N.J. Ruling Mandates Rights for Gay Unions  —  State Court Does Not Specify 'Marriage'  —  The New Jersey Supreme Court left the door ajar for the approval of same-sex marriage Wednesday, ruling that gay couples are entitled to rights no different from those of heterosexual couples.

Cheney confirms that detainees were subjected to water-boarding  —  WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney has confirmed that U.S. interrogators subjected captured senior al-Qaida suspects to a controversial interrogation technique called "water-boarding," which creates a sensation of drowning.

Olbermann Gives Us The Visual To Limbaugh's Attack On Michael J. Fox  —  By now everyone has heard Limbaugh's little commentary about Michael J. Fox's appearance in the ad for Claire McCaskill.  Well tonight Keith Olbermann supplied us with the visual to accompany Rush's latest show of idiocy.

Ad Seen as Playing to Racial Fears  —  The Tennessee Senate race, one of the most competitive and potentially decisive battles of the midterm election, became even more unpredictable this week after a furor over a Republican television commercial that stood out even in a year of negative advertising.

An Interview With President Bush  —  This afternoon I had the privilege of being one of eight columnists interviewing George W. Bush in the Oval Office.  The others were Tony Blankley of the Washington Times, Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal, Charles Krauthammer of the Washington Post …

Argentina charges Iran, Hezbollah in 1994 Jewish center bombing  —  BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - Argentine prosecutors charged Iran and the Shiite militia Hezbollah with the 1994 bombing of a Jewish charities office in Argentina that killed 85 people and injured 300.

Bush acknowledges setbacks in Iraq … WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush said Wednesday that he is concerned about the situation in Iraq, but it is "critical" that U.S. troops remain there and oust the insurgents.  —  "I know many Americans are not satisfied with the situation in Iraq," Bush said in a White House news conference.

Report: S.Korea to ban entry from North  —  SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea said Thursday it will ban the entry of North Korean officials who fall under a U.N. travel restriction — Seoul's first concrete move to enforce sanctions imposed after the North's nuclear test.

Jane Pauley Sues New York Times  —  Broadcaster claims fraud over appearance in drug industry advertorial  —  Claiming that The New York Times duped her into granting an interview for what turned out to be a drug company-funded advertising supplement, Jane Pauley has sued the newspaper for fraud.

Outlook  — While our seat-by-seat analysis shows Democrats winning the House by a four-seat margin, the overriding question is whether a "wave" will deliver a really big Democratic majority.  That presumes an overwhelming sentiment that negates seat-by-seat analyses.

Muslim leader blames women for sex attacks  —  THE nation's most senior Muslim cleric has blamed immodestly dressed women who don't wear Islamic headdress for being preyed on by men and likened them to abandoned "meat" that attracts voracious animals.  —  In a Ramadan sermon …

Girls' room his, too  —  Transgender men free to use ALL of MTA's loos  —  The line for the girls' room just got longer.  —  Men who live as women can now legally use women's rest rooms in New York's transit system under an unprecedented deal revealed yesterday.

Dow Ends Up; Fed Raises Inflation Fears  —  NEW YORK (AP) - Wall Street managed a tiny gain Wednesday, enough to give the Dow Jones industrial average another record close, after the Federal Reserve stoked some fears of inflation pressures but implied that it's not intent on raising interest rates.