratic primary debate, Lieberman and Lamont.

Washington Babylon  —  California Republican congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham traded military contracts for $2.4 million in antiques, cash, and other booty.  He is now in jail, but his case exposed a world of bribery, booze, and broads that reaches into the Pentagon, the C.I.A., and Congress.

President Has a Smooth Ride on 'Larry King Live'  —  Two kinds of celebrities go on "Larry King Live" on CNN: those with something to sell and those with something to hide.  —  Al Gore and Brandon Routh, the young star of the newly released "Superman Returns," recently appeared on the show to promote their new movies.

Hate Groups Are Infiltrating the Military, Group Asserts  —  A decade after the Pentagon declared a zero-tolerance policy for racial hate groups, recruiting shortfalls caused by the war in Iraq have allowed "large numbers of neo-Nazis and skinhead extremists" to infiltrate the military, according to a watchdog organization.

N. Korea missile aimed at area off Hawaii - report  —  TOKYO (Reuters) - A North Korean missile launched on Wednesday was aimed at an area of the ocean close to Hawaii, a Japanese newspaper reported on Friday.  —  Experts estimated the Taepodong-2 ballistic missile to have a range of up to 6,000 km, putting Alaska within its reach.

For Gay Rights Movement, a Key Setback  —  When Massachusetts became the first state to legalize gay marriage in November 2003, gay rights advocates imagined a chain reaction that would shake marriage laws until same-sex couples across the nation had the legal right to wed.

Mexican conservative wins tight election battle  —  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Conservative presidential candidate Felipe Calderon won a narrow victory on Thursday in an election that divided Mexico, but his leftist rival vowed to fight the result in the courts and on the streets.

Bomb tunnel, flood city  —  One man is busted in Beirut, others hunted across  —  globe and terrorists are seen linked to Zarqawi  —  BY ALLISON GENDAR in New York and JAMES GORDON MEEK in Washington  —  The FBI has uncovered what officials consider a serious plot by jihadists to bomb …

Death for Somali Muslims who shirk prayers  —  Somali Muslims who fail to perform daily prayers will be killed in accordance with Qur'anic law under a new edict issued by a leading cleric in the Islamic courts union that controls Mogadishu.  —  The requirement for Muslims to observe …

Coulter Plagiarism Story Picks Up Steam  —  Is the Ann Coulter plagiarism story shifting from a one-day spark into a days-long saga?  —  Interest appears to be growing.  John Barrie, the man whose technology identified the instances of plagiarism in acidic right-wing writer Ann Coulter's columns …

More from the tolerant left  —  Fresh off this bit from John Wesley Hardin (aka "Lo Ping Wong," aka "shaved chubby"), I've been treated to yet another heaping helping of that famed progressive compassion, this time from someone purporting to be Dr. Debbie Frisch, adjunct instructor of psychology …

Emergency Over, Saith the Court  —  1861. 1941.  2001. Our big wars — and the war on terrorism ranks with the big ones — have a way of starting in the first year of a decade.  Supreme Courts, which historically have been loath to intervene against presidential war powers in the midst of conflict …

Budget Woes Hit Army Posts Nationwide  —  FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas — A diversion of dollars to help fight the war in Iraq has helped create a $530 million shortfall for Army posts at home and abroad, leaving some unable to pay utility bills or even cut the grass.

Putin kissed boy 'like a kitten'  —  MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) — Vladimir Putin's decision to stop a small boy as he walked through the Kremlin and kiss his stomach was prompted by a desire to "touch him like a kitten," the Russian president said on Thursday.