SEN. EVAN BAYH, D-Ind., dropped a bombshell in Washington when he announced on Monday that he would not run for re-election. . . .

They stood under the scaffolding outside PS 188, the Island School, separated by a narrow walkway and strongly held viewpoints. . . .

When a state legislature is not dominated by one party, and the salaries are modest, legislators waste less time on bills that benefit only their own districts, according to researchers at Stanford and the University of Rochester. . . .

Although it is five months from publication, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's co-authored autobiography and political treatise has gone on sale for advance copies with a working title and an ambitious promise to provide a "bold vision for renewing the GOP and our nation." . . .