AP - President Bush and European allies on Tuesday threatened tougher sanctions to squeeze Iran's finances and derail its potential pursuit of a nuclear weapon. Bush said the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran would endanger world peace.

AP - Democrats say the nation should be ashamed of its ban on gays serving openly in the military. It discourages qualified people from joining the ranks at a time when the armed forces are stretched by two wars, they say, and is degrading to those willing to serve their country.

AP - Republican John McCain accused Democrat Barack Obama on Tuesday of backing measures that would increase both the costs and the taxes paid by small business, and he told a group of owners, "The federal government shouldn't make your work any harder."

AP - Barack Obama is considering former top Pentagon leaders among his possible running mates, which would address his lack of foreign policy experience and balance the military bonafides of a GOP ticket led by a war hero.

Politico - Barack Obama’s vice presidential vetting team will undoubtedly run across some quirky and potentially troublesome issues as it goes about the business of scouring the backgrounds of possible running mates. But it’s unlikely they’ll find one so curious as Virginia Democratic Sen. Jim Webb’s affinity for the cause of the Confederacy.

AP - Sen. Lindsey Graham easily won his primary Tuesday against a fellow Republican who accused him of being too liberal for South Carolina and hammered his ties to John McCain.

AP - Barack Obama discussed Darfur, the Iraq war, gay rights, abortion and other issues Tuesday with Christian leaders, including conservatives who have been criticized for praising the Democratic presidential candidate.

AP - Housing tracts in farm fields aren't the only odd sights showing up in spreading exurbs like this one north of Columbus. Democrats are venturing out here, too, giving the party hope it can win battleground states by at least diluting these local Republican strongholds they know they can't win outright.

AP - A political infrastructure that pushed Barack Obama to victory in the Iowa caucuses and an increase in Democratic voter registration make him the favorite in the state in November, but an intense catch-up effort could put Republican John McCain back in the game, veteran political strategists in both parties say.

Reuters - Hardline Islamist leaders rejected a U.N.-brokered peace pact signed by the Somali government and some opposition figures, and vowed on Tuesday that war would continue.

AFP - A federal appeals court on Monday threw out a lawsuit challenging the legality of the US military's ban on homosexuals, an issue with so many ups and downs it will likely end up in the US Supreme Court.