US reports 'phenomenal' drop in Iraq violence  —  By Stephen Fidler in London and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington  —  Violence in Iraq has fallen at a rate that has surprised military commanders and even one of the architects of the "surge" that boosted US troop numbers in the country this year …

Saudi rape victim's husband blames judge for punishment  —  (CNN) — The husband of a Saudi rape victim sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison said his wife is "a crushed human being," but blamed a judge — not the Saudi judicial system — for treating her as a criminal.

Immigrant Paperwork Backs Up At DHS  —  Delays May Deny Vote to Hundreds Of Thousands  —  The Department of Homeland Security failed to prepare for a massive influx of applications for U.S. citizenship and other immigration benefits this summer, prompting complaints from Hispanic leaders …

Ex-Iraq commander says bring troops home  —  WASHINGTON - Retired Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top commander in Iraq shortly after the fall of Baghdad, said this week he supports Democratic legislation that calls for most troops to come home within a year.

SEC Opens Investigation of Company Headed by Key Supporter of Clintons  —  The Securities and Exchange Commission has launched an investigation into InfoUSA, a Nebraska company that used corporate funds to fly Hillary Rodham Clinton around the country, and one of only two companies …

11 years for refusing to testify to grand jury in Hamas funding case  —  CHICAGO: A former professor accused of taking part in a Palestinian terrorist network was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison Wednesday for refusing to testify before a U.S. grand jury.

China to allow U.S. carrier into Hong Kong after all  —  BEIJING (Reuters) - China refused permission for a U.S. aircraft carrier and accompanying vessels to visit Hong Kong for a long-planned Thanksgiving holiday visit — and then changed its mind.  —  The USS Kitty Hawk group and its crew …

Thanksgiving and JFK  —  For anyone over 50, today is not only Thanksgiving but the day JFK died 44 years ago.  He has been gone now for almost as long as he lived and, in these times of White House infamy, not nearly as much in the national mind as his antagonist, Richard Nixon …

Seattle Schools' Thanksgiving 'Myths' Stir Controversy  —  Seattle public schools want a side of political correctness served on your Thanksgiving table.  —  Washington state's largest school district sent letters to teachers and other employees suggesting Thanksgiving should be "a time of mourning" for its Native American students.

John Bolton On Hardball: "I'm Not A Neoconservative"  —  On Wednesday's Hardball Chris Matthews talked with right wing warmonger and former U.N. Ambassador, John Bolton, and Middle East expert, Jo-Anne Hart, about a possible U.S. invasion of Iran.  Matthews is normally all over the place …

Rail Sabotage Is Reported in France  —  Transit union leaders met with France's state-owned rail operator and the government today in the opening round of negotiations that came on the eighth day of strikes, a day that was punctuated by arson fires along high-speed rail lines.

The Two-Man Republican Race  —  Rudy Giuliani has either stalled or fallen some in the polls over the last month, and questions are being raised about his campaign's "theory of the race" — which is, basically, that he can successfully wait to win a state until Florida's primary on January 29 …

"You Gotta Ask Me Nicely"  —  When a man questions why a policeman has pulled him over and refuses to sign the ticket, the policeman electrocutes him to make him comply: … Police in the country are now allowed to torture speeders by the side of the highway in order to get them to comply.

Former AG Alberto Gonzales heckled at speaking appearance  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - As he steps out on a speech-giving tour at college campuses, former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales may soon wish he was still talking to hostile congressional committees.  —  Gonzales, who resigned under fire …

The United Nations is Always Right  —  Last week, the secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, issued a new warning on global warming that began with this sentence: "We all agree.  Climate change is real, and we humans are its chief cause ... we are on the verge of a catastrophe if we do not act."

Publisher: McClellan doesn't believe Bush lied  —  Spokesman 'did not intend to suggest' the president purposely misled him  —  President George W. Bush listens as his Press Secretary, Scott McClellan, announces his resignation at the White House April 19, 2006 in Washington, DC.  —  Video

New Hampshire primary date: Jan. 8  —  New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner today announced that the Granite State's first-in-the-nation primary will take place on Jan. 8, the earliest date ever for a primary ballot in a presidential election year.  —  The much anticipated announcement came …