BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government accused local, Arab and international media on Monday of trying to provoke sectarian violence, as Iraq's military filed a lawsuit to shut down operations of a... Read more…

Governor Pat Quinn continues to outshine his predecessor Rod Blagojevich. Admittedly, that bar is pretty low. A 7 watt bulb could outshine Blagojevich. Read more…

Barack Obama is a man of faith, but not in a conventional sense of that notion. For Obama, spirituality has less to do with fixed belief than the good works that result from those beliefs. Read more…

Last month, Arlen Specter and Dick Durban in the Senate, and John Larson and Walter Jones in the House of Representatives introduced the Bi-Partisan Fair... Read more…

By David Bacon Oakland, CA -- In a little less than a month, hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, of people will fill the streets... Read more…

In this response to The National Organization for Marriage, we spent about 150 bucks on a green screen, some lights, a honey baked ham and some beer. Read more…

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama directed his administration Monday to allow unlimited travel and money transfers by Cuban Americans to family in Cuba, and to... Read more…

Be prepared, be very prepared. After all, paying taxes is just the price of our freedom to work and pay taxes. Remember this when you're drinking your next cup of tea. Read more…

Prosecutors have power. They have been given that power in part to effectively ensure public safety. Yet, everyday in courtrooms across the country, prosecutors are abusing their powers. Read more…

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AP - A passenger landed a twin-engine plane in Florida after the pilot died in flight with a total of six people on board. Read more…

AP - Madonna has told a newspaper in Malawi that she still wants to adopt a girl from the poor African nation despite legal obstacles, to educate her and empower her to help people in her country. Read more…

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Reuters - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that thousands of major infrastructure projects being undertaken as part of his economic stimulus plan were ahead of schedule and under budget. Read more…

Reuters - An overnight NATO-led airstrike on a remote Afghan village killed six civilians, including two children, Afghan officials said on Monday, but Western forces said they had targeted armed... Read more…

Reuters - The court-appointed lawyer overseeing the operations and assets of billionaire Texan Allen Stanford's companies has asked a judge to release another $137 million held in customer accounts,... Read more…

AFP - US President Barack Obama plans Monday to lift restrictions on some travel and remittances to Cuba by Cuban-Americans with family on the island, a White House official told AFP. Read more…

Anti-tax organizers of "tea parties" around the country have tried to keep out fringe elements like birth certificate conspiracy theorists and potentially embarrassing national politicians... Read more…

Gov. Bobby Jindal said he has a book deal with a conservative publishing house, with a co-author for "a lot of the heavy lifting." The... Read more…

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AP - A fast-moving fire tore through a three-story building housing homeless families in northwestern Poland early Monday, killing at least 21 people and injuring 20 more, including an infant,... Read more…

AP - Most people say they plan to use this year's tax refund to pay bills, deciding in this sour economy to be more frugal with their annual windfall. Read more…

AP - Thousands of children will play on the White House's south lawn during one of Washington's most anticipated annual events: the Easter Egg Roll. Read more…

AP - Wall Street was poised for a moderately lower opening Monday as investors prepare for earnings season to begin in earnest and await new economic data that will provide more details on the... Read more…

Reuters - Pakistani Taliban are imposing their rule in a Pakistani mountain valley they took over last week, spreading fear in the area only 100 km (60 miles) from the capital, police and residents... Read more…

Reuters - Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili told EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana that Tehran would welcome dialogue on "constructive cooperation" with six world powers, state... Read more…

AP - Five people were killed and seven seriously injured when a 22-foot pleasure boat crashed into the rear of a docked tug boat near St. Augustine Sunday evening, authorities said. Read more…

AP - Texas continues to blow away the competition, but Iowa can now generate more wind power than California, according to a new industry report to be released Monday. Read more…

AP - The cheers came from every corner of Augusta National, the kind of mayhem that had been missing at the Masters. The last one was for Angel Cabrera, a most unlikely champion. Read more…

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Reuters - The Ethisphere Institute on Monday named 99 companies it says are the world's most ethical, its third annual listing designed to encourage ethical practices within the global business... Read more…

Although Julio Mora is a U.S. citizen and his dad has a green card, they were arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, on suspicion of being undocumented aliens. The case is commonplace. Read more…

Maybe if I actually knew her, I would understand why this mild-mannered person drives otherwise-sane people crazy Read more…

AP - Thai soldiers unleashed hundreds of rounds of automatic weapons fire to clear rock-throwing anti-government protesters from a major intersection in the capital in the pre-dawn darkness Monday. Read more…

AP - Authorities are on the scene of a massive Easter fire that's damaged dozens of buildings on the grounds of a Christian center in New Hampshire. Read more…

AP - The U.S. price of gasoline increased nearly 10 cents a gallon during the past three weeks, but remains well below year-ago prices. Read more…

Reuters - The Thai army cracked down on anti-government protesters on Monday, firing warning shots in a major junction of the capital at activists who responded by hurling petrol bombs at them, a... Read more…

AFP - Thai troops fired tear gas and shots in the air to disperse anti-government protesters in Bangkok, wounding 68 people amid a crackdown to enforce a state of emergency in the capital, officials... Read more…

AFP - The US navy rescued the American captain pirates were holding in a lifeboat off the coast of Somalia, ending a tense five-day standoff by shooting dead three of his four captors. Read more…

Statement by President Obama regarding the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips. I am very pleased that Captain Phillips has been rescued and is safely on... Read more…

Big bucks are pouring in to the tea party movement. Fox News reports that organizers are making a fortune in merchandise sales -- the online... Read more…

They are not the same, not even close. Yet both in our minds and in the news media, Medicare and Medicaid are always lumped... Read more…

AP - A U.S. military official says Navy Seals and other officers opened fire on three pirates when a Navy commander made a split-second decision that an American hostage's life was in danger. Read more…

AP - Thomas Stone and his wife rebuilt after their home was flooded by six feet of water during Hurricane Katrina, never dreaming they would face the agony of tearing it apart all over again. Read more…

Reuters - Researchers in China say they have managed to generate new eggs using stem cells from the ovaries of young and adult female mice, taking a step toward addressing problems of female... Read more…

(Blogger's note: I'm part of an advisory group helping Princess Rym Ali set up the Jordan Media Institute in Amman, but ever the journalist, I couldn't resist a request to interview her, notably... Read more…

Move over, coffee: It's teatime in America. Just be sure you're sipping your Earl Gray from an official Tea Party mug when April 15 rolls... Read more…

The top general in Iraq, Ray Odierno, appeared on CNN's "State of the Nation" with John King, and sounded a very upbeat note regarding the... Read more…