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Watch “The Beltway Boys” Saturday at 6 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 2:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. ET. This is a partial transcript from “The Beltway Boys,” on December 2, 2006, that has been edited for clarity. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED …

TEHRAN, Iran – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday his country was ready to transfer nuclear technology to neighboring countries, state-run television reported, nearly a week after Arab states on the Persian Gulf announced plans to consider a joint nuclear program. The television said Ahmadinejad told a top Kuwaiti envoy he …

ANKARA, Turkey – A boiler explosion on Monday knocked down part of a five-story building that houses military families in southeast Turkey‘s largest city, the governor’s office said. NTV television reported seven or eight people believed to be trapped under the rubble. Rescuers pulled eight injured people from the wreckage …

LOS ANGELES – Scientists launched new fantasies of life on Mars Wednesday when they revealed remarkable new findings that suggest water may still be flowing on the alluring Red Planet. The results came to light through an analysis of photographs taken by an orbiting space probe. Pictures of gullies on …

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI met on Wednesday with Iran’s foreign minister and received a message from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Vatican said. The Vatican did not release details of the content of Ahmadinejad’s letter, but Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said the note focused on Saturday’s U.N. Security …

WASHINGTON – A former congressman who helped spark President Bill Clinton‘s impeachment has quit the Republican Party to become a member of the smaller Libertarian Party, saying he is disillusioned with the Republicans on issues such as spending and privacy. Bob Barr, who served eight years as a Republican congressman …

Holding Hands to Reduce Stress The couples were told that the study was about holding hands — and that mild electric shocks would be involved. The wives wore electrodes on their ankles and watched screens that warned them when a shock was coming or assured them that they weren’t due …

DALLAS – Former employees are suing Swift & Co. for $23 million, alleging the meatpacking company conspired to keep wages down by hiring illegal immigrants. The 18 former employees are legal residents who worked at a plant in Cactus, Texas, north of Amarillo. The plant was one of six facilities …

HOUSTON – A lawyer for Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay assailed a key prosecution witness Monday as a skillful liar who exaggerated the financial peril the company faced in 2001. Lawyer Michael Ramsey also played tapes for jurors in which Lay, just after taking the reins as Enron chief executive …

ATLANTA – The Bush administration is expected to complete its overhaul of fuel economy rules for pickup trucks, minivans and most sport utility vehicles next week, implementing a new system that would seek better gas mileage. The rules, first proposed last August, would require the auto industry to raise standards …