Debra Lafave in Court Today
The former middle-school teacher—who was arrested in 2004 for having sex with a 14-year-old student—heads to court today to face a parole-violation charge. Lafave, a waitress at Danny Boy's Restaurant in Ruskin, Florida, allegedly talked with a teenage coworker about intimate details of her personal life. Will she never learn?

"Family Values" Rank Lower in a Changing America
Issues such as war, terrorism, and the economy have become more urgent to Americans than stressing the conventional nuclear-family unit. In a shift that reflects today's society, many presidential candidates themselves have nontraditional families and backgrounds that include (gasp!) divorce.

Airlines Lower the Bar for Pilot Experience
According to The Wall Street Journal, a worldwide pilot shortage is putting less-experienced fliers at the controls of passenger jets. Industry experts fear that the lack of training will make pilots less qualified to handle emergency situations. This is exactly the kind of news we don't want to hear during the busy holiday travel season...

Sec. Rice Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made an unannounced stop in Iraq today to visit with leaders in Kirkuk, which is located in the oil-rich Kurdish region of the country. She then met with government officials in Baghdad. The visit was meant to underscore an overall reduction in violence, which the Bush administration attributes to the escalation of U.S. forces that Bush ordered a year ago.

Philly Anchorwoman Arrested for Hitting Female Cop
Alycia Lane, an Emmy-award-winning anchorwoman at CBS's Philadelphia affiliate KYW-TV, was sent on an early Christmas vacation after being arrested this weekend for allegedly assaulting a New York City police officer. Lane "copped" a not guilty plea; she's scheduled to appear in court in April.