Obama takes 1st step in presidential bid  —  WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) said Tuesday he is taking the initial step in a presidential bid that could make him the nation's first black to occupy the White House.  —  Obama announced on his Web site …

U.N.: 34,452 Iraq civilians killed in '06  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq - Nearly 35,000 civilians were killed last year in Iraq, the United Nations said Tuesday, a sharp increase from the numbers reported previously by the Iraqi government.  —  Gianni Magazzeni, the chief of the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq …

51% of Women Are Now Living Without Spouse  —  For what experts say is probably the first time, more American women are living without a husband than with one, according to a New York Times analysis of census results.  —  In 2005, 51 percent of women said they were living without a spouse …

Castro Reportedly in Grave Condition  —  MADRID, Spain (AP) — Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro is in "very grave" condition after three failed operations and complications from an intestinal infection, a Spanish newspaper said Tuesday.  —  The newspaper El Pais cited two unnamed sources …

Democrats Seek the Middle on Social Issues  —  The promise may not outlast their political honeymoon, but Democratic Congressional leaders say they are committed to governing from the center, and not just on bread-and-butter issues like raising the minimum wage or increasing aid for education.

Iraq edges closer to Iran, with or without the U.S.  —  BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government is moving to solidify relations with Iran, even as the United States turns up the rhetorical heat and bolsters its military forces to confront Tehran's influence in Iraq.

Yeas and Nays: Tuesday, Jan. 16  —  WASHINGTON - Jeff Dufour and Patrick Gavin cover people, power and politics in the beltway each weekday.  Email them at yan@dcexaminer.com .  —  Little to head WHCA's big night  —  He does a mean Ronald Reagan impersonation and his imitation of Richard Nixon is legendary.

A Rifle in Every Pot  —  IT'S a phenomenon that gives the term "gun control" a whole new meaning: community ordinances that encourage citizens to own guns.  —  Last month, Greenleaf, Idaho, adopted Ordinance 208, calling for its citizens to own guns and keep them ready in their homes in case of emergency.

Burden Set to Shift On Balanced Budget  —  When he takes the House rostrum next week for the State of the Union address, President Bush will list among his goals a balanced federal budget, a shift for a president who has presided over record deficits while aggressively cutting taxes.

What Congress Can (And Can't) Do on Iraq  —  Congressional Democrats (and Republicans) who oppose President Bush's decision to send additional American troops to Iraq may frustrate his plan, but not — as suggested by Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn — by imposing 21,500 strings on the 21,500 new troops.

Poll: Bush's new Iraq strategy fails to rally public support  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush's address to the nation last week failed to move public opinion in support of his plan to increase U.S. troop levels in Iraq and left Americans more pessimistic about the likely outcome of the war.

Giuliani Hires Ex-Congressman As Adviser  —  DES MOINES, Iowa — Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has hired prominent Iowa Republican Jim Nussle to advise him on his possible presidential run.  —  Nussle, a former congressman and 2006 candidate for governor, will play …

Second Iraq Hanging Also Went Awry  —  Iraq's turbulent effort to reckon with the violence of its past took another macabre turn on Monday when the execution of Saddam Hussein's half brother ended with the hangman's noose decapitating him after he dropped through the gallows trapdoor.

Grumbling in the Ranks  —  Vocal opposition to President's Bush's strategy of sending more than 20,000 additional troops to help secure Iraq has grown to include some of the troops themselves.  —  A group of more than 50 active-duty military officers will deliver a petition to Congress …