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Irish authorities say a Slovak man unwittingly carried hidden explosives on board a weekend flight to Dublin after a Slovakian airport-security test went awry. The 49-year-old electrician was arrested Tuesday, but released without charge after Slovak security officials alerted their Dublin counterparts to the screw-up.

This week is the anniversary of the tragic day in 1963 [11/22/63, 35 years ago today] when John F. Kennedy was assassinated on the streets of Dallas. Looking back, we can see that Kennedy's death marked a turning point, when the political consensus of the time gave way to the confrontational politics that we associate with the 1960s. The upheavals that followed -- along with the bitter partisanship that disfigured political life in the last third of the century, and whose echoes we still hear today -- can be traced back to that day in Dallas. The terrorist attack of...

Sarah Palin's husband Todd repeatedly told Alaska officials to fire his former brother-in-law from the police force but his wife, the state's governor, was unaware of what he was doing, according to affidavits. The sworn statements were released as part of the "Troopergate" investigation into the dismissal of Walter Monegan, Alaska's public safety commissioner, allegedly for refusing to dismiss Mike Wooten, an Alaskan state trooper who had been involved in a messy divorce from Mrs Palin's sister. A report on the case, which could damage the Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who chose Mrs Palin as his vice-presidential running mate,...

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin remained in the dark while her husband repeatedly asked top state officials to help get his former brother-in-law kicked off the state police force, Palin's husband and top aides said in affidavits provided to The Associated Press. Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, is the focus of a legislative investigation into whether she abused her authority by firing the state's public safety commissioner to settle a long-standing family dispute. The commissioner says he was fired after resisting pressure to fire Mike Wooten, a trooper involved in a bitter divorce with Palin's sister....

In the last six months or so, when my Democrat friends have engaged me in discussions about Hillary Clinton, at some point I usually ask them a simple question to gage their support, knowledge, and level of commitment to their candidate. The question is, “What has Senator Clinton accomplished in her life, in her career to qualify her to be President of the United States?”. And of course they know who I support and they generally know his amazing credentials and experience, so when I press them for answers to, “What has she actually done that sets her apart?”, I...

Entering the weekend before his midterms, George Bush and his party appear fated to lose the House they have held for a dozen years. The Senate is on a knife's edge. The latest polls continue to show that by 52 percent to 37 percent Americans wish to see a Democratic takeover. Approval of Congress has never been lower. Americans think the nation is on the wrong track. Support for the war in Iraq has collapsed to a third of the nation. What went wrong? Certainly, on three traditional Republican issues – strong military, conservative judges and lower taxes – the...

BANGKOK, Thailand - The American suspect in the killing of JonBenet Ramsey told investigators that he drugged and had sex with the 6-year-old beauty queen before accidentally killing her, a senior Thai police officer said Thursday. An autopsy on Ramsey said a blood screening showed no drugs or alcohol in her body but said she had vaginal abrasions. Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul, head of Thailand's immigration police, said by telephone that he was not present for the questioning, which was conducted by U.S. law enforcement officials. But, according to what the general said he was told of the questioning, the...

PETALUMA (KRON) -- It now appears the only person ever arrested in connection with the murder of Jon Benet Ramsey once taught in Petaluma schools. The Sonoma County district attorney's office is now confirming 42-year old John Mark Karr was charged with possession of child pornography in April, 2001. Other reports indicate Karr served as a substitute teacher in the Petaluma elementary school system. Prosecutors say Karr failed to show in court in December, 2001. He's been a fugitive ever since. Thai police arrested Karr Wednesday in connection with the Jon Benet Ramsey case. The little girl was found dead...

A man arrested in Thailand is being held in connection with the slaying of JonBenet Ramsey, law enforcement officials said today. Federal officials familiar with the case, who spoke with the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the man was being held in Bangkok on unrelated sex charges. A source close to the case identified the suspect as one-time resident of Conyers, Ga., and said he was a school teacher. The source said that authorities had been focusing on him for some time and that Patsy Ramsey had been made aware prior to her death on June 24 that...

An arrest in the JonBenet Ramsey case is due to happen "shortly," according to sources in our newsroom -- I know I can't post the link to our site (we're a Gannett station, and despite the "ban", I would welcome the traffic), but most of you know where I work and what the site is... According to our sister station in Denver, an arrest took place early this morning in Thailand. Stand by for details and updates as they come in.

BOULDER, Colo. - A man suspected in the slaying of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey nearly a decade ago was arrested Wednesday in Thailand, the district attorney said. District Attorney Mary Lacey said the arrest followed several months of work. She disclosed no details about the suspect before a news conference scheduled for Thursday. Federal officials familiar with the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the man was already being held in Bangkok on unrelated sex charges. CBS reported that the suspect, a 41-year-old second-grade teacher, will be brought back to the United States this weekend. Ramsey family...

Statement of John Ramsey on Today's Arrest in Connection With the Murder of His Daughter, JonBenet Ramsey Wednesday August 16, 5:20 pm ET ATLANTA, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is statement of John Ramsey on today's arrest in connection with the murder of his daughter, JonBenet Ramsey: "I want to have only very limited comment on today's arrest because I feel it is extremely important to not only let the justice system operate to its conclusion in an orderly manner, but also to avoid feeding the type of media speculation that my wife and I were subjected to for...

-snip- Economic patriotism means, I gather, kicking Toyota and Nissan out of the U.S. Yes, what an unfair advantage these manufacturers have down there in Tennessee and Alabama. Their workers actually show up for work. Imagine that! They have an average daily absentee rate of 2%. Up in Michigan, Buchanan country, the average daily absentee rate in a union auto factory is 10% to 12%. But let’s bring this back in the name of economic patriotism. -snip-

Robin Williams has presented a Peace Plan that will work. gotta love Robin Williams...... Even if he's nuts! Leave it to Robin Williams to come up with the perfect plan. What we need now is for our UN Ambassador to stand up and repeat this message. Robin Williams' plan...(Hard to argue with this logic!) I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace. So, here's ! one plan." 1) "The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past &present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo,...

While I was heartened to hear that USAF Senior Airman Ahmad Al Halabi, like Army Chaplain (Capt) James Yee before him, had been cleared of charges of espionage and treason, I am nevertheless still deeply disturbed by the lack of media attention given this case. Granted, the allegations made a huge splash when they first surfaced in the fall of 2003, fueled to a white hot frenzy by prosecutorial whisperings of possible death sentences. At that time, the government was happy to have us believe that the tentacled reach of Al Qaeda extended all the way to the ranks of...

Ask ten people what "fairness" means and you can get eleven different definitions.

<p>HONOLULU (AP) -- The widower of the late Rep. Patsy Mink has entered the race for the Nov. 30 special election to serve out the final weeks of her term.</p> <p>Patsy Mink died Sept. 28, two days after a deadline for the Democratic Party to name a replacement. Her name remains on the Nov. 5 general election ballot. If she is re-elected posthumously, a second special election would be required Jan. 4 to fill her vacancy.</p>