AP - Just weeks into his Senate term, Al Franken's portfolio compares favorably to any of the Senate's freshman members. He loves policy. He has signed on as co-sponsor to a half dozen bills, asked thoughtful questions of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, and immersed himself in a thorny debate over health care reform.

AP - Nearly eight years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq have left 4,000 soldiers killed in action, more than 34,000 wounded ? and only six considered worthy of the nation's highest military award for battlefield valor.

AP - The success of President Barack Obama's ambitious agenda ? from health care and climate change to education ? could depend on how quickly he recovers from the sharp drop in support among white voters after criticizing a white policeman's arrest of a black Harvard scholar.