One of the first promises the newly triumphant House Democrats issued after their election victory was to slash interest rates on educational loans–a move that heartened students and parents but frightened those who invest in lenders' stocks.
After months of hand-wringing about the risks of Rep. Charles Rangel's defunding the Iraq war or Rep. John Conyers's moving to impeach the president, Republicans unexpectedly have a batch of Democratic committee chairmen in the Senate to worry about as well. The lineup is nearly identical to the one Bush faced from 2001 to 2003, but the Democrats have renewed enthusiasm this time and a like-minded leadership in the House. Here are the future chairmen of the most powerful committees:
Business leaders love to emulate battlefield commanders as they deploy their troops and make critical decisions. That's why otherwise-arcane military books like The Art of War by Sun Tzu and On War by Carl von Clausewitz remain brisk sellers: They're considered obligatory titles on the bookshelf of any executive with a taste for corporate battle.
AP - A pair of car bombs tore through a downtown shopping district in the capital on Saturday, killing eight people, while a Slovak and Polish soldier were reported killed overnight by a roadside bomb south of the capital.
AP - The nation's citizen soldiers, already strained by long tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, could be tapped again under new plans being developed by the Pentagon.
AP - Republican Sen. John McCain intends to take the first formal step toward a White House run next week by launching a presidential exploratory committee, GOP officials say.
Oscar-winning actor Jack Palance, who starred as a hired gun in the classic Western "Shane," has died, a family spokesman said Friday. The 87-year-old died at his home in Montecito, California.