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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded with America for more help Wednesday in fending off the brutal Russian invasion of his nation, referencing the attack on Pearl Harbor and 9/11 while telling members of Congress that Ukrainians are experiencing “the same every day right now.” “You are the leader of the nation – your great nation – I wish you to be the leader of the world,” Zelensky said in a direct message to Biden near the end of his 18-minute remarks to lawmakers. “Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.”

First Lady Michelle Obama recalled her father's battle with multiple sclerosis (MS) as she explained "what's at stake" in this election between President Obama and Mitt Romney -- whose wife has MS. Mrs. Obama recalled her father's MS during a campaign fundraiser, saying he "had MS, was a blue-collar city worker all his life . . . [and her parents] saved for us, they sacrificed everything for us, why? Because they wanted something more for me and my brother." The First Lady summarized the anecdote by saying "that's what's at stake" -- by which she referred to the idea that...

On a J Street conference call Thursday evening, Jan Schakowsky thanked the group for its financial and moral support. Her opponent, she said, was "an Orthodox Jewish Republican, Tea Party-endorsed candidate." It wasn't the first time Schakowsky alluded to my Orthodoxy: she did it in a July fundraising letter, and hinted at it again at an Israel forum we addressed in October, which she has since described as an "enemy camp." In some contexts, there is nothing wrong with referring to someone's religion. I have occasionally drawn attention to my Orthodox Jewish faith, usually to explain where my values come...

OAKLAND — Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean used the M-word during a brief appearance Friday morning before area party leaders. Yes, this scion of the Democratic Party, this Ivy League M.D. and former governor of Vermont broached the unbroachable with his loyalists in a clear attempt to re-establish his party as, pardon the French, moral. "We are our brothers' keepers," Dean said, using a biblical reference to sum up the new, 60-second party message and articulate what he considers the core difference between the blue and the red. "The Republican Party is a party of self-absorption and selfishness," he said....

WASHINGTON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - A U.S. Army general who rhelped set up operations at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq has asserted his right not to incriminate himself in the courts-martial of two soldiers accused of mistreating detainees there, The Washington Post reported on Thursday. The move by Major Gen. Geoffrey Miller is the first time he has indicated he might have information that could implicate him in wrongdoing, the newspaper said, citing military lawyers. Invoking the right does not legally imply guilt it said. It said the action came shortly after the commanding officer at Abu Ghraib, Col. Thomas...

NEWARK, N.J. - Hours after attending the funeral of Rosa Parks, former President Clinton invoked the civil rights heroine's memory in urging a large voter turnout for Democrat Jon Corzine in Tuesday's gubernatorial election. Speaking to a crowd of several thousand screaming, stomping and cheering supporters at Essex County Community College Wednesday night, Clinton said it would be a mistake for voters to sit out next week's election. "That woman we buried today after 92 years of service to this country, she had to try three times before they would even let her vote," Clinton said. "You be there on...

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) - Christian Brando, the son of actor Marlon Brando, took the witness stand Tuesday in Robert Blake's civil trial but declined to answer key questions to protect himself from possible self-incrimination. Brando's lawyer, Bruce Margolin, stood next to him at the witness box and repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment on behalf of his client. Brando, 46, has been a key figure in the case surrounding the murder of Blake's wife, Bonny Lee Bakley. Blake's lawyers have pointed at him as a possible suspect in the slaying. Brando has not been arrested or charged. On the witness stand,...

HOUSTON, Pa. - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites) would appoint Supreme Court justices who would safeguard a half-century of civil rights gains, his wife said Friday. "Fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, we are reminded now more than ever that we need a Supreme Court to protect our hard-won victories," Teresa Heinz Kerry told the Pennsylvania State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (news - web sites). "John Kerry will appoint judges that interpret our Constitution and don't go there for political reasons to divide our country," she added...

Adding fuel to the already fierce debate over abortion, Republicans in Congress are invoking the Laci Peterson (news - web sites) murder case as they try to enact the first federal law to endow a fetus with legal rights separate from the expectant mother. Laws similar to the federal bill already are on the books in more than half the states, and with Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress, the federal measure has a good chance of passing. President Bush (news - web sites) has pledged to sign the act, which sponsors have renamed "Laci and Conner's Law"...