USA

Americans still favor keeping US troops in Iraq until that country is stabilized, but not in the same numbers as a year ago, according to a results of a new Associated Press/Ipsos poll. The percentage who said the military should stay dropped from 71 percent to 57 percent. Some 36 percent of respondents favored an immediate withdrawal.

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid called for congressional hearings and investigations into President Bush's authorization of post-9/11 domestic spying.

Hurrying toward a year-end holiday adjournment, congressional lawmakers wrangled over possible spending cuts to the defense and domestic appropriations bills.

Crusading journalist Jack Anderson, who died Saturday in Washington, was known for his investigative columns. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the Nixon administration.

US Sen. Trent Lott (R) of Mississippi, who lost his waterfront home in Pascagoula, Miss., during hurricane Katrina, and half his net worth in the process, said the setbacks may influence whether he'll seek reelection next year.

Bill and Melinda Gates flank Irish rock musician Bono on the the cover of Time magazine's "Persons of the Year" issue, scheduled to reach newsstands Monday. The three were selected as "Good Samaritans" for their efforts to reduce world poverty and disease.

US Muslim leaders and activists met in Long Beach, Calif., Saturday to consider ways to combat extremism within the American Islamic community. The Muslim Public Affairs Council organized the one-day meeting.