Allen Flap May Give A Boost To Webb  —  RICHMOND — The nationwide fallout from controversial remarks Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) made last week has given Democrats new hope in a race many thought would be difficult to win in the historically conservative state.

Israel mounts fresh Lebanon raid  —  Israel carried out an overnight raid inside Lebanon aimed at disrupting an arms transfer, the Israeli army says.  —  One soldier died and two were injured in the Bekaa Valley operation, it said.  Lebanese sources earlier told Reuters agency that three militants also died.

Experts Fault Reasoning in Surveillance Decision  —  Even legal experts who agreed with a federal judge's conclusion on Thursday that a National Security Agency surveillance program is unlawful were distancing themselves from the decision's reasoning and rhetoric yesterday.

Ruling Against Wiretaps Further Sharpens Partisan Divide  —  A federal judge's ruling that the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping is unconstitutional set off a flurry of political responses yesterday, as Republicans tried to keep control of the national security debate amid signs …

G.O.P. Deserts One of Its Own for Lieberman  —  Alan Schlesinger, in Hartford last month, has dismissed calls for him to exit the race.  One poll shows him with just 4 percent of the vote.  —  Facing Senator Joseph I. Lieberman's independent candidacy, Republican officials at the state …

In Nashville, Sounds of Political Uprising From the Left  —  A bar on Music Row in Nashville.  Democrats in the music industry are frustrated with country and western's reputation for being conservative.  —  NASHVILLE — Country music videos flashed on a television set at the Idle Hour …

At White House, Strange Silence Over Terror Probe Leak  —  The Bush administration hates leaks, especially when they involve classified information.  They and their allies have made that abundantly and forcefully clear (Plame affair aside).  Attorney General Al Gonzales has mounted …

It's art, says the naked woman who'll hug a dead pig on stage  —  After pickled sheep, unmade beds and painting with elephant dung, some questioned where modern art could go next.  —  Kira O'Reilly will provide her own answer today by spending four hours naked, hugging a dead pig - at the taxpayer's expense.

Intelligence officials doubt Iran uranium claims, say Cheney receiving suspect briefings  —  The Bush administration continues to bypass standard intelligence channels and use what some believe to be propaganda tactics to create a compelling case for war with Iran, US foreign policy experts …

Ahmadinejad roadshow seduces an adoring public  —  Eyewitness report: Iran's president arrives on a US-made helicopter - an evangelist from the sky  —  He arrives amid a hurricane of swirling brown dust and deafening noise.  A dense, rolling cloud of straw and dirt sweeps across the parched field …

U.N. Congo peacekeepers again accused of sex abuse  —  Source: Reuters  —  The United Nations is investigating a suspected child prostitution ring involving its peacekeepers and government soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the U.N. mission said on Thursday.

The CIA-Contra-Crack Connection, 10 Years Later  —  Reporter Gary Webb was the victim of his own hyperbole, but he never got credit for what he got right.  —  TEN YEARS AGO today, one of the most controversial news articles of the 1990s quietly appeared on the front page of the San Jose Mercury News.

Time Magazine, Hoping to Gain Readers, Shifts to Friday  —  Time magazine, which has been landing on newsstands and in mailboxes on Mondays for four decades, will soon be available on Fridays.  —  The switch is an attempt to increase newsstand sales and is expected to have significant implications …