Bring It On! National News

The contretemps over the New Republic and its mystery Iraq diarist has blossomed into an all-out slugfest in the blogosphere.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he is personally engaged in developing contingency plans for a drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraq and emphasized that those efforts constitute a “priority” for the Pentagon.

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III yesterday contradicted the sworn testimony of his boss, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, by telling Congress that a prominent warrantless surveillance program was the subject of a dramatic legal debate within the Bush administration.

CULPEPER, Va. — On a hillside an hour or so southwest of Capitol Hill, the Library of Congress is moving into the newly completed home for its mammoth collection of U.S. recording and film history.

A debate moment that might have quickly come and gone has erupted into the sharpest battle of the Democratic nominating contest, with Sen. Barack Obama yesterday comparing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s position on meeting with the leaders of hostile states to the adamant refusal of President Bush…

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III yesterday contradicted the sworn testimony of his boss, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, by telling Congress that a prominent warrantless surveillance program was the subject of a dramatic legal debate within the Bush administration.

PHILADELPHIA, July 26 — President Bush stepped up his criticism of the Democratic-controlled Congress on Thursday, accusing members of being fiscally irresponsible and “dragging their feet” on spending bills needed to keep the government running beyond Sept. 30.

With a final deal yesterday on major homeland security legislation, Democratic leaders in Congress believe they can begin to lift Congress’s rock-bottom approval ratings while driving an ideological wedge through the Republican Party on domestic issues.

A huge multiyear farm bill ran into a White House veto threat and a sudden flurry of objections from Republicans yesterday on the eve of a vote on the House floor.

The Bush administration has told Congress that delays in funding for a new generation of nuclear weapons may require a return to underground testing to ensure that older warheads remain reliable.