By ISAAC WOLF, Scripps Howard News Service

What kind of drug czar would Gil Kerlikowske make?
With a Mexican drug war threatening to destabilize America's southern neighbor and its violence spilling into 230 U.S. cities, that's the question on policy makers' minds as his nomination to be the next head of the White House's anti-drug office faces Capitol Hill scrutiny.

What kind of drug czar would Gil Kerlikowske make?
With a Mexican drug war threatening to destabilize America's southern neighbor and its violence spilling into 230 U.S. cities, that's the question on policy makers' minds as his nomination to be the next head of the White House's anti-drug office faces Capitol Hill scrutiny.

Mislabeled seafood is swimming into U.S. kitchens, sickening people and cheating consumers who aren't getting what they have paid for.

The largest casual dining chain in the world, Applebee's, faces a class-action lawsuit after an E.W. Scripps media investigation found that it and other popular chain restaurants touted "healthy" dishes that actually contained far more calories and fat than the eateries claimed.

On Inauguration Day, the Rev. Pat Mahoney wants to teach the new president a lesson about the beginning of human life.
"In a forum, he said he didn't know where life began," Mahoney said of Barack Obama, who will be sworn in Tuesday.

Care packages to soldiers overseas contain a lot of the stuff you'd see in a convenience store: Cookies, men's magazines and beef jerky.But a veterans' group organizing care package campaigns at both the Democratic and Republican conventions has an item that's uniquely crafted for an arid war zone: Indestructible playing cards.

DENVER -- On stage, the convention's unfolding seamlessly. The speeches are slick, the messages managed masterfully and the love-fest strong enough to sweeten your morning coffee.But away from the podium, concerns about Barack Obama and the future of the party have even some dedicated Democrats saying openly that they think the election's lost.

DENVER -- From its vice presidential announcement to its volunteer campaign work this week, Barack Obama's campaign is leaning heavily on new technology. Team Obama is augmenting the usual campaigning mediums -- like the newspaper and television -- with cell phone and Internet-based platforms to squeeze more votes.

Jim Gaff is a lucky man.During World War II, Gaff served as a boat coxswain in the U.S. Navy, carting soldiers, munitions and cigarettes between England and France.On D-Day, when Gaff was 18, he was stationed off Utah Beach, one of the five code-named Normandy beaches that served as the site for Allied forces to enter France and fight the Nazis.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Call it their 15 minutes of fame.It's the final day of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and Mark and Pam Johnston's daughter is one of the few remaining competitors.The Bee began with 288. At mid-afternoon just 24 remain.