Coalition seeks investigation of Homeland Security privacy office

Privacy advocates have asked lawmakers to investigate the Department of Homeland Security office in charge of protecting Americans' privacy, saying it has shown "an extraordinary disregard" for its duty.

Benefits changes finally in sight for federal employees

Long-sought changes to the pay and benefits structure for current and former federal employees await President Obama's signature.

World digest: Pakistani troops fight to control Taliban chief's home town

PAKISTAN

Jack Nelson, 80; Pulitzer-winning L.A. Times reporter

Jack Nelson, 80, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter who covered the civil rights movement in the South during the 1950s and 1960s, the Watergate scandal in the 1970s and national politics until 2001, died Oct. 21 at his home in Bethesda. He had pancreatic cancer.

World Digest

IRAQ

Business Digest: European Commission Concerned Over Opel Sale

AUTOMOTIVE

U.S. Officials Say Zazi Had Links to Bin Laden's Inner Circle

The airport shuttle driver accused of plotting a bombing in New York had contacts with al-Qaeda that went nearly to the top, to an Osama bin Laden confidant believed to be the terrorist group's leader in Afghanistan, according to U.S. intelligence officials.

Number of U.S. Troops in Afghanistan Overlooks Thousands of Support Troops

President Obama announced in March that he would be sending 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. But in an unannounced move, the White House has also authorized -- and the Pentagon is deploying -- at least 13,000 troops beyond that number, according to defense officials.

'Most' Hostages Rescued in Assault on Pakistani Army Bastion

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Oct. 10 -- Militants staged a deadly attack on the Pakistani army headquarters Saturday in the most audacious indication yet of their willingness to battle the government -- even at the doorstep of the nation's large and powerful security forces.

Republicans Scoff at Nobel Prize Announcement

President Obama's Republican adversaries reacted with swift disbelief to news that he had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, with many in the party scoffing that the accolade was hardly justified by a record they described as incomplete at best.

Afghanistan Commander McChrystal's Washington Trip Delayed

The White House has told the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan to delay a planned trip here Friday to brief President Obama and his senior advisers on his recommendation for a major troop increase.

Partial Patriot Act Extension Is Approved by Senate Panel

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill Thursday that would renew portions of the USA Patriot Act in an effort to address administration concerns about protecting terrorism investigations.