NATIONAL
Huckabee to seek presidency
Mike Huckabee, a former conservative governor from the largely Democratic state of Arkansas, will launch his bid today for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, opening an exploratory committee to raise money. pg 3a
Buildup foes deride criticism
Prominent Democratic senators who are against the troop buildup in Iraq took issue yesterday with criticism from Bush administration officials who contend that opposition to the president's new strategy will embolden the enemy. pg 3a
MARYLAND
Required HPV shots weighed
Just a few months after federal regulators approved a vaccine against a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, more than a dozen states - including Maryland - are considering a requirement that girls entering middle school get it. pg 1a
Harris hopes to head council
Kenneth N. Harris Sr., the brassy city councilman who has been an outspoken critic of Baltimore's Police Department, will announce today that he is running for council president, adding a new dimension to a citywide race that is quickly becoming competitive. pg 1b
No interest in elected boards
General Assembly leaders have signaled that they are opposed to attempts by several Baltimore-area jurisdictions to switch to elected school boards, bucking a trend away from appointed bodies in an effort that legislators and parent groups say would boost educational accountability. pg 1b
WORLD
Sinn Fein OKs key compromise
Sinn Fein members voted overwhelmingly to begin cooperating with the Northern Ireland police, a long-unthinkable commitment that could spur the return of a Catholic-Protestant administration for the British territory. pg 8a
Hundreds of insurgents killed
Iraqi and American forces killed several hundred fighters apparently planning to attack a Shiite Muslim shrine in the holy city of Najaf during a daylong battle in which a U.S. helicopter crashed, killing two U.S. troops, Iraqi security officials said. pg 8a
Emergency Mideast talks urged
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia called on rival Palestinian factions to hold emergency talks in the holy city of Mecca in the most recent bid to halt some of the worst-ever Palestinian internal fighting. pg 8a
SPORTS
Maryland women fall
No. 2 North Carolina beat No. 3 Maryland, 84-71, last night in a women's basketball game at Comcast Center. The crowd of 17,950 was the largest to watch a women's basketball game in Atlantic Coast Conference history. pg 1d
Woods wins seventh in row
Tiger Woods shot a 6-under 66 to win the Buick Invitational in San Diego for his seventh consecutive PGA Tour victory. It is the second-longest streak in PGA history. Byron Nelson set the record in 1945 with 11 in a row. pg 1d
TODAY
Dogging the refrigerator
Did you hear the one about the 90-pound Labrador retriever mix that could open a refrigerator door? It's no joke. pg 1c
Questions we could do without
Columnist Kevin Cowherd explains why sports reporters ask the dumbest questions in the week leading up to the Super Bowl. pg 1c