In hopes of curtailing a mortgage crisis, the Fed proposes a clampdown on lending, to little applause. "The Federal Reserve... is not a strong advocate for consumers... there is no Santa Claus. People... surprised by the one are presumably surprised by the other." From Foreign Policy: "The
Befuddled every time someone says "sub-prime?" A graphic explanation. "What's your next diabolical plot? And what's up with that big ol' splotch on your forehead?" Al Qaeda's number two is now taking questions. Venezuelan minister gets heat for
Following Russian delivery of nuclear fuel, White House says Iran doesn't need to enrich, since they're having it sent in. U.S. picks its allies in Iraq, hands Turkey intelligence on Kurdish rebels' locations. Castro, who turned over power to his brother last year and
This is not what I've come to expect from the House of Representatives. New speaker of the house caught wearing women's clothing. The fascinating transformation of Raymond Carver's "Beginners" into editor Lish's "What We Talk About When We Talk
Thirty years after being hired by the CIA, Laotian fighters are deep in the jungle, and on the run. "The Iraq war is so over... Even if it goes on for another 10 years." Citing shifts in violence, Pentagon urges troop withdrawal from Iraq, deployment to Afghanistan. Mike
Clinton campaign apologizes about drug-use comments, though manages to leak "cocaine use" into apology announcement. Leaked proposal says EU will offer Serbia a fast-track acceptance once Kosovo goes independent. A small example of why Europe and Britain are united in viewing Brown as Eliot's
Mitchell report names names to portray "baseball's steroid era," and the players call foul; names, bios, and reactions. British report on bungled attacks in London and Glasgow link the bombers with Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia. Notes on the rich history of bans on artists by the
Kasparov forced to withdraw his candidacy because no landlords in Moscow would rent him a hall. Harvard lowers the rent (kills loan programs) to attract poorer students; Yale's courses now online for free. 'Tis the season for graduate school applications, hence: How to get a PhD and
House, Senate Democrats blame each other for caving to Republicans. The Clintons have a new pitch: Remember how great the '90s were? He often jokes about the electoral chances of a 5-foot-7-inch Jewish divorcé. But if the other candidates stumble, Bloomberg might run. The female spine
We're wishing for free and fair elections. But if not, we'll start the movement to dethrone Musharraf. Rigged elections predicted for Pakistan next month. I'm the U.N. undersecretary your mother warned you about. Op: A Wikipedia approach to government could make decision-making
