STEVENS IS SMOKED OUT  —  After much speculation, a staffer to Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, admitted to Cox Newspapers today that the senator is the lawmaker who placed a "secret hold" on legislation that would open up the obscure world of government contracting to public scrutiny.

Keith Olbermann Delivers One Hell Of a Commentary on Rumsfeld  —  Keith had some very choice words about Rumsfeld's "fascism" comments tonight.  Watch it, save it and share it.  —  Olbermann delivered this commentary with fire and passion while highlighting how Rumsfeld's comments echoes …

CBS magazine slims down Couric in photo  —  NEW YORK - No, Katie Couric didn't suddenly lose 20 pounds.  The incoming "CBS Evening News" anchor appears significantly thinner in a network promotional magazine photo thanks to digital airbrushing.  —  The touched-up photo of Couric dressed …

President Bush talks to Brian Williams  —  An exclusive conversation on the one-year anniversary of Katrina landfall … BRIAN WILLIAMS: You have apologized for the damage, but what about the damage to your presidency?  And Mr. President, here's what I mean, most call it your low point.

Gasoline prices could keep falling  —  Gasoline prices are falling fast and could keep dropping for months.  —  "The only place they have to go is down," says Fred Rozell, gasoline analyst at the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS).  "We'll be closer to $2 than $3 come Thanksgiving."

Tomlinson Cited For Abuses at Broadcast Board  —  CPB Ex-Chief Put Friend On Payroll, State Dept. Says  —  A year-long State Department investigation has found that the chairman of the agency that oversees Voice of America and other government broadcasting operations improperly used his office …

Lieberman Ad Focuses On The `Good Stuff'  —  Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman's new media team wants voters to go to their happy place - and think about all that their client has done for them in 18 years in the Senate.  —  In a commercial that debuted Tuesday, the team Lieberman hired after losing …

DRIVER'S RAMPAGE THE HUMAN TOLL  —  THE VICTIMS: 'No pattern' in targets of rampage  —  The victims of Tuesday's hit-and-run carnage were men and women, old and young, black, white and Asian.  One was on a bike, the rest on foot.  —  They were mowed down in at least 11 locations in San Francisco.

National Guardsman Brutally Attacked In Pierce County  —  PARKLAND, Wash. — The Pierce County Sheriff's Department is searching for five people who allegedly attacked a uniformed National Guardsmen walking along 138th Street in Parkland Tuesday afternoon.  —  The soldier was walking …

Armored Vehicle Experts: Reuters News Vehicle Not Hit By Israeli Missile  —  There has been quite a bit of debate in the blogosphere surrounding this story (note: link has been deactivated) of several days ago: … Despite the Israeli acknowledgement that they did fire on a "suspicious vehicle …

Afghanistan ignored  —  A WAR is missing.  Sadly, it is not missing from the physical location in which it is taking place, and people continue to die as it is waged.  But it has largely disappeared from our national debate, and that debate has been sorely distorted as a consequence.