Tsongas declared 5th District winner  —  LOWELL — Democrat Niki Tsongas of Lowell defeated Republican John Ogonowski of Dracut today to capture the 5th District congressional seat vacated by Marty Meehan earlier this year.  —  With 195 of 195 precincts reporting, Tsongas captured 54,363 votes …

Support Wanes in House for Genocide Vote  —  Worried about antagonizing Turkish leaders, House members from both parties have begun to withdraw their support from a resolution supported by the Democratic leadership that would condemn as genocide the mass killings of Armenians nearly a century ago.

Mugged by Unreality  —  MANHATTAN — So perhaps Jon Elliott wasn't exactly cool as a cucumber when he took to the airwaves early Tuesday to announce fellow Air America host Randi Rhodes had lost several teeth in an cold-blooded assault while walking her dog on the streets of New York City.

Many GOP Donors Yet to Open Wallets  —  More than a third of the top fundraisers who helped elect George W. Bush president remain on the sidelines in 2008, contributing to a gaping financial disparity between the GOP candidates and their Democratic counterparts.

Pressing Mr. Mukasey  —  Michael Mukasey, President Bush's nominee to be attorney general, is being promoted as a compromise candidate.  When he appears before the Senate today for a confirmation hearing, he should not be waved through.  Senators should press him on how he intends to turn around …

N.H. inches toward December primary  —  Notice to all national political reporters, campaign operatives and presidential candidates: You may not be home for the holidays.  —  Until recently, I did not think that any state actually would hold its 2008 primary as early as this December.

Sarah Maria Santorum's tears inspire song  —  This is the story of a defeated senator, his crying daughter, a Nashville songwriter and Martina McBride, the country music star.  —  It begins in Pittsburgh on election night 2006.  Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), losing to Democrat Robert P. Casey Jr …

Hacked Ann Coulter site: my career was a prank!  —  Ann Coulter's web site was apparently hacked Monday night.  In place of a column about Republican politics was "An Open Letter to Readers" announcing that her entire career had been a practical joke.  —  Radar magazine's site spotted …

Carville: Jeb Bush will be GOP nominee  —  NEW YORK (CNN) — Democratic strategist and CNN analyst James Carville tossed out a provocative idea during a panel discussion on politics Tuesday.  —  At CNN's America Votes 2008 Breakfast, the chief architect of Bill Clinton's successful 1992 …

Lifers as Teenagers, Now Seeking Second Chance  —  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In December, the United Nations took up a resolution calling for the abolition of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for children and young teenagers.  The vote was 185 to 1, with the United States the lone dissenter.

Africans are less intelligent than Westerners, says DNA pioneer  —  Fury at James Watson's theory: "All our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - whereas all the testing says not really"  —  One of the world's most eminent scientists was embroiled …

CHENEY AND OBAMA COUSINS?  —  From NBC's Adam Verdugo  —  In an interview with MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell this afternoon, Lynne Cheney revealed that while researching the Cheney family tree for her new book "Blue Skies, No Fences," she discovered that the Vice President Cheney and Barack Obama are related — albeit distantly.

Gore rules out presidential bid  —  Ex-VP says he is now running 'a different kind of campaign' for environment  —  OSLO, Norway - Former Vice President Al Gore has ruled out joining the U.S. presidential race after winning the Nobel Peace Prize for his work fighting climate change.

Voters unhappy with Bush and Congress  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Deepening unhappiness with President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress soured the mood of Americans and sent Bush's approval rating to another record low this month, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.