Iran Says It's Able to Make Nuclear Fuel  —  NATANZ, Iran — Iran announced Monday that it has begun enriching uranium with 3,000 centrifuges, a dramatic expansion of a nuclear program that has drawn U.N. sanctions and condemnation from the West.  —  President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad …

A Call for Manners in the World of Nasty Blogs  —  Is it too late to bring civility to the Web?  —  The conversational free-for-all on the Internet known as the blogosphere can be a prickly and unpleasant place.  Now, a few high-profile figures in high-tech are proposing a blogger code …

Iraqis protest to mark Baghdad's fall  —  BAGHDAD - Tens of thousands draped themselves in Iraqi flags and marched peacefully through the streets of two Shiite holy cities Monday to mark the fourth anniversary of Baghdad's fall.  Demonstrators were flanked by two cordons of police as they called …

GOP-issued laptops now a White House headache  —  Democrats say a private e-mail system was used in violation of federal rules.  —  WASHINGTON — When Karl Rove and his top deputies arrived at the White House in 2001, the Republican National Committee provided them with laptop computers …

Another Layer of Scandal  —  As Congress investigates the politicization of the United States attorney offices by the Bush administration, it should review the extraordinary events the other day in a federal courtroom in Wisconsin.  The case involved Georgia Thompson, a state employee sent …

Elizabeth Edwards afraid of neighbor  —  She has never met `rabid Republican,' but wouldn't be nice  —  RALEIGH —Elizabeth Edwards says she is scared of the "rabid, rabid Republican" who owns property across the street from her Orange County home — and she doesn't want her kids going near the gun-toting neighbor.

Pearls Before Breakfast  —  Can one of the nation's great musicians cut through the fog of a D.C. rush hour?  Let's find out.  —  HE EMERGED FROM THE METRO AT THE L'ENFANT PLAZA STATION AND POSITIONED HIMSELF AGAINST A WALL BESIDE A TRASH BASKET.  By most measures, he was nondescript …

President Renewing Efforts on Immigration  —  Plan for Overhaul Faces Battle in Divided Congress  —  President Bush will relaunch his push for an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws today in Arizona, with a fresh speech on the border and a new congressional leadership that is friendlier to his views …

The Google Primary II: Buy Your Rivals  —  Yesterday I managed to get a whole post out of the observation that most, but not all, of the top tier candidates are buying up their own names on Google AdWords.  In this post, I'll try to get some mileage out of reporting something more interesting:

Video: Mary Katharine Ham defends Michelle on CNN  —  Karol and I and another guest had a mini-birthday party for her on Thursday night in NYC when she told us she was due to be on CNN the next day to tape a segment about harassment of female bloggers.  She swore she was going to give 'em …

Exclusive: Afghanistan's Karzai Says Taliban, Al Qaeda Have Been 'Defeated'  —  Afghanistan's President Tells ABC News' Diane Sawyer That While His Country Needs More Help, 'The Taliban Is Not Coming Back'  —  Amid reports that thousands of suicide bombers and insurgents were getting ready …

Faye's amazing hostage story  —  and JULIE MOULT  —  FREED British hostage Faye Turney told last night how she feared she was being measured for her COFFIN by her evil Iranian captors.  —  The sickening charade was an act of mental torture — but to Navy sailor Faye it was terrifyingly real.

Bush's approval rating sits below 40%  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush is reaching levels of consistency that no White House would want.  —  Bush's job-approval rating in a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Monday through Thursday is 38%.  His standing has stayed below 40% for seven consecutive months.

Turning Buildings Green; States Take the Lead  —  A new United Nations report this week, backed by scientists around the world, confirms that not only is global warming real, but its effects are already here and getting worse.  And the hard fact is, the United States consumes far more energy …

White House says economic surge robust  —  WASHINGTON (Map, News) - The White House says the economic surge that began five and a half years ago on President Bush's watch is more robust than the much-touted expansion during the Clinton administration.  —  "This is a much stronger expansion …