Iraqis: life is getting better  —  MOST Iraqis believe life is better for them now than it was under Saddam Hussein, according to a British opinion poll published today.  —  The survey of more than 5,000 Iraqis found the majority optimistic despite their suffering in sectarian violence since …

Veterans, Others Denounce Marchers  —  Counter-Demonstrators Number in Thousands  —  As war protesters marched toward Arlington Memorial Bridge en route to the Pentagon yesterday, they were flanked by long lines of military veterans and others who stood in solidarity with U.S. troops and the Bush administration's cause in Iraq.

EXCLUSIVE: Major New Problems At Walter Reed  —  Washington, DC (WUSA) — A major 9NEWS NOW EXCLUSIVE — allegations from a former inspector at Walter Reed of widespread and dangerous problems in nearly all the buildings at the Army's premier hospital.  —  Burst steam pipes near electrical cables …

One thing al-Qaeda excels at; making new enemies.  —  With this series of dirty chemical bombings a war between al-Qaeda and the tribes in Anbar is no longer a possibility.  It just became a fact.  —  I've read at least two very optimistic reports from al-Almada in the last week …

Commander, U.S. Central Command  —  Admiral William J. Fallon was raised in Merchantville, N.J. A 1967 graduate of Villanova University, he received his commission through the Navy ROTC Program and was designated a naval flight officer upon completion of flight training in December 1967.

Green Beer and English: The Actors and Poets of St. Patrick  —  The recent news that the Irish and the English come from the same ancient genetic stock, by and large, should be no shock to anyone who contemplates the greatest contribution of the cultural Irish diaspora: the language of their sometime enemies across the narrow Irish Sea.

Amid Concerns, FBI Lapses Went On  —  Records Collection Brought Internal Questions But Little Scrutiny  —  FBI counterterrorism officials continued to use flawed procedures to obtain thousands of U.S. telephone records during a two-year period when bureau lawyers and managers …

Nagin Suspects a Plot To Keep Blacks Away  —  New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin has suggested that the slow recovery and rebuilding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina — which has prevented many black former residents from returning — is part of a plan to change the racial makeup and political leadership of his and other cities.