Democrats' New Intelligence Chairman Needs a Crash Course on al Qaeda  —  Forty years ago, Sgt. Silvestre Reyes was a helicopter crew chief flying dangerous combat missions in South Vietnam from the top of a soaring rocky outcrop near the sea called Marble Mountain.

Tempting Fat  —  THE COMING CRACKDOWN ON TRANS FATS.  —  Put your hands in the air, and step away from the cookie.  —  That's the message from New York City, where the health department has just ordered the city's 25,000 restaurants to purge nearly all trans fats from their menus.

Adopt our values or stay away, says Blair  —  Your view: what next for "multicultural" Britain?  —  Full text of Blair's multiculturalism speech  —  Audio: Andrew Pierce on why Blair isn't facing questions  —  Tony Blair formally declared Britain's multicultural experiment over yesterday …

Iraqis Near Deal on Distribution of Oil Revenues by Population  —  Iraqi officials are near agreement on a national oil law that would give the central government the power to distribute current and future oil revenues to the provinces or regions, based on their population, Iraqi and American officials say.

Romney's Gay Rights Stance Draws Ire  —  Gov. Mitt Romney, the Massachusetts Republican who has built a presidential campaign on a broad appeal for conservative support, is drawing sharply increased criticism from conservative activists for his advocacy of gay rights in a 1994 letter.

Senators to Gather in Closed Meeting  —  Reid Plan Defended as Effort to 'Establish a Dialogue,' but Some See a Bad Precedent  —  Senate Democrats, who campaigned on a pledge of more openness in government, will kick off the 110th Congress with a closed meeting of all 100 senators in the Capitol.

Iraqis Line Up to Put Hussein in the Noose  —  One of the most coveted jobs in Iraq does not yet exist: the executioner for Saddam Hussein.  The death sentence against Mr. Hussein is still under review by an appeals court, but hundreds of people have already started lobbying the prime minister's office for the position.

Majority Fact of the Day  —  SENATOR INHOFE ANNOUNCES PUBLIC RELEASE OF "SKEPTIC'S GUIDE TO DEBUNKING GLOBAL WARMING"  —  Contact: Marc Morano (Marc_Morano@epw.senate.gov ), Matt Dempsey (Matthew_Dempsey@epw.senate.gov )  —  Washington D.C. - Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.) …

4 -year-old Accused of Improperly Touching Teacher  —  BELLMEAD- A four-year-old hugged his teachers aide and was put into in-school suspension, according to the father.  But La Vega school administrators have a different story.  —  Damarcus Blackwell's four-year-old son was lining …

Rumsfeld Discusses Successes, Failures  —  Defense Secretary Says Abu Ghraib Was a Low Point  —  Departing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said yesterday that his most difficult moment on the job was when he learned of the abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison.

How George W. Bush has ruined the family franchise.  —  On the eve of a report that repudiates his son's leadership, former president George H.W. Bush broke down crying when he recalled how his other son, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, lost an election a dozen years ago and then came back to serve two successful terms.

Black-Market Weapon Prices Surge in Iraq Chaos  —  The Kurdish security contractor placed the black plastic box on the table.  Inside was a new Glock 19, one of the 9-millimeter pistols that the United States issued by the tens of thousands to the Iraqi Army and police.