From the Washington Post: When Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. stepped up to the lectern at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, it was more than an unusual middle-of-the-night appearance trumpeting the swift arrest of an alleged terrorist. It also marked a rare moment of glory for the attorney general.

From the NY Times: WASHINGTON — American officials said Wednesday that it was very likely that a radical group once thought unable to attack the United States had played a role in the bombing attempt in Times Square, elevating concerns about whether other militant groups could deliver at least a glancing blow on American soil.

LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua, whose election marked the country’s first peaceful transition of power from one civilian to another, has died following a debilitating illness that sparked a leadership crisis in Africa’s most populous country. He was 58.